BUONGIORNO FROM VALDENGO FOR STAGE 15 OF THE 97TH GIRO D’ITALIA With 19.35 km ‘Pantani’ climb up to Plan di Montecampione (1665 m)

Valdengo, 25 May 2014 - Buongiorno from Stage 15, Valdengo-Plan di Montecampione, 225 km, a stage that is largely flat for 205 km, before the gigantic, 19 km climb up to Plan di Montecampione, designated the “ Climb” (Pantani won the stage finishing at Plan di Montecampione in the 1998 Giro d’Italia).

The peloton of the Giro d’Italia, now 169 strong, passed km 0 (SP300 , transfer 2.3 km) at 1120 hrs (98 Dylan Van Baarle did not start).

JERSEYS Maglia Rosa – Balocco: Rigoberto Urán (Omega Pharma - Quick-Step) Maglia Rossa – Algida: (FDJ.FR) Maglia Bianca – F.lli Orsero: Rafał Majka ( Saxo) Maglia Azzurra – Banca Mediolanum: Julián Arredondo (Trek Factory Racing)

WEATHER Valdengo: scattered cloud, 20.8°C. Wind: weak, ENE 4 / 6 kph. Vimercate (km 115.1): clear skies, 23.6°C. Wind: weak, E 8 / 9 kph. Lovere (km 184.7):some cloud, 24.8°C. Wind: moderate, ESE 11 / 13 kph. Montecampione: scattered cloud, 17.5°C. Wind: moderate, ESE 11 / 14 kph.

STAGE ROUTE Mainly wide and straight roads. The first 200km cross the Po Valley north of Milan. Minor hazards: at Cossato (km 2), traffic dividers, roundabouts and speed bumps. At Ghislarengo (km 20), narrow road. At Carpignano Sesia (km 24), narrow road and pavé. At Fara Novarese (km 28), narrow road. At Oleggio (km 44), traffic dividers, roundabouts and speed bumps From km 70 to km 190, the stage passes a highly populated area, with roundabouts, traffic dividers, speed bumps and pavé. Feed zone: Vimercate km 112-115. At Rogno (km 192), speed bumps. At Darfo Boario Terme (km 200.7), narrow road.

Final climb: 2 demanding 8km sections at about 8% connected by a 3-km false flat. Road surface sometimes worn. Finish line at Plan di Montecampione (1st cat, 1665 m), on 6.5 m wide asphalt).

AROUND THE RACE Heartlands of : Valdengo, birth place of Adriano Pella (1945-2013). Danilo Grassi was born at Lonate Pozzolo (km 54.5). was born at Uboldo, (km 75.9). Angelo Zomegnan, former Giro d’Italia director, is from Desio (km 95.9).

From Monza (km 104.3), (1020-2012|), the ‘3rd man’ of Italian cycling after Coppi and Bartali; , rider, DS and race director; and . (km 144.7) is one of world cycling’s great capitals: the hundreds of local professional riders include , and .

Giro stage finishes: Busto Arsizio (km 63.2): 1985, ; 2001: . Bergamo (km 144.7) 1912 St 9 Milano-Bergamo (Vincenzo Borgarello) 1938 St 16 Recoaro Terme-Bergamo (Diego Marabelli) 1952 St 12 Bolzano-Bergamo (Oreste Conte) 1976 St 21 Terme di Comano-Bergamo (Felice Gimondi) 1983 St 16b Milano-Bergamo () 2007 St 14 Cantù-Bergamo () 2009 St 8 Morbegno-Bergamo (Kanstancin Siŭcoŭ) 29 June 2008: Ita nat. Champs () Boario Terme (km 200.7): 1982: . Alipaz (km 217.3): 1982: . Plan di Montecampione (stage finish): 1998: Marco Pantani.

Other sports: Monza: autodrome. Lovere: Giacomo Agostini (1942) was born in Lovere. One of the leading figures in motorcycle racing worldwide: 15-times world champion. Rogno: Roberta and Marina Brunello, brother and sister, respectively, international chess Grandmaster and Italian chess champions. Montecampione: the Fanchini sisters, all successful skiers: Nadia and Elena have long been Italian National Team members, while the third sister, Sabrina, wants to tread the same path.

Santini: the cycling clothes brand that produces the official jerseys of the Giro d’Italia is based at Lallio (km 138.9).

UNESCO World Heritage site: Val Carmonica. in the Parco delle Crape e Luine (near Darfo Boario Terme (km 200.7): rock carvings.

Happy birthday: Evgeni Petrov (Tinkoff Saxo), 36. Russian, born in Belovo (southern Siberia), World U23 road and time-trial champion at Plouay in 2000. Pro since 2001. 2002 Tour de l’Avenir. At 2010 Giro d’Italia, hue won stage 11, Lucera-L’Aquila. He hasn’t missed a Giro d’Italia since 2005 (he is now racing his tenth edition in a row): 7th in 2007. and the 22nd place last year.

TELEVISION The 2014 Giro d’Italia is broadcast in 171 countries across 5 continents. RAI, the Giro’s longstanding partner and host broadcaster, shows the stage in on RaiSport 2 from 1345 hours (CET) and on RaiTre, in simulcast, from 1505. The stage is streamed on www.raisport.rai.it, while www.gazzetta.it carries highlights, analysis and news updates. The Giro d’Italia is broadcast throughout Europe on every day at 1430. Elsewhere, the Giro d’Italia’s broadcasters are Sky Sports (UK), VRT/Sporza, TV2 Sporten, FORTA (TV3 Catalonia, TVG Galicia, TPA Asturias, EITB Basque Country), beIN Sports, NOS, SRG SSR, Sportsnet, RDS, TDN, ESPN Sur, ESPN Brasil, Al Jazeera, SuperSport, Eurosport Asia-Pacific, J Sports, Hy Sport, Sony SIX, TrueVisions, SBS, FOX Sports, and Sky Sport (NZ). SNTV distributes news footage.

Info:

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