Tirreno-Adriatico 2018 Route stage 3: Follonica

Tirreno-Adriatico 2018 Route stage 3: Follonica - Trevi

Friday, 9 March 2018 - The 3rd stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico travels from Follonica to Trevi and amounts to 239 kilometres. The long and hilly race ends on a circuit. A punchy climb with steepest ramps of up to 20% just before the top is featured twice. The last time it's the climb to the line.

The 3rd stage at the Tirreno-Adriatico is a lumpy stage, to say the least. The race features barely a kilometre of flat road, while the first major obstacle is Passo del Lume Spento. Peaking at 631 metres it is not only the highest point of the day, it also is the longest ascent of the day. At kilometre 76, the riders crest the summit after a 12 kilometres climb at 4.5%.

The race continues on a hilly course. Before hitting the final circuit the riders face five more climbs – usually after ascending its slopes for a few kilometres at gradients of 5% at most.

With 13.6 kilometres to go the riders get a first of what the finale has in store when they hit the climb to arrival place Trevi. The first 1.5 kilometres are the calm before the storm. The average gradient is a gentle 3.5%, but then the role of gravity is increasing – and not in a gentle way at all. For 500 metres the road goes up at 11.8% and the steepest incline is 16%. A 150 metres plateau with a short intermediate ramp leads to the final drag. The last 350 metres are averaging 16.9% and just before the top the gradient kicks up to a whooping 20%.

Riders who contended the 2016 Tirreno-Adriatico are familiar with the steep climb to Trevi. Then it featured in the 4th stage – not as a climb to the line, but it was crested with 30 kilometres remaining. That day, Stephen Cummings soloed to victory.

Now the punchy climb is on the menu twice. Following the first ascent the riders drop down and after a few kilometres on the flat the 2.5 kilometres to Trevi returns with a bang.

The first three riders on the line take time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the two intermediate sprints (at kilometre 140.1 and at kilometre 215.1) come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.