"It's a pass that can make quite a difference" - Alberto Contador previews tricky Giro stage 15

Alberto Contador has analyzed in Eurosport the stage 15 of the Giro d'Italia 2025 that takes place today, Sunday, and that will be the first of the 4 high mountain stages that await the cyclists between now and the arrival in Rome in a week.

The Madrid native highlighted 2 key points to be taken into account at the outset: "We're going to analyze what for me are the 2 key sites of the stage. First, above all, that Monte Grappa and then, of course, that second-category pass, Dori."

On the first, Monte Grappa, he warned that it is not the same climb that was climbed last year and that the summit will be far from the finish line. That said, depending on the pace, it can leave the cyclists very touched (25.1 km at 6%):

"Monte Grappa, a pass known by a large part of the peloton, was already climbed last year where Tadej Pogacar showed off the hardest part, this year it won't be climbed on that part, but it's still 25 km at a high percentage with your strength already low."

However, Contador makes it clear that the key point of the day is the second pass that is crowned about 30 kilometers from the finish (Dori 16 km at 5%):

"The most important pass of the day will be Dori, the second one, it's in the last part of the stage, we have a lot of curves, high mountain road and at the right time to test the cyclists' strength and because it's before a rest day".

The two-time Giro d'Italia winner thinks that the constant ramps that the riders will encounter in Dori may cause some favorites to get droppped.

"We are talking about a pass that is around 7 and 8 percent all the time, if you add this to Monte Grappa and the great mileage that the riders are going to carry it is a pass that can make quite a few differences."

And not only that, the fact that it does not end near the finish line gives it an extra danger, since an isolated rider with many kilometers to go could leave a minute behind:

"This does not end here, depending on where the riders are they will have to manage, because there are still about 27 kilometers to go and it is not a flat terrain by any means, maybe it is interesting to put men in the breakaway of the day so that they can help you in that terrain because the one who fails in this second pass with the Red Bull Kilometer can leave a lot of time in the finish of Asiago."