Giro d'Italia: Stage 7 (stage specific no spoilers req'd)

ednwireland

Stage Seven - Saturday 12 May

Recanati-Rocca di Cambio

202 kilometres, medium mountain stage

Inquitus

The Giro d'Italia does a good job at including small towns as part of its hosts and a good example of this is Stage 7 which will start in Recanati (pop. 22,000) and finish at a small mountain resort, Rocca di Cambio, in the Province of L’Aquila.

This is the first summit finish of the race featuring a cat 2, 19 km @ 3.9 % climb to Rocca di Cambio. In truth, although this stage finishes with a climb, Rocca di Cambio is actually at the base of a famous mountain in the area, Monte Ocre (2209m), almost 1000 meters above the finish host. (see photo above). Stage 7 also features many other up and down sections as we head south, but there is only one other categorized climb, a cat 3 at the midpoint of the stage.

The finishing climb is fairly easy especially by Italian standards on a wide, well-paved road. 3.5 kilometers from the finish is a short descent while the final 1.5 km is all uphill including a section of 10%, the steepest part of the climb, just 700 m from the line

Not a particularly tough finish, though some time might be stolen on the steep last 1.5km

dastardly00

The few breakaway riders are just starting the final climb (Cat 2, 19.1km @ 3.9%). The peloton are only 1min 37sec behind and closing fast.

I'm going for Joaquim Rodríguez to take the stage. It's a good finish for him and it's his birthday :pac:

manafana

j rod will keep powder dry prob see one smaller names break away for win.