The great Giro d'Italia

Summary: Inspired by the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia is a bicycle race frequently hosted at the Passo dello Stelvio, which is a mountain pass. The race takes 3 weeks to be completed.

Inspired by the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia is a bicycle race frequently hosted at the Passo dello Stelvio, which is a mountain pass. The race takes 3 weeks to be completed. The first Giro d'Italia race took place in 1909 in Milan, it was composed by 8 stages and a total of 2448km in length, and the winner was Luigi Ganna from Italy. Since then, only 3 competitors have won the cycling race more than one time, these are: Alfredo Binda, Fausto Coppi both from Italy and Eddy Merckx from Belgium. A curious fact about Alfredo Binda is that due to his potential and incredible scores, many people thought it was better for him to be out of the competition, but in 1933 he won again. The Giro d'Italia is considered one of the three Grand Tours and it became very popular because of the scenery where it is held. The Passo delle Stelvio is the highest pass in Italy situated in the Alps Retiche and it is part of the European history. For 2006 the Giro d'Italia will have a total of 3.526,2 km in length and a total of 21 stages. The race will take place from May 6th to May 28th. The first stage will be held at the Belgium lands during the first days. Also, the competition has some kilometers that will be run in Austria and Switzerland. Cycling fever is running on the streets and many fans are just waiting the next Giro d'Italia, one of the most awaited cycling competitions in the world.