Stage 13 of the Giro d’Italia is flat on paper and almost the same in reality, with the northbound 179km journey stretching from Riccione on the Adriatic Riviera to the inland medieval town of Cento. The many twists, turns and roundabouts could be sprinkled with crosswinds to keep the sprint teams attentive.
The sprinters will have a field day with maximum points dangling from sprints in Villanova, 65.8km from the start, and Conselice, at kilometre 113.3, plus the Intergiro bonus in between in Lugo.
From the seaside resorts at Riccione, the peloton will head inland after a neutral section on the coastline. Following the first intermediate sprint in Villanova, the route turns to Lugo, then there is another shift in direction to Conselice and the course skirts Bologna to the east and north.
On the approach to the finish, the route has three tight turns to pass the centre of San Pietro in Casale, and once out of town takes a sharp right-hand bend on Via San Benedetto for a 7km stretch into Pieve di Cento.
There is a slight rise on the road at Pieve di Cento, the river Reno marking 2km to go. Four sweeping corners carry the riders to the final 1km banner, then a final right-hand turn has to be negotiated before the straight approach of 400 metres to the finish.
Stage 13 Sprints
- Intermediate sprint, km. 65.8
- Intergiro bonus sprint, km. 95.1
- Time bonus sprint, km. 113.3
Stage 13 Mountains
- none
