The 97th edition of the Giro d’Italia starts Friday in Belfast with 198 cyclists participating in the opening team time trial in the Northern Irish capital.
The Italian Grand Tour ends June 1 in the northeastern port city of Trieste, and there are a number of potential winners.
The Giro has several compelling stages, including the return of the grueling Stelvio climb after it was cancelled last year due to bad weather.
Here are the things to know about this year’s race:
Grande Partenza
As has become tradition every other year, the Giro d’Italia will start outside Italy. However, this is the first time that the Grande Partenza – or the Big Start – will take place outside of mainland Europe, with Belfast the departure point.
The Giro begins with a time time trial in Belfast. The city is also the start and finish point for Saturday’s 218-kilometre leg, which takes in a picturesque rock formation, the Giant’s Causeway.
The following day starts in Armagh before crossing the border into the Republic of Ireland and finishing in Dublin.
Pink banners, bunting and flags have been put up to match the colour of the leader’s jersey, while public buildings have been illuminated with pink projections and even sheep have been painted.
Remember him?
A number of riders who arrived in the UAE for the inaugural Dubai Tour will be riding in the Giro d’Italia. Chief among them is German cycling star Marcel Kittel, who won the points classification in Dubai and finished sixth in the general classification. Other familiar faces from the Dubai race competing in the Giro will be Italian Adriano Malori (seventh in Dubai Tour GC), Dutch Dylan Van Baarle (10th in Dubai) German Yannick Eijssen (14th) and Spaniard Nicolas Jonathan Castroviejo (16th).
Absent stars
Defending champion Vincenzo Nibali, 2008 winner Alberto Contador, reigning Tour de France winner Chris Froome and his Sky teammate Bradley Wiggins are all skipping the Italian classic to focus on this year’s Tour de France. Richie Porte also had to pull out of Sky’s squad due to a lack of form and illness.
Two of the favourites – Tour runner-up Nairo Quintana and Spanish rider Joaquin Rodriguez – have never won a Grand Tour.
Australian’s Cadel Evans – the 2011 Tour de France winner who finished third in last year’s Giro d’Italia – is also among the list of potential winners following his impressive victory at the Giro del Trentino.
“We’ve got a strong team backing me and I hope to do well,” Evans said. “We’ll see how the legs go against the other guys before saying how much I like the route.
“But the route is hard, the Giro is always the hardest Grand Tour route. There are a lot of mountain finishes and I know I’ve got to be up there for three weeks and be good in the mountain time trial and individual time trial too.”
Irish hopes
An Irish cyclist is unlikely to emerge triumphant from this year’s Giro d’Italia, but there are a couple keen to impress on home turf.
Two relatives of Irish cycling great Stephen Roche are riding in this year’s race although Roche doesn’t expect either, son Nicolas or nephew Dan Martin, to emulate his 1987 victory.
“Nicolas or Dan are both quite capable of finishing in the first five,” Roche said. “To go into the top three is also possible, but from there on it’ll be very difficult.
“Dan is quite capable of just switching it on some day and getting a stage win, whereas Nicolas concentrates so much for the GC (general classification), he misses out sometimes on good opportunities. Nicolas could do a top five and maybe get a stage win. I would put my money on Dan for a stage win.”
History
The Giro d’Italia first took place in 1909, and was the brainchild of struggling Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport’s desire to increase sales.
It was following on from L’Auto’s organisation of the Tour de France and was eager to beat rival paper Corriere della Sera, which was also planning to create a cycling race around Italy.
Gazzetta dello Sport continues to organise and sponsor the Giro, and its link with the prestigious race is the reason for the association with the colour pink as the newspaper is printed on pink paper.
The 1909 race featured eight stages with an average distance of more than 300 kilometres, compared to the 183-kilometre average stage length this year. Some 115 cyclists crossed the finish line out of 115 starters in 1909. The first edition was decided on points and won by Luigi Ganna. Had it been a time-based event, Giovanni Rossignoli – who finished fourth – would have won, while Ganna would have been third.
This year’s race is dedicated to Marco Pantani on the 10th anniversary of the Italian climber’s death.
Facts and figures
The route covers more than 3,200 kilometres, with 427.6km of it spent in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
There are 21 stages and three rest days. This year’s Giro is seen as balanced, with three time trials, eight finishes for sprinters and nine hilly or mountain stages.
The Giro has been won by an Italian 68 times. Four previous winners are competing in this edition: Italians Michele Scarponi, Ivan Basso and Damiano Cunego and Canadian Ryder Hesjedal.
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One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Real Madrid 1
Ronaldo (87')
Athletic Bilbao 1
Williams (14')
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
T20 World Cup Qualifier fixtures
Tuesday, October 29
Qualifier one, 2.10pm – Netherlands v UAE
Qualifier two, 7.30pm – Namibia v Oman
Wednesday, October 30
Qualifier three, 2.10pm – Scotland v loser of qualifier one
Qualifier four, 7.30pm – Hong Kong v loser of qualifier two
Thursday, October 31
Fifth-place playoff, 2.10pm – winner of qualifier three v winner of qualifier four
Friday, November 1
Semi-final one, 2.10pm – Ireland v winner of qualifier one
Semi-final two, 7.30pm – PNG v winner of qualifier two
Saturday, November 2
Third-place playoff, 2.10pm
Final, 7.30pm
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Pots for the Asian Qualifiers
Pot 1: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China
Pot 2: Iraq, Uzbekistan, Syria, Oman, Lebanon, Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam, Jordan
Pot 3: Palestine, India, Bahrain, Thailand, Tajikistan, North Korea, Chinese Taipei, Philippines
Pot 4: Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Yemen, Afghanistan, Maldives, Kuwait, Malaysia
Pot 5: Indonesia, Singapore, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Guam, Macau/Sri Lanka
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Trolls World Tour
Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
The five pillars of Islam
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