MN Peloton - Giro d'Italia, 9th May Belfast to 1st June Trieste.

[PansBigChainring]

Almost here....how's the training regime going?

The first of the three Grand Tours, Tour of Italy, departs from Belfast with a team time trial from the Titanic shipyard, before a second day riding round the North, and then a third day from Armagh to Dublin centre, and then a flight to southern Italy and few weeks easy riding up through central Italian Apennines, over the Dolomites and a cruise through to Trieste on the Adriatic coast. No problems then...

Some useful links?

Overall route and maps

The understandably excited local Belfast press

and a bit more general fuss

Most of the usual pro-cycling suspects will be competing, and returning for the Tour de France Yorkshire in July.

Before all of this though there's a few 'classic' races to be had, but we can put those to another thread? Nothing else should get in the way of 3 days of professional racing in the Irish sunshine.

Am assuming Lost is lost on Las Ramblas and maybe finding herself up at Girona?

I am at the top of Tibibado looking down on the city and can confirm that they take their cycling VERY seriously round here. My friend who is more into horses than bikes is gobsmacked by the numbers of people steadily working their way up the hill. 'But they don't even have to get off and push' she said .

Brilliant tour of California news, the older more traditional teams must be gobsmacked by the British successes and teams like OGE who seem to not only be doing really well but having fun at the same time. It's great to watch.

Oh and the bike shops here, the bikes. It's not weird that I took a photo of a beautiful Pinarello earlier is it?

Not weird at all Lost

Hope you are having a great time

The An Post Rás, or Tour of Ireland, is passing very close to where I live today. I might try to get out at lunchtime & wave them along.

The weather is lovely for it now, a beautiful sunny day after heavy rain last night. Hopefully the roads will dry out in time.

Today is Stage 3, a 154km ride from Lisdoonvarna in north County Clare to Charleville in County Limerick. There are two category three climbs, plus plenty of big gear roads. The GC is currently led by a rider from the New Zealand national team.

There are lots of amateur county & club teams competing against international professional riders in an eight day stage race around Ireland, which has taken place every year since 1953.

Unfortunately, I can't find any TV coverage at all.

Right I'm home, what 's going on in the giro? Spain is amazing and very cycling focused but I've had no telly and hardly any wifi, what 's happening in the bike world?

I'm a bad Chavanel! Work stuff is over-taking the more important stuff of pro-ing. I have no idea what's happened in the Giro today. Nor in the An Post Ras, which sounds a bit more important in some ways, nor even thought about a TdF thread.
Lost hope Barca was faberooney. I 'd spent a week there with a Catalan-speaking friend. I could v easily live there, or Girona.

It was amazing, beautiful city, friendly people, Gaudi was obviously bonkers but in a very good way, stayed in the best hotel I have ever seen, with views of the whole city and ate in a restaurant at the top of a cable car station in the port I will never forget as long as I live. Cyclists everywhere too, I can see why you would want to live there. If I could just get over the fact that there are 3 million other people there too, that's a BIG city! Home to a sick dog, broken handed teen and a million and one other things that need sorting, going to catchup on the cycling tomorrow, very chuffed for Uran today but alarmed at all the photo's of torn kit and bleeding cyclists fighting their way to the finish. As DS1 said though, 'imagine if they were footballers'.

oh yes, to Barca. I even had a visit to the Camp Nou stadium for a Barcelona home game on sunny Sunday evening - right at the top with a view over the city and the hills. Pure memory.

Today was a ITT which I don't mind missing, but yes to Uran. Didn;t he sign for OPQS from Sky at the same time as Cav? I think he did. What with thems and OGE, Sky need to be careful!

On the sunny side of the street I am now back at my office round the corner from the M/c Velodrome after secondment, so will be back to re-aquainting myself with Sky/British Team riders on their beautiful s.

The Giro has been crash central this year. Sadly some bad injuries to and some big names missing. I'm amazed to see Uran smiling, he never comes across as particularly cheery, haven't seen the TT but have it on the Sky box for the weekend.

Glad you enjoyed Barca, Lost, wonderful city. Sounds like there was drama at yours while you were away. My two youngest managed to cope without breaking anything (household or bones) while DH & I were in Belfast, thank goodness. That was the first time we'd left them & they appear to have behaved themselves.

I'm also very pleased for Uran. I think he did sign for OPQS at the same time as Cav. He deserves a big tour win after finishing second last year.

I didn't get to see any of the Rás as work got in the way. I know I already said it upthread, but it's a real pity there's been no TV coverage. TG4, the Irish language channel, covers the TdF (in Irish, of course) but no other races.

Back on the .

Well the peloton got that one wrong didn't they? 11 seconds out.

Is this the wettest Giro ever? And the parcours look extremely techy in small towns, hence the 'crash central' this year? So we're off to the hills and Nici R and Quintana are in the break away.

Cyclescheme comes for me in June so I've had to endure going into bike shops and stroking the beautiful road bike machines. They look so like toys! Scared they will collapse when I sit on them. Silly.

Bardiani Valvole must be feeling very pleased with themselves after winning two stages in a row.

Yesterday was a great day of racing, brilliant stuff. Apparently Sky's Dario Cataldo was inconsolable after being pipped at the post on the line. Nico Roche went a bit too early off the break, I think. Hopefully he'll have another go next week.

Apologies for being MIA. I had a fall off my bike and am still concussed. Lost a chunk of my life and have no recollection of the fall.

I am Proper Cyclist now.

HowGood

That sounds nasty. I hope you are on the mend now.

Oh How you are def. a er!! Hope you're able to recover some?

Going to see the highlights of today shortly - am picking up that the conditions are rubbish and many in the peloton are protesting.

It's where they really earn their smarties isn't it? And Quintana in pink, and lots of controversy on the alleged neutralised on the first drop?

I was amused by Quintana's logic on this. He said he didn't benefit from the mix up because he didn't make up much time on the controversial descent, he made it up on the climb to the finish!

Well that was an odd stage! Esp after the events of yesterday...Q. seems to have some holes in his statements...and a gesture on the line that needs a bit of explaining.

I'm thinking there are a few holes in a few statements...

What a mess.

On a lighter note, Q went completely over the top with his pink, didn't he? Pink jersey, pink shorts, pink helmet, pink glasses, pink gloves, pink bike tape...

To be fair he did say that he didn't see any pink flags anywhere, and that he thought he could put as much pink on him and his bike as possible as the guidance wasn't clear and that he put on most of the pink where it would make most difference and it was the same for everyone else.

Discovered this evening that Ian Stannard lives just about 2 miles from me! There is a hill he trains on apparently in his largest gear - a hill I struggle up in a granny gear. #Standardshowoff.

Oh look, it's pink!!

Apologies for my absence from here - I have been watching the cycling, but didn't feel I had anything substantial to contribute - other than 'Look at the lovely men in their lycra, and aren't they fit and strong!'

Like you, Pan, I think yesterday's gesture on the line needs explaining, and maybe an apology.

Stage 16 was amazing and brutal in equal amounts - with a sizable portion of confusion thrown in. I did a quick google yesterday, but couldn't find a proper explanation of what had happened, with the neutralisation rumours, and what is going to happen now - if someone could point me to something that would explain it, I would be very grateful indeed.

I've been trying to catch up with the goings on in Italy, I am just as confused as anyone else!

Is there a Tour de Yorkshire France thread yet?