The 2014 Giro d'Italia is ready to start!
The bikes are ready, cyclists, teams, cars and roads of Italy are all ready to welcome almost 200 riders for the 2014 Giro d'Italia. The first major tour of the season will start tomorrow in Belfast (Northern Ireland) and finish in about three weeks in Trieste, Italy.
The figures are mind blowing. There will be 198 riders out of 22 teams fighting for the trophy. Everyone who is determined to cross the finish line will have to pedal hard 3,445.5 kilometers. The first three stages will be held in Belfast (Northern Ireland) and Dublin (Ireland) and the peloton will only hit Italian soil in the fourth day at Giovinazzo.
The 97th edition of the Giro d'Italia has two individual time trials, one team time trial, eight flat stages, five medium-mountain stages and five full on mountain stages of which all five with the finish line on ascent steep slopes.
Nairo Quintana (Movistar) is regarded as the main favorite to win the Giro. Last year's “polka dot jersey” from the Tour de France has serious competition from Joaquim Rodriguez (Katiusa), Cadel Evans out of Team BMC or Domenicico Pozzovivo (Ag2R La Mondiale). However, the Colombian said he has tough competition. “There are more climbs here in Giro than in last year's Tour de France. I'm going to fight with riders similar to me and it will be a new challenge. I demonstrate last year that I'm a good climber, but this year I have to demonstrate I am a good leader,” said the Colombian rider.
