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Thursday, 24 June 2010
Jim's – 2010 Giro de Italia
Jim’s Hot Butt’s and Tight Lycra Tour – 2010 Giro de Italia
After counting down the day’s it had finally arrived flying out to Italy to cycle through the Tuscan Countryside a 208K Cycle Race (Nove Colli Grand Fondo) and then cycling through the snow mountains of the Dolomites. A tedious 24hr flight had me finally arriving in Milano to a thunderstorm hey that’s not in the brochure!!
A very Jet lagged me managed to do the tourist spot’s of Milano before succumbing to slumber before a early morning train trip to Florence and another day tripping around, the tourist site’s had me climbing the Cathedral 462 steps and then the Cathedral Tower 413 steps for a great view over Florence between rain, yes it was still raining so much that i had to buy a umbrella noooooo Im on holiday.
The next morning’s train trip meant i was off to Singalunga via Siena where I was picked up to meet the tour group i was booked with for two weeks of cycling through Italy (Italian Immersion’s Cycling Trips) Our first 3 nights of the Tour we where based at a Winery Estate called Trequanda that had been in the family for about 500 odd years and produced their own Wine and Olive Oil. Tonight’s dinner was a great chance to meet the group I would be spending the next 2 weeks with – Darren Welch tour leader from Melbourne. Murray a kiwi originally from the Westport but has been living in Melbourne for the last 30 years, David also from Melbourne and Giselle my roomy from Perth.
Monday – We meet Mauro our Italian guild, a former Professional cyclist who now operate guided tours of the Tuscan countryside and no’s all the best rides, today was the 1st day back on the bike after a week off and the best thing about it is i’m on holiday and in Italy, getting used to riding on the right hand side of the road is picked up quickly, today’s ride consists of a 81k loop with lunch at Monte Oliveto Maggiore (Benedictine Monastery) situated on top of a nice 6k climb best way to work up a appetite, funnest thing about today’s ride was seeing the “Monk” walking down the road in his white robe listening to his I-Pod. We nearly made it home before the thunder and lightning storm kicked in doh if we hadn’t had a 3k climb to get home we would have made it, back in time to watch the Giro on TV and they were getting the worst weather. And yes the legs were sore from all those steps.
Tuesday – Today’s ride consists of a 70k loop starting with a 1k climb at 15% gee’s that got the lungs and legs screaming, today we rode through the village of Montelpulciano for a quick coffee then onto Pienza for lunch most of the Italian villages all seem to be at the top of a climb, before lunch we had a Cobbled Climb through the village at 25% thankfully it was only short but the shop’s either side of the street selling bright yellow shoes was a little strange. After pigging out on more divine Italian food for lunch we still had 40k’s to get home with lots more climbing the 1st climb at 10% straight after lunch, hopefully it’ll work off all this food.
Wednesday – Today’s ride is just a mild 35ks moving from Trequanda to the village of Montaiciano our new base for the next 3 nights and you guessed it it’s on top of another 6k climb mmmmm that means every ride we do to get home we must come up, we did manage to beat the rain today and got a chance to look around the lovely village of Montaiciano sampling the Hot Chocolate’s that you can stand your spoon up in – yummy
Thursday – Mont Amiata a volcanic cone 1,732m is today’s ride this was another great day in the saddle as Mont Amiata dominates the Tuscan Landscape and seemed to get bigger and more daunting the closer we got to it, what a great climb finishing with last 2k’s averaging 15% and reaching 18+ on certain corners. Todays ride was very special as we got to have lunch in a Brunello Wine Cellar; the Montaiciano region is famous for its Brunello red wine and through friends of Mauro’s we experienced a home cooked lunch and the best pasta i have ever tasted in the cellar also sampling a few of the Brunello drop’s the 10k ride home was interesting and harder than climbing Amiata.
Friday – Todays taper ride before the Grand Fondo Nove Colli 208k race consisted of a 35k loop which the Giro De Italia and passed through the week before, if anyone saw the coverage this was the stage where they rode the gravel road section in the rain, well we didn’t have rain but we still had the gravel road, O for my mountain bike off road on the road bike mmmmm.
Saturday – packed up and on the bus heading for Cesenatico for the Nove Colli on Sunday gulp feeling like maybe i’ve done to much riding the week leading up, rest those legs drink that fluid tomorrow’s going to be hard, when we got to Cesenatico where able to head down a try and snaffle some bargains at the expo pre Grand Fondo, lots of very flash bikes and very cool kit and yes the credit card got a hammering today. We pick up our race pack’s and NZ race promoter’s need to take note, the race pack consisted of a Race Jersey, Gloves, Cap, Drink Bottle, Entry to the Pasta Party after the race, Race Supplements (Gels/bars)and a good old chocolate bar all for $80nz dollars, and thats just normal. Right time to Carbo load before tomorrow as we need to be up at 4am to start racing at 6am.
Sunday – Well after the worse night’s sleep ever AC Milan Football club had just won the premier league and the fans spent the night celebrating (loudly) it was time to get up for breakfast, don on the NZ Flag Jersey and mentally prepare for the day, couldn’t tell what the weather was going to do as it was still dark – 5.30am we head down to the start line to join the 12,000 other riders for the start of a long day, a bit like Taupo we are sent off in wave’s we were in the 3rd wave after 25ks of dead flat from sea level we hit the 1st climb and apparently this 10% section wasn’t actually one of the 9 that counted but sure got the heart rate going and the nerves frayed as you can imagine 12,000 riders on narrow roads and not many of them speaking English but I did get loads of comments wearing the NZ flag. The 9 climbs of the Nove Colli range from the smallest of 4ks to the longest No#7 at about 15ks all with mechanic’s at the top and food tables with everything that you may want to fuel yourself from Pizza, Filled Rolls, Cakes, Fruit, Bars, BBQ, Water, Coke, Juice and Red Wine and Beer just in case it’s a bad day and plenty of it, was just crazy and we made sure we fuelled up to keep us going, the climb I remember most is climb 2 switch back’s as far as you could see up and down it was just cyclist’s i should have taken a photo, the descent from the climb was amazing I thought i had fallen out of the sky it was that steep a bit like being on a roller coaster, we then got to Barbotto (no#4) which had been used in the Giro 2 days earlier and was steep at the top 18% thousands of rides and crowds cheering us over it after this climb the ride splits where you have the option of doing the 140k loop or carrying of for the 208k after turning off I was sure i was in no man’s land as there was no one around mmmmm keep going only 5 climbs to go, No7 was defiantly the hardest climb only 791meters but ouch it hurt the sun was beating down at about 29degrees (hotter climbing) and we still had 60ks to go so after a couple of filled rolls at the top and a gel or 2 and we were descending again, I got some good advice from a Italian guy doing the 208ks on a TT bike (loopy) to look out for number 9 as its quite short 7ks but real steep at the top and “O Boy” he was right sections at the top pitching between 18-20% and hurting so now we were on the downhill to home only 45ks to go, I had been bunny hopping a group of lads on the hills i would spin past them on the climbs and they would rip past the nana on the descends but knowing we had 25ks of flat after getting off the hills to go before we got home I busted myself grew some kahuna’s and chased them down to form a bunch heading home, I did take the piss coming home and got on the front coming home increasing the speed to 45clicks and stringing them out, ended up being just 2 of us out of 10working to get home. The Grand Fondo is the toughest ride I have ever done with massive climbs scary descends and magic but i loved every moment of it and it’s on the cards to head back and give it another crack.
Monday – Rest day my feet and hands are so sore from the jarring of the roads of yesterdays ride, today we pack up meet one of the new guides Igor and transfer up to the Dolomites, we pick up 3 new people joining the tour in Verona. 2 kiwi’s Hugh and Tracee from Christchurch and Bill from Sidney. We arrive in Castelrotto a Italian Village in the Dolomites but you wouldn’t think we were still in Italy it’s like we have stepped into a Hanzel & Gretel story book, Castelrotto sits right on the Austrian Boarder and has more Austrian’s and Germans living there than Italians but what a view Mountains covered in snow.
Tuesday - today’s ride is a 90k loop of the Sella Ring Dolomite Ronda Circut with 5 mountain passes (Passo Sella, Gardena, Campolongo, Pordoi and Castelrotto) so we head out and hit the first pass hmmmm why has my body gone numb i think it is in shock and wasn’t expecting to be back on the bike so quick after a mammoth race 2 days before, so up and over that oneand onto the next, this Sella Ring would have to be the most spectacular ride i have ever done Mountain Passes though snow it was like riding through a chocolate box lid, breath taking and beautiful and that wasn’t just the cold on the descents. Numerous stops today for photo op’s.
Wednesday – Today were off to watch the Giro De Italy come through the town of Bolzano and up Passo Mendola at 1523meter climb with the 1st 3ks @ 15% and today my legs just didn’t work so after getting up the 1st 3ks I picked a spot set up the NZ flag and waited for the Giro to come through after an hour’s wait chatting with a NZ couple Graham and Judy from Auckland on a 3 month holiday of Italy and France (lucky buggars) the breakaway group of 15riders came through and just a quickly they were gone 10mins later the main peloton came through and we catch a glimpse of Greg Henderson but missed him with my camera, none of them looked like they enjoyed that 3ks either so back to the bus for the ride home after a nice 80k loop.
Thursday - Today we are meant to be riding the cycle path up towards Bormio and the Passo de Stevio the highest pass in Italy at 2,757meters but we hear the Steviois closed due to snow so we start on the cycle path towards Bormio the rain kicks in we get slightly off track and end up lost in a apple orchard and pull the pin as it freezing and were soaked to the bone so off to a bar for hot chocolate and wait for the bus, plains of riding get changed and we head instead to the village of Livengo (duty free town) and the Assos shop - credit card gets another hammering, and then over the hill to Bormio and our base for the next 3 nights.
Friday – the Passo de Stevio, the road is closed to traffic so we are riding this at our own risk, because of this we need to carry all our warm clothes for the descent, we leave the village of Bormio climb a k then start the climb and it’s hot way to many layers on – stop take most of them off and start the 25k ascent and into the switch backs we go 10ks up i spot what i thought were giant squirrels turns out they were Marmots frolicking in the spring day, after the marmots the road flattens off for a bit before the last 6ks of riding through 3-4meters of snow on either sides of the road and the rapid drop in temperature brrrr it’s cold at the top chuck on all my layers plus the cycle jersey’s i brought at the top and start the decent FRICK it’s cold i’m sure my fingers and toes nearly fell off, after a hot bath off to the bar to watch the Giro and wander around Bormio looking at all the Team Buses the Giro comes through Bormio tomorrow and the teams are staying in town.
Saturday – The last day of riding and Passo de Gavia used in this year’s Giro and in todays stage another 25k climb with no support vehicle, after yesterday I took more clothes for the top of the hill, lots of people walking and riding Gavia today picking their spots to watch the Giro, again the last 6ks of Gavia is in the snow complete with a mini avalanche we get to the top and it’s colder than Stevio as its snowing, layer up again and head down for the last descent and last ride in Italy (on this trip) back to Bormio to warm up and wait for the Giro to come through town before they make their way up Gavia (they make it look easy)
Sunday – Pack up the bike and depart for Verona early, the tour ends today and we are spending the day in Verona watching the individual TT around the streets, nothing like the Tour de France where the streets are cordoned off, with the Giro you can watch the riders come past within centimetres of you. After goodbyes to the group which is very sad as i’ve met some great people from the Guides to my fellow riders yet again i got a great roomy who was easy going and didn’t seem to mind when my pack exploded around the room. What a fantastic way to see Italy.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday – Are taken up with visiting Venice, Verona and spending the day on Lake Como before flying out on Thursday and back to the “Long White Cloud” which seems to be fill of rain yuck yuck yuck been back a week and spent more time indoors riding the wind trainer Nooooooo
I can highly recommend this trip the riding through Tuscany’s rolling countryside and the Nove Colli one tough day at the office to the spectacular snowy mountains of the Dolomites, the divine food wine and olive oil, abusing my credit card at the Assos Shop and expo and of course those hot chocolates. When and where’s the next one you ask?? Hmmm not sure but there will be one maybe Spain or Switzerland or back to give that Nove Colli another crack. Check out the photo’s on the website.
Darren Welch – Italian Immersions Melbourne – enquiries@italianimmersions.com.au run’s the tours and with his Italian Contacts run’s a fantastic trip letting you experience Italy’s finest food and riding.
My Trip was booked through Adventure Travel in Wellington -
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22 KBPlease find attached file of the grade we would like you to race in this week ... 4 Feb 2010
