Stage 3 Vlora - Vlora (160.0km)
The final stage on Albanian soil has both its start and finish in Vlorë, the sixth city of the country with a long history as... an Italian city. Again, there will be plenty of climbing. This time no less than 2800 elevation meters in 160 kilometers.
You won't hear the name Vlorë much today. The Italians prefer to call it Valona. That's how the city was known for a long time. The city was in the hands of the Ottoman Empire for nearly six centuries and also belonged to Venice for a while. After the First Balkan War in 1912, Vlorë was declared the first capital of Albania, until in 1914 the city came into Italian hands for six years. Since then, the city has lost some political significance, but Vlorë is still beautiful with all its beaches.
But anyway, the stage. It's undulating. The first sixty kilometers are not too difficult, until the Shakeliës Pass (5.5 km at 4%) is reached. This climb is more difficult than the average gradient suggests, because there's a flat section halfway up the climb. In the first 2.4 kilometers, the road rises by no less than 8.9%. After this pass, the riders descend back to the Mediterranean Sea, from where they ride along the coast in a northerly direction up and down to the Vishës Pass - although this climb is not a categorized ascent.
After the Vishës Pass follows the Llogara Pass (10.7 km at 7.4%), the climax of the day - if you don't count the finish. This climb is regular but will certainly cause damage. The only drawback: after the top, it's still 39 kilometers to the finish. On paper, it looks like a nice day for the breakaway, but will they get the chance to stay ahead so early in the race? It will also depend on who has the leader's jersey at that moment.
Stage 3 Vlora - Vlora (160.0km)
The final stage on Albanian soil has both its start and finish in Vlorë, the sixth city of the country with a long history as... an Italian city. Again, there will be plenty of climbing. This time no less than 2800 elevation meters in 160 kilometers.
You won't hear the name Vlorë much today. The Italians prefer to call it Valona. That's how the city was known for a long time. The city was in the hands of the Ottoman Empire for nearly six centuries and also belonged to Venice for a while. After the First Balkan War in 1912, Vlorë was declared the first capital of Albania, until in 1914 the city came into Italian hands for six years. Since then, the city has lost some political significance, but Vlorë is still beautiful with all its beaches.
But anyway, the stage. It's undulating. The first sixty kilometers are not too difficult, until the Shakeliës Pass (5.5 km at 4%) is reached. This climb is more difficult than the average gradient suggests, because there's a flat section halfway up the climb. In the first 2.4 kilometers, the road rises by no less than 8.9%. After this pass, the riders descend back to the Mediterranean Sea, from where they ride along the coast in a northerly direction up and down to the Vishës Pass - although this climb is not a categorized ascent.
After the Vishës Pass follows the Llogara Pass (10.7 km at 7.4%), the climax of the day - if you don't count the finish. This climb is regular but will certainly cause damage. The only drawback: after the top, it's still 39 kilometers to the finish. On paper, it looks like a nice day for the breakaway, but will they get the chance to stay ahead so early in the race? It will also depend on who has the leader's jersey at that moment.