A great article from David Roche who came with us

The bike ridden to
victory by Fausto
Coppi in the 1949 Giro
d’Italia is one of the
many cycling icons on
display in the Madonna
del Ghisallo chapel.
Fervent tifosi surge
forward to urge
their favourites on
in the Stage 17 climb
up the Passo Gaiu.
5. The Sella Ronda - one of the absolute classic rides in the
Dolomite mountains. While the actual loop is only 52km it includes
more than 1850 metres of climbing with four major passes, the
Pordoi, Sella, Gardena and Campolongo. The monument to Fausto
Coppi is at the Passo Pordoi. The scenery is stunning, with part of the
ride above the snowline. Jagged granite peaks towered over us, and
the road zig-zagged down into the valleys way below.
6. The roads – the road surfaces were mostly smooth, fast hotmix. The race routes were especially well primped and buffed (except
for the cobbled sections). The corners were nicely banked, with a
perfect radius so you could really lean into them at speed with only
the lightest feathering of the brakes. There were many tunnels as the
roads snaked through the mountains – a few were unlit which was
hair-raising. Traffic was very cyclist-friendly, and the only toots and
shouts we got were expressions of encouragement.
7. The climb from Lake Como up the Madonna
del Ghisallo chapel - it is a beautiful ascent (not too
arduous), with views of the lake, and ‘only’ 500 metres of altitude gain.
Decorated with bikes and jerseys from many of the great cyclists of
the past, the chapel was surprisingly moving. One of the most special
icons is the bike ridden by Fausto Coppi to victory in the Giro in 1949.
This shrine to cycling should be on every cyclist’s bucket list.
8. The Hotel La Genzianella in the village of
Bormio in the Alps (www.genzianella.com) - it hummed
with a warm and friendly atmosphere and boasted an excellent
restaurant. La Genzianella calls itself a ‘cycling hotel’ and has its own
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bike workshop fully equipped with tools, bike storage and a washing
area. Best of all is a free overnight laundry service for sweaty cycling
clothes!
9. The Passo del Mortirolo – this was tough, climbing
1327 metres with an average gradient of 10.3 per cent and maximum
gradient of 18 per cent. It is known as the ‘Queen Climb of Europe’
and Lance Armstrong has said it is the hardest (let’s face it, he ought
to know). The Pantani monument was a chance for a breather toward
the top, and then the gradient eased a bit over the last few kilometres.
I ran a compact crank set with 50/34 chain rings and 12-27 free hub
and found that to be just right, allowing a good cadence on the climb.
It is not a pretty climb, but that doesn’t matter, because most of the
time you have your head down, grinding your way up the hill through
the forest.
10. The Lampre team car - I sat in the back while we
followed Mateo Bono in the time trial in Milan. He was carrying a
fractured wrist but was determined to ride. The TT course included
many cobbled sections so the pain must have been horrendous,
but he soldiered on – unbelievable. He gets my vote for the bravery
prize. I stayed on in Duomo Square to watch the finishers. There was
a huge crowd jamming into every corner of the place, cheering and
drumming on the barriers as each rider came in. I wormed my way
through the heart of the crowd to the finish line to see Pinotti win the
TT, Hesjerdal win the Maglia Rosa, Rodriguez lose it, and Jesse Sergent
come in third. What a day…what a tour…what a race!
David Roche lived his dream at the Giro d’Italia on a package tour
from Bikestyle tours (www.bikestyletours.com)
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