The 89th Giro d'Italia will be held from Saturday 6th to Sunday 28th May, 2006. The opening will be located in Belgium, as a homage to the large local Italian community (over 200.000 Italian emigrants live in Wallonia but still feel a strong bond with their homeland), and most of all to commemorate those who died in the mine disaster. 2006 is actually 50 years after Marcinelle's tragedy, but also 30 years after the earthquake in the Italian region of Friuli. The Giro thus also intends to pay honour to 18 out of the 20 towns devastated at that time by the earthquake. The finish line of the Giro d'Italia 2006, will be in Milan, by tradition since 1990, after covering 20 stages and 3553 Km overall.

Who's favourite? Ivan Basso.

"I fell in love with this year's Giro from its very introduction", said Ivan in Denmark, where he was on a training camp with his team. That was on November 12th, quite a long time ago, and now even the Csc Team's Manager Bjarne Riis is sure that the idea of riding once again both The Giro and the Tour will be successful. He has probably felt the depth of Ivan's enthusiasm, and thought over the climbs Basso's so good at (the Giro wil actually feature lots of climbs), and over the team time trial that will be raced in Italy but not in France, and last but not least Riis must have surely considered how heartily will Italy be welcoming its champion and compatriot from little town Cassano Magnago.

Ivan himself confirms that: "I felt I had to come back, because the Giro 2005 has proved very important for me, but my task was not yet complete". He also precises: "I'm trusting my instinct, as I've done over the last few years. That's where my qualitative leap came from, after all." so: "I've asked Riis to have for the Giro a strong Csc as for the Tour".

The CSC team is strong and ready for the Giro d'Italia 2006: next to captain Basso should be Andrea Peron and Giovanni Lombardi, the American cyclist Bobby Julich and the new signing Volodimyr Gustov and Inigo Cuesta who are bound to complete the group as leading figures. They are all trained to work hard and more specifically to gain the pink jersey.

Well, climbs, team and individual time trials well fit Ivan's skills. What's more, his team is well matched and he has a very strong desire to play his return match against the bad luck that stopped him in 2005. Basso is therefore the great favourite of Giro d'Italia 2006.

His very good training condition and the clear victory at France's Criterium International, where he won all 3 stages, may well attest him being the big favourite.

News about the Giro 2006

• This year's Giro d'Italia will introduce back the team time trial, that had been absent since the beginning of the 90s.
• The last day of the race will then feature a mountain time trial climb from Canzo to Madonna del Ghisallo. This is probably the most controversial point about the new Giro d'Italia.
• Never before had transfers weighed so much on the race's economy. The two rest days will be forcing the whole caravan into real marathons: the first one from Belgium to the Italian region of Emilia Romagna, and the second from Gargano up to Tuscany. Competitors will be travelling by plane, but the land vehicles will have to cope with an actual additional stage. That's not all. A careful analysis of the planimetry will show that only once will the race be starting from the same place of arrival on the previous day.
• The Giro d'Italia will be held on dirt road, one year after the test on the Colle delle Finestre, that Carmine Castellano had so much insisted upon. The last 5 km of the stage ending in Plan de Corones will have a constant gradient of over 10% with a maximum 24% peak and will all be ridden on dirt road.
• Then climbs, many climbs and even more climbs. Press releases have not mentioned for the first time ever this year's overall altitude difference, but it will be well over 20.000 mt, more than it's ever been even in the most demanding editions of the Giro. During the last week of race, the riders will have to face an over 15.000 mt altitude difference (on the two-day stage San Pellegrino - Aprica the altitude difference will be nearly about 5.000 mt each day).

Who's racing Giro d'Italia 2006?

Ivan Basso has changed his mind: he will be riding the Giro d'Italia. His decision was publicly announced when the CSC team retired to Denmark for training. Basso will be probably riding with Andrea Peron and Giovanni Lombardi. The American cyclist Bobby Julich and the new signing Volodimyr Gustov and Inigo Cuesta will be completing the group as leading figures. The whole team will be training very hard and specifically to gain the pink jersey.

Cunego has just won the Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali 2006, but is hoping to repeat the results of 2004, when he ended up winning the Giro.

Simoni wanted more climbs last year, so this time he'll be having what he wished for and is therefore ready to defy anyone and to fight hard on any climbing track.

Di Luca is a member of team Liquigas-Bianchi and openly aims at the Giro d'Italia.

Jan Ullrich will also take part to the Giro - so announces his team, the T-Mobile. Ullrich is training in Tuscany at the moment and will be riding at the Giro without any clear ambitions about the overall rankings.

Rujano will have to solve all contract disputes with his team first and should he participate in the end he will have to concentrate on the pink jersey, leaving the green one aside (this year's Giro is so hard anyway that it will undoubtedly award the strongest climber).

Savoldelli won last year, but he's still uncertain about the Giro 2006 because he's no good climber. Petacchi (team Milram) hasn't yet confirmed whether he will be present at the Giro. The Giro has made him famous, but he's still quite perplexed about the track as it features very few sprint finishes.

Introduction to the Giro 2006

The Wallonia region will be hosting the first four days of the race: after the time trial, the first stage will be held on Sunday from Mons to Marcinelle, presenting no particular difficulties. It will be a very good occasion for the sprinters to get some bonus points for the pink jersey. During the Monday stage, from Perwez to Namur, on the Ardenne hills, some riders may well be able to take advantage of the situation, especially those who are used to climbs and to sudden changes in rhythm. The "finisseurs", like predators defending their territory, will actually be only waiting for any laps of concentration or falls at the very end. A little more than 200 km will make it easy for the fresher ones to climb up to the Cittadella.

The third stage in Wallonia will be helpful to catch one's breath. The route from Wanze to Hotton is good track for the sprinters, who won't probably give space to anyone else, while rushing along the Spa Francorchamps racetrack, a perfect track for high speeds.

First rest day on Wednesday 10th May: it's time to move to Italy for the stage between Piacenza and Cremona, a peaceful scenery on which competitiveness will instead prove very fierce. Thursday 11th May is the day of the team time trial (38 km), a discipline where riders will be showing they can succesfully race as a team, despite cycling being a traditional sport for individuals, with immediate effects on the overall rankings up to that stage. The Friday stage will be very harmonious, nearly melodious, running from Busseto to Forlì. A calm and flat leg, reflecting the surrounding region, but final rush for the sprinters.

Saturday 13th, the second weekend of the Giro, will feature quite a demanding leg from Cesena to Saltara, with the climbs of Monte Catria and Cesane - also called Piccolo (little) Mortirolo. A sort of preliminary trial for the climb of big Mortirolo, two weeks later. A good test for the bravest. Second demanding stage on Sunday 14th and first mountain finish, at Passo Lanciano, in the area of La Maielletta. The starting point will be Civitanova Marche, then the Giro will be passing through the town of Manoppello, renowned for its religious sanctuary, before the tough finish with 25 km uphill, 18 of which will be decisively selective. The arrival will be at 1300 mt altitude, on the way to the Block Haus (1900 mt altitude). On Monday 15th May, sprinters will rejoice on the track from Francavilla to Termoli. The Giro wil be riding on the following day from Termoli to Peschici along the Adriatic road before facing the final track to San Giovanni Rotondo, Manfredonia and the Foresta Umbra. It will be a mixed stage, that sprinters are more likely to race successfully provided they keep the speed up until the finish line.

Second rest day on Wednesday 17th with transfer to Tuscany, surroundings of Pisa.
Second individual time trial in schedule on Thursday 18th at Pontedera: 50 km of slightly rolling track. A good occasion to celebrate the factories where 60 years ago the famous Vespa motorbike was born and is still produced nowadays.

On Friday 19th competitors will be riding from Livorno to Sestri Levante, crossing the beautiful landscapes of Cinque Terre and facing the Passo del Bracco climb, just before the finish. It's considered as a good stage for sprinters, but the outcome may be unexpected. A new short transfer to Alessandria at this point, in order to be ready the following day for the stage to La Thuile: mountain leg and San Carlo climb, with finish line back at La Thuile, at the end of the descending track.

The Giro will then be moving on, Sunday 21st, from Aosta to Domodossola, crossing the borders with Switzerland. From Briga up to Passo del Sempione and down to Domodossola: this stage will celebrate the first 100 years of the Sempione Tunnel. On Monday 22nd the Giro turns decisively in favour of sprinters, as it runs flat from Mergozzo to Milan and surroundings and from Brianza to Brescia afterwards.

On Tuesday 23rd the riders will be on the road from Rovato to Trento, and climb from here up to Mount Bondone: second mountain finish to commemorate Charly Gaul, 50 years after his brilliant performance. Short and tense stage, quite suggestive, but hopefully the weather conditions won't be extreme as they were in 1956. From Termeno to Plan de Corones, Wednesday 24th looks like it's going to be a day to remember, with plenty of km at high altitude.

From Ponte Gardena the Giro will be riding on to Castelrotto up to the Passo Pinei and then down to Ortisei. Past Chiusa, competitors will reach the provincial road to Bressanone, then Eores, Passo delle Erbe, down to Longeva and San Vigilio di Marebbe before facing the Furcia climb. 7 km of dirt road will then be leading the riders to Plan de Corones, third uphill finish point at Giro 2006. On Thursday 25th May the starting point will be from Austria, in Sillan, riding on to Lienz and then back to the Italian arrival town of Gemona, after crossing the Croce Carnico, Tolmezzo and wonderful wood landscapes leading uphill to Cuel di Forchia and finally down to Gemona del Friuli.

Competitors will suffer on Friday 26th from Pordenone to Passo San Pellegrino and fourth mountain arrival. The day's schedule is quite frightening: the Forcella Staulanza first, then Passo Fedaja (which definitely is the most demanding side of Marmolada, from Malga Ciapela), Passo Pordoi and finish line.

An extremely tough stage as it will be on the following day, when riders will be defying the enormously demanding Trento-Aprica: first challenge will be Passo del Tonale after 85 km from the start, then Gavia (Cima Coppi, at 2.621 mt above sea level) at 112 km, Mortirolo at 180 km and finally the Aprica - what a relief! - after 212 km of riding.

On Sunday 28th May, the very last day, the Giro will be awarding the winner with the pink jersey, after a last morning mountain time trial at Ghisallo and the final traditional street parade from Lecco to Milan among an applauding crowd cheering for the exhausted heroes and sharing the winner's joy. Grand finale in the centre of Milan, where Corso Venezia crosses the Public Park of via Palestro.

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