This weekend the first Grand Tour of the season gets underway in Denmark. No, the Tour of Denmark has not expanded it's wings into a three-week stage race, but rather that is where the Giro d'Italia is opening up. Three days up there before returning to Italy. What follows is a preview by myself looking at the route and what you can expect followed by three riders to watch in this Tour along with a full start list and a run down of past winners of the Giro. Enjoy...
The Giro d'Italia starts this weekend ... the second or third biggest tour in the world of cycling, depending on whether you are Italian or Spanish, but the hardest Tour in the the world if you're Canadian and Canada's own Ryder Hesjedal goes on to win it. Actually, there's pretty big hopes that Hesjedal can do well at this years Giro. Talk is that he is focusing on this Tour more so than the Tour de France this year and given how well he's produced in France the past few years he certainly stands a chance in Italy.
But despite what Canadians might think it's safe to say this isn't the hardest Tour in the world, not this year anyway and not even with the Tour de France scaling things back in the mountains in favour of an extra distance time-trial. In 2011 Alberto Contador won the race (and was later stripped of it following the confirmation of his positive doping test by CAS with the win being past to Michele Scarponi) in what was a savage course and it zapped him of everything he had by the time the Tour de France rolled around. After struggling through France Contador said he wouldn't ride the Giro again though appeared to change his mind when he seen more more realistic route for 2012. As it turns out he won't be riding anyway given his suspension.
The race begins in Denmark of all places, in a town called Herning with an 8.7 km prologue. Stages two and three are also in Denmark before the race has it's first rest day in what must surely be the earliest rest day in Grand Tour history. That allows the teams to get back into Italy where they will resume with a 32.2 km team-time-trial in Verona. Expect a man who is good against the clock and with a strong team to be leading by this stage.
The next several days will be sprinters stages (aka Mark Cavendish wins a lot of stages days) or, at best, a day for a breakaway when the roads get a little lumpy, and it isn't until stage 7 that things start to pick up with a stiff second category climb right by the finish in Rocca di Cambio. The next week really doesn't see the race enter any serious mountains. There are second and third category climbs throughout but nothing that most of the field will not be able to handle. A good prologue and early time-trial are therefore essential to maintaining place near the front. Of course, luck along the roads in avoiding accidents or splits in the field will also be crucial.
You have to stretch away forward to Stage 14 on May 19 to find the first stage that will truly sort the men from the boys. Two category one climbs within 70kms of the finish will shake up the race and the stage concludes with a summit finish at Cervinia. That will truly give us an idea who is in the running for winning this Giro and it'll happen with just seven race days to go.
That final week will be a real test of the riders stamina. As some legs tire from the longest two weeks of riding any of them will have done so far this season they will be faced with by far the hardest week. Following up on stage 14 is two hard stages on 15 and 17. Only a rest day after stage 15 will give the riders a chance to compose themselves.
The organisers however have ensured this Tour is left wide open until the bitter end and it shapes up nicely for a dramatic finish. The final three stages will all have an impact in some regard or another. stage 19 is a beast of a day with four tough climbs and a summit finish and things only get tougher still for what can only be described as the queen stage on the penultimate day of the Tour with a mammoth climb up to the finish line at Passo Dello Stelvio. The race may be won by then given some of the tough stages before it, but I'd be surprised if the Pink jersey is not very much still up for grabs as the contenders head onto this climb.
Sometimes it's nice to have climbs earlier in a tour to really sort it out and to spread them throughout, but sometimes, like in this Giro, it's great to see them all packed in right at the very end. There's no fear of this race being settled after the second week allowing the sprinters to do their thing for the final several days before the final time-trial in Milan. No, this Giro will ensure that the first two weeks build us up to the real show down.
The final stage is the time-trial in Milan. 31.5kms worth and even then it could be decisive in the direction this race goes. Three time-trials in all, including the prologue and enough climbing to make it impossible to tell just which way this race will go. There's one of a dozen men who could legitimately win this race, but I've picked out three to watch for though don't hold it against me if none of them feature come Milan.
Three to watch...
Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) The Canadain is really focusing on this race, perhaps even more so than on France this year. He's never come close to winning a Grand Tour but he has shown in the past that he has the ability to do so in the future. This Giro, the future is now for Ryder. One of his biggest strengths is his unusual ability to get stronger as the Tour goes on. He's been known to lose time in the early days of a Tour yet ride the final week as one of the best in the pack. This Giro suits him in that the serious time gains and losses don't show up until that final week.
Fränk Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan) The man from Luxembourg usually harbours dreams of one day beating his brother and whoever tends to finish one place above him to win the Tour de France, but the route in France doesn't favour him much this year what with a large amount of time-trialling and less big time climbing. For that reason Frank Schleck could well turn his full attention and efforts to this race and if he does he stands a great chance. Sure there is a couple of time-trials he will have to overcome but there is enough climbing packed into the last week that he can more than make up for it if he finds his form. He'll need to carry a couple of minutes off the final climb and into the last time-trail in Milan if he is to win the Pink jersey however.
Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) The veteran of the favourites has won this race twice before so he knows what it is all about and he has won it as recently as 2010. A third win would put him on a footing with the likes of Fausto Coppi, Eddy Merckx, Gino Bartali and Bernard Hinault when it comes to the Giro. He may be getting on in years but he isn't quite over the hill just yet. Saying that this might well be his last kick at the can for winning a Grand Tour. Despite his checkered history, Basso has come out the other side of it a good man and a popular rider with fans and if this was his swan song then he would sure be a popular winner.
Notable others: Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD), Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD), Roman Kreuziger (Astana Pro Team), Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha Team).
Start list...
Lampre-ISD
1. Michele Scarponi (ITA)
2. Diego Ulissi (ITA)
3. Matteo Bono (ITA)
4. Damiano Cunego (ITA)
5. Adriano Malori (ITA)
6. Przemyslaw Niemiec (POL)
7. Daniele Pietropolli (ITA)
8. Daniele Righi (ITA)
9. Alessandro Spezialetti (ITA)
Ag2r La Mondiale
11. John Gadret (FRA)
12. Manuel Belletti (ITA)
13. Julien Berard (FRA)
14. Guillaume Bonnafond (FRA)
15. Hubert Dupont (FRA)
16. Ben Gastauer (LUX)
17. Gregor Gazvoda (SLO)
18. Matteo Montaguti (ITA)
19. Mathieu Perget (FRA)
Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela
21. José Rujano Guillen (VEN)
22. Jose Rodolfo Serpa Perez (COL)
23. Emanuele Sella (ITA)
24. Roberto Ferrari (ITA)
25. Fabio Felline (ITA)
26. Alessandro De Marchi (ITA)
27. Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez (COL)
28. Carlos José Ochoa (VEN)
29. Jackson Rodriguez (VEN)
Astana
31. Roman Kreuziger (CZE)
32. Fredrik Kessiakoff (SWE)
33. Paolo Tiralongo (ITA)
34. Simone Ponzi (ITA)
35. Alexsandr Dyachenko (KAZ)
36. Andrey Zeits (KAZ)
37. Kevin Seeldrayers (BEL)
38. Egor Silin (RUS)
39. Tanel Kangert (EST)
BMC Racing
41. Thor Hushovd (NOR)
42. Mathias Frank (SUI)
43. Alessandro Ballan (ITA)
44. Taylor Phinney (USA)
45. Marco Pinotti (ITA)
46. Mauro Santambrogio (ITA)
47. Ivan Santaromita (SUI)
48. Johann Tschopp (SUI)
49. Danilo Wyss (SUI)
Colnado-CSF Inox
51. Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA)
52. Sacha Modolo (ITA)
53. Enrico Battaglin (ITA)
54. Gianluca Brambilla (ITA)
55. Stefano Pirazzi (ITA)
56. Sonny Colbrelli (ITA)
57. Stefano Locatelli (ITA)
58. Angelo Pagani (ITA)
59. Marco Canola (ITA)
Euskaltel-Euskadi
61. Mikel Nieve Ituralde (ESP)
62. Adrian Saez De Arregui (ESP)
63. Jon Izaguirre Insausti (ESP)
64. Miguel Minguez Ayala (ESP)
65. Pierre Cazaux (FRA)
66. Victor Cabedo (ESP)
67. Ivan Velasco Murillo (ESP)
68. Amets Txurruka (ESP)
69. Juan Jose Oroz Ugalde (ESP)
Farnese Vini-Selle Italia
71. Filippo Pozzato (ITA)
72. Oscar Gatto (ITA)
73. Francesco Failli (ITA)
74. Matteo Rabottini (ITA)
75. Andrea Guardini (ITA)
76. Elia Favilli (ITA)
77. Pier Paolo De Negri (ITA)
78. Luca Mazzanti (ITA)
79. Kevin Hulsmans (BEL)
FDJ-BigMat
81. Sandy Casar (FRA)
82. Mickael Delage (FRA)
83. Arnaud Demare (FRA)
84. William Bonnet (FRA)
85. Francis Mourey (FRA)
86. Geoffrey Soupe (FRA)
87. Gabriel Rasch (NOR)
88. Dominique Rollin (CAN)
89. Jussi Veikkanen (FIN)
Garmin-Barracuda
91. Tyler Farrar (USA)
92. Thomas Dekker (NED)
93. Jack Bauer (NZL)
94. Murilo Antonio Fischer (BRA)
95. Ryder Hesjedal (CAN)
96. Robert Hunter (RSA)
97. Alex Rasmussen (DEN)
98. Peter Stetina (USA)
99. Christian Vandevelde (USA)
Orica-GreenEdge
100. Matthew Harley Goss (AUS)
101. Fumiyuki Beppu (JPN)
102. Jack Bobridge (AUS)
103. Daryl Impey (RSA)
104. Jens Keukeleire (BEL)
105. Brett Lancaster (AUS)
106. Christian Meier (CAN)
107. Svein Tuft (CAN)
109. Tomas Vaitkus (LTU)
Katusha
111. Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (ESP)
112. Pavel Brutt (RUS)
113. Juan Horrach Rippoll (ESP)
114. Alexander Kristoff (NOR)
115. Aleksandr Kuschynski (BLR)
116. Alberto Losada Alguacil (ESP)
117. Daniel Moreno Fernandez (ESP)
118. Gatis Smukulis (LAT)
119. Angel Vicioso Arcos (ESP)
Liquigas-Cannondale
121. Ivan Basso (ITA)
122. Valerio Agnoli (ITA)
123. Maciej Bodnar (POL)
124. Eros Capecchi (ITA)
125. Damiano Caruso (ITA)
126. Paolo Longo Borghini (ITA)
127. Cristiano Salerno (ITA)
128. Sylvester Szmyd (POL)
129. Elia Viviani (ITA)
Lotto-Belisol
131. Bart De Clercq (BEL)
132. Brian Bulgac (NED)
133. Francis De Greef (BEL)
134. Kenny De Haes (BEL)
135. Gert Dockx (BEL)
136. Adam Hansen (AUS)
137. Olivier Kaisen (BEL)
138. Gianni Meersman (BEL)
139. Dennis Vanendert (BEL)
Movistar
141. Giovanni Visconti (ITA)
142. Andrey Amador Bikkazakova (CRC)
143. José Herrada Lopez (ESP)
144. Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (ESP)
145. Pablo Lastras Garcia (ESP)
146. Sergio Pardilla Bellon (ESP)
147. Nairo Alexand Quintana Rojas (COL)
148. Branislau Samoilau (BLR)
149. Francisco J. Ventoso Alberdi (ESP)
Omega Pharma-Quick Step
151. Marco Bandiera (ITA)
152. Dario Cataldo (ITA)
153. Francesco Chicchi (ITA)
154. Michal Golas (POL)
155. Nikolas Maes (BEL)
156. Serge Pauwels (BEL)
157. Michal Kwiatkowski (POL)
158. Martin Velits (SVK)
159. Julien Vermote (BEL)
Rabobank
161. Mark Renshaw (AUS)
162. Juan Manuel Garate (ESP)
163. Theo Bos (NED)
164. Tom Leezer (NED)
165. Stef Clement (NED)
166. Grischa Niermann (GER)
167. Tom Jelte Slagter (NED)
168. Jos Van Emden (NED)
169. Dennis Van Winden (NED)
RadioShack-Nissan
171. Frank Schleck (LUX)
172. Jan Bakelandts (BEL)
173. Daniele Bennati (ITA)
174. Ben Hermans (BEL)
175. Giacomo Nizzolo (ITA)
176. Nelson Oliveira (POR)
177. Thomas Rohregger (AUT)
178. Jesse Sergent (NZL)
179. Oliver Zaugg (SUI)
Sky
181. Mark Cavendish (GBR)
182. Bernhard Eisel (AUT)
183. Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (ESP)
184. Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (COL)
185. Peter Kennaugh (GBR)
186. Ian Stannard (GBR)
187. Ben Swift (GBR) Jeremy Hunt (GBR)
188. Geraint Thomas (GBR)
189. Rigoberto Uran Uran (COL)
NetApp
191. Cesare Benedetti (ITA)
192. Jan Barta (CZE)
193. Timon Seubert (GER)
194. Markus Eichler (GER)
195. Bartosz Huzarski (POL)
196. Reto Hollenstein (SUI)
197. Andreas Dietziker (SUI)
198. Matthias Brandle (AUT)
199. Daniel Schorn (AUT)
Saxo Bank
201. Matteo Tosatto (ITA)
202. Anders Lund (DEN)
203. Volodymir Gustov (UKR)
204. Jonas Aaen JÖrgensen (DEN)
205. Juan José Haedo (ARG)
206. Luke Roberts (AUS)
207. Mads Christensen (DEN)
208. Manuele Boaro (ITA)
209. Lucas Sebastian Haedo (ARG)
Vacansoleil-DCM
211. Matteo Carrara (ITA)
212. Thomas De Gendt (BEL)
213. Romain Feillu (FRA)
214. Sergey Lagutin (UZB)
215. Gustav Erik Larsson (SWE)
216. Tomasz Marczynski (POL)
217. Martijn Keizer (NED)
218. Martin Mortensen (DEN)
219. Mirko Selvaggi (ITA)
Past winners
1909 Luigi Gannaala
1910 Carlo Galettiala
1911 Carlo Galetti, Bianchi
1913 Carlo Oriani, Maino
1914 Alfonso Calzolari, Stucchi
1915 Race not held
1916 Race not held
1917 Race not held
1918 Race not held
1919 Costante Girardengo, Stucchi
1920 Gaetano Belloni, Bianchi
1921 Giovanni Brunero, Legnano
1922 Giovanni Brunero, Legnano
1923 Costante Girardengo, Maino
1924 Giuseppe Enrici,
1925 Alfredo Binda, Legnano
1926 Giovanni Brunero, Legnano
1927 Alfredo Binda, Legnano
1928 Alfredo Binda, Wolsit
1929 Alfredo Binda, Legnano
1930 Luigi Marchisio, Legnano
1931 Francesco Camusso, Gloria
1932 Antonio Pesenti, Wolsit
1933 Alfredo Binda, Legnano
1934 Learco Guerra, Maino
1935 Vasco Bergamaschi, Maino
1936 Gino Bartali, Legnano
1937 Gino Bartali, Legnano
1938 Giovanni Valetti, Frejus
1939 Giovanni Valetti, Frejus
1940 Fausto Coppi, Legnano
1941 Race not held
1942 Race not held
1943 Race not held
1944 Race not held
1945 Race not held
1946 Gino Bartali, Legnano
1947 Fausto Coppi, Bianchi
1948 Fiorenzo Magni, Willier Triestina
1949 Fausto Coppi, Bianchi
1950 Hugo Koblet, Guerra–svizzera
1951 Fiorenzo Magni, Ganna
1952 Fausto Coppi, Bianchi
1953 Fausto Coppi, Bianchi
1954 Carlo Clerici, Guerra–svizzera
1955 Fiorenzo Magni, Nivea–fuchs
1956 Charly Gaul, Guerra
1957 Gastone Nencini, Chlorodont
1958 Ercole Baldini, Legnano
1959 Charly Gaul, Emi–guerra
1960 Jacques Anquetil, Fynsec
1961 Arnaldo Pambianco, Fides
1962 Franco Balmamion, Carpano
1963 Franco Balmamion, Carpano
1964 Jacques Anquetil, St Raphael
1965 Vittorio Adorni, Salvarani
1966 Gianni Motta, Molteni
1967 Felice Gimondi, Salvarani
1968 Eddy Merckx, Faema
1969 Felice Gimondi, Salvarani
1970 Eddy Merckx, Faemino
1971 Gösta Pettersson, Ferretti
1972 Eddy Merckx, Molteni
1973 Eddy Merckx, Molteni
1974 Eddy Merckx, Molteni
1975 Fausto Bertoglio, Jollyceramica
1976 Felice Gimondi, Bianchi–campagnolo
1977 Michel Pollentier, Flandria
1978 Johan De Muynck, Bianchi–faema
1979 Giuseppe Saronni, Scic–bottecchia
1980 Bernard Hinault, Renault–gitane
1981 Giovanni Battaglin, Inoxpran
1982 Bernard Hinault, Renault-Elf-Gitane
1983 Giuseppe Saronni, Del Tongo–colnago
1984 Francesco Moser, Gis–tuc Lu
1985 Bernard Hinault, La Vie Claire–look
1986 Roberto Visentini, Carrera-Inoxpran
1987 Stephen Roche, Carrera Jeans-Vagabond
1988 Andy Hampsten, 7–Eleven Hoonved
1989 Laurent Fignon, Système U
1990 Gianni Bugno, Château D’ax
1991 Franco Chioccioli, Del Tongo Mg
1992 Miguel Indurain, Banesto
1993 Miguel Indurain, Banesto
1994 Evgeni Berzin#, Gewiss-Ballan
1995 Tony Rominger, Mapei–gb
1996 Pavel Tonkov, Panaria–vinavil
1997 Ivan Gotti, Saeco
1998 Marco Pantani, Mercatone Uno-Bianchi
1999 Ivan Gotti, Team Polti
2000 Stefano Garzelli, Mercatone Uno-Albacom
2001 Gilberto Simoni, Lampre-Daikin
2002 Paolo Savoldelli, Index–alexia
2003 Gilberto Simoni, Saeco Macchine Per Caffè
2004 Damiano Cunego, Saeco Macchine Per Caffè
2005 Paolo Savoldelli, Discovery Channel
2006 Ivan Basso, Team CSC
2007 Danilo Di Luca, Liquigas
2008 Alberto Contador, Astana
2009 Denis Menchov, Rabobank
2010 Ivan Basso, Liquigas-Doimo
2011 Michele Scarponi, Lampre-ISD
