| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dates | May 10 – June 1, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 3,476.5 km (2,160 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 89h 32' 09" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2003 Giro d'Italia was the 86th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro began in Lecce with a 201 km (125 mi) mass-start stage. The race came to a close with a 33 km (21 mi) individual time trial that began and ended in the Italian city of Milan.[1] Nineteen teams entered the race that was won by the Italian Gilberto Simoni of the Saeco team.[1] Second and third were the Italian Stefano Garzelli and Ukrainian Yaroslav Popovych.[1]
It was Simoni's second win in the Giro. After the race, it was discovered that sixth-placed Raimondas Rumšas had tested positive in this Giro.
This edition of the Giro was the first UCI endorsed race where the wearing of helmets was compulsory.
With Gilberto Simoni's general classification victories in 2003 and in 2001, Simoni became the eighteenth rider to repeat as winner of the Giro d'Italia. In addition to the general classification, Simoni also won the points classification. In the race's other classifications, Colombia–Selle Italia rider Fredy González won the mountains classification and Magnus Bäckstedt of the Team Fakta-Pata Chips team won the intergiro classification.[1] Lampre finished as the winners of the Trofeo Fast Team classification, ranking each of the nineteen teams contesting the race by lowest cumulative time.[1] The other team classification, the Trofeo Super Team classification, where the teams' riders are awarded points for placing within the top twenty in each stage and the points are then totaled for each team was won by Fassa Bortolo.[1]
- ^ a b c d e f Chris Henry (2003-06-01). "Gontchar takes finale; Simoni home in pink". Cycling News. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 2012-09-26.