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cycle_chic
03-02-2013, 02:21 PM
Hello from Tuscany! I had the great pleasure of watching the Strade Bianche today and thought I'd share some of my pictures. Please excuse their un-sharpness and out-of-order-ness.

We left Fiesole (town above Florence where we live) for Gaiole in Chianti at 8:30 a.m. so we could hang around the team busses and look at all the bikes/equipment before the start. It was really interesting to see the different wheel choices. Some old school and some carbon, low-spoke count (relative to the old-school wheels).

Once the race began, we headed to the fifth dirt section (historically the toughest part) to watch the riders come by. It was pretty windy and chilly, but the sun was shining.

I hung out at a particularly gravel-y corner to see if anyone would take a spill. No crashes, but a few riders wobbled in the loose dirt and one rider unclipped to keep balance. They all looked spent. I can't imagine riding those potholed roads for 190km. What amazing talent.

We ended up watching the finish at a nearby cafe with some locals. A great day all around, even though I'm still cleaning dust out of my ears.
54ny77
03-02-2013, 02:29 PM
awesome!
gone
03-02-2013, 02:36 PM
What great pictures! Would've loved to have seen the race. Thanks for sharing them.
weisan
03-02-2013, 02:43 PM
Chic-pal, thanks for sharing these exclusive pictures. I am amazed by the wheel and tire choice used by the cannon dale team, it guess one can't argue with success.:)
LegendRider
03-02-2013, 02:46 PM
Very cool! Thanks for posting.

Strade Bianche has become a "classic" in a relatively short time.
rwsaunders
03-02-2013, 02:49 PM
Super pics...thanks for sharing CC.
wc1934
03-02-2013, 03:12 PM
Awesome pics - man I love those colnago's.
How did you get so close to evans?
flyhippy
03-02-2013, 03:31 PM
I love what cannondale is doing with their bikes these days... Thanks for sharing teh pics!
pdmtong
03-02-2013, 06:37 PM
you are living the good life. thanks for the pics. you healed up from your crash awhile ago?
sailorboy
03-02-2013, 06:47 PM
Was that Taylor Phinney in there? and Fabian is already rocking a savage cycling tan on March 1
choke
03-02-2013, 07:28 PM
Cool pics....thanks.

And now I understand why you haven't been around much.
BumbleBeeDave
03-02-2013, 08:17 PM
Looks like a wimpy version of Battenkill. Yawn . . . :p

Oh, wait . . . I forgot that Cancellara isn't at Battenkill. Or Sagan. Or Valverde. Or Cadel . . . :rolleyes:

Uh, never mind. Oh, and GREAT PICS! Thanks for posting them! :hello:

BBD
cycle_chic
03-03-2013, 03:27 AM
Awesome pics - man I love those colnago's.
How did you get so close to evans?

He just hopped off the bus, took some pictures with fans, then got on his bike and rode to the start. Pretty small crowd, so not that much hassle to get close.
cycle_chic
03-03-2013, 03:29 AM
you are living the good life. thanks for the pics. you healed up from your crash awhile ago?

Yep, all healed, but not riding much these days on account of being 7.5 months preggo. Can't wait to get back at it once little one is born!
cycle_chic
03-03-2013, 03:31 AM
Was that Taylor Phinney in there? and Fabian is already rocking a savage cycling tan on March 1

Yep, that was Phinney. Sucks that he had a mechanical. Also, notice his interesting helmet. Not sure what to think of it. :)
Climb01742
03-03-2013, 09:59 AM
Beautiful photos. Thanks very much for sharing.
tele
03-03-2013, 10:53 AM
thanks for sharing, nice work.

congrats as well!
texbike
03-03-2013, 09:45 PM
Great pics and such a beautiful region! It looks like it was a fun event to see.

It may be the angle, but Fabian's Trek sure looks small in that picture!

Texbike
bobswire
03-03-2013, 10:09 PM
Great pics and nice action shots too. I liked those helmets that Phinney wore, at least up until you try them on. If you hurry you can get over the Paris Nice for some more pics.
Thanks
echappist
03-04-2013, 12:36 AM
Grazie mille!

This is one of my favorite races. May have something to do with the fact that I like (or rather am trying to like) Montalcino wine.

edit: i noticed that your location says Fiesole. I presume this is the same Fiesole as where the campionati mondiali is this year?
cycle_chic
03-04-2013, 03:20 AM
Grazie mille!

This is one of my favorite races. May have something to do with the fact that I like (or rather am trying to like) Montalcino wine.

edit: i noticed that your location says Fiesole. I presume this is the same Fiesole as where the campionati mondiali is this year?

Yep! Pretty excited about that. We'll get to seem them several times because they'll be doing laps up to Fiesole. Also, a stage of the Giro comes up to Fiesole this year as well, but I'm not sure if I'll be here for that.

I hope to watch the TTT of the Tirreno-Adriatico this Wednesday and will put some pics up when I get back.:)
John Price
03-04-2013, 09:45 AM
Thanks for sharing. Guessing the piazza in Gaiole was quite packed with the team setups and such. Was there last Oct for L'Eroica, it's not that big by any means.

John
brownm68
03-04-2013, 09:57 AM
These are great pics!! Thanks for sharing them:)
echappist
03-04-2013, 06:16 PM
Yep! Pretty excited about that. We'll get to seem them several times because they'll be doing laps up to Fiesole. Also, a stage of the Giro comes up to Fiesole this year as well, but I'm not sure if I'll be here for that.

I hope to watch the TTT of the Tirreno-Adriatico this Wednesday and will put some pics up when I get back.:)

Ah, didn't know that. Should be a good day then. I was hoping that the Giro would use the Strade Bianche again à la 2010, but one can hope.

Btw, how tough is the circuit for worlds? It looks like a course for the GT riders who can sprint (e.g. Evan, Sanchez, Valverde) as the one long hill may be a bit too long for the classic specialists.
laupsi
03-04-2013, 07:45 PM
Another reminder, my day job sucks! Great shots, really appreciate the posting. :)
tiretrax
03-04-2013, 08:21 PM
Nice work. Best wishes on the rest of your term - are you having the bambino in Italy?
whforrest
03-04-2013, 11:45 PM
Thanks for sharing......I've been up to Fiesole! I clearly remember walking to the top of the hill visiting the old monk/monastery. I had the best beer in a tiny little bar. Didn't they film parts of room with a view there?
soulspinner
03-05-2013, 03:26 AM
Great stuff. These guys are hammering uphill in the dirt in the drops. Thanks for the pics.
cycle_chic
03-05-2013, 08:50 AM
Btw, how tough is the circuit for worlds? It looks like a course for the GT riders who can sprint (e.g. Evan, Sanchez, Valverde) as the one long hill may be a bit too long for the classic specialists.

It looks pretty tough. The end of the race includes ten laps up to Fiesole. I could see Rodriguez doing well.
cycle_chic
03-05-2013, 08:55 AM
Nice work. Best wishes on the rest of your term - are you having the bambino in Italy?

Thanks! I'm actually heading back to Florida in a week. The bambino will be American, then we go straight back to Italy a few weeks after the birth.
Vientomas
03-05-2013, 01:32 PM
Some more pics here from a different photographer:

http://www.cyclingtips.com.au/2013/03/strade-bianche-in-photos/
jh_on_the_cape
03-05-2013, 02:25 PM
Thanks for the pics. I just returned from Italy yesterday. Did you have snow in Fiesole? There was snow on the A1 on the Appenini pass north of Firenze, but it was white almost all the way down to Firenze. And north of the pass was white all the way into the Padana. We skied Val di Fiemme and the snow was amazing, including catching the Nordic World Championships.

In boca lupo with the bambino. My 3 have names that work in Italy and America, it comes in handy since we are back and forth so much. Something to consider if you have not already settled on a name.
jbal3242
03-05-2013, 03:45 PM
Awesome shots! I was also in Vicenza two weeks back during a snowstorm wishing I could've stuck around to catch the strade.
dd74
03-05-2013, 04:16 PM
Gosh, what beautiful country and looks like a great race. Thanks for sharing. :banana:
cycle_chic
03-05-2013, 05:54 PM
Some more pics here from a different photographer:

http://www.cyclingtips.com.au/2013/03/strade-bianche-in-photos/

Beautiful!
cycle_chic
03-05-2013, 06:00 PM
Thanks for the pics. I just returned from Italy yesterday. Did you have snow in Fiesole? There was snow on the A1 on the Appenini pass north of Firenze, but it was white almost all the way down to Firenze. And north of the pass was white all the way into the Padana. We skied Val di Fiemme and the snow was amazing, including catching the Nordic World Championships.

In boca lupo with the bambino. My 3 have names that work in Italy and America, it comes in handy since we are back and forth so much. Something to consider if you have not already settled on a name.

We did have snow here for a couple of days, which meant no bus service one day (it was actually kinda nice being stranded by the fire). The plow came through in the middle of the night and order was restored. :)

Thanks for the name advice. We don't know the sex (wanted to keep it a surprise), so we have lots of brainstorming to do.