Following two brutally tough mountain stages, made even harder by snow, cold rain, polemics and intense racing, the Giro d'Italia peloton will finally get some respite on Thursday on the flat 178km stage from Fiera di Primiero at the foot of the Dolomites down to Padova, west of Venice.
It is a transition stage, a chance for race leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and the other GC contenders to catch their breath for 24 hours and a huge opportunity for the sprinters before the last mountain stages and then the final circuit stage around central Rome. The lightweight climbers will step aside and the powerful sprinters and their leads out will muscle in and take centre stage.
