Giro 2021: Stage 3:- Biella – Canale 190 km **Spoilers**

blazing_saddles

Stage 3: Biella – Canale 190 km

Monday, May 10th, 12.20 CEST

OK, I can't let BB take up all the slack after plagiagate and I doubt anyone else will be rushing to step forward.
So, to get the utterly pointless guff out of the way, I used the official website, PCS, Cyclingstage and Cyclingnews.

The 3rd stage of the Giro d'Italia is a 190 kilometres race to Canale. The roads are flat, wide and straight for well over 100kms, all the way to Asti. Starting in Canelli, the route becomes more irregular and takes in three categorised climbs, with some testing gradients.



Things tend to tilt upwards in the last 70 kilometres and the sprinters will likely get put in the hurt locker.



A series of three hills within 30 kilometres are the first indication that the terrain is changing, but this is still a long way out.







Past Alba, there is a steep climb with double-digit gradients in Guarene.



Final kilometres
The stage finale is fairly complex. The route takes in a short, punchy climb up to Occhetti, with 5 km out, and then levels out until Canale. Four wide bends in the final kilometre lead all the way to the home straight, on tarmac road and on a slight incline.



What to expect:
Stage three does feature some short but sharp ramps which should ensure that there is a battle to get into the breakaway, for those precious mountain points.
After winning stage one of the Tour de Romandie which also featured some ramps, Peter Sagan will have this one bookmarked.
Expect him to use his team to try to put the purest sprinters into difficulty. I expect an animated last hour or so of racing.

Favourites 3rd stage 2021 Giro d’Italia

***** Peter Sagan, Giacomo Nizzolo
**** Caleb Ewan, Andrea Venrame, Diego Ulissi, Patrick Bevin, Andrea Pasqualon
*** Gianni Moscon, Rémi Cavagna, Matej Mohoric
** Fabio Felline, Enrico Battaglin, Gianni Vermeersch
* Juan Sebastián Molano, Jasper De Buyst

Biella

Biella is one of the chief towns of Piedmont and it is situated at the foothills of Biella Alps.



Canale

Canale has always been a hub between the city of Asti, that founded the town of Canale.



On these hills, whether they are Langhe, Roero or Monferrato, we find one of the most expensive, rarest and most precious gastronomic product: tuber magnatum pico, the famous white truffle, which in nearby Alba has its “headquarters” with the International Fair that takes place in autumn.

blazing_saddles

The tomes of the Biella valleys have the recognition of the D.O.C. by the Piedmont Region.
These cheeses are also the main ingredients for two great typical dishes: the ‘pulenta cunscia’, a soft cream made with corn, that has to be cooked for a long time in a cauldron, the recipe is a mix of local cheese melted with tasty farm butter



Biella also boasts a high quality beer: Menabrea is the oldest active brewery in Italy, and over time it has won several international awards, it has also been judged the best lager beer in the world.



Among the wines of the territory, a D.O.C.G .: the Erbaluce di Caluso straw yellow wine, with a fine scent reminiscent of wild flowers and a dry, fresh and characteristic flavor.



A special mention goes to the Ratafià di Andorno, a liquor obtained from the alcoholic maceration of wild cherries, according to a 500-year-old recipe.



With over 370 hectares dedicated to the cultivation of vines (mainly Arneis grape), which make it the most vine-grown town in the area, Canale can be considered the wine capital of Roero.



The most important wines are Roero, a red wine made from Nebbiolo grapes for a minimum of 95%, and Roero Arneis, a white wine made from Arneis grapes, for a minimum of 95%.

Pross

The town for the first sprint looks like an English person trying to pronounce Llanelli.

rick_chasey

Downhill into 3 corners in the final 1km, with a draggy sprint finish thereafter?

Yikes.

kingstongraham

Don't think any of the corners in the last km look too bad - that last hill could take out a decent number of the sprint domestiques, but Ewan, Sagan plus one or two others should probably make it over there I guess.




https://www.google.com/maps/dir/44.7948475,7.9869942/44.7955756,7.9968799/@44.7919191,7.9913987,475a,35y,39.25t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m14!4m13!1m10!3m4!1m2!1d7.9894388!2d44.7960299!3s0x4787f0ad392eddd3:0x9402220c7880c796!3m4!1m2!1d7.9896398!2d44.7959787!3s0x4787f0ad477d5355:0x1c605f0ba8391706!1m0!3e0

takethehighroad

You'd expect Sagan to go balls to the wall on that climb to the sprint? With some of the GC guys going fr the seconds at the top, and Bora keeping the pace high over the top.

My dark horse for today, although I'm not confident enough to pick him for PTP, is Ulissi. Although tomorrow is more his type on paper

blazing_saddles

Plus we have mucky weather to deal with too.
Even worse forecast for tomorrow.
Some sorry souls are likely going to come a cropper.

pblakeney

blazing_saddles said:

Plus we have mucky weather to deal with too.
Even worse forecast for tomorrow.
Some sorry souls are likely going to come a cropper.

So, which Ineos rider will it be this time?

commuterlegs

pblakeney said:

So, which Ineos rider will it be this time?

Sivakov, seems like the new Geraint.

blazing_saddles

Good use of the roundabout by Gougeard to steal away. After a brief flurry of attacking we have our first break of the day.
Going to be either 7 or 8 men away.

7 men: Albanese, Rivi, (Kometa) Gougeard, (Ag2r) van der Hoorne, (Intermarche Wanty) Zoccarato, (Bardiani) Pellaud, (Androni) van den Berg (Groupama FDJ)

kingstongraham

If the weather stays like this, it's going to be a miserable day - don't think the break's going to be given a massive advantage, especially with 7 in the break.

GOUGEARD, PELLAUD, ZOCCARATO, ALBANESE, RIVI, VAN DEN BERG, VAN DER HOORN

andyp

PONOMAR looks like he's going to make it across. Good effort from the 18 year old.

blazing_saddles

It's our junior rider, Andrii Ponomar making the bridge..........

Pross

Superb effort that!

kingstongraham

Fair play to him - I was impressed by an 18 year old making his debut in MSR and finishing - and only 3 minutes down.

Bit of a breather now, undone his jacket to cool down.

mididoctors

These roads can be spiteful slippy in the wet

Pross

Some bloke on the side of the road on the first climb seemed to have come in fancy dress as Big Daddy

blazing_saddles

Caleb Ewan right at the back early doors.
A big question mark over his form

Pross

Nizzolo made a fool of himself going for the interim sprint when the break had already taken all the points on offer.

Pross

Albanese takes the cat 3 climb to guarantee another day in the KoM jersey.

blazing_saddles

Belletti on the deck

Pross

Tricky descent that. The youngster almost forgot a corner altogether.

blazing_saddles

Regrouping after the descent. Lots of splits and lots chasing to get back to the main bunch

mididoctors

tough finale. all in for sagan

blazing_saddles

Groenewegen and Merlier dropped

kingstongraham

Did Ewan get dropped when he was at the back of the peloton? Or is he still there?

kingstongraham

There's my answer. Dropped now.

Pross

Surprised how much they're struggling. I thought Ewan might hang on over these climbs.

blazing_saddles

Nizzolo gone.
Gaviria remains

kingstongraham

Pross said:

Surprised how much they're struggling. I thought Ewan might hang on over these climbs.

I thought the sprint climb might get rid of more than these categorised climbs. It could still be the end of Viviani.

blazing_saddles

Big splits again on the descent