Tag Archive for ‘Giro d’Italia’
Giro d’Italia – Day 8: Stage 21, Roma (0)
“Super Grinta,” Denis, Roma and Ignatas Konovalovas. That was what the Gazzetta said about Danilo after the Vesuvio stage; “grinta” is the quality of physical and mental toughness that the true greats have – “Super Grinta” – great expression.
And now it’s 09:55, Ciampino Airport, Rome on Monday.
The hire car is gone, we’re in the departure lounge – and it’s all over.
Giro d’Italia – Day 7: Stage 20, Napoli – Anagni (0)
How is it that a country which spawned Campag, Ducati, Ferrari and Armani can’t get the plumbing to work?
Last night’s hotel had the electrical switch for the shower just a couple of inches from the shower head; the difference between being scalded and freezing was two microns on the control.
The people are so friendly here in Naples; the boy in the toll booth last night gave us a row for not having the €1:60 ready – we should have known it was a pre-pay toll. The roads are horrific, a lot of them are concrete, which has split and potholed – dire.
Giro d’Italia – Day 6: Stage 19, Avellino – Vesuvio (0)
It’s 12.25 and we’re headed for a road that the men’s lifestyle and driving mags rave about; The Amalfi Coast.
Amalfi, Porto Fino, Sorrento – playgrounds of the rich and famous.
The stage today is the last big bare knuckle battle; Di Luca’s last chance to unseat Menchov.
Giro d’Italia – Day 5: Stage 18, Sulmona – Benevento (0)
Ciao, ciao ! To go in the “it’s a small world” file – when we left you last night, we’d narrowly escaped running out of gas en route Sulmona.
After a bit of messing around, we found the apartment; who answered the door?
Scott McGrory, former six day star – with 15 wins – and that isn’t easy in ‘the race to nowhere’. He works for Fox Sports TV in Australia now and was sharing our digs.
Giro d’Italia – Day 4: Stage 17, Chieti – Blockhaus (0)
I woke with a start, in the middle of the night, damn! I thought, things I should have mentioned, in the diary – Blockhaus; today’s mega climb, we caught sight of it yesterday morning as we hurtled down the Autostrada.
The computer was reading 30+ degrees, the road was gently rolling along, parallel to the Adriatic and in front of us was this huge mass of snow covered rock – awe inspiring, but with too much heat haze to photograph: we’ll get a close look today.
And I should also have mentioned – Cipo; he strode into the hotel lobby, just off his bike, tall, slim, tanned and looking very fit – I do have concerns however, that he shaves his chest.
Giro d’Italia – Day 3: Rest Day (0)
I just don’t feel right in the mornings ’til I get my Gazzetta. Dave drove past a couple of newsagents this morning, I could see the pink pages, but not get to them – it was terrible!
Dave predicted that Carlos would get 9 out of 10 – he was spot on. Levi got 4 and the man that the Gazzetta loves to hate; Gibo Simoni didn’t even get a mention.
Silvi Marina was the destination; Dave battered the Peugeot down the Autostrada for our rendezvous with Rubens Bertogliati, Ben Swift and Dario Cioni.
Giro d’Italia – Day 2: Stage 16, Pergola – Monte Petrano (0)
La Gazzetta Dello Sport doesn’t like Gibo Simoni, he gets a 3 out of 10 for yesterday’s effort, where he contrived to drop 17:59 on the stage – ouch! Saving it for today? We’ll see.
At 08:00 it’s already 28 degrees! It’s going to be a “Hot one!”
Dave’s at the helm of the Peugeot – we’re following Ale (Pez’s man in Italia) to the start at Pergola – the Stereophonics are telling us to “Have a nice day” and I’ve got my Gazzetta – can’t be bad.
Giro d’Italia – Day 1: Stage 15, Forlì – Faenza (0)
Coming down the stairs at 05:00 am to the find the car had been broken into wasn’t a good start to the day. But that’s life.
The M8, M77, Prestwick, Ryanair and here we are; in the 37 degree heat of Bologna, heading south to Faenza and our credentials.
Getting the ‘creds’ is always a big relief; there’s usually hassle to get them; it’s always nice to feel those bits of plastic around your neck.
Giro d’Italia – Day 10: Stage 21, Cesano Maderno – Milano (Individual Time Trial) (0)
Today’s Gazzetta has Emanuele Sella’s little face smiling out at us with a headline that makes a play on his name: “S(T)ELLA” = star.
Life is so much easier when Germans don’t win stages! Inside, a headline says; “Bruseghin da podio. Di Luca si arrende.” I ask our hotelier what ‘arrende’ means; he slumps his shoulders, drops his arms to his side, puts his head to one side and let’s his tongue hang out – yes, we can understand the translation.
Sella apart (on a 9 out of 10) the Gazzetta isn’t fullsome with stars for the other Italian riders, whilst Bert gets 8. Simoni gets 7 for his fruitless attack, Bruz is on 7 – but as a “chronoman” he couldn’t be expected to do anything but wait.
Giro d’Italia – Day 9: Stage 20, Rovetta – Tirano (0)
Paolo Savoldelli 10 out of 10, Danilo Di Luca 9.5 out of 10: the Gazzetta gave Friday to LPR – and so they should. Stage racing at it’s best; even if Contador wins on Sunday in Milano, Di Luca can hold his head high.
Ricco gets a 9; if he can keep his feet on the ground then he must surely win a giro – but not this one. Contador on 6.5; as Diquigiovanni’s DS, Savio told us yesterday; “Perhaps Contador will have a bad day.”
The problem for Savio, was that his contender, Gibo Simoni also had a forgettable day, dropping from third to tenth on GC and earning just 5 out of 10 from the Gazzetta – he must attack today to salvage something from this race.
Giro d’Italia – Day 8: Stage 19, Legnano – Presolana/Monte Pora (0)
Buon giorno !
Another German stage win and the Gazzetta front page says – “three days of truth waiting to attack Contador” – old Jens doesn’t get so much as a mention until the fourth page of Giro reports, deep in the paper – like I said yesterday, the Italians just love the Germans winning their tappas…
Contador is given a 55% chance of final overall victory, Ricco 20% and Simoni 20%. There are 480.0 kilometres left to decide the race, of which 28.5 K is against the watch. Today’s stage is 228 K with three GP Montagna, including a mountain top finish; it could be a seven hours job.
Giro d’Italia – Day 7: Stage 18, Mendrisio – Varese (0)
We belled Viktor from Verbania last night…
We were feeling quite mellow; words and pics sent, a nice plate of pasta, a glass of beer and a stroll by Maggiore in the warm air.
“The only reason I watch the race is because there’s nothing else on TV, those photos you take are holiday snaps, Sella looks like a schoolboy, ‘certain of the GB rider’s’ aren’t proper pros, the scenery is terrible… “
Giro d’Italia – Day 6: Stage 17, Sondrio – Locarno (0)
The girl in the petrol station where we just filled up, was stunningly beautiful – I sent Dave back in to buy Coke, so he could see her; why don’t they have girls like her in the filling station at Wester Hailes?
The Gazzetta is on my lap as we head for ‘partenza’ in Sondrio. Even though you can’t speak Italian, you can get the jist of most of what’s being said; “Sorpresa Van Den Broeck, delusione Savoldelli.”
The stats are great too, ideal for saddos like us, particularly the ‘rating so far’ – “Bert” on 9 out of 10 and “The Killer” way back on 5; he won’t like that!
Giro d’Italia – Day 5: Rest Day (0)
“When you hear the tootin’ of the whistle, you never have to guess; it’s Casey at the throttle of the Cannonball Express” – Dave and I were just debating the lyrics of the Casey Jones 60’s TV programme, if anyone can give us the full lyrics, we’d be much obliged.
Sorry, on long transfer drives like this, you get to talking about all sorts of things.
You left us at San Lorenzo, now we’re en route to Sondrio – not a huge distance, maybe 250 K but on B roads and involving two mountain passes. The weather is glorious today, 23 degrees and we’re at 1000 metres plus as we head east across the north of Italy.
Giro d’Italia – Day 4: Stage 16, San Vigilio di Marebbe – Plan de Corones (Individual Time Trial) (0)
The balcony from our digs has the most perfect views you can imagine. It was a hassle to find, but now that we’re here it’s simply magnificent, it’s like looking out of a plane, we’re so high and the view across the valley is so spectacular.
The Plan de Corones stage made for great TV and if we’d had mountain bikes with us and no deadlines to worry about it would have been great to be up there on the dirt section.
However, in the ‘real world’, we knew it would be nightmarish trying to get down off the hill after the finish and there are deadlines to meet.
Giro d’Italia – Day 3: Stage 15: Arabba – Passo Fedaia/Marmolada (0)
“The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft aglay,” Rabbie Burns must have had a premonition about the Giro when he wrote that.
It should have been a short hop over the Pordoi Pass from the digs to the start at Arabba. The jobsworth policeman at the top of the Pordoi settled our hash though; “No, you stop now, road closed, no journalists, only team cars!” Aye, cheers pal, you’ll soon get that job you want in the riot squad, bludgeoning students. Sorry…, I was ranting, wasn’t I?
We had to turn the little Matiz around and head back down the Pordoi to take route B to Arabba, via three alternative mountain passes.
Giro d’Italia – Day 2: Stage 14: Verona – Alpe di Pampeago~Val di Fiemme (0)
Another long one, it’s 11.35 pm local time, Saturday and we’re still in this pizzeria at Pozza di Fassa.
The stage finished down on schedule and by the time we walked off the mountain; got set up in the press room, fired the pics away, completed the words, drove here, found the hotel and checked in, it was well after 10.00. The hotel is nice, this is ski country and the Austrian border isn’t far away so it’s all chalets, wide eaves and timber – very picturesque.
The owner was doing a fair Hank Marvin impersonation on the electric guitar when we arrived, entertaining some of his guests. He has good patter; “Are you the owner?” Reply; “No, I just look after it for the bank!”
Giro d’Italia – Day 1: Stage 13, Modena – Cittadella (0)
Ciao ! Ciao ! It’s 9.30 pm here in Verona, city of opera, Romeo and Juliet and Stage 14 of the 2008 Giro.
We’re sitting outside our hotel with our “welcome drink” – not a bad beer, as it happens. It’s been a long one – up at 03.30 am; car to Turnhouse; Easyjet to Stanstead; Ryanair to Brescia with two screeching Essex girls in the seats in front of us, then hire car to Verona.
We threw caution to the wind and bought a map of Verona on the way in to the city at a filling station; finding the hotel was a breeze. I’ve got all the hotels pre-booked this year; it won’t be as much fun as driving around Italy at midnight looking for a bed but we’re a year older and getting soft.
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