Gallery: Giro d'Italia 2013 route presentation

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Who will win the 2013 Giro d'Italia (Image credit: Sirotti)

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Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) has already confirmed that he will race to win the Giro in 2013 (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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The 2013 Giro d'Italia (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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A change of location from last year's route presentation (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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Some of the biggest riders in pro cycling attended the Giro presentation (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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Taylor Phinney (BMC) attended the Giro presentation in Milan. The American won the race prologue in 2012 (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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Michele Acquarone (Image credit: Sirotti)

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Two time Giro winner Ivan Basso (Image credit: Sirotti)

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Ryder Hesjedal gives the route a thumbs up (Image credit: Sirotti)

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Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) (Image credit: Sirotti)

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Nibali, Viviani and Moser (Image credit: Sirotti)

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Adriano Malori and Damiano Cunego (Image credit: Sirotti)

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Defending champion Ryder Hesjedal and Alberto Contador (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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Mark Cavendish (Team Sky) was on hand to help with the cooking (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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Nibali, Contador, Hesjedal and Cavendish (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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The stage is set for the 2013 Giro d'Italia (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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Samuel Sanchez, second in yesterday's Tour of Lombardy, attended the show (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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Mark Cavendish liked the Giro route and pointed to seven potential sprint finishes (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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Alessandro Ballan (BMC) has only ridden the Giro once in his career (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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Vincenzo Nibali will target the Giro ahead of the Tour de France in 2013 (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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Fabio Aru and Paolo Tiralongo (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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Johan Esteban Chaves (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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Alberto Contador cooks up a storm at the Giro presentation in Milan (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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Last year he descended onto the stage in cage. Things have moved on since then and now Contador can show off his cooking skills (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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Liquigas teammates Vincenzo Nibali, Elia Viviani and Moreno Moser (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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Mark Cavendish and Ernesto Colnago (Image credit: Sirotti)

After yesterday’s thrilling action in the Giro di Lombardia, attention turned to Milan’s Spazio Pelota for 2013 Giro d’Italia route presentation. RCS, who organises both races, have, in recent years, looked to put on a show at the unveiling of the Corsa Rosa: last year they unveiled the route for the Giro by lowering Alberto Contador onto the stage in a steel cage, and this year was no different.

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This year, for the 96th edition of the race, the cage had been replaced. Instead the Spaniard was joined on stage by the Giro d’Italia’s defending champion Ryder Hesjedal, Vincenzo Nibali, Mark Cavendish and Italy’s celebrity chef Davide Oldani.

After the master-chefs had cooked up a risotto, the race parcours was finally unveiled.

“Our guiding line is that the great champions must be respected, and every champion must be given space to express himself. I think that we’ve put together a very balanced route,” said organiser Michele Acquarone said after unveiling the 21-stage event.

Hesjedal, who will race both the Giro and Tour in 2013 added his praise to a race that holds seven mountain stages and 88 kilometres of time trialing.

“Someone was saying it would be an easier Giro this year, but I don’t see it. It looks amazing, I’m ready to start preparing already,” he said.

For a complete run-down of the race, click here.