Giro d'Italia – Live with us again the transfer of Giro in Predazzo, Italy

May 24 was a very special day for me, waiting to see the pass in Giro for the first time in my life! I anxiously wait for most of the afternoon, then finally through the village of Predazzo TN, in the heart of the Val di Fiemme, all the cyclists roared in front of me, a cheerleader is supporting them, pacing the road for the local fans and tourists of all ages. It’s a wonderful mountain resort, popular because it is frequented by athletes from all over the world, who practice all kinds of disciplines from bottom skiing to alpine skiing, cycling on the road to mountain biking, not to mention all the sport activities that can be practiced in the mountains: running, climbing, trekking, paragliding and more!

Among the countless sporting events offered, the 100th Giro d'Italia could not be missed! Predazzo has become the favorite in the 17th stage (Tirano - Canazei), which was placed towards the end of the day, shortly before entering in the valley Ladina di Fassa putting the runners’ arrival in the town of Canazei. In addition, the recent days have been very challenging, given the tough climbs faced, but the show must go on. In fact, the Giro going into the heart of the Dolomites will face many other challenges.

How lucky to be able to live this race atmosphere, the whole world is watching with enthusiasm and it is great to see this show even outside the crowd. I visit the website of the Giro d'Italia to study the timeline of the race, I am very curious and agitated, I certainly do not want to miss the show! When I go out I find myself in the front row, I sit in the cafeteria in front of the wonderful church in the center of Predazzo, I have a perfect view, and to be honest I don’t know what to expect ....

While waiting, I begin to hear different discussions about the turnaround time of the Giro. One gentleman says that the road will close at 15.00. Then an old lady says to another lady, “not before 4.30 pm” ... they begin to doubt if they have understood the information. And if that gentleman was right? Were the cyclists late? Had I gone home too early? At one point I appeal to all of my Ironman fan and triathlon fans in general, so I order coffee and a glass of wine, enjoying the moment of tranquility, studying the race course that the runners are facing. After a few minutes I can see the big buses of the various teams and the road immediately takes on a different color.

The plaza slowly fills and arriving from all directions are children, elderly, young, families, sportsmen, all to cheer and root for the Tour of Italy cyclists! At this point, it’s almost time for the "Circus of the Tour" to pass. The adults tell the children to watch out for the beautiful cars passing by now! I'm just curious as to what’s going on. At one point there is full-length music on board a fire engine, followed by all the cars of the sponsors that, with their glittering and jolly bohemian colors, animate the atmosphere by letting the runners wait. Children play trumpets, holler and run, you start to feel the atmosphere growing more and more, but we have to wait a little longer.

I sit on a sidewalk, bathing in the sunlight on this wonderful day and watching everyone talk to each to other about cycling in these minutes; I even hear some Czech-speaking cyclists, are moving to Canazei to see the race coming, maybe 'It's better to get rid of it!

I'm a little sorry not to have the waving flag of the Czech Republic to cheer on our 3 Czech riders, Jan Barta (Bora), Jan Hitr (CCC) and Michal Schlegel (CCC), who all know if they will pass they will hear me cheering in czech. I watch the live stream of the race on my phone, finally the RAI helicopters that follow and film the ride from above arrive, there’s no doubt that they’re on their way!

Here's the first group: the fugitives! It’s crowded with their fans with rooftop bikes and on-board technical assistance, it's great to see them in action, both runners and support staff. People cheer and cry, I see great emotion in the people's eyes- a truly beautiful atmosphere!

Now other police bikes pass, giving the children high fives as they pass on the roadside, greeting the fans and making sure the road is clear for the passers-by. The second bigger group arrives; they go so fast that the video is somewhat blurry! A few minutes later the third group passes; it's the group with the Pink Jersey! They all cheer her on! Oh my god, there are so many cyclists!

There are so many cyclists that I don’t know how it’s possible to go so fast without touching and bumping each other! It’s a great atmosphere. After the third group I feel a bit more typhoid, I go on waiting for other cyclists, instead a local villager, an older woman, passes on an old bike, all the people start to cheer for her. It’s a funny scene. The fourth group is still left, which isn’t late, they just have a few stragglers. Everything that I have personally witnessed at Giro d'Italia ends here. I waited 2 hours, but it was worth it! It’s a shame not to be present at the arrival of Canazei, but unfortunately work commitments beckon me. It was great to see that during a weekday, so many people gathered to participate actively in this event. I think this is what the Tour is all about, lots of participation and discovering wonderful corners of Italy after such a historic event. It was a beautiful and intense afternoon of emotions, these beautiful memories I'm sure will stay in my heart forever.

In the beginning, starting from Tirano, there were interesting and challenging climbs like Aprica and Passo del Tonale, followed by the long descent of the Val di Sole. In the second part was a constant ascension with the GPM of Giovo at the beginning of the climb, followed by a long false plane gradually increasing up to the expected arrival at Canazei (already three times city of stage). The last 5 km was entirely at an incline along the wide and well paved road. There was a very short downhill about 1000 m from the arrival. French runner-up victory Pierre Rolland wins the 17th stage on Canazei's goal, 30-year-old Frenchman from the Cannondale team. Good performance by Czech Jan Barta closing the stage at 18th place in the standings.

I return to my commitments, but with a touch of rose in my cheeks thanks to my new beautiful shirt and cap from the 100th edition of the Giro d'Italia...

Martina Frascona' Sochůrková

Tri Fun Fit

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