2014 Giro d'Italia five different categories, named A to E. The category of a stage determines the points given for the points classification, and for the maximum time allowed for cyclists to finish the stage. Category A is reserved for the flattest stages, while category D is for the stages with the highest mountains. Category E is for time-trial stages. It started in Belfast on 9 May 2014 and traveled across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. There were three rest days instead of the usual two and the race started on a Friday. In the 2014 Giro d'Italia, four different
1912 Giro d'Italia as contenders for the overall victory. The race also featured future Giro d'Italia winner Carlo Oriani who competed for the Stucchi team. The race was planned to begin at 2:30 AM local time by the organizers, but due to large crowds and some participants arriving late, the race officially started at 2:43. The riders formed three groups on the road, of which the first one contained twenty riders when it passed through the checkpoint in Brescia. The group further thinned to sixteen by the time it reached Verona, and to eleven when it arrived at the checkpoint in Vicenza. From