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Sardinia for Fabio Aru. Sicily for Vincenzo Nibali.The 100th edition of the Giro dItalia will pay homage to the countrys two top riders with a start that will include stages on both of Italys largest islands.Revealed Tuesday in Milan, the May 5-28 race will start with three stages in Sardinia to honor Aru, followed by two legs in Sicily for Nibali.Aru last year became the first Sardinian to wear the Giro leaders pink jersey, when he finished second to Alberto Contador, while Nibali, a Sicilian, won in 2013 and 2016.Aru and Nibali were teammates at Astana the past four years but Nibali recently left to lead the new Bahrain-Merida team, setting up a duel in the Giro.After crossing the Strait of Messina by boat, the race will climb north through Calabria and Puglia and eventually visit all but four of Italys 20 regions.To celebrate the 100th edition we have to celebrate all of Italy, race director Mauro Vegni said.Next years race will also include many of the legendary climbs from the Giros history, including a finish at Oropa in the northwest region of Piedmont, where Marco Pantani won in 1999, and two ascents in a single stage of the high-altitude Stelvio Pass, near the Swiss border.There are two time trials -- a 39.2-kilometer (24-mile) route through the Umbrian winemaking region of Sagrantino in Stage 10 and a 28-kilometer (17.4 mile) concluding leg from Monzas Formula One track to Milans cathedral.With four mountain-top finishes and a total of 67.2 kilometers (42 miles) of time trialing, the route could be more challenging than the recently announced 2017 Tour de France, which has only three mountain-top finishes and 36 kilometers (22 miles) of time trialingStill, Tour winner Chris Froome, 2014 Giro champion Nairo Quintana and two-time Giro winner Alberto Contador have all indicated they plan to focus on the Tour next year.But the time trials could attract rising Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin, who is a specialist at racing against the clock.Here are some aspects of the 2017 race:--VOLCANIC SLOPES:After a rest day to transfer from Sardinia, Stage 4 on May 9 starts in the coastal town of Cefalu and features the races first uphill finish on the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna -- where Contador won in 2011.Stage 10 sets up for sprinters with the finish line in Messina, Nibalis birthplace, having started in Pedara on the slopes of Etna.The finish is really tough, and theres little vegetation so it can be windy, Nibali said of the Etna stage. Getting the pink jersey going into my hometown would be great, but lets take it step by step.Organizers had already announced details of the three stages in Sardinia.The Giro will set off from the port town of Alghero on an undulating 203-kilometer (126-mile) route along the islands northern coast to Olbia.Stage two is a hilly 208-kilometer (129-mile) leg from Olbia to Tortoli, which could also end in a sprint, while the final day in Sardinia is a mainly flat 148 kilometers (92 miles) from Tortoli to Cagliari.---IN VINO VERITAS: For the third consecutive year, the Giro will feature a time trial dedicated to one of Italys top winemaking regions.This year its Stage 10 from Foligno to Montefalco through the Umbrian vineyards where the bold, red variety Sagrantino is produced.Nearly 40 kilometers (25 miles) in length, the undulating stage could have a big impact on the overall standings.Along the same lines, a 2015 stage from Barbaresco to Barolo celebrated Piedmonts top wines and a rainy leg this year from Radda to Greve in Chianti traversed the heart of the Tuscan red winemaking region.---HEROES AND LEGENDSItalian cycling icons Gino Bartali, Ercole Baldini, Fausto Coppi, Marco Pantani and others will be remembered with stages in their honor.Stage 11 runs through the Appenine Mountains after beginning in Pont a Ema, where Bartali was born -- directly in front of the museum dedicated to the 1936, `37 and `46 winner.The next days stage starts in Forli, where 1958 champion Baldini was born.Stages 13 and 14 are dedicated to five-time winner Fausto Coppi. The 13th leg ends in Tortona, where the Campionissimo died in 1960 and the next leg starts in Castellania, where Coppi was born in 1919.Stage 14 concludes with a climb to Oropa, where Pantani posted one of his more memorable victories in 1999.---DECISIVE DOLOMITESThe race will likely be decided in the Dolomites Range in the final week.Stage 16 figures to be one of the races toughest challenges. The stage begins with an ascent of the steep and narrow Mortirolo then the Stelvio is climbed both from the Italian and Swiss sides before a final descent into Bormio. At an altitude of 2,758 meters (9,050 feet), the Stelvios peak will represent the races highest point -- traditionally known as the Cima Coppi (Coppi peak).Stage 18 could be even tougher. While only 137 kilometers (85 miles) long, the races showcase stage will take the peloton over four major mountain passes -- Pordoi, Valparola, Gardena and Pinei.The next day features the fourth summit finish at Piancavallo, while the penultimate leg from Pordenone to Asiago includes a difficult climb to Monte Grappa -- the scene of fighting in both world wars.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf John Kasay Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Vonn Bell Jersey . For the Wild it was their first win of the season and they now have a record of 1-1-2 while the Jets fall to 2-2. Jets start a six game home stand Friday with another divisional game, home to the Dallas Stars. http://www.customsaintsjersey.com/custom-earl-campbell-jersey-large-542e.html . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said. Nick Easton Jersey .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. Joe Horn Jersey . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. The Southern California teams of the mid-2000s were one of the greatest college football dynasties ever seen.Arguably the sports coolest as well.In the 80-year history of The Associated Press college football poll, no team has had a longer uninterrupted run at No. 1 than coach Pete Carrolls Trojans.USC set a record by going 33 straight weeks as No. 1 from 2003-05. The Trojans werent just the best team in college football, they did it with style, thanks to the laid-back Carroll leading charismatic superstars like quarterback Matt Leinart and running back Reggie Bush to victory after victory.In the process, USC pulled off a rare feat: Becoming a college team that captivated Los Angeles, which usually fawns over its professional teams like the NBAs Lakers or MLBs Dodgers.We were kind of the pride and joy of that era and that time period and it was just a lot of fun, Bush said. We played well, we worked our butts off. We earned everything that we accomplished.USCs run at No. 1 ended in the 2006 Rose Bowl, which was also one of the best games of the decade. Texas -- led by coach Mack Brown and quarterback Vince Young -- topped the Trojans 41-38 in a back-and-forth thriller.The decade started with Oklahomas last national title in 2000 and ended with Alabamas undefeated championship run under Nick Saban in 2009. In between was USCs dominance and plenty of controversy, with the college game awkwardly lurching toward what would become the College Football Playoff in 2014.The Bowl Championship Series was created in 1998 with the idea of selecting the top two teams to compete for the national title and it didnt take long for the new system to show its weakness.In 2003, LSU beat Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl to win the BCS title while USC beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl and stayed at No. 1 in the AP poll, providing the sports last split national champion.In 2004, more controversy ensued when USC, Oklahoma, Auburn, Utah and Boise State all went through the regular season undefeated. The BCS national title matchup, which in those days was partially decided by the AP poll, went to USC and Oklahoma while the other three were left out. Auburn finished at No. 3.I dont know if we could have beaten USC, Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. But I sure wanted to try.After the season, the AP aasked for its poll to be removed from the BCS formula because of the scrutiny on individual voters rankings, which are made public.ddddddddddddStarting in 2005, the BCS would use the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and Harris poll in its decision-making process.Tuberville said it was obviously frustrating to be left out of the title game in 2004, but he believes the controversy was a much-needed impetus to eventually ending the season with a four-team playoff.I think it opened the eyes of a lot of people that this couldnt happen again, Tuberville said.LSUs success in 2003 and Auburns undefeated run in 2004 was the start of an unprecedented run of dominance for the Southeastern Conference. The league won the last four national titles of the decade, with Florida winning in 2006 and 08, LSU in 07 and Alabama in 09.More schools in the SEC, I think more than other leagues at least, believe theyre going to win the national championship, Tuberville said. And they have the facilities, the mindset and the recruiting to make it happen.BEST PROGRAMSTexas appeared in 99.4 percent of all polls taken.Florida, 92.77 percentOhio State, 91.57 percentBEST RIVALRYThere were a lot of good ones in the 2000s, but none better than the Red River Showdown. The annual Texas-Oklahoma rivalry game in Dallas decided the Big 12 more often than not. Both teams were nationally ranked in nine of the ten meetings. Oklahoma won the first five from 2000-04 but Texas bounced back by winning four of the last five. The Sooners and Longhorns combined to make six BCS title game appearances.MAIN TAKEAWAYCollege footballs march to a playoff system coincides with the rise of the Southeastern Conference in the latter half of the decade. Alabamas Nick Saban solidifies his spot among the all-time great coaches with an undefeated run to a national title in 2009. Though several traditional powers have a good decade, nouveau power such as Virginia Tech, TCU, Oregon and Boise State become contenders.-----AP freelance reporter Mark Ludwiczak in contributed to this story.-----Follow David Brandt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/davidbrandtAP . AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '