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Dauphiné Libéré
Photo ©: Sirotti

Cunego & Lampre recce Plan De Corones, Italy, April 27, 2006

Giro finds new heights at Plan De Corones

Stage 17 of the 2006 Giro d'Italia is expected to be one of the most important days in a final week that is tailored for the climbers. Finishing at over 2300m at the Plan de Corones ski station, the stage is the latest effort by Giro organisers to make everyone go "You're kidding right?" with an unpaved 7km finale that reaches gradients of 24 percent. It's this year's Colle de Finestre.

Photographer Roberto Bettini accompanied Damiano Cunego and his Lampre team-mates yesterday as they rode the stage 17 parcours - well, some of it. Cunego and co. crossed the 1987m Passo Delle Erbe before riding as far as they could to Plan De Corones. But as you can see from the pictures below, there's still the small matter of a couple of metres of snow cover between the start of the road and the top station. No problem, just borrow a handy snowplough from the resort. That won't be an option on May 24.

Damiano Cunego points out the stage's biggest challenge
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
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Cunego and company
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
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The start of the final stretch
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
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The top lift station
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
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Where's my mountain bike?
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
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Damiano Cunego
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
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Hmmmm - Damiano Cunego looks thoughtful
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
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Cunego ponders
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
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All aboard!
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
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Damiano Cunego (right) and team-mates
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
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Men at work.
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
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The Lampre boys take the wheel
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
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The easy way to the top
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
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There's still a bit of work to do
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
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If the road's not open
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
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