Sardinia for Fabio Aru. Sicily for Vincenzo Nibali.
The 100th edition of the Giro d’Italia next year will pay homage to the country’s two top riders with a start that will include stages on both of Italy’s largest islands.
Revealed Tuesday in Milan, the May 5-28 race will start with three stages in Sardinia to honour Aru, followed by two legs in Sicily for Nibali.
Aru last year became the first Sardinian to wear the Giro leader’s pink jersey, when he finished second to Alberto Contador, while Nibali, a Sicilian, won in 2013 and 2016.
Aru and Nibali were teammates at Astana the past four years but Nibali recently left to lead the new Bahrain-Merida team, setting up a duel in the Giro.
Next year’s race will also include many of the legendary climbs from the Giro’s history, including a finish at Oropa in the northwest region of Piedmont, where Marco Pantani won in 1999, and two ascents in a single stage of the high-altitude Stelvio Pass, near the Swiss border.
There are two time trials — a 39.2-kilometre (24-mile) route through the Umbrian winemaking region of Sagrantino in Stage 10 and a 28-kilometre (17.4 mile) concluding leg from Monza’s Formula One track to Milan’s cathedral.
With four mountain-top finishes and a total of 67.2 kilometres (42 miles) of time trialing, the route could be more challenging than the recently announced 2017 Tour de France, which has only three mountain-top finishes and 36 kilometres (22 miles) of time trialing
Still, Tour winner Chris Froome, 2014 Giro champion Nairo Quintana and two-time Giro winner Alberto Contador have all indicated they plan to focus on the Tour next year.
But the time trials could attract rising Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin, who is a specialist at racing against the clock.
Here are some aspects of the 2017 race:
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VOLCANIC SLOPES:
After a rest day to transfer from Sardinia, Stage 4 on May 9 starts in the coastal town of Cefalu and features the race’s first uphill finish on the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna.
Stage 10 sets up for sprinters with the finish line in Messina, Nibali’s birthplace, having started in Pedara on the slopes of Etna.
Organizers had already announced details of the three stages in Sardinia.
The Giro will set off from the port town of Alghero on an undulating 203-kilometre (126-mile) route along the island’s northern coast to Olbia.
Stage two is a hilly 208-kilometre (129-mile) leg from Olbia to Tortoli, which could also end in a sprint, while the final day in Sardinia is a mainly flat 148 kilometres (92 miles) from Tortoli to Cagliari.
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IN VINO VERITAS: For the third consecutive year, the Giro will feature a time trial dedicated to one of Italy’s top winemaking regions.
This year it’s Stage 10 from Foligno to Montefalco through the Umbrian vineyards where the bold, red variety Sagrantino is produced.
Nearly 40 kilometres (25 miles) in length, the undulating stage could have a big impact on the overall standings.
Along the same lines, a 2015 stage from Barbaresco to Barolo celebrated Piedmont’s top wines and a rainy leg this year from Radda to Greve in Chianti traversed the heart of the Tuscan red winemaking region.
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HEROES AND LEGENDS
Italian cycling icons Gino Bartali, Ercole Baldini, Fausto Coppi, Marco Pantani and others will be remembered with stages in their honour.
Stage 11 runs through the Appenine Mountains after beginning in Pont a Ema, where Bartali was born — directly in front of the museum dedicated to the 1936, ’37 and ’46 winner.
The next day’s stage starts in Forli, where 1958 champion Baldini was born.
Stages 13 and 14 are dedicated to five-time winner Fausto Coppi. The 13th leg ends in Tortona, where the "Campionissimo" died in 1960 and the next leg starts in Castellania, where Coppi was born in 1919.
Stage 14 concludes with a climb to Oropa, where Pantani posted one of his more memorable victories in 1999.
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DECISIVE DOLOMITES
The race will likely be decided in the Dolomites Range in the final week.
Stage 16 figures to be one of the race’s toughest challenges. The stage begins with an ascent of the steep and narrow Mortirolo then the Stelvio is climbed both from the Italian and Swiss sides before a final descent into Bormio. At an altitude of 2,758 metres (9,050 feet), the Stelvio’s peak will represent the race’s highest point — traditionally known as the "Cima Coppi" (Coppi peak).
Stage 18 could be even tougher. While only 137 kilometres (85 miles) long, the race’s showcase stage will take the peloton over four major mountain passes — Pordoi, Valparola, Gardena and Pinei.
The next day features the fourth summit finish at Piancavallo, while the penultimate leg from Pordenone to Asiago includes a difficult climb to Monte Grappa — the scene of fighting in both world wars.