The Giro d'Italia is an annual multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 1909 to increase sales of the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, and the race is still run by a subsidiary of that paper's owner. The race has been held annually since its first edition in 1909, except during the two world wars. As the Giro gained prominence and popularity the race was lengthened, and the peloton expanded from primarily Italian participation to riders from all over the world. The Giro is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams that compete in the race are mostly UCI WorldTeams, with some additional teams invited as 'wild cards'.
The 2004 Giro d'Italia was the 87th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It began in Genoa with a 6.9 km (4.3 mi) prologue. The race came to a close with a 133 km (82.6 mi) mass-start road stage that stretched from Clusone to Milan. Nineteen teams entered the race that was won by the Italian Damiano Cunego of the Saeco team. Second and third were the Ukrainian Serhiy Honchar and Italian Gilberto Simoni.
The 2005 Giro d'Italia was the 88th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It began in Reggio Calabria with a 1.15 km (0.7 mi) prologue. The race came to a close with a 119 km (73.9 mi) mass-start road stage that stretched from Albese con Cassano to Milan. Twenty two teams entered the race that was won by the Italian Paolo Savoldelli of the Discovery Channel team. Second and third were the Italian Gilberto Simoni and Venezuelan José Rujano.
La Gazzetta dello Sport is an Italian daily newspaper dedicated to coverage of various sports. Founded in 1896, it is the most widely read daily newspaper of any kind in Italy.
The 2006 Giro d'Italia was the 89th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It began in the Belgian city of Seraing with a 6.2 km (3.9 mi) individual time trial. The race came to a close with a 140 km (87.0 mi) mass-start road stage that stretched from Museo del Ghisallo to Milan. Twenty two teams entered the race that was won by the Italian Ivan Basso of the Team CSC team. Second and third were the Spain José Enrique Gutiérrez and Italian Gilberto Simoni.
The 1909 Giro d'Italia was the 1st edition of the Giro d'Italia, organized and sponsored by the italian major sport newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. The event began in Milan on 13 May with a 397 km (247 mi) first stage to Bologna, finishing back in Milan on 30 May after a final stage of 206 km (128 mi) and a total distance covered of 2,447.9 km (1,521 mi). The race was won by the Italian rider Luigi Ganna of the Atala team, with fellow Italians Carlo Galetti and Giovanni Rossignoli coming in second and third respectively.
The 1959 Giro d'Italia was the 42nd running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tour races. The Giro started in Milan, on 16 May, with a 135 km (83.9 mi) stage and concluded back in Milan, on 7 June, with a 220 km (136.7 mi) leg. A total of 120 riders from 15 teams entered the 20-stage race, which was won by Luxembourgian Charly Gaul of the EMI team. The second and third places were taken by Frenchman Jacques Anquetil and Italian Diego Ronchini, respectively.
The 1913 Giro d'Italia was the fifth edition of the Giro d'Italia, a Grand Tour organized and sponsored by the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. The race began on 6 May in Milan with a stage that stretched 341 km (212 mi) to Genoa, finishing back in Milan on 22 May after a 321.1 km (200 mi) stage and a total distance covered of 2,932 km (1,822 mi). The race was won by the Italian rider Carlo Oriani of the Maino team. Second and third respectively were the Italian riders Eberardo Pavesi and Giuseppe Azzini.
The 2012 Giro d'Italia began on 5 May, and stage 11 occurred on 16 May. The 2012 edition began with an individual time trial stage – where each member of the starting peloton of 198 riders competed against the clock – in Herning, Denmark with two more stages held in the country before an early rest day. The riders then travelled by air to Italy, with the race resuming in Verona and a team time trial, an event where each member of a team started together racing against the clock.
The 2013 Roma Maxima was the 75th edition of the Italian semi-classic cycle race previously known as Giro del Lazio. The Giro del Lazio has not been raced since 2008, and the 2013 edition was the first one with the new name.
The 2013 Giro del Trentino was the 37th edition of the Giro del Trentino cycling stage race. It started on 16 April in Lienz (Austria) and ended on 19 April in Sega di Ala. The race, that was officially presented on 8 April in Trento, consisted of four stages, with the first one divided into two half-stages.
The 2013 Giro d'Italia began on 4 May, and stage 11 occurred on 15 May. The 2013 edition began with a road stage, for the first time since 2003, around Naples before a team time trial took place the following day on the island of Ischia. The rest of the opening half of the race – remaining within Italy for the duration – consisted of medium-mountain stages, save for two categorised flat stages and the first of two individual time trials during the event; the 54.8 km (34.1 mi)-long eighth stage between Gabicce Mare and Saltara, where each remaining member of the starting peloton of 207 riders competed against the clock.
Stage 12 of the 2013 Giro d'Italia was contested on 16 May, and the race concluded on 26 May. The second half of the race was almost entirely situated within Italy; it started with a categorised flat stage from Longarone to Treviso, before four mountain stages – as well as a mountainous individual time trial between Mori and Polsa – en route to the finish in Brescia, where the race concluded with a road stage for the first time since 2007. The race also crossed over into France during the fifteenth stage, ending with a summit finish on the Col du Galibier. After the second rest day of the race, the peloton returned to Italy in the following stage, from Valloire in France to Ivrea.
The 2014 Giro del Trentino is the 38th edition of the Giro del Trentino cycling stage race. It started on 22 April in Riva del Garda and will end on 25 April on the top of Monte Bondone. The race will consist of four stages; it started with a team time trial on the same route of the first stage in the 2012 edition of the race, and will end on Monte Bondone for the queen stage. The race was part of the 2014 UCI Europe Tour, and was rated as a 2.HC event.
The 2014 Giro d'Italia began on 9 May, and stage 21 occurred on 1 June.
The 2015 UCI Europe Tour was the eleventh season of the UCI Europe Tour. The 2015 season began on 29 January 2015 with the Trofeo Santanyí-Ses Salines-Campos and ended on 25 October 2015 with the Tour of Aegean.
The 2015 Giro del Trentino was the 39th edition of the Giro del Trentino cycling stage race. The official name of the race was Giro del Trentino-Melinda, as the former one-day race Trofeo Melinda merged with the Giro del Trentino due to financial issues. For this reason, the last stage of Giro del Trentino passed through Val di Sole and the Non Valley, on the traditional route of the Trofeo Melinda. The race started on 21 April in Riva del Garda and ended on 24 April in Cles. The race consisted of four stages; as in recent years, the first was a team time trial from Riva del Garda to Arco. The race was part of the 2015 UCI Europe Tour, and was rated as a 2.HC event.
The 2015 Tour of Turkey was the 51st edition of the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey cycling stage race. It started on 26 April in Alanya and finished on 3 May in Istanbul.
The 51st edition of the Tirreno–Adriatico cycling stage race was held from 9 to 15 March 2016. It was the third event of the 2016 UCI World Tour. Due to the cancellation of stage 5, the race was run over six stages, covering a total distance of 850.8 km (529 mi).