Anyone been to see the Giro?

notsoblue

('scuse the crosspost...)
Might have the opportunity to be in Tuscany during the Giro this year, specifically the Assisi - Montecatini stage. Has anyone been? Wondering how easy it will be to rock up somewhere to watch the race...

andyrr

I've been to see stage a few times - some stages are going to be get access to whilst others need greater planning.
I remember one which passed through a town not far from where we were staying and we drove there and parked a the side of the road and just watched them flash by. Not particularly exciting as there were no specific features such as hills, intermediate sprint etc to mark it out from any other bit of road. I've also seen a couple of hilly TT stages, one the stage from Briancon, during the Giro where Pantani made one of his comebacks (I think) and Garzelli also rode for his team, baking hot that day and we sat at the side of the road gently baking in the heat as there was no shade available. Stage like that you need to get parked up further in advance.
Do some planning, check maps for roads that lead to where you fancy seeing the race and take into consideration the fact that a road that joins the race-route may be closed a distance from there. In my experience it is a smaller race than the TdF so restrictions are not as severe.

Anonymous

Agree with a lot of what Andy says.
I'm going to the last 2 weekends this year, have previously done gavia pass a couple of years ago & Sestriere & Milan last year.

I'm really looking forward to the stelvio, tying that in with spa break in bormio to keep the other half happy.....

mrushton

A couple of times. 2007 saw the ride into La Thuile (Piepoli followed by Basso). Freezing cold day and snow at the summit of the last climb. Next day we rode to Aosta to see the start of the next stage. Got passed by the T-Mobile cars and bus and a couple of the guys I was with rode with Ullrich and Simoni from the bus park to the starting area. 2010 I was at the start of the TT from Pesaro to Urbino. You can watch the riders warm up, get close to the glorious amounts of kit that you will never own and stand at the roadside and be in touching distance of the riders coming past. The Tinkoff squad were in the next hotel and the team Mercs were parked in the street with Colnago TT bikes set up for the race that day. Best to be at the start or finish or a spectacular climb (pref. on a warm day)

Anonymous

Yeah, the top of the big climbs (with snow walls) are amazing....

But loopily cold going back down.

greasedscotsman

Choppered wrote:

Yeah, the top of the big climbs (with snow walls) are amazing....

...from the Gavia in '06.

Greggyr

Midweek stage starts/finishes are a great place to get close to the action. There are smaller crowds than at a weekend

knedlicky

Greggyr wrote:

Midweek stage starts/finishes are a great place to get close to the action. There are smaller crowds than at a weekend

andyrr wrote:

In my experience it is a smaller race than the TdF so restrictions are not as severe.

Agree with both the above.
I’ve been twice to the Giro: one time along a hilly TT, other time at a stage (sprint) finish. On the TT day we were able to ride part of the course much later than the TdF allows and at the stage finish it was far easier to get close to the actual finish line than I’ve ever found at the TdF.

If you want atmosphere, apart from being at the stage start or finish, try finding where one or the other fan club is that day.
Many Italian riders have fan clubs which erect covered stages or set up tables and benches under huge umbrellas somewhere along the route of each stage. There might be 30-40 fans occupying the area where they set up, equipped with all the food and drink they need, all manner of flag, banners, drums, bugles, etc, and of course a TV to follow what’s happening as the riders get closer. And the fans often make quite a racket and a good bit of atmosphere for an hour or two before their hero passes.

On the stage you might go to, I’d guess the fan clubs will be somewhere on the last climb, 12 km before the finish, or maybe on the main climb of the day, a bit over halfway along the stage.
(Pity for you that Nocentini is supposed to be skipping the Giro this year, because that stage goes through the town he comes from, Montevarchi, and if he were taking part, there would probably be a good atmosphere there too.)

RadioSchleck

Giro doesn't seem as exiting this year as the past few years so i'm skipping it. Vuelta should be really good this year with 7 mountain top finishes, I'm thinking about being on the sidleines a couple of Km from the finish for three of those stages and in the last Km for the other four. The stages with the really steep ramps included in the tour this year is something else that I'd pay to see, but no definitive plans yet.

johngg

I'm going to see the Giro this year and heading for the stage up the Stelvio pass. Has anyone done this before? Looks like I can only get a hotel in Prato, but how do you get to the climb. I think you cannot park your car on the climb, but are there any designated places the organisers want you to park.

ilm_zero7

off to Denmark this year for 3 stages

Anonymous

johngg wrote:

I'm going to see the Giro this year and heading for the stage up the Stelvio pass. Has anyone done this before? Looks like I can only get a hotel in Prato, but how do you get to the climb. I think you cannot park your car on the climb, but are there any designated places the organisers want you to park.

I haven't done the stelvio for the Giro, but when I did the gavia a couple of years ago, traffic was sent to park in Santa caterina valfurva, village about half way up. Suspect you'll only get as far as bormio for the stelvio as there's not much afterwards.
I unwittingly drove up the stelvio the day after the gavia stage. Road was only open on the bormio side - worth bearing in mind when you plan travel...