They announced the Giro route today. It is going to be a true tour, hitting all of the major cities. Starting in Venezia and running through places like Milano, Torino, Firenze, Monte Vesuvio (a mountaintop finish), Napoli, the race ends with a 15km time trial in the eternal city, Roma.
Guess who’ll be there for that last time trial?
You got it in one.
Indeed. We’re going to be in Rome for a week, renting an apartment near Piazza Navona, and one of the days coincides with the end of the Giro. I’m excited to be going to Rome once again and I’m doubly excited to be able to catch the end of what might be the most competitive of all the grand tours this year. With Lance Armstrong looking for a new grand tour to add to his palmares, Ivan Basso looking for redemption, the other Italians all desperate to with the centenary edition of their home race and a bunch of international stars also taking part it looks like it’s going to be a hotly contested race.
General competitiveness aside, Armstrong and Basso are the stories that will dominate the coverage. All eyes (including mine) will be on those two.
Armstrong’s comeback is one of the big general sports stories of the year, and it’s a fascinating cycling-specific story that he’s taking part in the Giro. In his previous incarnation it was Le Tour all the time, so I think a lot of people are interested to see what he’ll do on la corsa rosa.
Basso’s return might not be as big to the general public, but to him and the Italian fans, his return to the Giro is going to be an incredible event. For what it’s worth, Armstrong has already called Basso the favorite.
I can’t wait.
One thing that’s going to occupy me until the big day is figuring out where I’m going to watch the race. Looking at the course, there are several interesting spots. right now I’m leaning towards Piazza del Popolo since it’ll probably be a pretty popular spot (and it has a turn- which makes for better photos), but watching near the Vatican or the Coliseum could make for some incredible photos/video. I mean, you can’t beat St. Peter’s or the Coliseum for a backdrop.
And then I see the loooong straightaway on Via del Corso and think it could be incredible to see whoever it is in pink coming from a km away. If it’s Basso? The crowd will be insane.
And then I think I want to find some out of the way place where very few people will be, just to have our own personal interaction with the race.
Choices, choices…
More:
Organizers announce route for centenary Giro
I big sono tutti d’accordo “Giro che non s’improvvisa”
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