The difficult mountain finish at Etna volcano in Sicily separates the wheat from the chaff in the overall classification. The final climb to Rifugio Sapienza on the south side is 22.8 kilometers long and has some ramps with up to 14 percent on offer. The Tour of Italy last went up there in 2017.
At 3326 meters, Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe. Not everyone in the peloton is dying for the driveway. “That’s not my terrain. I’ll probably have to give Rosa up,” the current leader Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin) is under no illusions. “I’m sure. On the evening of the Etna stage, we can limit the group of candidates for overall victory to six or seven riders,” says Eurosport expert and ex-professional cyclist Jens Voigt.
One knows the mountain particularly well. Vincenzo Nibali, two-time Giro winner, hails from Messina not far from the volcano. After a strong spring so far, East Tyrolean Felix Gall also wants to put his cards on the table as captain of the AG2R team. However, the former junior world champion does not want to overdo it. “I have a bit of respect. I have to see how my body reacts to two or three weeks of racing,” says the Grand Tour debutant.
Source: Nachrichten
