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“Monday, 8 May The 3rd stage of the Giro d'Italia leads over 213 kilometres from Vasto to Melfi, a town in the foothills of Monte Vulture. This extinct volcano will probably play a major role as it offers two climbs in the last 40 kilometres. The city centre of the starting town of Vasto is situated on a plateau overlooking the wide sandy beaches of the Adriatic coast. Three years ago, the Giro took place there, and then the riders went to L'Aquila. There, there was a thrilling finale in which Pello Bilbao defeated the other escapees Tony Gallopin, Davide Formolo, Lucas Hamilton and Matteo Cattaneo. This year, the Giro leaves Abruzzo after starting in Vasto. The riders have a day with two faces ahead of them. For a long time the course is flat, but after 173 kilometres this changes as the riders climb the volcano. This is likely to play a key role, either in breaking up the breakaway group or in catching it up again. The first of two climbs gets a special touch as the riders head up to a Benedictine abbey that rises majestically above the volcanic lakes of Monticchio. This climb is 6.3 kilometres long and has an average gradient of 6.4%. Riders pass the abbey of L'abbazia di San Michele Arcangelo and skirt the water-filled crater in a gently descending line before tackling the second climb. This is 2.6 kilometres long and climbs at 7.6%. It is then another 26 kilometres to the finish. After the descent, the course becomes hilly for the last 10 kilometres. The penultimate kilometre is a souped-up false flat at 3.4%, while the road climbs 5% for the last 250 metres. The last time the Tour of Italy was held in Melfi was in 1994, when Italian sprinter Endrio Leoni won the fairly flat stage. This year, no pure sprinter will triumph in the small town.“ ( & Routes 'n' Maps 'n' Flags) Route data: Creating cycling stage animations requires a lot of work and computing power. You are welcome to support me with a donation:
