Tag: giro 2012

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Double First at Giro 2012

Yesterday’s technically demanding 30k Time Trial through the streets of Milan saw a thrilling end to the 2012 Giro d’Italia with a double first result: 31 year old Ryder Hesjedal became the first ever Canadian overall Giro victor and in so doing also gave Team Garmin-Barracuda their first ever Grand Tour win. Although Ryder took sixth place on the day – 1 minute and 9 seconds behind TT Stage winner Marco Pinotti (BMC Racing) – it was more than sufficient to bag the overall win with accumulated time of 91h 39’ 2” with Team Katusha’s Joaquin Rodriguez in second overall with +16 seconds and Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil) third on +1’ 39”. Speaking post-race Hesjedal said, ‘I’m very proud and very honoured and humbled by this win. The team was incredible, every guy rode incredible, I am honoured by their effort and all we did here. Thank you to my team, my directors, the whole staff and all of our amazing sponsors, and my beautiful family and friends.’

 

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Giro Goes Wild

RCS Sport, organisers of the Giro d’Italia, have announced the four wild-card squads invited to attend the 2012 edition. They are: Androni Giocattoli, Colnago-CSF Inox, Farnese Vini-Selle Italia and, something of a surprise, Team NetApp. The decision means that there will be no place for former winners Danilo Di Luca and Stefano Garzelli as their squad,  Acqua e Sapone, are left in the cold. The wild-cards were announced after consideration by the RCS commission which includes RCS Sport CEO Giacomo Catano, general manager Michele Acquarone and Pier Bergonzi of Gazzetta dello Sport.

 

The 2012 Giro d’Italia (the 95th edition) begins in Herning, Denmark, on May 5 and ends in Milan on May 27. For the first time in five years the race will not include the infamous climbing time trial.

 

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Giro Wild Cards

Michele Acquarone, director of the Giro d’Italia has announced via his blog that the wild card teams for the 2012 will be announced considerably earlier than usual next year. Usually the selection for wild cards is made once the UCI WorldTour season has begun but next year the announcement will be made on January 10, five days before even the Santos Tour Down Under begins. Acquarone posted: “Traditionally, attempts were made to postpone the selection in order to take indicators from the first races of the season…We forgo this privilege to give everyone the possibility to plan and prepare as best as possible for the season; both the teams that are going to participate and in our races in 2012 and, with regret, those that won’t.”

 

The 2012 Giro runs May 5 to 27, beginning for the first time ever in Scandinavia with Herning and Horsens hosting the opening stages.

 

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Giro 2012

Giro d'ItaliaThe route for the 2012 Giro d’Italia has been officially presented at a ceremony in Milan. The 95th edition of the classic, set to run from May 5 to 27, will stage the first three days in Denmark, the first ever Scandinavian start, with around 200 riders initially tackling an 8.7 kilometres Team Time Trial in the City of Herning before two further days of what looks to be some pretty spectacular and challenging Danish scenery. In another first for the race May 26, the penultimate challenge, will involve an altitude finish of 2757m at the Passo della Stelvio – the highest ever Giro finish line.

 

This year’s Giro winner, Saxo Bank-SunGard Alberto Contador, has already all-but ruled himself out of next year’s event (preferring, apparently to concentrate on the Tour de France) but has welcomed details of the 2012 route. Commenting on next year’s Giro he says, “If I should let my heart decide, I’d go to Herning in May next year to take on the Giro but I have other objectives next summer. I know the Danes have put in a great effort to create a good start of the race and I think everyone will be surprised to experience the passion for cycling there. I think the route is less extreme than this year but the stage finishes might cause problems for some riders as it might get nervous. The final week of the race will be very tough in the mountains. I’m sorry that I won’t be there but I feel right at home in Italy and I’m looking forward to be doing the Tirreno-Adriatico next year.”

 

The 2012 Giro will conclude on May 27 with a 31.5-km Individual Time Trial in Milan, the third against the clock race of the route after the first stage in Herning and a second scheduled Team Time Trial in Verona.