Giro d’Italia announce their 2023 race will start with a time trial on a former railway line in Abruzzo

The Giro d’Italia will start in a unique way in 2023, with organisers announcing that the first stage will be a time trial along a coastal cycle path made from a disused railway line.

The Costa dei Trabocchi cycle path in the Abruzzo region is the precise destination for what should be a picturesque beginning to the 106th edition of the race.

The 11.4-mile stage against-the-clock will begin at Fossacesia Marina and end with a short climb to Ortona just down the Adriatic coast.

That first stage will be on Saturday, May 6, with the race ending on Sunday, May 28.

Stages 2 and 3 will also take place in Abruzzo, with the second day taking the riders on a sprinter-friendly 127-mile jaunt from Teramo to San Salvo, and then the next day starting in Vasto.

One rider particularly looking forward to the start is Trek-Segafredo cyclist Dario Cataldo, who is from the region.

“I am excited at the idea of the Grande Partenza [Big Start] of the Giro in Abruzzo,” he said.

“It is a dream come true, especially with regard to the prologue on the Costa dei Trabocchi.

“I well remember that when the cycle path project was born and I saw the first tracks, I imagined the beauty of a Giro d’Italia passing along the route.

“It looked perfect.”

The full route for the race will be revealed on October 17 in Milan.

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