Giro 2014 Route stage 2: Belfast (N-Irl)

Giro 2014 Route stage 2: Belfast (N-Irl) – Belfast

Saturday, May 10 – The 2014 Giro d'Italia remains centered around Belfast. Just like yesterday’s team time trial, stage 2 starts and ends in the Northern Ireland capital. A longer day in the saddle in store however with 219 kilometres to cover. (Slideshow route/profile)

Stage 2 starts and ends at the same spots as the previous one. The bunch leaves from the Titanic Quarter and finishes on Donegal Square, most likely with a bunch sprint. The stage is a loop around the north of County Antrim with riders beginning inland and returning along the coast.

The stage is mostly flat. Cushendall Road is the peak of the day, located at 261 metres above sea level. And just before the finale comes Knocknagulliagh, with an altitude of 78 metres, nothing more than a speedbump really.

Which sprinter will win the first ever Irish Giro stage?

Belfast

Belfast is not steeped in cycling history with only a handful of pros came from Northern Ireland. That said, an invention from a Belfast vet in the 19th century ensures the riders are comfortable on their bikes nowadays. The vet’s name was John B. Dunlop.