The first Grand Tour of 2018 starts in Jerusalem on Friday 4 May. After spending three days in Israel, the Giro peloton will head to Sicily for stages four, five and six. Afterwards the riders will set foot on the Italian mainland and will cross that from south to north. On Sunday 27 May the Giro ends with a stage in the capital Rome.
Jerusalem Prologue Profile and Street Map:
Stage 2: Haifa – Tel Aviv Profile and Map
Stage 3: Be’er Sheva to Eilat Profile and Map
The number of time trial kilometres is limited to 9.7 kilometres on day one and 34.5 kilometres in the sixteenth stage. There are not many opportunities for sprinters, with only seven stages that are marked as flat. The climbers will be enthusiastic about the course as there are eight summit finishes, among other on the Etna and Zoncolan.
Lotto Soudal sports director Bart Leysen shares his first impressions of the route of the upcoming Giro.
“The riders have a hard and exhausting Giro ahead of them. I think there will be maximum five sprints. There are two sprint stages in Israel and we can also expect a sprint at the end of the first stage on the Italian mainland. The twelfth stage to Imola is also a flat stage, but with less than fifteen kilometres to go the riders face a climb that will very likely be too tough for sprinters. A day later the sprinters have more chance of battling for victory. And then they will have to wait until the last stage.”
“I don’t think it will be a walk in the park for one rider and his team to control the race for three weeks. The positions on GC will switch several times. The course in Sicily is tough and there are a lot of narrow roads. Those three stages will already influence the GC. Due to the nature of the Giro course it could be fatal for a GC rider to wear pink early in the race and that creates opportunities for breakaway riders. Although those guys will need to climb well if they want to claim a stage win. You can compare the Giro to the Vuelta as there are hardly any flat stages.”
“The first pink jersey will be at stake in a time trial and that’s why we might take Victor Campenaerts to the Giro. The first rider who claims the pink jersey will probably wear it three days, until the first stage in Sicily. Of course we will also need to have a sprinter in our team and riders who can climb and aren’t afraid to attack.”
The 2018 Giro will not have a team time trial and only a few sprinter stages. Four of the eight mountain stages are in the last week of the race, including the steep Monte Zoncolan on stage 14.
There will be 2,546 kilometers of racing. Chris Froome is expected to race both the Giro and the Tour in 2018, which has aroused a range of opinions.
May 13 is stage 9, from Pesco Sannita to Gran Sasso d’italia. This finishes at Mount Etna via the Valentino approach and is considered the toughest stage in the first week. The 224 k stage is one of the longest of the race. The last 50k are expected to be the hardest. Calascio has a 14.8k climb of 10% near the top. After this is a long 26k climb.
May 19, Stage 14: San Vito al Tagliamento to Monte Zoncolan
May 22, stage 16 from Trento – Rovereto time trial of 34.5 k.
May 25, Stage 19: Veanaria Real – Bardonecchia, Stage 19, 181 km
Last climbing stage before the finish; the Finestre is the Cima Coppi, highest mountain of the Giro. After almost 19k of 9-10%, the paved road turns to dirt for the last 8 kilometers. Expect lots of fans. After a small descent and a 16k climb at Sestrie, they finish on the Jafferau near Bardonecchia with a 14% grade.
May 26, Stage 20, Susa – Cervinia, 214 k
Last day before the finish in Rome. Yes, Rome, not Milan. This stage could change the overall standings. The last 80k will wake everyone up after a gentle start. There are three mountains, including the Col Tsecore, 16k with a 15% grade near the top, St Pantaleon is also 16k with a similar summit. Lastly is the Cervinia with a 12% grade and 19k, which could hurt a few guys after three weeks.
Finally, finish in Rome. An 11.8km circuit with 10 laps around the center of Rome. The race will pass by the Fori Imperiali, via Nazionale, vis Sistina, Piazza del Popolo, via del Corso, via del Circo Massimo and the colosseum before the finish at Fori Imperiali.
