The 2013 Giro del Trentino starts on Tuesday (April 16) and will provide a key test of Bradley Wiggins’ form ahead of the Giro d’Italia.
The mountainous four-day, five stage race will see five of the favourites for the Giro d’Italia title go head-to-head, with Cadel Evans (BMC Racing), Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), Michele Scarponi (Lampre-Merida) and Ivan Basso (Liquigas) set to line-up alongside Wiggins.
The Giro del Trentino is traditionally a vital warm-up race ahead of the first Grand Tour of the season, which starts in less than three weeks on Saturday May 4, and the race will be Wiggins’ final competitive engagement before heading to Napoli.
The route
The Trentino region of Italy covers a large area of the Dolomites and southern Alps and it’s this mountainous terrain which characterises the race, with three mountain stages and two summit finishes in the 2013 edition. The race itself starts in the Austrian mountain town of Lienz, only a short hop across the border.
Day one (Tuesday April 16) is split into two half stages, opening with a short 128.5km road stage. While the stage is largely flat, particularly for a race better known for its steep climbs, the five kilometre climb of the Iselsberg, which rises to 1,204m at an average gradient of seven per cent, summits just 13km from the finish, and will set up a thrilling descent and fast finish to see who will wear the first leader’s jersey of the race. There will be little time to reflect on that achievement, however, and the afternoon’s flat 14.1km team time trial will provide a clearer steer on the general classification after day one.
Hostilities begin on Wednesday when the race heads into Italy for a 225km stage from Sillian to Vetriolo Terme. The stage starts with a long, gentle descent to lull the peloton into a false sense of security before the 24km climb of the Passo Lavaze at 1,808m. The route then descends and runs alongside Lake Caldonazzo until it reaches Levico Terme for the start of the final 13.5km ascent, with an average gradient of 7.6 per cent and a final kilometre which includes a series of hairpins.
Stage three provides some respite – but only a little – thanks to the absence of a summit finish, but still includes four climbs on the 176.1km route, starting in Pergine Valsugana and finishing with a descent to the finish line in Condino, making it best suited to a breakaway.
Normal service is resumed on the fourth and final stage, however, with a 166km stage from Arco to Sega di Ala which opens with a gradual climb through the Cavedine Valley before a flat middle section. The first significant climb of the day comes after 120km, rising to 776m over eight kilometres, before the final test – the summit finish to Sega di Ala, which tops out at 1,239m after 14km of climbing with an average gradient of eight per cent – but with some ramps of 20 per cent. Expect fireworks.
Time bonuses are awarded on the regular road stages, with ten, six and four seconds up for grabs at the finish and six, four and two seconds at the intermediate sprints.
The riders
The start list for the 37th edition of the Giro del Trentino is the best yet, with Wiggins, Evans, Nibali, Scarponi and Basso all set to do battle over four days of fierce climbing. Who has the early form going into the Giro d’Italia? And who can land a psychological blow on their rivals ahead of the Italian Grand Tour? Some riders, however, may want to leave something in the tank before arriving at the Giro d’Italia, instead using Trentino as an opportunity to fine-tune form.
Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky): Wiggins was all-conquering in 2012, winning Paris-Nice, the Tour of Romandie and the Criterium du Dauphine before triumphing at the Tour de France – but the 32-year-old goes into the Giro del Trentino without a win in 2013. The Team Sky leader did, however, finish fifth at the Volta a Catalunya on a mountainous route without a time trial and has been holed up in a high altitude training camp when not racing. Trentino will give an indication of whether Wiggins is able to handle the steep gradients of the Dolomites.
Cadel Evans (BMC Racing): The Australian will tackle the Giro-Tour double in 2013 after a 2012 season disrupted by a virus. Evans is still in search of his best form having finished third overall at the Tour of Oman only to struggle at Tirreno-Adriatico and Criterium International, but expect the 2011 Tour de France champion to be at the sharp end of the race.
Vincenzo Nibali (Astana): Nibali enjoyed a fine start to life at Astana after his move from Liquigas, successfully defending his Tirreno-Adriatico title in March, but the 28-year-old has not raced since abandoning Milan-San Remo. Instead, he’s been holed up in a training camp on the island of Tenerife, preparing for Trentino, Liege-Bastogne-Liege two days later and, ultimately, the Giro d’Italia, where he has finished third (2010) and second (2011), but not on the top spot of the podium.
Michele Scarponi (Lampre-Merida): Scarponi won the Giro del Trentino title in 2011 and went on to finish second at the Giro d’Italia, only to later be crowned champion after Alberto Contador was handed a backdated doping ban. Fast forward to 2013 and Scarponi, who has been linked to controversial doping doctor Michele Ferrari, goes into this year’s edition of the Giro del Trentino on the back of a third place finish at the Volta a Catalunya in March.
Ivan Basso (Liquigas): Another Italian with eyes on a second Giro del Trentino, Basso previously won the race in 2009. The 35-year-old is short on race days in 2013, however, having finish 48th at Paris-Nice and fourth at the Settimana Coppi e Bartali. Whether that leaves the two-time Giro d’Italia champion with fresh legs or short of form is to be seen.
Television
Wednesday April 17 – 11:30-12:30 – stage one highlights on British Eurosport
Wednesday April 17 – 12:30-14:00 – LIVE stage two on British Eurosport
Wednesday April 17 – 22:30-23:30 – stage two highlights on British Eurosport
Thursday April 18 – 13:30-15:00 – LIVE stage three on British Eurosport
Thursday April 18 – 21:30:23.00 – stage three highlights on British Eurosport 2
Friday April 19 -13:30-15:00 – LIVE stage four on British Eurosport
Friday April 19 – 23:00-00:00 – stage four highlights on British Eurosport 2
