Tour of the Alps: Pozzovivo expecting big gaps on Pompeago finish
(Cyclingnews.com)

Following the first tentative blows in the battle for the overall classification, the Tour of the Alps moves to stage 2 and its one and only summit finish at the Alpe di Pampeago. The Pampeago is a climb that Domenico Pozzovivo knows well, having won on it in 2010 - when the race was still known as the Giro del Trentino - and he is hoping to shine on it once again. The 35-year-old believes that it will also force some definitive cracks between the GC contenders. The ascent is the third of three classified climbs during stage 2 and averages close to 10 per cent over its 7.7 kilometres. It saves its toughest gradients for the second half with a maximum slope of 15 per cent. It has also featured in the Giro d`Italia on multiple occasions with Marco Pantani and Pavel Tonkov among those who have tasted victory on the climb.ADVERTISEMENT `I hope that I will have good legs. I`ve already won on this finish so if I feel good then I will try something,` Pozzovivo told Cyclingnews. `It is a very steep climb. It is one of the steepest in the region. I think in the last four kilometres then we will see a big difference between the contenders in the general classification.` There will be plenty to play for on stage 2 with most of the general classification riders crossing the line within a few seconds of each other. Pozzovivo sits just 20 seconds back from stage 1 winner and current leader Pello Bilbao. He was one of just three riders that were able to react to an attack from pre-race favourite Chris Froome but says that the Serrada climb was not a full representation of how the others are going. `It was a long climb, not too steep, but the pace was quite hard from the start. At the finish, when Froome attacked, I tried to follow his wheel and I was in pretty good condition,` Pozzovivo said. `In the final, I knew that it wasn`t so suited to me but I raced in the wheel and it is good for me to be on the same time. For tomorrow, I think it is better for me. You ...