#TotA Day 5 – The day of truth: final showdown from Cavalese to Bruneck/Brunico

Four electric days and 600 kilometers of race were not enough to close the game for the 2023 Tour of the Alps overall classification – and that’s the beauty of it. It will be on Tao Geoghegan Hart and his INEOS Grenadiers to defend his Melinda Green Jersey in the fifth and final stage, 144,5 Km from Cavalese, in Trentino, to Bruneck/Brunico (Südtirol/Alto Adige). 

The route charted by the GS Alto Garda organizers for this final day leaves every chance to make something happen. Geoghegan Hart leads with 22 seconds and 28 seconds respectively on his main rivals, Hugh Carthy and Jack Haig. That bodes for a great showdown in Südtirol/Alto Adige and Pustertal/Val Pusteria.

The fifth stage (starting at 11:25 a.m. local time) goes immediately uphill with the 11 taking the athletes from Cavalese to the top of the Lavazè Pass, the highest peak in this edition at 1,808 metres above sea level. After a quick descent, the racers will enter Südtirol/Alto Adige, first by climbing the Eisacktal/Valle Isarco and then the Pustertal/Val Pusteria. 

Once in Kiens/Chienes, the race will get down to business with a first pass over the finish line and the start of a final circuit centered on the Mühlbach/Riomolino climb (Category 2 KOM of 7.8 km with an average grade of 8.2 percent). The toughest part will be the first six kilometers, with gradients averaging over 10%, and peaking at 18.

After the KOM, the road will continue with steep up-and-downs for a few kilometers before the fast and technical descent and six kilometers on flat leading to the last finish of an exciting 2023 Tour of the Alps.

SPECIAL GUESTS

Enjoying the showdown in Bruneck/Brunico will be also some notable special guests from the World of sports. Along with Italian National Team coach Daniele Bennati, Biathlon World Champion Dorothea Wierer will be at the finish along with fellow Italian biathlete Lukas Hofer, 2011 Alpine Ski Super-G World Champion Christof Innerhofer and Alpine slalom specialist Simon Maurberger.

PROVISIONS

Meeting Place: 9:30 Cavalese, Piazza Cesare Battisti
Start: 11:25, Cavalese, Piazza Verdi
Finish: 15.15, Bruneck/Brunico, Bastioni
Intermediate Sprints: Klausen/Chiusa (km 59,0), Pfalzen/Falzes (km 99,9)
KOM: Passo Lavazè (km 11,1, 1^ cat.), Muhlbach/Riomolino (km 125,1, 2^ cat.)
Permanence: Bruneck/Brunico, Casa Michael Pacher, Kapuzinerplatz 3

THE STARTING LINE: CAVALESE. Cavalese, the capital of Val di Fiemme, has been an international tourist destination since the beginning of the 1900s. This town is home to the Magnifica Comunità di Fiemme, an institution that has been managing the valley’s woods and pastures since 1111. Cavalese is home to many Nordic skiing competitions, as well as the Marcialonga finish line, and the Alpe Cermis Ski Area, the Tour de Ski’s arrival venue.

ON THE ROAD: Vintl/Vandoies, a small municipality at the mouth of the Pustertal/Val Pusteria, is home to the Loden Museum, a complex dedicated to this raw wool fabric. In this small, elegant museum with an open-air space, one can learn about the birth of Loden and its evolution from a fabric widely used and appreciated by farmers for its durability to its rise to becoming a fashionable fabric when the Moessmer Loden factory (which has been manufacturing at its Bruneck plant since 1894) made a white coat for Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.

THE FLAVOR OF THE STAGE: The dry climate and elevation of the Natz-Schabs/Naz-Sciaves plateau near Brixen/Bressanone lend themselves particularly well to ripening apples. The fruit is further supported by the favorable oscillation between cold nights and warm days. There are more than 900,000 fruit trees in the orchards of Natz-Schabs/Naz-Sciaves. The average harvest is about 1,500 containers of fruit weighing ten tons each. The most cultivated variety is the Golden Delicious, which claims more than 80 percent of the crop.

DON'T MISS: The Kronplatz/Plan de Corones area is known for its extraordinary beauty and a diverse and evocative natural landscape surrounded by three nature parks. In winter, it is the #1 ski area in Sudtirol/Alto Adige while in summer it is a destination for families, hikers, cyclists, and culture enthusiasts. At the top of the plateau we find two museums dedicated to the mountains: the Corones, one of Reinhold Messner's museums; and the Lumen, displaying the most beautiful mountain photography.  

THE FINISH: BRUNECK/BRUNICO. The town of Bruneck/Brunico is the geographical, cultural, and economic center of the Pustertal/Val Pusteria. With its numerous festivals, attractions, and events, Bruneck/Brunico is a magnet for visitors of all ages. Bruneck/Brunico is located at 836 m (2,740 ft.) above sea level, in the heart of a wide valley basin surrounded by tall mountains. The medieval town is bordered to the north by the Ahrntal/Valle Aurina and the glaciers of the Zillertal Alps, and to the south by the Gadertal/Val Badia and the peaks of the Dolomites.

TV DISTRIBUTION

Every day, two hours of live broadcast will characterize 2023 Tour of the Alps, from 13.30 to 15.30 CET, thanks to the production and international distribution by PMG Sport, together with the strategic synergy of Infront Sports&Media.

TV: Eurosport (Europe, East Asia, USA, Canada, South America, Central America, Pacific Area, Indian Subcontinent), RaiSport (Italy, San Marino, Vatican City), Equipe TV (France).

LIVE STREAMING: Raiplay, Eurosport, GCN – Global Cycling Network, Repubblica.it, Tuttobiciweb.it, Federciclismo, PMG Sport.

SIDE EVENTS

CAVALESE

•  Activities involving local schools’ students in the starting area

BRUNECK/BRUNICO

• 10.00 Historical bikes showcase (museum style) from a private collection.
• Skill course – gymkana for kids under the guidance of Green Valley Bike Club.
• Show performed by Gerhard Kohlgruber aka “Mister Tschusto”, well-known in the Italian cycling scene from the exhibition in the “Scommettiamo che”

WEATHER FORECAST: The riders will find rain for Tour of the Alps' stage 5. The temperature will be at 9-10 degrees in Bruneck/Brunico.