Basically, the stage to Mount Etna is a two-sided affair. The first half is a hilly race before the second half is a descent leading to a rolling run-in to the grande finale on Etna’s slopes. The final climb totals 15 kilometres at 6.5%, while the steepest sections of 14% and 15% appear approximately 5 and 10 kilometres before the finish.
Mount Etna was included in last year’s Giro d’Italia too, although the arrival was not on the same spot. A strong headwind made it hard to jump clear on the final climb, resulting in a relatively uneventful climb. Attacker Jan Polanc brought the early break home, while a GC clash never really happened. Let’s hope for a different scenario on this year’s Etna-ascent.
Today’s stage winner must be a Hors Catégorie climber who’ll possibly receives a bonus in the shape of a pink shirt. Dumoulin? Yates? Froome? Pinot? López is the only GC rider who has no choice but to attack as he is almost 2 minutes down on GC, while both Aru and Froome are almost 1 minute in arrears.
Favourites 6th stage 2018 Giro d’Italia
*** Fabio Aru, Thibaut Pinot, Simon Yates, Miguel Ángel López, George Bennett
** Tom Dumoulin, Chris Froome, Louis Meintjes, Ben O’Connor, Esteban Chaves
* Robert Gesink, Matej Mohoric, David de la Cruz, Giulio Ciccone
Read also: route 6th stage 2018 Giro d’Italia.
Giro d’Italia 2018 stage 6: Route maps, height profiles, and more
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