If I accomplished anything during the race today it was that I came to the realization that I want to live in the Piemonte region at some point during my life.  From the start to the finish we were surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery that you could possibly ask for. 

The days prior to the race Thomas Lovkvist and I rode on quiet one lane roads and up and over countless hills, some gradual and some way over 20% grades!  We past vineyard after vineyard and village after village and hardly ever came across any traffic, something that I thought would never be possible in northern Italy.  I am not sure if it is the food, wine, culture, sights or scenery, but I am always excited to be in Italy and to race through one of my favorite regions, Piemonte, was even more special.

We took the start in Novi Ligure just outside of a cycling museum named after the great Fausto Coppi, who was from this area.  From what I hear, it is very much worth a visit if you are ever in the area, unfortunately we didn’t have time today.  The race didn’t disappoint today, and started full gas just as every other day here.  I was hoping things would settle down quickly so I could take in the sights.  After a couple of hours, and with two guys up the road, we made our way into the hills.  We rode a good tempo up each and every climb, passing through the towns of La Morra, Barolo, Monforte d’Alba and Novello.  If you know a thing or two about wine, you will easily recognize these names as they appear on some of the most sought after bottles in the world.

We spent last weekend in the food capital in Italy, Bologna, and this week we are in the wine capital, Piemonte.  Here wine is everything and it’s easy to see.  Every sign on the road either points to a vineyard or to a wine bar, and close to 70% of the land is covered in grapes.  I had to control myself when racing through, as I wanted to just hope off the bike and head to one of the many wine bars that looked so inviting.

I guess you could say that my head wasn’t quite in the race today.  That’s not completely a bad thing.  This race is primarily an opener for the big one on Saturday, Giro di Lombardia.  Most guys keep things pretty relaxed, and are focused on just staying fresh for Saturday.  If you look at it that way, that’s exactly what I did.  The speed was good the whole day, never too taxing.  We did have a very technical finish into Fossano, something you would expect from the organizers, RCS Sport, the same people who run the Giro d’Italia.  That forced all of the splits in the peloton and Philippe Gilbert continued his impressive string of victories.