Team time trial prologue possibility
The 90th edition of the Giro d'Italia will celebrate world-renowned car manufacturer Ferrari. This Saturday in Milano will be the official presentation of next year's parcours, where the exact details will be discovered, but, according to Tuttosport, the organizers are planning on taking the peloton to Ferrari's track in Fiorano Modenese.
The stage to Ferrari's track in the Emilia-Romagna region will celebrate sixty years since the first car was introduced by the Italian firm. Planned for May 20, the day will be suited to auto-enthusiasts; the partenza is scheduled to be in Barberino del Mugello (Toscana), where there is the famous 15-turn race track used for F1 and MotoGP.
Nearly sixty years ago when Ferrari was founded, cycling was ruled by Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali, with the former taking the 1947 Corsa Rosa title. The race did not visit Ferrari headquarters that year but did on one other occasion, in 1975. Over 30 years ago it was Norwegian Knut Knudsen who took the honors in the Giro's opening stage, from Milano to Fiorano Modenese. Knudsen won in a sprint but a similar finish may not be so likely in 2007. From Toscana to Emilia-Romagna, the peloton could be shattered when they will be forced to cross the Appennini mountain range.
The 2007 Giro d'Italia will run from May 12 to June 3, with the start being hosted on the island of Sardegna. The race is expected to stay on the island for three days, with the first being a prologue. Further, Tuttosport reported that the prologue may in fact be a team time trial. The Giro has opened its race with a team prologue in the past; In 1954 Bianchi took the win in Palermo and, more recently, in 1982 it was Renault in Milano. Last year, it held a long team TT stage from Piacenza to Cremona, while if the 2007 edition starts with a prologue team TT it is unlikely we will see a full version over the following three weeks.
Cyclingnews will bring complete coverage of the 90th Giro d'Italia route when it is unveiled this Saturday, December 2, in Milano.
