Giro d’Italia 2017 Stage 9 on Sunday 14th May is the second mountain top finish of ther race so far. Will we finally see a GC battle on the slopes of the Blockhaus climb? The second rest day follows on Monday so there is a strong possibilty the GC riders finally show their stuff.
Giro d’Italia 2017 Stage 9 – Stage Profile and Blockhaus Climb
Stage 9 is fairly short at 149kms. The day starts in Montenero Di Bissacia and finishes in Blockhaus with a category one climb to the finish line.
Stage 9 is another of those back loaded stages – there will be a few more to come in this race. The first 85kms are fairly straightforward for the peloton.
They will allow a break to form and build a decent lead. The second TV sprint at 91kms is at the top of a surprisingly unclassified climb in Chieti. 
From here onwards is when the tempo in the peloton will really rise. The roads climb gradually between the 97 and 123km points. At 123kms the riders start to climb at a steeper gradient on the foothills towards the start of the Blockhaus climb.
The Blockhaus climb starts officially with 13kms to go to the finish line. The climb averages about 8% with the top 9kms over 9% featuring sections in excess of 14% in places.
I think we will have the first proper GC battle on this climb and one won by a GC rider. There are three reasons for this:
- The riders will be over 1/3 of the way through the race – they know how their form is;
- A rest day follows – so they can approach the ‘red zone’ knowing they have Monday to recover;
- A win or podium place on stage 9 and possible bonus seconds means starting later than their rivals on Tuesday’s Individual Time Trial. This gives the rider an advantage as they know their rivals splits/times and can gauge their efforts accordingly.
Giro d’Italia 2017 Stage 9 – GC Riders
Obviously, as stated previously I think Nairo Quintana wins this years Giro and I see him as the class of the race. Looking at the profile of the final week I think there are 6 other GC riders fighting for the podium places. I include those riders here in this section as I believe they will all be looking for a result on Blockhaus.
Nairo Quintana (Movistar) is the clear stage favourite at 2.50. Quintana is the best climber in the race and his results coming into the Giro were brilliant. He has to be backed – this is the perfect scenario for him to take some time on his rivals and I feel he will win on Blockhaus.
Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) is second favourite for the stage win at odds of 9.0. In the past he has gone well on these tougher climbs but he also has a habit of failing badly when well fancied. He should be in the mix for a top 5 but does he have the legs for higher. I’m on the fence.
Mikel Landa (Team Sky) should go well on Blockhaus. His better recent results on mountainous stages have been on the steeper climbs. He might be a better choice as a stage winner on a day with multiple tough climbs. As there is only one of those in Sunday I think some of the ‘lesser’ climbers have a greater chance to remain in the hunt. He is 3rd favourite at 10.0.
Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain Merida) is 4th favourite for the stage win at 11.0. If you’ve been reading my earlier previews I have concerns with Nibali and his form. He tried to escape on the Mount Etna climb but never showed any kind of sustained power to make his move stick. Andrey Amador easily brought him back. If that was the true reflection of Nibali’s current level then he has no chance on Sunday.
Adam Yates (Orica-Scott) is next at 13.0 and I think he is the first on the non-Quintana riders to offer any value. Yates will climb well and if we get a scenario where a bunch of GC riders are together in the final km or so he has enough kick to get a podium place.
Steven Kruijskwijk (Lotto-NL Jumbo) is like Landa – he goes better on really tough stages. I’m not sure his sustained climbing ability translates well to a one-off fast ascent. Odds of 26.0 reflect my thoughts.
Gerraint Thomas (Team Sky) has tended to ride better on power type climbs although he has improved in the last two years on steeper climbs. His odds are 19.0 for stage success on Sunday. Not for me.
Giro d’Italia 2017 Stage 9 – GC Outsiders
Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha) is a handful of seconds off most of his GC rivals. He looked good on the Etna stage but it looked like he was allowed to attack because some e.g. Quintana, know he not a serious threat to the GC come Milan. I like Zakarin and backed him a lot on the 2016 Giro but I don’t think he has a chance of a podium on stage 9.
Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) is at 26.0. He will finish solidly amongst the GC riders – possibly in the top 6 but he doesn’t have the pure climbing ability of some of the other GC riders.
Tejay Van Gaarderan (BMC Racing) is a rider that many have held high hopes for over the years. To me he is a very solid rider but not one that will ever win a Grand Tour. There is always one mountain stage where he pops. That may not come until week 3 of this Giro but I cannot back him on a mountain-top finish. Ignore at 51.0.
Davide Formolo (Canondale-Drapac) is interesting at 67.0. Formolo is a rider who is very good at just about every aspect of Grand Tour racing. His team is full of climbers and he is the team leader. He will be well supported on Blockhaus and I must admit to being tempted with an EW bet. If 4 places were available I’d be seriously tempted to back him.
Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) and race leader Bob Jungels (Quick-Step Floors) are the GC riders who if they have a weakness it is on the longer steeper climbs. As there is only one climb on Sunday they should probably be able to stay in the mix and I don’t think either will lose a lot of time. On the flip side I don’t see either being top 3 threats on the stage. Dumoulin is priced at 41.0 and Jungels at 126.0. Not for me.
Michael Woods (Canondale-Drapac) is the one rider I will include here that I don’t think has a serious GC chance. So why include him? Because his form is excellent (he has been in the top 6 twice on the toughest two stages so far) and he is a very good climber. Woods has also looked to be the best of the Canondale riders on the climbs so far. Odds of 41.0 represent a decent EW shot.
Giro d’Italia 2017 Stage 9 – Tips
WON – Bet on Nairo Quintana to win stage 9 with a 4.0/10 stake at 2.50 with Bet365.
Back Adam Yates to win stage 9 with a 1.0/10 stake EW (1/4 odds top 3) at 13.0 with Bet365.
Bet on Michael Woods to win stage 9 with a 1.0/10 stake EW (1/4 odds top 3) at 41.0 with Bet365.
Bet here:
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