2005 Giro route announced

The route for this year's Giro d'Italia was unveiled on Saturday.

Of note is the "prologue" May 7th: It's 1.15 km long. That's not a misprint -- the Giro will kick off with every rider giving his all for 2 minutes.

Last year's winner Damiano Cunego, whose Saeco team has morphed into Lampre-Caffitta, told Yahoo! Sport he thinks the profile is well-suited to a title defense:

"I can only say that on paper I like this Giro, but I will need to go and have a look at it to get a better idea," said the 23-year-old. "It seems to me like the tour will suit the climbers, but we'll see."

There are 5 big climber's stages, 2 ITTs (plus the prologue), and 10 sprinter-friendly stages already marked on Alessandro Petacchi's calendar.

Also:

Cyclingnews.com | Giro d'Italia looking good for 2005: Cunego-Basso battle clearly on the cards

Over at Cyclingnews, Tim Maloney tips a battle between Cunego and CSC's Ivan Basso, who hasn't ridden the Giro in 5 years. Maloney gives longer odds on Stefano Garzelli, or Discovery's Paolo Savoldelli, nursing a broken collarbone.