| 2009 UCI World Ranking, race 13 of 24 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Overview of the stages: route from Venice to Rome covered by the riders on the bicycle (red) and distances between stages (green). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dates | 9–31 May 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 3,456.5 km (2,148 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 86h 03' 11" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2009 Giro d'Italia was the 92nd running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It was held from 9 to 31 May 2009, and marked the 100th year since the first edition of the race. Starting in Venice and finishing in Rome,[2] 22 teams competed over 21 stages. Four of the top ten finishers in this edition later had their results voided.
The Giro was raced on a unique path through Italy, taking the peloton to some historic cities and towns in Italian cycling. Though the route lacked any well-known, storied climbs, the many intermediate and mountain stages in the second and third weeks of the race proved deceptively difficult.[3] The 10th and the 16th stages were both called the race's queen stage, as both contained multiple difficult mountain climbs.
Riders protested during the ninth stage, a criterium in Milan. This protest was nominally about the overall safety conditions of the stage, and was sparked by life-threatening injuries sustained by Pedro Horrillo the day before. In the protest, riders declined to contest the stage except for a final sprint finish, a decision that proved controversial with race organizers and fans.
Denis Menchov won the race, having taken the lead in a long time trial in stage 12, and defended vigorously against attacks by his closest challenger, Danilo Di Luca, during the mountain stages of the final week.[4] Di Luca came in second, 41 seconds behind the winner, and won the mauve jersey as points classification winner. Subsequent to the Giro, both he and third-place finisher Franco Pellizotti became embroiled in doping scandals, were given bans, and had their results stripped.[5][6]
- ^ "Results – Giro d'Italia – Individual Road Race".
- ^ "Stages" (in Italian). Gazzetta.it. Archived from the original on 18 February 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
- ^ Gregor Brown. "A century after Ganna". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
- ^ Brendan Gallagher (31 May 2009). "Denis Menchov wins Giro d'Italia". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 6 June 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
- ^ Cyclingnews (22 July 2009). "Di Luca positive for CERA in Giro". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
- ^ "Franco Pellizotti found guilty of doping". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Associated Press. 8 March 2011. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2011.