Time trial-heavy Giro route made to tempt Wiggins

Giro d'Italia organisers on Sunday unveiled a time trial-heavy race route for 2013 that they hope will entice Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins into challenging for the race's pink jersey. Wiggins became Britain's first yellow jersey champion in July thanks to a combination of his Sky team controlling rivals in the mountain stages and his two individual victories in the race's two long time-trials. The Briton, who went on to claim Olympic time trial gold in London, is uncertain to defend his title in 2013 because the Tour de France is set to be a far more mountainous affair. Observers believe that if that is the case it could be more suited to his Sky teammate Chris Froome, who in comparison looked far more at ease in the mountain stages of the July epic. Staring in Naples on May 4 and finishing in Brescia on May 26, the 2013 Giro d'Italia includes nearly 75 km of individual time trials, as well as a 17.4 km team time trial, in a total race distance of 3400 km. As far as designing the route, race director Michele Acquarone would only say: "We've gone out there and consulted everyone, from the public right through to former race champions." But it is an open secret that Acquarone, who had Italian Vincenzo Nibali, Spaniard Alberto Contador and British sprint king Mark Cavendish in attendance Sunday, want Wiggins to come and race for overall victory. The race, considered the most prestigious Grand Tour after the Tour de France, will feature stages in the high mountains at the end of the second and third weeks with a total of four mountaintop finishes. Stage 15 begins in Cesana Torinese and finishes on the legendary French summit of the Galibier, which will be tackled from its northern, and most difficult, side. On the penultimate stage the peloton will tackle the climb to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, one of the race's mythical ascensions which featured regularly in the 1960s and 70s when Eddy Merckx was in his prime. That stage comes a day after another high mountain stage on which the peloton will be dragged over the Gavia and Stelvio mountain passes. The sprinters have not been left out of consideration with seven stages on which the fast men of the peloton, including Cavendish, can aim for glory. As well as the two individual time trials, one of which will be uphill, the race will feature a team time trial on the island of Ischia on stage two.