Giro Update

OK, so I'm finally getting around to my Giro post. The trip was fantastic. The weather was hot and sunny all but 1 day. Our Tour Group, Bike Style Tours, picked us up at the airport and provided all our basic necessities. Granted, they got lost a bit and seemed to change agendas willy nilly but sometimes you just have to go with the flow. I could go on and on but I'll tell stories for years to come. No sense in getting it all out now.

Our typical day was as follows:
1. Huge breakfast
2. Ride for a bit, sometimes on the Giro route, sometimes coffee stops
3. Wait for the riders to come through
4. Ride back to the bus
5. Bus Transfer to Hotel or next town
6. Great Dinner

Our guides were a strange bunch. 3 older Australians that spoke only English, 1 ex-pro that spoke Italian, English, and French, and 1 Bus driver that only spoke French. Communication was a challenge but we over came it all. Our ex-pro guide was on of the coolest guys ever, Fred Morini. Check out his bio.

Getting to see my favorite pros up close and personal was the real highlight. Access to the riders was quite easy. You can basically stand outside the team bus and wait for them to mount up and ride to the start. Another great highlight was getting to follow a rider the final day at the Rome Time Trial. I've got hundreds of pictures on the link below but here are 5 that will summarize the trip.

Lance - Start of the Rome Time Trial (with my VIP Access)


The Trophy - Isn't it beautiful


Seeing the lead riders blow through a tough climb at Petrano


The "Follow a Rider" option for the Rome Time Trial
It only lasted 20 minuets but what a rush!


Me, kind of cheering like a lunatic on the side of the road at Blockhaus


12 days of great fun with a great group of people. All the other riders in our tour were fantastic and good sports. No whining, bitching, or prima donnas. Well there was a little bitching. The Italian people were kind, joyful, patient and even rude sometimes but the Giro is a great festival. Here is the full index of pictures. You get to see Mario Cipollini, the Liquigas Girls, the Trophy some more, the Amalfi Coast, some of my Tour mates and everything else. Send me a note if you want any of the pictures, I'll be happy to send them along.

Please Note: You may get a "Stack Over Flow Error" but that is because there are so many pictures. It might be a little much for you poor little browser.

As I said to someone after day 7, "I'm never going to miss seeing this tour again in person". That might be a bit of a stretch but I loved the Giro and I will go back some day.

Stats
400 miles riding
12 miles running
150 - 155 lbs