Giro d’Italia 2021 route unveiled: “We want to leave a great impression and to win a stage”
Giro d’Italia 2021
From 8 to 30 May
This Wednesday afternoon the route of the Giro d’Italia 2021 was presented, a race that will take place between May 8 and 30 and in which the EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team will take part for the first time. The Corsa Rosa, as already announced weeks ago, will have its Grande Partenza in Piemonte with three stages in this region. The start will take place in Turin, with a 9 kilometres individual time trial, and another day against the clock will close this edition, 29,4 kilometres between Senago and Milan.
In the race, on a total route of 3,450 kilometres, a varied proposal in terms of orography, with several days of demanding mountainous terrain and a particularly tough final week. The passage through the Marche and Abruzzo will begin the selection of the race. Between Saturday 22nd, the fourteenth stage with the finish on Monte Zoncolan, and the final time trial, eight very tough days with four mountain finishes (Zoncolan, Stage 14; Sega di Ala, Stage 17; Alpe di Mera, Stage 19; and Alpe Motta, Stage 20) and another day of high mountains and more than 5,500 metres of accumulated altitude gain with the finish in Cortina d’Ampezzo (Stage 16).
“The Giro is always the Giro. We are looking forward to it with great enthusiasm. The Giro is always a very important race for Italians, it has a long history and is part of the history of cycling: to be present at this stage is a great source of pride for everyone. For a cyclist, for a director, for a mechanic and above all for the sponsors. As always, the route is difficult to interpret, nothing can be taken for granted and the Italian territory is very varied: we have narrow roads, small villages, many mountains…”, explains Stefano Zannatta. The EOLO-KOMETA director is a great connoisseur of the race: he has competed in nine editions of the race as a rider, supporting Gianni Bugno in his victory in 1990, and as director of Liquigas he has managed the overall victories of Danilo di Luca (2007) and Ivan Basso (2010).
“You can never allow yourself to ride calmly in the middle of the bunch: you have to take everything into account, keep your attention high from the first day, with this short time trial stage that can already make differences that can weigh at the end of the Giro. As always, the last week will be the most difficult, with the arrival at the Zoncolan and the Alpe di Mera. These are important climbs. And we can’t forget the stage finishing in Cortina, with all the Dolomite passes before it”, adds Zanatta.
Asked about the expectations of the EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team for its first participation in the Giro d’Italia, the Veneto-born man emphasizes: “I think that the least we can do is to try to win a stage, looking carefully at the routes and studying each day carefully to find the right riders. I think we have a good chance to make a good impression and to be worthy of this invitation from the organisers. There are many intermediate stages where those who want to show off can do so. And we have to be among them. Our duty will be to prove the organisers’ choice right and to give a good image of the team by working to the maximum and trying to lead our riders to win a stage”.
[ Atila Madrona (1)]
