Just checked out the 61k Giro TT
by jered on Mar 29, 2009 1:08 PM EDT
103 comments
Just got back from previewing Stage 12 of the Giro: the 61k TT from Sestri Levante to Riomaggiore.
I've never seen anything like it. It's beautiful, it's ungodly hard, and it's technical. You'll need to channel your inner Valentino Rossi to get down the descents quickly and with your body intact. Not a piece of the course is fast though - not even the descents. The very few flat parts are exposed and windy. I can't imagine what the time gaps will look like. There will be a winner, then 2nd place 2 days back, and 3rd place just under a month behind. Either that, or they'll just keel over from exhaustion. So much hardness.
Lots more to come, but I figure you guys might enjoy the pictures.
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I've got the manflu so I'm too lazy to look it up
They did use a part of the course in the Giro a couple of years ago, didn’t they? But in the opposite direction, and as a regular stage. 2006 or something like that.
Some CdE guy won and two riders, Manuele Mori was one of them, crashed twice on the descent going into Sestre Levante. That was a mighty fun stage to watch.
Cool pics btw, thanks!
No longer that I call them tights, I call them freedom ware.
by TheFigurehead on Mar 29, 2009 1:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
That's funny
I saw the road paintings all over the place, but couldn’t remember what stage it could have come from. I kept seeing Basso everywhere there, so I figured it was ’06… Thanks for jogging my memory and getting me to find it here.
So… if everyone had a hard time on the descent in Sestri Levante, I figure someone is going to lose a limb on these descents. The Passo del Bracco descent from that stage in 2006 is technical-ish, but absolutely nothing compared to the two descents they’ll encounter in May.
It’s probably a good thing that Sella is suspended. He would be a liability on this stage. He was the one that crashed twice that day heading into Sestri Levante.
by jered on Mar 29, 2009 2:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks for the first-hand account
Care to comment on the debate between TT bikes and road bikes? I know a few riders who have previewed the course have differing opinions on what will be best.
by PopUp Rolen on Mar 29, 2009 1:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Not sure
I’ve been thinking about that a fair bit. There will be a few sections where the TT bike would be excellent, but I don’t think they will make up much of the overall time.
Personally, I think they’ll come up with something like an aero frame with normal geometry to go with normal bars and clip-ons.
I can’t see too many people wanting a go at this TT in a full TT rig. The first climb would be fine on a TT bike, but the second one is no joke and those descents will be crash fests. I hope it’s not wet like it was for me…
It is going to be a fantastic stage.
by jered on Mar 29, 2009 2:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks for the report and pictures
I can’t wait for this TT, good tactics and strength, descending and climbing skills will all be a must. I am a bit satanic when it comes to my watching pleasure, I love watching the most brutal races and this will be one. So are you going to challenge the Blockhaus for a little duel next?
"It’s disappointing. Second place is the first loser."
~Heinrich Haussler (GERMANY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Cervélo TestTeam
by Phil H. on Mar 29, 2009 2:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Actually...
You are definitely right to describe this one as satanic. It will be beautiful to watch, but nasty to race.
I’m working on a number of pre-Giro challenges:
1. Alpe di Siusi (100k down the road from Innsbruck)
2. Blockhaus
3. Vesuvius (will do both Blockhaus and Vesuvius in one trip around the 20th of April)
4. 250k from Cuneo to Pinerolo (ooooh!)
5. The mountaintop finish the day before the Alpe di Siusi one, the one that is really the Passo Rolle.
I figure I can cover all of those before the Giro gets going. The old school Izoard stage will have to wait a long while though. So much snow.
I’ll get back to previews when I get back from Belgium. I’m headed up there for PEZ for De Ronde, Gent, and Paris-Roubaix. I’m kinda sorta a lot excited.
This whole bike tourist stuff is way more fun than bike racing. I was at Redlands this time last year. What’s cooler – Cinque Terre or…Redlands? Come on.
by jered on Mar 29, 2009 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
you have such a terrible life, you must be suffering a lot :)
can’t wait to read all the good stuff you guys will have at pez, and good luck surviving those Giro trips, what a great race it will be this year, and how great will these next two months be? Just a quick question, isn’t there some danger of rock slides, or have there been rock slides on two of the climbs on Cuneo-Pinerolo? There has been talk they may have to take a few of the climbs out if that isn’t cleaned up.
"It’s disappointing. Second place is the first loser."
~Heinrich Haussler (GERMANY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Cervélo TestTeam
by Phil H. on Mar 29, 2009 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
hmm
I don’t know anything about the Cuneo to Pinerolo stage except that it’s BIG and horrible and that Cuneo to Pinerolo is only 63k…er….plus about 190 when you go to France and back.
If you find out anything else or have some links, please send em my way. I’d appreciate it.
by jered on Mar 29, 2009 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Awesome
This is my most anticipated stage of the year. I can’t wait. I hope Cancellara is back in shape for it. There will be no shortage of suffering.
by jsallee00 on Mar 29, 2009 3:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
despite his Swissness, and my fandom
I don’t think of Spartacus as one of the top few technical TTers out there. Wet roads, totally. Curves, yes. Really dialed in. But courses with constant change-ups and deep technical descents don’t let him get in his best groove.
I hope i’m wrong. Love to watch him, and love to watch him win.
by JFS_PGH on Mar 29, 2009 9:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If he's there...
I think he’d do just fine. The course isn’t super up and down. The changes are definitely more gradual. I would describe it something like this:
Climb, flat fast and curvy for a second, more climbing, hard section over the top of first climb exposed, technical descent, halfway in Lovanto, climbing consistently for 9k, tough open exposed upper section before the final descent, descend, tough last couple of kilometers to the finish…
If Spartacus is a good descender, which I think he is, this could be his course for sure. He climbs plenty well, hell, Beijing proved that without a doubt. The climbs are tough, but not too tough. His size won’t be much of a limiting factor, especially on the first climb, which will probably see speeds averaging near 30kph from bottom to top (with the flat middle section counted in).
He’ll be good on this course for sure…if he’s there.
I want to see him win the Giro. Is that too much to ask?
by jered on Mar 30, 2009 9:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Cance
I think he’ll rock this course, no problem, if he’s on form. His bike handling is fuoriclasse on the crono bike, for sure.
Me, I want to see Cunego win another Giro. Maybe not this year, but soon.
by gavia on Mar 30, 2009 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Certo!
I bet you gotta da weak knees from his smirk.
by tedvdw on Mar 30, 2009 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
lol, that was smirkly, wasn't it
nice to see him winning. on to liège!
by gavia on Mar 30, 2009 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
thanks
for those awesome photos! Really really nice. Man, i thought it was pretty where i ride. I’m not that far, i gotta get over there soon.
Too bad about izoard – that thing is great, you would love it.
by yeehoo on Mar 29, 2009 3:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
i live in Nice
And i enjoyed your col de madone pics too. I climb that all the time (almost always from the other side though) but i rarely take pics. Hate to stop on the uphills cuz you’re working too hard. Hate to stop on the downhills cuz you’re goin too fast. For that matter i’m not crazy about stopping on the flats either. But i think your pics are way better anyway.
Noticed sestri-levante is about 3 hours from here, i need to organize a little weekend excursion, i guess.
by yeehoo on Mar 30, 2009 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nice!
We loved Nice. It was hard to leave at the end of that weekend. What a fantastic place. We’re trying to work it out to get down there soon! I know this might sound bad considering what I normally do…but Ashley and I are completely envious.
by jered on Mar 30, 2009 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
yeah,
it’s a pretty cool place to live. The city itself isn’t perfect but the tram has really improved things and the new mayor is planning on more ideas for greening up the city. They’re even trying to host the winter olympics in 2018. And the sea there is just always beautiful. And real estate prices are crazy, but you can find decent stuff to rent. But the area is great – beautiful sea, mountains and gorges all around close – hiking trails everywhere – and of course, great cycling. You have to like to climb – but great year-round cycling.
by yeehoo on Mar 31, 2009 5:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Summer 2016 in Chicago, Winter 2018 in Nice?!
Madness.
by tedvdw on Mar 31, 2009 9:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That is just amazing
I think somewhere in Italy, Ivan Basso wet himself without knowing why, the same second you posted this.
Did your favourite rider just win Montepaschi Strade Bianch Eroica Toscana? OK then.
by Jens on Mar 29, 2009 4:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
haha
I’ve been laughing for a good minute now. I’ve been thinking a lot about Basso after checking out that course. Poor guy…might see his Giro dreams evaporate for lack of driving ability.
by jered on Mar 29, 2009 5:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
lol, yeah
From the first description of this course, it’s spelled some kind of doom for that guy. Or at least, he’ll need to win the race elsewhere and hope he can defend. Certainly, not out of the question, if he rides well in the mountain stages.
by gavia on Mar 30, 2009 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
this stage...
and the penultimate stage of the tour on ventoux will be the stages to watch this year when it comes to grand tours.
by Huntero on Mar 29, 2009 4:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Fantastico!
Thanks for sharing your impressions and your pictures of this highly-anticipated stage.
Will you be covering the Giro for PEZ this year?
by Tifosa on Mar 29, 2009 9:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Yep!
I will be there for a number of stages. The race comes right past my front door! Stage 7 starts in Innsbruck. That’ll be pretty cool. I figure I’ll be there mainly for the first week and then drop in for a few specific stages along the way. I do prefer riding the stages more than covering them though. I got so much more out of riding the long TT course than I would have had I covered it during the race. Do you think there’s money in bike travel journalism? Ha.
by jered on Mar 30, 2009 6:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed......certain jealousy.
Just got back from 140k race outside of Bordeaux…..flat…flat…flat…..windy….crashes….awful…then I read this. You’re right, cycle touring is a hell of lot more fun than bike racing….thanks for the excellent report.
by bradBordeaux on Mar 30, 2009 7:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't mind flat. Mountains are so not my thing, however pretty they are...
But windyness? No thanks.
by Albertina on Mar 30, 2009 8:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
don't get me wrong...
I only like mountains and big hills for training. When it comes to races, please please please leave the big elevation changes to someone else. It’s not that I’m super big or can’t climb, it just seems that once you reach a certain level, everyone can climb at least as well as I can, and then I just get pounded. Then it hurts, then it’s not fun anymore.
In training…with a compact…I’ll climb all day, everyday.
Compact is required however…especially in Austria.
by jered on Mar 30, 2009 9:20 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh...man...you and I are the opposite
140k at over 42 k/hr flat flat flat…with bordures…no way….give me the mountains any day. But I take your point about the ‘certain’ level and getting pounded. The last mountain top finish I did I finished in the top twenty…8 seconds behind a guy who road five Tour de France’s, not bad, but the rest of the guys from Pyreneenean clubs flew up the mountain while I felt like I was going backwards, and I’m a pretty decent climber.
It puts things into perspective for the pros and the timetrial…you really begin to understand how certain courses suit different riders…
by bradBordeaux on Mar 30, 2009 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That sounds pretty impressive to me!
Who was the Tour rider? I really would love to climb these mountains….I dream about it….but as of yet I’m just not fit enough. I can steam along for a fair distance as long as it’s relatively flat but I’m an awful climber. I’m really a little heavy for my height to be that good I think…not fat, but a little to weighty! I have improved a bit over recent months but there aren’t really that many hills in my area to practise on! Any tips as to what I can do to improve further short of just doing it over and over?
by Albertina on Mar 30, 2009 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Of Hills and Mountains...
There’s no simple answer….try finding a longish not to steep climb and do 5 reps of ascensions in 53-11 or the largest gear you can turn in the drops, descend, up again in the 39-23. Repeat five times, twice a week. This will work power and leg speed. After that , well you hit upon it in your question. If you would like further advice, no problem, another forum may be more appropriate though.
by bradBordeaux on Mar 30, 2009 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks! I think repetitions are what's needed.
And i must stop avoiding climbs I think I’ll find hard! I’d really have to make a concerted effort to lose weight….I’m not overweight and I really don’t eat vast amounts, just for a climber I could do with being a bit lighter. It would be nice to have more time as well. At the moment I can only really get out once a week, twice if I’m very lucky, though I do go on the turbo trainer in between if I can. The perils of having a full time job, being a musician on the side and having to fit in exercise….sometimes I get very tired indeed.
by Albertina on Mar 30, 2009 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
best thing?
The best thing you can do, in my opinion, is make climbs enjoyable, and the best way to do that is to make sure you have the right gears. My girlfriend just started riding, and the first thing I did was get her a compact crank with a 12×27 on the back. She’s riding up 10+% average climbs just fine. A compact doesn’t make climbing easy, it just makes it so that you don’t have to keel over from just trying to turn the gear over. Or better put – it allows you to control how hard you want to climb, whereas with a normal crankset, at a certain gradient, you’re sentenced to climbing hard whether you like it or not…
by jered on Mar 30, 2009 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
what he said.
Light gears are good. Also, the only way to climb better to is to climb often. And be patient with yourself, it’s never really easy, no matter how fit you are.
by gavia on Mar 30, 2009 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It doesn't get easier.
You just get faster…
by Noah on Mar 30, 2009 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not sure I agree about the practice
Plenty of Flatlanders seem to do OK in the Alpes. Still a question of W/kg, I guess.
by tedvdw on Mar 30, 2009 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
true, but...
They still end up doing a fair bit of climbing. Even good climbers can get a smacking out of practice.
In my experience… My team rode a ton of flat, windy races and criteriums a few years back leading into a big, mountainous stage race. We had a couple of good climbers, but they got a good ol fashioned drubbing the first few days in the mountains.
Even the famous climbers from the Netherlands, pick one, spent a ton of time in the mountains. Rasmussen? Sure, he’s from Holland, but he most definitely lives in Northern Italy.
Lance? Most definitely from hilly Texas, but spends a ton of time along the Mediterranean coast from Girona to Nice training…
It does have almost everything to do with w/kg though.
Then again, that still doesn’t explain Boardman. Boardman’s numbers were more than enough to make him a Tour de France champion, but he never got close. He did the hour record at an estimated 440 watts and 66kg (do the math)…on a normal bike nonetheless, so the whole positioning argument is pretty much thrown out there.
by jered on Mar 30, 2009 2:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed
Flatlanders do OK in the mountains…but nothing better. I was passed by Rasmussen on the Port de Bales a few years ago and I can assure you…the following car told me he’d spent the last 10 days climbing.
Nothing can replace training on the mountains themeslves
by bradBordeaux on Mar 30, 2009 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed with all above
Yes, compacts are the way to go for absolute enjoyment in the mountain and for new riders they are where to start and you can learn where your level/gearing will or should be. I personally have never tried a compact, but plenty of people swear by them. Of course you should should always approach your training/workout with specific goals. I.e. getting to the top, not suffering, keeping up with the leaders, etc. Above all it’s a W/kg question (this is why I recommended the hill repeats), plus as pointed out by someone else, enjoying it.
by bradBordeaux on Mar 30, 2009 2:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
hmmmm
Well…when it comes to compacts…I’m an absolute devotee now.
If it is only a w/kg question, then compacts fit perfectly into this. At a certain point, unless you’re a really bad ass climber, a certain gear does not turn over so well unless you’re going really fast. I know that if I ride in a 39×27 on a certain climb near here that averages 13%, I’ll be miserable, and I won’t go fast. The same climb with a compact, I can push out more wattage, go faster, and keep a reasonable cadence. I can’t ride for shit if I can’t get my cadence over 60. I’m not at all a high cadence rider, but I sure as hell can’t do anything if I’m under 60. Thus, a compact is wonderful.
For racing? I don’t think it’s very necessary, but apparently the Tour riders think it works ok from time to time. Wasn’t the entire CSC team on em a few years back? I recall Contador riding a 34×28 up the Angliru. Sure, it’s steep, but those are some mammoth gears.
You should definitely give a compact a go if you get the chance. It’s a wonderful experience.
by jered on Mar 30, 2009 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You're right....
about CSC…Hamilton won the TdF stage into Bayonne over the Col de Bagargui (which I can assure you is a bastard with a 39-23) with a compact.
by bradBordeaux on Mar 30, 2009 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
True 'dat
I’m guessing a guy like Gesink doesn’t live near too many mountains. But it can’t hurt to climb – or do training the replicates climbing – early and often.
by gavia on Mar 30, 2009 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well, so I need to practise, get a compact and lose weight....hmmm.
The weight thing is the issue. I’m not overweight, I’m just not built to climb I don’t think! :-(
by Albertina on Mar 30, 2009 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
your bikey didn't come with a compact?
most of the women’s specific ones do. you should check to make sure you don’t already have one.
just think how much faster you can sprint than us poor climbers ;-)
gav <—- gets owned by sprinters.
by gavia on Mar 30, 2009 7:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I have a triple. Not that it helps.
Oh, I’m fairly quick over a short distance…perhaps I should just tell people I model myself on Cav and have done with it ;-)
by Albertina on Mar 31, 2009 3:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
in my opinion,
a lot of it is mental. Not so much going faster, but enduring/enjoying it. For improving your speed i agree with brad – repeat short climbs in a bigger gear than you normally use – if you’re in your 30, bump up to your 39. If 39, then up to the big ring. Then get you and your bike over here to france or spain or italy and start doing a bunch of climbing. Pretty soon you’ll be loving it, fast or slow or whatever.
I’m 48, i only started cycling a couple years ago and i suck – but i love climbing. And i wasn’t always that way, but at some point something just clicked.
(although the cav thing is a good idea too)
by yeehoo on Mar 31, 2009 7:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well, I'm going to the Tour in July along with a couple of bikey friends and taking my bike
so I guess I’ll have to climb a little! It may hurt but I will do it!
by Albertina on Mar 31, 2009 9:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Cool, maybe I'll see you there
In the first week, I should be at Venice Lido, the start the next day in Jesolo Lido, and the Dolomites finishes at San Martino di Castrozza and Alpe di Siusi. Unfortunately, I won’t have my bike with me until the second half of the race, but I hope to find a bike rental place in San Martino and ride the final climb of that stage.
As a flatlander from Minnesota, I’m a very slow climber, but I love riding the Giro climbs on race day. No other race-viewing experience comes close to riding the final climb of a stage in the company of hundreds of other citizen bikers, while being cheered on by the Giro tifosi, and then watching the best bike racers in the world ride the same climb you’ve just done.
I should be pretty easy to spot. I’ll probably be the only red-haired American woman in the press room.
by Tifosa on Mar 30, 2009 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Count on it...
I think I’ll be full-on following the race at that time. Let me know as we get closer…I’ll have an Italian sim card by then. It would be cool to pool resources, pics, and/or words…if you want. I might be able to get you a bike if you’d like as well – depends on how tall you are. I’ll have an extra by that point – it’ll be a medium…with compact cranks.
by jered on Mar 30, 2009 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Do have an extra plane ticket too?
I’m pretty sure I can ride a medium ;-)
by gavia on Mar 30, 2009 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
they're cheap!
My girlfriend, Ashley, just got a plane ticket home for the first half of April for only 700 I think…and that’s with a painfully expensive connecting flight to Monroe, Louisiana.
So yeah, I’m officially throwing it out there – if anyone can get here to Innsbruck, we’ll put you up in our meager accommodations (pictures provided if requested) and give you a bike to ride.
by jered on Mar 30, 2009 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
man
This is my plan:
1) improve my climbing, then
2) make you my BFF
(Love Innsbruck. Learned to ski in Garmisch, as a kid, and spent much time in the area. Last back in 2002. Too long ago.)
by Sui Juris on Mar 30, 2009 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Luge lessons, summers in Rangoon too?
Did your favourite rider just win Montepaschi Strade Bianch Eroica Toscana? OK then.
by Jens on Mar 31, 2009 2:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yes, but then
Papa had to go fight all those selfish and ungrateful people who wanted to take the Empire away. He never came back . . .
by Sui Juris on Mar 31, 2009 8:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
lol
The budget at the shack does not really extend to plane tickets to Europe.
Probably the only way I ever get there is if someone is willing to pay my expenses in exchange for words. Or, I win the lottery. Which definitely wouldn’t suck.
by gavia on Mar 30, 2009 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Or you could always
buy a nice, modern, economical, comfortable, low-maintenance car
by Monty. on Mar 31, 2009 9:51 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
huh?
Long drive from California to Europe ;-)
by gavia on Mar 31, 2009 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
All I meant
was a car that just works without sucking up all your money and time keeping it that way.
by Monty. on Mar 31, 2009 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sounds good :-)
I’ll be getting an Italian sim card when I arrive on May 8, so I can email you the number after that.
I’m only 5’3", so my frame size is closer to small than medium, but if it turns out to be convenient for you, I would definitely give that bike a try. I’ll be driving from Venice to San Martino the day before the stage finish there, and spending two nights there. I was thinking I’d try to find a rental bike and ride down the climb and then back up a few hours before the stage finish, but May is still off-season in the Dolomites, so there may not be any place in town that’s open for bike rental.
Less than six weeks now until the start of the Giro!
by Tifosa on Mar 30, 2009 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
what about Ramsey Hill and the High Bridge? ;)
by plinytheelder on Mar 30, 2009 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ah, Ramsey Hill
Our own little 1:50 scale Angliru!
I do like the climb to the High Bridge from Lilydale on Hwy 13, but for any climb longer than about half a mile around here, we pretty much have to go into Wisconsin, don’t we?
by Tifosa on Mar 30, 2009 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
hey hey
You two stop talking dirty on this thread.
by jered on Mar 30, 2009 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
the funny thing is
I’ve been living in Mpls for a few years and only really discovered St Paul, the “Ardennes of the midwest” (OK slight exaggeration ;), last year. I went out once last summer with a local club, we followed a route that got us 10 hills in the space of about 90 min.s, the longest, as you say, being the High Bridge (3km), and the steepest being Ramsey Hill (16% grade)… Anyways that route has sure made cycling more enjoyable around here!
by plinytheelder on Mar 30, 2009 5:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yep
St. Paul definitely has it all over Mpls when it comes to hills. Still, it’s pretty tough to train for a Giro trip around here. Don’t even get me started on the fact that it’s still winter here with less than six training weeks to go :-(
Oh well, that’s one more excuse for getting passed by old men and little kids on the Dolomites climbs. I can always use plenty of those.
by Tifosa on Mar 30, 2009 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
lol
But think of all the conversations you can have as they go by. Sometimes climbing slow leads to the best story time :-)
by gavia on Mar 30, 2009 6:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
lol, true
at my climbing pace, I can practically learn the life stories of people standing by the side of the road without even taking my feet off the pedals.
As for the riders passing me, a lot of them do comment on my Lemond bike (a rarity in Italy). I’ve had several friendly conversations that started with “Greg Lemond!”
by Tifosa on Mar 30, 2009 9:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Friendly bike folk cheering each other
I wore my Vuelta a Pais Vasco jersey with Euskaltel print when I did the Maratona and was greeted with “¡Ola hombre!” by a group of Italians when I passed them.
by tedvdw on Mar 30, 2009 10:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
should be some good
routes up and down the bluffs over Concord Ave. and the run up (Roberts?) from St. Paul to SSP, no?
(Hmm. I should bring my bike and investigate, next trip.)
by Sui Juris on Mar 30, 2009 7:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
yup
basically all the climbs Tifosa mentioned are going in and out of the Mississippi River valley, which is quite a deep gorge when going through St Paul (or São Paulo as I like to call it when dreaming of summer ;). Some brief but very steep and challenging climbs.
But no, not the best training for the Dolomites ;)
by plinytheelder on Mar 30, 2009 8:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
great pix!
anyone else look at the seemingly abandoned house and think, ’we could fix that up, and have a PdC base in Italy"?
by JFS_PGH on Mar 29, 2009 9:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Now this is a fine plan indeed.....
I don’t mind house sitting ;-)
by Albertina on Mar 30, 2009 4:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
sounds good
I’ll go in on it with you. Gavia…we’ll need you to translate through the Italian legal mumbo jumbo. Ok? Good.
by jered on Mar 30, 2009 6:26 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
btw, can we add a photo to this post?
or are you saving those for pez? no worries either way.
by gavia on Mar 30, 2009 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
take whatever you like
You can have whatever you want from Flickr. I’m hoping these pictures will make it past PEZ and into print… If I’m lucky…
by jered on Mar 30, 2009 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Awesome, you rock :-)
May I use a few if I preview this stage when the time comes?
by gavia on Mar 30, 2009 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
you know the answer to that one...
Of course. There should be lots more pictures for your previews when the time comes as well. I’ll hopefully do at least three more stages. I’ll always post everything to Flickr.
by jered on Mar 30, 2009 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Grazie mille :-)
I always like to ask permission, and I love love posting photos. So many many thanks for that. Will credit, natch :-)
by gavia on Mar 30, 2009 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Alas
Well, at least a couple are up already in the 2 diff photo galleries. Maybe you meant in a separate preview article.
by tedvdw on Mar 30, 2009 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
no worries there
I’m glad you saw those! I always wonder if anyone ever notices… I’m an editor for PEZ. I posted the pictures.
I meant that I hope I can get some of these pictures to a magazine if I get a little luck on my side. I’m working on that.
There will be a full report of the course on PEZ within the next week or two I figure…or when I get around to it. We’ll see.
by jered on Mar 30, 2009 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Always check the galleries
Mostly skip the articles, sorry. Too much exclamation marks for my taste.
by tedvdw on Mar 30, 2009 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
too bad
Ed Hood does a pretty good job of interviewing a huge array of racers. I think I do a reasonable job covering some different things every once in awhile. It has its negatives for sure, but there are some redeeming qualities.
There are a lot of exclamation points, some painful articles here and there, but a lot of good content flowing in.
But hey, maybe I’m just a little partial… I’ll be sending in a lot of reports from Belgium over the next week. I normally will only use one exclamation point per article: in the title… It’s kinda the PEZ thing.
by jered on Mar 30, 2009 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sure, just my general impression
Not everything is bad ;) I do detest that every title has to be shouted breathlessly.
by tedvdw on Mar 30, 2009 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Lovely corner of planet!
Thanks for the photos, for sure.
by gavia on Mar 30, 2009 12:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
That's going to be one splendid ITT!
Beautiful photos and ride report.
by Veloki on Mar 30, 2009 12:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
i just love
the idea of a time trial that is mostly climbing and descending. Those skills are just way more interesting to me than perfect aero position and wattage. Plus the shots from the helicopter will be gorgeous – or do they do the heli shots on time trial days? Oh well.
by yeehoo on Mar 31, 2009 5:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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