Giro d’Italia closing the gap to the Tour de France, says Vegni

A year ago, the Giro d’Italia was billed as a prize fight between Vincenzo Nibali and Bradley Wiggins, and the corsa rosa left Naples with its most star-studded field since before the dawn of the ProTour era. Twelve months on, however, some of the biggest names in stage racing are missing as the Giro sets out from Belfast. Nibali and Wiggins have not returned, while Alberto Contador and Chris Froome have also built their seasons around the Tour de France.

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.