Giro 2024:- Stage 5: Genova – Lucca, 178.0km ***Spoilers***
Stage 5: Genova – Lucca, 178.0km
May 8th.
Start time: 12-00BST.
It's enough to bring Mario Cipollini out of retirement-the third consecutive sprint stage. The riders leave the city of Genova and travel along the coast on the Aurelia state road in the first 50 km. The stage has just two climbs on the menu. The first is the third category Passo del Bracco which comes after 62km of racing and the second is the fourth category Montemagno climb which the peloton summits just under 20km from the finish line of Lucca. In total, riders face nearly 2,200 metres of elevation gain in the 5th stage of the Giro d’Italia.
profile
map
Climb
final kilometres
The last flat kilometres consist of a series of straights linked by a few wide half-bends. Of note is a single right-angle bend 2.5 km from the finish. Final straight of 350 m on an 8 m wide asphalt road.
Genova
Genoa, a city in Northern Italy and the capital of Liguria, is a unique jewel set between sea and mountains.
The city, well connected to Milan and very close to the Alps, is one of the main ports on the Mediterranean and hides an heritage of beauty to be explored.
Food
Genoa has its culinary tradition has ancient roots and reveals the character of the territory and the cleverness of its people who have been able to invent genuine, tasty and attractive cuisine, using simple ingredients.Walking through the historic centre it’s impossible to resist the temptation of a piece of Genoese focaccia, a real delight for the palate, ideal for a snack at any time of the day!At lunchtime nothing like stopping in one of the ancient sciamadde (the term comes from “flame” and identifies the ancient street chip shop with wood oven), where you can taste delicious specialties such as farinata, made with chickpea flour and baked in a wood oven, stuffed anchovies, frisceu (tasty salty fritters made with batter) and numerous vegetable pies.At dinner time, there are many restaurants where you can spend the evening and enjoy the specialties of Genoese cuisine, first of all the pesto, the undisputed king of local food, which here has a unique flavour, also thanks to the Genoese D.O.P. (denomination of controlled origin) basil.Typical Genoese cuisine is also rich in fish dishes, such as cappon magro, a scenic and appetizing fish salad; the stockfish is excellent both “accomodato” (stewed with potatoes, olives and pine nuts) and like a salad, called brandacujun.
Lucca
Provincial capital of Tuscany, Lucca is a city steeped in ancient history, but also a lively cultural centre full of important events. Famous for its perfectly preserved 16th century city walls, it is characterised by its numerous precious monuments dating back to a past when Lucca was one of the most important cities of the Italian Middle Ages.
Local Cusine
The territory of Lucca offers a wide variety of culinary excellences. On the table, two cornerstones of traditional cuisine are the zuppa frantoiana, a soup made with vegetables and aromatic herbs combined with a puree of beans and laid bread, to be seasoned strictly with extra virgin olive oil fresh from the mill. Another typical dish par excellence, served on the tables of restaurants and families on feast days, are the tordelli lucchesi (spelled with a “d” instead of the usual “t”), pasta stuffed with meat and seasoned with beef and pork ragout. Then, springtime means Garmugia, a soup of noble origins with seasonal vegetables and ground meat. Also not to be missed is spelt soup, very creamy, prepared with different types of beans. Among the Slow Food presidia are red beans.Main courses include rovellina (beef repassed in tomato and caper sauce), fried poultry and vegetable stews, simple but tasty, accompanied by the fragrant DOC wines of the Lucchesi Hills and Montecarlo.
Other specialities include buccellato, a simple, bread-like cake, rich in sultanas and aniseed, and torta co’ becchi, a shortcrust pastry base filled with chard, pine nuts, sultanas, stale bread and spices, which is also available in a chocolate version.
Typical liqueurs to pleasantly end a meal are biadina and china Massagli, with a slightly bitter herbal taste.
Comments
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Lucca isn't just the birthplace of Cipollini (as Blazing mentions above), but also of Giacomo Puccini, the opera composer.
Following the success of his opera Manon Lescaut in 1893, Puccini bought himnself a bicycle, a make called Humbert, and wrote to a friend that he had “fallen in love with the bicycle“. He got cycling lessons from a painter friend, Ferruccio Pagni, who lived at Torre del Lago near Viarregio, 20 km from Lucca. Pagni later recalled that Puccini, despite his passion for cycling, at the beginning had difficulty with balance and control, and one time ended up off the road, up to his neck in a ditch full of greenish water.
Puccini tried to get his brother-in-law to also take up cycling, suggesting to him about 4 makes which Puccini liked for their different features. The makes he recommended included an english bike called a Melton.
The bicycle became a real sport for Puccini, he even entering some local competitions, coming away from them with honour – after one race in 1895, the president of the cycling club which arranged the event wrote that Puccini was as good at cycling as he was at music, and that he dropped many of the other participants. The president wrote that those he dropped “Sembravano tanti peperoni“, i.e. 'They looked like so many bell peppers' (not a saying I know, but its meaning can be guessed - maybe like in german one says someone who fails is a Gurke = gherkin or cucumber).
Puccini is apparently on this picture, but I don't know which one he is.
The bicycle path existing today from Lucca to Vecchiano, about 15 Km SW of Lucca, is called the Ciclopedonale Puccini in the composer's honour and memory. And each year, usually early April, there is a Puccini weekend in the Lucca area, which as well as guided tours at the Puccini museum and at the villa where Puccini lived, and flashmob performances and formal concerts of his music, includes a 55 km cycling tour to Torre del Lago, where Puccini learnt to cycle.
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The Passo del Bracco is the last pass to be crossed during the 'Gran Fondo delle Cinque Terre', but in the opposite direction compared to the stage 5 route.
I hope they have improved the road surface from the top of the Montemagno climb down to San Quirico, the outer 1 m wide edges on each side of the road were in a very poor, pot-holed and fractured state not long ago.
I'm disappointed they are not finishing inside the walls of Lucca old town, though I suppose the stone slab paving may not be level enough and would be precariously slippy if wet.
Blazing mentions above two food items I associate a lot with Lucca, Tordelli (stuffed pasta) and Buccellato (of which Blazing includes a photo). There is a saying in Lucca “If you come to Lucca and you don't eat a buccellato, it's like you haven't been here“.
I associate Lucca with another sweet pastry too - Cantucci, hard lozenge-shaped biscuits with almonds, eaten with an expresso or with vino santo.
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Yeah the local ragu has nutmeg in which sets it apart from your more typical ragu from around that part of Italy.
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Just caught something on The Breakaway about them being unsure when the stage will start. Did I hear that right and, if so, what is the issue as weather looks good?
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Rolling out now so obviously nothing major.
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It looks as if the improved weather, forecast for later in the week, has arrived early. ☀️☀️☀️
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
This is by far and away the prettiest of the 3 sprint stages.
The peloton keeping the breakaway on a ridiculously short leash.
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Alpecin with a pretty high pace on the main climb of the day. Jakobsen already out of the back. Strung out in one line.
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The bit along the ridge just now was spectacular.
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Crazy pace on the front putting lots of sprinters under pressure. 4km to go and several already gone or just clinging on.
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Going to be tough to keep merlier off the back for 115km though. Needs a couple of teams to commit to it.
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Merlier got back but Jakobsen is apparently 3'40" behind with two teammates. Good job they also brought Tobias Lund Andresen with them...
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Tobias Foss on saddle-holding duty for a leaking G
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Going to restart after the intermediate?
"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
I think Voigt has been feeding us dodgy info - Jakobsen is back in the peloton
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Laporte crash
"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
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Been watching out the corner of my eye ...
"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
Christophe Laporte has a nasty crash, apparently not seeing a manhole cover.
Nobody else involved but at high speed as the IS was underway.
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Race reset after sprint .... Break trying to form
"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
Yep
Valgren one of four riders trying to get away
Laporte back riding
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Looked back to say something to a leadout drifting back and completely missed something on the road
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They've given the four a bit, 65km to go
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I have to say that I find these many split screen inserts that Eurosport are fond of packing into the back end of each stage, very irritating.
They add nothing, are often irrelevant and incredibly distracting.
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.1 -
Laporte back in the peloton
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There's a fair amount of good team tactics and execution in this giro ..even when the tactics have been questionable the execution has been good ..
Ineos polti and alpecin stand out
"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
Entire stage has been chasing that Train 🚂
"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
Crash
"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
Pog following G round every stage finale
"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
Martinez doesn't like riding up front....gets caught out a lot
"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0
