Stage 1: Naples – Naples
Distance: 130km
Highest point: 158m
Category: Flat
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Following 2012’s excursion into the millionaire’s playground of Jutland, this years’ grande partenza will be quintessentially Italian. Though hugely evocative and romantic, Naples was for decades a byword for the financial and social problems of the South. Now it’s being renovated, remodelled and remarketed. Modern, progressive and above all dynamic, it will showcase its new-found optimism with a lightning-fast criterium concluding on its wondrous seafront. The likely outcome? Who else… Cavendish.
Stefano Zanatta says: "Of course everything points to Cavendish but it’s not a foregone conclusion because the margins aren’t as big as they might look on TV. One tiny mistake and he loses. We’ll have Viviani, others will have their sprinters, and they will all arrive in Naples in the very best condition. This is the beginning of the adventure and there’s a maglia rosa at stake. There is pressure, yes, but above all there is excitement for everyone."
Stage 1 map
Stage 1 profile
