Foligno - Montecopiolo 174 km
Is it, is it, is it really? Yes, it is a real mountainstage! Two serious climbs to give us a first real idea who's hot and who's not in this race. Cippo di Carpegna was a favorite climb of Marco Pantani so that should give you some idea of what it's like (hint: not easy).
Amy's wine tip for the day: Fontezoppa Falcotto
Today's grape: Vernaccia Nera. Google tells me that "Vernaccia' comes from the Latin for vernacular. Farmers applied the name to random indigenous grapes of different regions, so now there are several well known Vernaccia that are completely unrelated. So, essentially: local grape.
In the glass, this Vernaccia Nera features wild cherries and herbs.
Il Big del Giorno: Nairo Quintana
Anyone who watched the Tour of California yesterday will know that if you want it done right, get a Colombian to do it. Or an Englishman I suppose, but there are no decent Englishmen here so that leaves Nairo. This prediction stuff is so easy.
Official site , Stageinfo , Startlist , Final climb below
