Giro d’Italia Virtual by Enel: the battle for the Maglia Rosa begins!

The virtual ‘Corsa Rosa’ in 7 stages, from 18 April to 10 May

5 UCI men’s teams and the men’s Italian national cycling squad will compete in the virtual Corsa Rosa alongside a host of ex-pro legends and cycling enthusiasts from across the world. The event, sponsored by 6 brands, will see riders take to their smart trainers twice per week to tackle 7 virtual stages in aid of the Italian Red Cross. The ‘Pink Race’ will also see 3 UCI women’s teams and the women’s Italian national cycling squad compete. Standings for both races will be updated after each stage, in addition to live post-stage broadcasts at 18:00 CEST featuring interviews with the main protagonists. Registrations and regulations at www.garminvirtualride.com #GIROVIRTUAL

THE BATTLE FOR THE MAGLIA ROSA BEGINS!

RCS Sport invites amateur riders from around the globe to join their cycling heroes, both past and present, in racing seven stages of the Giro d’Italia Virtual, taking place from 18 April to 10 May. Participants include: six men’s teams (Astana Pro Team, Team Bahrain-Mclaren, Movistar Team, Team Jumbo – Visma and Bardiani CSF Faizanè), professional and under-23 members of the Italian national cycling team, and several famous ex-pros (known as the ‘Legends’) such as Ivan Basso, Stefano Garzelli, Alessandro Ballan, Claudio Chiappucci, Andrea Tafi, Stefano Allocchio and Alessandro Bertolini.

Among the pro riders competing are: Primoz Roglic (winner of the 2019 UAE Tour, the Tirreno-Adriatico and the Vuelta a Espana, and 3rd place finisher at the 102nd edition of the Giro d’Italia) and Jakob Fuglsang (winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné). The Italian national cycling team’s manager Davide Cassani has also invited some of Italy’s strongest riders to the competition, including Elia Viviani, Alberto Bettiol, Davide Formolo, Matteo Trentin, Diego Ulissi and Sonny Colbrelli.

THE PINK RACE

Three professional women’s teams (Trek–Segafredo, Movistar Team Women, Astana Women’s Team) and the women’s Italian national cycling team will compete against each other in the Pink Race – a separate women’s team classification competition reserved for pro cyclists. Among the riders taking part are Letizia Paternoster (under-23 European Road champion with 15 gold medals accrued at both the World and European Track Championships), Elisa Longo Borghini (winner of the 2017 Strade Bianche Donne and three times Italian national time trial champion), Lizzie Deignan (2015 Road World Champion) and Ellen van Dijk (2014 Tour of Flanders winner).

THE STANDINGS

The virtual Corsa Rosa will feature both a male and female individual general classification for amateur riders, awarding the Maglia Rosa to both winners, as well as the Maglia Bianca to each best young rider. Participants will also compete for the Garmin Award. Male professionals racing in the event will ride for their team’s classification and not as individuals, like the female professionals competing in the Pink Race.

The results of each stage and the event’s overall standings will be published every Tuesday and Friday at www.giroditalia.it. In addition, every Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday a live post-stage broadcast will be available to watch via the Giro’s social media platforms (YouTube, Instagram and Facebook), featuring interviews with the race’s biggest names.

THE GIRO D’ITALIA VIRTUAL BY ENEL – SPONSORS

The Giro d’Italia Virtual, raising vital funds for the Italian Red Cross, has been created in collaboration with Enel (the event’s official presenting partner), Garmin Edge and Tacx. The race is also officially sponsored by Castelli, Bianchi and NAMEDSPORT.

INFO, RULES AND HOW TO REGISTER VIA THE EVENT’S GARMIN PLATFORM: WWW.GARMINVIRTUALRIDE.COM/IT

To experience the excitement of the Giro d’Italia Virtual, riders will simply need a Garmin Connect account in order to sign up for free at www.garminvirtualride.com. Following registration, they will then be able to upload the GPX files of the Giro d’Italia Virtual’s seven stages and install them on their Garmin Edge cycle computer. Riders will also require a new generation smart trainer such as those offered by Tacx, or any other brand of interactive smart trainer with similar features, to connect with their bike.

Signing up for the event will allow riders to compete in all seven stages of the Giro d’Italia Virtual. Registration is divided into four separate categories – ‘Amateur’, ‘Legends’, ‘Pro’ and ‘Woman’ – each with their own separate general classification. The registration portal will be available to access in four languages while the event’s official rulebook is accessible in both English and Italian.

THE FIRST STAGE

Stage 10 – from Saturday 18 to Tuesday 21 April

SAN SALVO > TORTORETO – (from Controguerra, final 32.1km – 480m vertical elevation)

FUNDRAISING FOR THE ITALIAN RED CROSS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH RETE DEL DONO

RCS Sport is promoting a fundraising initiative in aid of the Italian Red Cross, accepting donations via the Rete del Dono giving portal, available at www.retedeldono.it/giro. Donations made via the portal until 10 May will enable the humanitarian organisation to continue working at the front line of the Covid-19 emergency, offering first responder aid, virus screening and psychological and logistical support amongst other vitally important activities in the fight against the epidemic. The fundraising campaign has been made possible by Rete del Dono – a longstanding partner of RCS Sport and notable coordinator of numerous successful sporting charity programs, including the Milano Marathon and Gran Fondo Strade Bianche. In the last few weeks alone, Rete del Dono has activated more than 70 fundraising campaigns aimed at battling the Covid-19 emergency.

In addition to sponsoring the event, Castelli have also pledged to donate 5 euros to the Italian Red Cross for each #Giro102 Race Jersey purchased through their website – http://castelli-cycling.com/

GIRO D'ITALIA VIRTUAL STAGES

Stage 10 – from Saturday 18 to Tuesday 21 April, SAN SALVO > TORTORETO – (from Controguerra, final 32.1km – 480m vertical elevation)

Stage 12 – from Wednesday 22 to Friday 24 April, CESENATICO > CESENATICO (NOVE COLLI) – (from Linaro to Sogliano al Rubicone, 32.7 km – 980m vertical elevation)

Stage 16 – from Saturday 25 to Tuesday 28 April, UDINE > SAN DANIELE DEL FRIULI (1 lap of the stage’s final circuit) – (final 26.9 km – 550m vertical elevation)

Stage 17 – from Wednesday 29 April to Friday 1 May, BASSANO DEL GRAPPA > MADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO – (from Villa Rendena, final 25.9km – 930m vertical elevation)

Stage 18 – from Saturday 2 to Tuesday 5 May, PINZOLO > LAGHI DI CANCANO (Stelvio National Park) – (from Bocca del Braulio, final 30.0km – 710m vertical elevation)

Stage 20 – from Wednesday 6 to Friday 8 May, ALBA > SESTRIERE – (from Briancon, final 31.5 km – 1,180m vertical elevation)

Stage 21 – from Saturday 9 to Sunday 10 May, CERNUSCO SUL NAVIGLIO > MILAN ITT TISSOT – (full stage, 15.7km – 30m vertical elevation)