The queen stage of the Giro d’Italia 2020 could involve more than 5,000 metres of climbing and take in four huge summits.
Rumours around the route for next year’s edition of the Italian Grand Tour are rife ahead of the official announcement later this month.
A profile circulating online could offer insight into the decisive general classification stage, running from Alba to Sestriere or Colle Fraiteve, shared by La Flamme Rouge on Twitter.
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According to local newspaper targatocn.it, the 220km stage starting in the northern province of Cuneo would open with a long gradual rise to the foot of the Colle dell’Agnello, a 21km-long ascent averaging 6.9 per cent.
Then after a descent from the summit, the peloton would face the legendary Col d’Izoard, 13.9km at 7.1 per cent, followed by another high-speed downhill.
If the profile is correct, then next up would be the Colle del Monginevro (6.4km at 6.7 per cent), before the potential finish in Sestriere (11.3km at six per cent).
Italian newspaper La Stampa says however that the stage may finish at 2,700 metres on the Colle Fraiteve, which includes 8km of unpaved roads to its summit.
The stage, which strays into France, would offer up 5,300m of altitude gain and could be held on May 30, according to reports, which would make it the penultimate stage of the race.
Giro d’Italia organiser RCS will announce the full details of the 2020 edition on October 24 during the presentation ceremony in Milan.
Earlier this week, Tour de France organiser ASO published details of next year’s French Grand Tour.
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The Tour will cover all of the mountain ranges in the region, with a total of six mountain finishes and some gravel on the Plateau de Glières, during stage 18.
Stage 20 will be a time trial up the steep slopes of La Planche des Belles Filles in the Vosges, a climb that featured as a summit finishing during the 2019 Tour.
The race will conclude with its traditional run in to Paris and the Champs-Élysées.
