[jyl]

Tomorrow's penultimate stage of the Giro:

"It’s 10.1 kilometers long at a 12 percent average, with a maximum pitch of 22 percent. If that sounds bad, consider this: the road disappears into the forest and gains 3,000 feet in 6 kilometers. The final 3.5 kilometers tilt toward the sun at 14 percent, roughly, with ramps of 23 percent."

I don't believe I have ever ridden a road bike on a ramp of 20%, beyond a driveway or something .