Five years ago is almost ancient history in cycling terms, but 2023 Giro d’Italia racer Thibaut Pinot has no difficulty in remembering his 2018 ascent of the Gran Sasso, perhaps more because of its extreme length than because he came second that day.
Speaking before the stage 6 start, the Groupama-FDJ racer warned that the GC contenders risked losing 'a whole stack of time’ if they were dropped early on the 26-kilometre ascent, which is by far the most serious climbing challenge of the first half of the Giro d’Italia.
