Pulse Media Group (PMG Sport), new organisers of the Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile, have committed to 30 minutes of live television broadcast at this year’s 10-day race schedule to take place from July 2-11 across northern Italy. The event was downgraded to the 2.Pro Series for not providing required live television last year but aim to be back on the Women’s WorldTour in 2022.
"Each stage will be broadcast live and production will be organised according to the UCI international standards. A high quality of production has always been a strong point in the PMG Sport model," organisers wrote in the published race guide.
The UCI confirmed to Cyclingnews, that PMG Sport has taken over the event and that it is now called Giro d'Italia Donne. PMG Sport displayed additional details about this year's event on a newly launched event website.
Cyclingnews understands that as a ProSeries race this year organisers are not required to guarantee live broadcast, however, to get back into the UCI Women’s WorldTour next year, they will have to meet the TV requirements of the series of a minimum of 45 min.
Organisers PMG Sport have listed 24 invited teams, including all nine WorldTeams, the host regions and cities across northern Italy, and a promotional video announcing a commitment to live television broadcast.
It specified 30 minutes of live TV, 2 motorcycles (cameras), 5 telecameras, helicopter with camera for transmission of A/V (audiovisual) signals, and aircraft for repetition of A/V signals, and an OBVan HD for live television production.
"We intend to provide the maximum public involvement along with distribution and use of videos everywhere," organisers wrote on its website.
Organisers also state that the event will be live across across PMG Sport platforms, along with a range of international and national television boasting platforms; GCN, Discovery Channel, SparkSport, Claro-TV, NOS, RaiSport, SBS, Eurosport Player, and FloSports, along with La Repubblica, LA7, Tuttobici, Facebook, Youtube and Twitter, and will provide additional post-race video content with expert analysis.
The Giro d’Italia Donne is a long-running women's race set to embark on its 32nd anniversary in July. From a historical context, it has been the biggest and most prestigious women's race in the world. It is the only women's event that, normally, covers 10 days of racing and includes iconic mountain passes such as the Mortirolo, Stelvio, and Zoncolan.
However, it has also historically been one of the toughest events for fans to follow due to limited live broadcast coverage over the years and there have been complaints of poor organisation and limited marketing of the event.
The race was postponed last year due to COVID-19 and held in September. It was also shortened to nine stages and won by Anna van der Breggen.
Race organisers promised 45 minutes of live television broadcasting as part of the UCI requirement to be part of the Women’s WorldTour last year. However, they failed to offer the required live coverage, and along with other organisational concerns, the sport governing body downgraded the race to the 2.Pro series in 2021.
Cyclingnews understands that the organisers of the Giro d’Italia Donne will be permitted to re-apply for WorldTour status in 2022.
The Giro d'Italia Donne website proposes six main goals: provide highest technical quality and standards for the race, enhance women in sport and environmental sustainability, promoting territories throughout Italy to an international audience, increase public involvement and shared live video content, implement commercial villages at all stages for spectators, and create better sponsor and partnership visibility.
It has stated that it will offer revamped security, administration, televised production, strategic management and operating teams, and enhanced marketing and communications.
The race across northern Italy
Organisers have not announced the full route details or major mountain passes, however, this year’s race will travel through the northern regions of Piemonte, Lombardia, Liguria, Veneto, and Friuli Venezia Giulia. They have indicated the host start and finish cities, and the race will begin with a team time trial in Fossano to Cuneo on July 2, include a finish at Monte Matajur on the penultimate stage, and end in Cormons on July 11.
- Stage 1: Fossano to Cuneo (team time trial)
- Stage 2: Boves to Prato Nevoso
- Stage 3: Casale Monferrato to Ovada
- Stage 4: Formazza to Riale di Formazza (individual time trial)
- Stage 5: Milan to Carugate
- Stage 6: Colico to Colico (Lake Como)
- Stage 7: Sporazocco di Gacardo to Puegnago del Garda
- Stage 8: San Vendemiano to Mortegliano
- Stage 9: Feletto-Umberto to Monte Matajur
- Stae 10: Capriva del Friuli to Cormons
The new ProSeries events are permitted to invite 15-24 teams to participate, and they are open to a minimum of four and a maximum of 10 Women’s WorldTeams, which is entirely at the organisers’ own discretion.
The nine top-tier women’s teams will take the start line including defending champion Anna van der Breggen’s SD Worx squad, two-time winner Annemiek van Vleuten’s team Movistar, Amanda Spratt’s Team BikeExchange, Elisa Longo Borghini’s Trek-Segafredo, Lotte Kopecky’s Liv Racing, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig’s team FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope, Lorena Wiebes’ Team DSM, Marta Bastianelli’s Alé BTC Ljubljana, and Kasia Niewiadoma’s Canyon-SRAM squad.
Also on the start line will be second-tier teams Jumbo-Visma, home to Marianne Vos, along with Lizzy Banks’ Ceratizit-WNT, Elisa Balsamo’s Valcar Travel & Service, Sarah Gigante’s Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank, Rally Cycling, Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami, Top Girls Fassa Bortolo, Lotto Soudal Ladies, Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria, Born to win G20 Ambedo, Bizkaia-Durango, Aromitalia Basso Vaiano, Arkea, Bepink and A.R. Monex.
The rosters for each team competing at the 10-day race have not yet been released.
Teams
- Ale BTC Ljubljana
- Canyon-Sram Racing
- FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
- Liv Racing
- Movistar Team Women
- Team DSM
- Trek-Segafredo
- Team Bikeexchange
- Team SD Worx
- A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team
- Arkea pro Cycling Team
- Bepink
- Aromitalia Basso Bike Vaiano
- Bizkaia-Durango
- Born to Win G20 Ambedo
- Ceratizit-WNT pro Cycling Team
- Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria
- Lotto Soudal Ladies
- Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
- Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA
- Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
- Valcar Travel & Service
- Jumbo Visma Women Team
- Rally Cycling
