Preview - Giro d'Italia 2022 stage 14

A very complicated day. Torino will host the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia with a very hard circuit around the city’s hills which can be a very dangerous day for the GC battle. It comes the day before the race reaches the Alps which isn’t favourable, but it takes the riders through some steep climbs where attacks can come.

Less than 150 kilometers but over 3000 meters of climbing, the marking section of the stage is a 36-kilometer long circuit which will be ridden twice.

The first climb is the Superga. A very famous climb, the cornerstone of Milano-Torino, here it will have a different role however it may see similar outcome. 5.1Km at 8.2%, however with some very harsh gradients involved. In the final lap it summits with 27.5 kilometers to go, not too far to see high-caliber attacks – either from a breakaway or peloton.

But surprisingly, that is perhaps not the hardest ascent of the day. At least it isn’t the steepest, that’s for sure, as after a plateau section the riders will go up Colle della Maddalena which summits with just 12 kilometers to go. The issue with this hilltop is that it features an initial section with 1.6Km at 12.3% and as you can see in the profile, the maximum gradients go well above that. It’s a trap for many, a gruesome explosive effort, followed by a very fast descent.

Before the finish, there is an intermediate sprint at Parceo del Nobile, only 4.6 kilometers away from the finish. 1.6Km at 8.1%, not as hard as the previous ascents but still a considerable hilltop, which due to it’s proximity to the finish may be crucial, and the intermediate sprint can spark further action. From there on it is a very fast dash to the line, with a slightly technical descent and the final few hundred meters by the river where the finish line will be placed.

CyclingUpToDate prediction:

**** Wilco Kelderman

*** Lennard Kämna, Mauro Schmid

** Bauke Mollema, Simon Yates, Koen Bouwman

* Lorenzo Rota, Davide Formolo, Giulio CIccone, João Almeida