Giro 2023 Favourites stage 13: Intense climb fest

foto: Cor VosThe 13th stage has been altered twice and the definitive version is 74 kilometres long en includes an elevation gain of almost 2,400 metres. It's up to the climbers with a capital C in this intense mountain stage. (Slideshow route/profile)

The riders climb from the start on the Croix de Coeur. It’s a 15.4 kilometres test with an average gradient of 8.8%, while the 4 kilometres before the summit rise up at over 10%.

The riders fly down to the Rhône Valley before a flat section of 23 kilometres ushers in the decisive second climb. This is a steady ascent of 13.1 kilometres long with an average gradient of 7.2%.

It’s the first GC confrontiation in the high mountains, adding extra suspense to the stage. GC contenders or breakaway? Or maybe a little bit of both? An educated guess would be that the best GC riders latch on to the strongest attackers in the Crans Montana climb to battle it out for victory.

Favourites 13th stage 2023 Giro d’Italia

*** Jay Vine, Primoz Roglic, Thibaut Pinot, Ben Healy
** Geraint Thomas, Bauke Mollema, João Almeida, Lorenzo Fortunato
* Lennard Kämna, Ilan Van Wilder, Davide Formolo, Joe Dombrowski, Filippo Zana

Another interesting read: route 13th stage 2023 Giro.