The prestigious cycling event Giro D’Italia is celebrating its 100th Anniversary this month! It kicked off on May 5th in Sardinia and cyclists from all over the world will take part in the three week event.
Giro D’Italia is of the three “Grand Tours” which include the ‘Tour de France’ and Spain’s ‘Vuelta’. It’s these three that professional cyclists regard as the best in the world.
All of these races are now made up of 21 different stages over three weeks with rest days in between.
Famous British cyclists Chris Froome and Sir Bradley Wiggins regularly compete as winning all three races is a coveted prize.
Not many people know this but the Giro doesn’t always start in Italy, although it typically ends in Milan, other Italian cities and smaller towns now tend to stage proceedings once the event gets underway, as they have the opportunity to mark important events and especially when a lucrative sponsorship is available
The race has started in Rome on two separate occasions – once in 1911 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Italian unification and again in 2009 to celebrate the race’s 100th birthday, note this different to the 100th anniversary.
In total it has started outside Italy only12 times, in recent times it started in 2014 Belfast and in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands in 2016.
At the Giro D’Italia cycling event, the cyclists compete for the maglia rosa which is the famous pink jersey awarded to the overall leader. The cyclist who gets the best time over the mountains is awarded the Green jersey with young cyclists receiving their own prize.
The fact that a cycling even is celebrating it’s 100th Anniversary is truly remarkable. Over the years it has gone from strength to strength and really has stood the test of time. The route gives cyclists the opportunity to experience cities, towns, beautiful countryside and landscapes across different countries. It really is a unique and fantastic even which is not to be missed for any cyclist. Here is to the next 100 years of Giro D’Italia!