The prestigious Giro d’Italia annual bicycle race will start in Budapest next year, race organizers have announced.
In addition to the first day, Hungary will also host two additional stages of the race.
The Giro d’Italia was first organized in 1909 as a promotional event to boost sales of sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport, but has since become one of the three so-called “Grand Tours” of the cycling world (the other two being the Tour de France and Vuelta a España).
It is not uncommon for the Italian race to kick off on foreign soil: so far it has had starts in 14 countries, with the most recent in Israel last year.