After the madness of the last few days, these two flattish stages should be a bit quieter for the GC. Or not. This Giro has already been so intense, so unpredictable, so anything goes. It seems like all received wisdom goes out the window.
Thursday 14 May: Stage 6 – Montecatini Terme to Castiglione della Pescaia, flat, 183km
It’s a flat stage front and back but the middle is anything but. The profile, as you can see, looks like a snake that ate a rabbit. The bulge begins at the 80km mark with the cat 4 Pomarance, then it undulates until a long descent to the finish. The sprinters’ teams should be able to control whatever break goes and get their guys lined up for a bunch sprint.
Stage 6: Giro 2015
Friday 15 May: Stage 7 – Grosseto to Fiuggi, flat, 264km
They call it flat but there’s a lot of rolling in the last part of this stage. It’s also the longest stage of the entire Giro – at 264km, there’s no way the teams can drive the pace like they have been, which is good news for anyone whose legs are feeling heavy. It’s going to be a day for the puncheurs and the rouleurs, what with the uphill finish at the end of the long day. PhilGil to make a statement today?
Stage 7; Giro 2015
Link: Official race website
Header image: The walled city of Grossetto