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Photo: Yuzuru Sunada
Five key stages that
will decide the Giro
Fight for maglia rosa set to come down to
final Alpine stage before Rome finale
Paul Knotteams and riders will
be busy analysing
the route that Giro
d’Italia organiser RCS Sport
has plotted out for them
next year. A Jerusalem
Grande Partenza — the fi rst
ever staged outside Europe
— opens three politically
controversial Israeli stages
before the race heads to Sicily
after the fi rst early rest day.
From then on, the general
classifi cation battle ensues,
with a number of key stages
that will be crucial for any
riders attempting to claim the
pink jersey in Rome.Stage 6: Caltanissetta to
Mount Etna — 163km
The fi rst summit fi nish of a
Grand Tour doesn’t usuallydecide the race, but it
can tell you who isn’t in
contention among the team
leaders. Just 366 days after
Jan Polanc won atop Mount
Etna in last year’s Giro,
the peloton will ascend the
1,736m climb, which at the
end will give the fi rst shake-
up to the GC picture.Stage 14: San Vito al
Tagliamento to Monte
Zoncolan — 181km
One of the most iconic
modern climbs of cycling
is back in the Giro after a
four-year hiatus. Despite
having only been ascended
fi ve times since its fi rst
appearance in 2003, Monte
Zoncolan only reaches
1,730m in height, but at an
average gradient of 11.5 per
cent, it’s the sheer steepnessof the 10.5km climb that has
led to its infamous status.Stage 16: Trento to
Rovereto — 34.5km (ITT)
Barring the opening 9.7km
time trial stage around
Jerusalem, this will be the
only other chance that the
riders will get to gain or lose
time against the clock. A
relatively fl at course could be
crucial in deciding whether
Chris Froome extends his lead
or claws back time he may
have lost in the mountains in
his fi ght for pink.Stage 19: Venaria Reale
to Bardonecchia (Jafferau)
— 181km
Arguably the queen stage, as
the peloton ascends three of
the fi ve highest climbs of next
year’s race. The 9km gravelsection up the 2,178m summit
of the Colle delle Finestre
will be a spectacle not to be
missed, before the ascent up
to Sestriere and summit fi nish
atop Jafferau await to shake
up the GC in the fi ght for the
top spots.Stage 20: Susa to Cervinia
— 214km
This will be the fi nal chance
that the GC contenders will
have to scrap for vital seconds
before the processional stage
around Rome the following
day. Three categorised climbs
which rack up over 4,500m
of climbing culminate in the
summit fi nish at 2,001m
in Cervinia. Stage 20
promises to be anything
but a procession, especially
if podium places are still up
for grabs.The GC will clash on the
Finestre’s rustic slopes8 | December 7, 2017 | Cycling Weekly