Giro '09 St. 1: We all go to the cycling to see the riders but it’s the fans and the other “goings ons” that make the bike race. After a late dinner and drinks session with some old friends was followed by a sleepless night thanks to a disco over the road, a nice morning walk to have a look around the course was just what the doctor ordered.
After closing day 1 by keeping up the PEZ tradition and being one of the last to leave the press room, it was time to start thinking about the 20.5km team time trial.
To see who was about, I headed out for a look around the town. Also on the agenda was to check out some parts of the course, some good spots for pictures and of course some well placed balconies to talk ourselves up onto.
...This way please...
As you would expect from any self respecting host town, the route has been completely resurfaced for the race. Unfortunately for the locals, the road works that have probably been dragging on for months will have to wait a bit longer!
On the waterfront, things were quite calm at the 1km to go mark.
In the residential sections of the course, there are plenty of small bridges that are always fun to ride over on a TT bike at 50-plus km/h.
Looking back along the course.
When the race comes to town, plenty of businesses reap the benefit. This bar on the final corner of the TT course will do a roaring trade today.
This guy, however, will be wondering why he is making no money on a day when there are more cars on the island than any other day of the year.
You might as well go home!
US cycling fans, Martyn and Nathan had staked out their spot on the TT final corner since just after six this morning. The wives were off enjoying the day on the beach and will be joining them for the bikes...but not for the wait.
Like that hat Nathan!
Here’s what the riders will see when they are making that last ditch, leg-burning effort to claim the stage.
The guys doing the lines will be gone before the riders cross here, but you get the idea!
No chance of camera damage from champagne (or do they use prosecco?) when you come at this time of the morning!
On the way back to the start, we passed the small hotel that the Liquigas Team were camped out in. Most of the teams have taken a few rooms on the island just to give them somewhere to get ready before the stage start. No one wants to be locked up in a bus for 5hours if you don’t have to be.
Kjjell Carlstrom says “Hi there, read all about me on PEZ Cycling News!”
The first riders down the start ramp today weren’t actually the pro teams. There was a ride of the champions which included past cycling greats as well as Olympians from other sports and local celebrities.
Francesco Moser was all smiles. I don’t think a nice 20.5km roll will trouble this superfit legend.
Nice Legs. There are two Paris-Roubaix wins down there. Franco Ballerini, the man behind the Italian National Team these days.
Winner of the World Championships in Ronse, Mau Fondriest.
Back in the main part of town, the festival atmosphere was hotting up. This is what we have been waiting for. Everywhere you can see, the fans are getting into the action.
Hayden and Rachael from Sydney, Australia think pink is great!
So does Foska, although she was smiling before I asked if I could take her photo.
So it’s ok to donate blood, just don’t freeze it, store it and then re-inject it prior to racing.
Enrico, Girbecco and Emanuelle were making sure their shop looked as pink and as Giro as possible.
And now as the helicopters are circling and the teams are arriving it is time to search out the cyclists. We’ll see you back later today for the full race report and all of the roadside action from the Centenary edition of the Giro d’Italia.
It’s not the press room, but the view is quite good!
The sign says “Arrivo”, but now we are off to the real PARTENZA!
“Old Europe,” someone once said. Old? Indeed, when comparing what happened at the first European Handmade Bicycle Expo, which convened in the ... More....
Websters calls it “something spiral in form”, Lynskey calls it their stiffest race bike yet, and I say it’s one sweet ride. With sexy shaped ... More....
Roadside Pez: The guys in black tee-shirts look up, when I shout; "Craig!" This is the Astana camp and strangers making loud noises need to be ... More....
Capoforma have been making the PEZ house kit for years. Capoforma isn't only a custom brand though, they also turn out a few slick stock items. ... More....
Being tough. Being aggressive. Getting angry. When is it exactly what you need to do to succeed? Does something prevent you from going there? And ... More....
Endings often turn out to be beginnings. For instance, waking up in the hospital after stage two of the 2004 Redlands Classic with no memory of how I ... More....
Power meters, aero framesets, deep dish wheels, and carbon everything; cycling can be an endless quest to keep up with technology and the “new cool.” ... More....
With the second week of the Tour upon us after a fair bit of shadow boxing, the pressure is immense on the leaders and the other pre-Tour favourites ... More....
Race Report: After the sun and heat of the Tour de France the riders got a shock today with the very wet and dangerous conditions for the San ... More....
Despite the presence of stars like David Millar and Bradley Wiggins (Garmin) and Mark Cavendish (Columbia) it was British home pro stalwart, Kristian ... More....
Post-Giro Roadside: I love Scotland; but there’s no Gazzetta in the morning, most of the coffee tastes like John Wayne brewed it beside the ... More....
Post-Giro Roadside: The Centenary Giro has only been over for a few days, but my personal trip to the Corsa Rosa ended back on Stage 5. With ... More....
Roadside Recap: As we make our merry way through the rounds of the PEZ Looks Back, Ed is up for his retrospective on the Tour that was. As the ... More....
The Giro, Le Tour - glitz, glamour, interviews, fans, team spirit; then what? Every professional bike rider’s career has to end one day (face it, ... More....
Drapac Porsche Cycling; you might not have heard of them, but Columbia’s Adam Hansen and Michael Rogers certainly have – Drapac’s Peter McDonald beat ... More....
Jack Bauer - no, no, not the guy in "24" - the real one! We interviewed him just before the Tour - but who cares what's happening in Flanders when ... More....
Those of you who watch the live coverage of the Tour long enough to see the podium presentations will have noticed (if you’ve been looking closely ... More....
The last time we spoke to Ryder Hesjedal was just after Garmin had run the mighty Astana squadra to within seconds in the TTT. A lot of Livestrong ... More....
On my last Italian holiday with Mrs. Pez, we stayed in a small hotel on Lago di Como, above Bellagio on the climb to the Madonna del Ghisallo church. ... More....
If I had one last ride to ride, I would ride here. I've ridden the famed Sella Ronda twice now, and afterwards, both times, I left for home ... More....
With all of cycling's eyes on France this time of year we thought it only right to pay a some homage. Here’s a summery, quick, cheap and easy ... More....
The world’s cycling editors met with a select group of manufacturers for a few days of 2010 product tech and testing at the recent Scott USA ... More....
The Best Holiday by the Side of the Road You Will Ever Have. There are Michelin guidebooks for motorists, Zagat guidebooks for diners, and ... More....
Mid August and most people’s thoughts are turning to the Vuelta, starting in two weeks and then the Worlds. We have a few races to tick off in ... More....
It was back after his podium place at Gent-Wevelgem when we last spoke to Saxo Bank's Matt Goss; after two stage wins in the Tour de Wallonie, we ... More....
The flurry of SMS and answer phone messages elicited a direction that you just wouldn’t hear in a spy-movie or a thriller. “You’ll find me no ... More....
In Part I of our time trial series we wrote about how time trialing can be beneficial to your overall training. We also looked at some information to ... More....
When the K-Mart Classic of West Virginia stormed through the state in the mid-90s, it opened awareness as to just how great the bike riding is in ... More....
Three weeks till the Vuelta starts, but in the meantime, we get to enjoy all sorts of racing with many riders doing their damndest to salvage seasons ... More....
Deep link provided by Citebite
![](javascript:showpic("http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/tech/gore/gorlarge.jpg",800,577);)
![](javascript:showpic("http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/tech/capo/09caplarge.jpg",800,534);)
