Giro route rumours: Stelvio summit finish
Zomes is gone and his successor (Michele Aquarone) unveils his inaugural route on 16 October. The rumours are already flying including one of a summit finish on the Stelvio. I'm going weak at the knees and it looks like the Giro is alive and well
8 months ago
thebongolian
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if summit finish maybe they’ll climb Gavia first and climb the back side of Stelvio from Bormio. Would be very fun. They’ll almost certainly need the snow ploughs in May.
I need the fainting couch
moo
one day there'll be a ronde van pakistan
and hopefully they’ll finish on top of the khunjerab pass…
by thebongolian on Sep 29, 2011 7:28 AM EDT up reply actions
Hey Pat!
Here’s a great idea!
Join PodiumCafe on Strava and don't forget to enter the KOM-competition
Let's make PdC the climbiest club on the planet!
Besides, isn't it called "See" now?
Or am I confused?
by straw dog on Sep 28, 2011 7:28 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
well done
"Ants don’t worry, they operate like a fantastic team, they accept obstacles and deal with them in a positive manner, they don’t complain and remain positive. An ant doesn’t work on emotion, is proactive and always chooses the ant role."
Took me a while
Join PodiumCafe on Strava and don't forget to enter the KOM-competition
Let's make PdC the climbiest club on the planet!
Passo di See
seems like a cool name for a boat
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Bet she changed
cause she was tired of climbing the Gavia jokes
I am ready to hug the world - Tony Martin.
or of people making passes at her.
"Ants don’t worry, they operate like a fantastic team, they accept obstacles and deal with them in a positive manner, they don’t complain and remain positive. An ant doesn’t work on emotion, is proactive and always chooses the ant role."
by ant1 on Sep 29, 2011 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Tre Crime and Pampeago are the two stages BEFORE this one I believe
or so is rumored, as is uphill finish on San Pellegrino. Giro is still Giro
Phil you can't wait for it !!! Can you?
Help PdC Club in STRAVA... Is another way to compete..! Join and help us take the KOM... If you have questions ask broerie... I am busy climbing..
that pez kit looks very nice
"Ants don’t worry, they operate like a fantastic team, they accept obstacles and deal with them in a positive manner, they don’t complain and remain positive. An ant doesn’t work on emotion, is proactive and always chooses the ant role."
Aquarone bringing back some balance and sanity to the Giro
Looking forward to the dirt road stage.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
wow. what a stage.
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
that bump at 139 km
is probably more climbing that the entirety of the eneco tour
by thebongolian on Sep 29, 2011 8:22 AM EDT up reply actions
I am imagining Emma Pooley saying
“Not fair, I wish WE could ride that!”
Aka Pigeons!
by Sarah Connolly on Oct 1, 2011 4:25 AM EDT up reply actions
So that looks to me …. they climb the “good” side of Mortirolo – super steep – goes past the Pantani monument …. but a couple of kms from the summit they turn left and descend to Grosio. The same descent a ladies race did this year.
Then they climb the back side of Stelvio from Bormio.
So it’s not the endless hairpins all in the same view of the main side of Stelvio – but the back side of Stelvio is still truly awesome.
Mid-way up:
moo
I clicked play
but it won’t work
Join PodiumCafe on Strava and don't forget to enter the KOM-competition
Let's make PdC the climbiest club on the planet!
So, Marianne Vos for the win again then?
by Jens on Sep 29, 2011 7:25 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Awesome picture there...what a perspective of how steep that is...
by JustJoshinYa on Sep 29, 2011 8:41 AM EDT up reply actions
wow
probably should book the day off work already :-)
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
you work saturdays?
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
quite often, yes
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
well, yes, ask for the day off now. and keep reminding the boss weekly.
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
I'm not sure about Mortirolo
if they were going to climb from Mazzo then why not say. There are three standard ways to the top – Mazzo, which they have always taken up until now (although usually they arrive from the north), Grosio, which the women descended this year, and Edolo which is the usual Giro descent but which the women climbed.
So what is this mysterious Toro di Sant’Agata? Well it’s the next village to the south of Mazzo, and Google maps shows that it has a little stub of a road passing through and heading towards Mortirolo, but one which just stops the other side of the village. But if you switch to streetview at that point then there is a (admittedly crappy) little road heading on, and what’s more a series of hairpins is visible in that first map view a bit further up the mountain. Could there be some dirt track connecting the two. i.e. is this a brand new ascent?
Trivia Question
So the Bormio side of Stelvio has signposts numbering every hairpin.
How many hairpins? Hint: More than 26.
moo
Looks pretty close to the summit...
32?
(wild guess)
Join PodiumCafe on Strava and don't forget to enter the KOM-competition
Let's make PdC the climbiest club on the planet!
That’s not the summit. The high bit though is where I took the other photo though. After, it straightens out through a high valley before last few steep kms . And I think (????) It counts down ….. in other words 26 to go (but I might be wrong).
moo
you are...!
This is the only one I understand…
Help PdC Club in STRAVA... Is another way to compete..! Join and help us take the KOM... If you have questions ask broerie... I am busy climbing..
40? Switch backs are overrated anyway!
Switch backs just diluting average gradient.
Cyclo alpinism rules! :)
"I love bike races warm up, warm down, cobbles mountains or flats."
perezbike
.
They're quite fun on the downhills
Join PodiumCafe on Strava and don't forget to enter the KOM-competition
Let's make PdC the climbiest club on the planet!
explain hoq that is fun?
Help PdC Club in STRAVA... Is another way to compete..! Join and help us take the KOM... If you have questions ask broerie... I am busy climbing..
tight turns at high speeds are the greatest
"Ants don’t worry, they operate like a fantastic team, they accept obstacles and deal with them in a positive manner, they don’t complain and remain positive. An ant doesn’t work on emotion, is proactive and always chooses the ant role."
my handleling skills say no.
Read well my handle skills. I would go straight. Can I?
Help PdC Club in STRAVA... Is another way to compete..! Join and help us take the KOM... If you have questions ask broerie... I am busy climbing..
by pablo777 on Sep 29, 2011 10:41 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Oh Yeah! I forgot about downhills!
"I love bike races warm up, warm down, cobbles mountains or flats."
perezbike
.
"If I didn't have air conditioning I'd look ridiculous right now"
That was cool
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
and Captain Slow is pouring water on himself to remain cool...totally funny...
Top Gear is the best show ever…
by JustJoshinYa on Sep 30, 2011 8:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Any words about sprint stages at 2012 Giro?
I know, I know 2 weeks ban.
"I love bike races warm up, warm down, cobbles mountains or flats."
perezbike
.
lots of them
Cav won’t have a chance uphill finishes all of them.
Help PdC Club in STRAVA... Is another way to compete..! Join and help us take the KOM... If you have questions ask broerie... I am busy climbing..
by pablo777 on Sep 29, 2011 10:49 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
lots of them
Cav won’t have a chance uphill finishes all of them.
Help PdC Club in STRAVA... Is another way to compete..! Join and help us take the KOM... If you have questions ask broerie... I am busy climbing..
by pablo777 on Sep 29, 2011 10:49 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Pablo, I can’t answer. I have 2 weeks ban!
"I love bike races warm up, warm down, cobbles mountains or flats."
perezbike
.
Apart from sheer quantity of sprint stages, it'd be nice if there was some way to entice Cav into finishing the race
Getting the career triple of points jerseys would be pretty cool, and it also seems a bit lame to have the rainbow stripes come to your race but voluntarily quit.
by the looks of the Stelvio stage
There’s a chance he may end up leaving the 2012 Giro involuntarily.
oh yes....!
The sprinters will sprint to the airport when they announce this stage.
Help PdC Club in STRAVA... Is another way to compete..! Join and help us take the KOM... If you have questions ask broerie... I am busy climbing..
Not to be all negative nellie
but is this first-time director maybe getting a touch hubris-y? I suppose they can always finish on the Mortirolo or swing back down to Aprica when the Stelvio gets snowed in. There’s a reason they haven’t gone there since 2005.
"Yay Rabo -- Hurrah!" -tgsgirl
by Chris Fontecchio on Sep 29, 2011 11:46 AM EDT reply actions
stop being a wet blanket
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
by umwolverine on Sep 29, 2011 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions
Why can't they put the leading caravan to work?
They could clear the road for the riders as they go up.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
With all these things to implement there's no reason to cancel because of snow
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
is that a penny farthing era snow shovel?
"Ants don’t worry, they operate like a fantastic team, they accept obstacles and deal with them in a positive manner, they don’t complain and remain positive. An ant doesn’t work on emotion, is proactive and always chooses the ant role."
All I know is it's called a Wovel
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Hmm, when Will and a Shovel have children...
I expected something with more elevation to it…
by JustJoshinYa on Sep 30, 2011 9:35 AM EDT up reply actions
while operating that blow dryer
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Chris,
I spent the other year going on about how Gavia (the Pass) was unclimbable in May without huge snow removal efforts, etc. It ended up being fine. And it’s in Stelvio range altitude wise.
So fingers crossed.
(but I agree – this has a high chance of being changed)
moo
I'm not sure that's a "new director" problem.
One of the reasons Zomes’ tenure seems to have come to an end is the routes not ending up quite as advertised the last couple of years…
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
I just imagine in some alternative universe they made me (or Phil) Giro director.
Committee: “Ok, you are now the boss”
Me: inhale: “Stelvio”
moo
If Phil and Will directing the Giro:
Peloton will be climbing Stelvio in the prolog, with overnight transfer to the " Angry Lou" after that!
And podium will have only one step, no not 1, but " survivor"
"I love bike races warm up, warm down, cobbles mountains or flats."
perezbike
.
Gavia (the pass)
Only on the pages of the PdC…
"Yay Rabo -- Hurrah!" -tgsgirl
by Chris Fontecchio on Sep 29, 2011 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions
They mentioned that in a couple articles I read
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
I just did the "play along and do the math with Fuglsang"
this Queen bitch Stage is 5900 meters of climbing in 218k. By my rough calculation that is 19,352 feet of climbing 136 miles. Having done many 10,000+ 100 milers in cramp city,USA, I don’t care if your a bigtime pro, this stage is insane. I’m onboard with Fuglsang.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
same here
maybe use stages like this in week long races, not at the end of 3 weeks. imagine how exciting the previous 19 stages are going to be if everyone is saving themselves for this one.
"Ants don’t worry, they operate like a fantastic team, they accept obstacles and deal with them in a positive manner, they don’t complain and remain positive. An ant doesn’t work on emotion, is proactive and always chooses the ant role."
It will be a piano stage until the final climb for the contenders. Hopefully they race the final climb.
Too bad the queen stage will play out more like a death march. Somewhere Henri Desgrange is smiling though.
If I take out the word "piano" and "death march" and put them together...
only way I can make sense of what your saying. Piano references are usually saved for the flat stages, no?
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
I think he just means that the entire peloton may take it easy for as long as possible.
Although once they reach Mortirolo … it’s just too steep for any sort of peloton
moo
I understood
I was just taking exception to the use of “piano stage” when looking at that profile.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Soft pedal is the term.
That dictionary went crazy with defining piano, geez.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
In thinking about this some, I can see his point and it makes me think to the alpe d'huez stage in this year's tour...
It was pretty short, which have us the chance of seeing Contador put in an attack basically from the gun. This stage could do Mortirolo and Stelvio by itself and be pretty cool (short). Maybe add just one of the climbs earlier and it’s still got a chance of being a climb someone goes out on an early attack on and makes it fun like that alpe stage was from the TDF…
Course it depends on having a start town and route that works too…
by JustJoshinYa on Sep 30, 2011 1:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Fuglsang, perhaps being a bit new to the road racing circus, should look in the direction
of other prominent races: Eneco Tour.
Having said that, I support the idea of others here, that organisers should cut the distance to 120-140km. It will give us better racing, almost guaranteed.
"Having said that", what,
that Fuglsang is a wimp that needs to ride the Eneco? I seem to remember a Fuglsang this season that is turning into a powerful domestique and potentially a good GC rider.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Fuglsang whines way to much in general, but I guess
thats part of the Schleck school of racing.
by Uphill on Sep 30, 2011 5:49 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
5900m of climbing in 218k
and a little whining isn’t in order, hmmm?
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
I really want to see the context before I judge this one stage
My hesitations about the last years routes hasn’t been single brutal stages but rather that there has been one after the other making it almost ridiculous. If they have one monster stage in amongst a number of more normal stages I think it’s more ok.
+1
This, a Zoncolan stage, and one other easier mountain top finish, is about right for a giro last week
Sminer: I blame KARMA for everything.
Jens: I've heard it's a bitch
Water Girl: I heard it ran over your dogma
Yea I'm still thinking this is a very balanced Giro
but this stage doesn’t need to be soooo over the top.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
David Millar not holding back
Seems to be airing more on the negative side regards #girofolly. I can tell you one thing, you’re only going to be watching Italians race
Nobody else is going to turn up. I remember Alberto saying the ‘queen’ stage was way too hard this year. And he won it. Nothing learnt.
Alpe d’Huez stage at this years tour, half distance and way more exciting. #girofolly will be a slow and boring war of attrition.
Edgar knows best.
tho millar errs in one of those tweets. conta did NOT win the 2011 giro's queen stage, mikel nieve did (stage 15).
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
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