The Giro is going very well so far.  I might be minutes down on the general classification, but I am safe and healthy!  Crashes have been the norm for the first few days.  Crazy courses, with turns every hundred meters and traffic islands as far as the eye can see.  With so many Italians racing here, and their lack of experience with races in the north of Europe, the races have been very nervous and dangerous.

Now we are in Italy!  Tomorrow will see each team trying to be the best against the clock in the team time trial.  The course is dead straight and about as flat as possible.  Speeds will never drop below the 50kph (30mph) mark, and that should make for a fast and exciting stage.  Here are some pictures of the course, which we previewed this morning.

There are very few climbs in the cycling world that are a cherished as the Passo Gavia.  There is also no other church/museum as beloved as the Madonna de Ghisallo.  Brendan and I were lucky to experience both of these in the same day this past Saturday!  After our seven-hour journey the day before we decided the body could use a little rest so we headed out for a short and easy ride around Ponte de Legno.  Once out on the road we couldn’t pass up riding the Passo Gavia as it basically starts at our hotel’s front door.  The easy day soon turned into not so easy.  We ignored all signs stating the road was closed and continued to ride up its steep slopes and into the snow.  Experiencing the climb with no traffic was really special.  It was just the trees and the wind out there, making for a very peaceful ride.  Around five kilometers from the top my knees had had enough, and not wanting to cause any injuries before the Giro we decided to flip it and head back to the hotel.

In the afternoon we drove down the valley and alongside the famous Lago di Como (Lake Como) and then up to the top of the Madonna de Ghisallo.  There the church waited for us with open doors and a surprising amount of tourists.  We gazed at its walls, covered in cycling memorabilia, just trying to soak in as much of the history around us as possible.  But for that you would need much longer than a few minutes.  Every inch of the church is covered with bikes, jerseys and any and all things cycling related.  It was truly amazing to see this firsthand and a must for any cycling fan.  I was also very surprised and happy to see so many tour buses park outside with their guests interested in learning the history of cycling.  Cycling is defiantly growing at the moment, I feel.