Giro 2020 Favourites stage 15: Battle for pink intensifies

The first 55 kilometres are the calm before the storm. Or, to be more precise, before the Sella Chianzutan. Which is a good climb to stretch the legs: 10.8 kilometres at 5.3%.

The breakaway will have established itself at the top in the hope to persevere until the bitter end. When the attackers manage to carve out a considerable gap on the Forcella di Monte Rest they might get lucky. The statistics of this climb are a bit boring – 14.7 kilometres at 4.1% -, but it is a multi-layered effort with a descent midway and the last 6 kilometres rising at some 8%.

The Forcella di Pala Barzana is another long climb and similar to the other Forcella, although less irregular. The 13.8 kilometres ascent at 4.2% goes up at 6 to 7% in the last 4 kilometres.

Whether or not the attackers will battle it out for the stage honours, we will definitely see a GC clash on the finish climb. The road to Piancavallo ascends at 9.4% in the first 6 kilometres before it evens out in the second half. The climb to the line adds up to 15.4.

Obviously, how the race unfolds will depend on the GC, so we’ll update this article during the Giro d’Italia.

Favourites 15th stage 2020 Giro d’Italia
*** Rafal Majka, Jakob Fuglsang, Simon Yates
** Geraint Thomas, Steven Kruijswijk, Marc Soler, Hugh Carthy
* Patrick Konrad, Carl Fredrik Hagen, Wilco Kelderman

(more to follow)

Another interesting read: route stage 15 Giro d’Italia.