The weekend starts with a long flat stage that races due north through the fertile plains of Umbria and Tuscany. There is one climb with 55 kilometres to go, plenty of time for the sprinters' trains to pull back any escape.
Petacchi will be looking for a win here near Firenze where the stage ends on the Mugello track, where there is the famous 15-turn racetrack used for F1 and MotoGP.
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An improvised parking lot podium for Vuelta a España with drink coolers as steps and podium pooches
Chaos around the Madrid finale may have halted the official ceremony but another plan quickly evolved
