Disputed over 219 kilometers between Camaiore and Tortona, the 11th stage of the Giro 2023 offers a relief opening the door to adventurers but could also allow teams of sprinters to padlock the race.
Make way for the “longest day” for the survivors of the Giro 2023. The day after an exhausting day in pouring rain and very low temperatures, no less than 219 kilometers will be covered this Wednesday on the occasion of an 11th stage between Camaiore and Tortona. First of all, the roads usually taken by Tirreno-Adriatico will be taken by the runners.
In effect, the first part of the route proposes an ascent towards the north along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea to the surroundings of La Spezia. It will then be time to head back slightly inland to find Borghetto di Vara, where the first intermediate sprint will be contested at kilometer 62.1. In the process, the non-listed slopes of Carrodano which will be the beginnings of the first real difficulty of the day. Classified in the third category, the Passo del Bracco should allow a group to get out of the peloton or to widen the gap.
A final for sprinters… if the breakaways do not go to the end
After 18 kilometers of descent towards Sestri Levante to temporarily find the coast, the course will go more frankly inland until the finish. Before that, a long rising false flat will bring the riders closer to the Colla di Boasi, the second difficulty of this stage classified in the third category with the summit located at kilometer 143. At the end of a long descent, the second intermediate sprint will be set up in Busalla , or at the foot of Passo della Castagnola.
After this ascent classified in the fourth category, there will remain a little less than 50 kilometers to cover with all the false flat descending to Tortona. An end to the stage which promises a new crossover between the possible breakaways and the trains of sprinters, who have not been in high spirits since the start of the Giro. The finish will be judged at the end of a straight line 450 meters long, which will follow a right-angled bend which will impose an optimal placement on the candidates for victory.
