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.

I'm back! Sorry, went missing in action yesterday - couldn't get wireless anywhere after our wild night out in Belfast on Saturday night DH had forgotten to recharge the tablet and was wrecked when we finally got home.

We made it to Dublin & saw the end of the race. The street where the race finished was much narrower than in Belfast, & it was impossible to get near the finish line. We got ourselves installed on the barriers about 100m past the line so we'd see the riders in close up as they slowed down. We had to wait for about an hour & a half, but there was a TV showing the race in the hospitality tent opposite so we were kept entertained, and the rain held off.

It was worth the wait though, as Swifty & Kittel came sweeping past us, followed by the rest of the peloton. Kittel just collapsed on the ground, the effort had taken so much out of him. There was a bottle neck as they waited for the barriers to be opened at the end of the street, so we got a good look at the riders queueing to be let out. They were giving their bidons away to the kids in the crowd, which was lovely.

Kittel is awesome in the flesh - he's well over 6ft tall and very muscular. He's like Usain Bolt on wheels .

We managed to get up close to the podium for the presentations at the end of the race.

When we've had a chance to upload & sort out our photos all 387 of them I'll have a go at posting some on here.

That really was the best weekend ever. I'm working on persuading DH to make the trip to Yorkshire in July.

Kittel does indeed look like some kind of super powered man mountain on a bike. Indeed. That sounds like an absolutely brilliant day though, well worth the effort, I am wel gel! I am going to end up driving up to Yorkshire aren't I, sod DS1 and his GCSE lessons having started, we need to see the Tour . Athough having wasted the entire morning in fracture clinic with him I don't see why he should be taken anyway. He's missing exams because he's broken his right hand but is more bothered that I've said he can't ride his bike until it is properly healed, that's my boy!

I was more wondering how far everything had got with Tiernen-Locke and his doping 'thing', I'm quite interested to see how illnesses can shape the passports and how that is taken into consideration. Right now I wouldn't be allowed any where near a race because I am majorly unfit but I wonder how long the DMARD's, opiates, steroids I need currently would take to leave my system and how long that would influence all the different levels in my blood. Theoretically I should be well enough to race (well, if I were 10 years younger and not a working mother of three boys) but would my blood/hormones all that go back to a more normal pattern in the end. I know he was very unwell for a while and will that still have been lurking in his system making him 'unusual' or does he have a big spike of something dodgy? The blood passports are a great idea but I think there needs to be a lot more work and thought really. I need someone who knows all about them to explain it to me in easy words .

If anyone needs me I will be googling images of Kittel.

You definitely need to see the Tour de France. I've taken the day off work as I live very close to the route of the London leg and if it's more or less coming past my house then it would be rude not to go and see it.

We saw it once but I think if I say 'when we were up the Alpe d'huez' one more time Pan will direct me to the broom wagon. It was such a brilliant day, so man happy memories from then. I'm going to start looking at tactical places to park my tent .

Watching the Womens' race highlights yesterday I wondered why their stages were so much shorter than mens' races. I still have no idea what the reasoning is. Also, Emma Trott has retired, the UK tour was her last race. She's 24. Apparently there are only about 20 female cyclists who actually make a living out of the sport. I honestly hope that improves, there's loads of talent out there which will be sadly lost unless things get better.

I would imagine after a while the female cyclists need to go and get a job that pays the bills. At least in the Women's Tour of Britain they said they gave the same money as the men's version.

Oh I am looking forward to July already. All the roads round here are now either suspiciously smooth or full of massive potholes, depending on where the route is going!

Drama glad to hear that you discovered that there's no such thing in Belfast as going for A Pint

Saw some poor lad dressed in a pink wig wending his way home unsteadily last night. He had obviously been out on the lash since Friday....

I read an article about Emma Trott stopping, she seems to have lost her love for it, she sounded half fed up half really excited to leave a life where all she did was plan cycling and food to fuel it. It must be tough as hell as a life style. I don't want to make it sexist or whatever either but male cyclists can have fun with their on a rest day (MC I am looking at you) and 9 months later troop around the world winning races whilst their partner looks after the baby but I imaging the whole intensive training and diet put paid to any thought of that for a female cyclist. Heavens, bring on the cycling tomorrow, I have been thinking far too much today.

The OGE boys during their time trial

Cadel Evans looking very relaxed at the sign on before stage two.

Wonder if this was the OGE bus that got stuck under the gantry during the TdeF last year? Loving their inflatable kangaroo

Oops, sorry, forgot to attach the pic . Here it is!

Not quite in focus, but Kittel just after winning stage 3.

And especially for Pan, a Tinkoff Saxo chain ring

Nico Roche at the end of stage 3.

Fab reportage Drama - thank you!

Ohh! Forgot the

Brilliant, that would have been worth a wait 10 times as long, SO close to them all, the Kittel pic is brilliant, I doubt he was much in focus then anyway!

Great pics. Thanks for the local colour. Hope I can do as well in July.

Were you on the Alpe, Lost? Really?

Fabulous, fabulous pics and reporting DA. Thanks v much for the bother of the IT fiddling involved. Isn't it fantastic to see pics of them and their machines on 'our' roads? And for the chain ring piccie! Going to take that into the bike shop and say "That it is what it's supposed to look like."

I caught a glimpse of today's stage when I popped home at lunchtime. Well, if the riders were hoping for a bit of decent weather after rainy old Ireland, they will have been sadly disappointed.

I've just read the report of the young cycling fan & his selfie with Kittel. At least he has apologised. The over-enthusiasm of youth, I suppose. On the whole, the crowds seem to have been very well behaved. I did spot a fan sneaking into the cordoned off area after the finish & being firmly escorted out when he was found not to be wearing a pass round his neck. He got booed

Reading about the selfie and Kittel has retired from the Giro with illness. What a shame I hope he feels well soon because I like looking at him cycling.

Anyway, did I tell you about this one time on the Alpe d'.....

Really sorry to hear Kittel has pulled out. That win on Sunday must've really taken it out of him. Either that or, finely tuned athlete that he is, he caught a chill from the Irish wind & rain.

I'll try to find another well muscled picture of him for you later, Lost

If you wouldn't mind