Advice on Attending the Giro Tomorrow

[exapkib]

My parents happening to be living outside of Catania right now, and have decided they would like to get a glimpse of the race as it goes by. We've had trouble finding detailed route maps outside of the start and finish areas. They're hoping to catch the riders as they go through the tight turns in Misterbianco, but aren't sure exactly where those tight turns will be. They spent the afternoon up there yesterday poking around, but no one seemed convincingly sure of where those turns will be tomorrow.

How much would you trust a map like this one (https://ridewithgps.com/users/363285/routes)? Not official, but seems to be in the right places . . .

Any other advice on finding good corners for watching? The finish is pretty far away from where they are, but they may end up heading out there anyway.

Thanks!

[fignon's barber]

I've been to the Tour,Giro, and Worlds. I would suggest picking a town and get there early. As you get close to the route, you'll see road closures etc. One tip: put a plastic trash bag in your pocket or bring a backpack. The Giro caravan hands out much better give-aways than the Tour.

[rain dogs]

The Giro route will be very well marked (I've ghost-ridden 10 stages the morning of the race in 2009 and you can follow the route while riding easily. There are pink arrows everywhere)

So, whichever town you want to be in will have a spectacle and balloons and all sorts of stuff. Shouldn't be hard to wander in and ask.

Also all the official route maps and timetables are on the official site:
http://www.giroditalia.it/eng/stage/stage-4-2018/

As for watching, if goes by pretty fast. I'd find a cafe where you can make a day of it, but in terms of seeing the riders you;re going to get about 30 seconds of entertainment in that regard, unless you find a steep hill.

They're going through Misterbianco at 12:30 it appears and it's right near the start so the break will be jsut a few seconds ahead of the peloton if there is even a break by that time. I'd even maybe suggest skipping Misterbianco and going to the departure, you might have more fun hanging around the teams in the morning and watching the sign-ins and the spectacle.... but hey, to each their own.

[Ciavete]

Check in with these dudes:http://www.sicilycyclingclub.com/.

Great guys. Tommaso lives in Catania, a very beautiful city BTW. They'll be leading a group of cyclists; maybe you can connect.

Prego!

[exapkib]

Appreciate the advice so far!

As you note below, Misterbianco is not the spot you would pick if you were in Italy to watch the Giro, but this is more a case of "a big bike race happens to be in your town and is close enough to your morning meeting that you could take some time to see the colors whip past."

Yesterday they walked through the general area indicated on the route map, and while the main streets were clearly marked with pink arrows for the route, the side streets that feed onto the main drag did not seem to be marked at all, nor did any of the shopkeepers along the route have any insight into which side streets the race would be taking.

It looks like they're going to take their chances in Misterbianco, then cut over to one of the climbs near the end if their afternoon schedule allows.



The Giro route will be very well marked (I've ghost-ridden 10 stages the morning of the race in 2009 and you can follow the route while riding easily. There are pink arrows everywhere)

So, whichever town you want to be in will have a spectacle and balloons and all sorts of stuff. Shouldn't be hard to wander in and ask.

Also all the official route maps and timetables are on the official site:
http://www.giroditalia.it/eng/stage/stage-4-2018/

As for watching, if goes by pretty fast. I'd find a cafe where you can make a day of it, but in terms of seeing the riders you;re going to get about 30 seconds of entertainment in that regard, unless you find a steep hill.

They're going through Misterbianco at 12:30 it appears and it's right near the start so the break will be jsut a few seconds ahead of the peloton if there is even a break by that time. I'd even maybe suggest skipping Misterbianco and going to the departure, you might have more fun hanging around the teams in the morning and watching the sign-ins and the spectacle.... but hey, to each their own.

[rrudoff]

Been to numerous stages over the years. The timetable http://www.giroditalia.it/eng/stage/stage-4-2018/
is of great use, so you show up around the right time. As others suggested, get there early, if you are driving, access can get very limited several hours before due to the caravan. It will be very obvious where it is going, though the Map the OP provided a link for looks pretty good. Suggestion of getting a spot in a cafe is nice, or go to one of the corners where they will at least slow down some. Otherwise it is pretty much a 30 second passage, especially so early in the race.

[exapkib]

Success!

I'll get the details from them later, but they sent this photo last night.



Thanks to all of you who provided advice. It helped.

[saab2000]

The best way to watch a bike race is to go to the steepest hill and run inches away from the riders, getting in their way and making a fool of yourself. Wearing a clown costume, or better yet your birthday suit, is guaranteed to make you popular with the riders, organizers and police.

[echelon_john]

It would be amazing to do that while wearing a thong like Sacha Baron Cohen in that "Borat" movie. I can't believe nobody's ever thought of that.

The best way to watch a bike race is to go to the steepest hill and run inches away from the riders, getting in their way and making a fool of yourself. Wearing a clown costume, or better yet your birthday suit, is guaranteed to make you popular with the riders, organizers and police.