Giro d'Italia stage 14 preview - Will the real Vingegaard stand up?
The Giro d’Italia reaches its first true mountain test, and it promises to be a brutal one. Stage 14 from Aosta to Pila is short, sharp and loaded with climbing. At just 132.82 kilometres, there is little room to hide. With almost 4,000 metres of elevation gain and a summit finish that bites all the way to the line, this could be the day the general classification finally explodes.
Stage 14 | Aosta - Pila (132.82km)
This is the kind of stage that can reshape a Grand Tour. From the opening climb to the final ramps of Pila, the peloton will be under pressure almost immediately. There is no long approach, no gentle start, no chance to ease into the day. The mountains arrive from kilometre zero.
Key information:
- Start: 13:05 (CET)
- Estimated Finish: 17:15 (CET)
- Stage type: mountain
- Stage length: 132.82km
- Elevation gain: 3982m
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Route
The riders will barely have rolled out of Aosta before the road begins to rise. The opening climb, Saint Barthélemy, is a first category ascent of 17.7 kilometres. It is a severe way to begin the stage, especially with steeper sections that could immediately put weaker climbers into difficulty.
After a short 2.4 kilometre plateau, the race drops into a descent with fast sections and a technical finale. A 12 kilometre valley then offers a brief chance to reorganise before the next long climb, Doues. It starts gently, but the final part is far more demanding, including a 1.7 kilometre stretch at 9.2%.
From there, the pattern repeats. A short plateau, a descent, a valley, and then another climb.
The third major test comes in two parts. First there is Lin Noir, 7.5 kilometres at 7.8%, followed by a rolling 4 kilometre section and then Verrogne, 5.2 kilometres at 7.2%. It is exactly the kind of terrain where a strong team can turn the screw and slowly strip rivals of their support.
A 15 kilometre descent and a 9 kilometre valley lead the riders to the final climb. Pila is the decisive point of the day, and it is a monster. After so much climbing already, the summit finish could become a fight for survival as much as a battle for the stage win.
Scenario
This is the only true mountain stage of the second week, and with the following day likely to be controlled by the GC teams, stage 14 has all the ingredients of a major general classification showdown.
Visma will be expected to race aggressively. They have the team to make the stage hard from distance, and this is a rare opportunity to test everyone before the final week. Decathlon CMA CGM may have similar ambitions, especially with Felix Gall looking increasingly dangerous in the mountains.
The question is not whether the GC riders will move. The question is how early the pressure starts.
Favourites
Jonas Vingegaard is the obvious favourite. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader has been able to conserve energy in recent days, and with a flatter stage coming on Sunday, this looks like the perfect moment for Visma to commit fully.
Just like the mountains, Vingegaard may finally bare his teeth here too. He has not yet shown the full extent of what he can do in this Giro, possibly because illness has kept him from revealing his true level. If Visma decide to make the race hard, Vingegaard will be the rider everyone else has to follow.
His super domestique, Davide Piganzoli, no longer needs an introduction. He will likely be asked to work again, but his climbing level has been so high that he could still end up with a strong result of his own.
Decathlon CMA CGM may see the same opportunity for Felix Gall. He lost time in the time trial, but he has looked excellent on the climbs. The harder the stage becomes, the more it should suit him.
The same applies to Thymen Arensman (Netcompany Ineos). After an impressive time trial, he is well placed in the general classification, but gaining more time is never a bad idea. A demanding stage like this gives him a real chance to put pressure on the riders around him.
Lidl-Trek will hope for something similar from Derek Gee-West. The Canadian was involved in the mass crash on stage 2, but has steadily climbed back up the GC since then. He will want a hard race, although it is unlikely Lidl Trek will take responsibility for the chase themselves.
The two Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe leaders, Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari, appear to have recovered from illness. Still, it would be a risk for them to spend too much energy here. Both are strong third week riders, so they may prefer to wait for stage 18 before making a full move towards the podium.
Tudor also have a strong duo in Michael Storer and Mathys Rondel. Both look like diesel climbers, well suited to a stage where the effort accumulates over several climbs. For Rondel, however, this is still his first Grand Tour, so there is some uncertainty about how he will respond as the race goes deeper.
Storer has more experience in that respect. For once, he seems to have avoided bad luck, and this could be the day he shows a new climbing level.
Ben O’Connor is almost the definition of a diesel climber. This stage should suit him perfectly. He looks to be in his best form for a long time, and a well timed move could bring him a major result.
Other riders to watch include Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), Jan Hirt (NSN), Enric Mas (Movistar), Davidde la Cruz, and Chris Harper (Pinarello-Q36.5).
Domestique Stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Vingegaard
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Gall, Arensman
⭐⭐⭐ Gee-West, Pellizzari, Hindley
⭐⭐ Piganzoli, Storer, Rondel, O'Connor
⭐ Ciccone, Hirt, Mas, de la Cruz, Harper
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