Amore Infinito
The Giro, the second most important stage race after the Tour de France, has a special status among die-hard cycling fans: Every year the race winds its way through spectacular green countryside with rolling hills, along cypress-tree-lined streets, through quaint villages and famous wine regions, past major historical landmarks and along the beautiful Italian coastline overlooking sand and sea. But most importantly, the route takes the cyclists into the mountains to race on the steepest, most beautiful and most iconic mountain passes that the country has to offer. Meanwhile, spectators dream of Italy’s first-class cuisine, excellent espressos and fine wine. This is exactly what enchants fans year after year. There’s a good reason why the race’s slogan is always ‘amore infinito’ – infinite love.
The Giro d’Italia was first staged in 1909, starting and ending in Milan and covering eight stages and 2,448 km. Out of the 127 cyclists who started the race, only 49 crossed the finish line. This race with its long tradition started out as a promotional campaign for the Italian sports newspaper ‘La Gazzetta dello Sport’. The newspaper still exists today and is the reason why the jersey for the overall leader has had its unique pink colour since 1931. This coveted jersey is known as the ‘maglia rosa’ in Italian.
There are three other classifications that are also awarded with a jersey: the points classification, the mountains classification and the best young rider classification. Unlike the Tour de France, these special jerseys have changed colour several times throughout the history of the Giro d’Italia. Today, the best climber dons the blue jersey while the leader of the points classification wears the cyclamen-coloured jersey, the ‘maglia ciclamino’. The best young cycling (U25) is awarded the white jersey. The year 2022 was a special one for BORA - hansgrohe: the team entered the Giro’s history books thanks to Jai Hindley’s win, and it hopes to make its mark once again at this year’s edition.
In 2023, the Giro will start in Abruzzo for the second time in its history, kicking off with an individual time trial along the Adriatic coast. After a few stages in southern Italy, the peloton will gradually make its way north. The riders will then head along the Ligurian coastline towards the Alps, crossing the mountain range from East to West. Stage 13 On 19 May, the third stage leads over the highest point of this year's edition, the 2,469 m high Col du Grand St. Bernard, to the Swiss ski resort of Crans Montana. On the following day, the route will return to Italy, where a brutal final week awaits the riders. This will culminate in the queen stage on 26 May, which will cross four Dolomite passes before reaching the legendary mountain finish at Rifugio Auronzo, beneath the majestic Three Peaks. As if that wasn’t already enough, on the penultimate day the riders face a steep mountain time trial up Monte Lussari. After a plane transfer, the final stage will take place in Rome. On 28 May, the cyclists will go on a circuit around the ‘eternal city’ before facing a final sprint battle. At this stage, whoever is sporting the maglia rosa will no longer need to fear attacks from competitors and can enjoy being celebrated by the tifosi.
30 professional cyclists from 15 different countries in one team. After all, teamwork makes the dream work in cycling. Even though only one rider can be the first over the finish line, winning is a success for the whole team, because you can’t win in cycling without domestiques who provide slipstreams, grab water bottles, keep the competition at bay and lead out the sprinters in the sprint.
Solidarity is a top priority in the BORA – hansgrohe team, that’s how the Band of Brothers constantly develop, improve and become more successful. The team started in the third division in 2010, still under the NetApp team name, and was promoted to the first division in 2017. Just two years later and with a total of 47 victories under its belt, the team advanced to the second-best team in the WorldTour division. In the 2022 season, when appointing newcomers and determining its race tactics, BORA – hansgrohe focused on stage races and consequently on general classification specialists. What was initially conceived as a lengthy process already led to success in the first Grand Tour, the Giro d’Italia. Jai Hindley not only clinched the first Grand Tour podium for BORA – hansgrohe, he also triumphed across the board and got to don the prestigious maglia rosa in the Arena di Verona. It’s hard to celebrate success, but it’s even harder to confirm achievements. The team’s motto for the 2023 season is therefore ‘to confirm its achievements’ – and it has its sights set on another Grand Tour podium. At the same time, it aims to further establish its up-and-coming talents in world-class racing.
This year, 22 teams with eight riders each will start at the Giro d’Italia. There are sprinting specialists, strong climbers and great all-rounders. Aleksandr Vlasov and Lennard Kämna will be on the start line for the general classification. You won’t find a sprinter in the BORA – hansgrohe line-up for this race as the team’s sights are firmly set on the mountain stages and the resulting podium in the general classification.
