Giro d'Italia part.1

The Giro d'Italia is an annual multiple stage bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. The race was first organized in 1909 to increase the sales for the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport; however it's now currently run by RCS Sport. The race has been held annually since its first edition in 1909 except for when it was stopped for the two World Wars. As the Giro gained prominence and popularity the race was lengthened and its reach began to extend around the globe. The peloton expanded from primarily Italian participation to riders from all over the world now participating each year. The Giro is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams that compete in the race are mostly UCI Proteams, with the exception of the teams that the organizers can invite.

Along with the Tour de France and Vuelta a España, the Giro makes up cycling's prestigious, three week-long Grand Tours. The Giro is usually held during late May and early June. While the route changes each year, the format of the race stays the same with the appearance of at least two time trials, the passage through the mountain chains of the Dolomites and the Alps, and the finish in the Italian city of Milan. Like the other Grand Tours, the modern editions of the Giro d'Italia normally consist of 21 day-long segments (stages) over a 23-day period that includes 2 rest days.

All of the stages are timed to the finish, after finishing the riders' times are compounded with their previous stage times. The rider with the lowest aggregate time is the leader of the race and gets to don the coveted pink jersey. While the general classification gathers the most attention there are other contests held within the Giro: the points classification for the sprinters, he mountains classification for the climbers, young rider classification for the riders under the age of 25, and the team classification for the competing teams. The 2012 edition of the race was won by Canada's Ryder Hesjedal; the first Canadian winner in the history of the Giro d'Italia.

The idea and the first race

The origin of the Giro d'Italia is similar to that of the Tour de France. It began because of a competition between two newspapers, La Gazzetta dello Sport andCorriere della Sera. La Gazzetta dello Sport wished to boost its circulation by holding a professional road race, like the Tour de France. Corriere della Sera wanted to increase its circulation by holding an organized car rally. On 7 August 1908 the newspaper's founder Eugenio Camillo Costamagna, director Armando Cougnet, and its editor Tullio Morgagni announced the inaugural Giro d'Italia to be held in 1909. Corriere della Sera offered a winners bonus of 3,000 lire.

On May 13, 1909 at 02:53 am 127 riders started the first Giro d'Italia at Loreto Place in Milan. The race was split into eight stages covering 2,448 km (1,521 mi). A total of 49 riders finished, with Italian Luigi Ganna winning the inaugural event. Ganna won three individual stages and the General Classification. Ganna received 5325 Lira as a winner’s prize, with the last rider in the general classification receiving 300 lira. The Giro's director received only 150 liras a month, 150 liras less than the last placed rider.