The Toughest Stage Of The Giro d'Italia (It's Snow Joke) | Stage 16 Preview

(dramatic music) (singers vocalizing) - Wow! (laughs) (upbeat pop music) Not all Grand Tour

stage

s are created equal. Some are little more than a gentle spin down virgin roads, and others are monsters. - And this is a monster. Stage 16 of the Giro begins here, on the shores of Lake Iseo, and is 226 kilometers long with over 6,000 meters of elevation gain, including the absolutely crazy climbs of Gavia and Mortirolo back-to-back. I mean, it sounds absolutely brutal, James, but how hard do you think it is? - Well, I guess we're going to have to ride it, buddy. Come on. - I guess we are. - Come on. - In the absence of our team bus and the hordes of fans who normally greet us at the start of a big trip, we took the opportunity to have a nice, relaxing pre-trip espresso.

And curiously, for the start of this

stage

, the organizers have delayed the start to 10:30 a.m., so it is earlier than normal because the winner is expected to take seven hours, and the gruppetto and sprinters may take 40 minutes to an hour longer than that. It's going to be a huge day. - You're saying that, Ollie, it's already 10:30. - That? - Well, it's 10:30. We need to get to work. - It's going to be a long day, right? - Well, that is if we can do it. - The stage route leaves Lovere and climbs to the first peak of the day, the Passo della Presolana, and only 17 kilometers later it culminates in another climb, the Croce de Salven.

In the shadow of what is to come, they seem quite modest, but at 1,300 metres, I suspect they will be difficult tests in themselves. After that, the real fun begins as the path climbs for 70 kilometers to what will be the highest point of this year's race, the Cima Coppi, the Gavia, which tops out at 2,618 metres. Then comes the really fun part, 50 kilometers of descent before Mortirolo. Short, only 12 kilometers, but the average gradient is brutal. There are even a solid six kilometers in the middle where the average gradient is over 12%. After that, there are only 15 kilometers of gentle climbing to the end. (dynamic music) This first section of the stage as you go through the city is actually the neutralized zone, and that's, well, for safety and the fact that there will be a lot of people here.

But that means we have to do a couple of extra kilometers, well, that doesn't even count. - (laughs) Wait mate, we're getting close to the exit. - Yeah? - Are you ready? Kilometer zero! - What... - Let's do it! - Oh. (upbeat dance music) - Now I would say the difference between us and the pros is that we don't have a platoon to show off behind. So we'll be pushing the wind all day. Are you okay, Ollie? - (laughs) We just started and he's already walking out the door. (laughs) (soft dance music) (dramatic music) One of the things about the Giro and being a professional in general is that you can't choose the weather.

It is what it is. In a way, this is one of the nice things about not being a professional, because if you came and tried this, you can pick a sunny day, and if it was like today, where it looks like I'm going to tip it down, I mean, it's starting to do it, then you can say, no, we'll do it tomorrow. (laughs) Well, ah, friend. (laughs) - It's also worth mentioning that this is where the gregarious will return, take the capes from the team car and bring them to the leaders so they can maintain their positions and not waste energy. - Generally... - Do you want a cape, man? - (laughs) No, I'm fine, friend.

Everything good in a minute. But generally speaking, the pros will be praying that when the Giro comes around here it doesn't rain, because on a spectacular stage like this, things become exponentially more difficult if the weather is terrible. (soft electronic music) Although this is a three-week race and this spectacular stage comes 2/3 of the way through that race, it won't be about conserving energy or taking it easy for most runners. Some of the guys will be whipping themselves and trying really hard, attacking from the block just to try and make it to the breakaway of the day and have a shot at glory.

Other riders will counterattack that breakaway, and this attack and counterattack could probably occur all the way to the top of the second climb. Other riders will simply do everything they can to stay in the group. Sprinters cannot afford to be left behind by the peloton because doing so will likely mean they will miss the time cut and be eliminated from the race. (dramatic music) - On days like today, the only thing the peloton thinks about is staying warm and reaching the finish line. No talk, no

joke

s, just silence. They are like us, really. Only five hours left, buddy. (soft electronic music) I just made it over the top of the first climb, but even for the guys in the back, there will be no respite.

If the race is full throttle at the front, there could easily be a split because there is hard braking and big acceleration, especially in conditions like this. (switches to inspiring music) - We're not even a third of the way there (laughs). (Hank laughs) (singers vocalizing) I don't know about you, man, but after going down that wet descent, I'm glad I got this race. What a view. The scenery on this stage is absolutely stunning, and we are about 45 kilometers into the second classified climb, the Croce de Salven. And it's about 1,107 meters high, I think, and when we get to the top, we just descend to Edolo, where we start the long walk down the valley road towards the fearsome Gavia, but, well, Hank has to fix his flat first before that we can move forward. (mid-tempo dance music) (singer vocalizing) - Wow! (laughs) Wet or dry, the pros will kill these descents, and the speeds they reach are truly incredible.

Alright, do you want the good news or the bad news? - Good news, friend. - Well, the good news is that we have already overcome the second climb. The bad news is that the profile shows a drag of 54 kilometers until reaching the Gavia. - The profile is misleading, isn't it? - Yes it is. - Did you know? 65km is still a great day off for me and quick math too, right? That means we still have 160,000 left. - 160,000? -We've been traveling for like, how long? Almost three hours? (laughs) (Hank sighs) (dynamic electronic music) That's not very good, the sign says the Mortirolo is closed, which means the

snow

hasn't melted, but the Giro is coming here in a week (laughs) . - I hope they clear the

snow

. - Yeah, I hope they've cleared it up by then, but that means we might not be able to get over it today either, unfortunately, huh. - I guess we'll go as far as we can. - Gutted, I mean, if we can't climb it, gutted. (laughs) - We'll have to come back when it's a little sunnier. (calm guitar music) - I just passed the sign for Ponte di Legno, which is located there at the foot of Gavia, and that's because once the cyclists pass the top of Gavia, they go around the Mortirolo. , goes back through the valley and ends here, it's a little depressing to cross the finish line knowing that you still have like 100 kilometers to go (laughs).

So the pros might be trying to cut the time, but to be honest, I'm just trying to complete it before dark. (dramatic music) - We just passed the Le Gavia sign. It is a 16 kilometer climb with an average of 8% and a maximum of 16%. This is a real climbing beast. - It is, but it tops out at about 2,700 meters, and the sign there said it's currently closed. This doesn't bode well for us because the sign for Mortirolo also said it was closed, which means that if they are, we may not be able to complete our route today.

But we'll try to go as far as we can and see what we can do, but (laughs) yeah, it's a wild climb, absolutely deadly. Gavia has been a decisive protagonist of the Giro on several occasions. Some of you may remember Andy Hampsten climbing the Maglia Rosa on this climb in atrocious weather conditions and more recently in 2014 the race came here and Nairo Quintana took the Maglia Rosa that day and it was atrocious conditions too. So (laughs) the fact that we can't get to the top, well, that's typical of this climb, actually. (gasps) It's deceptively steep up here.

There are a few sections ahead, I know because I've ridden it before, that kind of falls flat, give or take, two, 3%, so the average gradient is very misleading. This part here on my Wahoo, I mean, it's 10, sometimes it goes up to 12, and when you get to double digits, it's just hard, especially after 100-odd K (laughs). - Is not easy. - I'm feeling it, man. This is a spectacular stage, and the other thing that makes the Gavia especially difficult is how tall he is, because with the altitude you can't get the power out unless you are Nairo Quintana. - Which we are not. (Both laugh) Oh. (soft electronic music) Oh no, this is not a good sign. - No. - I guess this is the end of our road. - Yes, well, the sign back there that said that the Gavia was closed didn't lie (laughs). - No, definitely not. - I guess this means, well, if the Gavia closes and the Mortirolo closes, unfortunately we won't be able to complete the reconnaissance.

We cannot go through the entire stage. - No, how long have we been? - We have done, well, according to Wahoo, 130 kilometers and 2,700 meters of elevation gain, so a little more than half (laughs). - And it has been absolutely brutal, right? - Yes. - Then I don't think we would have finished it. - Well, I think we probably would have finished it in the dark. (Hank laughs) I have no doubt that this stage is wild. - Yes. - It is a ridiculously hard stage and it will be an incredible spectacle to see on television. (sighs) I'm pretty relieved that we don't have to do it today (laughs). - Yes, it has been very hard, and if you have enjoyed watching us suffer, then be sure to give this video a big thumbs up.

And for more Giro content, why not click over to Ollie? - I think we should go eat pizza now. I want to warm up (laughs), eat pizza. - It's been a long day, hasn't it? - And cold (laughs). (soft piano music)