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Giro d’Italia 2008
In pursuit of a long held dream to
navigate the hills of central Europe and
follow one of the great cycling grand
tours, a group of Beach Road hardened
weekend warriors settled on the hills
of Italy and the 2008 Giro d’Italia. Late
autumn training in the Dandenongs,
Mt Eliza and the hills through Eltham
prepared us for the challenges that
lay ahead.
Our tour started and finished in the style
and fashion capital Milano. From there
our journey took us deep into the Italian
Alps and the challenging mountains
of the Dolomites, before heading back
towards Bergamo, lakeside riding
around Como and finishing in the
magnificent Milano.
The Giro d’Italia is steeped in history
having first started in 1909. Whereas
the overall leader of the Tour de France
is awarded a yellow jersey (originally to
correspond with the French newspaper
L’Auto‘s yellow pages), the overall
leader in the Giro sports the maglia
rosa (pink jersey), which corresponds
with newspaper La Gazzetta dello
Sport‘s pink newsprint. Famous winners
include Coppi, Bartali, Anquetil, Merckx,
Hampsten, Indurain, Pantani and Simoni.
The 2008 Giro was described as having a
‘magnifico corsa’ starting in Palermo on
the isle of Sicily, working its way north
through the boot shaped Italian mainland
up to a typically mountainous last 10 days
and final time trial in Milano.
Matt Lloyd, Robbie McEwen, Adam
Hansen, Mathew Hayman, Chris Sutton,
Stuart O’Grady, Brad McGee and Nick
Gates led the Aussie contingent at the
start in Palermo Sicily. Matt Lloyd was
the only Aussie to finish the 3 week
grand tour, Alberto Contador from Spain
being the ultimate winner.
From the great city of Milano our
wonderful journey started.
‘
ARABBA
Having departed Milan after watching the
sprint finish of stage 13 into the stunning
walled city of Citadella, we headed to
the heart of the Dolomites – Arabba, the
pearl of the Dolomiti stars.
Arabba was the much talked about
beginning of our corsa rosa and the
start of our first big adventure – the
GranFondo Tappa Della Leggenda. The
GranFondo took us out of Arabba over
the switch back climb of Passo Pordoi,
a fast descent into the beautiful valley
though Pozza di Fassa, over the
11.8km Passo di San Pellegrino to the
ultimate and infamous final climb,
13.35 kilometres up the Passo Fedaia/
Marmolada – the Dolomiti star.
Three nights at the Sport Hotel Arabba,
we then tackled the magical Sella Ronde,
the epic four passes ride regarded as
the world’s best and most challenging
80km bike loop around the majestic Sella
Massif, up and down the passes Pordoi,
Sella, Gardena and Campolongo.
In the words of cycling photography
legend Graeme Watson, the Passo
Gardena is simply the most beautiful
climb in world cycling. Memories will
include fruit grappa and limoncello
watching the Giro climb the Marmolada!
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Following a day mountainside spectating
stage 16 of the Giro, an individual time
trial climbing the Plan de Corones, we
journeyed to Villabassa in the Southern
Tyrol region of Italy, 70km northeast
of Bolzano.
Two nights were had at the Hotel Adler
– the best Tyrolean hospitality amidst
unique Italian/Austrian Alp surroundings
of snow peaks, rolling green hills and
meadows of daffodils.
First up, a Giro rest day, we enjoy a
flat(ish) ride along the tourist route and
journey to Lienz in Austria – just because
we could!
Relaxing in the pool and spa at Adler,
meandering through the lovely town of
Villabassa (also known by the Austrian
name Neiderdorf) we experience a mix of
Italian/Austrian food, coffee and beer.
Then one last ride around the Dolomites
in a pine forest valley to Cortina, followed
by more espresso in Villabassa’s
wonderful town square and relaxing
passegiata in the local environs.
VILLABASSA
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The fashion and industrial heart of the
north of Italy, we relocate westward
from the Dolomites to the Province of
Bergamo in the Lombardy region, to
the exclusive Citta Alta (the upper
and old town of Bergamo), staying at
‘il Gourmet’ at the back of the ancient
Venetian walls of S. Vigilio.
We experienced magnificent riding
through and around the Bergamasco
valley, up the challenging switch back
climb to Selvino, through GranFondo
countryside, and into the interesting
spa region and town of San Pellegrino
Terme, the home of the world famous
sparkling water.
‘il Gourmet’ was true to its name with
seemingly course after course of the best
Italian fare, perched high in Citta Alta on
an outdoor terrace overlooking the new
town of Bergamo.
BERGAMO
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Written by Gordon Lindsay
and recited by Scott Carmichael,
Mark Naughton and Ben James
in Arabba May 2008.
And let’s toast those amongst us, who’s thirties have departed
Jussie who came here to shop, and Phil who got us started
And thank you to our families, who are so dear to us
For all of their forbearance, and their minimum of fuss
When we are home we’ll honour them, and pay them their fair due
And put away our Lycra togs – at least for a week or two!
Before we take our leave tonight, there’s people we must thank
All worth a great deal more to us, than money in the bank
There’s Annabelle and Emma, and Dave and Jamie too
The guys from Top Bike Tours who’ve pushed and pulled us through
As we ride by, the girls all cry, there goes an Aussie biker
In Cippolini’s footsteps, there go the men in Lycra
They’ll cheer us on and marvel how we climb those mountain passes
And when we’re gone, they’ll carry on about our spandexed arses
Dreaming of the night they might, have nabbed us for a naughty
Little knowing the Lycra men were spent and pushing forty
Up Marmolada we have climbed, the Gran Fordo we’ve conquered
Nothing they can throw our way, will ever have us stonkered
In the history of the Giro, there’s none who rode like us
We overtake pedestrians, and even a slowing bus
The Mortirolo – Hill of Death, was just a piece of cake
We’ve no idea how Mulga Bill, could end up in a lake!
There’s two of us here tonight, deserving special mention
There’s two of us turn forty, and will soon be on the pension
Philby’s one who’s bit the dust, and Jussie has as well
And what they’ll do in middle age, only time will tell
They’ll probably give one last spurt, before they both succumb
To aches and pains and weird weight gains, and other ills to come
Ben’s our man of letters, our champion and scribe
And you can feature in his book, for quite a modest bribe
Bowled over by a female, as cute as cute could be
Like Rosalind or Chloe? No! – a female wallaby!
Now Scotty is a man, whose trained and trained some more
Until he has become a force, that no one can ignore
And he has been our mother hen, our sorter and arranger
It’s thanks to him that we have met, the challenge of the Giro
Now Dave’s a quiet achiever, and just when you think he’s last
Like a bolt out of the blue, you see him flashing past
Then Ash, who’s poorly kitted, but always in the hunt
Is stressing to the max until, he’s half a wheel in front
Sam may be new to cycling, but it wouldn’t be a Furphy
To say he’s tough and strong enough, to prove the “Law of Murphy”
Big Jim’s a man who does it tough, like him his bike’s of steel
With seemingly no training, he keeps right on our wheel
And then there’s Joe who as we know, will force us every night
To swallow Limoncello, until we’re good and tight
Then on the morn, full of scorn, he’ll set off all clear-headed
While we poor souls, hold our heads, and wish that we were deaded
But Matt is the exception; he’ll scrub up just like new
Despite the fact that drink for drink, he’s probably had two
There’s Kak, who hopes his flash new bike, will overhaul his peers
But every day, just to make sure, he skolls six hearty beers
Mark loves his flash Italian bike, he loves its handsome lines
And George completes the picture, dressed damn near to the nines
Both of them are o’er the hill, but still ride fast and hard
Although it won’t be long until, they’ve got their Seniors Card
We like to be successful, in everything we do
And cycling’s no exception, for it’s failure we eschew
The depth of our shared talent, can lesser folk bewilder
We’re in law and pubs and shops, and boast a ‘Bob the Builder’
We’re fruiterers, and deal in meat; and some are Merchant Bankers
But when it comes to cycling, we’re just a bunch of wankers!
Every week like clockwork, we diligently train
We go to Croweys Hell Fire Club, and leave there wracked with pain
We’re far the better for it, but as our wives attest
We’re not much use when we get home, for all we want is rest
“See here, young girl,” they spake as one, “don’t jump to no conclusions;
We’re as manly as you please, just check out our protrusions.
You’ve no doubt heard of “Top Bike Tours?” – that’s where we got our cosies;
We’re not a bunch of poofters, we’re suntanned ANZAC Aussies!”
Twas thirteen blokes from Melbourne town, that caught the cycling craze;
They turned their backs on her indoors, who’d served them many days;
They dressed themselves in cycling gear, and looking like right ponces,
They clip-clopped down the High Street with their helmets on their bonces.
They burst into the bike shop, with an air of lordly pride;
When a cry rang out, “Well, hello boys, looking for a ride?”
LYCRA MEN
with apologies to ‘Banjo’ Paterson
EDOLO
Following further spectating at hilltop
stage finishes in the Bergamasco
valley, we head north deep into the
Italian Alps to the town of Edolo in the
province of Brescia located high in the
Camonica Valley.
It is from here we enter the final riding
stages and most challenging ‘hard nuts
only ride’, in the region that boasts the
famous Passo Gavia (made famous
by Andy Hampsten’s climb to win the
Giro in 1988) and the Mortirolo ‘hill of
death’ (branded by Lance Armstrong the
hardest climb in the world).
Both climbs have been decisive in
previous Giros, both are snow covered,
steep and not to be forgotten – they are
long and unforgiving.
Two wonderful nights in Edolo, we
enjoyed valley floor rides and perching
climbs in a town where the Giro was
overwhelmingly embraced (passing
through twice in one day). It is here
we also enjoyed a wonderful lunch
celebrating Phil & Justie’s 40th
birthdays. Bravi Phil! Bravi Justie!
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En route to the grande finale, the final
stage Individual TT in the centre of
Milano, we meander and espresso
alongside the wonderful Lake Como.
We appropriately visit and marvel the
Madonna del Ghisallo (Partona dei ciclisti
dal 1948), and ride between Bellagio and
Como stopping frequently for photos
and doppio macchiato. Como was a
wonderful final ride, all being thankful
our great journey ended safely and
having exceeded all expectations.
We head to Milano to spectate the final
stage time trial. Alberto Contador of
the Astana team beat rivals to win the
‘magila rosa’, following up from his win
of the 2007 Tour de France.
Lots of race viewing, stage starts,
finishes, KOM’s, many challenging
climbs including the famous passes of
Gavia, Mortirolo, Pordoi, San Pellegrino,
Fedaia-Marmolada, Sella, Campologno,
and Gardena. It is the end of a great tour,
so wonderfully orchestrated by Top Bike
Tours led by Dave and Emma, Annabelle
and Jamie. We dine together in a
magnificent Milano ristorante, we pack
our bikes in boxes and journey home to
loved ones or further places, all vowing
to return.
Arrivederci. Bravi Giro.
MILANO
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Ben James
George Yiontis
Mark Naughton
Scott Carmichael
James Righetti
Andrew Nikakis
Sam Furphy
Phil Turnbull
Justin Abrahams
Dave Cohen
Ash Williams
Matt O’Connor
Joe Dema
Steve White
Dave Olle
Emma Colson
Annabelle Drew
Jamie Drew
Italia
Our tour was in the hills of Northern Italy,
between May 22 – June 2 2008. Top Bike
Tours led by Dave Olle ran a fantastically
entertaining tour, well planned but regularly
‘tweaked’ itinerary, lots of scenery, and
unforgettably lots of demanding riding.
Thanks to Dave, Emma, Annabelle & Jamie,
and to the wonderful hosts at Sport Hotel
Arabba, Hotel Adler Villabassa, il Gourmet
Bergamo, Hotel Albergo Angelo in Edolo
and the Eurohotel in Milano.
Bravi Italia.
• Arabba
• Bergamo
• Edolo
• Milano
• Villabassa
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1498 – Cernadoi
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130
Passo Fedaia
998 – Caprile
1460 – Malga Ciapela
2105 – Passo Falzarego
1535 – Pocol
2236 – Passo Giau
998 – Caprile
1336 – Selva di Cadore
1082 – San Tomaso Agordino
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1854 – Passo del Mortirolo
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150km
400 – Stazzona
1066 – Monno
688 – Edolo
935 – Corteno Golgi
1173 – Aprica
ARRIVO
2057 – PASSO FEDAIA – MARMOLADA
(Dolomiti Stars)
537 – Mazzio in Valtellina
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425 – Cedegolo
510 – Malonno
688 – Edolo
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334 – Breno
221 – Darfo-Boario Terme
0
188 – Lovere
PARTENZA
1602 – ARABBA
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890 – Bv. di Sondalo
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1222 – Bormio
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1257 – Ponte Di Legno
From Edolo to the summit of the Passo Gavia is a long
steady 45km climb. The real climb starts at the town of
Ponte di Legno. The road is paved, but turns to a dirty
narrow one lane road, where it reaches a gradient of
16% (18% in parts). It never really gets below 10% with
steady, steep grades with lots of switchbacks. From
Ponte di Legno, the Passo Gavia is 17.3 km, a 1363m
climb (over 2000m from Edolo), at a 7.9% gradient.
American Andy Hampsten made this climb famous
in the1988 Giro – he attacked the Gavia overcoming a
snow blizzard and sub-freezing temperatures to take
the leader’s jersey. The Mortirolo is considered to
be the toughest climb in Italy and many professional
cyclists consider it as the most difficult mountain in
any of the three major tours. Lucho Herrera (1991)
referred to Mortirolo as being the “Queen climb of
Europe” and Lance Armstrong referred to it as the
hardest climb he’d ever ridden. The Mortirolo is
12.4km, a 1300m climb at a 10.5% gradient.
1734 – Santa Caterina Valfurva
• Partenza Edolo • Arrivo Mortirolo
2618 – Passo Gavia
778 – Cencenighe
1148 – Falcade
1918 – Passo San Pellegrino
1165 – Moena
1445 – Canazei
2239 – Passo Pordoi
The Passo Pordoi is situated in Veneto. Starting from
Arabba, the Passo Pordoi is 9.4km, a 637m climb at a
6.8% gradient. The Passo San Pellegrino is situated in
Trentino Alto Adige. Starting from Moena, the Passo
San Pellegrino is 11.41km, a 778m climb at a 6.8%
gradient. The Passo Fedaia/Marmolada starts from
Caprile, is 14.1km, a 1059m climb at a 7.5% gradient.
The Marmolada course went through the breathtaking
gorge of Serrai di Sottoguda through to a tough last
3km climb to the Marmolada Glacier.
1305 – Pozza di Fassa
• Partenza 1602 – Arabba • Arrivo Passo Marmolada
0 220km
0 200 21
0 180 19
0 160 17
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Index
Arabba
01 Passo Gardena 02 Passo Sella – BJ 03 Arabba Village 04 Marmolada tunnel 05 Arabba stage depart – Danilo Di Luca
06 Arabba stage start 07 Scotty & Matt enjoy Grappa 08 Plan de Corones 09 San Vigilio di Marebbe – Bettini 10 Marmolada – Giro spectating
11 Sella Ronde – happy at the summit 12 Go Aussie, Matt Lloyd 13 Passo Sella – Annabelle & Jim 14 Bravi Giro 15 Passo Sella
16 Sella Ronde – Furph 17 Passo Pordoi – Coppi memorial 18 Arabba – Dave at start of GranFondo 19 Dolomiti stars
20 Passo Sella – Doppio Macchiato 21 Passo Campologno – Kak & Dave 22 Arabba – pizza post GranFondo 23 Passo Gardena – George
24 Caprille – Marmolada celebrations 25 Tyrolean 26 Directuer Sportif 27 Passo Gardena 28 Passo Sella 29 Marlboro man
30 Marmolada – super cafones 31 Gorge of Serrai di Sottoguda
Villabassa
32 Via Cortina 33 Molto bene italia 34 Villabassa – Phil & Mark 35 Onto Austria! 36 Villabassa Church 37 Enjoying Italian/Austria fare
38 Bunch entering Austria 39 On route Lienz 40 il grillo 41 Via Venizia 42 Waiting for Lloydy plan de corones 43 Top bike bunch in front of Adler
44 Beers overlooking Austria 45 En route Lienz 46 Town centre Villabassa 47 Rural Italy 48 The bunch 49 En route Lienz 50 Innichen
51 Austrian Alps 52 Phil/Joe 53 Via Cortina 54 Via Cortina 55 Riding through daffodils! 56 Hotel Adler
Bergamo
57 Riding out of San Pellegrino 58 Citta Alta, Bergamo 59 San Pellegrino 60 Bergamo 61 Joes bike, summit Selvino climb
62 Joe, Matt, San Pellegrino 63 Bergamo 64 Riverside riding 65 mmmm Italian cakes 66 Canyon riding 67 The boys, San Pellegrino
68 il Gourmet, Bergamo 69 Bergamo 70 Bergamo 71 San Pellegrino
Edolo
72 Contador 73 Tyrolean Huts 74 Summit Gavia 75 Edolo 76 Kak, Furph, Gavia 77 Gavia 78 Gavia conquerors 79 Justin 80 Peleton Edolo
81 Torrent in Edolo 82 Mortirolo 83 Phil’s 40th 84 The big boys 85 Wanna rest? 86 Furph & Jim 87 Directuer Sportif 88 Edolo 89 Carbon on Gavia
90 Mortirolo
Milano
91 Milano 92 George on Como 93 The boys on Como 94 Milano 95 Justin & Phil 96 George & Phil 97 Time trial finish Milano 98 Reservoir Dogs
99 Jim, Dave & Kak 100 Carbon on Como 101 Eurohotel Milano 102 Mark & Scotty, Como 103 Happy at Como 104 The Lycra men
105 Madonna del Ghisallo 106 My bike goes on this?! 107 Como 108 Ash & Dave 109 Como meandering 110 We aren’t finished are we?
111 Doppio macchiato 112 Duomo Milano 113 Phil, Scotty & BJ 114 The home of cycling 115 BJ 116 Como again 117 Final night festivities