The organisers of the Giro d’Italia Donne have said a change of date may be considered for future editions of the race as they look to coexist with the newly-launched Tour de France Femmes, both held in July in 2022.
The 2022 race, officially launched on Thursday, promises several changes including two hours of live TV coverage per day, and a prize pot of €250,000, increased to be in line with the Tour de France Femmes’ prize money offering.
The Giro Donne currently takes place at the start of July, this year finishing just 13 days before the start of the Tour de France Femmes. It has been suggested that the race align with the RCS-organised men’s Giro d’Italia in May, but PMG Sport say this is not a priority.
“We are evaluating as organisers, and together with the UCI the best date on the women's calendar for the Giro Donne,” said Roberto Ruini, founder of PMG Sport and the race’s General Manager.
“In order to guarantee a window between the two races, Giro Donne and the Tour de France Femmes, the key is not really the Giro d'Italia men, but the women's cycling calendar.”
The women’s stage racing calendar is becoming increasingly busy, with June’s Women’s Tour and August’s Battle of the North also factors to be considered.
Though several riders have indicated they will only race one of the Giro or the Tour, Ruini is hopeful that the Tour will be a positive addition to women’s cycling rather than a threat to the Giro.
“Once ASO, this very big organisation, decided to introduce the Tour de France Femmes again, it is a strong sign that women's cycling is growing fast,” he said. “I think there is no competition but it is a big opportunity to develop the race together and women's cycling movement together.
“The prize money that we set at €250,000 is a big sign of this growth.”
PMG Sport have not yet disclosed exactly where the additional funding to expand the prize purse and promise live coverage has come from, but confirmed that the budget has increased.
Ruini referred to both “institutions involving the regions” on the race’s route and new sponsors during the race launch on Thursday.
“Today we are not mentioning any sponsors because we want to do it with specific communication. Today the focus was on the stages the race features,” Ruini said.
“Any details in terms of agreements with things like media coverage that we closed with the Eurosport Discovery Group and Rai will be told in a dedicated communication in the coming weeks, and the same for the sponsors, both nationally and internationally.”
