Spectating Giro 2019, stage 13

[coffeecake]

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[canham]

My wife and I just did something similar this past year when we realized we would be in the Turin area as part of a week-long trip. We rented a car in Madrid, then drove northwest into the Aosta valley to watch the penultimate stage. The Giro website is not very detailed about the stage routes, but we studied the maps and found a little village (Torgnon) that was right between two mountain passes. We drove up the night before, stayed the night, and then hiked to the 2nd of three peaks to watch the tour come through.

Because we stayed right on the route, we never had to worry about road closures. As far as I could tell, however, the closures are partial, at best, and only affect cars. One of the coolest things was seeing all the local folks riding the route all day--everything ranging from serious guys kitted to the nines to moms on electric bikes pulling their kids behind them on trailers. The whole vibe was very joyous and informal: not at all what I would have expected watching the stages on TV. Folks were pulled off the road about 3-5 minutes before the breakaway came through, and then were able to hop right back on as soon as the peloton passed.

I was also surprised just how empty and deserted the little mountain villages were during the time we were there. I am sure it is different in the big cities when the Giro rolls through, but up in the mountains there was very little fanfare or commotion. Summer is not the season for those ski villages and there were plenty of rooms to rent.

To top it all off, the Aosta valley is incredibly beautiful with lots of old, ruined castles behind every river bend. The valley bends right at the foot of the Matterhorn, and all the way at the other end is an old Roman settlement with its own cool history. I would have been happy to just spend a week exploring the valley, but we had a wedding to attend.

[coffeecake]

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[coffeecake]

Bumping this thread for the morning crew to see if anyone else has suggestions! Thanks!

[Johnnysmooth]

Watch three mtn stages of Giro in 2015. Had no problem riding up the climbs that they would ride up later that day, just get started early.