Classica Corsica will depart Ajaccio and finish in Bastia after 204 km taking in the Col de Vizzavona and the Col de Bellagranajo, before flattening out in the second half of the stage, which represents essentially a reverse running of the second stage from the 2013 Tour. Classica Corsica Classica Corsica is an elite men's road bicycle racing event held annually on the island of Corsica, a region of France. It is run two days before the Critérium International stage race, which has been held on Corsica every year since 2010. The Classica itself is a legacy event of the 2013 Tour
Medieval Corsica the island was placed under the government of the newly organized Praetorian prefecture of Africa. However, the exarchate was not able to protect the island from the raiding by the Ostrogoths and the Lombards, who moved down into Italy from the north beginning in 568. After the loss of the African mainland territories of the exarchate to the Umayyad dynasty in 709, the empire's power in the West deteriorated further. Saracen raiders began to prey on Corsica, leading Liutprand the Lombard to invade circa 725 to preempt Saracen designs. The first Muslim raid on Corsica took place in 713. These