Three years ago, the gravel stage to Montalcino proved the keystone in Egan Bernal's Giro d'Italia victory, and the tone for the day was set by his Ineos guard's infernal pace-making on the approach to the first sector, where the peloton was sundered into shards behind them.
RCS Sport has opted for a rather sparser spread of sterrato on the Giro's return to the dirt roads on stage 6 to Rapolano Terme, but the same principles apply. The entry to the first of three sectors of gravel will be the day's defining moment, and Ineos will again vie to lead the way on behalf of their leader.
Geraint Thomas is the man on deck for Ineos at this Giro d'Italia, and he enters the gravel stage in second place overall, 46 seconds down on maglia rosa Tadej Pogačar. Much like Bernal in 2021, Thomas can lean on a squad that looks better equipped than any other to cope with the unique challenges of this stage.
Filippo Ganna, the man who did so much of the heavy lifting for Bernal three years ago, is again on hand, while Jhonatan Narváez, Magnus Sheffield, Ben Swift and Tobias Foss provide ample firepower for this kind of terrain.
"It will still be very important to be in front because there's barely any respite between the first and second sectors," Ineos coach Dario Cioni told Cyclingnews. "If you're first into the first sector, then you'll still be in front for the second, so there'll certainly be a big battle for positions before the entry to the sterrato."
Cioni, a resident of Montelupo Fiorentino, has ample knowledge of the sterrato, while his off-road background adds another layer to the advice he can offer Thomas, Ganna et al in the Ineos briefing beforehand. Like maglia rosa and two-time Strade Bianche winner Tadej Pogačar, Cioni downplayed the severity of Thursday's stage, though he warned that vigilance would be key.
"It's a Giro d'Italia stage with some of the roads of Strade Bianche, but it's a long way off being a real Strade Bianche," Cioni explained. "In the end, Strade Bianche is much more selective. Here, maybe the second sector is the only one that's difficult. There might be more problems caused by mechanical issues than by natural selection. The finale is difficult. The last sector of gravel itself isn't very hard, but then the last kick into Rapolano will be difficult."
Thomas, second overall at last year's Giro, has been consistent through the opening phase of this race. After limiting his losses in the face of Pogacar's onslaught at Oropa on stage 2, he had the wherewithal to track the Slovenian's surprise attack in the finale at Fossano the next day.
Before the race began, Ineos signalled their intention to hunt stage victories alongside the overall classification, and they duly began their Giro with victory from Narváez in Turin. Even so, Thomas' pink jersey ambitions are the obvious priority. While men like Sheffield and Narváez could justifiably nurture hopes of a stage victory in Rapolano Terme, their primary duty will be shepherding Thomas through the three sectors of gravel in the final 50km.
"The important thing is for everyone to be in front," Cioni said. "When the lads are working for Geraint, they'll all have to be in front anyway. The priority for a stage like this will be not to have problems with Geraint. Then, if there aren't problems with Geraint, then maybe we can think about the stage."
After going close on stage 4 to Andora, Ganna hinted at a certain degree of frustration at Ineos' GC-centric approach to the day. The Italian made a late attack over the Capo Mele, but he had betrayed a certain frustration at being ordered out of the day's early break for strategic reasons. Ganna knows from Giri past, of course, that the biggest prize of all takes precedence.
"We were hoping other teams would go in the break with Filippo, but with a small break like that, there was no sense in persisting," Cioni said. "Understandably, he's a rider who always wants more, and we saw that with his attack in the finale."
Get unlimited access to all of our coverage of the Giro d'Italia - including breaking news and analysis reported by our journalists on the ground from every stage of the race as it happens and more. Find out more.
