Bike Week Blog

Giro D’Italia 2013

Consisting of 21 stages, and 3,454.8kms, the 96th Giro d’Italia kicked off this week! Here’s a brief overview of what we’ve seen so far; 

The Giro d’Italia was first held in 1909. Inspired by the success that French newspaper L’Auto had achieved with Tour de France, La Gazzetta dello Sport felt a need for an Italian tour. The race was a huge triumph for the paper and has grown dramatically from the original 127 riders to this year’s event, featuring over 200 riders from 30 countries.

Similar to Tour de France, the leader of Giro d’Italia wears the ‘magnolia rosa’ (pink jersey). Introduced in 1931, the jersey is the colour of the paper La Gazetta dello Sport printed on!

Argos-Shimano rider, Cheng Ji, made history in 2012 when he became the first Chinese cyclist to compete in Vuelta a Espana, helping to highlight the sport of cycling in China.  This year he is making history again by becoming the first Chinese cyclist to take part in Giro d’Italia, which has already attracted eight journalists from China, who have travelled over to cover the story. The 25 year old who is starting to make a name for himself, could be one to watch for the future. 

 British cycling hero Mark Cavendish won the first stage this year on 4th May and has gone on to win the 6th stage on 9th May. Cavendish dedicated his second win to Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt who tragically died in a crash two years ago during the 3rd stage. The two wins are not only a huge achievement for him, but also a fantastic step in promoting cycling and bringing the Giro d’Italia to the attention of British public.                                              

The 'Trofeo Senza Fine’ (Endless Trophy) is one of the most beautiful trophies around! However, we have been struggling to find out information about it! Do you know the reason behind the design or the history of it? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.

We wish all of the riders well for the remaining stages.

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