2012 Giro d'Italia
The 95th Giro d' Italia was held to 27 May 2012 from 5. The bicycle race was held in 21 stages with a total length of 3,504 kilometers. The tour started in Denmark with an individual time trial in Milan and ended the same way. After the three stages starting in Denmark, the race returned to Italy, where the path led from Verona to the east of the country to the south. The southernmost point was reached on the eighth day section to Lago Laceno, from then on it went on the Tyrrhenian coast north again, where in the last week the mountain stages in the Alps and Dolomites were on the program. Queen stage with approximately 6,000 Hm was the penultimate stage over the Mortirolo and mountain top finish on the Stelvio. Overall, there were six mountain finishes.
The Tour of Italy 2012 was the first under the new race director Michele Acquarone, who had Angelo Zomegnan replaced.
The third stage around Horsens was dedicated to the 2011 who died on the third day of the tour Wouter Weylandt racer and was called " WW Special Day " after the nickname of the Belgian. In addition, the starting number 108 should never be awarded at the Giro d' Italia.
Participant
Eligible were the 18 ProTeam. In addition, the organizer RCS awarded four wildcards Professional Continental teams, including surprisingly the German team NetApp. Acqua e Sapone was not invited to the former Giro winner Stefano Garzelli, who at the Tour of Italy in 2012 actually had his career will end. Each team sent nine riders at the start, making a total of 198 cyclists were at the start. Also present were three German, six Swiss, five Austrians and two Luxembourg.
→ Detailed starter list: Driver Field in 2012
In the absence of the blocked last year's winner Alberto Contador last year's runner Michele Scarponi officially received the pink jersey of the winner, which he had been awarded retrospectively by Contador's ban two days before the start of the tour. Next to the man of Lampre- ISD especially his compatriot Ivan Basso applies (Liquigas -Cannondale ), winner of 2010, when the biggest favorite for the overall victory in 2012. Both drivers had, however, still can pull out hardly good results in the season so far, so at many experts was still in doubt at the start of the Giro, if they would come in time in the form. Both had Damiano Cunego and with Sylwester Szmyd but can also still strong helper at her side, who would, if necessary, fill in the role of team captains. Other possible overall winner Fränk Schleck of Luxembourg were the RadioShack -Nissan, which was re-nominated for his injured team-mate Jakob Fuglsang in the short term, as well as Domenico Pozzovivo ( Colnago -CSF Inox ), in April winner of the Giro del Trentino, traded. An outside chance of victory were awarded John Gadret ( AG2R La Mondiale ), José Rujano ( Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela ) and Roman Kreuziger ( Astana Pro Team ).
For the victories in the mass sprints on the flat stages came in advance especially world champion Mark Cavendish (Sky Procycling ) in question. In addition to the British but also almost all other world class sprinters like Tyler Farrar, Matthew Goss, Theo Bos, Mark Renshaw or Andrea Guardini were at the start.
Since Stefano Garzellis Acqua e Sapone team had received no wildcard, was the defending champion in the mountains classification not at the start. When his possible successors were Emanuele Sella example, or José Serpa ( Androni Giocattoli both Venezuela ) traded a clear favorite in this special classification ga but is not. For the first time the mountain jersey this year was no longer green, but kept blue at the request of the sponsor in color.
Stages
→ Detailed List of stages with results: Giro d' Italia 2012/Etappen
Ratings during the race
The table shows the leaders of the respective standings after the completion of the stage.
Coverage in Germany
For the second time appeared in the run-up to the Giro a German language program booklet, which created the organizer in cooperation with the journal Procycling. The television Euro Sport rendered every afternoon for several hours of the live stages and sent shortened repetitions of these.