Pro Cycling: Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria 2010
Jan 30 - Feb 2

Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria (Tour of the Reggio Calabria province) is a 4-day stage race (2.1) in southern Italy that kicks off the 2010 UCI Europe Tour. The start list includes Michael Rasmussen who returns to racing in Europe after his two-year doping suspension. Other big names starting their season at this event include Alessandro Petacchi, Giovanni Visconti, Manuel Quinziato and Yuriy Metlushenko.

Stage 1:  Palmi - Cosenza, 183 Km  Full Results and Report

Following his two-year suspension, Michael Rasmussen is back racing in Europe for Italian team, Miche	Rasmussen (second from left) and the rest of the Miche team during the teams presentation in Palmi	Alessandro Petacchi in his first race for his new team, Lampre Farnese Vini
The riders at the wet start in Palmi to kick-off the UCI Europe Tour	A two-man break succeeds in the rain at the finish in Cosenza.	26 year-old Matteo Montaguti of De Rosa-Stac Plastic gets his 1st pro win, the 1st win for his new team and the 1st win of this year's UCI Europe Tour
From the post-race winner's interview: "I've always done things my way. Doping is not a temptation, it's a habit. I grew up in an honest family where you accept whatever you manage to achieve, even if it's a last place"	Alessandro Petacchi prefers not to take chances racing in the rain so he called off his team's chase of the two man break	The stage 1 podium: 3rd Francisco Ventoso (Spa) Carmiooro NGC, 1st Matteo Montaguti (Ita) De Rosa - Stac Plastic and 2nd Filippo Savini (Ita) Colnago CSF Inox

Stage 2:  Cosenza - Crotone 178.7 km  Full Results and Report

The race committee and the low-key start in Cosenza. A wet start for the second day in a row.	The downhill start and flat finish virtually guaranteed a sprint finish in Crotone	Lampre-Farnese Vini leadout man, Danilo Hondo, (left) setup the win for teammate Alessandro Petacchi
Petacchi gets his first win of the year for Lampre. Last year's Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli winner, Francisco Ventoso, was second	Michael Rassmussen finished 113th, 1'30" off the pace on the flat stage. Tomorrow's stage is the hilliest of the four days.	Petacchi relaxed before hitting the podium
The race director (left) and local dignitaries with today's top 3 and their hardware	Stage 2 podium: 3rd Mattia Gavazzi (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox, 1st Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre - Farnese Vini, 2nd Francisco Jose Ventoso Alberdi (Spa) Carmiooro NGC	Matteo Montaguti (Ita) of De Rosa - Stac Plastic maintains his four second overall lead
The stage winner and overall leader standing next to race director, Antonello Careri

Stage 3:  Crotone - Catanzaro 171 km  Full Results and Report

It's a small graphic but you get the idea. A hilly stage which hit 500m elevation twice and finished with an uphill finish.	Although not a Pro Continental team, Miche, has two climbers that should play prominently in mountaineous 2.1 races in Europe this coming year. Coppi e Bartali, Giro del Trentino and Route du Sud await Michael Rassmussen and Przemyslaw Niemiec.	The start in Crotone
The hilliest of the four stages but not mountaineous	Back from the dead. A suspended doper returns to glory with a solo win in Catanzaro.	Giuseppe Muraglia (Ita) of CDC Cavaliere left the break in his dust on the hilly parcours and uphill finish.
Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) of Lampre - Farnese Vini clearly has great early form finishing 2nd @ 40 seconds on a hilly stage with an uphill finish.	He looks like Petacchi, but that's teammate and 2008 overall winner, Daniele Pietropolli, crossing third 42 seconds back	Race leader Matteo Montaguti (left) of De Rosa - Stac Plastic looks on as Aleksandr Kuschynski of Liquigas-Doimo wins the bunch sprint for 4th
Giuseppe Muraglia makes the most of his new lease on life. Apparently, CDC Cavaliere was the only team interested in his services when he decided to make a comeback.	Stage 3 podium: 2nd Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre - Farnese Vini, 1st Giuseppe Muraglia (Ita) CDC Cavaliere and 3rd Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Lampre - Farnese Vini	Matteo Montaguti of De Rosa - Stac Plastic increased his overall lead to 25 seconds today with one flat stage remaining

Stage 4:  Soverato - Reggio di Calabria 165.7km  Full Results and Report

Other than Francesco Failli's (far right) 6th overall, Acqua & Sapone had a fairly quiet race. Looks like they had a good time though.	From a distance, it looks like a narrow, conjested sprint finish in Reggio di Calabria...	... but, it all got sorted out. It wasn't wet enough at the finish to deter Alessandro Petacchi from unleashing his full horsepower.
A convincing win on the final day to go along with his stage 2 win and stage 3 second place on a uphill finish. A good start to the season.	This event awarded some serious hardware for stage wins	stage 4 podium: 2nd Oscar Gatto (Ita) ISD - Neri, 1st Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre - Farnese Vini, 3rd Mattia Gavazzi (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox
What do you think. Does this 26 year-old have a bright future or is he the overall winner of a early season, low-calibre race? Stage 1 winner Matteo Montaguti (Ita) of De Rosa - Stac Plastic wins the overall by 25 seconds.	Uncorking the GC champagne marks the end of the show