The Dutch girl at the reception of the hotel told David and me that the Giro D'Italia had a stage this year finishing at Ravenna.
Once home I checked the official site and Youtube to find a video about the stage with some landmarks we might recognize. It seems that David and me unwittingly rode a portion of stage 12 when we headed out for dinner from Ravenna to the Adriatic coast at Punta Marina. Cool. Somehow I noticed that special feel and magic of the road when riding there. I guess.
Thank you for the research, MOB. Yes, great that we rode part of this year's Giro stage 12 in Ravenna.
Of course, in Italy and France, cycling history is just about everywhere. We also rode part of 2010's Giro course on the passes near Livigno (Foscagno, D'Eire), the Stelvio has been part of the Giro course 9 times since 1953, the Mortirolo 6 times in the 1990s alone.
And with Jerome and Didier, near Jerome's brother's house in Colombe outside Grenoble on Bastille Day, we rode to the Col de Parmenie, which was part of Stage 18 of the 2008 Tour de France (and unlike the Tour, we also took the detour to the Abbey on the hilltop, only 1km and 125 meters elevation out of the way).
And when I rode around Lake Annecy on Wednesday, I was reminded that this was the route of the Tour's 2009 time trial.
And yesterday, we explored the cheeses of Saint-Nectaire, Murol and Lac Chambon in the countryside of the Auvergne region, pictures on the hotel wall reminded us that this was the site of some epic, famous battles between Jacques Anquetil and his foil, the perennial, lovable loser, Raymond Poulidor.
But more about that when I have time to blog. Tomorrow, we race again!
Thank you for the research, MOB. Yes, great that we rode part of this year's Giro stage 12 in Ravenna.
ReplyDeleteOf course, in Italy and France, cycling history is just about everywhere. We also rode part of 2010's Giro course on the passes near Livigno (Foscagno, D'Eire), the Stelvio has been part of the Giro course 9 times since 1953, the Mortirolo 6 times in the 1990s alone.
And with Jerome and Didier, near Jerome's brother's house in Colombe outside Grenoble on Bastille Day, we rode to the Col de Parmenie, which was part of Stage 18 of the 2008 Tour de France (and unlike the Tour, we also took the detour to the Abbey on the hilltop, only 1km and 125 meters elevation out of the way).
And when I rode around Lake Annecy on Wednesday, I was reminded that this was the route of the Tour's 2009 time trial.
And yesterday, we explored the cheeses of Saint-Nectaire, Murol and Lac Chambon in the countryside of the Auvergne region, pictures on the hotel wall reminded us that this was the site of some epic, famous battles between Jacques Anquetil and his foil, the perennial, lovable loser, Raymond Poulidor.
But more about that when I have time to blog. Tomorrow, we race again!