Foreign Giro start
The first time the Giro started abroad was in 1965 yet still took place within Italian borders. Quiz questions: 1/ how is that possible, 2/ in what country did the 1965 Giro d’Italia start?
The last time the Giro d’Italia started abroad was in 2012 with the race beginning in Copenhagen. 2014 will see the first visit to Ireland however.
Giro’s stage 1 and Belfast
Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, has a population of slightly under 300.000. It’s located at the mouth of River Lagan and at the end of an estuary that runs to the Irish Sea. The city has a rich maritime industry and is the birthplace of the Titanic.
Stage 1 of the 2014 Giro is a team time trial that never leaves the city limits of Belfast. The total length is 21.7 kilometres
The stage starts in the Titanic Quarter, a relatively new area on the water side. After some initial steering, riders head west – taking the long and straight Newtownards Road. The first intermediate time control takes place at Stormont– after 7.9 kilometres. A negligible bump will likely dampen the momentum somewhat, but there’s no real climbing today.
After a short ‘Giro di Stormont’, the route takes the riders back on the road they came. The second intermediate time check is at 15.3 kilometres on Oxford street. The last few kilometres are more technical which makes sense given we are in the city centre. The finish line is at Donegal Square in the heart of the city.
The race takes place in the evening.
Answer quiz question
How is it possible for a race to take place within a country’s borders and still be abroad?
If the foreign country is within those borders. The 1965 Giro started in San Marino, a tiny country bordered only by Italy. San Marino is the world’s oldest republic, it has a population of just 31,000.
Giro 2014 Stage 1: Images and more!
Click on the images to zoom
Related articles Riders and teams - Giro 2014 Favourites - Giro 2014 Withdrawals - Giro 2014 Route and stages - Giro 2014 The Route - Giro 2014 More articles Vuelta 2019: Astana wins TTT, López first man in El Rojo
Enter Vuelta pool with 17,500 euros in prize money
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 2: Benidorm - Calpe
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 2: Versatile ride to Calpe
Vuelta 2019: The Route
Vuelta 2019: Riders
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 1: Las Salinas de Torrevieja - Torrevieja
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 3: Ibi – Alicante
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 3: Sprinters or daredevil attackers
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 4: Cullera – El Puig
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 4: For pure sprinters
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 5: L’Eliana – Javalambre
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 5: Mountain goat on steep last climb
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 6: Mora de Rubielos - Ares del Maestrat
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 6: Breakaway Day
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 7: Onda – Mas de la Costa
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 7: GC battle on finishing Wall
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 8: Valls – Igualada
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 8: Sprinters or (late) attackers
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 9: Andorra la Vella – Cortals d’Encamp
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 9: Short thriller in the Pyrenees
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 10: Jurançon - Pau (ITT)
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 10: Roglic for glory
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 11: Saint Palais - Urdax
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 11: Sprint of brave attackers
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 12: Circuito de Navarra - Bilbao
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 12: Punchers with strong descent
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 13: Bilbao - Los Machucos
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 13: Monster race with brutal finale
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 14: San Vicente de la Barquera - Oviedo
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 14: Back to the fast men
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 15: Tineo - Santuario del Acebo
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 15: Steep and irregular ascents
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 16: Pravia - Alto de la Cubilla
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 16: Finish for diesel-powered climbers
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 17: Aranda de Duero - Guadalajara
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 17: Fast men in longest race
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 18: Colmenar Viejo – Becerril de la Sierra
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 18: Attackers in the middle mountains
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 19: Ávila - Toledo
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 19: Cunning sprinter in technical finale
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 20: Arenas de San Pedro - Plataforma de Gredos
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 20: Attacks on all fronts
Vuelta 2019 Route stage 21: Fuenlabrada - Madrid
Vuelta 2019 Favourites stage 21: Madrilenean sprint fiesta
Vuelta a España: Winners and records
Tour of Britain 2019: The Route
Tour of Britain 2019 Route stage 1: Glasgow - Kirkcudbright
Tour of Britain 2019 Route stage 2: Kelso - Kelso
Tour of Britain 2019 Route stage 3: Berwick-upon-Tweed - Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Tour of Britain 2019 Route stage 4: Gateshead - Kendal
Tour of Britain 2019 Route stage 5: Birkenhead - Birkenhead
Tour of Britain 2019 Route stage 6: Pershore ITT
Tour of Britain 2019 Route stage 7: Warwick - Burton Dassett
Tour of Britain 2019 Route stage 8: Altrincham - Manchester
Tour of Britain: Winners and records
World Cycling Championships 2019 Yorkshire: Route ITT - men
World Cycling Championships 2019 Yorkshire: Route road race - women
World Cycling Championships: Winners and records
Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec: Winners and records
Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal: Winners and records
History of the Tour of Lombardy
Tour of Lombardy: Winners and records
Tour Down Under 2014 Route stage 1: Nuriootpa - Angaston
