Albania will host the opening 3 stages of next year’s Giro d’Italia

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania will host the start of next year’s Giro d’Italia, race organizers announced Monday.

The first three stages will be held in Albania from May 9-11.

“With such a launch we are really an Italy across the coast welcoming an event which is not only a sporting one but also a popular one,” Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said at a news conference. “For three days there will be so many champions and friends in our country."

The announcement comes as Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni’s program to screen asylum seekers outside of European Union borders in Albania is facing legal challenges.

The opening Giro stage will start in the port city of Durres and finish in Tirana along a hilly route of 164 kilometers (102 miles).

Tirana will host a 13.7-kilometer (8.5-mile) individual time trial for Stage 2, then Stage 3 will be another hilly leg of 160 kilometers (99 miles) starting and finishing in the coastal city of Vlore, which is directly across the Adriatic from the Italian region of Puglia, where the race will resume on May 13 after a rest day.

Albania has seen a significantly increase in the number of western and other foreign tourists in the last two years, reaching more than 10 million in 2024.

“I do hope for two things: the sun and Albanians’ joy because I hope they will come out into the streets as fans,” said Paolo Bellino, chief executive of race organizer RCS Sport.

The rest of next year’s route will be announced next month.

Tadej Pogacar won this year’s Giro.

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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling

Llazar Semini, The Associated Press