Giro d'Italia

The Giro d'Italia (Italian pronunciation: ['d?i?ro di'ta?lja]; English: Tour of Italy;[1] also known as the Giro)[2] is an annual multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries.[3] The first race was organized in 1909 to increase sales of the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport;[3][4] and is still run by a subsidiary of that paper's owner.[5][6] The race has been held annually since its first edition in 1909, except during the two world wars.[3] As the Giro gained prominence and popularity the race was lengthened, and the peloton expanded from primarily Italian participation to riders from all over the world. The Giro is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams that compete in the race are mostly UCI WorldTeams, with some additional teams invited as 'wild cards'.[7][8]