QUICK FACTS:
- Coverage streams live starting 10am EST / 7am PST Saturday, May 8
- Daily coverage throughout event
- 8pm EST primetime re-air nightly through Sunday May 30
- Full schedule at www.universalsports.com/cycling
PRESS RELEASE: With the spring classics behind us, Universal Sports’ world-class cycling coverage continues in May with the Giro d’Italia, the first of the Grand Tours of cycling, airing LIVE each day starting Saturday, May 8, at 10:00 am ET (8:00 pm ET primetime re-air), and continuing throughout the three-week event ending Sunday, May 30. Universal Sports will have all the action as the world’s top riders battle for more than 1,500 miles (CK) through Italy’s mountainous terrain in their quest for the Maglia Rosa, the Giro’s legendary pink leader’s jersey. Universal Sports is home to two of the three Grand Tours of cycling with the Giro and Vuelta a Espana in August.
Universal Sports will have live daily coverage of every stage, with primetime re-airs nightly at 8:00 pm ET. On the two rest days, the network will air the Giro Race Review show, featuring highlights of the race and upcoming challenges. For the complete schedule and air times, click here: www.universalsports.com/cycling. In addition, UniversalSports.com will offer the ultimate online experience for cycling fans: live, pay-per-view coverage of the complete race for $14.99 that will include athlete profiles, field previews, highlights, photos and recaps
While the race starts on the flat roads of the Netherlands, it is known for its grueling 45,000 vertical feet of climbing and mountain stages throughout Italy, where a rider’s stamina and strength usually prove pivotal in determining the champion. With unrelenting gradients and stiff competition, almost every year the battle continues until the last mountain stage.
Top American riders Tyler Farrar and Christian Vande Velde are both riding for American team, Garmin Transitions. Vande Velde is returning to the Giro after suffering a nasty crash in last year’s edition, breaking seven bones. They will challenge two-time Giro champion Gilberto Simoni, who will make the Giro his final race, riding for the Lampre-Farnese Vini team.
Other top riders include current World Champion Cadel Evans, 2008 Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre, Alexandre Vinokourov, coming off his first win after his probation, and former Giro champions Stefano Garzelli, Ivan Basso and Damiano Cunego.
Universal Sports’ complete cycling coverage includes more than 10 premier road cycling races, including two of the three Grand Tours of cycling—Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana—as well as many other UCI Championships and World Cup races in road cycling, track, mountain bike, cyclocross, and BMX. The complete schedule of all Universal Sports cycling programming is available at UniversalSports.com/tvschedule.
