The stage ambles through the wine regions of Piedmont, from a good red wine in Barbaresco to the great red wine of Barolo. Both wines are made from the Nebbiolo grape. A nice glass awaits the stage winner, but first comes an hour of pain in the race of truth.
Route
Right from the start the road goes up towards Boscasso, a 12.6 kilometre climb with a vertical gain of 388 metres. Being the highest point of the route it’s the first intermediate time check as well. The climb is labelled as category-4.
Speeding down the hill riders arrive 13.6 lightning fast kilometres later at the lowest point of today, the truffle town of Alba, located at an altitude of 168 meters and second intermediate time check.
For the next 8 kilometres, the riders travel on a flat, straight road in the direction of Gallo and then arrive at the foot of the second climb. The riders gain 158 metres over the following 3.4 kilometres, meaning an average gradient of 4.7%. Upon cresting in the hamlet of Castiglione Falletto,a short and relatively steep descent follows before the final climb of 1.6 kilometres at 4.5%.
The area around Alba suits the powerful time-trialers best. The route is flat (or descending) and the roads straight, so they need to gain time in this area if they are to win the stage.
Giro 2014 stage 12: Images and more!
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Scheduled times
How stage 12 was won in 2014
Preparations Uran for the ITT
How stage 12 was won in 2013
