Giro d’Italia (ITA) - 12.05-03.06.2007

(This event is on the 2007 UCI ProTour calendar but does not hold a UCI ProTour licence)

The Giro d’Italia is the first major three-week long stage race of the season and always captures the hearts of the passionate Italian cycling fans as it passes through Italy. The overall leader wears the special pink jersey and is cheered from the roadside by millions of spectators. This year the route starts on the island of Sardinia to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Italian patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi. Early stages on the mainland climb Italy along the Apennines hills before stages in the Alps and the breathtaking Dolomite mountains. The final 42km time trial to Verona will be decisive before the final winner is crowned in Milano on June 3. As is tradition, the Giro organisers have included several new climbs in the key mountain stages. The finish at the Tre Cime di Lavaredo will be spectacular, while the steep climb to the summit of Monte Zoncolan will push riders to the limit and require especially low gears to make it to the top. In 2006 Ivan Basso dominated the Giro but he is expected to face tougher competition this year from Italian rivals Damiano Cunego, Gilberto Simoni, Paolo Savoldelli and Danilo Di Luca. With fewer time trials and more balanced mountain stages the 2007 Giro will be a very closely fought race.