This year’s Tirreno-Adriatico does not include a mountain top finish but is packed with difficulties that could shake up the general classification, starting with a late gravel sector on stage 2 to San Gimignano.
Some riders still have the dust of Strade Bianche under their nails and the pain of the race in their legs, but on Tuesday, they face another heroic moment of gravel road racing in an important WorldTour race.
‘It’s a GC day,’ Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) confirmed to Cyclingnews after his excellent time trial that kept him as an overall contender.
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“It’s a really ‘interesting’ stage. We’ll have to be ready for the finish and hit the gravel from the front.”
The USA’s Magnus Sheffield claimed he was looking forward to racing on the gravel but was concerned about how the tension would grow in the peloton.
“I didn’t get to do Strade Bianche, so I’m looking forward to riding some sterrati tomorrow (Tuesday), I really like it,” he told Cyclingnews.
“A lot of people are asking about it, and that, maybe, creates more tension and more nervousness. There will be calls from the team car too, so there will be a fight for position.”
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The Eroica gravel sportif inspired the Strade Bianche race, which in turn inspired more gravel sectors in road races.
Stage 2, from Camaiore, north of Lucca, to San Gimignano in the Tuscan hills, is 206km long. Much of it is flat, but the final 70km dip and roll on country roads. The gravel comes with just 6.8km to race.
The gravel sector is 5.2km long and starts with a climb for the opening kilometre. The gravel ends 1.5km from the finish, but then the road kicks up to the medieval centre and towers of San Gimignano, with a late hairpin adding an extra twist.
“I’ve studied the gravel and the finish in training, and it’s a really technical finish. It’s fast too, and after the gravel, the finish is really close,” Tiberi warned.
“The start of the gravel is steep and includes a tight turn too, where it’s easy to slip and come off.”
Sheffield warned of the gravel road’s narrowness. “The narrowness of the final seven kilometres makes it more dangerous for the GC riders than the gravel itself,” he said.
Filippo Ganna admitted he had not thought much of the gravel but is likely to try to defend his 22-second race lead, even if he will not focus on the general classification in this year’s Tirreno-Adriatico.
Wout van Aert has taken a very different approach. He opted to start Monday’s time trial early to have extra rest and rode a steady race. He and his Visma-Lease a Bike teammates did a recon of the gravel and stage finish, perhaps before Strade Bianche, when they stayed near San Gimignano.
“The plan was to take it easy and see it as a warm-up for the rest of the week,” he told the Flemish media after his ride.
“I’m looking forward to the gravel stage. The gravel was very loose during the reconnaissance, which looked quite challenging. I hope to be able to compete for the win.”
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