I'm creating the preview/thread now, as we have a week to go until it all starts . The race will set off in Belgium, after which the race will quickly head back to Italy, moving into the middle party of the country, before heading back to the northern climbs for an exceptionally difficult final week.
Stage 1: ITT Seraing - Seraing, 6,2 km
A typical prologue, defined as Stage 1 by the Italian organisation. Several prologue specialists are aiming for this one, as usual.
Stage 2: Mons - Charleroi, 197 km
One of the rare opportunities for a bunch sprint: expect the first Petacchi vs McEwen battle here.
Stage 3: Perwez - Namur, 202 km
A typical first week Giro stage, making things rather difficult for pure sprinters with a finish up the Citadel of Namur. Something for Bettini, Di Luca or Cunego, or could Petacchi surprise after all?
Stage 4: Wanze - Hotton, 193 km
A stage through the Ardennes, ignoring the main climbs of this region however. Expect a bunch sprint here.
Rest Day
Stage 5: TTT Piacenza - Cremona
Back to Italy for the first Giro team time trial in years. Basso and Savoldelli will be pleased, the other teams will be trying to limit the damage. A key stage for the first two weeks.
Stage 6: Busseto - Forlì, 227 km
Another one of those long flat stages. Let's hope it's not too boring before the mass sprint, which should be expected.
Stage 7: Cesena - Saltara, 236 km
The first tricky stage when it comes to climbing, with the Monte Catria and the Monte della Cesare having to be crossed, in addition to the length of the stage. The finish is uphill too, bringing us a typical Giro stage finish. Nothing too fancy, but a nice warmup for the riders, given what's left on the menu.
Stage 8: Civitanova Marche - Maielletta, 171 km
Danilo di Luca desperately wants this to be his stage, with the first mountaintop finish being in his home region. A fairly flat run-in to the last climb, the Passo Lanciano should give an indication of which favourite won't be able to win the Giro.
Stage 9: Francavilla al Mare - Termoli, 127 km
A short stage with some little climbs in the final should give some opportunities for a breakaway to make it, unless Petacchi and / or McEwen decide otherwise.
Stage 10: Termoli - Peschici, 187 km
Another one of those tough intermediate stages. Nevertheless, with a substantial distance remaining to be covered after the last real climb, a large group could arrive at the bottom of the uphill finish.
Rest day
Stage 11: ITT Pontedera - Pontedera, 50 km
The first and only real individual time trial (discounting the short race opener) brings the riders a flat setting. Basso should be able to take several minutes on competitors like Cunego and Simoni.
Stage 12: Livorno - Sestri Levante, 171 km
A difficult stage to control for the leader's team. The climbs in the end should be sufficient to ensure a worthy winner, the profile seems to look more difficult than reality though.
Stage 13: Alessandria - La Thuile, 218 km
The first stage to lead the riders close to 2000 metres in altitude, with the steep Colle San Carlo climb close to the finish. Expect some good time gaps here.
Stage 14: Aosta - Domodossola, 223 km
A difficult stage leading the riders through Switzerland, with the well-known San Bernardo and Sempione (Simplon) climbs. The only unfortunate part is the long distance to be travelled after the Sempione.
Stage 15: Mergozzo - Brecia, 189 km
One last chance for the sprinters before they will have to suffer on the climbs for several days in a row, this stage is basically flat.
Stage 16: Rovato - Trento (Monte Bondone), 173 km
The race enters Simoni's region for another mountaintop finish, this time on the lengthy yet steady Monte Bondone. Unfortunately an important climb had to be taken out of the stage due to landslides and the substitute isn't half as impressive. Then again, the final week is difficult enough as it is...
Stage 17: Termeno / Tramin - Plan de Corones / Kronplatz, 133 km
A stage already being talked about right now, as Cunego and his teammates required a snowplow to reach the summit of the Plan de Corones climb. Besides the finishing kilometres being very steep, the road isn't hardened, just like the brilliant Finestre climb. Don't forget the Passo delle Erbe appetiser either. Both Simoni and Cunego have already said the Plan de Corones is a bit too much. Nevertheless, one of the key stages in this Giro.
Stage 18: Sillian - Gemona del Friuli, 210 km
The race heads back into the Friuli valley, but not without passing a couple of tough climbs: the brilliantly titled Plöckenpass and the rather steep Cuel di Forchia. The final 25 km are tricky as well, making this a perfect stage for a breakaway consisting of good climbers who have been distanced in the previous mountainstages.
Stage 19: Pordenona - Passo San Pellegrino, 224 km
A classic Dolomites stage built around the Marmolada mountains. Climbs as the Staulanza, the nasty Fedaia climb, the more "easy-going" Pordoi and the finishing climb up the San Pellegrino can easily compete with any other big mountainstage. It is unfortunate, however, that the Fedaia is this far from the finish line.
Stage 20: Trento - Aprica, 211 km
The race heads back to Trento to start the real queen stage. First the riders are sent up the Tonale, before starting the Cima Coppi Climb, the infamous Gavia. Then they are faced with a long downhill before starting the Mortirolo from the most feared side, before rounding out the stage with the uphill finish in Aprica (the Valico San Cristina climb or something).
Stage 21: Museo del Ghisallo - Milano, 140 km
As the organisers had to scratch the Ghisallo climbing time trial, they decided to move the start for the final stage to the recently renovated museum there. The finish will be in Milano, as usual, leaving room for the sprinters who have crawled their way through the mountains.
The teams
Discovery Channel
Discovery have title defender Savoldelli on their ranks. After he had to abandon in Romandie due to illness, he'll need to recuperate in time for the Giro. If he can do that, he could finish in the top 5. I can't see him win it this time around though. He has much better support from his team than last year, with Danielson (the great Cyclingnews hope), Rubiera and Beltran by his side. No Brajkovic, unfortunately
Ag2r Prévoyance
A French team with a lineup that could be decent? Definitely. Although they don't have any real gc hopes, Lavenu has decided to send a team of decent climbers to this race. Naibo, Chaurreau, Gadret and Deignan should try to show themselves in breakaways.
Bouygues Telecom
Huray for the ProTour. Hopefully Clement and Lefèvre can do something, I expect this team to spend most of its time behind the peloton.
Caisse d'Epargne
The real gc-riders on this team, Valverde, Karpets and Pereiro, all want to focus on the TdF. Truly a shame, as riders such as Fertonani, Efimkin, Gutierrez and Perez Sanchez (yes, the dopehead) are good, but not at their level. Mainly curious as to how Efimkin will do in the mountains.
Panaria - Navigare
As usual, Reverberi brings a strong team to the Giro. Expect Panaria to play a prominent role, with Sella for gc and Mazzanti in the first two weeks. Grillo and Richeze should show themselves in the sprints (don't expect them to win though). Rubiano is a big climbing prospect, something with Perez Cuapio used to be... Hopefully Perez can do his first decent Giro in years.
Cofidis
Cofidis are putting their hopes on Parra and Bertagnolli. Bertagnolli has been in good shape for quite some time and should fall short in the mountains, whereas Parra has been specifically preparing for this race. Repeating his performance of last year should be difficult, but when in form, he could show himself in the key stages again.
Crédit Agricole
C.A. have Bellotti as their leader this year. Bellotti has been touted as a promising stage racer for a few years now and could show himself in a couple of mountainstages: don't expect him in the overall top 10 though. Botcharov and Halgand might try to pull something off in the other stages, like Le Mevel managed to do last year.
Davitamon - Lotto
DVL have Van Huffel inside their ranks, who says he's progressing well with a view to this race. We'll see... Obviously, McEwen should be the main competitor for Petacchi in the sprints: he seems to have found his form in time, in spite of a troubled preparation.
Euskaltel - Euskadi
Euskaltel are bringing a second tier team (imagine that, given their results last year). They are hoping David Lopez can do well on gc and that Laiseka can perform one of his miracles during a mountainstage. At least they had Sanchez last year...
Française des Jeux
McGee, Gilbert and Casar. Not too bad when going for stages. Basically their typical Giro lineup, at least they seem to try.
Gerolsteiner
Gerolsteiner are being led by Rebellin, who will try to pick out his stage in the first two weeks. The main emphasis should be Förster though, provided he writes his Giro diary for RSN again. Schumacher is another outsider for a stage win.
Lampre - Fondital
One of the teams that should dominate this race. Absolute leader Cunego is in good shape, Valjavec, Vila and Szmyd should be valuable help in the mountains and Bruseghin and Petrov can help ensure that the team time trial goes well. Basically, the only non-climber on the team is Fornaciari, and he is one of the best riders for protecting Cunego on the flats.
Liberty Seguros
Saiz likes to focus on the TdF and has given Scarponi another chance as a team leader, after failing last year because of illness. The Italian will have good support from riders like Serrano, Caruso, Osa and Baranowski.
Liquigas
Liquigas has been designed to give Danilo Di Luca maximum support. Although I can't see him win this Giro, his team should be good enough, with riders like Cioni, Noè, Pellizotti, Miholjevic, Spezialetti and Wegelius giving ample climbing support.
Phonak
After the departure of Valjavec, Phonak have turned to Pena to lead the team to a top 5 placing in the overall. Not gonna happen. Gutierrez and Tschopp should be the best climbers on the team, but they aren't gc riders either (Tschopp is also lacking race rhythm after returning from a hip fracture in the Tour of Georgia). Maybe Merckx can make his daddy happy again?
Quick Step - Innergetic
Bettini and Garate, to summarise this team. Garate has always been a very reliable gc rider in the Giro, just not good enough to win it though. Bettini will have several stages to his liking and I wouldn't be suprised if he takes several. Some Dutchies think Wielinga will own everyone and everything on the climbs, but if that happens, he will be sitting in the car that's driving past the peloton. Seriously though, he should be pleased with a top 40 in overall.
Rabobank
Rabobank is aiming for Ardila and is hoping that several youngsters can improve from this race. Ardila could profit from the tough final week, as he'll need to time to improve his shape. Rasmussen has already ordered his ticket for the bus, so he can prepare well for the TdF. Brown can mess up some sprints, Kolobnev will hopefully focus on stages instead of gc and Eltink should be able to show he has improved since his good Giro in 2005.
Saunier Duval
Saunier Duval are putting all their cards on Gilberto Simoni, riders like Piepoli, Lobato, Trentin and Pinotti in support. Riccò is doubtful after recent doping-related issues. Probably Simoni's last real shot at winning this race.
Selle Italia
The focus should be Rujano here, who has impressed since returning to racing. Will it be good enough for a podium placing? Maybe, maybe not. Serpa is another good climber in support of Rujano, with oldie Belli, Missaglia and Illiano being other noteworthy riders. Pedraza will probably be left at home, Savio seems to prefer former dopehead Axelsson on his team. Can someone strike some sense into him?
CSC
CSC is entirely built around Ivan Basso, probably the top favourite. Where Lampre should have the better team in the mountains, CSC have the advantage of having a good team for the team time trial, in spite of Zabriskie and Cancellara focusing on other goals. Voigt and Julich should be valuable help when Basso takes the lead.
Milram
Milram's leader will obviously be Petacchi, but the team doesn't seem to be as Petacchi-centric as Fassa used to be in previous years. This makes sense, as the race isn't exactly suited for sprinters. Ghisalberti is a good climber, although probably not good enough for a 3 week race.
T-Mobile
Ullrich is preparing for the TdF, Gonchar and Rogers are ordered to do the same but hopefully won't listen and Pollack can do a decent sprint. Not their best lineup in history, too bad they have two German gc riders who seem unable of peaking anywhere outside the TdF range lately.
Stage 1: ITT Seraing - Seraing, 6,2 km
A typical prologue, defined as Stage 1 by the Italian organisation. Several prologue specialists are aiming for this one, as usual.
Stage 2: Mons - Charleroi, 197 km
One of the rare opportunities for a bunch sprint: expect the first Petacchi vs McEwen battle here.
Stage 3: Perwez - Namur, 202 km
A typical first week Giro stage, making things rather difficult for pure sprinters with a finish up the Citadel of Namur. Something for Bettini, Di Luca or Cunego, or could Petacchi surprise after all?
Stage 4: Wanze - Hotton, 193 km
A stage through the Ardennes, ignoring the main climbs of this region however. Expect a bunch sprint here.
Rest Day
Stage 5: TTT Piacenza - Cremona
Back to Italy for the first Giro team time trial in years. Basso and Savoldelli will be pleased, the other teams will be trying to limit the damage. A key stage for the first two weeks.
Stage 6: Busseto - Forlì, 227 km
Another one of those long flat stages. Let's hope it's not too boring before the mass sprint, which should be expected.
Stage 7: Cesena - Saltara, 236 km
The first tricky stage when it comes to climbing, with the Monte Catria and the Monte della Cesare having to be crossed, in addition to the length of the stage. The finish is uphill too, bringing us a typical Giro stage finish. Nothing too fancy, but a nice warmup for the riders, given what's left on the menu.
Stage 8: Civitanova Marche - Maielletta, 171 km
Danilo di Luca desperately wants this to be his stage, with the first mountaintop finish being in his home region. A fairly flat run-in to the last climb, the Passo Lanciano should give an indication of which favourite won't be able to win the Giro.
Stage 9: Francavilla al Mare - Termoli, 127 km
A short stage with some little climbs in the final should give some opportunities for a breakaway to make it, unless Petacchi and / or McEwen decide otherwise.
Stage 10: Termoli - Peschici, 187 km
Another one of those tough intermediate stages. Nevertheless, with a substantial distance remaining to be covered after the last real climb, a large group could arrive at the bottom of the uphill finish.
Rest day
Stage 11: ITT Pontedera - Pontedera, 50 km
The first and only real individual time trial (discounting the short race opener) brings the riders a flat setting. Basso should be able to take several minutes on competitors like Cunego and Simoni.
Stage 12: Livorno - Sestri Levante, 171 km
A difficult stage to control for the leader's team. The climbs in the end should be sufficient to ensure a worthy winner, the profile seems to look more difficult than reality though.
Stage 13: Alessandria - La Thuile, 218 km
The first stage to lead the riders close to 2000 metres in altitude, with the steep Colle San Carlo climb close to the finish. Expect some good time gaps here.
Stage 14: Aosta - Domodossola, 223 km
A difficult stage leading the riders through Switzerland, with the well-known San Bernardo and Sempione (Simplon) climbs. The only unfortunate part is the long distance to be travelled after the Sempione.
Stage 15: Mergozzo - Brecia, 189 km
One last chance for the sprinters before they will have to suffer on the climbs for several days in a row, this stage is basically flat.
Stage 16: Rovato - Trento (Monte Bondone), 173 km
The race enters Simoni's region for another mountaintop finish, this time on the lengthy yet steady Monte Bondone. Unfortunately an important climb had to be taken out of the stage due to landslides and the substitute isn't half as impressive. Then again, the final week is difficult enough as it is...
Stage 17: Termeno / Tramin - Plan de Corones / Kronplatz, 133 km
A stage already being talked about right now, as Cunego and his teammates required a snowplow to reach the summit of the Plan de Corones climb. Besides the finishing kilometres being very steep, the road isn't hardened, just like the brilliant Finestre climb. Don't forget the Passo delle Erbe appetiser either. Both Simoni and Cunego have already said the Plan de Corones is a bit too much. Nevertheless, one of the key stages in this Giro.
Stage 18: Sillian - Gemona del Friuli, 210 km
The race heads back into the Friuli valley, but not without passing a couple of tough climbs: the brilliantly titled Plöckenpass and the rather steep Cuel di Forchia. The final 25 km are tricky as well, making this a perfect stage for a breakaway consisting of good climbers who have been distanced in the previous mountainstages.
Stage 19: Pordenona - Passo San Pellegrino, 224 km
A classic Dolomites stage built around the Marmolada mountains. Climbs as the Staulanza, the nasty Fedaia climb, the more "easy-going" Pordoi and the finishing climb up the San Pellegrino can easily compete with any other big mountainstage. It is unfortunate, however, that the Fedaia is this far from the finish line.
Stage 20: Trento - Aprica, 211 km
The race heads back to Trento to start the real queen stage. First the riders are sent up the Tonale, before starting the Cima Coppi Climb, the infamous Gavia. Then they are faced with a long downhill before starting the Mortirolo from the most feared side, before rounding out the stage with the uphill finish in Aprica (the Valico San Cristina climb or something).
Stage 21: Museo del Ghisallo - Milano, 140 km
As the organisers had to scratch the Ghisallo climbing time trial, they decided to move the start for the final stage to the recently renovated museum there. The finish will be in Milano, as usual, leaving room for the sprinters who have crawled their way through the mountains.
The teams
Discovery Channel
Discovery have title defender Savoldelli on their ranks. After he had to abandon in Romandie due to illness, he'll need to recuperate in time for the Giro. If he can do that, he could finish in the top 5. I can't see him win it this time around though. He has much better support from his team than last year, with Danielson (the great Cyclingnews hope), Rubiera and Beltran by his side. No Brajkovic, unfortunately
Ag2r Prévoyance
A French team with a lineup that could be decent? Definitely. Although they don't have any real gc hopes, Lavenu has decided to send a team of decent climbers to this race. Naibo, Chaurreau, Gadret and Deignan should try to show themselves in breakaways.
Bouygues Telecom
Huray for the ProTour. Hopefully Clement and Lefèvre can do something, I expect this team to spend most of its time behind the peloton.
Caisse d'Epargne
The real gc-riders on this team, Valverde, Karpets and Pereiro, all want to focus on the TdF. Truly a shame, as riders such as Fertonani, Efimkin, Gutierrez and Perez Sanchez (yes, the dopehead) are good, but not at their level. Mainly curious as to how Efimkin will do in the mountains.
Panaria - Navigare
As usual, Reverberi brings a strong team to the Giro. Expect Panaria to play a prominent role, with Sella for gc and Mazzanti in the first two weeks. Grillo and Richeze should show themselves in the sprints (don't expect them to win though). Rubiano is a big climbing prospect, something with Perez Cuapio used to be... Hopefully Perez can do his first decent Giro in years.
Cofidis
Cofidis are putting their hopes on Parra and Bertagnolli. Bertagnolli has been in good shape for quite some time and should fall short in the mountains, whereas Parra has been specifically preparing for this race. Repeating his performance of last year should be difficult, but when in form, he could show himself in the key stages again.
Crédit Agricole
C.A. have Bellotti as their leader this year. Bellotti has been touted as a promising stage racer for a few years now and could show himself in a couple of mountainstages: don't expect him in the overall top 10 though. Botcharov and Halgand might try to pull something off in the other stages, like Le Mevel managed to do last year.
Davitamon - Lotto
DVL have Van Huffel inside their ranks, who says he's progressing well with a view to this race. We'll see... Obviously, McEwen should be the main competitor for Petacchi in the sprints: he seems to have found his form in time, in spite of a troubled preparation.
Euskaltel - Euskadi
Euskaltel are bringing a second tier team (imagine that, given their results last year). They are hoping David Lopez can do well on gc and that Laiseka can perform one of his miracles during a mountainstage. At least they had Sanchez last year...
Française des Jeux
McGee, Gilbert and Casar. Not too bad when going for stages. Basically their typical Giro lineup, at least they seem to try.
Gerolsteiner
Gerolsteiner are being led by Rebellin, who will try to pick out his stage in the first two weeks. The main emphasis should be Förster though, provided he writes his Giro diary for RSN again. Schumacher is another outsider for a stage win.
Lampre - Fondital
One of the teams that should dominate this race. Absolute leader Cunego is in good shape, Valjavec, Vila and Szmyd should be valuable help in the mountains and Bruseghin and Petrov can help ensure that the team time trial goes well. Basically, the only non-climber on the team is Fornaciari, and he is one of the best riders for protecting Cunego on the flats.
Liberty Seguros
Saiz likes to focus on the TdF and has given Scarponi another chance as a team leader, after failing last year because of illness. The Italian will have good support from riders like Serrano, Caruso, Osa and Baranowski.
Liquigas
Liquigas has been designed to give Danilo Di Luca maximum support. Although I can't see him win this Giro, his team should be good enough, with riders like Cioni, Noè, Pellizotti, Miholjevic, Spezialetti and Wegelius giving ample climbing support.
Phonak
After the departure of Valjavec, Phonak have turned to Pena to lead the team to a top 5 placing in the overall. Not gonna happen. Gutierrez and Tschopp should be the best climbers on the team, but they aren't gc riders either (Tschopp is also lacking race rhythm after returning from a hip fracture in the Tour of Georgia). Maybe Merckx can make his daddy happy again?
Quick Step - Innergetic
Bettini and Garate, to summarise this team. Garate has always been a very reliable gc rider in the Giro, just not good enough to win it though. Bettini will have several stages to his liking and I wouldn't be suprised if he takes several. Some Dutchies think Wielinga will own everyone and everything on the climbs, but if that happens, he will be sitting in the car that's driving past the peloton. Seriously though, he should be pleased with a top 40 in overall.
Rabobank
Rabobank is aiming for Ardila and is hoping that several youngsters can improve from this race. Ardila could profit from the tough final week, as he'll need to time to improve his shape. Rasmussen has already ordered his ticket for the bus, so he can prepare well for the TdF. Brown can mess up some sprints, Kolobnev will hopefully focus on stages instead of gc and Eltink should be able to show he has improved since his good Giro in 2005.
Saunier Duval
Saunier Duval are putting all their cards on Gilberto Simoni, riders like Piepoli, Lobato, Trentin and Pinotti in support. Riccò is doubtful after recent doping-related issues. Probably Simoni's last real shot at winning this race.
Selle Italia
The focus should be Rujano here, who has impressed since returning to racing. Will it be good enough for a podium placing? Maybe, maybe not. Serpa is another good climber in support of Rujano, with oldie Belli, Missaglia and Illiano being other noteworthy riders. Pedraza will probably be left at home, Savio seems to prefer former dopehead Axelsson on his team. Can someone strike some sense into him?
CSC
CSC is entirely built around Ivan Basso, probably the top favourite. Where Lampre should have the better team in the mountains, CSC have the advantage of having a good team for the team time trial, in spite of Zabriskie and Cancellara focusing on other goals. Voigt and Julich should be valuable help when Basso takes the lead.
Milram
Milram's leader will obviously be Petacchi, but the team doesn't seem to be as Petacchi-centric as Fassa used to be in previous years. This makes sense, as the race isn't exactly suited for sprinters. Ghisalberti is a good climber, although probably not good enough for a 3 week race.
T-Mobile
Ullrich is preparing for the TdF, Gonchar and Rogers are ordered to do the same but hopefully won't listen and Pollack can do a decent sprint. Not their best lineup in history, too bad they have two German gc riders who seem unable of peaking anywhere outside the TdF range lately.
.
