Giro 2023:- Stage 18: Oderzo – Val Di Zoldo 161 km, A Very Pointy at the End Stage. ***Spoilers***

Stage 18: Oderzo – Val Di Zoldo 161 km

Start Time: 11-20amBST

At 161 km, is the second shortest road stage of the race. It's the first of three mountain stages in the Dolomites. The route takes in four climbs before a promising finale in Val di Zoldo. The 18th stage serves 3,700 vertical metres of climbing, most of which will be encountered in the last 30 kilometres.

Profile.



The route heads North and after 30 kilometres, the road begins to rise, in the form of the first big climb of the day. For those final 30 kilometres, the route heads towards the west.

Map.



Climbs.

Passo della Crosetta is a first category climb of 11.6 kilometres at 7.1%. It's a pretty regular climb, with no ramps of note.



There are two lesser climbs before the Forcella Cibiana, which just under 10kms long at an average gradient of 7.8% but with a pretty steep second half.



The final climb is actually a combination. The climb to Coi is 5.8 km at 9.7% on a secondary road parallel to Forcella Staulanza It is a new entry in the Giro and a very interesting one. It is a narrow road that gets steeper and steeper all the way to the top, just over 5kms from the finish.
The Zoldo Alto climb is 2.7 kilometres long and goes up at 6.4%.



Final Kms.



What to Expect:

As this is only the first of three mountain stages and the riders contesting the GC have a history of "keeping their powder dry", expect any GC action to happen late on. With a big climb early on, this could be another opportunity for someone from the break to take the victory.

Oderzo

Oderzo is a city of Paleovenetian origin, and thanks to the open-air archaeological sites and a splendid museum, it preserves evidence of its splendor in Roman times.
Oderzo merits the appellation of “Archaeological City.”
Today it’s cultural vibrancy makes Oderzo an important center of great cultural and international sporting events.

Food

Le Rose del Monticano is a kind of “radicchio” typical of the North-East and bleached using the classic method of Treviso. At the farm Ca’ Bosco in Fratta (Oderzo), they grow it.



This vegetable has been cultivated since the 15th century. The farm also produces traditional local sausages and salamis such as “soppressa veneta”, “salame punta di coltello”, “carrè” and donkey salami. These are specialties for taste experts.



In fact in the taverns of the historic center and in the establishments overlooking our Monticano river (a waterway of authentic beauty), you can enjoy a good aperitif typical of Oderzo enriched with sliced meats and an excellent wine “Incrocio Manzoni” or a full-bodied Raboso.



Val di Zoldo

Val di Zoldo is an unspoiled valley located in the heart of the Dolomiti Bellunesi. Guarded by the two iconic summits of Monte Pelmo and Monte Civetta.
Val di Zoldo extends at the Northern gate of the National Park of Dolomiti Bellunesi.
The entire territory of Val di Zoldo has always been coupled by the iron and steel extraction as well as the mining activity. However, the part of history thanks to which Val di Zoldo is renowned as the “Land of ice cream makers” started in the end of the 19th century.
Nowadays, Val di Zoldo is the ultimate destination for mountain and outdoor adventure enthusiasts.



Food.

Food

The casonziei, or casunziei in some local dialects, are typical staffed dumplings, very common in many cuisines of the Dolomiti Bellunesi. A soft dough, carefully handmade filled with vegetables or other ingredients, such as ricotta and spinach, beet, or with pumpkin and cinnamon and served with beurre fondu, as in the original recipe of Val di Zoldo.



In Val di Zoldo, there are many farms dedicated to the cultivation of Earth products: beans and potatoes, but also saffron, the so called “red gold”. Some take advantage of the rich biodiversity and of the peculiar flora of the Dolomiti Bellunesi to produce the Dolomiti Bellunesi Honey, recognised with the PDO label. Besides being a genuine and completely natural products it has also special therapeutical properties.



The leader of the gastronomic tradition of Val di Zoldo is unquestionably the artisanal ice cream. Still nowadays, the real origins of ice cream and the reason why it influenced the history of many dolomitic valleys are a mystery. What’s sure is the fact that Zoldo’s ice cream makers, worldwide known, spread the art of ice cream all over Europe and South America since the end of the 19th century, when the great emigration from Italy to the northern Europe took place. There is nothing as natural and healthy as the artisan variety, made with carefully selected, fresh, genuine ingredients such as cocoa, vanilla pods, milk, eggs, sugar and fresh fruit. Close attention to the quality of the raw materials, teamed with an ability to dose the ingredients carefully and to stick to traditional ice cream making times and methods is able to turn a simple food into a delight for the palate. If you are in Val di Zoldo do not forget to stop by an ice cream shop for a delicious break.