There is snow on at the top of the legendary Passo di Gavia this week in Italy, and there is talk in the pro peloton that the organizers of the Giro d'Italia may re-route the race around the Gavia on the penultimate stage of this year's race.
The Gavia was made famous by Andy Hampsten's epic ride in the 1988 Giro. But too much snow at the top of the Gavia this year would make the climb too hard, and it would make the descent just too dangerous for words.
So, what happens if they change Saturday's stage, and eliminate the Gavia altogether? We have two opinions, starting with BMC's world champ Cadel Evans, talking about the possible change in the Giro corsa. Listen to what Cadel and Lampre director Brent Copeland have to say, in the following CycleTo video.
Pink is everywhere at the Giro d'Italia...pink jerseys, pink bikes, pink socks, pink helmets, pink balloons...the place is lousy with pink.
So, why is it all pink? The company that runs the Giro is the same company that owns La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian sporting daily. And La Gazzetta is printed on pink paper.
Capisce?
Every day during the ritual of rider sign-in before the start of the stage, they make a big deal out of the Maglia Rosa, the pink jersey worn by the leader of the Giro. He's brought up on stage, quizzed about what he's going to do that day in the race, and then they release a flood of balloons into the sky. Pink balloons, of course.
Want to see what it all looks like? We take you on a quick trip to Italy in the the following CycleTo video, below.
They raced for nearly 4.5 hours today, over 173km of Italian roads, with one big climb in between. But in the end, everything stayed the same atop the general classification of the Giro d'Italia.
Damien Monier, riding for Cofidis, won the stage, but he's so far back in the GC that the big boys just let him go. Nearly ten minutes after Monier finished, all the contenders came to the line together.
The result...the time gaps stay the same. Caisse d'Epargne's David Arroyo still leads Liquigas star Ivan Basso by 2:27...Richie Porte of Saxo Bank is 17 seconds behind Basso...BMC's Cadel Evens trails Porte by 25 seconds...and Cervelo's Carlos Sastre is 1:32 behind Evans. One of those men should win the final Maglia Rosa when the Giro rolls through Verona on Sunday.
A relatively flat day is on the schedule for Thursday, from Levico Terme to Brescia. Then they're back in the pain cave, riding the dreaded Mortirolo on Friday and the Gavia on Saturday. We've heard that snow may be falling on the Gavia when they hit the slopes. Ugh.
But first things first. We were given incredible access to the athletes at the start in Bruneck today. Check out the the photos of the stars and starlets from sign-in to roll-out, below.
This race has been a baptism by fire for BMC's Brent Bookwalter. On the first day of his first grand tour, Bookwalter earned a spot on the Giro d'Italia podium with a solid second place in the opening TT.
Since then, he's settled into his role as a reliable support rider for Cadel Evans, BMC's contender for this year's overall Giro championship.
We caught up with Bookwalter at the the brutal uphill TT from Marebbe to Plan de Corones. And as tough as this stage looked, it was nothing compared to some of the strain and pain that Brent has faced so far in 16 days of racing in Italy. Listen to his candid comments about about his first Giro, in the following CycleTo video.
From the scenic vistas across the jagged peaks, to the tough guys guarding the golden Giro trophy, to the belly dancer writhing her way across the race course, there are things going on at the Giro d'Italia that almost make the bike race seem like a secondary diversion.
For a look at some of the more memorable moments before, during and after the Plan de Corones time trial, go here.
And for a look at something that you'd never see at a bike race in America, check out the following CycleTo video.
An epic day on the mountains that separate Italy from Austria gives us some unforgettable photos of the heroes of the individual time trial in Stage 16 the Giro d'Italia.
From the village of Marebbe to the top of ski area at Plan de Corones, the strain and suffering was etched on the faces of the stars of the 2010 Giro.
Here's our look at the big names, their big hurts, and the big sighs of relief on the post-race podium, below.
Stefano Garzelli, the Aqua Sapone star and 2000 Giro champion, found the old fire today and beat the best up the brutual time course from Marebbe to Plan de Corones.
How brutal was it? In 12.9 kilometers, they gained 1,086 meters (that's 3,562 feet), with pitches up to 24%, and the last 5km above the tree line, on gravel. It doesn't much more brutal than this.
Garzelli beat BMC world champ Cadel Evans by 42 seconds for the win, but the real battle is against the clock. David Arroyo of Caisse d'Epargne keeps the Maglia Rosa, but all the contenders gain time on leader.
Liquigas star Ivan Basso is now 2:27 back...Evans is 3:09 behind...Cervelo's Carlos Sastre trails Arroyo by 4:36...Vincenzo Nibali of Liquigas is 4:53 back...and Astana's Alexandre Vinokourov sits 5:12 back.
Tomorrow, they go from Brunek to Peio Terme, 173km, with one moster climb just past the mid-point. This Giro ain't gettin' any easier, folks.
We confess that we've been a bit out of touch with what's going on in California, ever since we landed in Italy and started turning our attention to the 2010 Giro d'Italia.
Back home in the Golden State, Aussie Mick Rogers pulled on the final golden jersey, winning the Tour of CA championship. Rogers, the HTC-Columbia leader, beat Garmin's Dave Zabriskie by nine seconds in the final GC, with three-time Levi Leipheimer in third, 25 seconds back.
RadioShack's Chris Horner was a solid fourth, with Garmin's Ryder Hesjedal...the winner of Sunday's final circuit race...in fifth place.
Horner talks about that final race of the Tour, and gives major props to Mick Rogers, in the following video courtesy of our friends at Team RadioShack.
The racers will ride into Hell during the last week of the Giro d'Italia, but we may be about as close to heaven as you can get on a bike.
One of our pre-Giro rituals is a pilgrimage to the sanctuary atop of the Madonna del Ghisallo climb. The church at the top is the venerated shrine of cycling, and a must-see for every serious cyclist.
It's 30km of rollers along the lake from Como to Bellagio, then a tough 9km climb up to the top. It's exactly 30km down the back side of the Ghisallo on the return trip into into Como. For a look at all the GPS stats on Endomondo, go here.
And for more photos from a nearly-perfect day on the bike, come along as we take you to one of the world's all-time top-ten must-do rides, below.
