Italian cycling tales from towns on the Giro d'Italia route - 1

Stories from the places on the 2019 Giro d'Italia route. One thing I like about watching the Giro d'Italia cycle race is when the route goes through areas that I am familiar with - either places where I lived or stayed when on holiday, or places I cycled through. When I see the places on TV it always conjures up memories of the time I was there. In most cases I wish I could go back and ride in those areas - even if I am a little older and slower than I was a few years ago!

Verona (Stage 21)

Verona city entrance 

I love Verona. The first time I ever visited Italy I went to Venice. During that visit I also visited Vicenza, Lake Garda, and Verona.

All those places were pleasant and exciting, but my favourite place was Verona.

It didn't have quite as many tourists as Venice, and seemed a more manageable sized town.

There was also more space than the never ending narrow alleyways of Venice. In my opinion Verona looked prettier than Venice and didn't have a tired look about it from the gazillions of tourists, which I seem to notice in Venice.

I love the central central historic areas in Verona, and its Roman arena, where the Giro d'Italia finishes.

The time trial that the pros are doing for this final stage goes up the Toricelle road. I have never ridden up this road, but I have driven up it. Once, on a weekend away in the Veneto region I booked to stay at a B&B just outside the city centre, and it involved me driving up this climb. I hadn't realised that the road up to the B&B would be so twisty or that it even went uphill! So it was a bit of a test of my driving skills, especially as it was late at night, I wasn't that sure of where I was going and was stuck in among all the local drivers.

Verona Arena and City Hall at Piazza Bra

The B&B was very pleasant and we were treated to beautiful views of the city below, so going there was worth the effort.

The Toricelle climb was used in the World Race Championships in 1999, and is a regular time trial route for the locals. A nocturnal time trial takes place there every year around the end of August/early September. They call it a "cronoscalata" (hill climb). That must surely be one for the bucket list - well after a bit of training.


Feltre and Croce d'Aun (Stage 20)

The route from Feltre to Croce d'Aune is essentially the same course as the Gran Fondo Sportful Dolomiti, which takes place in a couple of weeks. This ride was previously known as the Gran Fondo Campagnolo, which is probably a more relevant name given that the guy who invented Campagnolo components was from Vicenza, not far from this area.

In fact he came up with the idea of the quick release wheel - something that is in most bikes nowadays - when a problem with his wheel on the Croce d'Aune during a cycle race in 1927, cost him the win.

I have done quite a few cyclosportives in Italy, but I have never done this one. A few years ago, we used to say that that the Gran Fondo Campagnolo (now the Gran Fondo Sportful Dolomiti) was one to avoid because the weather was always bad. The Maratona dles Dolomiti and Gran Fondo Pinarello which happen in early July both take place on very warm days. But at the Feltre event, the rain always showed up on the day, occasionally with the route having to be cut short.

So I tended to steer clear of it. Looking at recent photos of the race, it seems that the weather tends to be okay nowadays. So maybe it is time for me to consider riding it.

Treviso to San Martino di Castrozza (Stage 19)

I know Treviso from the time when I rode the Gran Fondo Pinarello - another cyclosportive that takes place at the home of the eponymous family-owned bike manufacturers.

Start line of Gran Fondo Pinarello with Yvette from Pinarello

It was more than 10 years ago when I rode it, so the route is a little different nowadays. The day I rode it, in July the weather was blisteringly hot and I rode the 200km route. We rode up Passo di San Boldo, which features in this stage.

Our route was from a slightly different side as we climbed for about 5 miles and then went over unmade roads before eventually threading in and out of a series of tunnels. The views below were spectacular. The San Boldo climb was the appetiser for a longer more arduous climb, not to San Martino di Castrozza, but to a ski area called Nevegal, which was again on unmade roads. It was a bit like doing Eroica!

Once there we turned around to do the run back in to Treviso, and passed over the Volpago di Montello, which was only about 2km long, but the gradient went to 12% - so something akin to the steep climbs I ride in the Kent or Surrey Hills. So I felt at home!

Montello climb in Gran Fondo Pinarello

During the Pinarello cyclosportive guys kept giving me tips and offering assistance to improve my ride. Some would tell me to just follow the wheel and save energy, while others would just automatically offer their wheel for me to draft off.

A bit like the equivalent of a gentleman holding a door open for a woman, when biking in these parts, guys would offer women their wheel and allow them to draft. It's not something you'd ever see in a UK cyclosportive.

In the last 20 miles of the Pinarello cyclosportive a group of local Italian guys came by and got me to ride in the group with them. They did a chain gang and told me I didn't need to take a turn on the front, so I basically got towed to within about 400m of the finish, and then they dropped back and allowed me to come through and sprint for the line! It made me feel quite important - even if I ended up finishing in 4,347th place out of 7,000 riders!


Valdaora to Santa Maria di Sala (Stage 18)

I have been to this part of Italy in the past - not for cycling, but to ski, and on one occasion for hiking. I wasn't in Valdaora but I was in nearby Dobbiaco. Although the area is part of Italy, it has a distinctly Austrian look and feel about it, and people automatically speak to you in German. Some people there don't know any Italian!

Cross country skiing around Dobbiaco

I went on a trip with Exodus Adventure Company to learn cross country skiing some years ago, so we were based in Dobbiaco (or Toblach, the German name). I had been enjoying the skiing, but deep down I felt that there was something not right about not being able to do a long downhill. Cross country skiing is hard work.

The trip took place in December, when the temperature was about minus 15 degrees C. So in those temperatures I put on about four layers under my jacket. However, within about 15 minutes of starting to ski I had to remove layers. It got to the point where I just stripped down to my cycling jersey and arm warmers. Anything more, and I was overdressed!

Cross country skiing is not that type of skiing where you can look cool as you drop down a hill at speed and then lounge around over a mulled wine enjoying the views at altitude. It's just rough and ready and you go hard at it uphill, on the flat, and even downhill! You burn more calories than cycling or running and in my case I end up a sweaty mess.

Cortina d'Ampezzo

So when I'd had my fill of working hard in the snow I left the group and caught a bus to get over to Cortina d'Ampezzo (where the riders passed through during this stage) to enjoy a bit of the gravity-assisted stuff - proper skiing.

I may have been a bit lacking in the style department, especially by Cortina's high standards, but the folks seemed to let me off!

I do hope to go to that area with my bike, and will go through Cortina, plus nearby Passo Falzarego, a well-known climb in that area which was not covered in this year's Giro (but has been included in the past).


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Italian cycling tales from towns on the Giro d'Italia route - 2

Riding the Gran Fondo Pinarello

11th Gran Fondo Pinarello - Final Part

It was great to have a spectator at the Nevegal ski station let me know that I'd done the worst of the climbing. (Although he hadn't warned me of the short sharp shock that was to come at the end !)

After lots of fluids including more energy drink and the obligatory Coca Cola I pushed on down the hill. Even though I have done a number of cyclosportives I am still no good at managing my feed stop breaks. I lose more time than most due to stoppages. And today, given the hot conditions I knew I'd be losing even more. I figured I would rather do a slower ride and stay comfortable than skimp on refreshments and end up conking out ! Of course the downside of all of this was I lost my original group and lots of other groups thereafter. I wasn't last, but the groups had definitely thinned out.

The next section of the ride was not difficult, but it was a bit of a graveyard section. The scenery around was spectacular with the Lago di Santa Croce and the Bosco di Cansiglio. There was also a beautiful bridge which crossed the main road - it was nice to have something to look at while I was on my own.

I soon grouped with others just before rolling over the cobbles of the historic town of Vittorio Veneto. Then it was straight up and over the Sella di San Lorenzo. I had a rather embarrassing moment when I walked into a rather swish cafe gagging for a drink. All the customers, who were well dressed looked me up and down as I stood there in my bike kit all pouring with sweat asking for a Coke. Well how was I to know it was a wedding reception !! I took my drink and made a very quick exit.

I then had another graveyard period around 30miles from the finish where I had to deal with about 15 miles of straight flat road. If only I could have a hill to jazz things up. Or maybe I'd wished for too much. It came in the shape of Presa IV del Montello - a 12% beast that lasted 2km.

Maybe not that bad, but try doing that when you have 110 miles in your legs and it's 35 deg celsius. Now I understand why they had a feed station just 16 miles from the end.

I wolfed down more Coke, a bit of water and was back on the home straight. Luckily a group of local blokes - my "sotto roda" friend from earlier in the day instructed me to sit on his wheel and he towed me and the rest of the group all the way back to Treviso. It was great way to finish the course - especially when all the guys in the group sat up and let me do a sprint for the line for 1178th place ! Still, it was a nice gesture from them. I was so pleased to have finished ok - I was happy to have done it in 9 hours - especially as I hadn 't trained specifically for this distance.

The race was won by ex-pro Raimondo Rumsas in 5hrs 26mins. Monica Bandini stormed back to take the honour of first lady in 6hrs 9mins. (I think I have abit of work to do !!)

I needed a few minutes to rest and stop myself being sick from the mixture of various foods and drinks. My fellow cyclist from San Francisco, despite climbing well failed to finish. The heat had been all too much for her.

This was a day when even the best of them suffered - across the border, in the French Alps the pros were not having an easy time on their stage from Le Grand Bornand to Tignes. Stuart O'Grady and Michael Rogers suffered nasty crashes, which ended their Tour hopes. Britain's Mark Cavendish couldn't take the conditions any longer. And Robbie McEwan finished outside the time limit after having stopped for treatment for hypoglycamia. It's reassuring to know these guys are human !

I soon found Stanley, who had finished only 40mins ahead of me - wheel rim trouble.

All in all, it was a great day out. I managed to find my friend, Yvette from Pinarello. She was happy with her time, considering she'd taken it easy.

We then celebrated with a meal at Piazza dei Signori.

11th Gran Fondo Pinarello - Part 3

The feed station after Passo San Boldo was thankfully well stocked with food and drink. It was good to see passers-by just hanging around chatting to the riders and giving us tips on what to expect on the road ahead. "Take it easy now," one guy said. "In the next hour you will be working very hard." I had been warned !

Once I'd wolfed down some banana, Sali (Italian brand of energy drink) plus some Gatorade I was on my way - not forgetting the need to pace myself.

For all the gran fondo events that take place in Italy I get surprised at the number of Italian riders that don't climb well - on the flat or going downhill, boy they're fast movers ! But any reading on the altimetre, and that's a different story. That must be the Mario Cipollini effect !

And so it was that I was very quickly dropped after the feed station when the guys hurtled down the hill, and I was practically left standing ! I tried to follow them, but I had neither the technique nor the balls to go so fast. I rolled down the road as fast as I could while keeping them in my sights. To my surprise, I managed to catch them on the flat. I'd like to think that it was down to my sprinting ability, but it was actually because they'd slowed down to wait for me. That made me feel just as good though ! I didn't know them, but I think they just wanted to "look after" a young lady riding on her own ! We all rode as a group and I took shelter from the big men in front. Of course this didn't last long as the pleasant trip along the valley floor soon ended when we turned left to start the climb up to Nevegal ski station.

This climb would average 8% and last around 7 miles. The first 2 miles were a shock to the system. A young woman from San Francisco I'd passed just after the San Boldo feed-station came bounding up the hill past our group. She said that back home all she does is ride uphill - she was certainly at home on this climb ! I tried to keep her in my sights, but given how hot it was getting and the long road that lay ahead, I decided to spare the heroics.

After a a couple of miles the road levelled off and we had a few sections of downhill. We were also treated to shaded areas as we passed through the woods. The only problem was that most of these sections were on dirt tracks. "This is like Cyclo cross" - I said to a fellow competitor. "No, this is Eroica" he replied. He seemed to enjoy riding this section that is akin to the vintage cyclosportive that recaptures the spirit of bike racing in the 1920's. I was more concerned about not falling over when riding over a pot hole. At least I was riding on a new set of tyres !

The dirt track continued for around 3 miles. Then the final 2 miles kicked up again. The gradient increased to around 10% and we once again exercised our quad muscles. I felt spurred on at the sight of the feed station above, and the knowledge that we would soon be doing a U-turn to start a big descent back towards Treviso.

11th Gran Fondo Pinarello - Part 1

I'd had this event marked in the diary for some time, though I hadn't done any specific preparation for it. Certainly not any preparation for riding 200km. I knew I would be capable of covering the distance, but I just wasn't sure how long it would take. The profile showed about 7 climbs on the long course, the highest point being only about 1000m, and the ride didn't quite get into the Dolomites. This made me think it wouldn't be a difficult 200km.

However, I hadn't factored in the heat and the fact that anything that is not too hilly will mean fast - and extremely fast, in Italy.

As a general rule with these foreign sportive events I do the longest course - mainly because if I've made all the effort to travel there I might as well take on as much of the sights and sounds the place has to offer. Especially as I don't know when next I will go there.

Having had less than 4 hours' sleep was not the best preparation for the ride. The pre-race buzz kept me alert though.
It wasn't difficult for Stanley and myself to find the start from our b&b - we just followed the other cyclists. Once in the Centre of Treviso we got separated as we were setting off in different grids. While he was setting off from the 3rd grid, I was put in the first one with the rest of the women cyclists, plus elite riders and guests. It made me feel important.

Being so near the front meant we got the full blast from the compere. He was introducing a host of VIPS (including Giovanni Pinarello himself), and other famous folks that were taking part, thanking sponsors etc. He also did the "Hi, you alright, are you ready...etc" to the crowd. I didn't really listen as I'd managed to catch up with a friend of mine, Yvette, from the Pinarello team. I also bumped into a woman road racer from London - Tarne, from Planet X. We all just chatted about how our season had been. This gran fondo was going to be more of a pleasant amble around.

The countdown began and after 5,4,3,2,1 there was a big bang as streamers were set off and everyone clapped. Then the racing began.

Being at the front was a bit scary, as the riders surged forward at rocket like pace - streaming past on all sides. I did my best to keep into the right hand side. Some people still managed to undertake me though!

We took up the whole width of the road, riding 10 or 15 abreast. No problem, this is typical of an Italian mass participation bike event. While on two wheels you become king, as police outriders clear the way and the motorists show deference to the cyclists.
We sped through Treviso at breakneck speed. My computer was fixed on 25 miles per hour. There were groups passing by at much faster speeds. It was great being swept along by the large crowds, and I felt comfortable as people exercised very good riding discipline. The road was flat and very easy to speed through. My only worry was that I still had 180km to go, so wasn't sure I could maintain this pace all the way ! And just at that moment I felt the road rise up.

Italian Break

I'm now back from my Italian adventures. I can't believe how knackered I am. Well, it was a pretty fun packed weekend.

A brief run down of events (pictures and GF Pinarello report to follow) :


FRIDAY NIGHT

Arrived in Verona airport @ 9.15pm, picked up car and headed for our b&b. After alot of spinning around Verona and a phone call to the proprietor for directions (including an offer from him to come down and meet us) we made our way up the steep and winding road to reach Villa Beatrice in Valdonega. The drive was a bit of a white-knuckle ride, but the lovely panoramic views made it worthwhile !

Simone, our host was very enthusiastic to meet us, and very welcoming - even though it was late, he had loads of time to chat to us about life and the universe - well, actually about London !


SATURDAY

A bit tedious to start with.

After a hearty breakfast and a stroll around the gardens, we drove about 2 miles down the road to Grezzana for what should have been a quick spin up and around the valley to Romagnano, Lumiago, Azzago and back to Grezzano.

Unfortunately, Stanley had a technical problem with his derailler. I carried on without him while he fixed it. He would then ride the opposite way round the circuit and we would meet at some point back near the car. But then I punctured twice. So, not wanting to take any further risks we then went off to find a shop and get my tyres changed.

We didn't leave for Treviso until 5pm. The drive there was very hot - we weren't used to 30degree heat, considering the dreary weather we'd been having in London. Matters were made worse when we had to queue for 50minutes just to get through the motorway toll gate at Mestre. The air conditioning was put to the test as the mercury went up to 36 degrees.

Finally we arrived at the sign-on desk for the Gran Fondo, at Treviso just before they were closing. We got a generous goody bag - a GF Pinarello ruck sack, energy drink and bar, plus pink flip flops for the ladies !

We checked into our b&b at Treviso, had dinner in a delightful restaurant off the main square, and got to bed pretty late. By then it was almost 1am, and we'd have to be up 3.5hours later to tackle the 200km race !!


SUNDAY

Race day - hot, very hot and extremely hot - completely KO'd at the end !

Celebratory meal at the Piazza dei Signori.


MONDAY

Drove back to Verona, and spent the day taking in the beautiful sights - Juliet's House, the Arena, Piazza delle Erbe, and various churches - then lounging in a cafe on the Piazza Bra.

Flew back to London at 10pm.

It was great to get away for a few days - especially to Italy. I wish I was still there now !

Andiamo a Verona !

Actually, we're flying into Verona and then making our way to Treviso for the Gran Fondo di Pinarello.

Everything is packed, including climbing legs and sunscreen. It's gonna be a scorcher this weekend. The weather in the UK has been at best unsettled, and at worst apocalyptic. The 30+degree celsius expected in the Veneto will be well appreciated. I just hope my body can remember what it's like to be in such heat ! Also, must remember to pick up some decent shades - if you can't get anything else right in Italy, just make sure you've got a stylish pair of sunglasses !

I am really looking forward to the weekend. We will arrive in Verona tonight, stay in a b&b in the surrounding hills. Tomorrow we do a bike ride somewhere near Lake Garda. Then we make our way to Treviso. Sunday is the big race, then Monday we make our way back to Verona, probably with a stop over at Bassano del Grappa. All fun packed stuff.

The gran fondo will be a big affair - around 4,000 riders. I'll have 200km of rolling pre-Dolomites hills to look forward to. There is also the option to do the 130km course.

Past experience of these events is that most of the Italians blast off from the gun along the flat, and you chase them down eyeballs out. Then at the intersection they peel off to do the short course, and you suddenly find yourself knackered and all alone to tackle the serious stuff. As the road rises up in front of you you feel a deep sense of foreboding and dread ! If that happens again, I'll be following the Italians back to join them for the customary plate of spaghetti, good glass of Soave, and a delicious gelato. This is Italy, and la vita e bella - must make the most of it !