The Spin: Giro Stage 20

The final mountain stage of the Giro, today is the literally the high point of the European pro cycling season with the finish at 2757 metres above sea level since no other race will reach as high this year.

Joaquim Rodriguez starts with a slender lead on Ryder Hesjedal whilst locals Ivan Basso and Michele Scarponi might still want to have their say on the race. Each time I think Hesejedal might crack… he attacks. Today is the ultimate test of climbing in the 2012 Giro with the Mortirolo and Stelvio on a stage some 219km long.

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The Spin: Giro Stage 19

Where to start? Obviously Treviso, but I mean how do you begin to analyse today’s stage? Because this is a very difficult stage with double digit gradients and the Alpe di Pampeago climbed twice. And on top of this riders must, should or ought to remember tomorrow’s stage finish on the mightly Stelvio. Energy wasted today will cost plenty tomorrow.

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Euro Foods: Italian Ice-cream

Ultimo Kilometro Gelateria

In a series of food linked to cycling, some things are more obvious than others. Pasta in Italy links local produce with an important source of fuel for the cyclist; coffee is both a stimulant, a source of warmth in the winter and part of the culture in many countries. Ice cream might not seem so related to cycling but it is widely available in Italy and during the summer months can almost replace the espresso as a pick-up.

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The Spin: Giro Stage 18

A downhill profile today means a fast stage as gravity does its work. But don’t imagine riders can frolick their way down to Vedelago to the sound of whizzing freewheels. Instead today should see a duel between attackers and sprinters with the soundtrack of the chain clunking between the 11 and 12 sprocket as many will be trying to break away whilst the sprinters teams will want to reel them in.

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Ivan Basso’s National Appeal

I’m Ivan Basso. I’m looking for real men who don’t worry about being tired, who are ready to ride many kilometres on the road with the desire to finish first.

No, he’s not looking for new riders. Instead this is a radio advert with Ivan Basso promoting French car maker Citroen’s utility vehicles for small businesses and he wants “traders, artisans, entrepreneurs for Citroen’s commercial vehicles“. The full audio clip is here on youtube:

It’s of minor interest because it is rare these days to see a cyclist in a national advertising campaign. It’s happened in the past but today’s riders are more likely to fry their cycling shoes or even lend their image to sell beach towels but here we have Basso’s voice as central to mixing the idea of riding across Italy with selling vans.

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The Spin: Giro Stage 17

It’s only a 60km drive from Pfalzes to Cortina but the race takes the scenic route across several mountain passes. Look at all those climbs but don’t forget the descents too especially as the race tackles the Passo Giau and then a steep and technical road down to the finish in Cortina which includes a short uphill section too.

The overall classification in the race is beginning to settle and today should start to cement positions amongst the top-10. Those with ambitions might not want to wait until the climb of the Stelvio on Saturday.

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Book Review: Pedalare! Pedalare!

Pedalare Book John Foot

Pedalare! Pedalare! A History of Italian Cycling by John Foot

How important is cycling to you? You might enjoy riding and following the pro races but what if cycling prevented a civil war? What if two cyclists formed the greatest sporting rivalry of all time? What if cycling was inseparable from politics, religion, the economy and society? Welcome to Italy, at least to various points in Italian history when these claims have been made.

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The Spin: Giro Stage 16

Look at the profile and you’ll see 173km with three bumps along the way including one to the finish and given the upcoming mountain stages it might be tempting to view today’s route as a mere transition stage.

But the diagram doesn’t do the the final of the race justice because this is a tricky finish with hairpins, cobbles and double-digit gradient ramps. It could be a very exciting finish.

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The Ancestor of Your Bike

It might look inelegant but the photo above from a seller on ebay reveals the ancestor of almost every modern road bike.

This is the tale of a radical designer and a scrap mountain bike frame meeting mass production and global trade to eventually reshape racing bikes.

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