Well, the last 12 months certainly went by in a flash of a be-spoked wheel; which means it’s time for this year’s Cyclo preview of the Giro d’Italia. Running from May 5 to 21 and celebrating its 95th edition, the Giro, like its French cousin the Tour de France, has its roots in newspaper circulation wars. In August 1908 the Italian sports paper Gazetta dello Sport announced the inaugural staging of the Giro which it planned to organise along similar lines to the car rally supported by their rivals Corriere della Sera; nine months later, May 13, 1909, and the Gazetta’s founder Eugenio Camillo Costamagna, along with director Armando Cougnet and its editor Tullio Morgagni unleashed the first edition with 127 riders set to race from Loreto Place in Milan. Eight stages and 2448 kilometres later Italy’s Luigi Ganna claimed the 5,300 Lira prize and his place in history as the first ever Giro d’Italia winner.
Now part of the three Grand Tours (along with TdF and the much younger Vuelta a España, which was first held in 1935 but only became an annual event from 1955) the Giro d’Italia continues to amaze and delight. For the first time in its history this year’s edition will enjoy a Scandinavian start with the opening 8.7km Time Trial taking place in Herning, Denmark with days two and three (206km and 190km) also enjoying spectacular and challenging Danish hospitality before the move on day four to Verona, Italy, for the 33.2km Team Time Trial. In total the Giro will comprise 21 stages with a total ride distance of 3,503,9 km (an average, fact checkers, of 166.9 km per stage) and conclude with the 30.1km Team Time Trial in Milan on Sunday, May 27.
With seven flat stages, six medium and five high mountain stages, 2 Team Time Trials and the opening Individual Time Trial the full 2012 Giro d’Italia looks like this:
Stage 1 May 5 Herning – Herning 8.7km (ITT)
Stage 2 May 6 Herning – Herning 206km
Stage 3 May 7 Horsens – Horsens 190km
Stage 4 May 9 Verona – Verona 33.2km (TTT)
Stage 5 May 10 Modena – Fano 209km
Stage 6 May 11 Urbino – Porto Sant’Elpidio 210km
Stage 7 May 12 Recanati – Rocca di Cambio 205km
Stage 8 May 13 Sulmona – Lago Laceno 229km
Stage 9 May 14 San Giorgio del Sannio – Frosinone 166km
Stage 10 May 15 Civitavecchia – Assisi 186km
Stage 11 May 16 Assisi – Montecatini Terme 255km
Stage 12 May 17 Seravezza – Sestri Levante 155km
Stage 13 May 18 Savona – Cervere 121km
Stage 14 May 19 Cherasco – Cervinia 209km
Stage 15 May 20 Busto Arsizio – Lecco/Pian dei Resinelli 169km
Stage 16 May 22 Limone sul Garda – Falzes/Pfalzen 173km
Stage 17 May 23 Falzes/Pfalzen – Cortina d’Ampezzo 186km
Stage 18 May 24 San Vito di Cadore – Vedelago 149km
Stage 19 May 25 Treviso – Alpe di Pampeago/Val di Fiemme 198km
Stage 20 May 26 Caldes/Val di Sole – Passo dello Stelvio 219km
Stage 21 May 27 Milano – Milano 30.1km (TTT)
