- Coming up are our top five climbs
of the 2018 Giro d'Italia, starting with Mount Etna.
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Featuring, for the second year in succession,
the volcanic ascent on Sicily will erupt
into our consciousness as early as stage six.
The scorched, barren landscape 1,361 meters above sea level
serving as the first summit finish of the race.
Last year, the surprise stage winner was Jan Polanc,
of Team UAE Emirates, who escaped the stalemate
amongst the GC contenders.
With no real overall shakeup last year.
The route to the summit will be taken this year
by a road that's never been used at the Giro before.
Starting from Ragalna, it is 14.1 kilometers long,
with an average grade of six and a half percent
and some steeper sections, which rear up to 14 and 15%.
Will this new route provide more opportunities
for the pure climbers?
We'll find out on stage six.
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The mighty Monte Zoncolan is the crowning glory
of the 186-kilometer stage 14, which goes from
San Vito al Tagliamento to the summit
of the fearsome climb itself.
First introduced to the Giro in 2003,
when Gilberto Simoni won the stage en route to Giro victory,
the giant of the Carnic Alps has been tackled
a total of five times, the last of which was back in 2014,
when Mick Rogers prevailed.
The Monte Zoncolan can be climbed by three roads,
but this year sees the most difficult ascent,
approaching from the west, from Ovaro.
It is relentlessly steep.
The section between kilometers two and six average
a lactate-inducing 15.2%, with the gradient for the entire
10-kilometer length of the climb averaging just under 12%.
Whether or not there's a non-GC break up the road
remains to be seen, but there's no doubt
that these incredibly steep slopes on this iconic mountain
will see potentially big gains and losses amongst those
fighting for the maglia rosa.
The ferocity of the gradient will mean
that physics will favor the pure lightweight climbers
who will have to attack and exploit the opportunity
to take time on the heavier all-arounders.
This is their playground, so expect some fun and games.
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The last time this incredibly beautiful climb was used
was in the 2014 Giro, when race leader Alberto Contador
was put under some pressure by a searing attack
from Mikel Landa, the dirt road to the summit
providing some spectacular theater.
Topping out at a lofty 2,129 meters in the Cottian Alps,
the Colle delle Finestre is this year's Cima Coppi,
marking the highest point of the race.
The gradient is a relatively constant one, but it is steep,
averaging 9.2% over its 18 and a half kilometers,
and maxing out at 14%.
The first 10.7 K is on asphalt road, before the transition
to dirt, or sterrato, for the last 7.8 Ks to the summit.
The Colle delle Finestre comes deep into the race,
on stage 19, and precedes the climbs of Sestriere, then the
fierce summit up the Jafferau, so it could prove to be a
pivotal point in the overall outcome of this year's race.
Now the word epic is often overused in cycling,
but it is quite fitting in every way
for this most majestic of mountain passes.
Finestre means window, in Italian, and you can see why,
as the views from its highest slopes
provide a view like no other.
Who will have the perfect view come the 19th of May?
Again, only time will tell.
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The Colle delle Finestre leads us nicely on to the Jafferau
itself, the summit finish to stage 19.
It's a climb not without its controversy.
It made its Giro debut in 1974, with Eddy Merckx
catching Jose Manuel Fuente on its slopes
to take a stage victory in the pink jersey.
But several riders were also disqualified
for hitching a ride up to the finish.
Mauro Santambrogio won the last time the Giro visited here,
on a very cold day in 2013, but that result
was then scrubbed after he received a doping ban.
Let's hope this year sees us remember the Jafferau
for purely sporting reasons.
It will offer a real sting in the tail for the riders,
starting from the town of Bardonecchia, the fourth and final
summit of the day is 7.2 kilometers in length,
averaging just over 9%, a fitting end
to what should be a decisive stage.
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The last chance to make a difference
in the general classification will come on stage 20.
That's the final day in the mountains
before the processional stage 21 into Rome.
It's another summit finish, and Cervinia is the destination,
the third-highest peak in the Italian Alps,
close to the border with Switzerland.
It's an 18.2-kilometer climb that averages 5.3%,
but take out some of the more gradual slopes at the foot
and towards the top, and you've got
something close to 7% in the middle.
How this climb is raced will probably depend
on the situation on the road.
The team in possession of the maglia rosa at the time
may see this as a climb that they control,
if the favorites stay together,
but once again there are two climbs preceding Cervinia
that might be the launch pad for a long-range move.
One thing is for sure, this climb will decide the race
in the Aosta Valley under the shadow of the Matterhorn.
With some of the traditional Giro mountains absent
from this year's race, as such, the Stelvio, the Gavia,
et cetera, those, we think,
are the five most iconic climbs in 2018.
No doubt you'll have your own opinions, though,
so you can leave your comments on your favorite climbs
from this year's race just down below this video.
That's the end of this video
of the five most important climbs of this year's race.
Of course, the non-categorized climbs,
some of the less-known climbs, could have as much of an
influence on the outcome as the ones we have just mentioned.
However, if you would like to get more details
on the Colle delle Finestre, one of Matt and Si's
favorite climbs ever, you can watch this next video,
entitled, The Most Epic Climb in the World.
You can decide, and once again let us know in the comments.
You can find it just here.