The 2023 Giro d’Italia route can be explained in a few numbers: 21 stages, 3448km of racing, 70.6km of time trialling, 51,300m of climbing, and eight mountain finishes, all between May 6-28.
Yet the 106th edition of the Corsa Rosa promises to be about far more than numbers, data, results and statistics.
The route, which was presented in MIlan on Monday, is finely balanced, with the time trials matched by some steep mountain-top finishes, including the final time trial to Monte Lussari, where a bike change will add an extra twist.
The Giro ends with a tough final week in the Dolomites and Julian Alps near Slovenia but there are a number of pivotal points which will define the three weeks of racing and decide the final classification.
Here, we delve into five of the stages that look set to shape the 2023 Giro d’Italia.
Stage 7
Capua – Gran Sasso d’Italia (Campo Imperatore), 218km
The opening time trial along the Abruzzo coast will award the first maglia rosa and stage 4 to Lago Laceno will be a first place for the GC riders to test each other. However, the stage 9 finish at Campo Imperatore, high up in the Abruzzo Apennines, will reveal the form and ambitions of the overall contenders for the first time.
Stage 9 is the first mountain finish above 2000 metres and at 218km is the longest stage of the 2023 Giro.
The start in Capua is near Naples and the route then cuts inland crossing the southern Apennines via Roccaraso, Piano delle Cinque Miglia and a long descent to the foot of the 45km climb to the Campo Imperatore high plain. A plateau mid-climb offers some respite but the gradient kicks up in the final kilometres with the sections at 13% a perfect place to attack and gain some early time.
Simon Yates claimed victory here in 2018 and Marco Pantani triumphed in 1999 before he was later disqualified for a high blood haematocrit level, leading to his tragic demise.
Stage 9
Savignano sul Rubicone – Cesena (ITT), 33.6km
If a stage was added to the 2023 Giro d’Italia to appease Remco Evenepoel and other time triallists, it is this pan-flat time trial across the Romagna plain from Savignano sul Rubicone to Cesena.
The 33.6km route follows straight country roads and then cuts back inland to finish at the headquarters of gym equipment and indoor bike brand Technogym. The…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…