Giro dell'Emilia 2019 odds
Giro dell'Emilia 2019
Giro dell'Emilia, a fixture on the calendar since 1909, is still something of a hidden gem for international audiences, though a cursory glance of the race's palmarès highlights its prestige and its difficulty. In the 21st century alone, winners have included Jan Ullrich, Michele Bartoli, Gilberto Simoni and Nairo Quintana.
Easily one of my favorite races, it is all about the lap circuit around the streets of San Luca. The race sets out from Bologna and features the climbs of Passo Brasimone, Mongardino, and Valico Ganzole before returning to the red-hued city for four laps of a 9.3km demanding finishing circuit centered around the climb to the Santuario della Madonna di San Luca. Add in the fanatical fans and picturesque setting, you can see why many love this race.
The climb starts with a short but wickedly steep section, which is quickly followed by a kilometer at around 12%. The final 500m does flatten off, but still has a gradient of 6%. As we have seen in previous editions of this race, the climb is a real leg breaker, and will, as ever, provide a thrilling finale to the race.
Tactics:
Early attacks can succeed, as we saw with Bakelants in 2015 and Visconti in 2017. There can be very few domestiques left to chase in the final lap, if the first couple of laps are made tough enough. If the early pace isn’t strong, it all comes back together for a grandstand finish. Also remember that by the time race occurs we'll be at the end of the season, some riders will not be motivated enough and their legs will be tired.
Last year, Alessandro De Marchi won the 101st edition of the race. Organized by the Gs Emilia, the race ended as usual on the Colle di San Luca (which on 11 May 2019 will host the finish line of the first stage of the Giro d'Italia (time of 8.2 km)). The 32-year-old from the BMC (who had been blue at the World Championships in Innsbruck), signed the fifth career success after a solitary action of about thirty kilometers. Behind him came the Rigoberto Uran (Colombian), for the third time on the podium at Emilia. Third was the Belgian Teuns (companion of De Marchi at the BMC). In the shade Nibali (8th), Pozzovivo (9th) and Moscon (10th).