Pretty in pink

By Andy Nicolson

The Giro d'Italia - the Tour of Italy - usually known simply as the Giro, is second only to the Tour de France in the hierarchy of cycling's road stage races.

Although not as iconic as its elder French cousin, the Giro is one third of cycling's "Triple Crown", along with Le Tour and the Road World Championships.

It is also one of the sport's three annual Grand Tours, completed by the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana, or Tour of Spain.

First held in 1909, the Giro is now in its 91st edition, and the 2008 version will see 22 teams of nine riders - 198 in total - cover 3,473km over 21 stages in pursuit of the maglia rosa - the pink jersey.

After a 23.6km team time trial around Palermo in Sicily, the race heads north via Rome, Tuscany and the central Apennines before the decisive stages in the Dolomites and Alps.

The Giro begins in Palermo on Saturday 10 May and ends in Milan on Sunday 1 June.

606: DEBATE
Who's your tip to win the Giro?

The star-studded line-up, which includes the winners of the 2007 Giro, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana, and the Olympic and World Champion, is stronger than the current Tour de France start-list.

Until recently, however, most of the smart money had been on another home win, after Danilo Di Luca dominated the 2007 race in the mountain stages.

Di Luca has since faced two doping investigations, but was recently cleared by an Italian Olympic Committee (Coni) commission because of insufficient evidence.

Two-time Giro winner Gilberto Simoni (Diquigiovanni-Androni) and brash youngster Riccardo Ricco were also names filling many fans' top tips.

But the late inclusion of the Astana team has upset the applecart.

Thrown out of the 2007 Tour de France and subsequently barred from the Vuelta a Espana for doping offences, the disgraced Kazakh outfit has been overhauled by Johan Bruyneel, the Belgian who guided Lance Armstrong to seven Tour victories.

The team now includes three riders who could all reasonably be expected to be finish in pink - the 2007 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador of Spain, German Andreas Kloden and USA's Levi Leipheimer.

Meanwhile, the British contingent sees six riders setting off from Palermo, with differing agendas.

Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish (High Road) and Geraint Thomas and Steve Cummings (Barloworld) are all primarily using the Giro as vital endurance preparation ahead of the track cycling events at the Beijing Olympics.

Cavendish should, however, be a strong contender for a sprint win in one of the flat stages, while Wiggins will be hoping to place highly in the time trials.

David Millar (Slipstream) should also feature in the time trials, particularly the opening event, for which his team have been specifically preparing.

Last but not least, Charlie Wegelius (Liquigas) will doubtless put in sterling work in support of his team leader, Italian Franco Pellizotti.

Teams

AG2R La Mondiale

Astana

Barloworld

Caisse d'Epargne

Cofidis

CSF Group Navigare

Euskaltel-Euskadi

Française des Jeux

Gerolsteiner

High Road

Lampre

Liquigas

LPR Brakes

Quick Step

Rabobank

Saunier Duval-Scott

Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli

Silence-Lotto

Slipstream Chipotle - H30

Team CSC

Team Milram

Tinkoff Credit Systems

Stages

Stage 1, 10 May, Palermo, Team time trial

Stage 2, 11 May, Cefalu to Agrigento, 207km mixed terrain

Stage 3, 12 May, Catania to Milazzo, 208km flat

Stage 4, 13 May, Pizzo Calabro to Catanzaro-Lungomare, 187km flat

Stage 5, 14 May, Belvedere Marittimo to Conturso Terme, 170km mixed

Stage 6, 15 May, Potenza to Peschichi, 247km mixed

Stage 7, 16 May, Vasto to Pescocostanza, 179km mixed

Stage 8, 17 May, Rivisondoli to Tivoli, 200km mixed

Stage 9, 18 May, Civitavecchia to San Vincenzo , 194km flat

19 May, Rest day

Stage 10, 20 May, Pesaro to Urbino, 36km individual time trial

Stage 11, 21 May, Urbania to Cesena, 193km mixed

Stage 12, 22 May, Forli to Carpi, 171km flat

Stage 13, 23 May, Modena to Cittadella, 192km flat

Stage 14, 24 May, Verona to Alpe di Pampeago, 195km mountain

Stage 15, 25 May, Arabba to Passo Fedaia, 153km mountain

Stage 16, 26 May, San Vigilio di Marebbe to Plan de Corones, 13.8km individual time trial with mountain-top finish

27 May, Rest day

Stage 17, 28 May, Sondrio to Locarno, 192km mixed

Stage 18, 29 May, Mendrisio to Varese, 182km flat

Stage 19, 30 May, Legnano to Presolana, 228km mountain

Stage 20, 31 May, Rovetta to Tirano, 224km mountain

Stage 21, 1 June, Cesano Maderno to Milano, 23.5km individual time trial

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Giro d'Italia (in Italian)
International Cycling Union
British Cycling
Cycling on the BBC
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