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Giro dell'Emilia, Italy

8 October, 194K

88th Giro dell'Emilia To Reveal

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Report and Results

the 88th Giro dell'Emilia takes place in Bologna. This Italian race should reveal some strong indicators as to which riders are on form for the upcoming 99th Giro di Lombardia. But forget Lombardia for a moment, the Giro dell'Emilia is a historic race in it's own right. Look at the recent past winners and you start to understand this race's pedigree. Recent winners are: Ivan Basso, Michele Bartoli, Jan Ullrich, Gilberto Simoni, Michael Boogerd and Mirko Celestino.

Simoni, 2000 winner, will be taking the start line as a favorite. "I came off of the Vuelta with a little cough, but it is past and I am doing well," said the 2X Giro d'Italia champion. "I have a lot of motivation and my condition seems good. I would like to win this race again, but did you see Bettini at Zurich? He won with a huge force. Here it is not his course, but with his condition he will be a big favorite.

Paolo Bettini is aiming for next Saturday's Lombardia, but will want to win Emilia given the chance. "Last week I had the condition, but for Emilia I will have to see how the race is played out," said Bettini.

The race will cover 194K before ending at the Santuario di San Luca in Bologna. Starting at kilometer 170 the riders will cover the climb of San Luca four times, the last time being the finish. Ouch! 1900 meters of total climbing is on tap, with sections of 18% gradient and an average of 10%. We should see a true champion emerge under the santuario.