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The 2015 Giro d’Italia continues with a hilly 136 kilometre-long stage, the first of eight medium mountain classified stages, from Rapallo to Sestri Levante. Join The Roar from 10:30pm (AEST) for our live commentary of Stage 3.
What Stage 3 may lack in length it assuredly compensates for through sheer accumulated elevation gain, with the riders tackling two categorised climbs and several other uncategorised ascents. However, with 43 kilometres to stage a recovery if distanced over the Category 2 climb to Barbagelata, today’s stage should on paper see many of the sprinters in contention for the stage victory.
Fatigue could be a crucial factor in deciding who will be in the running for the stage victory however with the climb to Barbagelata nothing to sneer at with an average gradient of 8.1 percent, featuring a maximum gradient of 12 percent, over a distance of 5.7 kilometres. Regardless of the final result, the climb to Barbagelata could see the Maglia Azzurra quickly change hands if Bert-Jan Lindeman (LottoNL-Jumbo) fails to join the breakaway of the day and score points.
Passing by the towns of Chiavari and Lavagna, the final seven kilometres of the stage closely follows the Ligurian coastline to reach Sestri Levante. With approximately two kilometres remaining the peloton will enter a tunnel, which protects against rockslides from above, and shortly after emerge approximately 1200 metres from the finishing line.
Exposed to the sea to their right, with current weather forecasts predicting a cross-tailwind ~10 kilometre per hour in strength, the peloton will have to navigate a lone roundabout before hitting today’s 850 metre-long, 6.5 metre wide finishing straight. Knowing the fastest route through the roundabout could offer the slightest of advantages ahead of the sprint to the line, with those lead-outs who choose the slower route liable to lose position in the pack.
Isolated and having to freelance his way to the line shadowing the rear wheels of his rivals Andre Greipel and Lotto Soudal will be disappointed with yesterday’s chaotic finale. The German proved he was strong in the sprint but was forced to burn his own matches too soon making up positions in the pack and came up short in the sprint as a result to finish third.
After winning yesterday’s stage Team Sky’s Elia Viviani will be at a minimum today’s Italian favourite for the stage victory. The Italian sprinter has previously been considered a tier below Cavendish, Kittel and Greipel; however, adding more victories over the ‘big three’ to his resume could change that opinion in time.
Despite missing out after a bit of a dispute during the sprint with Trek Factory Racing’s Giacomo Nizzolo, an annoyed Sacha Modolo could again be a contender for today’s predicted sprint finish. Before pulling out of the sprint and protesting the racing line taken by Nizzolo the Lampe–Merida lead-out train had placed Sacha Modolo in a great position to contest the stage victory.
Trek Factory Racing will be eager to improve upon Giacomo Nizzolo’s sixth place finish if the team can keep the peloton within sight over today’s categorised and uncategorised climbs. With a finale which should suit the use of sprint trains and hopefully see fewer disruptive crashes happen, the potential power of the Trek lead-out could see the Italian go five places better.
Giant – Alpecin’s Luka Mezgec will once again be an ever present threat, with Mezgec finishing just outside the podium positions yesterday in fourth. A cleaner, less scrappy finale could enable the Giant – Alpecin team to properly bring their sprint expertise and lead-out power to bare and potentially deliver the Slovenian to victory.
Two riders who could spring a surprise today are Moreno Hofland of LottoNL–Jumbo and Matteo Pelucchi of IAM Cycling. As long as Moreno Hofland can once again find the right rear wheel to shadow the young Dutchman will again be competitive in the sprint. Contrastingly, IAM Cycling may first need to assess the damage caused by being involved in not one but several disruptive Stage 2 crashes.
Despite the profile of the finish arguably not suiting them the other sprinters will need to be mindful of Orica–GreenEDGE’s Michael Matthews, Movistar’s J.J. Lobato and Etixx-Quick-Step’s Tom Boonen or Giani Meersman. While since quantity can be a quality in its own right some other Italian sprinters to keep a watchful eye out for are Manuel Belletti or Alessandro Petacchi, Daniele Colli, Nicola Ruffoni and Davide Appollonio.
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