Stage 14: Alpago › Corvara – 210km
It’s been one stagehunter-focused day after another at the Giro d’Italia so far, but that changes Saturday in Stage 14, a day that should provide a critical GC showdown.
The profile speaks for itself. The six categorized climbs are hard and relentless, with plenty of tricky descending thrown in for good measure.
Of particular note is the first ascent. The Cat. 1 Passo Pordoi is officially only 9.25km at 6.9%, but the peloton must climb for over 60km to even get to that point. It’s essentially a 70km climb with a gradient of a little under 3%—and that’s just to kick off the action.
After a few more tough climbs comes the Passo Giau, nearly 10km at over 9%. That’s steep enough to spur plenty of GC action. The Cat. 2 that follows is no joke either, and then comes a descent into the finale, where a short but very steep uncategorized ascent leads into a gentler uphill finish.
I expect the General Classification to blow apart on this stage. It’s going to find riders out, and the gaps to any stragglers could be huge. That said, the stage doesn’t finish atop a mountain, which could give a small group a chance to come home together.
The breakaway has a chance on this hard-to-control day, but I don’t see any one long-range specialist as a big favorite. I do see two key names among the pink jersey hopefuls, however, so I’ll start there.
To me, this stage has Vincenzo Nibali written all over it. He isn’t just the best climber in the race (when at peak form at least), he’s also among the best descenders. That will be hugely important on a stage with so many downhill sections to navigate. The race is still more open than most people would have expected but I know, so it’s time for Nibali to take control of the GC, and this is the perfect opportunity to do it.
Alejandro Valverde could give him a run for his money. The Spaniard is also a great descender, and he has Nibali beat in a sprint if they both come to the line together. Morever, Movistar has looked very impressive in this race. They can put a lot of pressure on with Andrey Amador leading the race and Valverde lurking, and they have several riders who can jump into the breakaway to provide support in the finale as well.
Esteban Chaves and Steven Kruijswijk have both been climbing very well and could be involved here as well. Ilnur Zakarin could stand to improve as a descender but he’s so good when he’s in form that he can’t be overlooked either. Rafal Majka has been quiet so far in the race but I think he could be very dangerous in this stage too.
It’s hard to say who might get involved if this is a day for the breakaway, especially since many of the top picks just spent a tough day out front in Stage 13. Giovanni Visconti and Mikel Nieve are both candidates for success here. So is Damiano Cunego. Stefano Pirazzi has looked okay so far in the Giro but his Bardiani-CSF teammate Giulio Ciccone may be a better bet.
Alessandro De Marchi, Davide Formolo, and Sebastian Henao are others with long-range potential in Stage 14.
VeloHuman Stage 14 Favorites
1. Vincenzo Nibali | 2. Alejandro Valverde | 3. Esteban Chaves