From today for three weeks it's "fight for pink", an open fight for a pink jersey. From Alghero today, Friday 5 May, the hundredth edition of the Giro d'Italia starts, the sporting event which since its debut, that distant morning of 13 May 1909 with the final victory of Luigi Ganna, has become over the years a journey into life and the customs of our country, the only event that truly unites an entire population, from north to south, in the passion for two-wheeled champions. A 3609 km route that takes the Giro back to Sardinia and Sicily, before climbing up the boot to the Alps and the Dolomites, touching cities and mountains that have the evocative power of champions who have made the history of the Giro: from the Block Haus where he proved to be the first Merckx in Oropa and Pampeago, where Pantani won as only he, the pirate, knew how to do; from the Stelvio and from Castellania which commemorate the feats and the birthplace of Coppi al Mortirolo, a mountain that the organizers have decided to dedicate to Michele Scarponi, the Filottrano eagle who should have participated as captain of Astana, who died tragically on 22 April last.
Twenty-one stages, two time trials for a total of almost 70 km, six fractions for sprinters, eight medium mountain stages, five for authentic eagles: absent from the big names in stage races Froome and Contador, Aru also at stake due to health problems, diverted to the Tour Esteban Chaves and Alejandro Valverde, second and third respectively last year behind Nibali, the duel for the pink jersey n.100 should narrow down between Nairo Quintana, super favorite by the bookmakers who give it to 2, and Vincenzo Nibali, listed 6, who starts today for Olbia with the number 1 on the backbone after his second triumph in the Giro in 2016. The climbs that the riders will have to face, terrible those of the last week of the race, but not at all soft the others scattered in the initial and central part of the Giro, from Etna on the fourth stage to the Block Haus on the thirteenth, offer Quintana endless opportunities to confirm his reputation as the "condor of the Andes". The Colombian, winner of the 2014 Giro and of the 2016 Vuelta, was at home preparing the pink race after the triumphant bid at the Tirreno-Adriatico: improved in the time trial, ready to challenge Froome too at the next Tour, Quintana has all the cards to hit the encore. His most formidable opponent remains Vincenzo Nibali, who dreams of the trio after the painful and exciting victory in the last edition. Lo Squalo starts from Alghero with a condition that is improving week by week, as demonstrated by his victory at the recent Tour of Croatia.
But as demonstrated by last year's Giro, with the Colombian Esteban Chaves and the Dutchman Steven Kruijwijk one step away from a sensational pink trip against Nibali, this year too there is a range of possible podium contenders. Absent for years in the uptown area of the Giro, the French are hoping to break the long fast with Thibaut Pinot, the standard bearer of the FDJ at his debut in the great Italian stage race: third in the 2014 Tour, the one won by Nibali, the transalpine is expected among the protagonists on the great mountains. Unlucky a year ago for compromising his lead with a disastrous fall, when he was in the pink jersey, against a wall of ice on the descent from Col dell'Agnello, Kruijwijk, good legs on the climbs that are also strong in the time trials, he will be a customer to keep an eye out for whoever wants to win the Giro. Another tulip under careful observation is Tom Dumoulin, if he finds continuity of action. There is no Chaves but Orica Scott's plans focus heavily on the exuberance of another young rookie in the pink race, the British Adam Yates, fourth in last year's Tour. And to another British Geraint Thomas, winner of the last Tour of the Alps, Team Sky entrusts its hopes of a good Giro, a battleship in the Tour thanks to Froome but which has been a continuous flop in the Giro for three years: in 2013 it was Bradley Wiggins, frightened by the rain until he retired, disappointing the expectations of the day before which saw him as a great favorite after the triumphant 2012 season which culminated with the yellow jersey of the Tour.
In 2014 Team Sky fared no better with leader Australian Richie Porte, who abandoned the race at the foot of the Dolomites. 2015 was also unsuccessful with Mikal Landa, completely disappointing after the good Giro 2014 when he was in Astana and with Aru he battled on the climbs with Contador. Now Landa returns to the Giro to help Thomas – in Team Sky's plans – but the Basque seems to be looking for personal revenge if he sees it. What seems to be is that until Team Sky convinces Froome to race the Giro, it risks lean figures rather than successes. Fighting for the pink jersey – not just for the yellow jersey – would also be good for the image of Froome, a Martian who is all too limited to the Tour, who seems to care little that the Giro remembers him only for the disqualification suffered in 2010 on the 19th stage for being caught while being towed by a motorbike. A fool more comical than anything else for a champion of the caliber of the British, certainly less serious than what Stefano Pirazzi and Nicola Ruffoni did, who tested positive for a hormonal substance during a surprise check carried out by the UCI on 25 April. A case that shakes up on the eve of the Giro and that says a lot about cycling's resistance to finally getting out of the ancient plague of going to forbidden pharmacies
