The Giro Rosa, the biggest race on the Women’s WorldTour calendar, revealed on Saturday the riders will tackle the famed and brutal Monte Zoncolan on the penultimate stage in the 2018 edition. The announcement came during a presentation for the route of the first and final two stages. The 10-stage race runs from July 6th to July 15th in 2018.
The ninth stage of the Giro Rosa will finish atop Monte Zoncolan on Saturday, July 14th and begin in Tricesimo. The stage will be 104.7 kilometers and tackle the Zoncolan’s western slope from Ovaro. On this side, the climb is 11.9 kilometers in length and climbs 1,200 meters. The average grade of the climb is 11.9-percent with a maximum of 22-percent. The Zoncolan was tackled during 1997 edition of the Giro Rosa from the Sutrio side. Fabiana Luperini took the stage victory and went on to win the overall title that year.
“The Zoncolan from Ovaro to its top is new for the Giro and it gives a truly, biggest importance about the quality and power of women’s cycling, which gives very big emotions,” said Enzo Cainero, president of the Friuli stage committee.
The overall winner of the 2018 Giro Rosa will be crowned a day later in the area of Friuli with a 120-kilometer final stage. The route will be around the small, historical town in Friuli and travel in the Torre and Natisone Valleys, close to the Italian and Slovenian border. There will be a final circuit with the short but tough climb in Trivio. The climb is a leg breaker at 4 kilometers in length and averaging 10-percent.
Anna van der Breggan (Boels-Dolmans) won the overall title in 2017 with her teammate, American Megan Guarnier, winning the final stage.
The 29th edition of the Giro Rosa will start on Friday, July 6th with a 15.5 kilometer team time trial along Lake Maggiore in Verbania. Last year’s edition began with a team time trial as well and saw Boels-Dolmans take the victory with Canadian Karol-ann Canuel taking the first leader’s jersey.
“The big mountains are back as protagonists of the Giro Rosa,” said race director Giuseppe Rivolta. “It will be for sure a spectacular race and a sporting show on the Italian roads.”
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