Giro D'Italia

The Giro d'Italia (English: Tour of Italy) is an annual multiple stage bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. The race was first organized in 1909 to increase the sales for the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport; however it's now currently run by RCS Sport. The race has been held annually since its first edition in 1909 except for when it was stopped for the two World Wars. As the Giro gained prominence and popularity the race was lengthened and its reach began to extend around the globe. The peloton expanded from primarily Italian participation to riders from all over the world now participating each year. The Giro is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams that compete in the race are mostly UCI Proteams, with the exception of the teams that the organizers can invite.

Along with the Tour de France and Vuelta a España, the Giro makes up cycling's prestigious, three week-long Grand Tours. The Giro is usually held during late May and early June. While the route changes each year, the format of the race stays the same with the appearance of at least two time trials, the passage through the mountain chains of the Dolomites and the Alps, and the finish in the Italian city of Milan. Like the other Grand Tours, the modern editions of the Giro d'Italia normally consist of 21 day-long segments (stages) over a 23-day period that includes 2 rest days.

All of the stages are timed to the finish, after finishing the riders' times are compounded with their previous stage times. The rider with the lowest aggregate time is the leader of the race and gets to don the coveted pink jersey. While the general classification gathers the most attention there are other contests held within the Giro: the points classification for the sprinters, he mountains classification for the climbers, young rider classification for the riders under the age of 25, and the team classification for the competing teams. The 2012 edition of the race was won by Canada's Ryder Hesjedal; the first Canadian winner in the history of the Giro d'Italia.