Bike Abruzzo

On Sunday the Abruzzese Danilo Di Luca won his first Giro d'Italia.

It was a great giro, not a classic, but the race restored much of the passion to Italy's cycle fans and long suffering cycle fans in general. We all look ahead.

Next year's route begins in Palermo on the 10 May and seems set to cover most of Sicily. Look out for a local favorite to do extremely well as Sicilian cycling is maturing nicely, much like their wines.

Abruzzo has its fair share of mountains and the only flat bits are along the coast or stretches such as the high plains of Navelli or Avezzano.

Nothing compared to the Monte Zoncolan in the province of Udine and the territory of Carnia, but the Abruzzese are a tough lot.