2016 Giro d'Italia to include three individual time trials

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Giro d’Italia race director Mauro Vegni has confirmed to Cyclingnews that next year’s race will include three individual time trials. The route will not have a team time trial, although one of the time trials will be a mountain time trial of around 20 kilometres.

Vegni confirmed the news at the Giro d’Italia’s presentation of the route for stage 9 – a 40km time trial through Chianti vineyards.

“You can expect to see a few changes, you can anticipate the Giro not having a team time trial for instance,” Vegni told Cyclingnews.

It will be the first time in 10 years that this has been the case. The official route of the 2016 Giro d’Italia will not be presented until Monday October 5, the day after the Il Lombardia one-day race, but it has already been announced that the race will start in Holland and run from May 6-29.

“We will have three time trials, the first of which is in Holland will be around 11km,” Vegni added.

"The second will be the Chianti time trial, which you’ve just seen and which will be spectacular, and the third time trial will be an uphill mountain time trial of around 20 kilometres.”

Although the race will comprise around 70 kilometres of individual time trialing, Vegni believes that the route will be balanced and will offer the climbers their chance to shine in the race for the maglia rosa. For Vengi, the importance of a balanced route means that the Giro will look to have key stages dotted through the three-week event.

“The 2015 edition gave us an indication of how the Giro will be developed in the coming years. We’ve become more careful with regards to rider transfers, for example, so that we can help with the recovery time for riders. There’s no willingness on our parts to make the race extreme,” he said.

“What’s most important for us isn’t having an extreme route but having a balanced route – one where there is attention on the beginning, middle and end. 2015 was the beginning of how we could show that."

The line-ups for next year’s race will be subject to speculation over the next few months and much will depend on the final route announcements for both the Giro and the Tour de France. Vegni is confident that the Giro can attract star riders, although he is not sure of the exact make-up of GC challengers at this early stage.

“I’m not sure as Alberto Contador has said that this year was probably his last Giro d’Italia. Alberto is a man of his word, so I respect that, although he is always welcome. I think that Mikel Landa will return though next year with Team Sky, so I don’t think that Froome will be there. I think that Joaquim Rodriguez will come too.”

“With Astana I think that if Nibali rides then Aru won’t be there. Quintana, he’s another possibility and that’s a work in progress.”