There really couldn’t have been a better year to choose to move on from Carnia Biathlon Arena. Stage 19 of Giro d’Italia 2024the Mortegliano-Sappada Of 157 kmwill in fact pass through the facility, one of the cradles of Italian biathlon, approximately 10 km from the finish line, precisely in the magical year of Lisa Vittozzi. She, from Sappada, who in 2024 won the overall biathlon World Cup and the individual World Cup in Nové Město, experiencing the best season of her career. The Corsa Rosa will thus pay homage to her at the right time, in a stage that, among other things, promises to be very fun.
The first 100 km are almost flat, waiting for the last 57 km which instead don’t leave much room to breathe. First there is the short but very hard Passo Duron (2nd cat., 4.4 km at 9.6%), which will be followed by the ascents of Sella Valcalda (3rd cat., 6.5 km at 5.9%) and therefore that of Cima Sappada (2nd cat., 7.4 km at 5.4%).
Precisely on this last climb the runners will cross the Carnia Biathlon Arena, leaving which the hardest stretch of the ascent will begin. The last 2.8 km of climb, in fact, will have an average gradient of 8.5%, which will make it difficult to avoid some skirmishes between the big names in the general classification, and possibly also between the escapees who will compete in the stage. It’s true, the following day there is the big stage with the double Monte Grappa to face, which could discourage someone from moving, but in case some opponent appears to be in difficulty, the ground to gain seconds is certainly there.
One of the most shocking moments in the history of the Giro d’Italia is linked to Sappada: Stephen Roche’s “betrayal” against Roberto Visentini in 1987. The Irish rider attacked his Carrera teammate, who was wearing the Maglia Rosa and he was the reigning champion, sending him into crisis precisely by climbing towards Cima Sappada and going to take the Rose from him. For the rest of the Giro the two raced against each other, but Roche won, with Visentini forced to retire after a fall.
Even the last arrival in Sappada, in 2018, had provided a spectacle, with Simon Yates winning solo and in the Pink Jersey. The day before Chris Froome had won on the Zoncolan, recovering a few seconds from his compatriot, so Yates, to prove once again that he was the strongest, attacked, gaining another 40″ on all his opponents. That was a Giro dominated by the artistic twin, winner of 3 stages, until the sensational collapse in the Colle delle Finestre stage, which opened the doors to Froome’s titanic feat.
