Giro di America?
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 4, 2009 1:47 PM EST
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PrintSeveral news outlets are reporting that the Giro is contemplating an American grand depart for the Giro d'Italia as soon as 2011. VN has its take, but the story originates with La Gazzetta, which innocently reported that Giro officials are in New York today to attend the opening of a photographic retrospective on a century of Giro history at the Eden Fine Art Gallery (Madison Avenue & 50th). This has set off a wave of speculation about starting the race in New York, Philly, DC, Baltimore, Bay Ridge, Providence, at the Caffe dello Sport in Boston's North End. The Italian love affair with baseless speculation has apparently survived emigration and a century of assimilation into American culture, it appears.
Gav will probably have more later in the Sesh (it is Wednesday someplace), but I will chime in that Washington is the least Italian city on the East Coast. Italians had so little presence in DC that the city actually built a (rather pitiful) freeway through the Italian neighborhood north of the Capitol. Can you picture that happening anywhere else in Megalopolis? Not bloody likely. Of course, DC has since become rather cosmopolitan, and as such has imported enough Italian chefs to put on a veneer of respectability, but apart from a few nice cafes, Nancy Pelosi, and the National Italian American Foundation in Dupont Circle, DC is thoroughly un-Italian. Memo to the Giro folks: New York City prologue, with one or two road stages meandering from Brooklyn to Philly, via most of New Jersey. Get it right.
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But do you also get a Tour and Spain start?!
No?! Than you’re soooo behind..
But it would be a happening I suppose.. Still it will be very strange. You’ve got an eight hour jet lag to survive.. (And we’re not even talking about cars material etc.)
What do you fear most?
1. coup d’etat
2. putsch
Shut Yo Mouth!
Screw NYC dude! DC is where it’s at!
Wisconsin Ave from M Street to Bethesda Prologue!
Racing for Victory and Free Beer!
No way
Too uphill. Roll out from the National Cathedral. Don’t tell RCS that it’s non-denominational.
"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 4, 2009 2:03 PM EST up reply actions
Did Michael even consider moving the Corleones to DC when they were going legit?
I think not.
Heck, I bet if they had moved to DC they might as well have let that punk Carlo get away with what he did to Sonny.
You mean
Senator Carlo? Yeah, thankfully they never went down that road.
"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 4, 2009 2:04 PM EST up reply actions
ASININE!
The more time in Italy, whoever you are or whatever race you are, the better.
This idea is particularly lamentable for Americans who die to escape and know that the Giro is one of the best escapes ever dreamed of.
Plus it’s tawdry. It’s bad enough that London Bridge is in Arizona.
But then, Americans could actually SEE the Giro and get some Esta The tat. That’s good tawdry.
NO WAIT! Let the Giro start in California! Hee hee, that’d show ’em.
Then you could start the Giro,
abandon before it got to the Dolomites or Abruzzo or some other place of crucifixion, and go ride California, all in the month of Maying, hey-nonny-nonny.
I think
you could go from Rome to Paris to Madrid, all in upstate New York.
"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 4, 2009 2:39 PM EST up reply actions
In my humble opinion
I don’t think a tour of a country should go to another country. I understand that European borders are relaxed, but still, if it’s a tour of France or Italy or Germany or… it should be a tour of that country. At least in the purest sense.
It’s obvious to me that beginning a tour or giro in another country, especially one as remote as America, is all about promotion. Also true when they cross borders (as the tour goes into Spain and Italy, at times.)
I’ve got a friend who is an accountant (no, not Contador), who tells me, “You want to know why folks do things, look at the money trail.” It’s always about the money.
I am so glad
I was not the only person forced to watch that movie.
"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 4, 2009 3:46 PM EST up reply actions
Western district!
Actually, they could do a time trial through all the sets of the Wire.
"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 4, 2009 6:22 PM EST up reply actions
LOL!
Easy refueling for the next day.
I’m sure Rock Rocing has spots for Stringer, Avon, Bodie, Marlo and Snoop. Maybe not for Proposition Joe though.
by Mr 60 Percent on Nov 5, 2009 12:26 PM EST up reply actions
Food, espresso...
Then, I will Sesh.
This is a truly stupid idea. But I need espresso before I can fully rant.
Can't they do it "Triplets of Belleville" style
all on trainers in front of a video screen. Then they could throw in other random hazards too, like hidden snipers, drug dealer shoot-outs, presidential cavalcades (now that’s real one-upmanship on the Roubaix level crossings), plus the odd fat plumber in red overalls.
Actually
the typical pavement of DC streets will be challenging enough.
"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 4, 2009 6:21 PM EST up reply actions
not sure who had too much grappa on this one
the original journalist, the velonews dude, or the Giro organizers…
Gazzetta guy
filled the Giro guy with Grappa. The original story came from Gazzetta. As ush, VN and CN lifted it from the Pink.
Well that would be....idiotic
I’m pretty sure 99% of American citizens have no idea what a Giro d’Italia is. OK after lance raced it maybe only 98.8%. And as someone who has traveled to Europe many time I can say it takes about 2 days to fully get over jet lag, having one day off in which you travel inter continental is stupid. Plus, there are far more beautiful places around Italy than Washington DC, New York already has enough crap happening, they don’t need everything.
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
I take it you are not of Italian extraction?
I hear that if you make it in New York you can make it anywhere. Just sayin’
Did you get that from Jay Z?
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
I dunno
Why can’t they start on a Thursday, do three stages, fly back to Italia, take two rest days, and ease their way back in?
"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 5, 2009 2:33 AM EST up reply actions
Sounds good to me
and, my experience is that the best way to get over jet lag is to be active (though admittedly, I’ve never tried to get over jet lag by being as active as a grand tour stage).
National Mall to
Skyline Drive (second entrance, up to Front Royal). Then Front Royal to Harper’s Ferry, and back to DC on the C&O, Roubaix stylee.
Obviously.
Perfect
Funny, because I was about to post this above before I saw yours:
P) From Washington Monument to the steep cobbles next to GTown Revolution Cycles
1) Alexandria through Front Royal to Skyline Lodge
2) Luray through Deliverance-style WVirginia roads to Harper’s Ferry
3) HF through Battenkill-style roads of Antietam and Gettysburg to a sprint in Hamsterdam, West Baltimore
by Mr 60 Percent on Nov 5, 2009 12:31 PM EST up reply actions
No Hamsterdam finish
The finish has to be in the Italian neighborhood. Also, in Hamsterdam the team buses would get picked clean like a fallen springbok in Ngoro Ngoro.
As for DC, it’s got ITT material. Long blvds, roundabouts. Start at the World Bank, go to Georgetown, up Wisconsin, back down Embassy Row, PA Ave to the Capitol, then Independence to the Tidal Basin. Maybe a lap around Haines Point as a nod to the local riders.
"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 5, 2009 3:03 PM EST up reply actions
I like that.
Except, those are crazy steep cobbles. Have you ridden those? Crap, if you have, it looks like that’s another Sat. AM booked for me . . .
I usually made a point of including them on the way up
The worst is that you usually need to make a hard turn from M St. and start from pretty much a standstill. Very bumpy and broken up. If they were just 50 m. longer, I probably wouldn’t be able to get up on a road bike.
by Mr 60 Percent on Nov 6, 2009 5:25 AM EST up reply actions
You think a bike is hard
try hauling kegs and 30 racks up there from Dixie at the foot of it, especially if it is wet. I heard a story about a drunk kid that tried to ride a razor-style scooter down it, apparently made it down most of the way and bailed just before M street. I am still shocked he didn’t die or break a collar bone or something.
In all seriousness though, nice work on the bike, it is very steep and not in good shape at all.
...
don’t for get the exorcist stairs…what would a stage in DC be without that famous landmark?
love the prologue idea
especially the part about the prologue finishing on the cobbled block of 35th. Every time I see that hill I think it looks like something out of de ronde and should feature in a bike race. Not very long but plenty steep, closest you’ll find in DC I’d wager.
Are those your naughty dreams?
There’d be at least one rider yelling “Masochists!!!” at you!
Racing for Victory and Free Beer!
Secret plot to apprehend 23 American fugitives from Italian justice?
Cancellara was robbed! There is none better.
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