The sixteenth Giro della Toscana has been presented by its president Brunello Fanini, with an extra road stage added to an almost identical course to last year. The six-day race, which showcases many of the highlights of the Italian province, has been organised by Fanini since 1996 in memory of his sadly deceased daughter Michela, a former Italian champion and Giro d’Italia winner, who was killed during a training ride in October 1994.
Fanini also runs the Michela Fanini-Record-Rox team in his daughter’s memory.
“The welcome recognition in the press, from athletes and their teams, and from passioante fans, ‘obliges’ us (but we do more than willingly...) to improve each time,” said Fanini in a statement, "to commit ourselves to the success of the entire event.”
With the loss of so many races in the women’s calendar, the Giro di Toscana is becoming an increasingly important event, especially situated, as it is, just one week before the World championships.
“It's true that women's cycling is going through a difficult time, but we are not or downsized or demoralised,” continued Fanini. “Indeed... you will see the beginning, at the 'Premondiale Giro della Toscana', of a re-launching of the whole movement.”
The 2011 race will consist of six stages, starting with a 5.45km team time trial on the Tyrrhenian seafront of Viareggio, and finishing in the renaissance city of Florence, just as in 2010. The big addition to last year’s race is a 67.3km semitappa between Quarrata and Campi Bisenzio in advance of the 2.2km evening time trial.
As usual, the penultimate stage will be preceded by a tribute paid at the statue of Michela Fanini in the town of Segromigno in Piano.
The race’s claim to ‘premondiale’ status is a worthy one, with many riders winning and performing well in Tuscany going on to do the same at the World championships. Swiss rider Barbara Hebb won the very first edition of the race in 1996, then went on to take the World championships, as did Lithuanian Edita Pucinskaite in 1999 and Belarusian Zinaida Stahurskaya in 2000.
Swedish rider Susanne Ljungskog took the race before both of her World titles, in 2002 and 2003. More recently, Marianne Vos emphasised her arrival on the senior stage in 2006 by taking second place ahead of her one World title to date, while Giorgia Bronzini’s victory on the final stage last year served notice of her victory in Geelong, Australia, shortly afterwards. Judith Arndt won last year’s race and went on to take the silver medal in the Worlds time trial and fifth in the road race.
With Vos’ Nederland Bloeit team – and the Netherlands National Team – missing from the list of teams to appear in the race, it looks as though the Dutch champion will be taking an alternative route to the Worlds in Copenhagen this year.
Since the World championships all but ends the women’s season each year, the Giro di Toscana will be the last ever appearance of the HTC-Highroad team, in its current form at least.
Giro della Toscana 2011 stages
September 13th: Stage 1 – Viareggio TTT, 5.45km
September 14th: Stage 2 – Porcari to Altopascio, 117.1km
September 15th: Stage 3 – Pontedera to Volterra, 137.6km
September 16th: Stage 4a – Quaratta to Campi Bisenzio, 67.3km
September 16th: Stage 4b – Campi Bisenzio ITT, 2.22km
September 17th: Stage 5 – Segromigno in Piano to Capannori, 100.9km
Septermber 18th: Stage 6 – Lucca to Firenze, 110km
Teams invited
HTC-Highroad (USA)
Michela Fanini-Record-Rox (Ita)
Colavita Forno d’Asolo (Ita)
Garmin-Cervélo (GBr)
Gauss (Ita)
MCipollini-Giambenini (Ita)
Lointek (Spa)
Kleo Ladies Team (Ita)
Diadora-Pasta Zara (USA)
Top Girls-Fasso Bortolo (Ita)
Lotto Honda Team (Bel)
Dolmans Landscaping Team (Ned)
Kuota Speed Kueens (Aut)
Vaiano-Tepso-Solaristech (Ita)
Team Fanini Store (Ita)
Project Cycling Women’s Team (Ita)
Norwegian National Team (Nor)
Ukrainian National Team (Ukr)
Australian National Team (Aus)
United States National Team (USA)
Russian National Team (Rus)
German National Team (Ger)