Following the rest day in Catania, the Italian leg of the Giro starts in the place on the east coast of Sicily. The riders head south-west, into the centre of the island. The route is an onslaught of hills, false flats, and short sharp climbs. Seems to be a perfect day for a break away, while GC guys have to be alert not to lose time on this demanding terrain.
The route travels to Caltagirone, a town build on three hills at an elevation of 600 metres. During the Middle Ages Caltagirone was also known as Queen of the Mountains, which must sound enticing to the guys with climbing legs.
The route climbs in the last 11 kilometres at an average gradient of 2.8%. When the flamme rouge flies over the road the route kick up to 4% for 500 metres before it flattens out near the line.
Are we going to see a first clash of the GC contenders? Whatever the outcome, chances are that the stage winner in Caltagirone will receive a pink bonus.
The first three riders on the line take time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the two intermediate sprints (at kilometre 112.3 and at kilometre 133.7) come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
The 4th stage of the 2018 Giro d’Italia starts at 12:25 and the finish is expected around 17:15 – both local times scheduled times).
Giro d’Italia 2018 stage 4: Route maps, height profiles, and more
Click on the images to zoom.
