Giro d'Italia: Stage 18 preview

Stage 18: Mori - Polsa (ITT)
Distance: 20.6km
Highest point: 1,205m
Category: Individual time trial

BATTLE AGAINST THE CLOCK

The final stanza of the 2013 Giro begins with a punishing 19km cronoscalata in the hills east of Lake Garda. The gradients, an average of five percent and the final 6km at 6.8 percent, look better suited to the specialists than to the thoroughbred climbers. Though the time gaps won't be vast, it's conceivable they will determine the outcome of the race. A minute lost here may not seem a lot but in the context of the Giro, you never know. No question of the tactics, then, just 45 minutes of good old-fashioned suffering.

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Stefano Zanatta says: "It's neither long nor particularly steep but a good run on this time trial will make a big difference as regards morale. If the sensations are good, it will give riders a real boost for the days to come and I have a feeling it will be particularly important for Nibali. I don’t expect huge gaps but by now the fatigue is really starting to accumulate."

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