Stage 2: San Francesco al Campo to Santuario di Oropa (Biella) โ 161 km
Where to watch: ๐บ๐ธ Max, ๐จ๐ฆ FloBikes, ๐ฌ๐ง Discovery+, ๐ช๐บ Eurosport, ๐ฆ๐บ SBS On Demand
Coverage start time: ๐บ๐ธ 6:30 am EDT, ๐จ๐ฆ 6:45 am EDT, ๐ฌ๐ง 11:45 am BST, ๐ช๐บ 12:45 pm CEST, ๐ฆ๐บ 8:45 pm AEST
Estimated finish time: ๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ 11:13 am EDT/๐ฌ๐ง 4:13 pm BST/๐ช๐บ 5:13 pm CEST/๐ฆ๐บ 1:13 am AEST
Stage type: Hilly (summit finish)
What to expect: The Giroโs first summit finish awaits just two days into the race at the Santuario di Oropa. This is a relatively short stage with a tricky climb to close things out that will almost certainly bring the overall hopefuls to the fore earlier than we usually expect at a Grand Tour. All told, itโs an 11.8 km climb at a 6.2 percent average gradient, but there is very steep stretch in the middle and then the final 4 km are at nearly 8 percent. With the prospect of a pink jersey for a climber up for grabs here, expect fireworks.
Dane’s picks: Tadej Pogaฤar was fully intent on winning the opening stage of the Giro on Saturday, but he came up short. Fortunately for him, Pogaฤar will find stage 2 appetizing as well and he’s a clearer favorite on this kind of terrain. Other potential winners from the bunch include Daniel Martรญnez, Cian Uijtdebroeks, and Geraint Thomas, while Michael Woods, Simon Carr, and Romain Bardet might have a shot from a break now that they have lost time.
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