A "GIRO" BACK ON THE MYTHICAL MOUNTAINS

The 93rd edition of the cycling Tour of Italy has been presented today in Milan. A 3 weeks race which includes all the types of landscapes and streets: Mountains, sea, hills, countryside and also not asphalted road. Start on the 8th May in Amsterdam and finish on the 30th with an individual Time-Trial in Verona.

In the photo by Roberto Bettini the 2009 Giro winner, Denis Menchov, shows the edition of next year.

The mythical italian mountains are in the route of the Giro d'Italia 2010. All the alpine passes which have made famous many bike heroes will be faced during the 3 weeks of this amazing cycling race.

After the "foreign" start in the Netherlands with 3 stages (the first one is a short Time-Trial in the city centre of Amsterdam), the big group will come to Cuneo and Piedmont for celebrating the 50 years of Fausto Coppi's death. Team Time Trial Stage of 32,5 km from Savigliano to Cuneo and on the following day will be only for the sprinters who will fight to win at the finish in Novi Ligure.

A hard part is the one between the 6th and the 8th stage where the riders will find the first important climb which will decide for sure who isn't going to win the Giro. From Fidenza to Carrara across the Apennine Mountains between Emilia - Romagna and Tuscany, then the magnificient not asphalted roads near Siena and the first finish up on a mountain which will be on the Terminillo.

Going down to southern Italy, there are 2 not hard stages with finish in Cava de' Tirreni (between Naples and Amalfi) and Bitonto (near Bari) before returning up with the longest and most emotional day when the Giro will spend a day between the earthquake population of L'Aquila (the official request has been made by the Italian President Giorgio Napolitano).

After another one flat stage in Porto Recanati, the Tour of Italy arrives in Cesenatico, in memory of its most famous citizen Marco Pantani and for the 40th anniversary of the oldest cycling Granfondo: The "9 Colli".

Finally now the Alps: the first very important alpine mountains is the Monte Grappa a 20 km climb very close to the stage finish in Asolo. It's just a taste of what the riders will find from here to the race finish. Only very hard climbs, very long and pendent under their wheels. 

First "super-stage" from Mestre to the Mt. Zoncolan: The hardest european climb (max slope 22%) is back after 3 years when Gilberto Simoni won attacking in the last kilometers. The Zoncolan won't be the only climb on that day, the stage will be made harder with the presence of other 3 mountains.

Plan de Corones is back either: after the experience of last year the climb Time Trial from San Vigilio di Marebbe will be repeated in 2010 and we are all sure to see a super show on this another "monster". The road in the last kilometers is not asphalted and the slope is often over the 20%. The nightmares are finished? Obviously not.

Peio Terme is a "easy" finish for climbers and the one on the following day (Brescia) is the last for sprinters remained in the race. But the routes to the Aprica (with Mortirolo and Santa Cristina) and to the Tonale Pass (with the Forcola di Livigno and the Gavia) are the hardest and the most spectacular of this 93rd edition. 

Let's finish the Tour of Italy 2010 in the magnificient town of Verona. The circuit is the one of the Cycling Road World Championship in years 1999 and 2004 with the climb of the "Torricelle" and as in the edition of 1984 the final finish will be inside the worldwide famous Arena.

Now the route is showed, the riders have to make it spectacular. But there are some months more for that. We've only to be very patient until the 8th of May 2010.

STAGES LIST

1st stage: Amsterdam 8 km (Ind. Time Trial)

2nd stage: Amsterdam - Utrecht 209 km

3rd stage: Amsterdam - Middelburg 209 km

Transfer to Cuneo

4th stage: Savigliano - Cuneo 32.5 km (Team Time Trial)

5th stage: Novara - Novi Ligure 168 km

6th stage: Fidenza - Carrara 166 km

7th stage: Carrara - Montalcino 215 km

8th stage: Chianciano Terme - Terminillo 189 km

9th stage: Frosinone - Cava de' Tirreni 188 km

10th stage: Avellino - Bitonto 220 km

11th stage: Lucera - L'Aquila 256 km

12th stage: Città Sant'Angelo - Porto Recanati 191 km

13th stage: Porto Recanati - Cesenatico 222 km

14th stage: Ferrara - Asolo 201 km

15th stage: Mestre - Monte Zoncolan 218 km

Rest day

16th stage: San Vigilio di Marebbe - Plan de Corones/Kronplatz 12,9 km (Climb Time Trial)

17th stage: Brunico/Bruneck - Peio Terme 173 km

18th stage: Levico Terme - Brescia 151 km

19th stage: Brescia - Aprica 195 km

20th stage: Bormio - Ponte di Legno (Tonale) 178 km

21th stage: Verona 15,3 km (Individual Time Trial)

Andrea Giorgini