Departing from Cefalù, on the northern shores of Sicilia, many of the riders might be thinking of the 1994 World Championships – that day when France's Luc Leblanc battled Italy's Claudio Chiappucci to be crowned king in Agrigento, on the island's southern coast. Sunday's 207-kilometre trans-Sicilian stage will be very undulating and favour an attacking rider when it arrives on the same stretches used in the Worlds 14 years prior.
Ex-World Champion Igor Astarloa is eyeing the stage. "I have already had a look at many of the Giro stages, also the second stage, after the time trial," Astarloa of Team Milram noted. "It is the same spot of the Worlds that was won by [Luc] Leblanc, in Agrigento. This year, there are a small number of stages for the sprinters and many finishes on small ascents; stages for [Paolo] Bettini, [Danilo] Di Luca." (GB)
-
How to watch the Volta ao Algarve 2025 – Live streams, TV channels
All the broadcast info for the Portuguese stage race where Vingegaard and Roglič begin their seasons -
How to watch UAE Tour 2025 – Live streams, TV channels for stage 4
All the broadcast info for the seven-day Emirati stage race where Tadej Pogačar starts his season -
'It is a joke' - disappointment, anger and calls for responsibility sear through Volta ao Algarve peloton after stage 1 finish chaos
Organisers blame themselves for 'not doing enough' after riders go off course, but some riders point to lack of pre-stage recons -
Emily Ehrlich sets record with fourth consecutive GC win at Valley of the Sun Stage Race in Arizona
Virginia's Blue Ridge-TWENTY28 puts four riders in top 10 as 'our teamwork was flawless'
