The last stage of the Giro Rosa is played out near Lago Maggiore. Both start and finish are in Verbania, a town west of the lake.
A climb with 13.3 kilometres remaining could be decisive. At 5.3 kilometres, the average gradient is 4.7%. A drop takes the riders into the valley and then the last 5 kilometres are as good as flat.
Last year, the closing stage in the Giro Rosa also left from Verbania. The race went to ski-resort San Domenico di Varzo with Mara Abbott climbing to victory, 0’55” ahead of Anna van der Breggen. It was not enough for the overall win: Van der Breggen bested Abbott with a 1’30” margin.
The closing stage features one intermediate sprint, after 42.8 kilometres, that comes with time bonuses at 3, 2 and 1 seconds, while bonuses at the line are 10, 6 and 4 seconds.
Stage 8 in the 2016 Giro Rosa leaves at 12:30 and the finish is expected to be at around 15:15 – both local times.
Giro Rosa 2016 stage 8: Route maps, height profiles, etc.
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