The biggest women stage race in the world will start from Giovinazzo and end the 7th July in Cremona. Eight stage and 795 km to go from Puglia to Lombardy. The first stage from Giovinazzo (BA) to Margherita di Savoia (BAT) will cover the same route of the 6th one of men Giro d’Italia won by Nibali and like the 2nd held in Pontecagnano Faiano (SA) should finish with a group sprint. The 3rd in Cerro al Volturno (IS) will be raced exactly on the same roads where Noemi Cantele won in 2009, unfortunately the last Italian stage winner won’t start because of a virus. In the province of Ancona will be held the longest stage of this edition from Monte San Vito to Castelfidardo, the day after in Liguria we’ll see the „queen stage“ from Varazze to Monte Beigua (SV). Talking about the 6th stage everybody was waiting the local champion Elisa Longo Borghini, out of the race because of the injury she had during the National Championships. From Terme Di Premia to San Domenico the rider from Piemonte, bronze medal in Valkenburg, for sure would have fight at least for the stage victory. Stage number 7 will take place in Corbetta (MI) and will be the last occasion for the strong sprinters in the race, like the double Word Champion Giorgia Bronzini. The last day is dedicated to time trial specialists with a 16 km TT in the centre of Cremona.
20 teams, 151 riders (55 young) and 29 countries at the start, with 25 National Champions: Lucinda Brand (road Holland), Eleonora Van Dijk (TT Holland), Pauline Ferrand Prevot (TT France), Dalia Muccioli (road Italy), Tatiana Guderzo (TT Italy), Alena Amialiusik (road and TT Belarus), Doris Schweizer (road Switzerland), Patricia Schwager (TT Switzerland), Jessie Daams (TT Belgium), Linda Melanie Villumsen (TT New Zealand), Ashleigh Moolman (road and TT South Africa), Tatiana Antoshina (TT Russia), Trixi Worrack (road Germany), Carmen Small (TT USA), Inga Cilvinaite (road and TT Lithuania), Ingrid Drexel (road and TT Mexico), Emilia Fahlin (TT Sweden), Serika Guluma Ortiz (road Colombia), Lorena Vargas Villamil (TT Colombia), Liisi Rist (road and TT Estonia), Ane Sansteban Gonzalez (road Spain), Anna Sanchis Chafer (TT Spain), Polona Batagelj (road Slovenia), Gracie Elvin (road Australia), Shara Gillow (TT Australia). With number 1 will start the Word and Olimpic Champion Marianne Vos, the Holland star who won the last two Giro Rosa editions. For the pink jersey will fight for sure former winners like Fabiana Luperini (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2008), Claudia Hausler (2009), Mara Abbott (2010) and strong riders like Evelyn Stevens, last year 3rd.
From tomorrow Raisport2 will daily dedicate 50 minutes to Giro Rosa from 8 pm and repeat showing in the late evening, as well as a brief 5-minute appointment on Rai3 channel at the end of Tour de France live. For those who at that time will not be able to tune in or to connect to Raisport live streaming (www.raisport.rai.it), they still can follow the race through Giro Rosa official page on facebook (www.facebook.com/girorosa2013) and on twitter (twitter.com/GiroRosa2013).
All details about the race (stages, teams, jerseys, rules, schedule, hall of fame, accreditation form) are available on the official website www.girorosa.it, which will constantly be updated with daily classifications, photos, videos and best riders’ quotes.