Emma Mackie Races in the Women's Giro d'Italia, Part III

Emma Mackie's (Lotto-Belisol) second report in her own words:

Prologue, Day 1:

It is finally here, the start of the GiroDonne! Leaving the airport at 10.30am from Belgium and looking at the weather forecast in Pisa, cloudy and thunderstorms! I was not looking forward to the flight! But to our surprise we arrived in Pisa to sun! I’m always excited when I travel to Italy! I love coming here, the country, food and the best part of all, the Italian coffee...mmmm. I headed straight to the closest espresso bar to order "un cappuccino!" It didn’t disappoint.

So we have arrived at the hotel and it is very nice. I was surprised and happy to see we had air-conditioning! After a quick lunch I’m now relaxing before we leave in 30min for the 2.5km prologue!

After the prologue we arrived late back at the hotel, I think 11pm. So I was looking forward to a good night sleep after a long day and a hard short prologue in the heat! So I’m not sure where I finished think around mid field (ed. note: 70th). But with the days ahead this is not so important for me.

Stage 1, Day 2:

Today was a hard day! The heat was nearly unbearable and I’m from Australia!! Today’s stage was 99kms with two main climbs with the finish on top of the last climb! I got over the first climb with the front bunch. My legs feeling good considering I haven’t done much climbing lately. But the heat today really hit me. I heard from my team mate that the average temperature today was 38 degrees (C)! On the last climb I was trying to keep good position as it was going fast with Cervelo driving it on the front. In the last 2ks I was thinking great I could try for a good finish and tried to move up on the outside with 1k to go just as they kicked on the front! I'd moved to early and could feel the lactic rise from my legs to my throat and had to ease up as I'd lost too much. Now I just wanted to cross the line! But as soon as I did I was grabbed by the doping control, just my luck! So it’s been a lot of rehydration this afternoon. I had the best massage from Steffano our Italian masseuse. We have just finished dinner and I’m now ready for bed and looking towards the 13km time trial tomorrow in the heat! So for now it’s goodnight.

Ciao

Emma

Previous related stories from Emma:
Part I: http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.com/2009/06/emma-mackie-races-in-womens-giro.html
Part II: http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.com/2009/06/emma-mackie-races-in-womens-giro_29.html

Stories, including cycling trip stories, for the Italian Cycling Journal welcome; contact veronaman@gmail.com

GiroDonne, Stage 1

Edita Pucinskaite (Gauss RDZ Ormu - Colnago), race winner in 2006 and 2007, won the opening road stage and took the pink jersey of the GiroDonne today by outsprinting Italy's Fabiana Luperini (Selle Italia Ghezzi) and Germany's Judith Arndt (Team Columbia HTC Women) on the uphill finish in Pratolino di Vaglia.

"It's a wonderful feeling, unbelievable," said Pucinskaite. "I have suffered much in recent months, not having much success. I dedicate this victory to my team and to Ernesto Colnago, who have both made me feel important and assisted in putting me at ease. The Giro is long, but I am ready to go forward with my head held high. For me this is the greatest of victories and I will be ready to join the fight in each stage going forward." She dedicated her victory to fellow Lithuanian Zinaida Stahurskaia who was killed by an automobile last month while training.

Pucinskaite now leads in GC by one second over Arndt and nine seconds over Italians Cantele and Luperini.

American Megan Guarnier, from the US National Team, attempted a solo escape which lasted from Km 16 to 52.

Top 10 GC:
1 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Gauss RDZ Ormu - Colnago 2:49:28
2 Judith Arndt (Ger) Team Columbia HTC Women 0:00:01
3 Noemi Cantele (Ita) Bigla Cycling Team 0:00:09
4 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Selle Italia Ghezzi 0:00:09
5 Amber Neben (USA) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 0:00:11
6 Emma Pooley (GBr) Cervelo TestTeam 0:00:12
7 Diana Ziliute (Ltu) Safi - Pasta Zara Titanedi 0:00:13
8 Nicole Brandli (Swi) Bigla Cycling Team 0:00:14
9 Svetlana Bubnenkova (Rus) Fenixs Edilsavino 0:00:18
10 Kristin Armstrong (USA) Cervelo TestTeam 0:00:19

Stories, including cycling trip stories, for the Italian Cycling Journal welcome; contact veronaman@gmail.com

Tour de France, Monaco

The Tour de France has even invaded the Principality of Monaco. At 6.15pm, July 2nd, a quarter of an hour behind schedule and greeted by Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault on the specially built stage at Port Hercule, Prince Albert surrendered himself to the world of cycling. Greeting, thanking, celebrating, officiating. In two days' time the ninety-sixth Tour begins, but the Principality welcomed it two days beforehand, practically a week beforehand, and sentimentally a year ago when it participated in and promoted "le grand depart" during the race that started from Brest, in Brittany.

GRANDEUR - Monaco received, welcomed and hosted the Tour in style. The stage projected out over the port, and facing it was a stand holding 6,500 people, who leaped to attention when Merckx and Hinault arrived, and when Prince Albert arrived in a blue car with the number plate Monaco 1, they broke into applause. But there were people everywhere: on balconies, on terraces, on overbridges, on yachts moored at the quays. This was how Monte Carlo, with its mazes of skyscrapers, celebrated the two-wheelers, according them the glamour that seems the antithesis of the effort, the sacrifice, the sweat - of the road to be conquered with the power of the legs and heart. A peaceful invasion of bikes and jerseys, posters and displays, champions and glory.

AMBITIOUS PIPPO - Right down to the parade of the teams, who were introduced in heroic tones and an American style. The first team, obviously, was French: Bbox Bouygues Telecom. Then came Katusha, with the much-loved Pippo Pozzato, who is at home here both in terms of his place of residence and his vanity. "I want to win a stage," he declared, "to show my tri-colour jersey." In all, 20 teams, 180 riders, 40 team managers. A litany of brilliant careers, a list of victorious dreams, a collection of endless hopes. And the last was first: the last to be introduced was the winner of the 2008 Tour, the Spaniard Carlos Sastre.

TIME TRIAL TODAY - Between first and last, between last and first, there is room for the half-Tunisian Daid Haddou, the Basque Mikel Astarloza, the Sicilian Danilo Napolitano, the Etruscan Daniele Righi, for the favourite Alberto Contador, for the eternal Lance Armstrong. All stars - for a moment the most modest, for three weeks the strongest. Tomorrow the riders will be able to study the course for the first stage, a 15.5 km time trial. On Saturday it begins. And as is the case every time the Tour begins, so does summer, the party, the ritual of cycling.

Photo: Prince Albert, Felice Gimondi and Eddy Merckx, at the start of a charity ride in Monaco

Story by Marco Pastonesi. Stories, including cycling trip stories, for the Italian Cycling Journal welcome; contact veronaman@gmail.com

De Rosa for 2010

De Rosa is traveling around Italy displaying their 2010 models. These photos are from the stop in Montecatini Terme. Of note are the De Rosa King RS and the De Rosa IDOL.

The "RS" first appeared under Danilo Di Luca in the Giro d'Italia (see http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.com/2009/05/danilo-di-lucas-de-rosa.html).

The "IDOL" appears to be a completely new design, now with a traditional flat top tube and also with a straight fork.

Photos: De Rosa RS in center, De Rosa IDOL, De Rosa bikes on display

Stories, including cycling trip stories, for the Italian Cycling Journal welcome; contact veronaman@gmail.com

Giro Donne, Prologue

Kristen Wild (Cervelo Test Team) has won the GiroDonne prologue in Scarperia. She rode the 2.5 Km course in 3'06", an average speed of 48,387 Km/h.

Completing the podium was teammate Kristin Anderson ( -3.8 seconds) and Linda Melanie Villumsen (-4.13 seconds, Team Columbia High Road).

The highest placed Italian was Noemi Cantele (Bigla Cycling Team), in 12th while five time GiroDonne winner Fabiana Luperini (Selle Italia Ghezzi) was 16 seconds down from the pink jersey.

Emma Mackie (Lotto Belisol) was down 2 seconds from Luperini.

Top 10 finishers:

1. Kirsten Wild (Cervélo Test Team) in 3'06"12

2. Kristin Armstrong (Cervélo Test Team) at 3"80

3. Linda Villumsen Serup (Team Columbia-HTC Women) at 4"13

4. Ina Teutenberg (Team Columbia-HTC Women) at 4"79

5. Charlotte Becker (Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung) at 5"28

6. Katherine Carroll (Nazionale Usa) at 5"68

7. Susanne Ljungskog (Team Flexpoint) at 5"95

8. Iris Slappendel (Team Flexpoint) at 6"00

9. Trine Schmidt (Team Flexpoint) at 6"20

10. Chantal Beltman (Team Columbia-HTC Women) at 6"49

The four GiroDonne jerseys were awarded at the end of the stage to:

Pink (sponsor Dilà): Kristen Wild (Cervelo Test Team))
Cyclamen (sponsor Sayerlack): Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo Test Team)
Green (sponsor Poliedra): Linda Melanie Villumsen (Team Columbia)
White, best young rider (sponsor Regione Lombardia): Trine Schmidt (Team Flexpoint)

Stories, including cycling trip stories, for the Italian Cycling Journal welcome; contact veronaman@gmail.com

Preparations Complete for Women's Giro D'Italia

The preparations are complete for the start of the GiroDonne tomorrow. The nine stage race will get underway with an evening 2.5 Km prologue in the "borgo storico" of Scarperia in the province of Firenze (Florence). Scarperia traces its history to 1306.

The prologue, an individual time trial, which will begin at 7:00 p.m. from Piazzetta dei Vicari will be contested on a completely illuminated course. The early portion of the course is cobbled, and the finish is on a slight incline. The prologue should finish by 10:00 p.m.

Emma Mackie is flying into Pisa tomorrow with her Lotto-Belisol team and transferring to Scarperia. A busy day for sure.

Photos: 2.5 Km Scarperia prolgue course, Scarperia, the race will begin in front of the Palazzo dei Vicari

Previous related stories regarding Emma:

Part I: http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.com/2009/06/emma-mackie-races-in-womens-giro.html

Part II: http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.com/2009/06/emma-mackie-races-in-womens-giro_29.html

Stories, including cycling trip stories, for the Italian Cycling Journal welcome; contact veronaman@gmail.com

Preparing Your Bike for a Cycling Tour

The cycling tour season is getting into full gear about now. Here are some tips from Thomson Bike Tours, http://www.thomsonbiketours.com/, for preparing your bike for a cycling tour.


Our recommendations:


Have your wheels checked and trued.


Replace your tires. You'll be doing a lot of descending and you want to be sure that you have a good quality tire with good tread.


Check all gear and brake cables. Replace any cables that look worn. You don't want a brake cable snapping while descending Alpe d'Huez!


Replace your brake blocks. Only use high quality brake blocks such as Shimano or Campagnolo. Cheaper brake blocks tend to brake less smoothly and are usually less efficient in rain.


Install a 2nd bottle cage if you don't already have one.


Mark with tape the position of your seat post and handlebar stem. It's likely you'll have to undo these to fit your bike in your travel case and you'll want to keep the same position when re-building your bike on arrival.


Change your bike computer to km. All our cue sheets and the road signs are in kilometres.


If you replace your chain be sure to replace your rear cassette cogs as well.


Replace your cleats if they are worn.


And a few things you SHOULD NOT do:


Do not change your riding position immediately before the trip.


Do not change your shoes or cleat position immediately before the trip.


Do not change your chain without changing your rear cassette cogs.


Spare parts to bring:


We will have a fully qualified mechanic available on the trip with a comprehensive bicycle toolkit and numerous spare parts. However we cannot ensure that we will carry specific spares that you may need for your bicycle. As such we recommend that you bring the following spare parts:


6 extra spokes to fit your wheels. We will have many different sizes of spare spokes but we may not have your specific type and size.



1 spare tire.
2 spare tubes.
4 spare brake blocks. With all the descending we'll be doing brake blocks can be worn out pretty quickly.
1 spare gear cable.
1 spare brake cable.

Stories, including cycling trip stories, for the Italian Cycling Journal welcome; contact veronaman@gmail.com