Giro d’Italia round Italy cycle race starts in Apeldoorn
The 99th edition of the Giro d’Italia round Italy cycle race started in the Netherlands on Friday with a 9.8 kilometre time trial through the centre of Apeldoorn.
Tens of thousands of people packed into the Gelderland town to watch the 22 teams of nine riders, and officials hope that by staging the event, they will boost local tourism.
On Saturday there is a 190 km stage from Arnhem to Nijmegen and on Sunday the teams will head back from Nijmegen to Arnhem again. Then, after a rest day, there will be 18 further stages to reach the finish on 29 May.
The Netherlands has been the start of several big cycle races in recent years. In 2015, the Tour de France kicked off in Utrecht, as it did in Rotterdam in 2010. Amsterdam also staged the start of the Giro that year.
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