[Underneath the route description with the Gran San Bernardo. The new race start is in Le Châble, at the base of the Croix de Coeur.]
Crans-Montana hosted its last stage finish of a major cycling contest ten years ago. Bauke Mollema climbed to victory on the Tour de Suisse. The Dutchman finished 11 seconds ahead of a chase group featuring among others Thibaut Pinot and the late Michele Scarponi.
The route from Borgofranco d’Ivrea to Crans-Montana is fairly straightforward. The riders traverse the Po plain in northerly direction. The only obstacle is a 5 kilometres climb at 4% to Saint-Vincent. The route then turns west to head for Aosta, which is where the sheer endless haul up the Colle del Gran San Bernardo starts.
The Saint Bernard Pass peaks out at 2,472 metres, but the riders don’t go that high. After 25.7 kilometres of climbing at 5% they enter a tunnel to descend 7 kilometres later. Back in the valley it goes back up again from Le Châble. The Croix de Coeur is a giant of 15.4 kilometres at 8.8%. The last 4 kilometres are averaging 10.3%.
The route descends to Riddes and 23 kilometres on the flat later the finish climb kicks in. The ascent to ski resort Crans-Montana is 13.1 kilometres long and averaging 7.2%.
The second intermediate sprint comes with time bonuses of 3, 2 and 1 seconds, while 10, 6 and 4 seconds are awarded to the first three riders on the line.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 13 2023 Giro d’Italia (original route over the Gran San Bernardo).
Another interesting read: results 13th stage 2023 Giro.
Giro d’Italia 2023 stage 13: route, profile, more
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