eurosport
uk: British Eurosport is providing daily live coverage from all stages of this year’s Giro d'Italia. One or other of Sky Sports channels is showing highlights during the evening.
the
italian giro
The Giro d’Italia, the Tour of Italy, is the first
of the major three-week tours - The Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, the Vuelta d'Espana - in the annual repertoire of international cycle
races.
The 100th Corsa Rosa (Pink race), the Giro d’Italia 100, takes place
from the 5th May to 28th May 2017,
this time starting on Friday to accommodate a third rest day, yet still ending on a Sunday.
The 2017 Giro extends over 3,572.2 km,or 2,220 miles, averaging about 198 km a day.
The race begins with three days on the Island of Sardinia, starting at Alghero.
The Giro then moves to the the island of Sicily and the volcano of Mount Etna, then gradually progresses northwards through mainland Italy.
The race will finish in the northern city of Milan.
Ciclamino is back! This year, the points jersey returns to being the Maglia Ciclamino, the cyclamen colour previously used from 1970 to 2009.
Seven high mountain stages and four medium mountain stages.
Five summit finishes, to stages 4, 9, 14, 18, 19.
The highest peak, 2758 m, the Cima Coppi, is the Stelvio Pass on stage 16.
Six stages for the sprinters:
stages 1 3, 5, 7, 12, 13.
Two individual time trials, the second starting with 5.8 kilometres round on the Formula One circuit of the Autodromo Nazionale at Monza. Built in 1922, this motor racing circuit is the world's third purpose-built motor racing circuit, the others being Brooklands and Indianapolis.
As part of the celebration and joy of the 100th edition of the Giro d'Italia, important places on many stages are being floodlit in pink.
Floodlit in pink for the 100th edition of the Giro d'Italia.
[Fountain of Neptune in Florence, rocce rosse di Arbatax cliffs in Sardinia, Torre Branca at Milan
Coppi’s monument on Stelvio Pass, ice sculptures of the Dolomites, the Porta San Giacomo at Bergamo]
Here is the full list:
the Sulis Tower (Tower dell’Esperò Reial) in Alghero,
the National Archaeological Museum of Olbia,
the Beach of Rocce Rosse in Arbatax (Tortolì),
the Palazzo Civico in Cagliari,
the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II in Reggio Calabria,
the Scoglio della Regina in Acquappesa (Terme Luigiane),
the Palazzo di Città in Castrovillari,
the Trullo Sovrano in Alberobello, the Dome of Molfetta,
the Mura del Belvedere in Montenero di Bisaccia,
the Town Hall in Montefalco,
the Fountain of Neptune in Florence,
the Town Hall in San Pietro in Bagno,
the Teatro Municipale Fountain in Reggio Emilia,
the Tortona Cathedral square,
the Battistero in Biella (Oropa),
San Biagio Church in Valdengo, Porta San Giacomo in Bergamo upper city,
Rovetta‘s main square, Coppi’s monument on Stelvio Pass (Cima Coppi,
the highest point in the 2017 Giro) in Valtellina,
the Ice Sculptures of the Dolomites in Ortisei and San Candido,
Palazzo Menegozzi in Aviano (Piancavallo),
the Town Hall in Pordenone,
the Grand Stand of the Autodromo Nazionale Monza,
the Branca Tower in Milan.
21 stages are planned, with
seven high mountain stages, four medium
mountain stages,
two hilly stages, two individual time trial (stages 10 and 21), and eight stages for sprinters. There will be two rest days. All other days are flat stages, or transition days between flat and mountain stages. The total distance ridden will be 3,572.2 km, or roughly 2,220 miles.
Moena - Ortisei/St. Ulrich
Thu 25 May [137 km/155 mi]
uphill finish - 2502 m
9
Montenero di Bisaccia - Blockhaus
Sun 14 May [139 km/86 mi] uphill finish - 1665 m
19
Innichen/San Candido - Piancavallo
Fri 26 May [191 km/119 mi] uphill finish - 1290 m
R
Rest day
Mon 15 May
20
Pordenone - Asiago
Sat 27 May [190 km/118 mi] uphill finish - 1086 m
10
Sagrantino Stage :
Foligno - Montefalco
Tue 16 May [39.2 km/24 mi]
individual time trial (ITT)
21
Monza (Autodromo) - Milan
Sun 28 May [28 km/17 mi]
individual time trial (ITT)
The 2017 Giro route 10:48 mins
mountain stages - summit and uphill finishes
Stage 4 finishes with the steep climb up Mount Etna. Let's hope it remains dormant!
Stage 9 With a final climb in two parts, there is a short downhill pause before the final grinding 13 km with a 14% maximum gradient.
Stage 10 The first individual time trial, riding through the Sagrantino wine-growing region, has a sharp finish.
Stage 14 Starting at the birthplace of five-time winner Coppi, the stage finishes at Oropa after a 28 km climb to 1142 m. This is where the Italian cycling 'hero' and doper, Marco Pantani, won the stage in 1999 wearing pink, shortly before he was removed from the race for anomalous blood results.
Stage 16 Three high peaks - the 1854 m high Passo di Mortirolo, then two ascents of the Stelvio, including this year's Cima Coppi of 2758 m at Stelvio Pass. The other ascent rises to 1202 m at Bormio.
Stage 18 A short, brutal stage with 4 climbs rising to 2239 m, 2117 m, 2121 m and 1442 m; and then there's the uphill finish..
Stage 19 There is a nasty final climb to Piancavallo, averaging 9 %,and maxing at 14%, while the second half of the climb maintains 8% average until the final kilometre.
Stage 20 Over Monte Grappa at 1620 m, then an uphill grind to the finish at Asiago.
Profiles at for these stages are shown below.
Stage 4, Tue 9 May , Cefalù - Etna (Rifugio Sapienza), 180 km]
32.8 km, 1482 m rise, 4.5% av. grad., 8% max.grad.
17.9 km, 1187 m rise, 6.8% av. grad., 12% max.grad
Stage 9, Sun 14 May, Montenero di Bisaccia - Blockhaus, 139 km
13.6 km, 1141 m rise, 8.4% av. grad., 14% max.grad.
Stage 10, Tue 16 May, Foligno - Montefalco, 39.2 km final climb: 23.1 km, 847 m rise, 3.7% av. grad., 12% max.grad.
Stage 14, Sat 20 May, Castellania - Santuario di Oropa,
131 km 11.8 km, 733 m rise, 6.2% av. grad., 13% max.grad.
Stage 16, Tue 23 May, Rovetta - Bormio, 227 km 12.6 km, 962 m rise, 7.6% av. grad., 16% max.grad.
21.7 km, 1549 m rise, 7.1% av. grad., 12% max.grad.
13.4 km, 1130 m rise, 8.4% av. grad., 12% max.grad.
Stage 18, 25 May: Moena - Ortisei/St. Ulrich, 137 km
11.9 km, 799 m rise, 6.7% av. grad., 9% max.grad.
12.3 km, 786 m rise, 6.4% av. grad., 14% max.grad.
9.3 km, 599 m rise, 6.4% av. grad., 11% max.grad.
4.2 km, 263 m rise, 6.3% av. grad., 15% max.grad.
9.3 km, 636 m rise, 6.8% av. grad., 12% max.grad.
Stage 19, 26 May: Pinerolo-Risoul 161 km 7.9 km, 341 m rise, 4.3% av. grad., 8% max.grad.
11.7 km, 650 m rise, 5.6% av. grad., 10% max.grad.
15.4 km, 1131 m rise, 7.3% av. grad., 14% max.grad.
Stage 20, 27 May: Guillestre-Sant'Anna di Vinadio 150 km
1.1 km, 140 m rise, 12.7% av. grad., 18% max.grad.
24.2 km, 1287 m rise, 53% av. grad., 11% max.grad.
14.0 km, 937 m rise, 6.7% av. grad., 11% max.grad.
Favourites for 2017 include Nairo Quintana (COL – Movistar), Vincenzo Nibali (ITA – Bahrain-Merida), Steven Kruijswijk (NED – LottoNL-Jumbo), Tom Dumoulin (NED – Team Sunweb), Geraint Thomas (GBR – Team Sky).
Other strong riders include Adam Yates (GBR – Orica-Scott), Thibaut Pinot (FRA – FDJ),, Bauke Mollema (NED – Trek-Segafredo), Ilnur Zakarin (RUS – Tam Katusha Alpecin).
Steven Kruijswijk | NED | LottoNL–Jumbo | + 1' 50"
Rafal Majkal | POL | Tinkoff | + 4' 37"
Bob Jungels | LUX | Etixx–Quick-Step | + 8' 31"
Rigoberto Urán | COL | Cannondale | + 11' 47"
Andrey Amador | CRC | Movistar Team | + 13' 21"
Darwin Atapuma | COL | BMC Racing Team | + 14' 09"
Kanstantsin Sivtsov | BLR | Team Dimension Data | + 16' 20"
the classification jerseys, 2017
The overall winner’s jersey is pink, like the paper on which the original sponsors' newspaper is printed - pink for like the dawn of a champion.
The points jersey is now cyclamen again - likre a flower and also a fruit, like a thought and already a memory, like a desire and already like nostalgia, like a full stop and already like a semi-colon and a new paragraph, like a goal we are aiming for today, tomorrow, forever.
The best climber’s jersey is the blue of the sky to which they are climbing - blue but not still, like the water in a lake among glaciers.
The best young rider’s jersey is white like a symbol of freshness and even innocence, of brightness and possibly candour, of youth and perhaps shyness..
the teams
All eighteen UCI WorldTeams are participating in the 2017 Giro d'Italia.
There are also four wild card teams:
Watching the Giro in Italy is very similar to watching
the Tour in France. abelard.org has several pages giving general advice on how to be a
effective road-side spectator.
Daily live TV coverage will be available from British Eurosport (subscription required), while their freeview channel, Quest, to show highlights of each stage at 22:00 BST.
