Expect to see huge time gaps

This a GC day, pure and simple. Montecampione is long and nasty, with history telling us that only the very best can win on it. I expect some big time gaps among the top 10. If you lose two minutes here it’s unlikely you’ll get them back. Somebody’s Giro will be shipwrecked here.

The stage honours Marco Pantani and it’s impossible to overstate his importance to Italian cycling. Notwithstanding what happened to him, he delivered new fans and new sponsors to the sport, and we should never lose sight of that. I don’t know whether you can use the term ‘genius’ to describe a cyclist but if you can, then he was one.