Giro d’Italia 2013 Stage 17: TV schedule, map, route and more

After back-to-back wins, Movistar Team will attempt to win its third straight stage on Wednesday as the Giro d’Italia continues with Stage 17.

Stage 17 could be a day for the sprinters, at least initially. The first 190 kilometers of the stage are mostly flat before a climb near the end of the 214-kilometer stage. With the climb at the end, some separation may occur in the peloton. That said, the climb isn’t significant enough to cause major separation, which could lead to an exciting finish.

In the Stage 17 preview from Cycling News, analysts expect riders to go full gas from the bottom of the final climb. If that happens, the stage could very well end up in a bunch finish. Cycling News also has a stage profile and a map of the stage which begins in Caravaggio and ends in Vicenza.

via Cycling News.

Vincenzo Nibali of Astana Pro Team continues to lead the general classification. He finished in the lead pack in Stage 16 and holds a 1:26 advantage over Cadel Evans of BMC Racing Team. Nibali will attempt to retain the lead with an individual time trail looming on Thursday in Stage 18.

Stage 18 is scheduled to begin at 6:15 a.m. ET. Television coverage will be available in the United States beginning at 9:30 a.m. on beIN Sport. The network is carried on most cable providers in the United States including Comcast, Dish Network, DirecTV, Time Warner and Verizon FiOS.