Giro d' Italia 2014

['Dale]

The final decisive stage of the race features the infamous Monte Zoncolan, cycling’s equivalent of rock-climbing.

The stage starts with some easy kilometres, welcome relief to those with heavy legs from the previous day. The Passo del Pura is more than a warm-up, it’s got slopes of 9%, 10%, 11% and more. The Sella Razzo is has four kilometres at 9%, hard in itself. But the final climb looms. It might not be the tallest mountain in Italy but it will dominate the minds. Monte Zoncolan is 10km at 12% and at times 20% sections… but it’s almost too hard because its steep slopes cancel any tactical interplay, the climb reduces each rider to private battle with gravity where each performance is the sum of the power/weight ratio. Expect huge crowds at the top to crown the winner.

 

The Inner Ring

[Thor Buttox]

10km at 12%...holy crap. I just looked at my profiles and the first 3km of the Tokai Mast from the start of the tar Road is at 10.8% average and that is hellish steep to me. The whole tar Road is at 9.6% average for 5.5km. (with Mtb gears)

[tombeej]

A story from the 2011 Giro... The easier way up Zoncolan: David Millar’s 36 sprocket.

[tombeej]

10km at 12%...holy crap. I just looked at my profiles and the first 3km of the Tokai Mast from the start of the tar Road is at 10.8% average and that is hellish steep to me. The whole tar Road is at 9.6% average for 5.5km. (with Mtb gears)

 

The 12% ave. gradient takes into account the first 2.2 km which are relatively flat. To get a proper feel of the Zoncolan, take a look at the gradients from that point, i.e. after the riders pass Liariis. From there they will climb 900 vertical metres in just 6km (the top of Table Mountain is almost exactly 1,000m above sea level). In this section the riders will find 15% slopes average, with one particularly mad section of nearly 20% that goes on for almost 1 km.

 

A 6 km stretch that averages 15% :eek: . And even then, your're still not done yet...

[Thor Buttox]

In the old Cape Cobra race here in the Cape there is a section up a hill to the Military barracks above Simonstown where it hits 25% for a few hundred meters and it is just brutal. So this is mental!

['Dale]

10km at 12%...holy crap. I just looked at my profiles and the first 3km of the Tokai Mast from the start of the tar Road is at 10.8% average and that is hellish steep to me. The whole tar Road is at 9.6% average for 5.5km. (with Mtb gears)

 

Now, imagine doing that after nearly 3 weeks of racing, eh

Yoh

[TALUS]

 

 

Now, imagine doing that after nearly 3 weeks of racing, eh

Yoh

... and after a few hours of riding. I cannot express how much they impress me. Miniature Supermen!!

[Yellow Ribbon]

quintana FTW

['Dale]

If Quintana had the choice to design a penultimate stage, this would be it...

 

 

['Dale]

The riders are off now for the penultimate stage of the 2014 Giro d'Italia.

['Dale]

We have at least one non-starter today. Lotto Belisol's Kenny Dehaes missed the time cut yesterday. He took to twitter and vented his frustration at the organisers.

['Dale]

 

The good news for the riders today is that there is sunshine on top of Monte Zoncolan. God knows they could do with some. It must be one of the wettest Giri in a long time.

['Dale]

We've only been racing for about 15 minutes but we've already got attacks off the front. A group of 19 riders have got 30 seconds on the peloton. we will bring you names as we get them.

['Dale]

19 in the break!

 

Axel Domont (AG2R-La Mondiale, Franco Pellizotti & Jackson Rodriguez ( both Androni Giocattoli), Francesco Bongiorno (Bardiani), Maarten Tjallingii (Belkin), Mattia Cattaneo (Lampre-Merida), Maxime Monfort (Lotto-Belisol), Yonathan Monsalve & Mattio Rabottini (bothNeri Sottoli), Yukiya Arashiro (Europcar), Simon Geschke & Georg Preidler (Both Giant-Shimano), Pieter Serry (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Maxime Belkov (Katusha), Dario Cataldo (Sky), Michael Rogers & Nicolas Roche (both Tinkoff-Saxo) Danilo Hondo & Riccardo Zoidl (Both Trek Factory Racing)

['Dale]

148km remaining from 167km

 

That group of 19 have 3:12 on the peloton at the moment. They are being chased by one man Daniele Ratto (Cannondale), who is 30 seconds back.

['Dale]

Brent Bookwalter (BMC) has joined this front group, swelling their ranks to 20.