The route departs from Monreale on October 3rd and reaches Milan on the 25th. It will be an unprecedented autumn Giro, with the uncertainties of low temperatures at high altitude. Ursus is proud to support Bardiani CSF Faizané and Vini Zabù KTM.
September: The air is getting cooler and the leaves are starting to turn yellow. Is everything normal then? Generally speaking, yes, but not so much for cycling. A calendar disrupted by the global health emergency leads us to discuss the Giro d'Italia during a time usually reserved for cyclocross news. None of us have ever experienced an autumn Corsa Rosa, so what can we expect from Giro number 103? Let's try to imagine it together.
Two Italian teams will install Ursus racing bike wheels.
Following our positive experience at the Tour de France alongside the Total Direct Energie Pro Cycling Team and having hosted the finish line of a stage of the U23 Giro d'Italia at our headquarters, we at Ursus are passionately returning to serving professionals. We're doing so by actively participating in the upcoming Giro, where we'll be racing with two Italian teams: Bardiani CSF Faizané and Vini Zabù KTM .
Both teams will be using Ursus racing wheels made specifically for the event. They will be customized with the colors of the two teams, allowing them to rely on top-of-the-line, incredibly recognizable products. It's clearly a great privilege for an Italian company to participate in the iconic national cycling event as a technical partner of two local companies.
Find out what wheels the Ursus team will be racing with in the Giro.
FROM SICILY TO MILAN
Contrary to what we've seen in recent years, the Giro will kick off within Italy's borders. The city of Monreale has been chosen for the grand start, which on October 3rd will welcome the pink caravan to launch the first individual time trial. After a very fast 15 km, the finish line in Palermo will decide the first pink jersey of the 103rd edition.
A full-blown tour of Sicily will follow in the following days, with our riders battling it out over the 150 km classic-style route from Alcamo to Agrigento on stage 2, and the subsequent, unpredictable 150 km with the first uphill finish on the breathtaking Mount Etna. This will only be the beginning of a long and treacherous climb up the peninsula towards Milan, where another individual time trial will decide who will raise their arms to the sky in victory in the Corsa Rosa.
ALPINE THREATS
The 103rd Giro d'Italia's menu includes three time trials, five for pure sprinters, seven medium-mountain stages, and another seven high-mountain stages. The Alpine stages will present the greatest challenges for the riders. Already extremely challenging in themselves, the Stelvio and Sestriere climbs will be tackled in the second half of October, with temperatures that are easily imagined to be freezing, and with the possibility of snow just around the corner. To emerge unscathed from these truly demanding stages will undoubtedly require top-notch physical and mental preparation.
Three steps to remember: discover them in detail in this article.
THE PROTAGONISTS
The Giro's tradition tells of the exploits of unforgettable champions like Coppi, Merckx, and Pantani, but which of the current protagonists will try to write their name into the roll of honor? The presence of Peter Sagan, who will be competing for the first time, is certainly an event. Among the other contenders to give the histrionic Slovakian a run for his money are cyclists of the caliber of Fernando Gaviria and Caleb Ewan, but above all, Italian Elia Viviani, who has circled his appointment with the Giro d'Italia in red.
And our boys? Bardiani CSF Faizané and Vini Zabù KTM certainly won't settle for a supporting role. The two Italian teams will be on the run, seeking glory with some long-distance attacks. Their hopes for victory rest with the experienced Visconti (Vini Zabù KTM) and the talented Tonelli (Bardiani CSF Faizané). Will our #gladiators be able to get us off the couch? We talked to them about it in two video interviews included in this article .
