The Tuscan hills are what makes Strade Bianche so special (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
From the flat, technical terrain of bike-crazy Amsterdam to the soaring peaks of the Zoncolan, Mortirola and Gavia - this year's Giro d'Italia could prove to be the most difficult edition to date.
The strade bianche and an unpaved ascent to the Plan de Corones only add to the insanity which will whip the tifosi into a frenzy cheering for their favourites.
The Giro d'Italia will also pay tribute to the sport's fallen heroes: Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil and Marco Pantani with iconic stages as well as pass through the town of L'Aquila which was devastated by an earthquake in 2009.
"Stage 11 will be a very long and emotional day, as we visit some of the areas devastated by the earthquake last April," Filippo Pozzato says in the stage preview. "The course itself is very hard and lends itself to breaks and also attacks on an uphill finish in L'Aquila. There won't be big gaps between the very top riders, but someone between fifth and tenth place on GC could make a big move."
Want to get more insights into the stages of the 93rd Giro d'Italia? You can start with stage one and scroll through the entire race, view the course maps and profiles and get exclusive insights from race director Angelo Zomegnan, Pozzato, Marco Pinotti and Michele Scarponi and analysis courtesy of Procycling magazine.
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