From a video shown at the Giro announcement, Lance Armstrong said: “I am very excited to come to Italy to participate in my first Giro and I look forward to a good result. I began my professional career living near Lake Como, but I never competed in the Giro. So, this is a special year for many reasons. Obviously, there is the hundred year anniversary of the race, but it’s also a special route from Venice to Rome. There will be a lot of dynamics in an exciting first week with the Alps in the 4th and 5th stages.  The weather may be bad, which will play an important factor in the race. The second week is highlighted by the long time trial of 62 kilometers. As a professional I’ve never done such a long time trial. So, this will be a crucial day in the Giro. The last week has some tricky stages. The stage to the Vesuvio will be a real test for all of us, but there is also that short mountain stage. You never know what will happen there. Some people are better in long stages, others are better in short stages. Finally, there is the finish in magical Rome. Rome is a city that I never experienced until last year, when I visited the city as a tourist. I fell immediately in love with Rome.”

General Manager Johan Bruyneel is currently in Kazakhstan meeting with President Nursultan Nazarbayev and our Kazakh sponsor group.  Bruyneel commented: “At least we can say that the revealed route is original. We are not unhappy about it. The two key stages will be the long individual time trial and the stage to Block Haus. We are used to big stage races with decisive mountain stages in the last week. We will have to change our usual strategy. That is one challenge, but the biggest challenge will be to bring back Lance Armstrong to his level of three years ago. I am confident about this and we are highly motivated as well by the presence of a lot big names at the start of this Centenario.”

Team Director Alain Gallopin: “The long time trial and the team time trial suit us. I preferred not to have the Alps in the first week. The Italian riders probably like it more. They are always good in the first week of the Giro, but I am confident that our leader will be  good as well. Moreover, the long time trial is advantageous for him. To summarize, it is a very well balanced Tour of Italy.”