The final Dutch stage of the Giro d’Italia round Italy cycle race kicked off in Amsterdam’s Zuidas business district on Monday, on a 224 km route down the coast to Middelburg in Zeeland.

On Sunday, the second stage – a 210 km race from the capital to Utrecht, was won by American rider Tyler Farrar in a sprint finish. Some 250,000 people turned out to watch the final stages of the race.
The first Italian kilometers will be cycled on Wednesday.

Finances
Amsterdam city council executive Carolien Gehrels told the Telegraaf she expects staging the start of the Giro will benefit the city to the tune of €25m. The city council invested €5m in the project.
‘The city has been seen in 160 different countries in the tv coverage. That must be a reason for some to visit Amsterdam,’ she said.
But sports marketing expert Frank Van de Wall Bake warns it is difficult to calculate the real benefit. ‘It is very positive as a city to show that you have ambition at a time when the economy is poor. But that is unfortunately very difficult to capitalise on,’ he said.
Rotterdam is investing €12m this summer on hosting the start of the Tour de France. It expects the launch to generate up to €30m in lasting benefits for the city.