Why I chose this stage

• It is a flat sprint finish. On the 5 stages I selected, one has to be a sprint finish, to add variety to my choices and to experience the difference with the other mountain stages.
• Beautiful Scenary. Andora is right on the coast of “Riviera Ligure”, a few km west of the lovely and picturesque Laigueglia. The last 50 km of this stage is on the same route of the la Classicissima Milano-Sanremo
• Great opportunity to be able to ride along the coast with the Aurelia (SS1) closed to traffic and finally enjoy that beautiful coast line from the bike.  

What part of the stage I will ride

The ride will be the last 45 km, from Spotorno to Andora. The most scenic spots are between Noli and Finale Ligure followed by Capo Mele, just 3 km before reaching Andora. 
As I wrote for the Milano-Sanremo, the Aurelia won’t be closed to the traffic for many hours prior to the pass of the race. For this reason the ride up to Spotorno would be with the traffic. Therefore, it is a good idea to plan to drive up and be dropped by a friend who does not ride, or wants to ride less, in Spotorno, where the ride will start. 
Timing is a very critical aspect. We want to ride with no traffic on the roads of the Giro, but we also want to arrive at the finish line before they close the roads even to cyclists. 
For this reason, I will check the road closures for this stage a few days before, on the local news to plan when to arrive in Sportorno and to correctly time when to arrive at the finish line. 
A great local resource that can help you with the logistics for this stage and with more rides in the areas for the days before or after this stage, contact Amici bici.

Where to watch the pros

We will stand in Andora a few hundred meters from the finish line. Very likely it will be a group sprint finish.
We will arrive at least 1 hour before the estimated arrival time of the pro-peloton, to get a good front position. 

Where to stay 

Close to Laigueglia, Aregai Marina has just become a Bike Hotel in Santo Stefano al Mare (IM). Davide Cassani was at the grand opening this past Saturday March 2.

Where To Rent a Bike

Amici Bici: Katharine has great high-end road bikes and she offers great services.

How to Train for this event

For base rules on how to train for a specific route length and a climb read here

Specific for this Stage

You need to be able to ride 40-60 km at least comfortably keeping your HR in the aerobic zone.