<\/a><\/p>\n The first summit finish awaits. As long as you are patient because today\u2019s stage is a marathon by modern grand tour standards at 246km so it will take some time before the riders tackle the slopes of the Blockhaus.<\/p>\n Polemica napoletana<\/strong>: the Giro went to Naples for the fifth consecutive year with a flat finish by the sea. When the route was announced it was easy to assume the finish would be the same as usual. Only it wasn\u2019t, and everyone who discovered this change \u2013 be it over winter, this spring or yesterday morning \u2013 could see the cobbled U-turn and thought: \u201cthat\u2019s risky\u201d and \u201cit better not rain\u201d.<\/p>\n It started to rain as the race approached, Italian TV commentators reported umbrellas going up at the finish while the peloton was 2.5km away. Going into by then infamous last corner Elmar Reinders fell first, his back wheel washing out and taking his sprinter Dylan Groenewegen with him \u2013 have the Rockets uploaded a video with screeching tire sound effects and a sad trombone? \u2013 prompting others to brake and more fell. Davide Ballerini and Jasper Stuyven took a tighter line and stayed upright and Ballerini was able to sprint for the win with Stuyven later complaining he couldn\u2019t change gears. As the two got round it\u2019s proof the bend was rideable, but equally the propensity for a crash was high. The good news is that nobody was badly injured.<\/p>\n Despite almost coming to a halt, Paul Magnier calmly clipped a foot back in and rampaged past the traffic to take third place. Perhaps he would have won? More certainly he took plenty of points and now has 134, more than double that of Jonathan Milan.<\/p>\n The Route<\/strong>: A long day at 246km \u2013 the longest grand tour stage since 2021<\/a> \u2013 so there\u2019s plenty to tire the riders before they reach the final climb of the day with 4,600m of vertical gain, most of it before Roccamorice and the final climb. Part of the distance comes from doing a 50km loop at the start out of Formia.<\/p>\n The Finish<\/strong>: 18km at over 8% so comparable to Mont Ventoux in terms of stats; and anecdotally often windy too. The road goes on to over 2,000m to the Blockhaus peak proper but the finish today at 1,665m is plenty for the first week.<\/p>\n Blockhaus<\/strong>? a lot of Italian military officers trained with the Austro-Hungarian empire and imported various techniques, including fortifications such as a Blockhaus<\/em>, German for a log cabin.<\/p>\n The Contenders<\/strong>: Jonas Vingegaard<\/strong> (Visma-LAB) is the obvious pick, today serves as confirmation for his status as the runaway pick and we\u2019ll know plenty this evening.<\/p>\n If Giulio Pellizarri<\/strong> (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) can out-climb him then we\u2019ve got a race on.<\/p>\n Others? Yes, from the breakaway because if a solid group can go clear then have a chance of being able to stay away but this will require no GC contenders or outsiders, and then then take molto<\/em> minutes during the stage so that they start the last climb with a cushion of at least five minutes. A stage winner last year Chris Harper<\/strong> (Pinarello-Q36.5) fits the bill, as does another winner in Einer Rubio<\/strong> (Movistar). Darren Rafferty<\/strong> (EF) and Alessandro Pinarello<\/strong> (NSN) could be worth watching.<\/p>\n Weather<\/strong>: a cold day in the Apennines, weak sunshine and often cloud, 12\u00b0C and some rain showers too.<\/p>\n TV<\/strong>: KM0 is at 10.55 and the finish is forecast for 5.15pm CEST<\/strong>. Castel di Sangro is where the climb to Roccaraso begins around 2.20pm and the final climb of the Blockhaus starts around 4.30pm.<\/p>\n Postcard from Formia<\/strong> The Monuments are regularly normally longer when it comes to distance \u2013 Lombardia can be under 250km \u2013 but they\u2019re one day races of course. Today could be the longest day of racing when measured by time. The start is at 10.55 and the finish is due for 17.15 which is six hours and twenty minutes, this year\u2019s Milan-Sanremo was done in 6:35. If today takes less time, it\u2019ll be only just. With the cold and rain, plus teams unlikely to take the fight to Visma it could be longer.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a challenge for riders. Everyone in the peloton is used to high calorie consumption, often the talk is of 120 grams of carbs per hour, a round number which varies from rider to rider and different terrain and phases of the race. Being able to fuel more<\/a> means being able to ride harder for longer. But how much to take on today? Just as the race can finish ahead of schedule or behind it, riders may need a wide variety of calories today depending on how hard the racing is. Better to just eat more in case? Sure but do this a few times and a rider can put on a kilo before race reaches the Alps; or their intestinal system struggles to cope with the load well before.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/64.media.tumblr.com\/60658ef1d7894af465ab3449e5bf4beb\/603877ea71c10ce0-c9\/s2048x3072\/dc33daf7d78d60cbaca80a55156982d220b5373a.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n\n\n
\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/inrng.com\/medias\/images\/threerings.jpg\")
<\/td>\nVingegaard<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/inrng.com\/medias\/images\/tworings.jpg\")
<\/td>\n\u2013<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/inrng.com\/medias\/images\/onering.jpg\")
<\/td>\nPellizzari, Harper, Rubio, Pinarello<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n ![](\"https:\/\/inrng.com\/medias\/images\/giro2026cartolinaformia.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s postcard comes from the start town. Many riders might want to linger around town, if only to grab more for breakfast. The stage is 246km and could be the longest race of the year. It\u2019s certainly the longest grand tour stage since the 2021 Tour de France did 248km from Vierzon to Le Creusot.<\/p>\n