Garmin-Barracuda is having an exceptionally strong start to the 2012 Giro d'Italia with six riders in the top 10 and four in the top four spots. Ramunas Navardauskas holds a 10-second lead over teammate Tyler Farrar heading into Thursday's Stage 5 race from Modena to Fano.
This stage is a mostly flat setting that runs in a more or less straight line for 209 km (map). There is a bit of a rise toward the approach to Fano, which is located to the Adriatic coast, but the last few kilometers will be a flat, straight-line finish. Before that, the cyclists will travel through some notable places:
From Modena, the course to the sea is straight and flat as we'll pass through well-known places such as Imola, Bologna, Faenza, Forli, Cesena along what is known as Via Emilia, an old Roman route, before reaching the sea at Rimini. Although straight, there will be plenty of roundabouts, humps and stone-paved segments along this ancient route.
This flat stage could be advantageous for Mark Cavendish, who captured Day 2 of the Giro, but watch out for Farrar as well. He could challenge Cavendish if the two are in a breakaway for the finish line.
The race is set to begin at 4:30 a.m. MT and should completely finish by 9:15 a.m. MT. Steephill.tv, as always, has numerous options to watch the race live or on delay.
For more on the 2012 Giro d'Italia, stick with SB Nation Denver and visit cycling blog Podium Cafe.