The presentation of the Giro is always the presentation of the Giro, even if for weeks now the route has been more or less the secret of pulcinella, spoilers are on the agenda and the social networks deal the decisive blow to the last strenuous attempts of confidentiality of the organizers.
Teatro Lirico di Milano, here it is the path. The comedian Paolo Kessisoglu, one who sees himself a mile who loves the bike, takes an amen to launch the most anticipated videos, those that present the fractions. And it is immediately clear that, apart from three fundamental milestones in the race between the south, the center and the Swiss Alps, the pink jersey will really be awarded with a thrilling finale in the North East.
Giro d’Italia 2023: on May 27 the Tarvisio-Monte Lussari, presented by Andrea Cainero
Filled with climbs, already known and also unpublished, history and memory, as only the Giro d’Italia, although light years away from the Tour, still knows how to do. A bit of Trentino, a lot of Veneto, an unprecedented hit and run in Friuli before the final in Rome, with Trieste cut off at the last minute with a lot of irritation from the president of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region.
It will be a tough, balanced Giro because, after years, it will open the doors to the time trialists who know how to go fast uphill. Out of the names then, because then they are the ones who always make the race. Remco Evenepoel, 22-year-old Belgian world champion and king of the Vuelta, Primoz Roglic, 32-year-old Slovenian, perhaps the Welsh Geraint Thomas, 37 years old but yellow jersey at the 2018 Tour, perhaps Egan Bernal, a 25-year-old Colombian who seeks rebirth after the scary accident. And also the Russian Alexander Vlasov, who has been on the launching pad for years.
Among those I want to avoid in the Tour the “babau” Vingegaard and especially Pogacar (Roglic, Vlasov), and those who try to level up (Evenepoel) or to be reborn (Bernal) could be a great Giro given the route. Departure from Abruzzo with a horn to Ortona of 18 km, just to sift through the ranking. Then to the south ascent of Lake Laceno and above all Gran Sasso from Campo Imperatore not to be underestimated.
So, in Romagna, the first real junction of the race: a 30 km time trial in Cesena. Very flat where the friends of the time could take so much advantage over the climbers. Who will have the first opportunity to put on a show in the Crans Montana stage. «This will already be a decisive stage», explains Vincenzo Nibali, he hung his bike from the gloss a week ago. Italian cycling is already missing because you look to the horizon and don’t even see the shadow of a rider in his class for stage races. “There is the Cima Coppi del Gran San Bernardo at 2,468 meters in the Italian-Swiss stage of Carns Montana, with also the ascent of Croix de Coeur and then the final steep: it’s a tough one, the watershed of the Giro”, explains the Shark.
Here it is the grand finale in the North East: after the Bergamo stage on Sunday 21 May, a classic route, on Tuesday 23, after the day of rest, there is the Bondone, the mountain of the Trentino people, the Charlie Gaul climb just to give a shot of history. Pergine Valsugana-Caorle for sprinters and then Oderzo-Val Zoldana with Cibiana. Be careful, everyone in the area knows it: that is a cursed climb, with very hard slopes.
And then the memory that is intertwined with sport: Longarone-Tre Cime di Lavaredo. «We thank RCS that also this year, as 10 years ago in Erto and Casso, gave us the opportunity to remember the victims of the Vajont. It is a source of pride to have organized a stage together with the Friuli Venzia Giulia Region ”, explains the mayor of Longarone Roberto Padrin. It’s nice that a cycling race remembers one of the worst pages in the history of Italy: the Giro is the biggest sporting event in Italy and paying homage to the victims of the tragedy is a wonderful thing. Among other things, Longarone will be the start of a very hard stage with legendary climbs such as Giau, Tre Corci and Te Cime di Lavaredo, ten years after Nibai’s achievement in the snow. «Here – continues the Shark – the stage of the Three Peaks will give another jump to the ranking. I remember that stage of 2013 as now, cold, snow, but unique, unforgettable emotions ».
Already Nibali, in 2013, before an Arctic disturbance struck on the Giro, which he would later win in Verona, won the time trial in Trentino. Here, the pink race will have the last jolt before the grand finale in Rome: the Lussari time trial. Ten kilometers of plains, courses on the Alpe Adria cycle path, and 8 of very hard ascent with long dirt tracks. «Well, I see someone like Roglic well there – closes the two-time winner of the Giro -. After 10 km I think the riders will pit stop leaving the time trial bike for the uphill one ». Just to add salt to the salt. The Shark looks at the map, perhaps a little melancholy: «This is a Giro very similar to those two I won, I would have liked to run it. It will be difficult for the riders to manage their energies ». The Australian Jai Hindley, the latest winner of the pink jersey, remembers his feat on the Marmolada, when in May he blew the bank by beating Carapaz, looking at the profile of the Dolomite stages and the time trial. But the Tour de France calls, after winning the pink race, the next step is to challenge those two, the Danish and the Slovenian take it all. Spectacular Giro d’Italia, full of history, naturally waiting for the Italians. And while in the hall they present, in the manner of the Sun King, the president of RCS Urbano Cairo, the former Italian city of Davide Cassani returns to earth: “It will take a while to have a rider capable of winning the Giro Ma i French have been waiting to resume their Tour since 1985 … In the meantime, let’s console ourselves, and to the greatest extent, with Ganna ».