As the saying goes, it’s the last straw that breaks the camel’s back. Certainly, this applies to this year’s Giro. After some relatively easy going stages in the course of this week, the peloton braces itself for the final chapters. Before the riders will show fight during the more daunting stages this weekend, tomorrow’s stage cuts them some slack. The 209 kilometers long stage runs from Bergamo to Macugnaga. It’s the first time, that the finishing town hosts a Giro stage. From the start, the track leads west and comes close to the Swiss border. After 103.2 kilometers, the peloton arrives in Arona where it passes the beautiful Lago Maggiore. Soon thereafter, ‘sightseeing’ is over and the race gets to business with the first and main climb of the day: the Mottarone (13.8km climb at 6.2% – cat. 1), which has peaks of 14%. The fast descend into the direction of Ornavasso is continued by a preparatory lump guiding the riders onto the concluding climb of the day: the Macugnaga (28.2km climb at 3.9% – cat. 3) and finally to the finish line. Despite its limited gradient, underestimation is out of place as it includes steep parts with a maximum of 12%. Baring in mind what awaits on Saturday, the GC riders could leave the work to others just as today. So those outsiders who are still dreaming of crossing the finish line first, have a good chance tomorrow. Current GC: 1. Contador (SBS) 2. Scarponi (LAM) +4’58″ 3. Nibali (LIQ) +5’45″ 4. Gadret (ALM) +7’35″ 5. Sivtsov (THR) +9’12″. You can follow our live updates on Twitter at 14:45 CET and livestreams will be available as well.