The start is scheduled for 3rd October from Monreale, arriving in Milan on 25th. It will be an unprecedented autumnal Giro d’Italia, with the uncertainty of the low temperatures at high altitude. Ursus is proud to support Bardiani CSF Faizané and Vini Zabù KTM.
September: The air is now cooler and tree leaves are starting to yellow. So everything is normal then? Well, generally yes, but not really for cycling. A calendar that has been upset by the world-wide medical emergency has in fact forced us to talk about the Giro d’Italia at a time which is usually reserved for news about cyclocross. None of us has ever experienced an autumnal Tour of Italy, so what should we expect from Giro d’Italia number 103? Let’s try to imagine it together.
TWO ITALIAN TEAMS WILL BE FITTED WITH URSUS RACING BIKE WHEELS
Having filed away the positive experience at the Tour de France alongside the Total Direct Energie Pro Cycling Team and after hosting the arrival of one leg of the Giro d’Italia U23 in our headquarters, we are returning to serve professionals with passion here at Ursus. We are doing so by actively taking part in the next Giro, during which we will be racing with a generous two Italian teams: The Bardiani CSF Faizané and the Vini Zabù KTM.
Both teams will be using Ursus racing bike wheels purpose-made for the event. They will be customised with the colours of the two teams, who will thus be able to rely on extremely high-end products, which are concurrently incredibly recognisable. It is obviously a great privilege for an Italian company to be able to take part in the iconic national cycling event as technical partner of two local concerns.
Find out which wheels the Ursus teams will be racing on at the Giro.
FROM SICILY TO MILAN
Unlike what we have been used to seeing these last few years, the Giro will start off within Italian borders. The town of Monreale was picked out for the mass-start stage, which is scheduled to welcome the tour on 3rd October to launch the first individual timed trial. After 15 km very fast, the Palermo finish line will decide the first pink jersey of edition number 103.
This will be followed during the next few days by a genuine tour of Sicily, which will lead our team-members to battle on the 150 km in classic style on the Alcamo-Agrigento road in stage 2 and on the subsequent, unprecedented, 150 km with the first uphill arrival in the charming setting of Etna. This will mark only the beginning of a long and insidious ascent of Italy towards Milan, the city where another individual timed trial will tell us who gets to raise their arms up in victory of the Corsa Rosa.
THE ALPINE SNARES
The menu of the Giro 103 includes three timed trials, five stages for pure sprinters, seven medium mountains stages, and a further seven high mountain stages. Indeed, the Alpine stages will constitute the toughest snares for the racers. Already tough by nature, the Stelvio and Sestriere climbs will in fact be tackled by the cyclists during the second half of October, with temperatures which it is easy to image will be very harsh and in addition with the uncertainty of snowfall just around the corner. Getting through these veritable “toils” unscathed will definitely require top physical and mental preparation.
Three stages to remember: discover them in detail in this article.
THE STARS
The tradition of the Giro tells us about the exploits of unforgettable champions such as Coppi, Merckx and Pantani, but which current stars will try to write their name in the Roll of Honour? Peter Sagan’s presence is definitely an event, as he will be at the start for the first time. To give the Slovakian histrionic a run for his money, other candidates the calibre of Fernando Gaviria and Caleb Ewan are taking part, but above all the Italian Elia Viviani, who has circled the Giro d’Italia in red on his calendar.
What about our boys? Bardiani CSF Faizané and Vini Zabù KTM will certainly not be content with merely making an appearance. The two Italian teams will be on the run looking for glory with a few attacks from afar. In this sense, the hopes for victory are laid on the expert Visconti (Vini Zabù KTM) and on the talented Tonelli (Bardiani CSF Faizané). Will our #gladiators manage to make us jump up from our sofas with glee? We addressed this with them in two video interviews in this article.
