Universal Sports' "Cycling Series" continues with live multiplatform coverage of the highly anticipated 2012 Giro d'Italia, the first Grand Tour of the year. The live coverage of Italy's premier cycling event will air each race day from May 5 through May 27. Universal Sports partner Roadcycling.com will air video highlights from every stage of the 2012 Giro d'Italia in its video section at http://www.roadcycling.com/video. In addition, NBC Sports will provide a one-hour preview of the race as well as a recap of the first two stages on May 6 from 2-3 p.m. ET.

The three-week race, more than 3,500 kilometers - or 2,100 miles - features a dynamic mix of sprint and mountain stages, including seven mountain top finishes and several iconic climbs. The race kicks off in Herning and Horsens, Denmark for the first time before returning to Italy for the remaining stages and concluding with an individual time trial in Milan.

Top riders competing for the coveted pink leader's jersey include Ivan Basso, winner of the 2006 and 2010 Giro d'Italia; Michele Scarponi, who finished second last year but was awarded the win after the disqualification of Alberto Contador; Joaquin Rodriguez, a stage winner in all three Grand Tours; Frank Schleck, the third-place finisher in the 2011 Tour de France; and Canadian national champion Ryder Hesjedal. Also competing are Mark Cavendish, the current World Road Cycling Champion and winner of twenty stages in the Tour de France as well as Americans Tyler Farrar, Taylor Phinney, Christian Vande Velde, and Peter Stetina.

Universal Sports Network's coverage of the Giro d'Italia will include a daily Post-Race Report presented by Slow Mag. In addition, the 21-stage race will have elements sponsored by GoPro, Selle Italia and Competitive Cyclist.

Veteran professional cyclist and announcer Bob Roll, who is a three-time participant in both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, will join Universal Sports Network on its opening day of coverage. The network's lead cycling play-by-play announcer Steve Schlanger will call the remainder of the event alongside analyst Todd Gogulski, who spent more than a decade racing professionally, including on the U.S. National team, and had more than 100 victories during his career.

Stay tuned to us here at Roadcycling.com for complete 2012 Giro d'Italia coverage including free video highlights from every stage of the race in our video section and visit http://universalsports.com/category/cycling/ for exclusive live video from the Giro d'Italia for $19.99.

Stay tuned to us here at Roadcycling.com for our 2012 Giro d'Italia coverage. While you wait for the Giro to start, be sure to subscribe to our Twitter feed @RoadCyclingCom , like our Facebook page, and start your own training diary created by TrainingPeaks/Roadcycling.com and used by many of the pro riders who will compete in this year's Giro d'Italia.