Giro d’italia 2022

We love cycling, but sadly our bikes are in storage in Brisbane.  Being in Italy during the Giro d’italia has provided us with an opportunity to see one of the grand tours up close.  Stage 13 left San Remo passing through Ormea on the way to finishing at Cuneo.  One of our friends, Lorenzo, runs a mountain refuge in Ormea.  This provided us with a perfect reason to go and visit Lorenzo whilst also getting to see a stage of the Giro live.

Our first taste of the giro was passing a Movistar bus on the freeway whilst on the road to Ormea a few days before the Giro was due.  Arriving in Ormea, we were amazed at the effort they had gone to decorating the village in all things pink (rosa) in support of the Giro.  Pink balloons abounded, pink bicycles, pink clothing and of course pink cocktails.  Glenda could not resist a pink cocktail, in fact we both ended up enjoying a pink cocktail.  On the evening after the Giro, cocktails were €3 whilst beers were €2.  We left the partying to the younger crowd.

The Route

This was a short day of only 150km.  It started in San Remo, a Ligurian coastal city.  One of the famous one day races finishes in San Remo.  We have previously enjoyed cycling around San Remo.  Leaving San Remo the cyclist had about 45km of mostly flat terrain with a few small climbs.  They then arrived at the only real climb for the day.  This climb, (Colle di Nava) was 10km long and just before Ormea.  From the top of the hill, they had a long (50km) downhill stretch before a gentle rise for the remaining 40km.

The Giro Caravan

Before the cyclists arrive, they have a large group of sponsor vehicles that stop at one or two locations on the route providing entertainment and handing out promotional material.  Ormea fortunately for us was the location for this stage.  It was unbelievable seeing just how many vehicles were part of this “Giro caravan”.  We enjoyed some music and dancing and walked away with caps, sweets and various other items.

You can get a taste of this spectacle by watching this short video we filmed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEC4RrD8A48

The Race

We took a drive on the Colle di Nava hill a few days before.  It served to show us just how fit and strong the cyclist are.  Driving up we could only travel at between 30 kph with very short stretches at 50kph.  The cyclist average 22kph on this steep hill that is 10km long.

Coming past us in Ormea on a slight downhill was something else.  Here they were doing about 65kph.  It was a case of blink and you miss them.

It was fascinating seeing just how many support vehicles they have.  On TV we had never realised just how many cars each team has.  Even before the cyclist came through, there were some team cars going through to supply them with food and water further along the road.

This short video gives a sense for how fast they are going and how big the support convoy is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXH9Mw-KUeI

For those interested, the breakaway group was caught just 700m before the finish.  It was won by Arnaud Démare in a sprint finish.  Arnaud Démare was the leader in the sprint classification at this point in the race