The Giro d'Italia returns to Valtellina even this year with the stage arrival in Bormio and the departure the following day from MorbegnoTwo key moments for the Corsa Rosa, which will have recently entered its third and fateful week of hard work. In stage number seventeen the group will leave from San Michele all'Alpe and will arrive in Bormio after 154 kilometers and three mountain grand prix of the second, first and third category respectively.
From the province of Trento to that of Sondrio passing through Brescia. The first difficulty of the day will be the Tonale Pass and after a long descent the riders' bikes will look up at the sky again to climb the Mortirolo PassThe last difficulty of the day will be represented by the GPM of Le Motte, then a rapid descent to the finish line.
The Corsa Rosa returns to Bormio
The technical voice to guide us through the stages Valtellina people of the Giro is a former rider of the calibre of Francesco GavazziSixteen years as an athlete and then two seasons spent alongside the boys of Polti VisitMalta (formerly Eolo-Kometa with which he ended his career). Valtellinese DOC, born in Morbegno, who has raced and trained on these roads for many years.
"The stage that will take the group to Bormio," Gavazzi explains, "isn't a real mountain stage, one of those tough, scary ones, but it does involve many pitfalls. The profile is interesting but the last GPM is challenging, which is the Mortirolo, is just under 50 kilometers from the finish. It's hard to imagine seeing the decisive action on those ramps, but the valley floor is tricky. I think it's the classic stage with two races in one, the breakaway that is playing for the victory and behind it the men in the general classification".
Ready, steady, go and the group heads up towards Tonale…
I think it's difficult for a team to try to keep the race closed by managing the gap on the breakaway. Very strong riders would be needed and despite everything there would be a risk of arriving short at the top of the Mortirolo, once the descent is over, another race begins.
Mortirolo, which the group will take from Monno, what climb is it?
A great climb, with the last three kilometers truly challenging. But let's face it, it's not the hardest part. The first part, which measures 8 kilometers, is regularThen it flattens out for a couple of kilometers and finally comes the tough section. However, I don't think more than 15 riders will make it to the top. Seeing personal actions is difficult also because those 25 kilometers of valley floor up to Le Motte and then the remaining 9 to get to Bormio are not easy.
What scenarios are opening up?
First of all, the real difference will be made by the wind conditions as soon as you descend from the Mortirolo. As soon as you return to the valley floor there are two situations: the wind is favorable or contraryUsually in my area, in Morbegno which is about fifty kilometers back, the wind blows south in the morning while in the afternoon it turns and pushes north.
The riders will however descend to Grosio…
Being already in the upper valley the wind conditions are more unpredictable, it doesn't take much for the wind to change directionThe teams will clear up their last doubts at the start, from there they will understand what tactics they can implement.
Tell us about these kilometers in the valley floor, what are they like?
Tough. Before Bormio there's a very tough climb, actually two. Speeding is also difficult because the road is constantly climbing.If the breakaway remains large, it can reach the finish line. The leaders behind will have to be careful, Having a man at their side will be important to avoid being left to pull in the windWe're only at the beginning of the third week, so wasting unnecessary energy wouldn't make sense.
We know you're taking the third-level license course, so let's play a game: as a technician, what would you say?
Never attack on the Mortirolo, but follow the actions and the development of the race. The real springboard will be the Le Motte climb, which is two kilometers long but challenging. I think that since there are no riders of Pogacar's caliber, the classification will be tight, so every second counts. A good move can lead to significant gains.
Is this a stage where if someone is unwell they can pay a lot?
Those 25 kilometers of valley floor are unforgiving and risk seeming endless. There's a stretch, in the Le Prese area, where the road rises for a kilometer with peaks of up to 16 percentI remember that even in training it seemed endless: the road is wide, it climbs and you feel like you're standing still. After sixteen stages, someone might even get the bill..
The next day, for stage number eighteen, we set off from your home: Morbegno.
That is a much simpler fraction, but at the same time challenging. On paper there could be a sprint finishHowever, sprinters will have to hold their ground in the central part which is very undulating and demanding. The real goal It will be about understanding what pace the group can keep Because if the breakaway gains a lead, there are only a few kilometers to close the gap. From the last climb to the finish line, there will be only 50 kilometers. A sprint finish won't be a given.
