Monthly Archives: May 2015
2015 Giro stage 20 Colle delle Finestre
I was on my own for the penultimate Giro stage today. While the 199 km stage had a summit finish, the highlight would inevitably be the Colle delle Finestre so that was my destination. It took me a bit under 2 hours to hike to the summit. Normally if I was planning a 4 … Continue reading
2015 Giro stage 19
I’ve been lucky enough see some truly beautiful places but I was not at all prepared for today’s Giro stage. Studying the map, I knew that the Matterhorn was just over the Swiss border from stage 19’s arrival in Cervinia, Italy, but I hadn’t realized that the Matterhorn would be plainly visible, let alone looming … Continue reading
2015 Giro stage 18
For the Giro’s final day in Switzerland, the 170km stage started in Melide, just a short drive from yesterday’s sprint finish in Lugano. Andrea and I are planning to catch the rest of the race on the climbs and at the finale in Milan, so I got my banner our for our last sign on. … Continue reading
2015 Giro stage 17
After yesterday’s summit finish at Aprica, Andrea and I sat in traffic for a good while (though it was child’s play by Tour de France traffic standards). In order to reach Lugano, Switzerland, we pretty much drove the stage 17 race route and our jaws were on the floor the entire way, admiring the stunning … Continue reading
2015 Giro stage 16
With about 68 kilometers of categorized climbing (maxing at 18%!) in a 174 kilometer stage, I imagine that yesterday’s rest day was a distant memory when the peloton woke up this morning and looked at the route. Standing near the summit of the 14k long Aprica climb, Andrea and I had no updates about the … Continue reading
2015 Giro stage 15
Three categorized climbs over a 165 kilometer route awaited the peloton ahead of the rest day. Even though the stage started in the town where we spent the night, Andrea and I were more interested in seeing the riders do what they do best–ride!–rather than just make small talk and gather autographs, so we put … Continue reading
2015 Giro stage 14 Time Trial
It’s great to see how all of the town deck themselves out in pink to celebrate the Giro, but it’s been wonderful to see so many remembrances of Wouter Weylandt who died while racing in the Giro. This particular one was done in post-it notes on a garage door. Fans clubs have been turning … Continue reading
2015 Giro stage 13
My first two days at the Giro were sweating-in-the-shade hot. Now that I’ve left and returned to the race, it doesn’t look like the heat is going to be a problem anymore. Except perhaps its lack thereof. It was another soggy day for the peloton as the sign on got underway in Montecchio Maggiore … Continue reading
So…how’d it go?
It was a busy couple of days leading up to the Aix half Ironman… My poor coach was far more stressed than I was. He dropped off a couple of things shortly before I left Spain for France. As we talked, I was my usual happy-but-deadpan self while he was like a proud and … Continue reading
2015 Giro stage 2
Welcome to the seaside town of Albenga, host to the Giro's stage 2 start. I was impressed by the size of the crowd by 9:30 am. The square was packed up to six people deep! There was standard pre sign on entertainment: bike tricks,… …the obligatory group of local school kids,… … Continue reading