Organizers for the Giro d’Italia have dismissed long-standing rumors that Dubai might host the 2016 event – as "impossible" .
RCS Sport general manager, Paolo Bellino, said this week that Dubai sits too far outside of the reach of the Grand Tour.
“They say we are starting in Dubai? That’s not the information I have,” Bellino told the media. “We are already doing the Dubai Tour. It’s not an option to start there. Besides the time difference, it’s 40°C in May or June. It’s impossible.”
The fact that RCS Sport organized the inaugural Dubai Tour this year, has prompted many to speculate that the Giro could make UAE city the location of it’s grand depart in 2016.
This year, teams and journalists had to travel from Dublin to Bari in order to make the transition from the three day grand depart in Ireland – back to Italian soil. To compensate, the UCI allowed RCS Sport to add an extra rest day.
“If going abroad, with the travel and transfer day, is done well, then I don’t see a problem with it,” said Gianni Bugno, head of the cyclists’ organisation, CPA.
“Dubai is more complicated than Ireland, where we can arrive with our trucks and buses, but we know that events like to take recourse – money. They need to go where the resources are,” team Trek’s general manager, Luca Guercilena said.
“It wouldn’t be that bad to have a couple for stages far away, if the logistics are well organiszd and we are notified well in advance.”
However, according to RCS Sport, both the distance and time difference between Italy and Dubai, would logistically create too many obstacles.
“The habit is to go abroad every two years. So given next year is in Italy, in 2016, we could go abroad. Above all, a city or area has to want the Giro. Some are asking for it, but we need to evaluate the logistics. If the start allows us to return easily by plane or return on bike,” Bellino said.
“Right now, though, it doesn’t like an option to even go outside of Europe in 2016 even if we still remain in the same time zone more or less. I’m not going to exclude it, but it doesn’t seem like an option. The logistical problem becomes too big. It was already big going to Ireland, and I think that was at the limit. We extended our reach with the Dublin to Bari transfer.”
According to Bellino, RCS Sport will announce the Giro’s 2015 host at the end of this year’s race on June 1.
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