Tour De France 2009 and Next year 2010

Ok the great race is over and it is fair to say that it was a great race for us Brits. Mark Cavendish winning more stages than any other rider and the great Bradley Wiggins coming 4th! I think we are going to see a bit more of these two next year in the Tour. Well done guys! We must not forget the other Brits who did well such as good old Charlie Wegelius. There is one nagging question however. Where was David Millar? Since he has been racing clean he is nowhere to be seen! Why is this? Maybe he was just not up to it? However it is certainly refreshing to see some excellent British cylists getting results and entertaining us without being prima donnas. Well done guys!

Here in Val Chisone we now wait with baited breath for the official announcement of the 2010 route which rumour has it will be passing outside our doorstep. I do hope so! Thsi years Giro was a great success even though it was marred by the fact that Di Luca was cheating- Doped on the CERA. It also means that he was cheating when he topped the Colle della Finestra in 2005. It seriously saddens me and it tarnishes the whole event.

On confirmation of next years routes our cycling holiday company Hannibal Cycling Tours will be offering a special package for the week that the tour passes through our area. Contact us to be placed on the priority mailing list for this event. We also arrange cycling and walking packages for small groups, clubs and associations.

Giro comes to Fenestrelle

Giro d'Italia 09 Cuneo Pinerolo at Fenestrelle
Originally uploaded by Hannibal Cycle tours / Belvedere B&B

I am fortunate that I live in an area where the Giro and Tour visit regularly. Maybe that is why I run a cycle holiday company. It may have something to do with the fact that I love cycling as well?

This Tuesday saw the longest stage of the Giro d'Italia pass right through our town of Fenestrelle and we wrer in the right place to get some fantastic photos. The stage saw an epic battle between the top riders with Di Luca coming out on top. Lance was doing OK but should have been up at the front on this stage. The course also hosted the Cima Coppi of this years Giro at Sestriere. Only a paltry 2035m above sea level. However, the 260km stage certainly took its toll with the last riders passing through Fenestrelle a good twenty five minutes after the leaders.

I think that baring anything serious then the trophy for the Giro will have Danilo Di Luca's name on it in Rome.
Pinerolo saw the finish and the coverage on the TV certainly seemed to be a good advert for Val Chisone. It looked so good I want to go and visit!

Petacchi can climb but Cavendish can't!

Today's stage saw Cavendish loose the Maglia Rosa Not because Petacchi beat him in the sprint but because he was beaten by the final climb. A great shame but hopefully Cavendish will take this on board and do some work to improve his climbing skills.
It should not be forgotten however thathe not only won the maglia rosa but managed to hold on to it for two days. This is a fantastic achievement for a Brit and I am sure that we will be seeing his name as a stage winner again over the next three weeks.
My money is on Lance Armstrong for stage 10 Cuneo to Pinerolo May 19th. Here he has the opportunity to really show us his climbing ability on a climb that he knows very well. The climb to Sestriere where in 99 he beat Marco Pantani on his home ground in the Tour de France. This time however he will not be stopping at the top but descending all the way to Pinerolo via a "little" cat 2 climb at Pra Martino.
I am sure this stage will go down in history. You too can come and ride this route. Just book a holiday with Hannibal Cycle Tours and this and many other great cols could be on your "Done" list

Tour de France 2010

It is TRUE!
I have known for a couple of weeks that Gap-Pinerolo is now an official candidate stage for the Tour de France 2010.
Why am I so excited?
The tour is coming past my house! Literally past my doorstep. This is a childhood dream of immutable value to me. Now don't get me wrong as I am lucky enough to get to see the Tour de France every year. Not only that but I also get to ride many of the historic climbs that have been frequented by the heroes of cycling. What makes this special is I will only have to go outside my door to see it. This, and the fact that the route will be using the Colle Delle Finestre will make it possibly one of the most dramatic stages in modern history. The colle is Europe's third hardest climb in terms of distance, gradient and altitude. Half of the climb is on a dirt track, an old military road that winds its way up the side of the mountain. It makes d'Huez seem a piece of cake (I should know as I do both often enough.) It is set to become one of the great heroic climbs and benefits from fantastic breathtaking scenery. It has been used once before by the Giro d'Italia in 2005. Danilo di Luca was first to the top closely followed by Gilberto Simoni and proved to be one of the most exciting stage finishes in Giro history. To quote Simoni, "that climb took 10 years off me!"

The only difficulty is where to watch it. Do I watch it from home and dash outside as it whizzes past, do I ride to the summit of the Colle delle Finestre and watch the pros struggle up from Suza or do I get some VIP tickets for the finish in Pinerolo? I have plenty of time to decide. Where will you be watching it from?
In the meantime check out the official Tour website for this years race. LETOUR.COM