It’s been seven editions since the Giro last visited Montevergine di Mercogliano. In 2011, Bart De Clerq attacked on the last climb and he held off the chasing group – with all favourites – with just a bike length. In the current millennium, Danilo di Luca (2001, 2007) and Damiano Cunego (2004) were also victorious on the lime stone massif in Campania.
The 8th stage of the Giro d’Italia starts in the place stage 7 finished, Praia a Mare, on the Tyrrhenian coast. The route is going mostly up or down for the first 100 kilometer when the pack moves through the Parco Nazionale del Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni, which is listed as a World Heritage Site of UNESCO. And, we might add, rightly so.
With a little more than 100 kilometres done the riders leave the hills behind them. The route continues for 50 kilometres along the coast in northern direction. Just after Salerno they turn right to race inland. The route starts to climb slightly and will keep on doing so for most of the last 50 kilometres, although only the last 17.1 kilometres are ranked as KOM climb. The official ascent on the Montevergine di Mercogliano is averaging 5%.
The closing climb in Vincenzo Nibali’s words: “I am familiar with the Montevergine di Mercogliano. It is a fast ascent with sharp turns.”
The first three riders on the line take time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the last of two intermediate sprints (at kilometre 110.1 and at kilometre 154.6) comes with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
Read also: results/race report 8th stage 2018 Giro d’Italia.
Giro d’Italia 2018 stage 8: Route maps, height profiles, and more
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Start in Praia a Mare
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Details Montevergine di Mercogliano climb
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