Gallery: Giro d'Italia stars gather for 2016 route presentation in Milan

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The stars of the Giro d'Italia past and future gathered in Milan on Monday to be the first to glimpse the route for the 2016 edition of the race - one that will begin in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands and conclude in Turin and offers up three time trials, seven mountain stages and seven days for the sprinters.

While Alberto Contador, the winner this year, will skip the time-trial heavy parcours and focus his efforts on the Tour de France, Vincenzo Nibali seems to be set to aim for a second Giro victory.

The biggest news of the evening was the surprise retirement announcement from Ivan Basso.

The Italian has been struggling to regain the kind of form that led to his 2010 win in the Corsa Rosa, and after a cancer scare led to his early exit from the Tour de France he decided to hang up his wheels.

Also on hand were Marcel Kittel, who spoke about his move from Giant-Alpecin to Etixx-Quickstep, and new World Champion Peter Sagan, who spoke about how the rainbow jersey may or may not change his year.

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