Ivan Basso (Cannondale) withdrew from the race on the eve of the 2013 Giro d’Italia due to a perineal cyst but is hopeful that he will be able to make a return to the race in 2014 and add an overall win to the two he already has to his name. Basso won in 2006 and repeated his feat in 2010, having served a suspension for his links to the infamous Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes.

When commenting on the parcours for next year’s Giro at the announcement in Milan earlier today, Basso said he liked the route in general and the final week in particular.

“It’s surely a well-adjusted Giro but my knowledge teaches me that even the early stages could be difficult with the wind and road conditions,” Basso said to the Gazzetta dello Sport. “Still, the hardest climbs are in the finale. It’s easier to make the difference in the final week and it’s a Giro I like.”

Three years ago Basso’s Giro triumph hinged on his spectacular stage win on the murderous slopes of the Zoncolan, and the climb in Friuli features prominently on the penultimate stage this time around, on the day before the finale in Trieste.

“The climbs where you win stay in your heart and it would be great to crown my career with a third Giro win there. Nothing is impossible,” Basso said.