Tricolore Hiatus

Starting tomorrow, my little blog-o-rama will be going on hiatus for a couple weeks. I’m off to Italy on holiday and I’m not sure how much internet access I’ll have, or want for that matter. I hope to write some and take lots of pictures, but I’m not sure I’ll have the wherewithal to do the online thing.


Basso gets tag-teamed—this never happens at my races.

Week one, I will be cheering my man Ivan Basso on to what will hopefully be the first of his two grand tour victories of the year—the other being that little French race in July. I’ll also be riding parts of the course of what’s been described as the “brutal third week” of the Giro d’Italia:

“The 89th Giro d'Italia's final week gets serious on Tuesday May 23's stage 16 that finishes atop the mythical Monte Bondone, where Charly Gaul won fifty years ago and sewed up his Giro win. The next day is another mountaintop finish at Plan de Corones after a steep unpaved climb. After a transitional stage east through Friuli, the Giro's brutal final weekend finale has yet another mountaintop finish atop Passo San Pellegrino after Forcella Staulanza, Marmolada and Pordoi. Saturday's queen stage is Trento-Aprica including Passo Tonale, the legendary Gavia (Cima Coppi) and super-steep Mortirolo.
The final day of the Giro d'Italia was to have had stages, but the 11km uphill ITT up the mythical climb of the Ghisallo has been scrapped and the riders will just race from Ghisallo to Milano for the traditional criterium finish.” - courtesy cyclingnews

We also may get to do the legendary Stelvio Pass, which is not part of the race this year. Click the pic to check it out…amazing.


My legs hurt with baited anticpation...Passo Stelvio.

Week two will be ‘regular’ tourist time sans bikes mainly in Milan and Venice. I’m sure it will be a welcome change from the steeps of the Dolomites by then.

Until I return…