Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) has been checking out more of the climbs to feature in this year’s Giro d’Italia, on his way to the team’s training camp in San Vincenzo, Tuscany. The 31-year-old, who finished fourth in last year’s race riding for Androni Giocattoli, tested his legs on the slopes of Mount Etna back in December; this time he was exploring the final 115km of stage 19 between Bergamo and Macugnaga. This time he will be in the company of teammate Marco Marzano.
“First of all, it's necessary to consider that the stage will be scheduled in the final part of Giro d'Italia,” said Scarponi, “when all the riders will have low energy reserves and the top riders will be willing to take their last chance for the pink jersey.”
The 2011 race will be the first time the climb to Macugnaga has been used in the Giro d’Italia and so very few riders will have ridden it before; much less raced up its slopes.
“I think that it will be a tough stage, it will be important to manage our energies in order to cover the 3000m difference in altitude in the best way. Mottarone [the first of the stage’s two big climbs – Ed] is a climb for pure climbers and the Macugnaga one is very long, more or less 28 km, and complicated because it requires a lot of changes of pace."
In the most mountainous Giro in many years, the stage to Macugnaga will be followed the next day by another summit finish in the ski resort of Sestrieres, having crossed the unsurfaced Colle delle Finestre on the way. The final stage will be a completely flat 31.3km time trial.