Stage 18 of the
Giro d'Italia between Oderzo and Van di Zoldo is the first of the final days in the mountains.
Alberto Contador, Eurosport analyst on the ground in Italy these days, analyzes it in detail and gives the keys.
"Attention to this day, it is not a very long stage, 161 kilometers, but it has 5 mountainous difficulties. The first one, kilometer forty, is a first Category and quite important to form a quality breakaway or if a team wants to toughen up the race they can start there," the Spaniard anticipated. "I think it will be more ground for a breakaway."
The stage has after the Passo della Crosetta to which Contador referred to a fourth class pass, a long flat stretch and in the final part another first class pass, Forcella Cibiana, the descent and a couple of second class climbs at the end in which Alberto puts the focus:
"There is a fourth and a first category climb, but I would especially think about the last two second category ones. We're talking about Coi, which has 5.5 km at 9.5%, it's crowned 5 km from the finish, a quick descent and the last 3 kilometers without very hard percentages, some of them around 8% and the finish. I think if you launch an attack in Coi you can make a difference".
