[Daveyraveygravey]

Hi, anyone any experience of watching a Giro stage?  I’m going to stage 9 with a mate, finishing at the Blockhaus.  I know the area well, we are planning to ride from Francavilla, where the route turns inland, to the finish, near the top of the Maiella mountain.  

The Giro site suggests the stage starts at 1 pm and could be over around 4 pm if they are going for it.  Can anyone tell me when the road will be closed to cars and cyclists?  We hope to ride beyond the finish to the summit (about 400m more climbing) and then get back to the finish.  I’m guessing we won’t be able to stand on the start/finish line, and will have to be several hundred metres down stage from there?  Should we take a lock for the bikes?

Topic

[Daveyraveygravey]

We had to get off the road
We had to get off the road 400m from the finish, but about where the Strava climb ended. There were road closures all around the area we could see the Carabinieri checking reg nos against a list before they let people through. I can’t upload to Strava til I get home but it took me approx 3x as long as Quintana. Also, I don’t think he felt like puking or chucking his bike over the edge…

[Jimbomitch]

Please tell me you weren’t

Please tell me you weren’t riding a Police motorbike

[Daveyraveygravey]

Jimbomitch wrote:

Hi Davey,

 

I cant really help you, but if you take the SP2 Contrada Cetti out of Francavilla, you will ride past my mum’s house. If you know the area, it is just a little way down from the Refugio Di Diana Restaurant (Great Steaks).  My late Step-Father loved cycling those hills. Happy cycling.

 

That’s amazing!   I’ll look it up on Google maps before we go, it is such a beautiful and undiscovered/spoiled area.

[Jimbomitch]

Hi Davey,

Hi Davey,

 

I cant really help you, but if you take the SP2 Contrada Cetti out of Francavilla, you will ride past my mum’s house. If you know the area, it is just a little way down from the Refugio Di Diana Restaurant (Great Steaks).  My late Step-Father loved cycling those hills. Happy cycling.

[Daveyraveygravey]

Thanks Fenix!

Thanks Fenix!

[fenix]

Only time i tried to watch a

Only time i tried to watch a giro stage it was cancelled due to snow….

 

They’ll have set up the finish line hours before and there may be things going on round there – so I’d give up plans of riding through and past.  Presumably team coaches and things will be up there ?

 

You should be able to ride almost to the finish – but you’d have to be off the roads a couple of hours before the finish to be safe.  Take lots of warm clothes and I’ve never taken a lock to watch a race in the UK or Europe.  The road is basically closed and your bikes aren’t far away are they ?  

[fenix]

Only time i tried to watch a

Only time i tried to watch a giro stage it was cancelled due to snow….

 

They’ll have set up the finish line hours before and there may be things going on round there – so I’d give up plans of riding through and past.  Presumably team coaches and things will be up there ?

 

You should be able to ride almost to the finish – but you’d have to be off the roads a couple of hours before the finish to be safe.  Take lots of warm clothes and I’ve never taken a lock to watch a race in the UK or Europe.  The road is basically closed and your bikes aren’t far away are they ?  

[Author]

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