Fausto Masnada talked about the 3410km route which will take in more than 51 000 vertical meters.
Two years later than originally scheduled, the Giro d’Italia will be in Hungary’s capital for the start of an edition stacked with big climbs but lacking in time trial kilometers. After three stages in Budapest, Visegrad and Balatonfured, the peloton will travel to Sicily for the first mountain top finish, on Etna, which will be followed later in the week by Blockhaus.
In total, the 105th edition will count six summit finishes, Cogne, Aprica – which comes at the end of a day featuring the gruesome Mortirolo – Lavarone and Marmolada promising to add more salt and pepper to the fight between the pink jersey contenders. Also the medium mountain days have the potential to light up the race, the Diamante – Potenza and Santena – Torino stages providing the attackers with the perfect terrain for an ambush.
On paper, the sprinters should have seven opportunities to add to their palmares, although more realistically, only five of these stages are likely to come down to a mass gallop. Verona will host the final day for the fifth time in history, and will see the riders tackle the Toricelle climb – which featured on the course of the 1999 and 2004 World Championships – before the stunning finish inside the well-preserved Roman amphitheatre.
A stage winner at Il Giro in 2019, Fausto Masnada shared his thoughts on the route of next year’s edition: “It looks like a harder Giro than the ones we had in recent years, short on time trial kilometers and with many climbs. After the first stages in Hungary, we travel to Sicily, where Mount Etna awaits, and considering that it comes after a rest day, it could be complicated. Stage 7 should also be tough, and we can expect a really nervous bunch. Then, in the weekend, we take on Blockhaus, which means a 30-minute effort on a hard climb that could make for some wide gaps. The last week is where everything will be decided. Those three mountain stages, each with more than 5000 climbing meters, will play a huge role in the outcome and who will be the freshest there will make the difference.”
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