this is the link to a radio program featuring "Fatty's ride with Lance after raising $136k in a little over 48 hrs. i hope you enjoy the exploits of this very couragious guy.
http://ijpr.org/SectionIndex.asp?SectionID=1013
Cuneo started as a warm sunny Tuesday and after riding out 70km on the course I picked up the car and bolted down to the Cinque Terra area. Parking in Sestre levante. I rode the area checking the hotels as well as the access points to the Time Trial route. Nothing would work without a lot of climbing so finished up parking on the second climb at a junction that allowed an early escape when the race was over. Two nights of relaxed free camping and with the cycling each day when I left the area it was with the windows open looking for a shower.
Wednesday was a series of rides, to the finish then to the start, riding the whole course and then back to the car for lunch. Having done a lot of riding on Tuesday I was sure this was the place to see the race with a nice ocean view thrown in. During the Wednesday afternoon I watched a series of cycle tour group riders pass through on the course. Many had come out with only one bidon so I was standing there refreshing many who said they had not prepared for this ride and some said they made the trip from their country with little fitness preparation so were unused to the heat and long steady climbs. What were they going to do in the mountains when they were in trouble in the foothills? One woman arrived in a bad way, even with a tour guide in support. I took charge and as I had a vacuum flask was able to rehydrate her with hot drinks, I had sent the guide looking for the van to carry her home. Tour companies try to do their best and some clients mislead them but this was an apparent case of lack of preparation, overweight , lacking water bottles and condition.
When these people spend as much as $10000 for a cycling holiday they should prepare if only so as to avoid giving fellow guests a difficult time. Being on time , being prepared and cooperating makes for a better holiday for all otherwise they should do as I do and go it alone. Even though most knew of twitter, I have yet to hear from any of them.
Thursday I was out and about checking out who and what was happening and on the second climb I pulled up with an Italian family group I had met on other occasions. Their view down the road was quite good so when I spotted the person I was looking for I was ready to go. And go we did as Lance was scouting the route, but riding a quick tempo nevertheless. When we passed the car I only went part of the last flat section before returning to get lunch under way. Of course there were others on the go but my money was on Lance that day.
Lido the next day was an early start as I wanted to catch up with Moser, Motta and Fondriest to ride with their group of clients. Nice young lady riding in the group learned her English whilst racing for the Italian team but missed joining the Sydney Olympic team, no wonder I did not recognise her. I had showed the Italian ladies team the race route when they were preparing in Sydney. Jeannie Longo, Ann Marie and Leontin were amongst the racers that I escorted at that time, the story of Sydney 2000 will come out in a later posting.
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this is the link to a radio program featuring "Fatty's ride with Lance after raising $136k in a little over 48 hrs. i hope you enjoy the exploits of this very couragious guy.
http://ijpr.org/SectionIndex.asp?SectionID=1013
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Along the seafront there was a cycle lane so I rode that for some kilometres singing out “ausi, ausi, ausi,” as I rode much to the amusement of the racers, fans and carabinerie. Drove through to Bologna caught the finish and carried on to Faenza since this was where the bulk of the teams were staying and I wanted to wander the Teams before they set out. After their depart I went back down the reverse of the course to the final climb as I wanted to be there to pass out water on the summit to those in need since it was fiercely hot again.
After they passed I rode into Faenza and joined “Team ORF and Bettini who bought me a beer. Cassani borrowed my bike for his RAI TV programme where he seemed to concentrate on the seat position which suits me just fine but he had issues with. Carbon is too hard for him even though San Marco claim 3mm of flex. Each to their own and I am comfortable in all weathers and distance.
Staying in the hills near Chieti I was well positioned for the next days and rode up Blockhaus wondering why the etappe was so short when there was so many other great climbs in the area that could have been added in to lengthen the day. Having arrived on Blockhaus I made several descents and rode back up with a variety of people who also had come from Chieti and found the climb relevantly easy. Variety is good but fresh riders can compete with climbers on short climbs so I suppose that was their hope for this etappe.
Sulmona weather was cloudy and cool and I spent the morning riding the climb before arriving back at the pulmans parking area where I rode into sign on with Sastre, Lance and others the two kilos or so before turning looking for the next. Lance as usual was one of the last to the sign in so I went to look for a vantage spot to see the racers start. As I was passing through the crowd I was stopped by an American who had me to stay in a house owned by his family last year in this area. It was good to see him and we had little chance to catch up before the racers set off and lost each other in the crowd.
On Saturday I parked south of Casino and rode down the route towards Napoli after about an hour and half of the route I decided to return as there was few around so when I saw a group coming through I tacked on to this group of Italians and drafted back to the car. Driving north I spotted a savings and loan uniform and finding an Aussie I drove ahead dumped the car and was just in time to ride with Steve Cunningham and some clients. I ran across him again at St Johann in Tyrol during august but that story comes later. He was setting quite a strong pace and as I got out of the car and jumped in without warming up again I was quite pleased when they stopped at a café to catch up with the slower group. I then went onto the Pullman parking area to say some goodbyes as the next day would be too hectic to see all those that had helped me this year.
In Rome i made two circuits, the first through the traffic and the second dodging the controls. The photographer that took photos posted on twitter the least useful of the batch he had taken. When he gets around to sending some others then I will post the better ones here.
Another Giro done and dusted, you can see why I hate the car. Unless there is a driver it restricts my options, adds kilos some days and reduces kilos on route on other days
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