News for November 21, 1999

Giro 2000 route

The 83rd edition of the Giro d'Italia was unveiled yesterday in Milan. The 3,707 km race comprises a prologue plus 21 stages, with two individual time trials along the way. There is one rest day planned at the halfway point on May 25th.

Director of la Gazzetta dello Sport (the race organisers), Candido Cannavo said of the Vatican start: "It's fitting that in a year in which there is this reference point for humanity, for a large part of humanity, that the Giro, which has such popular roots, should mark the event."

After leaving Rome, the Giro initially heads south before coming back to tackle the traditional Dolomites and Alps. The hardest stage is probably stage 14 (205 km) from Val Gardena to Bormio, taking in 3 mountain passes and over 2,500 m of climbing. The stage culminates with the 2,621 m Passo di Gavia, coming 25 km from the finish in Bormio. The stage will be made tougher by the fact that the riders will have covered another 3 passes on the previous day.

With the penultimate stage a 32 km Mountain ITT from Briancon to Sestrieres, the race will probably not be decided until the 2nd last day. 1999 winner, Ivan Gotti commented: "The stage (14) to Bormio looks tough and then there are the three final stages which will be difficult."

"A winner certainly won't emerge until after the time trial to Sestrieres," he said.

Pantani: not as hard

According to Marco Pantani, the Giro 2000 is an "easier" route than the 1999 year. The cyclist who was disqualified from this year's event was due to attend the launch, but a bout of sickness prevented his from being there.

He is intending on starting the Giro though, and qualified his statements by saying that "it's the riders who decide the outcome of the race. It's useless to talk about the descents and the ascents".

Route:

May 13  prologue   Vatican, Rome                 6 km
May 14  Stage 1    Rome to Terracina             125
May 15  Stage 2    Terracina to Maddaloni        225
May 16  Stage 3    Paestum to Scalea             177
May 17  Stage 4    Scalea to Matera              233
May 18  Stage 5    Matera to Peschici            232
May 19  Stage 6    Peschici to Vasto             170
May 20  Stage 7    Vasto to Teramo               171
May 21  Stage 8    Corinaldo to Prato            255
May 22  Stage 9    Prato to Abetone              140
May 23  Stage 10   San Marcello to Padova        257
May 24  Stage 11   Lignano to Bibione (ITT)       45
May 25  Rest day 
May 26  Stage 12   Bibione to Feltre             191
May 27  Stage 13   Feltre to Selva Val Gardena   195
May 28  Stage 14   Selva Val Gardena to Bormio   205
May 29  Stage 15   Bormio to Brescia             171
May 30  Stage 16   Brescia to Meda               102
May 31  Stage 17   Meda to Genoa                 224
June 1  Stage 18   Genoa to Pratonevoso          176
June 2  Stage 19   Saluzzo to Briancon           177
June 3  Stage 20   Briancon to Sestrieres (ITT)   32
June 4  Stage 21   Turin to Milan                198

Total distance: 3,707 kms

Major mountains:

Stage 2  Terracina-Maddaloni (225 km)
Monte Taburno, (1,016m) 16 km at 4% 
Durazzano, (355m) 5.5 km at 5.3%

Stage 8  Corinaldo-Prato (255 km)
Bocca Trabaria  (1,049m) 13.2 km at 4.4%
Valico DI Spino (1,055m) 12 km at 5.2%
Passo della Consuma (1,060m) 13 km at 5.2%

Stage 9  Prato-Abetone (140 km)
Prunetta (958m) 4 km at 5.45%
San Pellegrino in Alpe (1,524m) 12.6 km at 8.75%
Abetone (1,388m) 12 km at 5.1%

Stage 12  Bibione-Feltre (191 km)
Valico le Laste (1,075m) 14.7 km at 5.22% 

Stage 13  Feltre-Selva Gardena (195 km) 
Passo di Falzarego (2,105m) 16.4 km at 5.49%
Passo Fedaia (2,057m) 14.1 km at 7.51%
(The last 5.5 kms at 11.04 %)
Passo Sella (2,213m) 11,6 km at 6.45%

Stage 14  Selva Gardena-Bormio (205 km) 
Passo della Mendola (1,363m) 12.6 km at 6.84%
Passo del Tonale (1,883m) 10 km at 6.63%
Passo di Gavia (2,621m) 17.3 km at  7.88%
(The last 10.3  kms at 8.94 %)

Stage 18  Genova-Pratonevoso (176 km)
Colle di Melogno (1,028m) 16 km at 6.37%
Colle dei Giovetti (912m) 5.3 km at 5.53%
Pratonevoso (1.615m) 11 km at 8.86%

Stage 19  Saluzzo-Briançon  (177 km)
Colle dell'Agnello (2,748m) 22.4 km at 6.54%
(The last 9.4  kms at 9.72 %)
Col d'Izoard (2,361m) 14.7 km at 7.07%

Stage 20  Briançon-Sestrieres (32 km)
Col de Montgenevre (1,850m) 8.5 km at 6.28%
Sestrieres (2,035m) 13 km at 5.24%

Lance Armstrong scores Coppi trophy

U.S. cyclist Lance Armstrong (USPS) has been awarded the Fausto Coppi trophée for the best effort of the 1999 season. The winner of this year's Tour de France was given the award in recognition of his remarkable achievement after not only surviving testicular cancer, but returning to race at the highest level.