A stage in Switzerland or Svizzera to locals, and also a share of the pro peloton and more.
The Route: just 113km but 3,000m of vertical gain amid a strange route. It’s up the valley, then a turning to the right into a side valley for two laps with the steep but regular climb of Leontica. Then back down to the main valley again where there’s a drag up to the intermediate sprint.
The Finish: this south-facing finish is steep with lots of 10% sections and has featured in the Tour de Suisse, Adam Yates won here in 2024 alongside João Almeida. The first 8km are the hardest and then comes a small descent through the village of Campello but it’ll on a straight road, not easy for outsider to float away. Then once out of the village it’s onto the main ski station access road, wider and steadier; that 13% max on the graphic above is only from taking the inside line through a hairpin.
The Contenders: if Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-LAB) wants to win then he can. He and his team can copyi tactics from Saturday’s Alpine stage by putting his team to work. There’s even less time for the breakaway to form, then build up a lead. The big question is whether he wants to freewheel to Rome instead and spare his team mates today. The small question is if he could try to get Davide Piganzoli into a winning position, easier said than done as Felix Gall is out-climbing him.
If not there’s space for some riders to win. There might be a looming energy crisis but this is not bothering Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) and his darting attacks are lively but perhaps today he needs to get in the breakaway and hide while a couple of team mates like Sobrero and Ghebreigzabhier pull on the front of the group to tow him clear. He seems the best pick, Enric Mas (Movistar) is short of form and his team management have said this out loud, Einer Rubio is not looking decisive either.
Jan Christen (UAE) winning in Switzerland should be more than appropriate but he’s looking less and less sizzling.
 |
Vingegaard |
 |
Ciccone, Piganzoli |
 |
Mas, Rubio, Vlasov |
Weather: 33°C in the valley, 24°C at the finish.
TV: KM0 is at 2.00pm and the finish is forecast for 5.15pm CEST.
Postcard from Bellinzona
Today’s stage is 100% Swiss but the Giro ought to feel at home as the canton of Ticino is home to many. Literally, for example Filippo Ganna lives in Ascona just near the start and the area has long been home for Italian cyclists looking to save on tax and also live somewhere more private.
Leave Bellinzona in another direction and a few minutes away is Lamone which is home to… the UAE team. It’s where the team is legally based even if it has a servizio corse near Bergamo in Italy. It inherited both from its past as the Lampre team but has stayed here. For all the promotion of the UAE as a country it says something that the team opts not to have their legal base there.
Similarly Aussie team Jayco is based here. Riders who sign with the team have a contract with “GreenEDGE Cycling SAGL”, a Swiss company in nearby Lugano.
Teams are free to shop around for the jurisdiction to suit. Unibet Rose Rockets ride under a French flag but only because Dutch teams are forbidden from promoting gambling companies like Unibet and so the squad has a postal/legal address in French, stone’s through from the Belgian border and nothing more French; team cars have Dutch plates etc. Belgian team Soudal-Quickstep is legally run out of Luxembourg but elects for a Belgian flag when it registers with the UCI.
As suggested here before Decathlon-CMA CGM could finance Paul Seixas’s new contract by switching to a Swiss jurisdiction, all while keeping a French flag and licence but no longer paying French payroll taxes; former Groupama-FDJ boss Marc Madiot used to quip his highest paid rider was the tax office as it took more of the wage bill than anyone else. But Decathlon is also backed by two of the richest families in France and so it may not be bothered either.
Today’s stage though is not about taxes, but the fun of it which is what matters. This Swiss stage is the work of several locals including Rocco Cattaneo, an ex-pro who’s been senior at the UCI, president of the European Cycling Union, and has been a Swiss parliamentarian too. They hosted the Tour de Suisse here in 2024 and had such a great time they approached the Giro and were awarded the stage. The only hiccup is they had other plans for the route but ended up with today’s 110km micro-stage but they get their finish in Carì and another day to party.