RCS Sport take over organisation of Giro d’Italia Donne and Under 23 Giro
RCS Sport was tasked with organizing the Giro d’Italia Giovani Under 23 from 2023 and Giro d’Italia Donne from 2024 after the Italian Cycling Federation created a carefully crafted application process that resulted in RCS Sport being the sole contender.
The FCI confirmed that RCS Sport will organize the Giro d’Italia Giovani Under 23 for a five-year term between 2023 and 2027 and the Giro d’Italia Donne for a four-year term between 2024 and 2027.
The FCI explained that the bidding process with only one bidder ended on February 1st. The details of RCS Sport’s bid and plan for the two Italian stage races will be announced at a special press conference.
“We are very pleased to have assigned the organization to a subject with proven organizational skills who will be able to create editions that meet the needs of the movement and meet the needs of the movement,” said FCI President Cordiano dagnoni
“The major events such as Giro U23 and Giro Donne are not only of fundamental importance from a sporting and technical point of view, but also from an economic and advertising point of view for the municipalities involved.”
RCS Sport already organizes the men’s Giro d’Italia, Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo, Il Lombardia and a number of other smaller races, almost creating a racing monopoly in Italy.
The Giro d’Italia Donne is currently organized by PMG Sport/Starlight, an organization that took over the 2021 and 2022 women’s stage race from longtime organizer Giuseppe Rivolta.
The Giro d’Italia Donne and the Tour de France Ladies. The two biggest races of the year are both held in July before the inaugural UCI World Cycling Championships are held in Glasgow. The Giro Donne takes place again during the men’s Tour de France from June 30th to July 9th, while the Tour de France Femmes takes place after the men’s race from July 23rd to 30th.
There were complaints of a lack of information about the track, leaving teams unable to plan their key goals of the season.
“I can confirm that the organization is still PMG Sport/Starlight,” said a PMG Sport/Starlight representative cycling news for the 2023 edition.
PMG Sport/Starlight has not yet announced the route of this year’s Giro d’Italia Donne but has confirmed it cycling news that it will end in Sardinia, with the organization discussing departure from Rome.
The UCI downgraded the 10-day event to the ProSeries in 2021 due to the failure of previous organizers to offer live coverage of the race in 2020, which is a requirement for participation in the Women’s WorldTour alongside other organizational issues.
At the time, in 2020, the race was known as the Giro d’Italia Femminile or Giro Rosa and was held in September as part of the revised post-season calendar affected by COVID-19.
Under the improved management of PMG Sport/Starlight, the race returned to the Women’s WorldTour in 2022.
It remains one of the most historic races on the women’s calendar and the only race available to offer 10 days of racing along with iconic mountain passes such as the Stelvio, Zoncolan, Gavia and Mortirolo. In 2023 the race will celebrate its 34th anniversary.
Recent winners include defending champion Annemiek van Vleuten, who won titles in 2018, 2019 and 2022, and the now retired Anna van der Breggen won the race in 2015, 2017, 2020 and 2021. Other winners include Megan Guarnier, twice Mara Abbott and three – times Marianne Vos.
Giro d’Italia Giovani Under 23, now in its 46th edition, is scheduled to take place from June 10th to 17th. RCS Sport takes over the organization of the event from the Extragiro Group, composed of Nuova Ciclistica Placci and the Communication Clinic, which organized the race from 2018 to 2022.
The event served as an opportunity for young riders between the ages of 19 and 22 to show their strengths among their peers and team managers are looking for emerging talent to develop in the WorldTour.
Leo Hayter won the overall title last year driving for Hagens Berman Axeon and then joined Ineos Grenadiers as a trainee in August, where he later signed a contract until 2025.
Other winners of the Giro d’Italia Giovani Under 23 over the past five editions who have made their mark at elite level include Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates), Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), Andrés Camilo Ardila (now Burgos -BH) , Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Pavel Sivakov (Ineos Grenadiers).
The U23 race started in 1970 and was canceled in 1987, 2005, 2007–2008 and 2013–2016.
The Giro d’Italia Donne and Giro d’Italia Giovani Under 23 move under the RCS Sport umbrella, which also owns the Giro d’Italia brand and two monuments Milan-San Remo and Il Lombardia, together with the WorldTour Race Tirreno-Adriatico and Strade Bianche.