ONE RULE FOR THEM !

All ski stations have an exclusion zone for emergency services use ONLY ! BUT there are those who are too important that will utilise these areas for that IMPORTANT visit and thus others think they too can use this area ! Before long the area is crowded with people unloading their families and are annoyed when asked to move along . Even when a Bergbahn employee shouts to them from the upper levels they continue about their business .

My intervention caused all but one vehicle to depart the scene BUT the original car was still there and when the driver eventually arrived , the excuse was that he worked for the Bergbahn ! Two youngsters in the car in their ski gear and him wearing the Bergbahn uniform does not justify the “ It’s all right I work here attitude ” nor his complaint to his colleagues that I caused him inconvenience and was not entitled to question his behaviour . There was another of his colleagues standing by charged with the job of monitoring the area but afraid to tackle his colleague’s thoughtless behaviour !

Days ago I was coming off the Black run to see some teenagers ski through the “ Langsam ( Slow ) Safety Sign ” one of his group put it back up but when I challenged him in the control area of the ski lift he was about to use the excuse was that they were “ messing about ” ! Asked to see his ski ticket which turned out to be a “ Saison Card ” , so I guess a local ! Passed the card to the Lift employee to organise the appropriate action , BUT you guessed it ! Didn’t see what took place so NOT INTERESTED ! Of course another version of the incident is reported by the parent of the culprit , after all they are “ locals ” and “ high spirited teenagers ” will behave differently ? What would be the reaction to a tourist doing this ?

Tourists go to Australia or France to ski and stand in queues but here in Austria tourists normally expect that there will be little or none . The lift employees monitor the queues from inside the equipment house and do little when a 6 chair leaves with one or two because a group are busy arranging themselves thus blocking out others . Soon there are thousands inconvenienced . Asked to get into lines of 6 after passing the Card Control most were obliging but there are those who care little for those following since they had had to await their departure . Personally when awaiting my friends , I wait outside the control area but so many others will enter the control area and stand in the way of others causing additional frustration .

Whilst monitoring the queue yesterday I made it jocular by suggesting that those unwilling to fill available slots step outside and catch a Taxi thus injecting a little humour into an annoying delay . Had those that were queuing arrived on the top of Schneekar taken themselves to the other lifts serving that mountain top they would have avoided the queues for the rest of the day . Watching people negotiating the descent on the black run provides huge entertainment , never knew that there were so many ways to use skis or snowboards . There were a few users with panache however and the contrasts are amazing .


During the 1995/6 season at Kitzsteinhorn there were similar access problems to some 4 person chairlifts at the exit from the funicular railway that has since closed . Same story , different day , 16 years later but in Oz and France this is the usual story even during off peak periods .

Ski school tries to educate tourists in the use of the various types of equipment and during that time also is supposed to educate them on the 10 tips advertised as “ Courtesy on the slopes ” . Quietly asking the Ski Teacher out of the hearing of their charges to gather their pupils on the side of the piste thus allowing others to pass has caused outrage with complaints being voiced ! How dare I remind a Ski teacher to read their instruction manual ! German guy in own gear teaching objected to my asking what exercise he was teaching when I saw an exercise being incorrectly performed so I suggested he read his “ German Ski Federation Manual ” to see what I was querying since I was not prepared to criticize or enlighten , seems he has had cause to make his error public by complaining !


During the 9am rush hour queues quickly form at the bottom of the mountain because almost all those wanting to attend ski school choose to arrive at the same time and thus the standing room is filled with those carrying skis and other equipment becomes a slow shuffle forward to the control . At the top of Lifts people emerge into the open space , immediately drop everything and start to get skis or their snowboards strapped on , of course those following cannot move forward and risk injury if they inadvertently step on others equipment . Whilst asking people to move through to an area about 20m further on before arranging themselves I had a few Germans complain in English that I should be speaking to them in German ! Germans grow up using skis and surely know that this behaviour reflects badly on them . One German even shouldered me out of his way thus demonstrating his arrogance and lack of thought for his fellows . Snow sports are popular at this time of the year and the participants in the Zillertal are a mix of International Peoples and Languages and this area advertises itself as an International destination with success .

“ Laissez Faire ” is the key to success for lift companies and the least intervention possible is encouraged but until there is more Policing on the piste slopes there will continue to be accidents and injuries . Too many tourists in their busy lives neglect to prepare for their holiday with it’s increased activity thus muscles are unprepared for the level of activity they are expected to endure . Many tourists forget their own learning experiences and take the attitude that if they have done a particular run then the new comer in their group will also be able to do so . Deliberately putting their friend or family member at risk is not their intention but that is the result in too many cases . Taking off the skis and walking back to the start of a run , a mere 50 or 100 metres , in many cases and using the lift to get back down is frequently discouraged . Being amused by your companions frequent falls becomes a pain when their holiday is disrupted by accidental strains or more serious injury .

Began skiing in Australia in 1992 and with great good fortune have always finished the day on my feet . In 2008 I was hit by a snowboarder whilst teaching and took his ski card and board from him so that he had to walk out to the lift station . After visiting my Doctor I was lectured about my behaviour towards a “ Guest ” ! An out of control descent from Off Piste onto the marked ski track , knocking me down in the process was acceptable to the authorities BUT removing the means for him to escape the consequences of his action was not acceptable ! Another lesson in that season was terminated early by another out of control snow boarder hitting me at speed from behind in the middle of an uncrowded piste taking both me and the child I was teaching off our feet . Another Ski school teacher saw the incident but allowed the boarder to escape , fortunately the child was uninjured and a colleague was able to take over and finish the lesson . My knee injury then has prevented me racing in the Masters Series since . The Ski School owner tried to penalise me for not finishing the lesson and also tried later to defraud both me , the Finance ( tax dept. ) and the Local community but that is another story .

Received an invitation by telephone from a junior of my nominal boss last night to attend the office today in order to discuss some of the above . Since I was in the area I suggested we deal with this immediately but they wanted to go home ! Of course I was going home at that time BUT I was willing to take the time to sort it whereas the boss came on the phone demanding attendance at her convenience . By the way the Saison card was stopped so I told her that the uniform, will be returned .

With a stopped season card how am I to recover the skis left on the mountain ? With the best will in the world I cannot forsee how I could work with people who think only of their own comfort and importance and not of the people they are trying to attract to use their facilities !

ZILLERTAL HOHENSTRASSER

WINTER ? Not as bad as 3 weeks ago but snow visible at about 1000m instead of the 600m before and the rain has moderated , who knows riding in the afternoon may possibly be enjoyable with winter longs .

Roaring westerly winds last night closed out a wonderfully enjoyable day on the bike yesterday ! All week we were warned that a change was coming through and so I decided as I headed east to Worgl for a bike ride in the sun , after doing the laundry that a visit to the “ Zillertaller Hohenstrasser “ was to be the order of the day . With a “ Double Wouter ” on my birthday Tuesday I thought a flattish ride was in order but the thought of missing out on a ride up there this month particularly since snow will be on the ground the next days was enough inspiration to go the “ Extra Mile ”! Thought I would be the only one too , how wrong I was ! Several oldish ladies were up there and there was plenty of traffic as well . As later pictures will show I found one Munich resident out there on his older style race bike !

At about 1500m with the red Specialised , across the valley on the hilltop of 2300m is the ski lift.



The west side of the Zillertal has a road at 2000m that starts in Hippach / Ramsau in the south and runs around the mountain curves to Reidberg at it’s northerly extreme . In between there are several other approaches through Zell , Aschau , Reid and Kaltenbach . Aschau is definitely for the fit as it ramps up there at 15 -20+% in too many places . What I had forgotten was that on the skyline there are several places where you are confronted by 15% ramps in some cases for more that a kilometre . It was glorious weather so before going up I rode to Mayrhofen and upto Giesling before stopping for a visit with Georg Toschnig to whom I proposed he speak with the local “ Tourism Authority ” about creating an event such as “ Alps d’HUZES ” . Having been spotted by Fred I stopped off for a coffee at the Ramsau “ Lebenshilfe “ where he has worked for nearly 20 years . Last year he had to fly home to California twice as he wanted to visit his mother as she fought the Big C . The first visit alone but the second visit with his Austrian wife Petra for the funeral and to give her a chance to visit with the family .

As I was finishing the coffee one of the residents Andrell brought in shot glasses of Schnapps which you would be rude to refuse and the taste was smooth and enjoyable . This guy in past years has been a “ poster man ” with his accordion and you can still find postcards of him . A man of the mountains wearing traditional garb in the photos .

Riding across the river from Ramsau to Hippach is flat but then it pitches up to 15% by the church and continues around the first few curves to the top of the village and then eases to 10ish % for most of the way to Schwennberg and then it becomes steepish again but on narrower roads . Many of the locals were surprised to see me riding on the left but since they roar around the right turning curves I was reluctant to chance my luck on that side of the road when I could hear them coming .

Long and winding road below the forest .



Was actually surprised to look down and see a loaded truck ascending stop and backup some 100m to allow some tourists that were descending to pass safely on the one lane track . Rare event in these parts and luckily for me the truck turned into a farm before reaching me .

Schwennberg back country where many enjoy a summer ramble .



Around about Schwennberg there is a “ Parapente ” launch area and though I saw some in the air earlier I was surprised to see none there so the descending van must have been either going down to collect those in the air or that was that for the day . Saw little of Kites or other prey seeking birds in the air and there was little birdsong to compete with the cowbells , surprisingly I saw little of sheep or goats either .

Beside the chapel is the launching point through a paddock where they catch the " Updrafts" .




As I was climbing from Hippach I was met with many trucks descending with Milking Cows being returned from their Summer sojourn in the high pastures to their farms in the valley . Also in the background I was hearing a huge number of bells clanging in the forest so there must have been a herd moving down by way of forest tracks . Before arriving at the 2000m mark I came across a few cars parked at a point where many wander off into the back of the valley for the day .

Glacier views of the Italian border is not so visible with the clouds building in the background .




When riding up these climbs you can hear the following traffic and where appropriate I go to the left side to allow them to go through without them waiting as invariably if you are on the right they will cut in on you if they decide to pass in the face of oncoming traffic . Several smaller coaches passed me on the climb and later were amazed to see me pass as they wandered the area at 2000m that was their coffee stop . Passing on with a bellow of “ Aussie , aussie , aussie ” I am sure I heard the “ oi , oi , oi ” but did not turn to investigate as there was still some 10% climbing for another half kilometre .

From the photos you will see a cloudless day all the way across to the Italian Border Glaciers . All week Thursday afternoon was promised as changeable so it was fortunate that the forecast was once again incorrect . As previously mentioned I ALWAYS ride prepared for any eventuality and it would be wrong to assume the weather would not change but this day no clouds came over the peaks to spoil the afternoon . Along the later descent in the forests I came across wet pavement in patches where the sun was excluded but as to where the water came from mystified me .

As mentioned earlier I had forgotten about the ups and downs on the skyline , descending for a kilometre at an advertised 15% I then had the same climb and after a while it was into the descent once again . Near the bottom I came across this Munich Guy so turned about and rode to the top of the incline where it crosses a gully and he agreed to take a breather as he made the photos for me . He stays nearby , so at 69yo he regularly uses this route and had the same thought about it being the last chance this season . On discovering I was younger he started to call me a “ youngster ” this and that .

Follow the road to the left and you will see a slight dip of the skyline and with magnification you can see the white shirt of the rider .



Was not interested to have me email his photo but he was wearing a “ Dolimitien Cycle Shirt ” so no doubt participates in those events . Made a photo of him across the valley but the white shirt was visible to the naked eye but not sure if it comes out well in the photo . Hope he heard me and googles “ Skippydetour ” so we could hook up again next year . Passing on left me with another 3 climbs of various steeps and so when I came out into the “ piste ” of the ski station I tried short cutting across to the Ski Lift Equipment so save riding another ½ km uphill .

The six man chair lift to the point that was visible in the earlier photo.



Needing water was part of the reason but next time I will stick to the paved road as trying to negotiate paddock was walking pace at best and the gravel and rock track was hazardous . No water until I found the paved road once again so before next season the “ Specialised Bike ” given to me in France by the Aussies will be fitted with a second bottle holder . Back pocket was raided several times during the afternoon so arrived home with the wrappers to remind me to replace before the next ride .

When the snow is deep enough in coming weeks this will be where i pass on touring skis but after a great deal more effort and time .



OK pockets now refilled with a 2008 expiry protein Plus Power Bar and some year old “ Nuss Bars ”
so I will be prepared for a break in the cold wet weather that is entertaining the farmers currently . A householder in the village beside the Kaltenbach Ski area provided me with a water refill so it was into the descent through the cool air of the forests as it was after the sun had dropped behind the peaks in most places . Descending I came up behind the nephew of my mate Friedl driving a Manure spraying tractor unit . Called several times but he was away with the pixies ( Locals have a festival in early December when they bring out their “ Fancy dress ”items passed down through the generations ) ! Must have looked into the rear view mirror as he pulled over onto the grass verge to allow me to speed on before stopping into the farm to discover that Friedl was up in the forest .

more accesible area on touring skins .



Andy Schiestl the local Paralympic Ski Champion has moved house so I was able to call in briefly at the new residence to shoot the breeze for a while with him and his wife , Ina . On the way home I did some grocery shopping of the 50% off variety and discovered that a whole chicken costs 3.80 per kilo and chopped chicken sections cost 7.80 per kilo . Talk about “ Added value ”! Sausages known as Knackers come in kilo packs at 6.69 per and considering they are ground waste meat at best , seems like real chicken is cheaper than “ CRAP ”meat ! GO FIGGER ! SPAR is the chain of franchise supermarkets that provide these anomalies but try pointing this out to their staff and they will tell you that you are getting the produce at 50% off so why the comment ?

Hope you enjoy the photos which will be loaded as the Crap Broadband connection allows !

SPOT THE PROBLEM HERE !

Out after lunch again i spotted this at the side of the main road in the Inntal :

Looking closely you will see a wheelchair at the back of the station wagon as the driver could not be sure that someone would not park so close that he would not be able to access the vehicle !

The wheelchair was not visibly locked so it seems this driver would rather risk the loss of the wheelchair than have difficulties created by some thoughtless driver ignoring the sign at the back of the car and parking too close .

The driver would no doubt be away driving their " Handbike " in an area where there is little traffic to trouble them .

Parking on a " Disability Space " in Austria is allowed for 15 minutes i am informed as long as you stay in the car !

What a world we live in ?

Checkout the posting in " Skippi-cyclist " from the mornings ride .

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

Australian N/E is flooded and Sth Austalia is under "Fire Ban" so there are a lot of uneasy people out there trying to make the best of the cards dealt them.

Controversy rages in New York as they try to clear up after the storm and hopefully when the next dump arrives there will be less aggro to contend with.

Here in the Zillertal there is a foggy start to the day with little snow recently so slogging up the various pistes on skins is not as much fun as when the sun shines and you can view the surrounding terrain, coming down on Telemark is not as much fun either as the surface feels like it is bulletproof.   My balance is better but cutting across ice in the telemark position with tired knees is no joy.

Hope that 2011 is a better year for all.

 

 

SBS CENSORSHIP

Currently based in Zillertal in Austria i am unable to see or follow Cycling in Oz unless i go to the internet. One of the sites i have to follow is SBS Cycling CEntral Blogs which has a variety of items each month, some are informative and are worth sending comments.
Comments that are below standards required do not deserve repeating, but many times i have sent in items shown below that are censored out and not printed. I keep all comments that i contribute to a variety of sources and i know that "Googling " will find them also once printed.
Personalities come into this as well since in 2004 "Thommo" told me "I have no time on my Tour de France program for "Disabled Sport"!", he had time to show me in the background on several clips none of which i had been happy to hear about in the light of his "Censoring the reason d'etre"!

Fact is i rarely spend time with "Journos" who want to do anything other than help/report on "Disabled/Adaptive/Para/Physically Challenged Sport". I only do interviews with Media as i come across them , i will not make appointments since it limits my movements, who would walk away from a meeting with "King Albert 2 of Belgium to meet a Journo who may either not be there, running late or not use the item because something more important has come up.
Each Grand Tour is an investment of my Time, Money and energy and i go into it with hopes of contributing something but realise that i am not important enough to make a difference !

Judge the comment to the article for yourself !


Original Comment.

"EQUIPE is a great source of info for any sport whilst in Europe, better if your french is fluent or a mate can help you out !
Anyone with new Lance book able to help me out by scanning pages 185/6 to skippi@ausi.com and if there is someone that has graham Obree's "Flying Scotsman" please forward the ref's there please !

Unlike the "mention" i do not get involved in "Money " but spend my time reminding Athletes, Sponsors, Organisers, Fans and others that more needs to be done to fund the Para Athletes so that their families do not have to carry the burden of their efforts to represent their country in International Competition(even in local comp.s they have huge expenses) and elsewhere !
My efforts are voluntary and the recognition, hospitality and thanks i receive from Para Athletes & their Families & Friends whilst at the Giro,Tour & Vuelta make the considerable expense and time spent worthwhile.
Still would like more support to help these amazing athletes to get a "Relay Team " going for future Tours starting now with the "Tour Downunder" !
IT CAN BE DONE !!
Follow @skippydetour and google Skippyaus , Skippydetour & Parrabuddy and sign on as followers but also look at the Aust. Paralympic Site and see what you can offer to send the best team to LOndon 2012 and show why Australians are the best !"



2nd effort

"PLEASE ADVISE WHY THIS COMMENT IS UNACCEPTABLE !!

No one else seems to have bothered with YOUR article

"Equipe is a great source of info for any sport whilst in Europe, better if your french is fluent or a mate can help you out !
Anyone with new Lance book able to help me out by scanning pages 185/6 to skippi@ausi.com and if there is someone that has graham Obree's "Flying Scotsman" please forward the ref's there please !

Unlike the "mention" i do not get involved in "Money " but spend my time reminding Athletes, Sponsors, Organisers, Fans and others that more needs to be done to fund the Para Athletes so that their families do not have to carry the burden of their efforts to represent their country in International Competition(even in local comp.s they have huge expenses) and elsewhere !
My efforts are voluntary and the recognition, hospitality and thanks i receive from Para Athletes & their Families & Friends whilst at the Giro,Tour & Vuelta make the considerable expense and time spent worthwhile.
Still would like more support to help these amazing athletes to get a "Relay Team " going for future Tours starting now with the "Tour Downunder" !
IT CAN BE DONE !!
Follow @skippydetour and google Skippyaus , Skippydetour & Parrabuddy and sign on as followers but also look at the Aust. Paralympic Site and see what you can offer to send the best team to LOndon 2012 and show why Australians are the best !"

Seems like each time i try to help the Aussie Paralympians some SBS "nobody" censors the item !

Copy of this message will be found elsewhere and will not reflect kindly on SBS policy towards "Disabled Sport" !

The above also sent direct to SBS management who will probably "Bin it" since they never Ever replied to previous input, so what's new?

Living in the Austrian mountains i have an internet connection that runs at 20bits/sec most of the time but will d/load unwanted items at 1.3m/sec, go figure !

OLYMPIC SUMMARY

Bad news day, after several hours out on the bike in two sessions of several hours I find that some sponsorship is not going to happen for the 2010 Project. There are 380 profile visits on the Blog which is only part of the picture as once someone first visits they do not need to check the profile again particularly as they “Bookmark” the site. Sponsors do not look at this but the number of “friends” does get to figure in their equation. Started to pay more attention to “face book” as a source of contact and although I messaged over a hundred people this past week the link to the blog , last week only seven visited through face book . What I had hoped was that with the Paralympic Games due to start next week many more would have visited to checkout the link to the TV coverage amongst other matters.


No doubt people are busy but I can only draw a parallel to twitter where I put an item in “we follow” and got ten new followers immediately, all were from “spivs” looking to build their numbers as they offered to make me rich! Once I posted a comment on this aspect most disappeared within hours. Would like to think that those who “request friend” with me on Facebook are looking to help support “Disabled Sport” as that has been the mission the past twelve years and I am not looking for numbers but supporters who will commit some help to the primary purpose! This past week there has been visitors from 24 countries including Tanzania, India and Ukraine from Google as a link. Amazes me how small the world can become.



New candidate for the “PYGMY Team” found today as I rode up the Gerlos Pass this morning , hit this Link for "Item 2"if you want the Whole story. Photo represents the vehicle colours not the vehicle. Overcast day started with spring like weather so I was out on the bike after 9am enjoying a respite from the winter chill suffered in previous days. After the climb towards Gerlos I went to Mayrhofen and then onto the climb to Finkenberg that I did a little slower yesterday. Climbing at the moment requires a higher cadence to get the same time results that I had last year, no doubt as my strength and confidence returns I will ride in 5th instead of 7th cassette gear when making these climbs. After lunch I was out in sunshine to the north of the valley and going north was wind in the face and the return was easier in the sun albeit with a steady incline.

The Olympics are over and so the “Witch Hunt” starts , local papers are full of the letdown that is being expressed due to the results which is as a result of a lack of Men’s Alpine Ski Medals , a situation that has not occurred since the start of the Winter Olympics Events. Torino 2006 produced 14 medals out of the 30 available! Was that result enough at the time, can’t recall too much in the media about that subject! What is apparent is that the Ladies brought home a Gold and some Silver and Bronze Medals which had it been Australia would have meant there being a ticker tape parade. I did note the disappointment on an Austrian face shown on Eurosport when he realised that he had missed the Bronze. At Torino he had taken home a Gold amongst the collection. Benny has taken responsibility for his results unlike some who are trying to blame the support staff.

Russia has also started a “witch hunt” as they also suffered a drop in prestige in the medal count and they are the next hosts. All I can offer is that as they refocus they will be assured a better result next time as they will have “Home Town Advantage” even if they do not produce some new talent in the intervening years. As I listened to a report about the Russian President’s remarks I had visions of Putin leading the team from the front by participating in the Karate Events. Canada is also in this boat as whilst every other sport enjoyed success the Alpine Team as a whole misfired and not a medal fell into their hands despite their best efforts. The “Canadian Cowboys” were no match for the “Crazy Canucks” of yesteryear.

In an earlier posting I quoted “It’s not whether you win or lose but HOW you play the Game”, well the Athletes entertained us as they excelled and I did not see any bad sportsmanship although I am sure the TV channels were on the lookout for examples!

THANKYOU TO ALL THE ATHLETES FOR YOUR GREAT EFFORTS AND I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR FURTHER SUCCESSES AT OTHER VENUES !!

GIRO 2009 part 1 of 3

As mentioned before the Big C touches all our lives, family and friends. Recently I was at my doctor for a checkup and whilst waiting for blood sampling in walked an Hawaiian mate who has settled in the Zillertal and works with “Lebenshilfe" (supervised homes) to collect a prescription. His news to me was that his mother had been taken ill and the supposedly light stroke was a very imminent terminal brain cancer In a few hours he was on the way to Munich and thence to Los Angeles, then to the family home. HE was hoping to arrive in time to farewell his mother who had decided to return home from hospital.

The photo is from @8WristBandman, Ken is currently undergoing intensive hospital care for cancer but still enjoys emailing and has been kind enough to forward photos and video relating to my adventures. Wish all were like him as there have been so many places visited and seen, and people met that deserve a permanent record. The photo was taken in Jesolo at the start of this past years Giro. I had not known the photo was taken until Ken forwarded it.

Over the years I have lost cousin JJ and his wife as well as my mother to cancer. Too many others such as “Apples “ the car dealer from Nth Sydney who I met up with again at Sydney 2000 have told me of their cancer concerns. Some I recommend Lance’s book to read as it helps validate a positive attitude. “she’ll be right mate “ does not cut the fear but a good read relieves the anxiety for a while at least. If anyone knows Apples and he hasn’t fallen off the perch have him make contact. My Sydney Olympic 2000 experiences will make an appearance at a later date as it was rich in detail.

Giro d’italia 2009 was a new experience for me as in past years there was no car nearby. It would continually cause me pain as I would abandon it to do etappes and then come back to relocate it time and again when I had no driver to help out. Of course in Rome it sat on the entry road to the team parking so that the racers all saw me sitting cooking the mid day meal. if they were allowed I am sure some would have enjoyed the fry up and they would have been welcome, as it was I collected a few caps and bidons handed to me amongst the joshing dished out.

Lance, Johann and many others drove past at that time and noted my arrangements but fortunately I was left in peace by the authorities. When I arrived it was a hot,sunny day but turned cloudy and at the end to rain. As I drove north that night I felt like I was driving in Sydney in a torrential storm .

Jesolo was a nice four day start to the Giro , after parking the car I took a loosening up ride scouting the hotels and then riding back into town found team Astana riding out, a quick U turn and I was up with them greeting and chatting for a few minutes before leaving them to up their tempo for the team time trial training. As I left them a mixed group of racers came along heading back into town and again pleasantries were exchanged but I did hear the occasional groan of “skippy, what did we do to deserve him today”!




In town I discovered that a “pink blowup rubber duck” was the local mascot so I collected a couple and over the next days I had several teams add their autographs and then gave it up for display at the tourist office and they were then to pass it to a local “Disabli group” for auction. I told a couple of wheelchair athletes of this so I hope they followed through and people were generous.

Sunday found me on the road after I introduced Angelo Z to my bike “Il Giro” at the depart ,greeted a lot of dignatories and VIPs from previous Giros and tours and then set out on a nice sunny day as some of the teams were driving or riding into the sign on. The day to Trieste passed well enough but the return trip turned into a disaster as the newly installed chain snapped open on the hill heading back. I was riding in a strong group at the time and we were going full bore, these were diletante standard riders and were “chain ganging superbly“. we were passing others without problem but it meant standing on the pedals to gain maximum traction uphill. Well the chain went and so did they, a couple of spectators before a helpful guy with the link tool but a kilo further and it was out again. As I was near the top I reconnected ran the few metres and rode the rest of the way with the loose connection, never exerting the power that I usually exert.

Next morning before the start I found a bike shop who changed the chain and guaranteed me that this was the end of the problem. Too right the bike has done giro, Suisse and tour since without a repeat. Typical of a profi he would take nothing from me but thanks wished me “Bouna Fortuna” and hoped to see me on Tv some more. The next days passed with early starts to position the car ride to the start hobnob with the media and personalities then ride the route and find a way back to the car without expending too much energy. A logistical nightmare but as hard as each day finished I was up the next morning ready to repeat.

Parking the car on Alpi di Suisi I set off and caught up with the Moser/Fondriest group but that was soon splintered and Moser and a few went away and I stayed with Maurizio and waited for some of his guests to reappear. After the finish I headed down the hill collected the car and drove back to the Zillertal over the Brenner. The reason was that the next stage went through the tunnel after Linz into Mittersell, a tunnel closed to bikes as I had been that way before and found hitching did not work this time I was not prepared the risk of a repeat.

Part 2 follows