A voi! Stage 5: Abby- something...Abetone

Stage 5 and it's time for a mountaintop finish, I kid you not. Actually the first week gentle-ish MTF is a regular fixture since you pretty much can't ride 20 minutes in from any place in Italy without hitting a medium-tough mountain. In this case it may actually be an easier stage overall than the last two stages climbfests. Certainly it's very unlikely that anyone will allow the anarchy of stage 4, I doubt anyone has the legs for that. This is a fairly uncomplicated day in comparison, a gentle first climb and the final climb to Abetone which is long with its 17 kilometers but never too steep. It should offer an easier and more predictable race logic than the previous days. The big teams should be mainly focused on the final climb and looking at each other for the most part while a breakaway might be allowed some freedom if they are lucky

Since Abetone isn't really a climb that suits any of the big favorites particularly well, it looks a bit too gentle, we should probably see a fairly passive final climb. There isn't really that much to be gained by the looks of it. If anything we may see Sky playing the really long game applying their patented pressure to see if they can drop some deadweight and maybe add a little to the accumulated fatigue that they might be hoping will serve them well, and Alberto less well, in July.

Chi vincerà?

Fabio Aru: Astana look to be on fire and they might want to capitalize and put their guy in a position to send notice to the opposition.

Amy's Food & Vino del giorno

Wine: Sesti Toscana IGT "Monteleccio"
100% Sangiovese made from the property's youngest vines. Tuscany! Time for a red, paired with steak on night one. Cherry, violets, and herbs with enough acid to keep it lively.

Food: Pecorino Toscano is a firm-textured sheep’s milk cheese produced in Tuscany. Since 1996 it has enjoyed protected designation of origin (PDO) status.