Inside Cycling – Four TTs in tougher 2010 Giro?

By John Wilcockson

Just as word leaked out beforehand about the route of the 2010 Tour de France, so several sources in Italy have published reports on the likely stages for the 2010 Giro d’Italia — which will be formally unveiled this Saturday in Milan.

Race organizer RCS and its daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport have announced only the first three stages, which will all start in the Dutch city of Amsterdam next May 8, 9 and 10; but rival papers Tuttosport, La Stampa and La Repubblica have all carried stories on the likely route.

Some of the details in those reports are conflicting, but the (very unofficial) route we discuss here is probably close to the one that race director Angelo Zomegnan will reveal on Saturday.

In contrast to the Tour, which has reduced the time-trial content to a prologue and a single individual time trial on the final weekend, the 93rd Giro looks like having four races against the clock: an opening TT in the streets of Amsterdam, a team time trial on the first day back in Italy, a repeat of the “crazy” hill climb on the dirt road to Plan de Corones, and a flat final day TT on May 30 into the finish at the Roman amphitheatre in Verona.

Besides the time trials — which would favor Denis Menchov should he defend his title — the 2010 Giro shows progressively difficult stages through the three weeks. After a long sweep south down the west coast and a first rest day on the Adriatic, next year’s peloton will probably tackle a first mountaintop finish on Monte Terminillo in the Abruzzese Apennines of central Italy.

The second week looks like ending in the Dolomites with a second summit finish, this time on the ultra-steep slopes of Monte Zoncolan. After a second rest day and the Plan de Corones TT, the final days should include two more uphill finishes — at Pejo Terme and Passo del Tonale — but the decisive climbs would appear to be the infamous Mortirolo, on a stage finishing at Aprica, and the Gavia, on the penultimate stage to Passo del Tonale.

All of these climbs have been included in previous editions of the Giro, but familiarity won’t make them any less difficult.

Predicted 2010 Giro d’Italia

(Unofficial)

Date	Stage	Route	Distance
May 8	Stage 1	Amsterdam TT	10km
May 9	Stage 2	Amsterdam—Utrecht	150
May 10	Stage 3	Amsterdam—Middelburg	160
May 11	Stage 4	Cuneo TTT	30
May 12	Stage 5	Novara—Novi Ligure	185
May 13	Stage 6	Marina di Carrara—Siena	185
May 14	Stage 7	Grosseto—Lido di Ostia	180
May 15	Stage 8	Anagni—Cava de’ Tirreni	225
May 16	Stage 9	Avellino—Bitonto	205
May 17	Rest day
May 18	Stage 10	Campomarino—L’Aquila	210
May 19	Stage 11	L’Aquila—Monte Terminillo	165
May 20	Stage 12	Rieti—Porto Recanati	180
May 21	Stage 13	Porto Recanati—Cesenatico	170
May 22	Stage 14	Ferrara—Asolo/Monte Grappa	190
May 23	Stage 15	Mestre—Monte Zoncolan	165
May 24	Rest day
May 25	Stage 16	San Vigilio—Plan de Corones TT	13
May 26	Stage 17	Brunico—Pejo Terme	170
May 27	Stage 18	Levico Terme—Brescia	165
May 28	Stage 19	Brescia—Aprica	185
May 29	Stage 20	Bormio—Passo del Tonale	155
May 30	Stage 21	Soave—Verona TT	25

Approximate distance: 3,150km

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