Bogliasco Giorni: Il Giorno della Corsa della Bicicletta

Today was the day of the race. It was true that the town was being closed down, but it really didn't happen until after lunch. We decided to stay on our feet for the day and not take a chance on driving around and not getting back to the room! We walked around town during the morning, ending up at a cafe in the central piazza,which was buzzing with activity associated with the race.

Apparently, there is a huge 'cult' type following for these races and people will follow the race for its duration of about a week. They tend to be fairly serious riders as well. There were innumerable biking clubs with hundreds of riders migrating through town. The idea was to ride the course of the Giro contestants in advance of the actual professional race.

Bikers of all ages.......meeting in the Piazza

Enthusiastic Biking Clubs

The amateurs riding the course

We heard that the leg that day was about 230 KM.....or about 130 miles. The race goes through the narrow streets in the center, the majority of which are stone paved (cobbles).....which seemed like a treacherous place to have a race!

While at the cafe, we sat next to a group of bike enthusiasts. It turns out that they were associated with the famous bicycle company, Pinarello, which is based in Treviso. Their bikes were being ridden by the first place team, Team Sky, and they were quite upbeat about their position. We had a long chat with one of the sales managers, who actually comes from Cyprus. He gave us a lot of background on the race.

Pink flowers in the Roman Fountain

the most popular cafe in the central piazza

where we hung out at lunch time......meeting the folks from Pinarello

As an aside, he (and his family) love to mountain bike. His 'Mecca' is Whistler. He hopes to take his family there next year, if possible. We gave him the details of our visit when Alex was really into mountain biking.......and got me to go to the top of Blackcomb in a gondola......and fly down the Ho Chi Minh trail!......actually flying as I had a major catapult move that put me over the handlebars and into some rocks to the side of the trail. None the worse for wear, we continued down the course and had a good afternoon of biking.......the problem being that when things stiffened up, I could barely walk for the next week). Andi also told him about the bear sighting that were posted......with a notice made at the base of the mountain that the trail Alex and I were on was being closed for safety reasons!

Anyway, sorry for the diversion! We went back to the hotel and had a wonderful lunch out on the terrace......then a short rest, and preparation for watching the race. The hotel was right on a steep uphill section of the course. We were able to stand in the doorway of the hotel and had to press back to stay off the street.

There was a lot of fanfare in advance of the riders, with police cars and other official vehicles passing through the course to make sure the street was clear. The commotion picked up around 4:30, with more cars, sirens, loudspeakers and helicopters overhead. When the riders arrived it was amazing. The speed they managed up the hill was incredible. They were literally 5" from us. It was an extraordinary experience. We are loading a video clip that gives and idea of what it felt like.

lining the street outside our hotel

outfits were a big deal!

two spectators across the street......as we noted, all ages!

the first racers arrive

While we were watching, we met a doctor from Los Angeles who was also staying at the hotel with his wife. We had a long chat, the result of which was we decided to meet for dinner that night. As we came down for dinner a few hours later, the gardens and facades of the hotel had all been illuminated with pink lights......amazing. They were having a party for a private group associated with the race. Most of the function took place outside.......and concluded about 10 minutes before it started to rain heavily! Timing is everything! The rain would also have been a disaster for the bike race and the portion of the street paved with stone!