2016 Giro d'Italia Gran Fondo review

So five days later, and I still can't decide which was the biggest challenge of the 2016 NI Gran Fondo- getting up at 5:15am on a Sunday morning or the "Monte Braniel" that came after 6km. Actually the real answer is neither of these- instead it was an unexepected event (although come to think of it, Monte Braniel played a role, just on the descent rather than the ascent). After pushing it up "Monte Moneyreagh" I was feeling good and suddenly the roundabout appeared that marked the start of the fun part. This was what I had been envisioning as I struggled up the climb just 2 hours previously- when gravity and my mass would become  allies as opposed to contradictory elements that had spent the majority of the previous 30 miles fighting with each other. So I let fly, with the security of closed roads. However the individual in front of me wouldn't hold his line and in order to avoid any potential incidents I went wide to overtake him. This necessitated going over the chevrons and my back wheel clipped a cat's eye. I heard that distinctive "nick" sound that deep down means you know your hands won't stay clean today. Instinct meant I was able to feather the brakes and get across to the footpath just as the tyre deflated, around the half way point of the descent. Further hopes of a quick change were dashed when a wee friendly Belfast man decided to have a chat as I popped off the wheel and got my spare tube from my back pocket. Since he was basically a prisoner in his own street until the roads opened later that evening, I felt duty bound to engage with him in a pleasant way, as more and more cyclists flew past. Eventually I got back on, thanked the Lord for CO2 inflators and went on to finish 368th out of almost 2000 people and 20 mins quicker than last year, despite my little incident.

At the start- I am 3rd from left in the front row

 However things could have been worse a few minutes after my crevassé, just as the descent was coming to an end. The road had been coned off at this point to allow vehicles to get up and down  and some gabshite driving a church minibus did a sudden u-turn to get from the lane on the left to that on the right. This brought him right across the closed part of the road and some cyclists, including me were hurtling towards him. Luckily I wasn't up to full tilt after my enforced stop and my dickhead sensor was also quiet sensitive so I had sort of known what was going to happen before it did and was able to get stopped as other cyclists took evasive action. One marshal who saw it was seen sprinting up towards one of the police officers on duty so hopefully the driver won't be as skillful in avoiding their wrath as we were his stupid manoeuvre.

Heading past Strangford Lough and deciding to give the water stop a miss...

So small dramas aside, how was the whole event? Last year I felt kind of underwhelmed with the offerings over the two days, even with the Street Velodrome, and it was the same this year. Both registration day and the actual ride itself seem to promise loads of glitzy stuff when viewed from the outside but once you arrive it is slightly bare- it is lacking something which I can't quite put my finger on. I wanted to go and have my senses fulfilled with all things cycling but I got the impression of a lot of space with very little of any substance to fill it. You could visit the merchandise stall and pick up some t-shirts and those Belfast Grande Partenza cycling jerseys left over from 2014 (still so available it is hard to believe that there is anyone in NI who doesn't have one), lift some leaflets for various tourist initiatives or a wine company, gawp at some Garmin tech, order from a bar, amble over to the street velodrome or watch some of the cycling challenges for kids. The trophee senza fine was available for photos, but having had two taken last year I decided to forgo it this time. Really the only sense of wonder I had was the grudging admiration for the perky announcers at the street velodrome, who have mastered the art of the TV shopping channel presenter.

Stephen Roche and Gianni Bugno were guests over the weekend, but unless you had a few hundred quid to spend to go to the Friday night dinner or happened to be at the very front of the bunch at the start then you could have gone the whole time without setting eyes on either of them. Even the vaunted Maserati pace cars were often spoken off,  yet not really seen. I was at the front of the Strangford group for the first 6km and never saw the one that was supposed to be controlling the pace of our group. It is not that I really care about cars anyway but it seemed to be a good analogy for the event- stuff much promoted and hyped but when it comes to tactile engagement not really living up to the promise.

Gianni Bugno at the start of the Strangford route- helicopter not pictured...

Of course if all you were interested in was riding your bike on closed roads then it was a well organised success. Again  I would have loved a middle distance route but that would add to the logistical nightmare for the organisers and also reduce motivation to apply and train for the long route. The "pasta party" had food that was edible but still there was that sense of anti-climax when I arrived back- so much more potential that someone with the right ideas could make better use of. The goodie bags this year were pretty poor- mostly leaflets although I was one of the riders who got their event jersey for free in the bag by registering early. This was another sore point though- in an effort to provide even more corporate PR, a few days before the start we received e-mails that only those wearing the event jersey would be allowed to start at the front. This was not very well received. I prefer to wear the jersey after the event when I would feel I have deserved it, plus it goes against the cardinal rule of not using new kit on the day of the event. OK I was doing the shorter of the rides and could probably put up with a bit of discomfort for almost 60km, but if you are doing 170km up the Mournes, then a chaffing or badly fitting jersey would be more of an issue. Plus if people are wearing club jerseys, it is easier to work out who is more likely to be used to riding in groups as opposed to those who have ignored  Sportivelominati rule 2 and have decided that their first group ride will be in the midst of thousands of other cyclists.  Apart from the jersey though, the goodie bag was basically a waste of paper but at least it didn't include yet another bidon!

Improvements from last year including ensuring that at least one of the guest stars was with the shorter run- last year a lot of hay was made about Richie Porte being in attendance, but unless you were at the front of the long ride at 7am, you would have to rely on trust that he was there. Roche went with the Mourne Route while Bugno, as pictured above, rode with us lesser mortals (and I even made it back before him!). Reports from the Mourne route indicated that food stops had been better as well. I can't give any feedback on the Strangford stop since I decided to keep going as really there is no real need for one on a 38 mile ride.



In summary- the ride itself was fine and the novelty of closed roads was still worth paying for (this time at least). However if they want to promote it as more than just the Gran Fondo,they need to provide more of substance around it. Will I be back next year? Probably only if they provide a medium course or I shift another two stone and get my climbing legs back so that I can sign up for the long route. The cost and effort to get to Titanic Quarter for a ride that is shorter than my normal Sunday club run was just about justified by the organisation and road closures (errant church minibus drivers aside) this time but for a third year? Possibly not (although come January I will probably be afraid of missing something and will sign up!). So while the organisers still have some thinking to do ahead of the third Gran Fondo (the last they are contracted to provide) I will have my own decisions to make as well. Plus maybe by 2017 more of the participants will know it is GRAN and not GranD Fondo!

Giro d'Italia 2016- Resurrections and Rebirths

Wow! Simply wow! What a bloody great race. The 2016 Giro flew by quicker than Nibali going down hill with lead in his pockets, and again provided gifts for a whole range of senses. It kind of crept up  to be honest- normally I am prepared well in advance (perhaps the lack of an official programme being available in newsagents this year contributed to this deficit in my personal prep).  A forced change in jobs as well, where I can no longer arrange to be doing my paperwork in the afternoons with Eurosport player in the background also made me feel more apart, and instead meant trying to avoid Twitter and Facebook until I could get home to see the highlights. But this isn't about me-this is about the race that unfolded, a resurrection story on many fronts, more in keeping with the traditional timing of Paris-Roubaix than the first Grand Tour of the year.

Firstly, there are certain cycling magazines that may be ruing the inability to recall and edit their hardcopy offerings. Many included obituaries for Etixx-Quickstep following their 2016 Classics campaign, despite it including results many other World Tour teams would hold up as highpoints of their season. And of course EQS are held to higher standards than others, but the tone of many of the articles would have almost lead you to believe it was going to be the Belgians' last season as opposed to Tinkoff or IAM. There were the 4 stage victories (including a tactical masterpiece involving Brambilla and Trentin on stage 18 that may finally lay to rest the phantoms of Stannard and the 2015 Omloop fiasco) and 3 different riders in the maglia rosa over the course of 6 stages. This included a sterling performance from Jungels, often seen pulling at the front and playing a key role in killing off breakaways, carrying the pink jersey with panache and finishing 6th in GC. Kittel going home after his victories may not sit well with the purists but it ironically made them a stronger team since they had freedom to seize and make opportunities on all terrains. Is 2016 the year EQS goes beyond its traditional focus on the classics? Possibly but more will be revealed when we see who they pinpoint when it comes to transfer time. One week stage races don't seem otu of reach with the current set up but Jungels might not yet be in a position to be totally competitive in the really high mountains.

Similar questions await Orica Greenedge. I must admit my heart soared then sank as Chaves stuck with then lost Nibali's wheel on Saturday. The emergence of Uran restored a bit of hope until it was clear Esteban was struggling to hang on . Rumours do abound of chest colds or bronchitis, but backed by his performance in the 2015 Vuelta, it shows that the Colombian does have great potential. However OGE are not a GC team-yet. While Nibali could depend on a team who can stay with him when gravity becomes more of an enemy than a headwind, like LottoNL-Jumbo and EQS, Orica didn't have those personnel. Putting aside the history of some of Astana's troops (oh how I wish we could...) Chaves, like Kruijswijk, didn't have GC support domestiques to stick with them for as long as Scarponi and Kangert could with Nibali. Would a Yates or two have helped Chaves alongside Plaza and Txurruka? We can but speculate, but OGE again have questions to ask themselves. Do they shift away from the very succesful stage and classics hunting approach and focus more on GC? If so what about Gerrans and Matthews (though recent history suggests that those two may not be sharing a team in the future).  Can a GC set up also maintain room and support for Caleb Ewan? It may not be the worse problem in world to have, but it is still something that needs solved.

No theme of resurrection could avoid the Shark of Messina (or Lazarus, as he may be retitled) and his 11th hour comeback. Of course this lead to speculation (is acupuncture a violation of the "no needles" policy?) but INRNG again put his or her subjective analytical head on in an appeal for calm. Yes Nibali looked in trouble but "in trouble" is subjective when, even on his bad days, he didn't drop to lower than 5th in GC. Personally I was a bit put out when I saw him crossing the line in Sant Anna di Vinadio to take the pink jersey and being embraced by Vino but this was more to do with my disappointment for Chaves and the fact so many people with a history had played vital roles in the victory than anything personal in regards Nibali. Personally I feel Nibali is clean (well as confident as I can be) but the company he keeps doesn't help persuade the doubters.

And finally a tale of redemption cut short. For a brief time on the final stage. Giacomo Nizzolo thought he had finally broken his habit of finishing second, only for it to be taken from him by the race jury. Personally I didn't see anything wrong with the sprint, instead the slight curve in the road making it seem he deviated from his line, but it was a harsh judgement, although he does have the consolation of still winning the maglia rossa.

The 99th Giro might go down as one of the best in many years, and also mark the changing of the guard. A raft of new GC contenders making themselves known ( although old stagers like Nibali and, unfortuately Valverde still coming out on the podium) has resulted in a number of teams having to think hard about their shape for the future. The result of those internal debates will probably not be apparent until we see what riders are signed later on in the year, but the first Grand Tour of the year has set a challenge for the French and Spanish to meet in regards drama, spectacle and narrative.

The Giro in Ireland- 2 years on...

*NB while many of the links go elsewhere, some will take you to my photos of the Giro in NI- so don't feel the need to click on those if you don't want to! The important links are those at the end.

I headed out on a wee solo run last Sunday, with the intention of getting some hills fitted in since it has been too long since I swore on the sabbath. 2hours 48 mins later I was back, feeling sorry for myself and hoping that it hadn't gone as bad as my body was telling me it had. However the Garmin Edge 200 doesn't believe in white lies or sugar coating things. Strava told me that there were hundreds of people ahead of me on my particular climbs (Map My Ride just told me I had gone up them). I'm not that competitive (since I'm too crap a rider to justify it!) but it was a bit disheartening that I seemed so off the pace. That was until I looked at many of the names of those ahead of me- Iljo Keisse, Thomas De Gendt, Jetse Bol, Jussi Veikkanen, Daniele Colli.... not traditional Armagh names I think you will agree! This had been one of the GPM points on the Giro when it visited Ireland 2 years ago, so I didn't feel so badly done by when I remembered almost 200 of those names belonged to that surging mass of humanity who had sped past the spot where I had waited since early morning as they headed to Dublin the long way.

The GPM point Windy Gap, Markethill

 More by accident than design I had followed this route almost 2 years to the day when I had ridden out to bid a ciao to the Giro after 4 days that I still have a difficult  time processing. Despite having been there, despite having the photos from the team presentation, despite photos of me at various points of the three stages, despite Erik Zabel walking less than 10 metres away from me on Wellington Place, despite watching Marcel Kittel sprint to victory in front of City Hall, despite the lack of Mc's and O's in the surnames of the Strava KoM list- it is still such a surreal assault on the senses that my limited brain power is still struggling to come to terms with it.

My journey into existential angst began a couple of years previously when I picked up on whispers and random, isolated articles online that Belfast council was in negotiations to host the Grande Partenza. After checking the date and making sure it wasn't April 1st, I shared this info to a largely uninterested group on my social media outlets. In my head I had written this off as wishful thinking since this wasn't the sort of thing that comes to Norn Iron...

 

Some gabshite standing in front of the GPM point...

 Things went quiet for a while until further whispers built to a crescendo that culminated in an official announcement. Route maps were produced and suddenly places like Markethill and Carnlough appeared alongside Montecampione and Zoncolan. Part of the time I spent trying to come to terms with what was happening for myself but the majority was dedicated to impressing on anyone who would listen (and many who wouldn't) about what a massive deal this was.

As soon as it was possible I made sure to book the time off- 18 months in advance in fact! It was clearly spelled out to anyone I worked with- my diary was to stay free that week. Then more news- tickets for the team presentation would be available online. It was only a few weeks ago that my Timehop app reminded me what a day I had put in waiting for those tickets- the tweets sent as I sat in front of my laptop for four solid hours in a queue that didn't seem to move. Eventually the cyber gods smiled and I got my wristbands for the presentation.


So I found myself standing in the grounds of Belfast City Hall as Quintana, Purito, Nico Roche, Dan Martin, Uran, Hoogerland, Matthews, Scarponi, Cunego, Keisse et al made their way to the stage in the rain that was to typify the Giro's visit. This was followed by a quick hot foot to Queen's Film Theatre were the premiere of James Erskine's "Pantani- The Accidential Death of a Cyclist" was taking place. The first person I saw was Matt Rendell, whose book had been an inspiration for the documentary but who hadn't been announced as attending. Suddenly all these people I was used to seeing on a TV screen were right there in front of me and again I still couldn't really come to terms with the reality of it.


 Even after the fanfare associated with the team presentation, it didn't seem real. Walking down the Ormeau Road to see the Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela bus drive past or arriving at Titanic Quarter to see the Trek and Orica-Greenedge buses parked with the Harland and Wolff cranes in the background added a surreal edge.

Matt White (rightly!) calling a local cyclist a "dickhead" for racing onto the TTT route during the practice runs or standing at the corner where the Ormeau Rd meets the Stranmilis Embankment as a depleted Garmin team took the corner in the TTT- Dan Martin's fate had not reached us at this stage. Listening to some fella try and impress his female companions by wrongly explaining how the TTT and Giro overall worked (I did fight the temptation to correct him).  Being very annoyed by iPad waving gabshites who on both stage 2 and stage 3 stuck their infernal contraptions right in front of my face as riders approached blocking my view, almost negating the many hours I had been there before them. Descending the still closed hill into Markethill without worrying about cars coming up after the stage had passed. And coming off my bike on down the road after crossing a junction because some eejit in baggy soccer shorts stopped suddenly right in the middle of the road because he was unable to clip in- resulting in a twisted shifter and a new rear mech. These experiences and more all contributed to four days that I will always hold dear. Maybe my confusion is simply down to the fact that even to this day many of those who embraced the Pink and came out in some stinking weather to take part in the festivities still don't seem to recognise just what a massive deal it was to have the Giro on the island. Even today chatting to people at work it is clear there is confusion as to the difference between the fight for the maglia rosa and the Gran Fondo that has been part of the legacy.

So speaking of the legacy of the visit- what has it been, obviously apart from Strava KOMs and the Gran Fondo? Did numbers of people cycling increase? Many would say they had but this answer isn't as clear cut as it seems. For example this report on the BBC site promoting the Gran Fondo's is missing any specific numbers and deals in generalisations. My own club saw a slight increase in members but how much of this was to do with the Giro and how much with the 2012 effect? This debate in Stormont was high in platitudes and good intentions but very little in relation to numbers- note at one stage it is mentioned that the Northern Ireland Tourist Board had not made their legacy report available publically. This report, again from the NITB- it is unclear if this is the unreleased report referred to by Trevor Clarke MLA- does touch on some legacy though some of the stats have been used to give the impression of bigger successes than they actually prove on closer examination. For example on page nine it says that "62% of spectators who currently cycle and 26% who never cycle said they would likely cycle more because of the event". That seems quite positive until you unpack it- does that mean the 38% who currently cycle are going to stop because of the Giro?! Now I am being faecetous but having being interviewed over the phone for these stats (due to having recieved tickets to the team presentation) but I don't cycle just because of the Giro, and seeing it had no real impact on why I have continued to do so (in fact the  wait to try and obtain presentation tickets online actually reduced my cycling since that day's planned ride was cancelled due to it taking  so long!).

This summary on road.cc seems to back up my opinions on the Giro legacy. Please don't get me wrong- it was awesome and I would have it back in a shot. But we need to be careful about attributing effects that are not necessarily there. The key is the difference between commuting cyclists and recreational/sport riders. The Belfast Marathon isn't tasked with encouraging more people to walk to the shops rather than drive so why would the Giro be expected to directly decrease car journeys?  Most new participants are taking part in sportives and even racing but still drive to work. It never enters their heads to ride instead of drive (the rural nature of Northern Ireland doesn't really contribute to commuting outside of Belfast since so many of us live so far aware from work). The best example of this kind of disjointed thinking was illustrated this weekend when some cyclists I know reposted a pic of some dickhead with an umbrella playing the hero by standing right in front of a speed camera as if this was some sort of admirable act. If they truly saw cycling as alternative transport surely they would think this man was as big an attention seeking imbecile as I do, since any attempt to improve road safety should be welcomed by cyclists.

So please bring the Giro back. It would be great to see the TdF starting in NI as well but since the opening week of the Tour tends to coincide with the trouble associated with marching session here, that is less likely. I would especially love to see the Vuelta make a rare foreign soujourn to start here as well. Furthermore, judging by the roads condition I have riden on lately we would also be a shoe-in to host the first edition of Paris-Roubaix to be held outside of France! But let's keep things in perspective and stop expecting such events to deliver a legacy they are not really able to do. Let's enjoy the Gran Fondos (and introduce a medium route for God's sake) and revisit our memories but remember that the lasting impact will be encouraging tourists to come ride our roads and spend their euros and dollars, and not to disuade Johnny or Mary from driving when they could be cycling or walking-that requires a much different and long term approach.

Gran Fondo Giro d'Italia Northern Ireland 2016

The next Gran Fondo Giro d'Italia Northern Ireland will take place on Sunday June 5th 2016. It follows this year's event, a legacy of the 2014 Giro Grande Partenza and first three stages being held on the island of Ireland. Those who took part last year have been given the opportunity to register from tonight 11th Dec, 10 days ahead of general registration being open to the full public.

Obviously it is early in relation to the nitty-gritty, but having just signed up myself, it is clear it will still be two parcours- the 58km Strangford Route and the 173km Mournes Route and roads will be totally closed again. Also included this time in the price (early bird £55 for the 58km, £65 for the pleasure of the more painfully vertical option) is a Castelli event jersey. However if you want to dress up as the ultimate fanboy/girl then bibs, gillet, gloves and caps are also available to add to your basket on top of the initial entry fee. These pieces can be bought individually or all together for £180. There really seems to be a major push on getting wallets open further this year but then again, no one is forcing anyone to fork out on the extras.

I am slightly disappointed that they didn't extend the length of the short route which was one of the complaints many people had about last year. 173km is doable on the flat by most people- however these kms  go up a bit more vertically than a man of my stature could manage before the roads open again so that only leaves the 58km route which is fine for those less experienced, but for club run "B" and "C" riders like me it is a bit short to leave any real feeling of satisfaction. If it wasn't for the attraction of closed roads and the other paraphrenilia then I would probably have passed this time. However managing the traffic over two routes is a big enough job without complicating it further with course extensions.

Me with the Trofeo Senza Fine at last years Gran Fondo

There is also the added attraction of bumping into legends of the sport with Stephen Roche and Richie Porte making appearances last year and a whole weekend dedicated to cycling taking place, and it is more or less definite that some high profile people from past or present will be there. It does seem weird writing about next June as I sit here, balancing my laptop on the sofa arm while trying not to dislodge the ornaments on my Christmas tree but this year demonstrated just how quickly that time goes in, and I have my motivation to up the winter miles again already.

Just before the off in the 2015 Gran Fondo NI.

About This Blog and Blogger...

The blog…

Yep- another cycling blog! No, I can’t promise beautiful photos capturing the mythical and historical essence of the Grand Tours or Classics. No, I can’t promise the insightful, forensically analytical approach of the likes of the peerless INRNG or reach the literary heights our sport inspired wordsmiths such as Jean Bobet or Tim Krabbé to achieve. No, I can’t promise to be the first with the breaking news in all things velo related. No, I can’t promise astute and detailed technical breakdowns in regards the latest technological breakthroughs. So then, what on Merckx’s green earth is the point of this offering?
Simply put- it is where I record things for my own personal use. I was just reading an article summarising the highs and lows, as well as the results, of the past 2015 season and it annoyed me how many great developments that enthralled or appalled me through the year had found themselves relegated to the deepest, darkest recesses of my brain, needing some kind of stimuli to bring to the fore. Basically, this blog is a testament to the fact my memory is, along with my body, approaching the outskirts of middle age.
I don’t actually expect that many people to visit here anyway (and even fewer to stay!) so please allow me to indulge myself-it is basically the 21st century version of me talking to myself in public.

The blogger…

Yep- another male in his (very) late 30s waxing lyrical about the greatest sport in the world. To be fair though, I was very much aware that there was a bit of cycling that happened before Bradley Wiggins and even Lance Armstrong came around. I was lucky enough to be around just as Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche were making history. In fact I can pinpoint the very moment I realised cycling was my sport:

It was Sunday 26th July, 1987. I had just turned 11 a few days before and, unusually in my house, the TV was turned to Channel 4 specifically for a sporting event.  Like many houses on the island of Ireland we were watching the peloton hitting the Champs Elysees and among the mass of colours, one stood out clearly for us- the yellow of the jersey on the back of Stephen Roche. While residents of most other nations were focussing on the sprint for stage glory, we were more concerned with Roche making it over the line safely, which he did. The whole sense of occasion, the spectacle, the speed, the skill… right away I knew my allegiance to any form of ball sport (previously forcibly hoisted on me by the simple fact of growing up a young male) had been but a temporary dalliance- cycling was where it was at. Even the appearance of serial opportunist and professional gabshite Charlie Haughey on the podium with Roche didn’t detract from the event I was watching.

However exposure to my new sport was limited in a pre-internet and  pre-financial independence (well independent of my parents finances) age. Growing up in a semi-rural area of the north of Ireland where GAA, soccer and rugby ruled the roost as far as sports go ,meant accessing information on my chosen métier was next to impossible. I had no control of the television, and the 30 minute highlights Channel 4 showed during the Tour de France clashed with the local news (and growing up during the Troubles in Northern Ireland meant watching the news was sacrosanct). There was nothing in any of the newspapers brought home and the cycling magazines at the time were out of my price range. However I was still keen and, while the history books show that the 1988 Tour was won by Pedro Delgado and Roche was out injured, actually I won it, beating Roche in a sprint on my BMX. (The annals also fail to record that the finish had been moved from the Champs Elysees to the electricity pole in the middle of my housing estate.)

I do tweet under the name @OtisBragg and while a lot of my 140 character mini-masterpieces do deal with all things related to cycling, please note that there will be a lot of politics and other stuff there too.