The Netherlands’ Province of Gelderland, will host the Giro d’Italia 2016 Big Start, from 6 to 29 May, organised by RCS Sport / La Gazzetta dello Sport. The 99th edition of the Corsa Rosa will start for the 12th time from outside the Italian borders, it will be the third time from the land of tulips and windmills, following Groeningen in 2002 and Amsterdam in 2010.


Thanks to the concession of the Union Cycliste Internationale to allow the long transfer from the Netherlands, the Giro will have an extra rest day on Monday 9 May, when the Carovana Rosa will return to Italy straight to the southern part of the country.
 

Ing. Jan Markink, Member of the board of the Provincial executives of Gelderland, said: “I am very proud and excited to host the Big Start of the Giro d’Italia in 2016. The Giro in Gelderland will give us the opportunity to show the world how beautiful and unique Gelderland is with its diverse scenery and its magnificent cities. I believe that an international event like the Giro d’Italia will boost our economy, the sport and the promotion of Gelderland. Gelderland has a lot to offer, not only because of its rich cultural history and splendid museums but also when it comes to nature with excellent paths for cyclists and hikers. Finally I would like to welcome our friends of the Giro to Gelderland. We will offer you a great experience in a fantastic surrounding, and make the Big Start of the Giro d’Italia 2016 a start to remember!”

Mauro Vegni, Giro d’Italia Director, said: “We are really happy to start the Giro d’Italia from the Netherlands for the third time in the race’s history. In particular the Province of Gelderland showed how intensely it wanted the Corsa Rosa and beat the competition of other important candidates. There couldn’t be a better way of proceeding in the internationalisation process of the Giro, that, in the last few years, has seen the Big Start alternating between Italy and abroad, all without overlooking the south of Italy."

THE STAGES IN THE PROVINCE OF GELDERLAND

Stage 1, Friday 6 May – The first stage, an 8.1km Individual Time Trial, will go through Apeldoorn, finishing in the city.
Stage 2, Saturday 7 May – 180km stage for the fastest wheels in the peloton, starting from Arnhem and finishing in Nijmegen.
Stage 3, Sunday 8 May – The third stage, which is expected to be a bunch sprint, will start from Nijmegen and end in Arnhem after 190km.

Rest Day, Monday 9 May – Rest day and transfer to Italy.

THE 11 PREVIOUS FOREIGN STARTS OF THE GIRO D’ITALIA
1965 San Marino (General Classification winner: Vittorio Adorni); 1966 Monte Carlo – Monaco (Gianni Motta); 1973 Verviers – Belgium (Eddy Merckx); 1974 Vatican City (Eddy Merckx); 1996 Athens – Greece (Pavel Tonkov); 1998 Nice – France (Marco Pantani); 2002 Groeningen – The Netherlands (Paolo Savoldelli); 2006 Seraing – Belgium (Ivan Basso); 2010 Amsterdam – The Netherlands (Ivan Basso); 2012 Herning – Denmark (Ryder Hesjedal); 2014 Belfast – Northern Ireland (Nairo Quintana).