The three-week classic tour Giro d’Italia sets off for its 100th Anniversary journey through the Dolomites next Saturday, May 9.  Since detailed race coverage isn’t our thing (we really just love the shiny toys), we’ll be bringing you snippets and links to the sites that do a much better job of it…so keep posted here throughout the race and we’ll save you the time of scouring the other cycling sites for the good stuff.
In the meantime, Velonews so eloquently described the Giro as such:
“The corsa rosa is the favorite three-week tour of the year for many fans. Renowned for its passion, its epic climbs through the Dolomites and its exuberant fans, the Giro evokes all that’s great about stage racing as it winds up and down the Italian peninsula. Started in 1909, the Giro now ranks second only to the Tour de France as cycling’s most prestigious race. The leader stands out by the maglia rosa or pink jersey and the battle isn’t over until the lean mountain goats strain up storied climbs such as the Mortirolo, the Stelvio and the Gavia. Only three men  Alfredo Binda, Fausto Coppi and Eddy Merckx  have won the Giro a record five times.”
…and they’ve got some great stories leading up to the event right here.  Other stuff you need to know:
- Pez Cycling News’ conspiracy theory that this years Giro was designed for Lance Armstrong, who will be participating in the Giro for the first time in his career.  Maybe if he wins too many Pink Jerseys, he’ll have to start a BreastStrong charity program, too.  Pez also has some nice stage maps and photos.
- TELEVISION: Aaaargh!  Versus has no plans to televise the Giro.  Nor does NBC, despite rumors.  Cycling.tv has it on their schedule, but with no particular viewing information or details as to if you’ll have to subscribe (ie. pay) to watch. Steephill.tv has a schedule with video links ready to go, but no word on the level of coverage.  If we find something better, we’ll let you know.
