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When Hannibal was vanquished by the Romans at the Second Battle of Capua, Livy suggested the defeat had come about because the Carthaginian troops had become too accustomed to luxury after spending the winter there.
For the Giro gruppo, there is certainly only hardship once they leave the sanctuary of Capua on stage 6, with the road climbing steadily back into the Apennines from the very beginning. After an intermediate sprint in Castel di Sangro – captured so acutely in the late Joe McGinniss’ Miracle di Castel di Sangro – the peloton takes on the category 2 haul to the familiar waypoint of Roccaraso, site of stage finishes in 2016 and 2020.
The day’s true difficulty follows with the two-part climb up the Gran Sasso d’Italia, with the road dragging inexorably upwards for the best part of 45km. The category 2 ascent of Calascio leads directly onto the category 1 haul to a finish that takes the race above 2,000 metres for the first time.
Simon Yates scored victory on the corresponding stage in 2018, and the altitude and sheer length of the final climb should establish an early hierarchy in the overall standings.
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