Giro dItalia 2016 Route stage 15: Castelrotto

Giro d’Italia 2016 Route stage 15: Castelrotto – Alpe di Siusi

Sunday, May 22, 2016 – Stage 15 in the 2016 Giro d'Italia is only 10.8 kilometres, yet every centimetre is an attrition, as we are talking an individual mountain time trial here. The start is in Castelrotto and the riders aim for Alpe di Siusi (Seiser Alm).

After the tough mountain stage to Corvara/Alta Badia, the GC men don’t get much of a chance to catch their breath.

We are still in Southern Tyrol and so the arrival place is blessed with both an Italian and a German name: Alpe di Siusi and Seiser Alm. Somewhere near is the largest high altitude Alpine meadow (Alm, according to the Germans) in Europe, located at elevation between 1,680 to 2,350 meter and covering 57 square kilometres.

The first 1.8 kilometres of the ITT are doable before the torture kicks in. From that place onwards it is a drag with maximum grades at 10% per 100 metres.

The intermediate checkpoint is after 4.35 kilometres. One may wonder how predictive the times will be as the toughest section is yet to come. With 7.5 kilometres done the road goes up at 11%.

Edition 2014 saw the last mountain ITT in the Giro. Nairo Quintana took the stage, thus cementing his overall lead and ulimately winning the Giro d’Italia that year.

Live race report stage 15, Giro d’Italia 2016. The finish of leader Steven Kruijswijk is estimated to be around 5:15 pm – local time.