The General Manager of the Giro Donne has confirmed that the event could move dates in future to avoid being too close to the Tour de France Femmes or overlapping with the men's Tour de France in July.
Upon the conclusion of the 33rd edition of the Giro Donne on Sunday, Roberto Ruini stated that the long-standing 10-day event needs to be 'protected'.
"We'll see if we can position the Giro Donne in such a way that it can be enhanced. There are two dates that I share: the proximity of two great Tours, the French and the Italian [women's events], and the overlap with the men's Tour de France," said Ruini.
"These elements make us think about moving the date, it will have to be an issue to be agreed upon with the Italian Cycling Federation and the UCI; obviously I will try to do my part but others with me are in charge of making final decisions. However, by now the Giro Donne is really an event that must be protected, we have shown it and the athletes have demonstrated it."
The Giro d'Italia Donne and the newly returned Tour de France Femmes are position back-to-back this July with 13 days in between. Many have already speculated a possible date change for the Giro, perhaps to align with the RCS-organised men's Giro d'Italia in May, which would leave the Tour de France Femmes in July alongside the men's Tour de France.
PMG Sport and Starlight have previously told Cyclingnews this spring that, while not a priority to align with the men's Giro, they were considering a date change with the UCI to find the best date on the women's calendar for the Giro Donne.
Ruini has confirmed the organization's intent is for the 2023 Giro Donne to begin in Rome. Currently, the UCI Women's WorldTour calendar for next year lists the Giro Donne from June 30 to July 9.
However, organisers have indicated that they will reevaluate the date so that the race does not overlap with the men's Tour de France.
While visiting the Tour de France Grand Dèpart in Denmark, UCI President David Lappartient confirmed in an interview with the press, including Cyclingnews, that the sports governing body was working with the Giro d'Italia Donne to find a date on the calendar that would afford better visibility.
"We are also working with the Giro d'Italia Donne to think about another date for 2023. Also, for the visibility of the ladies to have this race during the Tour de France, it's quite difficult to be seen, and the Giro d'Italia Donne is also a wonderful race," Lappartient said.
"So, we are working on different options for 2023 first but maybe on a long-term strategy, with no overlapping in the women's calendar, but also to avoid some big clashes like this [with the Tour de France]. The date in July will probably not be the one in the future for the Giro Donne."
PMG Sport and Starlight took over as organizers of the Giro Donne last year, and together they have turned the race around, starting with a better organisational structure and marketing, and improved live broadcasting this year.
This year's live broadcasting marked a welcome step up for the race, and combined with a potential date change, could go a long way in bringing more visibility to the Giro Donne in years to come.
