Giro 2021:- Stage 11: Perugia – Montalcino 162 km

blazing_saddles

Stage 11: Perugia – Montalcino 162 km

Wednesday, May 19th, 12.55 CEST



Technical Info:
11 years ago, the then race director Angelo Zomegnan was looking for ways to "spice up" the traditional race route and so decided to experiment using some sections of Tuscany's "white roads". After all, the three year old Monte Paschi Eroica was proving to be quite popular among both classics riders and fans alike.
What followed was one of the most iconic, mud spattered stages in memory.
This year, the Giro returns to Montalcino and it's white roads.
With nearly 2,500 m altitude gain, and 4 unpaved road sectors totalling 35 km over the final 70 km of the route, this will be a very challenging stage. The first 90 km are raced on wide and sometimes rough roads. The first unpaved sector, which also includes a technical downhill stretch, begins in Torrenieri. The second dirt road sector, which also includes a level crossing, begins after Buonconvento and Bibbiano. The route passes over river Ombrone, and then the road starts to rise for approx. 6 km, with gradients nearing 16% midway. The route weaves through a brace of bends across the forest, on dirt roads, and then comes back on tarmac to negotiate a categorised climb up to Passo del Lume Spento. After descending into Montalcino, the route heads towards Castelnuovo dell’Abate and takes in the two final dirt road sectors, one after the other. Past Tavernelle, the road rises markedly, merges back onto the route (before the categorised climb) and then heads all the way to the finish.



The Climbs:

Passo del Lume Spento #1: GPM3, 13 km at 3.6%
This climb is predominantly tackled on unsurfaced road.




Passo del Lume Spento #2: GPM3, 9.3 km at 4.6%
Half sterrato, half tarmac climb with the steepest sections being paved.



Final kilometres
Descending into Montalcino, a little after the red triangle, the race enters the urban area on narrow, stone-paved roads. Taking into the final left-hand bend, the route merges onto the home straight (200 m), on tarmac road.



What to expect:

Anything!
No doubt some GC hopefuls will suffer a serious setback, while others, perhaps those with experience, (Bernal, Bardet, Ciccone) will seek to make gains on their opponents.
Meanwhile, a few of the strongest guys will have been waiting for this day, ever since the route was announced: Peter Sagan, Alberto Bettiol, Gianni Moscon, Davide Formolo, Gianluca Brambila etc.

Favourites 11th stage 2021 Giro d’Italia

*** Egan Bernal, Giulio Ciccone, Davide Formolo, Romain Bardet,
** Gianni Moscon, Remco Evenepoel, Aleksandr Vlasov, Diego Ulissi, Alberto Bettiol, Gianluca Brambilla
* Gianni Vermeersch, Quinten Hermans, Pello Bilbao, João Almeida, Simon Carr

Perugia
Perched on a hill, at nearly 500 meters of altitude, Perugia dominates from the acropolis the entire Tiber valley (Valle del Tevere). Perugia has maintained intact its reputation of illustrious and lively cultural center throughout the centuries.



A much appreciated dish is gnocchi al sugo d’oca (gnocchi is a particular pasta made with boiled potatoes and flower, here served with goose meat ragù), a true specialty of Perugian cuisine that are prepared purely by hand and are seasoned with tomato, oil, garlic, pieces of young goose and semi-seasoned pecorino cheese.



Another recommended dish is Palombacci alla Perugina, wild pigeons which are cooked in earthenware saucepans.
These wild pigeons are salted and peppered both internally and externally and then wrapped in slices of prosciutto (ham).



In the province of Perugia the two DOCGs of the region: the red Montefalco Sagrantino (see previous stage) and the Torgiano Rosso Riserva, produced with Sangiovese grape.



Montalcino
Montalcino still retains all its charm as an ancient medieval village. Within the Natural and Cultural Artistic Park of the Val d’Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004, Montalcino is home to Brunello wine and the white truffle of the Crete Senesi.



Montalcinese tradition are hams, sausages, salami, finocchiona, soppressata, buristo. Fabulous first courses, among which you cut out a place apart from the pinci with sauce or the pappardelle alla hare.

blazing_saddles

Montalcino: Red Wine and White Roads

The Giro d'Italia has become a showcase for the beautiful countryside shaped by man and the great wine territories of Italy, as recounted, by the stages, over the years, between Barolo and Barbaresco, in the Langhe, and again in Chianti Classico, or Montefalco, the land of Sagrantino, and then in Franciacorta, passing through the Romagna of Sangiovese or the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene.

This year, the Giro d’Italia chooses once again one of the icon territories of Italian wine, and, for the 104th edition, it will end a stage in Montalcino, parading among the rolling vineyards. Located less than 50 km south of Siena, the road to Montalcino passes through some of the most picturesque landscapes of Tuscany including the hills of the Val d’Orcia and the Creti Senesi.



Positioned on a hilltop, the town of Montalcino dominates the valley with its medieval walls and the fortress from the late 1300s.



The wine growing region of Montalcino covers 24,000 hectares and the square-shaped territory is bordered by the rivers Ombrone, Asso, and Orcia.



Brunello di Montalcino is made 100% from Sangiovese. No other grapes are allowed in a Brunello wine, thus making it singular and different from the Chianti wines which require only 85% Sangiovese and permit a blend of other types of grapes.
Brunello wine must be aged for 2 years and spend at least 4 months in a bottle before release on the market. Perhaps one of the unique characteristics of Brunello is, due to the climate and composition of the grape it is a wine high in tannins, and it actually requires aging.
Brunello di Montaclino can command spectacularly high prices.



The vineyards around Montalcino are often to be found on the many kilometers of white roads that define one of the most important wine territories of the world.
These white, unpaved roads that wind through the Tuscan countryside take in some of the territory’s most beautiful views. Today they are synonymous with bicycle touring, and they are the backdrop for a new kind of cycle tourism in Tuscany.



The Strade Bianche are nature’s gift to cyclists.

twotoebenny

looks amazing - someone has Spelt (see what I done there) flour wrong for gnocchi ingredients
I've picked the wrong afternoon to go to site!

salsiccia1

Very few places make we want to be there like Val d'Orcia does

jimmyjams

To me, Perugia is synonymous with chocolate, because of the big chocolate street festival they have in the old centre each October.
And for its large university-student population too.

rick_chasey

Irritatingly close to my holiday home there in Italy.

yorkshireraw

Cannot believe tomorrow is the first day in months I actually have to go somewhere for work. not going to be back until late either.
Will have to avoid the results and watch highlights first thing Thursday.

blazing_saddles

jimmyjams said:

To me, Perugia is synonymous with chocolate, because of the big chocolate street festival they have in the old centre each October.
And for its large university-student population too.

The festival is called EuroChocolate so I thought it might offend some on here.



Also, I just had a search to see if I could find any images of the big sterrato climb and all I got was this.......



There are several reds sporting the climb's name.

mididoctors

Going to miss most of this dammit

daniel_b

I've taken the afternoon off work - I can generally have it on whilst working, but I wanted to be able to devote some attention to this one, looking forward to it!

*It will probably now majorly disappoint.

lettingthedaysgoby

Guess which silly muppet has meetings all afternoon?

D’oh.

JimD666

All the hype for this stage (I'm looking forward to it as well) probably means it'll be less interesting than stage 2.....

kingstongraham

JimD666 said:

All the hype for this stage (I'm looking forward to it as well) probably means it'll be less interesting than stage 2.....

There is literally a zero percentage chance this stage will not be good to watch.

I hope the sun shines and it looks like those photos. Or that it rains bucketloads.

jimmyjams

blazing_saddles said:

Also, I just had a search to see if I could find any images of the big sterrato climb and all I got was this.......



There are several reds sporting the climb's name.

You won't find the sterrato stretches nos. 2 and 4 among photos showing the Passo del Lume Spento. The proper pass road (SP14 = Strada Provinciale 14) is fully asphalt-paved.
These two sterrato stretches are side roads in the vicinity, from which the riders join the pass road about 300 m after, and N of, the top of the pass, then descending the rest of the way to Montalcino.

No. 2 (after Castiglion del Bosco) is SP103 and, coming from the NW, eventually passes by Le Prata (where its gravel stretch ends) and then after another km joins the SP14 on the descent to Montalcino.
Pic is from about 1.5 km after Castiglion, when rising about 10%, in the direction to be ridden.



No. 4 (starting at Villa Argiano) is the Strada Communale di Argiano and this branches off the SP14 about 3 km SW of Sant'Angelo in Colle, which the riders pass through after Sterrato no. 3. They will turn right off the SP14 on to the Strada Communale. This eventually heads N, and it (and its gravel stretch) ends at Tavernelle, where it joins the SP117. After 4 km, the SP117 then joins the SP103 at Le Prata, where the riders have been before, on their first time to Montalcino.
Pic is about 300 m before Tavernelle, first house just visible, in the direction to be ridden.

blazing_saddles

I have a feeling the battle for the breakaway will be another long one, with wide roads and not much climbing in the first 90kms.

Taken from Inrng's stage preview, although everybody seems to be tipping the same riders.

No_Ta_Doctor

Surprised nobody has mentioned Bardet. Might not be in stunning form but he's only 1'21" back and can handle the gravel

Pross

I think Moscon would be a favourite if he wasn't working for Bernal. He's on great form but he won't be given the chance unless it's to deprive another GC rider of time bonuses.

blazing_saddles

No_Ta_Doctor said:

Surprised nobody has mentioned Bardet. Might not be in stunning form but he's only 1'21" back and can handle the gravel

Cough, cough.

Favourites 11th stage 2021 Giro d’Italia

*** Egan Bernal, Giulio Ciccone, Davide Formolo, Romain Bardet,
** Gianni Moscon, Remco Evenepoel, Aleksandr Vlasov, Diego Ulissi, Alberto Bettiol, Gianluca Brambilla
* Gianni Vermeersch, Quinten Hermans, Pello Bilbao, João Almeida, Simon Carr

dish_dash

Excited for this! Thanks for the all the info blazin...

What time should I be tuning in? Trying to "adjust" afternoon meetings...

rick_chasey

No_Ta_Doctor said:

Surprised nobody has mentioned Bardet. Might not be in stunning form but he's only 1'21" back and can handle the gravel

Man needs to eat something, he looks crazy thin even for him.

kingstongraham

UK times -

11:55 roll out
12:10 @ km0

I'd expect it to be a fast first two hours, so 2pm to be safe for the approach to the first gravel section

2:30ish onwards for the longest gravel section with the steep climb
3:30ish for the final gravel section and final steep climb

dish_dash

kingstongraham said:

UK times -

11:55 roll out
12:10 @ km0

I'd expect it to be a fast first two hours, so 2pm to be safe for the approach to the first gravel section

2:30ish onwards for the longest gravel section with the steep climb
3:30ish for the final gravel section and final steep climb

grazie mille

davep1

I wish the highlights show was longer. An hour isn't long enough, what with the ads, the interviews before and after, the rewind of the previous day and the preview of the next, I reckon we see about 25 minutes of actual racing.

No_Ta_Doctor

blazing_saddles said:

No_Ta_Doctor said:

Surprised nobody has mentioned Bardet. Might not be in stunning form but he's only 1'21" back and can handle the gravel

Cough, cough.

Favourites 11th stage 2021 Giro d’Italia

*** Egan Bernal, Giulio Ciccone, Davide Formolo, Romain Bardet,
** Gianni Moscon, Remco Evenepoel, Aleksandr Vlasov, Diego Ulissi, Alberto Bettiol, Gianluca Brambilla
* Gianni Vermeersch, Quinten Hermans, Pello Bilbao, João Almeida, Simon Carr

Ooops. Sorry

blazing_saddles

Picking up on Simon Yates saying there isn't a place a stage like this in a GT. Eurosport opinion is also split, but imo that argument be used by lesser climbers for the likes of Zoncolan etc.
Eurosport opinion also split over whether Bettiol will get a free hand for the stage or not. I suppose EF have Carr, who was 9th in Strade Bianche this year, but I can't see Moscon getting let off the Ineos leash. Given his form, he would have been my pick for today. I certainly don't agree with Dan Lloyd that Sagan could be in the mix, unless he first makes it into the right breakaway.


Rob Hatch has just mentioned there is a possibility later for the "R" word to fall.

rick_chasey

Doing the rain dance here.

kingstongraham

webcam closeish to the first sector - no rain so far and doesn't look very threatening. not cloudless though. http://meteomacciano.it/cam/cam1_chia/webcam_chianciano.php

rick_chasey

Did not take long to get the break.

Big break goes, Ineos et all block the road. Job done.

Pross

Well that was disappointing.

blazing_saddles

Teams with riders in the break are helping Ineos to sit on potential late breakaway artists.
I am surprised that things appear to have been settled so soon.....

Pross

blazing_saddles said:

Picking up on Simon Yates saying there isn't a place a stage like this in a GT. Eurosport opinion is also split, but imo that argument be used by lesser climbers for the likes of Zoncolan etc.
Eurosport opinion also split over whether Bettiol will get a free hand for the stage or not. I suppose EF have Carr, who was 9th in Strade Bianche this year, but I can't see Moscon getting let off the Ineos leash. Given his form, he would have been my pick for today. I certainly don't agree with Dan Lloyd that Sagan could be in the mix, unless he first makes it into the right breakaway.


Rob Hatch has just mentioned there is a possibility later for the "R" word to fall.

I was just thinking how opinion is usually split on here when they chuck a "Paris-Roubaix" stage into the Tour whereas this stage seems to be generally seen as a highlight of the race.