Giro set to go

In a few hours the 88th Giro d'Italia gets under way in Reggio Calabria with an unusually short prologue: 1.15 kilometers, or about .7 miles. Ex-trackie Stuart O'Grady has had a bike built specifically for the prologue; RoadCycling.com offers a look at the track-style setup, with a fixed 53x14 gear, narrow crank, "hidden" brakes, and bolted wheels.

The Giro has a different color assignment of jerseys than the Tour de France (or the Vuelta), and Eurosport goes over the differences, including an explanation of the "race-within-a-race" Intergiro (sky-blue) jersey. They've also got the official start list of 197 riders (Liberty starts 1 rider short because Ribeiro was ineligible for high hematocrit; the squad has since fired the Portuguese rider).

Today and tomorrow, there's same-day TV coverage on Outdoor Life Network in the US, running from 5-7 pm Eastern.

Online, look for live text updates from the usual suspects at CyclingNews and VeloNews.

The official Giro site is hosted at its primary sponsor: Italy's sports newspaper, La Gazzetta dello Sport, but the Giro special is available in English, French, German, Spanish, and of course, Italian, which you can expect to be updated most quickly.