94th Giro dItaly, Belluno 2011

From 22 May 2011 to 25 May 2011

Like every year, spring brings back the scent of sport and competitions and in Italy the most awaited event at this time of the year is the beginning of the Giro dItalia, the sporting event that has made Italy well known around the world and brought fame to the distinctive Maglia RosaThis year sees the 94th competition start on May 7th, with riders beginning their pedalling feat at Venaria Reale (TO) and continuing across the country to the finish line in Milan on 29th May. The event will be followed by 22 international TV channels, covering 160 nations, with 123 broadcasting live.

An important role within the competition is played by the stages crossing the Veneto Region, where the pink peloton will spend four consecutive days. Three important sections of the competition are surrounded by the characteristic landscape of the mountain areas between Conegliano, Belluno and Feltre in their full spring splendour. Noteworthy amongst the stages is the arduous hill time trial on the Nevegal, the most interesting event for all cycling aficionados.

The first date is on May 22nd, when the 15th stage will set off from Conegliano to take riders over the two steep climbs of Monte Zoncolan and Cima Crostis and finally into the heart of the Dolomites in the beautiful bowl shaped valley of Gardeccia in Val di Fassa.

Things will heat up on Tuesday 24th May with the start of the 16th stage Belluno-Nevegal, the eagerly awaited day of the mountain time trial that will surely have an effect on the general classification of the Giro dItalia: a difficult stage for the riders but a dramatic one for the spectators. Riders will set off one at a time and the public will be able to follow the cyclists efforts along the road that climbs up to Castion and finally onto the top of Nevegal.

The Giro d'Italia has not crossed these landscapes for almost fifty years, and this is therefore a great event, made possible thanks to outstanding team work and a strong synergy between local authorities and private institutions of the area, and it will surely go down in the annals of the history of the Veneto Region.Wednesday 25th May the Veneto Region will see the Giro off with the start of the 27th stage, from the noble town centre of Feltre (BL along a 230 km long route (the longest single section of the race) to the arrival in Valtellina, in the proximity of Tirano (SO).

This is an event of great importance for our region, which has already proved to be the extraordinary winner of the Giro for the desire of putting its capabilities in the game for the promotion the magnificent natural landscapes of our mountains.