2013 Giro d'Italia Race Preview
The details of this year's 2013 Giro d'Italia are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The 2013 Giro d'Italia promises to be one of the most eagerly anticipated editions of the Italian Grand Tour in recent memory, with a startlist packed full of genuine contenders and a route that looks set to test the very best climbers in the peloton over three weeks of punishing racing.
The race gets underway in Naples with a team time trial, giving the assembled squads an early opportunity to gain precious seconds before the action moves into the mountains. The early stages wind through southern Italy before the race heads north, but it is the later mountain stages that will truly decide who lifts the trophy in Brescia on the final day.
The route features an abundance of high-altitude climbing, with several summit finishes that will separate the contenders from those merely hoping to survive. The Tre Cime di Lavaredo makes a dramatic return to the race in the closing stages, providing what promises to be a decisive battleground in the final week. The sheer brutality of that climb, combined with the cumulative fatigue of nearly three weeks of racing, means that only the strongest and most complete riders will be in contention when it matters most.
Among the favourites, Rider Brad Wiggins has withdrawn through injury, which opens the door for a number of strong climbers. Vincenzo Nibali enters as a home favourite and will have the crowd firmly behind him, while Cadel Evans brings experience and tactical nous. The Colombian Rigoberto Uran has shown remarkable form and could be a surprise package, and the Russian Denis Menchov is another rider capable of challenging for the overall honours.
This looks set to be a Giro remembered for a long time.
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