There has been a lot of speculation over the past several months about the possibility of a Giro d’Italia start in Washington DC for the 2012 edition of the race. Today’s Giro start in Amsterdam, The Netherlands included a delegation from the Nation’s Capital, according to sportal.de, who are there to get an idea of the logistics involved with putting on the Italian Grand Tour.
While there is no new information that confirms the race’s 95th edition will start on American soil, the paper reports that race organizers have had preliminary discussions with a British carrier about transporting the event across the Atlantic. If Giro d’Italia director Angelo Zomegnan can make this happen, it would mark the first Grand Tour start outside of Europe.
In February a meeting was held at the Italian embassy in Washington DC, where both sides provided an update on the working group’s efforts to bring the mega-event to the United States. Several cities had been mentioned in the running for stages of the Italian Grand Tour, but the working committee confirmed to VeloNation in early March that the US portion would consist of the team presentation, prologue and stage one, with all three taking place inside the Nation’s Capital.
Both sides remain optimistic about the chances of the Giro d’Italia heading to the United states in two year’s time.