The riders roll down the start ramp in Bologna’s centre. They move through the town before tackling the Colle della Guardia. The 2.1 kilometres hill is averaging 9.7%, while its steepest ramps are 16%. The finish is near the Santuario della Madonna di San Luca, a basilica church in San Luca that is overlooking the historical centre of Bologna.
The Colle della Guardia is often included in the finale of the Giro dell’Emilia. Recent winners of the race are Giovanni Visconti (2017) and Esteban Chaves (2016). The Giro dell’Emilia is a well-known preparation race for the Tour of Lombardy. The 2009 Giro included a Colle della Guardia finish with Simon Gerrans outpowering his fellow attackers in the last kilometre.
Bologna previously hosted the Grande Partenza in 1994, an edition that was ultimately won by Jevgeni Berzin ahead of Marco Pantani. Yet, Endrio Leoni won the morning road stage in Bologna on the first day of action before Armand De Las Cuevas went on to storm to victory in the afternoon ITT.
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