2020 Giro Route Rumors

[Nirvana]

I've tried to search but i didn't find a thread on 2020 Giro yet.

I haven't seen this news on international press yet but Vegni has announced to Marca that the 2020 Giro will start from an eastern european capital, the journalist hints Budapest.
https://www.marca.com/ciclismo/2019/03/02/5c7a2748e5fdeab6208b45a4.html

I think that there will be three days abroad then an extra rest day to restart from Sicily because in the deal with Sicily they have some stages on the island for 2020 (and probably the great depart of 2021 considering the way bigger amount of money for that year, 6,2M whereas for 2020 only 1,2M).

Other than that it's almost certain a return of Friuli (in the local press they hinted a sterrato MTF on Monte Lussari last fall and a start from Rivolto air base looks a done deal) and a stage in the province of Belluno (according to what i've read on the italian forum they have a four years deal from 2019 to 2022).

 

[Red Rick]

Re: 2020 Giro rumors thread

I've tried to search but i didn't found a thread on 2020 Giro yet.

I haven't seen this news on international press yet but Vegni has announced to Marca that the 2020 Giro will start from an eastern european capital, the journalist hints Budapest.
https://www.marca.com/ciclismo/2019/03/02/5c7a2748e5fdeab6208b45a4.html

I think that there will be three days abroad then an extra rest day to restart from Sicily because in the deal with Sicily they have some stages on the island for 2020 (and probably the great depart of 2021 considering the way bigger amount of money for that year, 6,2M whereas for 2020 only 1,2M).

Other than that it's almost certain a return of Friuli (in the local press they hinted a sterrato MTF on Monte Lussari last fall and a start from Rivolto air base looks a done deal) and a stage in the province of Belluno (according to what i've read on the italian forum they have a four years deal from 2019 to 2022).

Most important thread after this Giro ends obviously.

Eastern Europe should be interesting. Don't know the geography there, but I really do hope they don't just make 2 sprints and an ITT/TTT.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: 2020 Giro rumors thread

I have to admit, Budapest would be temptingly close to Vienna.

 

[Nirvana]

Re: 2020 Giro rumors thread

I've tried to search but i didn't found a thread on 2020 Giro yet.

I haven't seen this news on international press yet but Vegni has announced to Marca that the 2020 Giro will start from an eastern european capital, the journalist hints Budapest.
https://www.marca.com/ciclismo/2019/03/02/5c7a2748e5fdeab6208b45a4.html

I think that there will be three days abroad then an extra rest day to restart from Sicily because in the deal with Sicily they have some stages on the island for 2020 (and probably the great depart of 2021 considering the way bigger amount of money for that year, 6,2M whereas for 2020 only 1,2M).

Other than that it's almost certain a return of Friuli (in the local press they hinted a sterrato MTF on Monte Lussari last fall and a start from Rivolto air base looks a done deal) and a stage in the province of Belluno (according to what i've read on the italian forum they have a four years deal from 2019 to 2022).

Most important thread after this Giro ends obviously.

Eastern Europe should be interesting. Don't know the geography there, but I really do hope they don't just make 2 sprints and an ITT/TTT.

The part of the city west of Danube is hilly and there are hills in the northern part of the country but the terrain is mostly flat occupied by the Pannonian plain, considering that RCS usually put sprinter stages in the first weekend i don't expect much, but we could have interesting stages in Sicily after the rest day.

 

[RedheadDane]

I'm just impressed by the fact that there's a Giro-thread not started by Eshnar.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

I'm just impressed by the fact that there's a Giro-thread not started by Eshnar.

Don't worry, Eshnar will hijack this baby.

 

[kiszol]

Budapest is definitely rumoured, I heard it before.
My guess is a tricky opening TT maybe with an ending up at Buda Castle. If the Sicily rumour is not true then the following is a possibility:

For the 2nd stage a flat stage with 1-2 small 4th cat hills is likely, heading south from Budapest. The third stage can maybe take place in Slovenia I guess.

However with the flight to Sicily so likely anything can happen in the 2nd and 3rd stages.

 

[Nirvana]

Sicily is not a rumor, there is a deal signed with RCS, like i said in the opening post there are 1,2M for 2020 and 6,2M for 2021 in a 10M (the remaining 2,6M are for Giro di Sicilia) regional plan to showcase the island using cycling.

The only way that i can imagine without a rest day after the first three stages and a flight to Sicily is a route like 2009 going from Hungary to northern Italy in the first week and then the second and third week going down central and southern Italy with Sicily at the end, but i think is highly unlikely.

 

[kiszol]

Yeah this was what I referred to, if Sicily can be at the end this is a possible option. However I agree with you that this is unlikely.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Re: 2020 Giro rumors thread

They should end the Giro in Palermo. Just for trolling reasons with the route.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re:

Sicily is not a rumor, there is a deal signed with RCS, like i said in the opening post there are 1,2M for 2020 and 6,2M for 2021 in a 10M (the remaining 2,6M are for Giro di Sicilia) regional plan to showcase the island using cycling.

The only way that i can imagine without a rest day after the first three stages and a flight to Sicily is a route like 2009 going from Hungary to northern Italy in the first week and then the second and third week going down central and southern Italy with Sicily at the end, but i think is highly unlikely.

Very unlikely, but perfectly feasible to head from Budapest to Italy via either Szombathely - somewhere like Klagenfurt - Tarvisio direction, or via Keszthely - Maribor or Ljubljana - Tarvisio or Trieste; then to head southward with the second weekend being in the Apennines (Monte Petrano type stages, or maybe far south enough to do things like Blockhaus) then heading southward to spend the penultimate weekend in Sicily, then after the second rest day fly to the north and go around Liguria, Piemonte and western Lombardia to finish and still include some classics.

I agree it's very unlikely but that would be a totally feasible way to do it with Sicily in a prominent position without the now incredibly tedious and pandering third rest day which has only ever been incorporated after absolutely godawful three stage openings, with the Giro now considering interesting stages in the first three days to be an absolutely disgraceful concept, because they've got to give some freebies to the kinds of riders who completely disrespect the race by not even pretending they'll try to defend their jerseys, because they don't need to pretend, they already get more chances to win than anybody else and the sport seems keen to pander to them by giving them free opportunities to lead a Grand Tour without having to do any work to do so.

 

[Eshnar]

Re:

I'm just impressed by the fact that there's a Giro-thread not started by Eshnar.

Actually it's just as usual, someone starts this thread earlier every year just to beat me

Don't worry, Eshnar will hijack this baby.

You bet

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

I'm really starting to dislike that plane transfer to Sicily every year.

Don't tell me there's another one of them Etna finishes coming.

 

[SafeBet]

Re: Re:

I'm really starting to dislike that plane transfer to Sicily every year.

Don't tell me there's another one of them Etna finishes coming.

They will build new roads up Etna just to tease you

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

I'm really starting to dislike that plane transfer to Sicily every year.

Don't tell me there's another one of them Etna finishes coming.

You didn't find the Etna stage of 2018 entertaining??

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Re: Re:

Don't tell me there's another one of them Etna finishes coming.

Yip. Etna is getting used to often. Again this year, too. The returning Giro di Sicilia will also feature Etna.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

I'm really starting to dislike that plane transfer to Sicily every year.

Don't tell me there's another one of them Etna finishes coming.

You didn't find the Etna stage of 2018 entertaining??

Just because it's entertaining half the time doesn't mean it should be the same every year.

I don't want the Mortirolo every year either.

 

[Bavarianrider]

Re: 2020 Giro rumors thread

Haven't there been rumors about Prague, too?

 

[kiszol]

From what I understand the Hungarian government has some sort of an intention to bring either the Giro's or the Tour's start to Budapest in a few years. There is even a plan of merging the Pannon Cycling Team and Contador's Polartec-Kometa into one pro conti team which could feature in the race as a wildcard.

 

[sir fly]

Belgrade, down south to Montenegrin coast, ferry over the Adriatic sea, south Italy.
Way more sensible than from Budapest.
But more cycling interest through Austria, Croatia and Slovenia.
Could be Budapest, could be Belgrade, or even Bratislava or Prague.

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

Belgrade, down south to Montenegrin coast, ferry over the Adriatic sea, south Italy.
Way more sensible than from Budapest.
But more cycling interest through Austria, Croatia and Slovenia.
Could be Budapest, could be Belgrade, or even Bratislava or Prague.

Ooh, if they go with Bratislava then Sagan almost has to go there.

 

[Nirvana]

Giro's twitter feed has officially announced there will be three stages in Sicily as part of the deal i mentioned earlier.
https://twitter.com/giroditalia/status/1110515419776016390

 

[sir fly]

Re:

Giro's twitter feed has officially announced there will be three stages in Sicily as part of the deal i mentioned earlier.
https://twitter.com/giroditalia/status/1110515419776016390

Meaning there are going to be some demanding transfers if the rumoured abroad Grande Partenza proves to be true. Well, maybe not that demanding (like last year), but certainly longer than usual.

 

[railxmig]

Re: 2020 Giro rumors thread

Ok, Budapest and Sicilian mafia forcing 3 stages? I think of 2 scenarios.

1. Budapest to Keszthely alongside Balaton. It would be between 180-200km and there could be some little bumps near the finish to potentially disrupt sprint trains.
2. Something like Zalaegerszeg to Velenje or Celje of similar length with a similar finale, unless we're go with smaller roads then there's an interesting little murito (i guess Giro cat. 3) to Graška Gora just north of Velenje.
3. I think you know, where i'm going. Budapest is not that far away from Italy so i thought of having a 2nd stage in Slovenia, like a sort-of MTF to Pokljuka and then a mountain stage around Friuli. That would mean 3 or 4 (if prologue in Budapest which i guess would be quite likely) before entering Italy.
4. I guess Pescara may be a little bit of a stretch but you may try to house a weekend around the border of Marche and Abruzzo (San Benedetto del Tronto?) to then transfer the guys to Sicily and head north with the usuall ~230km long bypass of Calabria. I would love to have at least Montescuro with Camigliatello Silano though. After that i guess yet another long transfer to northern Italy.

1. I'm not sure if Budapest is the best option for Friday but if they want it then ok. 2nd stage the same as before.
2. Pécs was the main Roman city in Hungary (then Dacia), now home to a large necropolis. I guess that would be a nice tie-in with Italian history. There are also some decent hills just north of Pécs, good for a punchy finale.
3. A rest day now to move the guys to Sicily.
I would personally prefer Budapest on Sunday than Friday and i guess it has a much easier plane connection with Sicily or at least Napoli. I would move the grande partenza to either the Balaton area or Pécs and then have a regular finish or a TTT in Budapest.

 

[Nirvana]

Vegni in the interview said only that will be an Eastern European capital, Budapest was an hint from Marca journalist even if being Marca one of RCS newspapers could mean they know more than what Vegni said.