Chense has decided to create a decembertour and know after setting the route I will present you some of the facts concerning the tour.
Fernfahrt Roma - GarmischPartenkirchen - Milano
After the Course Manager Chense had decided to stop his engangement for the Tour Passau - Napoli he searched for a new adventure and he found in the Cafe Corso a Milano where he met his half-retired ex-rider Alessandro Pozzovivo who was depressed about failing to create a tour through Italy Austria and Swiss so Chense decided to help him if he was allowed to set one stage to germany.
Important Facts
Number of Stages: 11
Number of Restdays: 1
Total Length: 1858 km (1792km without TT)
Length per stage: 168,9 km (179,2 without TT)
Total Ascent: 30775 hm (3071,5 per stage without TT)
Flat Stages: 3
Easy Mountain Stages: 2
Medium Mountain Stages: 3
Hard Mountain: 2
Individual Time Trial: 1
Visited Countries: Italia - Austria - Germany - Swiss
The Stages
1. Stage - Roma to Passignano sul Trasimeno - Easy Mountain - 204km - 2330hm
The route leads from Roma Termini nearly directly north to the historical city of perugia where tomorrows stage will start and from there just the last kilometres west to the city of Passignano situated on the Trasimeno Lake that is one of middle italias most used tourist lakes.
Normally there should be no problem for a mass sprint but maybe some flatstrong hillriders or weak sprinter teams will allow a puncheur to win.
Last km >6: None
Last 12 kms: 5 4 -2 -6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
60 sec/km at: 193
2. Stage - Perugia to Ravenna - Flat Stage - 196km - 2070hm
The next stage starts in front of the university of perugia and heads east through hilly landscape until it reaches the "Italian Ballermann" Rimini. From there the route goes just flat to the old emperor residence of Ravenna. Again a sprint should be no problem if the sprinters dont sleep and they really shouldnt because it could be their last chance for a longer time.
3. Stage - Punta Sabbioni to Venezia - ITT - 66km - 60hm
http://radsportfreaks.de/radsport/rgpm3.png
A really long but nearly totally flat time trial leading from the ferries point Punta Sabbioni over Cavallino and Jesolo to Venezia where the stage will finish between Campanile, Palazzo Ducale and the Basilica San Marco
Last km >6: None
Last 10 kms: -
60 sec/km: 1
4. Stage - Padova to Trento - Easy Mountain - 150km - 1565hm
This stage can be really interesting again its going north through flat landscape from Padova to Schio where the first real mountain of the tour begins - The 1172m high Monte Pasubio. From there its going down to rovereto and flat to Trento where the stage will end in the middle of the city. A sprint could be possible but also some classic rider without ambitions for the next really hard day could be the smiling third in the end.
5. Stage - Tion di Trento to Stelvio Trincerone - Hard Mountain 149km - 5573hm
Definitely the hardest stage of the tour from Tion di Trento over 2 Passes of Kat. 1 and 2 passes of Kat. HC to the finish at Stelvio Trincerone at 3019m
After the four passes of Madonna di Campiglio, Passo Tonale, Passo Gavia and Stelvio Trincerone EVERY rider in the field will be happy about the following rest day and stages that are a bit easier coming up.
REST DAY
6. Stage - Meran to Eibsee - Medium Mountain - 180km - 4527hm
This 4527 hm sound very mad for a medium stage but the riders can be happy as 2/3 of their daily hm will be finished after km 46 when they reached the summit of the Timmelsjochroad and go into a risky downhill to the Inntal from where they will ride the last real hill of the day when they climb up the Leutasch street from there will be still 46km to the finish at the Eibsee near Garmisch-Partenkirchen which will be hilly but should be normally won by classic riders not by a climber.
7. Stage - Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Feldkirch - Medium Mountain - 191km - 3893hm
Again the riders will have done more than the half of their mountain riding just after 1/3 of the race and today it will be a fight between the sprinters and the hillsprinters chasing each other the last 35km from the last mountain of the day.
8. Stage - Warth to Chur - Flat Stage - 133km - 1452hm
Riding some km on the same roads then stage 7 this could be the easiest stage of the tour. A short pass after the start another short pass on km 48 and then a nearly totally flat race through the Rheintal. The sprinters should win this stage but they should also be looking for having enough energy for the next day or they will surely be gone
9. Stage - Chur to Livigno - Hard Mountain - 188km - 5443hm
The second very very hard mountain stage in this tour 2 times HC 2 times Kat. 1 1 time Kat. 2 1 time Kat. 3
From Chur over Lenzerheide the first climb we are reaching the albulapass from there its going to Zernez where we reach the "Passo del Fuorn" just a dwarf compared to the others and there are Others still waiting out there ... the Passo Umbrail with the following descent back down where the riders fighted themselves up in Stage 5 and then finishing this ride through hell with the Passo del Foscagno and the Passo d´Eira and going down the last 400m to Livigno
10. Stage - St.Moritz to Bergamo - Medium Mountain - 195km - 3464hm
The last mountains of this tour will be reached now they are not as high as they used to be but they are still hard to ride including one mountain of Kat. HC
but in the end at least all riders with 55+ hill should be in one group together and if there are sprinters with enough regeneration to be fit for tomorrows last sprinter stage they won´t even be chanceless.
11. Stage - Bergamo to Torino - Flat Stage - 206km - 398hm
This is flat reaaaaaaal flat ... there wont be any km higher then 2 in the last 170km of the race so the sprinters will be able to get a last win in front of the Stadio Olimpico Torino, but right before as a hommage to the giro Milano will be shortly visited by the riders.
Interesting Mountains
Stage 1: None
Stage 2: KM 26 - Scritto Lastretto 681m - 485hm - 2,6% - Kat. 2
Stage 3: None
Stage 4: KM 94 - Monte Pasubio 1166m - 917hm - 5,8% - Kat. 1
Stage 5: KM 32 - Madonna di Campiglio GPM 1682m - 880hm - 5,9% - Kat. 1
Stage 5: KM 73 - Passo del Tonale 1882m - 923hm - 6,2% - Kat. 1
Stage 5: KM 99 - Passo del Gavia 2626m - 1323hm - 8,2% - Kat. HC
Stage 5: KM 149 - Stelvio Trincerone 3024m - 1822hm - 7,7% - Kat. HC - Highest Point of the Tour
Stage 6: KM 26 - Timmelsjoch 2471m - 1795hm - 7,0% - Kat. HC
Stage 6: KM 134 - Leutasch 1263m - 620hm - 8,5% - Kat. 1
Stage 6: KM 180 - Eibsee 987m - 267m - 4,3% - Kat. 3
Stage 7: KM 70 - Hahntennjoch 1897m - 1044m - 8,1% - Kat. HC
Stage 7: KM 114 - Hochtannbergpass 1683m - 541hm - 4,0% - Kat. 2
Stage 7: KM 157 - Bödele 1148m - 500hm - 7,3% - Kat. 2
Stage 8: KM 5 - Hochtannbergpass 1683m - 190hm - 4,0% - Kat. 4
Stage 8: KM 48 - Bödele 1148m - 500hm - 7,3% - Kat. 2
Stage 9: KM 14 - Lenzerheide 1561m - 899hm - 6,6% - Kat. 1
Stage 9: KM 56 - Albulapass 2315m - 1302hm - 6,8% - Kat. HC
Stage 9: KM 106 - Passo del Fuorn 2155m - 678hm - 3,2% - Kat. 2
Stage 9: KM 134 - Passo d´Umbrail 2494m - 1111hm - 8,5% - Kat. HC
Stage 9: KM 172 - Passo del Foscagno 2284m - 934hm - 6,3% - Kat. 1
Stage 9: KM 180 - Passo d´Eira 2204m - 161hm - 6,0% - Kat. 3
Stage 10: KM 20 - Berninapass 2322m - 567hm - 3,5% - Kat. 2
Stage 10: KM 75 - Passo dell'Aprica 1180m - 803hm - 6,5% - Kat. 1
Stage 10: KM 119 - Passo del Vivione 1830m - 1310hm - 6,9% - Kat. HC
Stage 10: KM 149 - Giogo della Presolana 1304m - 549hm - 7,0% - Kat. 2
Stage 11: None
Interesting Points on the Road:
Rome: The everlasting city and the start in front of the Great Basilica San Pietro so the riders will do it with Gods help
Perugia: An city older then Rome with a very nice historic centre that suffered many years under the diction of the church
Rimini: The "Ballermann" of Italy
Ravenna: Sit of the Archbishop and was from 402 - 476 the main residence of the western roman emperor
Venezia: Enough to fill a hole book up with it "La Serenissima"
Padova: One of Italias oldest and most beautiful cities
Trento: After an business magazine the city with the highest quality and standard of life in Italia and the Govermentsit for the Region Triento - Southern Tyrol
Madonna di Campiglio / Bormio - Santa Catharina: Both of them are ones of the most famous (and expensive) skiing resorts in Italy if not in Europe
Stelvio Trincerone: The highest Point in the Alps to be reached by car (in Fact a tarred private street so i ask myself why they never did a Mountain Finish there - If someone can help me would be very nice)
Meran: Was the capital of Tyrol for hundreds of years - A nice small city where it doesnt get to war in summer and too cold in winter
Leutasch: The more or less german writer Ludwig Ganghofer lived here for several months of the year
Eibsee: Is always mentioned as bavarias most beautiful lake and he is in fact remind me to put a photo in here
Garmisch - Partenkirchen: Winter Olympics 1936 Alpine Skiing-WC 1978 and 2011 maybe Winter Olympics again in 2018 together with Munich - Its the home of german "Wintersport"
Fernpass: One of the most used passes to get from southern germany to the Brenner and Reschenpass (Personal Record: 2h30 for ascent ... BY CAR)
Feldkirch: The most western city of austria
Warth: Okay its just the backside of Arlberg but it IS Arlberg
Dornbirn: The biggest city of Vorarlberg (The capital is the 3. biggest city Bregenz)
Chur: Capital of Graubünden and sometimes mentioned as the oldest city of switzerland
Lenzerheide: Another famous skiing resort
Albulapass: Just a bit curious in the wintermonths the street on the northern site gets closed and is prepared as a sled trail
Umbrailpass: Highest street pass in Switzerland
Livigno: And another Skiing station - But more famous for the "munt-la-schera"-Tunnel and the Forcola Livigno two great examples where the men fought against the mountain and won
St.Moritz: Well its St.Moritz ... Expensive, Famous, Crazy
Milano: I could write a book about it so lets say just one thing: Scala
Torino: I could write two so the city of Agnelli
And this time it will be definitely finished
Well the route goes from Zermatt over dirt roads through the Zermatt skiing resort up the Grenzgletscher where some great engineers have built a rideable road through the everlasting ice ... reaching nearly 4000m we are going back to Italy and down around 800hm near to Punta Indren which had one of the first summer skiing areas in Italy (On the Indren Glacier Late 60s - Late 90s).
