Giau Archives

Giro d’Italia 2020 Report

February 9, 2023August 14, 2020

So, how did I fare this Giro d’Italia 2020, compared to what I had in mind beforehand?

Well, I choked on the Mortirolo (from Mazzo) again and – barely – made it up the Bernina, all the way from Tirano.

The difference with last year being, that this did not happen during the same stage and that the Mortirolo was just as hot, but the Bernina was the coldest of all.

But, I kinda, sorta, had my revenge on the Mortirolo, as I was on its summit no less than four times, twice during the same stage.

I also ended up on the Stelvio summit three times, during my prologue and as finishes for stages 7 and 9.

And, I was able to complete the Maratona dles Dolomites, which had been on my to-do/wish list, since I first visited the Dolomites in 2011.

Not surprisingly, that stage (6) also came with the highest elevation difference (D+) of all stages: almost 4,250 meters.

Giro d’Italia 2020 Plans

February 25, 2022July 16, 2020

Contrary to my past ‘Grand Tours’, I’m not going to write a road book for my Giro d’Italia 2020.

Every time I put a lot of effort in it and while I usually manage to generally follow the stages I had in mind, I frequently have to change plans anyway.

This can be for any number of reasons, my advancing age probably not being the least important.

But, I’ve also suffered from a cyclist nodule and intense, hernia induced or incident related (back) pains.

Plus, the weather can be a force to reckon with and not seldom have I been cycling in near freezing conditions or ice cold rain one day, only to have my brain blown out because of the heat the next.

And while I have new climbs to discover during this Giro, I am already quite familiar with the area(s) and most of its climbs.

So, I can leave it that and you can stop reading if you’re no longer interested, but I’m writing down a few (loose) ideas anyway…

Passo Giau

April 10, 2022September 7, 2015

With a summit at 2,236 meters, the Passo Giau doesn’t earn a high ranking in the list of highest (paved) passes in Europe.

However, with an average of 9.1%, the climb from Selva di Cadore is a tough one.

Climbing the Giau is also part of the long version of the Maratona dles Dolomites, the “Percorsa Maratona”.

I managed to ride that by myself, as it’s near impossible and expensive to get an entry to the official event, during my Giro d’Italia of 2020.

Besides, the event was cancelled in 2020, due to Covid-19…

Giro d’Italia 2015 – Stage 4

February 25, 2022June 16, 2015

Tre Cime di Lavaredo & Giau

It looked like it was now or never for the attack on Tre Cime di Lavaredo. I let go of the idea to make that a 150+ kilometer round trip, so we transferred to Cortina d’Ampezzo by car…

From there, I eventually found the way up to Tre Croci, which could be considered a warm up for the real thing.

Descending the Tre Croci and then climbing back up to the Lago di Misurina, brought me to the start of the tough part of the climb up Tre Cime.

Paula had to pay no less than 24 Euro to get past the toll gate – seeing you on a bicycle, they just laugh at you and you pay nothing – and while it was ever getting colder, I started to inch my way up.

Giro d’Italia 2011 – Stage 1

August 23, 2020July 2, 2011

Valparola, Giau & Falzarego

Today our self declared cycling hero was out for some serious climbing.

It was not that easy to find a route that would not require (more than one) transfer by car, but he found one.

Unfortunately, the trip to the starting point in La Villa (Badia) took longer than expected.

Why vehicles with a (combined) length of over 10 meters are allowed on the Gardena Pass, is a mystery to C. but he was not amused and they arrived on the spot as late as 11:00…