Giro 2023: Stage 14: Sierre – Cassano Magnago 193 km? One Big Lump or Pan Flat??? ***Spoilers***

blazing_saddles

Stage 14: Sierre – Cassano Magnago 193 km

Start time: 11-15BST.

The riders leave Switzerland, to finish in Cassano Magnago after 194 kilometres of racing with 1,600 metres of climbing.

Profile posted with optimism:



Possible Map:



After 35 km of flat terrain, the riders may face the third second 2000+ altitude climb of this Giro, the Simplonpass (GPM1, 20.2 km at 6.5%)

Climb?





From 138kms to go, it's almost all downhill/flat. There’s one small climb remaining in Quinzano San Pietro – 1 kilometre at 6.1%, with 16 kilometres left

Final Kms.
The final km is a false flat, so should not trouble the remaining sprinters.



What to expect.

It's quite possible that a breakaway with some big engines on board ride away in the first part of the race and take an insurmountable lead, especially with such depletion in the sprinter ranks.
I am looking at the usual suspects, such as Magnus Cort, Alberto Bettiol, Tom Skujins, Simon Clarke, Alessandro De Marchi and the ever present Derek Gee.
You can probably think of several more.

Sierre

An extraordinary valley, nestled in the heart of the Alps, with 300 days of sunshine a year (so expect rain). From the valley to the glaciers via impressive vineyards. In heart of Valais, Sierre is Switzerland’s leading wine producing region. Because of its impressive sunshine record, Sierre richly deserves its nickname “Cité du Soleil”. Nestling between Val d’Anniviers, Crans-Montana and Leukerbad, the Sierre region is a landscape shaped by vineyards.



Wildlife is further evidence that everything which comes from Valais is something quite special: Valais Blackneck goats,



Valais Blacknose sheep and Herens cattle that are typically native to the valleys.
Consequently, specialty meats and cheeses are indescribably delicious.



Cassano Magnago

Cassano Magnago is an Italian town of 21560 inhabitants in the Province of Varese in Lombardy
The city has ancient origins, testified by the discovery of a cinerary urn attributable to the Golasecca Culture (from 1000 to 500 B.C.). The true symbol of Cassano Magnago is Saint Maurice Tower, dating back to the Late Roman Age, used as a signal tower and rebuilt as the bell tower of the church of the same name.



Food

I purscelitt da Cassan: typical good luck cake of Cassano Magnago, made in biscuit or marzipan, but strictly piglet-shaped. It is said that Queen Teodolinda, passing through Saint Julius, didn’t meet a living soul except for a few piglets.



Asparago di Cantello
The white asparagus of Cantello is easily distinguished by its pinkish tips. Asparago di Cantello can be enjoyed raw because it has quite a delicate flavor and lacks the bitter aftertaste.



Formaggella del Luinese

Formaggella del Luinese is a semi-hard cheese made with raw whole goat’s milk obtained from local Alpine breeds. After the first 20 days of maturing, the taste of Formagella is sweet and delicate, but it becomes stronger as the cheese ripens.



Chiscieau c*nt i fig: leftover bread dough mixed with figs, raisins, sugar and butter

Frucch e maroch: sweets similar to amaretti, made of sugar and egg whites, whose name originates from the rivalry be-tween the inhabitants of the district of Saint Julius and those of Saint Mary.

andyp

I think the fastest I've ever been on a bike was descending the south side of the Simplon; nice, wide road with a great surface and good sight lines. I looked down at one point and saw 57 mph on the computer, so didn't look again.

andyp

That cheese looks delicious @blazing_saddles

rick_chasey

A what I fig?

blazing_saddles

rick_chasey said:

A what I fig?

Cnut, as you suspect.

red.rider

Lots of snow/freezing rain expected tonight/tomorrow over Simplon pass so I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s further alterations, given the precedent set by the shortening of stage 13.

It should be sunny and warm in the start village though, so it’s a tricky call for the organisers.

stage_hunter

red.rider said:

Lots of snow/freezing rain expected tonight/tomorrow over Simplon pass so I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s further alterations, given the precedent set by the shortening of stage 13.

It should be sunny and warm in the start village though, so it’s a tricky call for the organisers.

Sunday is looking horrific. Have a look at the BBC forecast

No_Ta_Doctor

Welcome back @blazing_saddles , and thanks to @mididoctors for the starter threads in the meantime - top marks for the "lumpy/flat/etc" classification in the thread titles - a great innovation and nice to see Blazing has adopted it!

blazing_saddles

stage_hunter said:

red.rider said:

Lots of snow/freezing rain expected tonight/tomorrow over Simplon pass so I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s further alterations, given the precedent set by the shortening of stage 13.

It should be sunny and warm in the start village though, so it’s a tricky call for the organisers.

Sunday is looking horrific. Have a look at the BBC forecast

Which town did you look at?
Bergamo is forecast to be sunny and between 22-26C, depending which site you look at. Here's the BBC forecast.



Plus, there's only one climb that goes higher than 1000 metres.

Pross

Better invoke the extreme weather protocol for those high temperatures.

stage_hunter

blazing_saddles said:

stage_hunter said:

red.rider said:

Lots of snow/freezing rain expected tonight/tomorrow over Simplon pass so I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s further alterations, given the precedent set by the shortening of stage 13.

It should be sunny and warm in the start village though, so it’s a tricky call for the organisers.

Sunday is looking horrific. Have a look at the BBC forecast

Which town did you look at?
Bergamo is forecast to be sunny and between 22-26C, depending which site you look at. Here's the BBC forecast.



Plus, there's only one climb that goes higher than 1000 metres.

stage_hunter

https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/av/65640935

Pross

stage_hunter said:

blazing_saddles said:

stage_hunter said:

red.rider said:

Lots of snow/freezing rain expected tonight/tomorrow over Simplon pass so I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s further alterations, given the precedent set by the shortening of stage 13.

It should be sunny and warm in the start village though, so it’s a tricky call for the organisers.

Sunday is looking horrific. Have a look at the BBC forecast

Which town did you look at?
Bergamo is forecast to be sunny and between 22-26C, depending which site you look at. Here's the BBC forecast.



Plus, there's only one climb that goes higher than 1000 metres.

Very strange. That must be the one the rider’s union use. I’ve looked at the BBC and Met Office weather apps for Bergamo plus the Windy app and all are basically showing what Blazing posted above. Possibly some thunderstorms late on Sunday night into Monday but through the day it is showing dry, sunny and temperatures in the low 20s.

pblakeney

I gave up relying on BBC weather forecasts years ago. Too unreliable.

blazing_saddles

Well, I fear it's a case of here we go again. Sure, this would have been raced in the past, but nowadays?

https://twitter.com/ammattipyoraily/status/1659800194081251329

wakemalcolm

Given that temperatures drop between 0.65 - 1.0 degrees per 100m of altitude gained, what exactly is everyone's expectation of the temperature at the top of these passes in May?

As long as there's not dangerous wind or precipitation, I think the biggest chance of seeing snowflakes is in the peloton.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Mandatory use of highly spiked tyres and duffel coats... They will be fine.

pblakeney

wakemalcolm said:

Given that temperatures drop between 0.65 - 1.0 degrees per 100m of altitude gained, what exactly is everyone's expectation of the temperature at the top of these passes in May?

As long as there's not dangerous wind or precipitation, I think the biggest chance of seeing snowflakes is in the peloton.

🤣🤣🤣

andyp

wakemalcolm said:

Given that temperatures drop between 0.65 - 1.0 degrees per 100m of altitude gained, what exactly is everyone's expectation of the temperature at the top of these passes in May?

As long as there's not dangerous wind or precipitation, I think the biggest chance of seeing snowflakes is in the peloton.

They are risking their health day in, day out for our entertainment and all you can show in solidarity with them is to use it as an opportunity to make a cheap joke?

Descending high altitude passes in the cold is dangerous, as anyone who has don't it will attest. Given the Simplon will play virtually zero role in the outcome of today's stage, if the weather is bad at higher altitudes, then the organisers should simply remove it from the stage and start the stage from Domodossala instead.

pblakeney

Maybe the Giro should simply circumnavigate the coast.
Meh.

blazing_saddles

andyp said:

wakemalcolm said:

Given that temperatures drop between 0.65 - 1.0 degrees per 100m of altitude gained, what exactly is everyone's expectation of the temperature at the top of these passes in May?

As long as there's not dangerous wind or precipitation, I think the biggest chance of seeing snowflakes is in the peloton.

They are risking their health day in, day out for our entertainment and all you can show in solidarity with them is to use it as an opportunity to make a cheap joke?

Descending high altitude passes in the cold is dangerous, as anyone who has don't it will attest. Given the Simplon will play virtually zero role in the outcome of today's stage, if the weather is bad at higher altitudes, then the organisers should simply remove it from the stage and start the stage from Domodossala instead.

You reckon?
I can envisage several scenarios, whereby the Simplon effects the outcome of the stage.
I get the issue of rider health, but surely there is more risk involved every time we get a bunch sprint finish?
Nobody is talking about taking them out of the race.

Suppose the start is moved to Domodossala and we get a pan flat stage, I suspect many potential viewers will either switch off, or turn to the big day in Dunkerque.
Hardly the ideal outcome, given this is supposed to be the second biggest stage race of the year and sponsors expect some bang for their bucks.

Of course it will be cold, but a 5C forecast isn't exactly unusual.

Pross

andyp said:

wakemalcolm said:

Given that temperatures drop between 0.65 - 1.0 degrees per 100m of altitude gained, what exactly is everyone's expectation of the temperature at the top of these passes in May?

As long as there's not dangerous wind or precipitation, I think the biggest chance of seeing snowflakes is in the peloton.

They are risking their health day in, day out for our entertainment and all you can show in solidarity with them is to use it as an opportunity to make a cheap joke?

Descending high altitude passes in the cold is dangerous, as anyone who has don't it will attest. Given the Simplon will play virtually zero role in the outcome of today's stage, if the weather is bad at higher altitudes, then the organisers should simply remove it from the stage and start the stage from Domodossala instead.

I sympathise with the safety argument but it feels there’s not a stage race goes by and some one day races where it isn’t deemed too cold, too wet, too much risk of snow, too windy or too hot.

The pros are supposed to have better clothing, better tyres and better brakes than ever before and yet it feels like every season there are more cancellations. In the past it was probably too much the other way and races went ahead when the shouldn’t have but considering the section the riders actually wanted removed yesterday remained in the race and really wasn’t that bad it does feel a bit like they just don’t want to race at times.

DeVlaeminck

They've been riding these passes for 100 years - apart from brakes that work better in the wet, better clothing, better medical support and more money what has changed ?

blazing_saddles

At least Adam Hansen has said that today won't be a problem as the temperatures are acceptable to the riders.
The riders think that because of the Simplon, it will be very hard to control and therefore one for the breakaway.
Jens Voigt has expressed his surprise by the lack of any GC attack yesterday.
Roglic playing up his injuries.

andyp

DeVlaeminck said:

They've been riding these passes for 100 years - apart from brakes that work better in the wet, better clothing, better medical support and more money what has changed ?

The climate? And the Giro used to end later, in 1992 for example, it ended on June 14th.

pblakeney

andyp said:

DeVlaeminck said:

They've been riding these passes for 100 years - apart from brakes that work better in the wet, better clothing, better medical support and more money what has changed ?

The climate? And the Giro used to end later, in 1992 for example, it ended on June 14th.

Has it not got warmer?
Everyone seems to be in shorts so much ado about nothing.

blazing_saddles

A crazy, animated start, undoubtedly due to the stage keeping it's one, big tooth.

ddraver

Zing...

https://twitter.com/robynjournalist/status/1659863685085425670?s=20

mididoctors

What's happening ... Just in

pblakeney

Break formed and let go before the climb.

mididoctors

How long did it take to get going ?