Giro D'Italia - The Race For The Ages Returns
The Giro d'Italia route and dates have now been announced, and the countdown has begun to the greatest Italian cycling race on the calendar. Technically demanding, and breathtaking in its diversity of profiles and landscapes, the Giro d’Italia route is something to behold.
Ever since 1909, this gruelling race has tested riders’ endurance to the limits, and throughout 122-year-history legends have been forged on the arduous and iconic mountain climbs. Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali, Marco Pantani, Alfredo Binda, Eddie Merckx and Chris Froome have all retained the iconic pink jersey (maglia rosa) and lifted the much coveted Giro trophy.
The ghosts of those riders still swirl around from the Stelvio pass to the Gavia. Furthermore, the race has become part of the very fabric of Italian lore and culture. Nowhere is this more true than the physical shrine dedicated to the patron saint of cycling in the Madonna Del Ghisallo, in the high hills near Lake Como - a real must see for all cycling fans. If you’re looking for a race that’s intertwined with the romantic and passionate Italian society, look no further than the Giro d’Italia route.
With 2020’s race disrupted because of the COVID pandemic, the Giro is back this year in its rightful time slot, and the IBT team can’t wait to show you the routes. So clip in, and get ready for another three weeks of sublime racing and legendary battles on the road.
This year’s Giro
The Grande Partenza of the 104th Giro d’Italia takes place on Saturday May 8 with an individual time trial (ITT) in Turin. The race finishes in Milan three weeks later on Sunday May 30, also with an ITT.
In week two, highlights include flat stages around Emilia-Romagna (that take in the town of Bagno di Romagna and Ravenna), but then it’s on to Monte Zoncolan, where gradients of 11.9 percent and peaks of 22 percent await.
As well as Zoncolan, summit finishes are to be expected to include Sega di Ala, while stage 11 is the Giro’s take on Strade Bianche, which means gravel roads.
There also stage finishes in historic Verona, the Dolomites, Ghisalla and Lake Como to look forward to.
Where legends are born
The race’s origins can be dated back to 1908 when La Gazzetta dello Sport editor Tullo Morgagni sent a telegram to his cycling editor discussing the need for an Italian tour.
The need was pressing – La Gazzetta’s rival, Corriere della Sera, had already staged its own car race and was planning to do something similar for bicycles.
Morgagni convinced his newspaper’s owner to stump up the cash thanks to the success of previously staged races, the Giro di Lombardia and the Milan-San Remo.
The Giro was born, and on May 13, 1909, 127 riders set off from Milan, riding eight stages across 1,521 miles. The rest, as they say, is history.
How to experience the Giro with us
You can experience the Giro a number of ways with Italy Bike tours this year with a selection of handcrafted tours and packages, whether that be a bespoke ‘Create Your Giro’ tour, which you can contact us today on to discuss in more detail, or our ‘The Last Week’ package which allows you to centre your trip around the final stages of the race, and the crowning of the 2021 pink jersey winner. All of our 2021 Giro tours incorporate the best stage viewing, some great riding and all the best off-bike activities you have come to expect from us.
Our official Giro d’Italia tours have become a must for the cycling fan wanting to experience the fight for the pink jersey from an unrivalled view.
Our other packages not only allow you to get close to the action, but there’s also the opportunity for daily rides, including tracing the tyre tracks of some of the race’s historical legends. You’ll be able to ride some of the mountain passes, and in our Giro-E tour, you can even ride 18 of the Giro’s stages.
Sign up for one of Giro d’Italia routes and tours, and experience this legendary race closer and more intimately than you’ve ever done before – each tour is a bucket-list experience.
“As lovers of Italy and the Giro d’Italia, we’re fully aware of how important it is to the country and to cycling fans around the world. If you book a place on one of our Giro tours, you’re guaranteed to get closer to the action of this legendary race. You’ll also experience fabulous hotels, personal airport transfers and some of the best cuisine the country has to offer. For cycling fans, it really is the trip of a lifetime.”
Clive