The 2012 Giro d'Italia experienced a major shakeup on Friday at the end of Stage 6's ride through the mountains. On Saturday, the cyclist will remain in the Apennines with a 205 km trip from Recanati to Rocca di Cambio. There's barely any stretch of flat road on Saturday, as most of this stage consists of uphill climbs (stage profile map).
The stage ends on an uphill climb to the Rocca di Cambio, a Category 2 climb to the base of Monte Ocre. The final incline of the Category 2 comes 700 m away from the finish line and offers 10 percent steepness. This will certainly be a challenging stage.
Garmin-Barracuda's Ramunas Navardauskas fell apart in Stage 6 and gave the maglia rosa (pink jersey) to the Adriano Malori. However, Navardauskas' teammate Ryder Hesjedal is in third-place and could certainly make the move for the general classification given the tough nature of these mountain stages.
Over at Podium Cafe, there is some thought that this could be a tough stage for the Garmin team, as an entity, if they don't do the right thing early on:
A break could easily run out the clock in this terrain. The general classification teams like Garmin-Barracuda and Liquigas-Cannondale will want to keep careful watch on who goes up the road. If I'm in the Garmin-Barracuda car, I send someone with that early break.
Start time: 3:45 a.m. MT
Projected overall finish: 9:17 a.m. MT
TV: Universal Sports at 7:30 a.m. MT, or check out Steephill.tv's streaming links
For more on the 2012 Giro d'Italia, stick with SB Nation Denver and visit cycling blog Podium Cafe.