Organisers hope for scandal-free Giro

Giro d'Italia organisers are hoping recent police investigations and an easier route mean the race, which starts in Sardinia today, will escape the doping scandals that have blighted it in past years.

However, the subject of doping has already indirectly cast a shadow over the race after 2006 champion Ivan Basso admitted earlier in the week that he was involved in the Operation Puerto investigation.

Italy's Basso, who will not defend his title, told reporters he had never used illegal substances or blood transfusions but had made attempts at doping.

Organisers RCS Sport have persuaded the 22 teams competing to leave other riders implicated in Operation Puerto at home. They have also reduced the average stage distance to 166 km while the difficult mountain stages are divided by a second rest day and easier stages.

"The 2007 route isn't for supermen. Hopefully it will be ridden cleanly and honestly," race director Angelo Zomegnan said.

"We've done everything we can to make sure everyone enjoys the Giro. We can only hope that nothing happens to damage the race so that people remember it for the racing and not for other reasons."

The 90th edition of the Giro starts with a 25.6-km team time trial in Obia, north of Sardinia, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Italian patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi.

Sprinters such as Alessandro Petacchi of Italy, Australia's Robbie McEwen and Norway's Thor Hushovd are expected to dominate the early flat stages in Sardinia and southern Italy, before the decisive stages in the second half of the race in the Alps and Dolomite mountains.

The mountain-top finishes on stage 15 to Tre Cime di Lavaredo and stage 17 to Monte Zoncolan will show who is the strongest climber in the race and probably create important time gaps.

In the absence of Basso, compatriots Damiano Cunego of the Lampre team, Saunier Duval's Gilberto Simoni and Paolo Savoldelli of Astana are favourites to pull on the overall winner's pink jersey.

Other possible contenders include Simoni's young team-mate Riccardo Ricco, of Italy, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege winner Danilo Di Luca of the Liquigas team.

The Giro is not considered as prestigious as the Tour de France, but both world road race champion Paolo Bettini and time trial winner Fabian Cancellara are taking part.