The complete guide to the very unusual Giro d’Italia 2020

Giro d’Italia is the main Italian cycling race of the year and one of the only three major multi-day cycling races in the world, along with the Tour de France and La Vuelta a España. They’re also called the Grand Tours.

The French race is considered the main one because of the greater popularity in the world, but the public has long agreed that Giro is both more challenging, beautiful, and interesting in the heat of passion. In my opinion, Giro is the #1 race both for the cyclists and fans.

If you ride bike, you already follow Giro. If you are beginner cyclist, it is the perfect time and place to start doing both!

From this complete guide you will learn everything about the most unusual Giro d’Italia: dates, route, stages, teams, famous cyclists, favorites, winner, TV broadcasting, and much more!

Overview
Guide
Winner and Results
Live Broadcasting
Links to official media
Conclusion

Giro d’Italia 2020: Overview

Main facts
Name and motto
Organizer and sponsors
Symbols
Official poster
Song

Main facts

Giro d’Italia 2020 is the main cycling race in Italy this year and one of the three major multi-day cycling races of the world on a par with the Tour de France and La Vuelta a España. They are also called Grand Tours.

It’s a professional cycling race that lasts just over three weeks.

It consists of 21 stages and two days of rest. The stages take place almost every day. In fact, Giro and the other Grand Tours are 21 consecutive races in one big bicycle race.

At every stage there is a winner — and there are no 2nd and 3d places. This is a feature of all three Grand Tours.

The winner of the whole race is identified by the sum of time for all stages: whoever comes earlier, he won. There is also the team classification and the winning team. It may be different team — not the one in which the winning cyclist rides.

This year’s Giro is the 103rd race in history. The first race was held in 1909.

Name and Motto

The name of the race, Giro d’Italia, in English simply means the Tour of Italy.

Other official and unofficial name of the race are: Giro di Italia, Giro, Corsa Rosa (Pink Road), Pink Grand Tour, Italian Cycling Grand Tour, Pink Cycling Race, Giro d’Italia 103 (104, 105…) and others.

The official motto is “Amore infinito” — “Infinite love“.

Organizer and Sponsors

Organizer of Giro d’Italia is an Italian sports and media company RCS Sport.

Multi-year sponsor of Giro d’Italia is the main Italian sports newspaper — La Gazetta dello Sport. The pink jersey of the leader of the race and pink brand colors went from here — because the pages of the newspaper are pink.

Other sponsors: Enel — energy, Banca Mediolanum — bank, Segafredo — coffe, Castelli — jerseys, Tissot — time, Continental — tires, Bianchi — bikes, Toyota — cars, TIM — mobile, Trenitalia — trains, and many other.

Symbols

There are three main symbols of the Giro d’Italia 2020, which are the same as the year before.

The Giro d’Italia logo shows a cyclist.

Giro’s mascot is the wolf.

As last year, the winner will be presented a beautiful cup in the form of a winding road going up, apparently a mountain serpentine. It is 10 kg, 53 cm in height and 20 cm in diameter. And of course the money. Usually it’s from a few hundred to a few million euros.

Official Poster

Every year there is an official poster of the Giro d’Italia — usually also painted in pink colors. But in 2020 it is unusual, too, and dedicated to the autumn:

The poster of the Giro d’Italia 103 is a drawing by Franco Matticchio, an Italian artist born in 1957 in Varese, north-western Lombardy. He made his debut in 1979 drawing for the pages of the one of the main Italian newspapers Corriere della Sera. His works have been presented in exhibitions in public and private spaces, such as the Nuages gallery in Milan and the Incision gallery in Brescia. In 2017 the Galerie Martel in Paris dedicated a solo show to him.

Song

Every year there is an official song of the Giro d’Italia.

This year’s song called “GiraGiroGiraGi” by the Italian group Extraliscio. Its three members — Mirco Mariani, Moreno “il Biondo” Conficconi and Mauro Ferrara — mixes the tradition of ballroom dancing with the sounds of punk in the song.

Extraliscio:

“A country band plays on the streets of Italy and anticipates the arrival of the stage, the sound of the wheels warns the people the Giro is coming! It’s a romantic rhythm. Then a megaphone voice announces the passage of the first hero on the breakaway among vineyards, climbs, descents, chimes of bells, shouts of joy and trumpets! Because it is a great party, it is a great joy for all of Italy and its champion!”

The words are written by Pacifico (Gino de Crescenzo), the composer is Mirco Mariani and the publisher and director is Elisabetta Sgarbi.

Among the notes and words of the song is also the voice of Antonio Rezza, extraordinary director and performer, winner of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement for Theatre Award in 2018.

The cover of the song, as well as of the poster, is designed by Franco Maticchio and is paginated by Studio Cerri/Andrea Puppa.

The official video clip to the song is by Michele Bernardi and Davide Toffolo:

Giro d’Italia 2020: Guide

Dates
Route
Official map
Roadbook
Start
Finish
Stages
Teams and cyclists

Dates

The race was to be held in May 2020, when it is traditionally held, from 9 to 31 May, although previously it could have started at the end of the month and lasted until mid-June, but in recent years has been held strictly within the month of May. The race dates have been moved to the beginning of May to give drivers more time to rest before the Tour de France, which is also traditionally held in July.

Because of the coronavirus, Giro d’Italia 2020 was cancelled for security reasons — no one was sure if it would happen at all.

A few months later the Giro was postponed to autumn. Despite all the fears of the race organizers, cyclists and fans, Giro of Italy will be held in 2020!

This year Giro di Italia will be held at an unusual time: from October 3rd to 25th, 2020. And these are the new dates for the race in 2020, which became known after it was postponed because of the situation with the coronavirus.

This year the order of Grand Tours has not changed either: first Tour, then Giro, then Vuelta. But all three races will take place in the end of the summer and the autumn and one after another. Vuelta will start earlier — five days before the end of Giro.

Route

Giro di Italia is an Italian race, so it runs through Italy — always predominantly from south to north, but not always literally. Sometimes the first stages of the race begin in the center of the country or even in the north, as it was in Giro d’Italia 2019, when the first stage was in Bologna. Giro can also go to neighboring countries, where the first two or three stages can take place.

For example, the first few stages of Giro d’Italia 2018 were held in Israel. This year, the race was to start in Budapest, Hungary, but the start site was also postponed due to the coronavirus. By the way, before that no Grand Tour had started in Hungary (and, alas, it hasn’t started yet.) Altogether Giro started 14 times outside Italy.

These are the all cities where the race has started in the last 10 years: Bologna, Italy (2019); Jerusalem, Israel (2018); Alghero, Sardinia, Italy (2017); Apeldoorn, Netherlands (2016); San Lorenzo al Mare, Liguria, Italy (2015); Belfast, Ireland (2014); Naples, Italy, (2013), Herning, Denmark (2012); Venaria Reale, Piedmont (2011); Amsterdam, Netherlands (2010).

Unlike the Tour de France, which always finishes in Paris, Giro finishes in different cities, but the finish is most often in Milan and the start is in one of the cities in southern Italy. The year 2020 is no exception.

The start of this year’s race is in the small town of Monreale on the island of Sicily, the finish is in Milan, the capital city of the region Lombardy.

The racers will drive through the five main regions countless cities and villages, and natural attractions.

In total, the riders will travel 3.496 km, 166.5 on average per day.

For the amateur cyclist it is quite a lot even for one training session, after which it is not necessary to ride the bike again the next day, but for a professional it is a usual thing. Usually the length of Giro and other Grand Tours is more than 3000 kilometers.

Official Route Video

Every year there is an official route video of the main and only Italian Cycling Grand Tour. It is a great way to meet the race and understand how it will go. This year’s video is 7 m 30 seconds long!

Map

The most accurate, detailed, understandable and beautiful map of the route and stages of Giro di Italy can be found on the official site. Every year the organizers of the race draw it anew, rethink it — sometimes it’s just a table, like this year, sometimes a circle like a roulette in a casino with divisions — so it was in 2019. Anyway, it’s a pleasure to look at a map!

Roadbook

Read the complete roadbook of Giro d’Italia 2020 here:

https://issuu.com/giroditalia2020/docs/roadbook_interni_engl_bassa/38

Start (First Stage)

Start of Giro 2020 will be held on October 3rd in Monreale on the island of Sicily.

It is the 21st most populated city in Sicily (39.032 people as of October 31, 2017). The city is also part of the Metropolitan Area of Palermo and is 8 km away. Since 2015, Monreale has been a Unesco World Heritage Site. The city is home to many ancient churches and other sites.

From Monreale riders will go to the capital of the region Palermo. It will be an individual race for a period of 15 km, which will take place entirely on urban roads. It is a flat phase, but the riders will gain a small height for one km and drop the height for three km.

The last 2.7 km of plains will take you along one of the main streets of Palermo — Via della Libertà.

Finish (Final Stage)

The finish of Tour of Italy 2020 will take place on October 25th in Milan’s main city square, Piazza Duomo.

Milan is “Paris” of the Giro d’Italia — the city where the race finishes according to tradition. And so it was until 2009. Then there were exceptions to this rule. Now about every year or two, Giro finishes in other cities in Italy. Sometimes there is no finish in Milan for the two years in a row.

Here is the list of all “unusual” finishings of the race in the last 10 years: Verona (2019), Rome (2018), Turin (2016), Trieste (2014), Brescia (2013), Verona (2010), Rome (2009).

In 2020, the riders will go to Milan from the small town of Cernusco sul Naviglio, where the start of the final stage will take place. Like the first stage of this year’s race, tt will be again a 15.7 km individual time trial race (ITT). The cyclists will follow the roads and streets of Strada Statale Padana Superiore, Tangenziale Est, Via Palmanova.

It is a flat stage of the 2nd difficulty category without strong ascents or descents. The final 250 meters is a straight “corridor” of 6 meters wide, laid out with stone.

Stages

There will be 21 stages in Pink Grand Tour in 2020 — there is no change. But this is not a final number. Some stages can be shorten or even cancelled. It happen almost every year because of the bad spring weather (snow or heavy rains) in the Dolomites.

Stages Overview

If you are beginner to road and professional cycling, then before listing the stages, it should be said that two dozen stages of Giro and other two Grand Tours are not the same. This is because the race takes place across a whole country — the terrain changes. Every year making the route of the race organizers specifically select and calculate the ratio of stages so as to make the race as interesting from a sports point of view. Sometimes fans write something like:

This is a very difficult Giro d’Italia, it is impossible to pass! What were the organizers thinking about, having three mountain stages of the highest category of complexity in a row?!

In Giro and other Grand Tours, the stages are divided into six-seven main types:

• Prologue. A short very easy stage, opening the race. Can be held within the same city. It is not always held.
• Flat (plain) stage. Racers ride mainly on flat terrain without major differences in altitude from one city to another.
• Individual time trial race. This is when cyclists ride one by one on special aerodynamic bikes from point A to point B between neighbouring cities for a time.
• Team time trial race. It’s the same as individial TT, but only the cyclists don’t go one at a time, they go the whole team of 8-10 people. Now, this kind of race has been canceled on the Grand Tours, but remain in other cycling competitions.
• Hilly stage (or mountainous of low complexity). Flat stage with minor differences in altitude.
• Mountain stage. The most difficult stage of the bicycle race with ascents to the mountains and descents to several thousand meters a day.

This is not the end. Then, all stages have from 1 to 5 categories depending on the complexity level (height difference).

Giro d’Italia 2020: List of Stages

Stage	Date	Route	Distance	Type
1	3.10, Sat	Monreale — Palermo	15 km	ITT*** +
2	4.10, Sun	Alcamo — Agrigento	150 km	HS**
3	5.10, Mon	Enna — Etna	150 km	MS**** +
4	6.10, Tue	Catania — Villafranca Tirrena	140 km	FS**
5	7.10, Wed	Mileto — Camigliatello Silano	225 km	FS***
6	8.10, Thu	Castrovillari — Matera	188 km	FS**
7	9.10, Fri	Matera — Brindisi	143 km	FS*
8	10.10, Sat	Giovinazzo — Vieste (Gargano)	200 km	FS***
9	11.10, Sun	San Salvo — Roccaraso (Aremogna)	207 km	MS****
–	12.10, Mon	Rest day 1	–	–
10	13.10, Tue	Lanciano — Tortoreto	177 km	HS***
11	14.10, Wed	Porto Sant’Elpidio — Rimini	183 km	FS**
12	15.10, Thu	Cesenatico — Cesenatico	204 km	HS****
13	16.10, Fri	Cervia — Monselice	192 km	HS****
14	17.10, Sat	Conegliano — Valdobbiadene (Prosecco)	34.1 km	ITT**** +
15	18.10, Sun	Base Area Rivolto (Frecce Tricolori) — Piancavallo	185 km	MS****
–	19.10, Mon	Rest day 2	–	–
16	20.10, Tue	Udine — San Daniele del Friuli	229 km	HS****
17	21.10, Wed	Bassano del Grappa — Madonna di Campiglio	203 km	MS***** +
18	22.10, Thu	Pinzolo — Cancano lakes (Stelvio)	207 km	MS***** +
19	23.10, Fri	Morbegno — Asti	251 km	FS*
20	24.10, Sat	Alba — Sestriere	198 km	MS***** +
21	25.10, Sun	Cernusco sul Naviglio — Milano	15.7 km	ITT** +

Symbols and marks:

ITT	Individual time trial race
FS	Flat stage
HS	Hilly stage
MS	Mountain stage
*	Difficulty category from 1 to 5
+	Must-to-watch

In total there will be three individual time races, seven flat stages, five hilly stages and six mountain stages at Giro di Italia 2020.

Flat Stages (the Easiest Stages)

The easiest stages are the plain stages, also called “sprint stages”. Usually riders go in one big group all the way to the finish line. The most interesting of the 5-hour such stage is the breaks of individual riders or a groups of riders, the final 3—5 kilometers of the race and the sprint at the finish, which lasts a minute of strength.

Stages in the Dolomites (the Most Difficult and Beautiful Stages)

The most difficult stages of the Pink Grand Tour take place in the last week of the race, when it arrives in the Dolomites, as well as in other Alps — for example, the stage 15 of this year will be held in Julian Prealps. This year it’s the last five mountain stages.

Read the article “What We Can Learn from Cycling in the Dolomites“.

The most complex of the most difficult can be easily identified from the stage profile: the more riders gain heights in a day, the harder it is for them. In Giro di Italia 2020, these are the three final mountain stages — 17, 18 and 20 — each with an altitude of more than 5.000 meters, including the ascents to the famous Stelvio Pass (from the hardest side), 2.757 meters, on the Italian-Swiss border, and Col d’Izoard, 2.360 meters in France.

The Passo dello Stelvio is the highest point of Giro d’Italia 2020 on which cyclists will climb, with the subsequent descent to 12.060 meters.

Must-to-watch Stages

You don’t have to watch the whole Giro. It’s a serious challenge even for true cycling fans. After all, each race lasts 4—5 hours, and the entire duration is almost like a year’s vacation. Do you want to spend it in front of the TV or looking at smartphone? I’m doubt.

If you do not have the opportunity to watch the whole race or you just do not want to, then in the list above I have highlighted with a sign “+” a stages, which definitely can not be missed. In my opinion, these are eight key and simply beautiful stages where it will be decided which places the riders will take in the general classification and who will win the whole Giro in the end.

Must-to-watch stage in Giro d’Italia 2020:

• all three individual time trial races;
• hilly stage 12 (206 km and over 3.800 meters of climbing) in the region of Emilia Romagna that host the Nove Colli Gran Fondo cycling race, which celebrates 50 years in this year as one of cycling’s biggest sport events in Italy;
• the first and the last three mountain stages.

These are also the most beautiful stages: the ascent to the Etna, the hills of the world famous Prosecco vine, the Dolomites, including the finish in one of the most famous ski villages in the region Madonna di Campigno. Although all Giro is a very beautiful race.

Other important mountains passes of the Giro d’Italia 2020: Muro di Ca’ del Poggio, Madonnina del Domm, Monte Ragogna, Forcella Valbona, Monte Bondone, Aldeno, Passo Durone, Passo Campo Carlo Magno, Passo Castrin/Hofmandjoch, Colle dell’Agnello, Monginevro and others.

Must-to-watch Stages Profiles (Altimetry) and Maps

Every year there are detailed stages profiles and maps, which could be found on the official website:

Stage 1: 03.10, Saturday, Monreale — Palermo, 15 km, ITT***

Stage 3: 05.10, Monday, Enna — Etna, 150 km, MS****

Stage 12: 15.10, Thursday, Cesenatico — Cesenatico, 204 km, HS****

Stage 14: 17/10, Saturday, Conegliano — Valdobbiadene (Prosecco Hills), 34.1 km, ITT****

Stage 17: 21/10, Wednesday, Bassano del Grappa — Madonna di Campiglio, 203 km, MS*****

Stage 18: 22/10, Thursday, Pinzolo — Cancano Lakes (Stelvio), 207 km, MS*****

Stage 20: 24.10, Saturday, Alba — Sestriere, 198 km, MS*****

Stage 21: 25.10, Sunday, Cernusco sul Naviglio — Milano, 15.7 km, ITT**

Giro d’Italia 2020 All Stages Profiles Altimetry and Maps:

Giro d’Italia 2020: Rest Days

During each bike race Giro di Italia and other Grand Tours there are two days offs. Therefore, the duration of the race is not exactly three weeks (21 days), but a little more — 23 days.

Usually rest days are between the first and second weeks, and between the second and third weeks. They are needed for the riders to have a rest and gain strength for another week of uninterrupted competition — and then another week.

Rest days in Giro di Italy 2020 — October 12th, and October 19th. Both days are Mondays.

Giro d’Italia 2020: Teams and Cyclists

Overview
Teams Rosters and Leaders
Famous Cyclists
Teams and Riders by Country
Favorites

Teams Overview

Despite the fact that each race is won by one person, and two more take 2nd and 3rd places (except for the stages of the Grand Tours), cycling is a team sport, it competes primarily by teams, not individual riders. That’s because it’s very difficult to ride alone 200 km with height differences even one day, and it’s impossible to ride the whole Grand Tour or even a week race alone (there are week race, too).

In Giro di Italia there are usually up to 20 teams with 10—15 riders each, in total more than 200.

The main condition for each team to be able to participate in Giro is that it must be a professional cycling team with a special pro-tour license (something like the Champions League in cycling). But several teams are invited individually every year.

Teams on Giro are not only Italian or European, but from all over the world.

Each team has one or several title sponsors. They pay for the maintenance of the team and are interested in increasing the recognition and profit of the brand from advertising that is placed on bicycles, team buses, sports and fan clothing and so on.

Usually among the sponsors are banks, supermarkets, home appliance manufacturers, telecommunications companies and so on — in short, mass producers or service providers to the general public. But there may also be language schools among the sponsors, as in the case of the American team EF Education (English First Education). Another interesting example is states, as in the case of the Astana Pro Team, Bahrain — Mclaren or Israel Start-up Cycling Nation.

Sponsors — and with them the names of the teams — on average change quite often (US Postal Service — Discovery Channel, Sky — Ineos): before you get used to one, it is already new. But for some people, on the contrary, they don’t change for years (Cofidis). Some teams appear when they find a sponsor, others disappear forever — when they lose a sponsor. This is how professional cycling works.

Teams Rosters and Leaders

In Giro di Italy 2020 there are 21 teams (in alphabetical order). Each team has a leader as well as riders who help him.

Here’s the exact composition of the teams to date. Not all teams have yet formed a roster, so the list grows as more information becomes available. The team leader is in bold:

Ag2R La Mondiale: Tony Gallopin (Fra), François Bidard (Fra), Geoffrey Bouchard (Fra), Ben Gastauer (Lux), Jaakko Hänninen (Fin), Aurélien Paret-Peintre (Fra), Andrea Vendrame (Ita), Larry Warbasse (Usa).

Androni Toys — Sidermec: Mattia Bais (Ita), Alessandro Bisolti (Ita), Jefferson Cepeda (Ecu), Luca Chirico (Ita), Simon Pellaud (Sui), Simone Ravanelli (Ita), Jhonatan Restrepo (Col), Josip Rumac (Cro).

Astana Pro Team: Jakob Fuglsang (Den) , Manuele Boaro (Ita) , Rodrigo Contreras (Col), Fabio Felline (Ita), Jonas Gregaard (Den), Miguel Ángel López (Col), Óscar Rodríguez (Esp), Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus).

Bahrain — Mclaren: Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn), Enrico Battaglin (Ita), Pello Bilbao (Esp), Eros Capecchi (Ita), Domen Novak (Slo), Mark Padun (Ukr), Hermann Pernsteiner (Aut), Jan Tratnik (Slo).

Bora — Hansgrohe: Peter Sagan (Svk), Cesare Benedetti (Ita), Maciej Bodnar (Pol), Matteo Fabbro (Ita), Patrick Gamper (Aut), Patrick Konrad (Aut) , Rafał Majka (Pol), Paweł Poljański (Pol).

CCC Team: Ilnur Zakarin (Rus), Josef Černý (Cze), Víctor de la Parte (Esp), Kamil Gradek (Pol), Pavel Kochetkov (Rus), Kamil Małecki (Pol), Joey Rosskopf (Usa), Attila Valter (Hun).

Cofidis: Elia Viviani (Ita), Simone Consonni (Ita), Nicolas Edet (Fra), Nathan Haas (Aus), Jesper Hansen (Den), Mathias Le Turnier (Fra), Marco Mathis (Ger), Stéphane Rossetto (Fra)

Deceuninck — Quick-Step: João Almeida (Por), Davide Ballerini (Ita), Álvaro José Hodeg (Col), Mikkel Frølich Honoré (Den), Iljo Keisse (Bel), James Knox (Gbr), Fausto Masnada (Ita), Pieter Serry (Bel).

EF Pro Cycling: Sean Bennett (Usa), Jonathan Klever Caicedo (Ecu), Simon Clarke (Aus), Lawson Craddock (Usa), Ruben Guerreiro (Por), Tanel Kangert (Est), Lachlan Morton (Aus), James Whelan (Aus).

Groupama — FDJ: Arnaud Démare (Fra), Kilian Frankiny (Sui), Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita), Simon Guglielmi (Fra), Ignatas Konovalovas (Ltu), Miles Scotson (Aus), Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned), Benjamin Thomas (Fra).

Israel Start-Up Nation: Rudy Barbier (Fra), Matthias Brändle (Aut), Alexander Cataford (Can), Davide Cimolai (Ita), Alex Dowsett (Gbr), Daniel Navarro (Esp), Guy Sagiv (Isr), Rick Zabel (Ger).

Lotto Soudal: Carl Fredrik Hagen (Nor), Caleb Ewan (Aus), Roger Kluge (Ger), Jasper De Buyst (Bel), Matthew Holmes (Gbr), Kobe Goossens (Bel), Stefano Oldani (Ita), Adam Hansen (Aus).

Mitchelton — Scott: Jack Haig (Aus), Simon Yates (Gbr), Edoardo Affini (Ita), Brent Bookwalter (Usa), Lucas Hamilton (Aus), Michael Hepburn (Aus), Damien Howson (Aus), Christopher Juul-Jensen (Den), Cameron Meyer (Aus), Nick Schultz (Aus), Andrey Zeits (Kaz).

Movistar Team: Héctor Carretero (Esp), Dario Cataldo (Ita), Antonio Pedrero (Esp), Einer Augusto Rubio (Col), Sergio Samitier (Esp), Eduardo Sepúlveda (Arg), Albert Torres (Esp), Davide Villella (Ita).

NTT Pro Cycling Team: Louis Meintjes (Rsa), Victor Campenaerts (Bel), Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Eri), Ben O’connor (Aus), Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita), Matteo Sobrero (Ita), Dylan Sunderland (Aus), Danilo Wyss (Sui).

Team Ineos: Geraint Thomas (Gbr), Filippo Ganna (Ita), Salvatore Puccio (Ita), Jhonatan Narváez (Ecu), Eddie Dunbar (Irl), Sebastián Henao (Col), Iván Sosa (Col), Andrey Amador (Crc).

Team Jumbo — Visma: Steven Kruijswijk (Ned), Dylan Groenewegen (Ned), Christoph Pfingsten (Ger), Jos Van Emden (Ned), Tony Martin (Ger), Laurens De Plus (Bel), Koen Bouwman (Ned), Tobias Foss (Nor), Timo Roosen (Ned), Antwan Tolhoek (Ned).

Team Sunweb: Jai Hindley (Aus), Chris Hamilton (Aus), Casper Pedersen (Den), Martijn Tusveld (Ned), Michael Matthews (Aus), Sam Oomen (Ned), Wilco Kelderman (Ned), Nico Denz (Ger).

Trek — Segafredo: Vincenzo Nibali (Ita), Julien Bernard (Fra), Gianluca Brambilla (Ita), Giulio Ciccone (Ita), Nicola Conci (Ita), Koen De Kort (Ned), Jacopo Mosca (Ita), Pieter Weening (Ned), Antonio Nibali (Ita), Kenny Elissonde (Fra).

UAE Team Emirates: Diego Ulissi (Ita), Mikkel Bjerg (Den), Valerio Conti (Ita), Joe Dombrowski (Usa), Fernando Gaviria (Col), Brandon Mcnulty (Usa), Juan Sebastián Molano (Col), Maximiliano Richeze (Arg).

Vini Zabù Ktm: Giovanni Visconti (Ita), Simone Bevilacqua (Ita), Marco Frapporti (Ita), Lorenzo Rota (Ita), Matteo Spreafico (Ita), Etienne Van Empel (Ned), Luca Wackermann (Ita), Edoardo Zardini (Ita).

Famous Cyclists

Peter Sagan

Giro di Italy 2020 is interesting for one more reason. It’s the first time Peter Sagan will take part in the race. This is one of the 3—5 best and most popular cyclists in the world at the moment, who has never ridden Giro during his career. That’s because Sagan was focused on the Tour de France and various one-day races.

Brief information about Peter Sagan:

• From Slovakia.
• Born January 26, 1990 (30 years).
• Single.
• Rides for the German team Bora-Hansgrohe.
• Nicknames: “Peto”, “Peter The Great”, “Three-Pete”, “Tourminator”.
• Winner of the 12 stages of the Tour de France and four stages of the Vuelta of Spain.
• Winner of the Tour de France general points (sprint flat stages) classification seven times between 2012 and 2019.
• Three-time winner of the World Championships in cycling. In a row.
• Winner of the European Championships in cycling.
• Winner of prestigious one-day races also called “Monuments of Pro Cycling”: Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Gent-Wevelgem, E3 Harelbeke. It’s like winning a Giro, only on one day.

Other Famous Cyclists

Other best and famous cyclists who will ride Giro di Italy 2020 are Vincenzo Nibali (Ita), Geraint Thomas (Gbr), Rafal Majka (Pol), Simon Yates (Gbr), Sebastian Henao (Col), Andrey Amador (Crc), Tony Martin (Ger), Michael Matthews (Aus), Wilco Kelderman (Ned), Fernando Gaviria (Col), Diego Ulissi (Ita).

Teams and Riders by Country

Italian Teams and Cyclists

Alas, among the pro-tour teams on Tour of Italy 2020 there are no Italian teams. In the world of cycling in general few Italian teams, although cycling in Italy, and especially in northern mountain Italy in the Dolomites is the second most popular sport after football. I could say it for sure!

Well, except for the American team Trek-Segafredo, which is half sponsored by a famous Italian coffee producer.

However, in Giro di Italia 2020 there are three pro-continental Italian teams (this as the lowest division in football): Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec, Bardiani-CSF-Faizane and Vini Zabu-KTM. All three are UCI Professional Continental teams, which received an invitation to the race from the organizers.

Russian Teams and Cyclists

There is no Gazprom — Rusvelo team on Giro di Italy 2020. To date, it is the only Russian pro-tour team in the world peloton.

But there are Russian-speaking racers. A little later, their list will appear here.

Favorites of the Overall Standings (General Classification)

Peter Sagan is the most famous racer in this Giro di Italy, but he will not fight for the general classification, because he specializes in sprints and flat stages.

In the overall standings, in Giro traditionally wins two types of racers:

1. short and lightweight (up to 70 kg) cyclists, who can ride in the high mountains;
2. tall, also lightweight and in the same time universal cyclists, who can win any stage, including some sprints, especially — individual time trial races.

So both they accumulate a time gap in the overall standings: going far away from the other riders in the mountains and faster finish in races for time.

There are two main favorites (contenders) of the overall first place in Giro 2020:

Vincenzo Nibali, an Italian cyclist from Trek — Segafredo team, who will try to win it for the third time (2013, 2016). He also fought for the main prize last year, taking second place. In total, Nibali became the second at Giro twice and the same number of times — the third, winning a total of nine stages of the race.

He also won once la Vuelta a Espana (2010) and the Tour de France (2014) — all three Grand Tours — among only six riders in the world. Today, he’s the biggest star of Italian cycling and one of 3—5 start of the world’s cycling togethter with Peter Sagan, Chris Froom, Nairo Kintana and others.

Geraint Thomas, the British rider of the Ineos team, unexpected winner of the Tour de France 2018, including three stages. Then he won it for the first time, it is his first Giro di Italy. British riders (and its main team Ineos, formerly Sky — strongest and richest in the cycling) have been considered favorites in recent years since the Tour de France won the Brandy Wiggins, and then — four times — Chris Froome.

Thomas also won other important stage races such as Criterium du Dauphine (2018), Paris–Nice (2016), Bayern–Rundfahrt (2011, 2014), Volta ao Algarve (2015, 2016), Tour of the Alps (2017), and one-day races and Classics, for example — E3 Harelbeke (2015).

Other riders, who will compete with the two main contenders — at least in separate mountain stages and individual races for the time: Steven Kruijswijk, Simon Yates, Jakob Fuglsang, Remco Evenepoel, Rafal Majka.

Giro d’Italia 2020: Winner and Other Results

Stage Winners
Leader of the General Classification (Pink Jersey)
Categories Leaders (Other Jerseys)
Winner
Top 3
Categories Winners (Jerseys)
Top 10
Overall Standings (General Classification)
Trofeo Fast Team

Stage Winners

Again: at each stage of the Giro di Italia and other Grand Tours there is only one winner, the second and third place winners are not awarded.

Winning the Giro di Italia stage is considered very prestigious — how to win a prestigious one-day bike race: for example, Milan — San Remo or Lombardy. To win the whole Giro is very prestigious. Winning Pink Grand Tour more than once is like putting up a monument to yourself in life.

The winners of the Giro 2020 stages:

1. Filippo Ganna (Ita, Ineos)
2. Jonathan Caicedo, Ef Pro Cycling
3. Arnaud Demare, Groupama — Fdj
4. Filippo Ganna, Ineos Grenadiers
5. Arnaud Demare, Groupama — Fdj
6. Arnaud Demare, Groupama — Fdj

Leader of the General Classification (Pink Jersey)

The jersey of the leader of the overall standings of Giro is pink — like the colors of the Gazette della Sport. Usually the rider wear it to half of the race if he captures and does not let go of the leadership, but may not wear it even a day. For example, it may happen because the final stage of the race of this year — an individual time trial race. Everything can change on the last day.

The leader of the general classification will be known as soon as the Giro starts.

Categories Leaders (Other Jerseys)

In addition to the pink leader’s jersey, there are three more jerseys on Giro di Italia in three other important categories:

• Cyclamen jersey (мaglia ciclamino) — best sprinter, or flat stages rider.
• Blue jersey (maglia azzurra) — best racer of the hilly and mountain stages.
• White jersey (maglia bianca) — best young racer under 25 years of age.

The leader is not determined by adding up the time, but by collecting points for winning the stages and intermediate finishes in the stages.

The winner in the overall standings for one of these categories is also very prestigious, but not like winning the whole race.

Winner

At each stage, organizers and referees of the Giro di Italia counts the time that riders have spent on the route. It sums up with each new stage. The overall standings of the whole race is won by the rider who will reach the finish line the fastest by the sum of 21 stages.

The winner of Giro di Italia 2020 will be known at the end of the race: it can happen both in advance — a few stages before the end, and before the last “Stage of Friendship”, where riders usually do not compete, but just reach the finish line. The winning team drinks champagne right on the move on bikes.

The first winner of the race was Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna. Three riders at once had the most victories — 5 each: Alfredo Binda (Ita), Fausto Coppi (Ita) and Eddy Merckx (Bel). The winner of Giro 2019 is Richard Carapaz (Ecu).

Categories Winners (Jerseys)

The info will appear on October 25th.

Top 3

The info will appear on October 25th.

Top 10

The info will appear on October 25th.

Overall Standings (General Classification)

The info will appear on October 25th.

Winning Team (Trofeo Fast Team)

In addition to an individual victory in the Giro (which is still a team by fact), there is also a separate team classification. It is also called the “Trofeo Fast Team”. It has existed since the very first race in 1909. The winning team is formed by adding the time of the top three drivers.

The winners from 2010 to 2019: Liquigas-Doimo, Astana, Lampre-ISD, Team Sky, Ag2r — La Mondiale, Astana, Astana, Movistar Team, Team Sky, Movistar.

The winner of 2020 “Trofeo Fast Team” will also be announced on October 25.

Giro d’Italia 2020: Where to Watch

TV Coverage
Online Streaming (Online Free)
Regions and Cities

You can watch Giro from any place in the world, including, Italy, in three main ways:

TV Coverage (Live Broadcasting)

Usually Giro di Italia is watched on TV at home or in a bar, what is very popular to do in Italy. You can watch the race on local or international television channels of all five continents in 198 countries, as 790 million people do every year.

• If you’re in Italy, San Marino or the Vatican, watch the race on the main Italian television channel RAI Sport, or the main European sports channel Eurosport.
• You can also watch the race at Eurosport in almost all European countries: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Finland and others.
• In France, the race will also be shown on La Chaine L’Equipe TV channel. In the Netherlands, watch Giro di Italy 2020 at NPO1. In Spain, on the local TV channel ETB. In Switzerland, on SRG SSR and RSI LA 2. In Wales, UK — on S4C.
• Giro d’Italia 2020: TV Coverage USA and Canada is FUBO and FloBikes TV channels, in Mexico — TDN channel.
• In most South American countries ESPN shows the race.
• In China — Zhibo.tv, in Japan — GCN, in South Korea and other Asian countries — Eurosport.
• In the Middle East on Abu Dhabi Sports.
• In Russia and other Russian-speaking countries there is also Eurosport.
• Giro d’Italia 2020 TV Coverage Australia is also Eurosport, and Giro d’Italia 2020 TV Coverage New Zealand is SKY Sport NZ.
• In South Africa — Supersport. In other African countries — Abu Dhabi Sports or Eurosport.

Online Streaming (Online Free)

Most TV channels have sites where you can watch the race online. To watch it for free is unlikely to work — you need a subscription.

You can watch the race online from any country in the world on the site of the TV channel Eurosport. The subscription is different for each country — the site will automatically redirect you to the local version. In Russia, for example, a monthly subscription costs 4 euros, and a year — 20 euros. But in Europe or the USA it can be more expensive.

You can watch the race online on your computer, iPad, smartphone.

Regions and Cities

If in October 2020 you will be in Italy, the best way to watch the race, in addition to TV and the Internet, is, of course, to watch it live in cities and towns. Totally 5 main regions and 541 cities involved in this year Giro by the official information.

Regions

The Grand Tour is a unique marketing opportunity to promote the whole country: regions, cities, towns, villages, as well as individual man-made and natural attractions. Bicycle races are watched by millions of people around the world. It is inspire people to do sports, to go outdoors. They go to where Giro, Tour and Vuelta have been, amateur cyclists — especially.

Giro 2020 will take place in five main regions of Italy (from south to north). This is what the organizers themselves write about them on the official website:

Sicily

“An unforgettable holiday experience comprising food and wine tours, unique masterworks of art, nine Unesco sites, three active volcanoes, snow-capped mountains and a wonderful sea.”

Cities and main sights to visit: Taormina, Ragusa Ibla, Scala dei Turchi, Aeolian Islands, Syracuse and the island of Ortigia, Palermo, Agrigento and the Valley of the Temple, Noto, Lampedusa, San Vito Lo Capo and the Zingaro Reserve.

Official tourist sites:

• http://www.visitsicily.info
• http://www.italia.it/en/discover-italy/sicily.html

Emilia Romagna

“You’ll really be spoilt for choice! There are 10 different cities of art waiting to be discovered, each with its own unique character and enchanting atmosphere — veritable treasure troves of history and culture.”

Cities and main sights to visit: Motor Valley (Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Ducati, Pagani and Dallara), Piacenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, Ferrara, Ravenna, Faenza, Forlì, Cesena, Rimini, Via Francigena.

Official tourist sites:

• https://www.visitromagna.it
• http://www.italia.it/en/discover-italy/emilia-romagna.html

Piedmont

“Every journey is an event… 365 days a year! In Piedmont we really are spoiled for choice when it comes to art and architecture, history and culture, legend and tradition, and natural beauty.”

Cities and main sights to visit: Turin (National Museum of Cinema, National Automobile Museum), Savoy Residences, Sacred Mountains, Langhe, Roero, Monferrato.

Official tourist sites:

• https://www.visitpiemonte.com/en/homepage
• http://www.italia.it/en/discover-italy/piedmont.html

Friuli Venezia Giulia

“A promised land for cycling lovers. Conveniently located as a point of connection between the Alps and the Adriatic coast, the region offers a wide array of stunning and fast-changing landscapes.”

Cities and main sights to visit: Carnia, Monte Zoncolan, Tarvisio, Alpe Adria cycle route (including three Unesco sites: Cividale del Friuli, Palmanova, Aquileia), Pordenone, Piancavallo, Dolomiti Friulane, Udine, Friuli Collinare castles, San Daniele del Friuli, Gorizia, Trieste, Carso, Grado, Lignano, Adriabike route,

Official tourist sites:

• http://www.turismofvg.it
• http://www.italia.it/en/discover-italy/friuli-venezia-giulia.html

Veneto

“Everything you can ask for and dream about; it is a dream that never ends, and if you want to dream, you only have to visit it. History, culture, art, geographical location make this Region a World Region.”

Cities and main sights to visit: Venice (Murano glass, Burano lace), Verona, Vicenza, Padua, Treviso, Castelfranco, Lake Garda, Montagnana, Euganean Hills, Valdobbiadene, Dolomites.

Official tourist sites:

• https://www.veneto.eu/EN/newHome
• http://www.italia.it/en/discover-italy/veneto.html

Giro d’Italia 2020: Cities, Towns and Villages

This is the list of all major cities, towns and villages, as well as mountains, passes and other important locations, through which Giro 2020 will pass:

1. Montreal — Palermo, 2. Alcano — Santa Ninfa — Castelvetrano — Porto Empedocle — Agrigento, 3. Enna — Zafferana Etnea — Linguaglossa, 4. Catania — Francavilla di Sicilia — Portella Mandrazzi — Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto — Villafranca Tirrena, 5. Mileto — Catanzaro Lido — Catanzaro — Tirollo — Cosenza — Valico di Montescuro — Camigliatello Silano, 6. Castrovillari — San Severino Lucano — Craco—Peschiera — Millotta — Matera, 7. Matera — Taranto — Grottaglie — Brindisi, 8. Giovinazzo — Mandredonna — Monte Santa’Angelo — La Guardiola — Vieste, 9. San Salvo — Guardiagrelle — Passo Lanciano — Passo San Leonardo — Bosco di Sant’Antonio — Rivisondoli — Roccaraso, 10. Lanciano — Chieti — Giulianova — Tortoreto — Controguerra, 11. Porto Sant’Elpidio — Pesaro — Monte San Bartolo — Coriano — Rimini, 12. Cesenatico — Ciola — Barbotto — Perticara — NovaFeltria — Madonna di — Pugliano — San Giovanni in Galilea — Savignano sul Rubicone, 13. Cervia — Rovigo — Galzignano Terme — Roccolo — Calaone — Monselice, 14. Conegliano — Muro di Can’ Del Poggio — Pieve di Soglio — Col San Martino — Valdobbiadene, 15. Base Area Rivolto (Frecce Tricolori) — Sella Chianzutan — Villa Santina — Forcella di Monte Rest — Poffabro — Forcella di Pala Barzana — Piancavallo, 16. Udine — Madonna del Domm — Monte Spig — Cividale del Friuli — Monteaperta — Monte di Ragogna — Castello di Susans — San Daniele del Friuli, 17. Bassano del Grappa — Forcella Valbona — Monte Bondone — Ponte Arche — Passo Durone — Caderzone Terme — Madonna di Campiglio, 18. Pinzolo — Campo Carlo Magno — Hofmandjoch P. Castrin — Prato allo Stelvio — Passo Stelvio — Isolaccia Valdidentro — Torri del Fraele — Laghi do Cancano (Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio), 19. Morbegno — Vigevano — Masio — Asti, 20. Alba — Brossadco — Colle dell’Agnello — Col d’Izoard — Briancon — Montgenevre — Sestriere, 21. Cernusco sul Naviglio — Milano.

All medium and small towns, and villages could be found on the race map in the stage profiles.

Giro d’Italia 2020: Official Links

Giro d’Italia official website:
https://www.giroditalia.it

Official App:

• Giro d’Italia app for iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/giro-ditalia/id522688460
• Giro d’Italia app for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gazetta.it.giro&hl=en

Official Social Media

• https://www.facebook.com/giroditalia
• https://twitter.com/giroditalia
• https://www.instagram.com/giroditalia
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe10BxbsFg9Kbmkg-ean_Dg

Archive with photos and videos from the every stage over the 2019 — 2014:
http://archivio.giroditalia.it/eng/gallery-list/?fltr=images&yr=2019

Official Store:
https://www.sportler.com/it/lp/sport_giro_store

Giro d’Italia’s Page on Gazetta dello Sport in Italian:
https://www.gazzetta.it/Giroditalia

Giro d’Italia page on Velolive.com — the main website in Russian:
https://velolive.com/velo_race/giro

Giro d’Italia 2020: Giro and Other Grand Tours (Conclusion)

Among the other Grand Tours, Giro di Italy is considered the second most important after the Tour de France, but many believe that Giro, not the Tour, is the main race.

The main reason: it is more complex and beautiful than the Tour or the Vuelta, because of the harsher weather in spring and the decisive stages in the Dolomites at an altitude of 3000 meters. Overcoming the Dolomites is more difficult than the French Alps or the Pyrenees in Spain.

The Dolomites are called the most beautiful mountains in the world, and Italy is one of the most beautiful countries.

That’s what I think, too.

Have a good watch of Giro d’Italia 2020 at home or a bar, or at a particular stage. Or better yet, ride your bike always and everywhere!

Updated on October 3, 2020

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Cover photo: official Giro d’Italia 2020 poster.

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