Did any of you idiots catch that finishing climb at the Giro today? The hardest climb I think I've done is Cain Road locally, a short, .8 mile hill that averages 15% and has 20%+ grades. The finishing climb on today's Giro's stage was about the same steepness (average grade 15%, 20%+ sections) but it was SIX MILES LONG. Ouch. Cadel struggled mightily to stay on Ivan Basso's wheel, but in the end, even Evans couldn't do it. But Basso only put a minute into him by winning the stage. The GC was shaken up again. I think Vino finished about a minute behind Evans, a good ride for him too.

But ouch, that climb look like it sucked. It did have mellower sections where they were flying that looked like < 8%. That means the steep parts must have been so nasty. I think there was one 1km stretch where it was 15%+ for 1000+ meters.

I really don't think I've ever seen a climb nearly that nasty in a grand tour. And this was at the end of a typical 100 mile stage and was preceded by several significant climbs.