Giro dItalia 2016 Route stage 9: Radda

Giro d’Italia 2016 Route stage 9: Radda – Greve

Sunday, May 15, 2016 – Stage 9 of the 2016 Giro d'Italia brings a 40.5 kilometres individual time trial in the hills of Toscane. Amidst the vine-yards of the Chianti region the course leads from Radda to Greve. No unbearable steepness, yet the route is going up and down without respite.

The start is in Radda at an elevation of 540 metres and the finish in Greve is at 307 metres. So across the board the stage goes down, but in between there are definitely some nasty uphill sections.

The stage offers a feel good opening, as the first 600 metres are going down at 6%. Then it’s 2% uphill for 5.1 kilometres, before a rolling section of 8.7 kilometres takes the riders to the highest point of the day: Macia Marta, located at an elevation of 619 metres. Obviously, a drop comes next – 9 kilometres at 3%.

The finale offers a false flat (2 kilometres at 2%), a descent (3.3 kilometres at 3.5%), a climb (4.9 kilometres at 3.6%) and eventually a 6.7 kilometres drop at 3.2%.

The hilly ITT through the Chianti region is almost 20 kilometres shorter than the ITT in the 2014 Giro. Vasil Kiryienka was fastest, while one could argue Fabio Aru lost the Giro that day as Alberto Contador put 2’47″ into the young Italian. When finishing in Milano on the last day Aru was 1’53″ down on El Pistolero.

Today’s intermediate check pointt are after 11.6 kilometres, 22.3 kilometres and 33.6 kilometres (at the top of the last hill).

Race results/race report stage 9, Giro d’Italia 2016.