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Peter Verburg cycles the Giro D'Italia with Lance Armstrong and the rest of the professional racers, with detours for luxe linens, gourmet meals and fine wines. He updates us en route.

Day 6

The Fedaia Pass has been visited frequently by the Giro d'Italia. It is a brutally tough climb of approximately 10 kilometres. We rolled out of the hotel parking lot at 9 a.m. and descended 400 metres into the valley below. Then the climbing began. The guides mentioned it would be a hard one, and they weren't kidding (half of the guests did not even bother to join us, opting instead to do short rides around Arabba). The death blow came at the end, with grades in the 15 per cent range. It was so steep and I was so tired in the final kilometre that I was making my own switchbacks, weaving back and forth across the road.

At the summit, we had a marvellous view of the mammoth Marmolada Glacier. Then we enjoyed a fast twisty descent to the town of Canazei, and stopped for refreshments. I downed a doppio espresso and a Coke. Then we remounted our bikes and immediately started climbing Pordoi Pass (coming at it from the opposite direction of the day before). Jake, one of the Trek guides, put the boots to all of us, reaching the summit first.

Total climbing for the day was close to 6,000 feet, over a distance of 64 kilometres. The weather was ideal, as it has been every day of the trip. We feel quite fortunate; the week before the trip began, the guides encountered driving snow and closed passes while scouting the routes.

After the ride, we ate a hearty pasta lunch, drank beer and headed to the Hotel Evaldo's spa — a nice facility featuring everything from the usual (pool, hot tub, steam room) to the unusual (heated stone lounge chairs, a foot massaging rock bed with hot and cold jets, an infrared sauna). This hotel feels more like a luxury resort than the first place we stayed. Even the beds and sheets are soft. Later in the afternoon we gathered in the lounge for drinks to watch the finish of today's Giro stage, across the border in nearby Austria.

Day 5

Today we rode the Sella Loop, a circuit of four mountain passes in the heart of the Dolomites. Our Trek Travel guides picked a scenic and challenging route that has featured in the Giro many times (though not this year).

The first climb began without a warmup. There was no chance for one, since the town sits at the base of several passes. It is clear why this region is a cyclist's paradise and why Italy produces so many great climbers. One imagines that each day begins with a simple question: What ride should we do today? The answer is not obvious, as it seems the country felt no compunction about building roads over just about every mountain pass, even if it required insanely steep grades and dozens of switchbacks.

Our ride started in the parking lot of Hotel Evaldo in Arabba, our base for the final few days. From there we climbed 10 kilometres to Pordoi Pass at 2,239 metres.

A fast descent brought us to the base of the next climb, Sella Pass. And so it went, up and down, until we had crested both Gardena Pass and Campologno Pass. In the winter, this series of passes is traversed by skiers and is thus known as the Sella Ronda. The scenery is incredibly beautiful. The Dolomites are multi-hued (grey, tan and streaked in black) and rise up abruptly from the earth; the towering peaks have sharp vertical faces. The green valleys below are dotted with villages.

The entire ride covered only 50 kilometres but the grades were typical of the Dolomites, in the 8 to 9 per cent range. Along the way we encountered three-metre snowbanks and pygmy goats with a peculiar passion for banana peel.

After a quick lunch, we drove to the base of Alpe di Siusi near the Austrian border, and took a gondola to the summit to watch the finish of Stage 5 of the Giro. Here the predominant language is German. So is the beer. We sat at a bar drinking weissbier and watching the peloton approach on the big screen, emerging to join thousands of spectators as the leaders neared the finish.

It was a selection day at the Giro, with the strong men and leading contenders fighting it out for the stage win. Lance Armstrong was dropped several kilometres from the summit as Italian favourite Ivan Basso pushed the pace. But in the end it was Russian Denis Menchov of Team Rabobank who prevailed with an attack in the closing.

Day 4

Total elevation gain: 1,880 metres over 60 kilometres. Wonderful clear skies and warm temperatures again. The first climb, short but steep, was scrapped due to poor road conditions. Instead, we drove from Follina to a small town just outside the Valley of Mist, and rode a fast 15 kilometres along an emerald green lake. By the time we reached the base of the climb to Passo Cereda, there were only four left in our group. It was not an overly long or difficult climb, but I and another rider were at the back early on. The two leaders were a 19-year-old member of a university cycling team and an impressive 44-year-old woman from Floridawho races recreationally.

After a quick picnic lunch near the summit, we went on a screaming descent to the base of the next climb, where our route intersected with the Giro's. The grades going down seemed much steeper (long stretches in the 15 per cent range, requiring us to use caution lest we fly over a barricade on one of the turns).

We joined the Giro route at the base of a 13-kilometre climb to San Martino di Castrozza. The climb was not particularly difficult, with an average grade of 5.5 per cent. We rode all the way to the summit along with hundreds of other cyclists. Tifosi drinking beer along the roadside cheered us on. By the time we reached the summit, there were heavy crowds on the race course and officials had closed off the final 250 metres to the public. So we turned around, found a bar to have a quick beer and a Coke, and then descended halfway down the climb to a short stretch were the grade was 10 per cent.

This would be an ideal place to view the race as the riders would be going a bit slower (even here, however, they were still travelling in excess of 20 kilometres per hour). This also happened to be the corner inhabited by the notorious "El Diablo," a gray-haired German, Didi Senft, who dresses like the devil and chases riders at the grand tours with his pitchfork).

The day was capped off with a massage at our next rest stop, the Hotel Evaldo in Arabba, in the heart of the Dolomites. Tomorrow we ride the Sella loop, a circuit that traverses four mountain passes.

Day 3

A "recovery" day to get ready for some intense mountain riding on Day 4. We rode 70 kilometres, with only a couple of short climbs. First stop was Asolo, a village perched on a hilltop. We walked the cobbled streets for an hour and had an espresso on a patio at one of the little cafes. After a quick refuel, we sped down the other side of the hill and followed a quiet road that wound through a valley in the region of Valdobbiadene. The views were spectacular: the valley floor was filled with vineyards and small towns.

We rode along a section of the race course and enjoyed Giro-related artwork, including a pink tractor parked alongside the road. We ended the ride at the Campion winery, drank prosecco, and ate a delicious spread prepared by the Trek guides.

After a tour of the winery and some down time, we went to the end of the Campion driveway to wait for the peloton to go by; the route would circle by here twice before the finish in a nearby town. We mounted our bikes and rode a bit of the course, with enthusiastic cheers from the tifosi. Then we rode back to the winery, lounged on the grass next to the vines in the warm sun and watched the circus atmosphere of a grand tour stage unfold. First the Giro caravan of sponsor vehicles rolled past, along with hundreds of cyclists enjoying the festivities, then dozens of police and race vehicles. Overhead, an approaching helicopter signalled the arrival of the race. The peloton flew past, Lance Armstrong and members of his Team Astana lined up near the front of the pack on our side of the road. On the second go-round, a breakaway had formed, and the Armstrong group was in furious chase mode. (The break was caught and the stage won by an Italian, to the delight of the crowd.)

This would also be our final night in the first hotel, the Villa Abbazia in Follina, just north of Venice. The Abbazia exuded small-town charm, with a friendly staff and quirky decor. A slight annoyance on arrival: double bunking was the plan, but the room had only a king-size bed and a single-size sofabed. We split into separate rooms. The bed wasn't Four Seasons plush, but it was luxurious by rural Italian standards just by virtue of its size. The organizers of a trip like this are bound to face certain limitations outside major cities. The service was excellent and the meal on our final night was outstanding: a five-course offering that included eggplant millefeuille, paccheri pasta with ricotta and braised veal cheek, accompanied by excellent red wines from the region. The guides served up grappa with dessert.

 

Day 2

I managed to get a solid night of sleep. Staying up for 36 hours, riding 20 kilometres and drinking several glasses of wine (a fruity 2007 Villa Angoris Cabernet Sauvignon) helped offset the effects of jetlag. After today's ride up Monte Grappa, I expect to sleep even deeper.

We met for breakfast at 8 a.m., and after the three Trek Travel guides gave us a quick overview of the day's ride up Monte Grappa, we set out. Maps and turn-by-turn directions were provided, although we managed to miss the first turn and pedaled an extra kilometre up the road before Christian, one of the guides, chased us down. Hundreds of local cyclists were out for a Sunday morning ride (I saw perhaps 20 different clubs out throughout the day).

The guides worked together to keep track of each guest along the route, with two of them on bike and one driving the support vehicle. It's no easy task. Our pack of 12 quickly broke up into two or three groups (and during the day's big climb, most of us rode at our own pace - which means solo). A few people got lost as we rode through the valley toward Monte Grappa; we passed through numerous small villages, each intersection providing an opportunity to make a wrong turn. But they found their way by studying the route maps and asking for directions, and arrived at the base of Monte Grappa not long after the rest of us. The group is mostly American, and includes a lawyer, an opthamologist, a professor of veterinary medicine and an 18-year-old member of the Florida State university cycling team (who was the first to the top of Monte Grappa).

On Monte Grappa, every guest entered their own personal purgatory. The Grappa Massif rises to an elevation of 1,775 metres, with grades in the nine- to 11 per cent range for much of the 15-kilometre climb. An important First World War battleground, Il Grappa is one of the most difficult climbs in Italy. I was in the smallest (and easiest) chain ring before the first of 29 switchbacks to the top. Along the way we were entertained by over a dozen paragliders sailing off the steep cliffs. The weather was ideal — mostly clear skies, slightly humid, almost no wind and temperatures in the low 20s.

About a kilometre from the summit we were riding through clouds and encountered snow on the road. We were forced to get off our bikes at tornanti (turn) 28 and trudge through deep snow to reach clear pavement. At the summit, we rode along a narrow path of pavement with 10-foot snow banks on either side. Remarkably, it was still warm (high teens). We later learned that the weather gods were on our side — it was the warmest day of the year so far.

After a fast descent halfway down the Grappa, we stopped for lunch on the delightful patio of Chalet Stella Alpina. There we ate sliced meats, pizza, pasta (Bolognese) and had a few sips of Grappa to celebrate the day's hardest climb. (Grappa is an after-dinner liquor or "digestive" made from by-products of the wine-making process.)

The remainder of the ride, back to Follina, took us through a number of villages that are hosting the Giro. The streets were decorated with banners and bicycling-themed artwork, welcoming the race. Residents and visitors crowded the sidewalks, enjoying the festive atmosphere. Patio parties were a common sight.

All in, we spent over five hours on the bike and rode 127 kilometres, with approximately 7,700 feet of elevation gain. It was a hard day in the saddle.

Day 1

Day 1 of the trip lived up to its promise. We arrived in Venice on the morning of the first day of the trip, which coincided with the first stage of the Giro d'Italia. The race began with a team time trial around Lido Island, a narrow spit of land situated across the lagoon from the city of Venice. We arrived around 10 a.m. and took the 95 Euro water taxi to Lido Island, landing at the Santa Maria Elisabetta port. Our base for the day was the historic Hotel des Bains, located on the race course a short distance from the start.

The immersion in Giro fever began the moment we stepped off the boat. The streets were crowded with fans of all ages; it seemed like entire families were out for the race, from toddlers to grandparents, many of them wearing pink shirts or hats; the buildings were festooned with pink banners, ribbons and balloons.

Arriving at the hotel, the guides welcomed us, and then proceeded to finish setting up our bikes as we changed into our cycling gear. Within 30 minutes we were riding around the course for the first stage, a 20-kilometre loop around Lido. The air was warm and there was a light breeze off the Adriatic Sea as I pedaled around the course with Don Gray, my business partner.

The race was set to get underway in a little more than two hours, and although there were hundreds of police officers standing along the course patrolling the intersections, they let us ride along virtually uninterrupted. A few pro cycling teams were also on the course warming up for the time trial.

It was a fascinating experience. The teams flew by us at speeds in excess of 55 km/h, while we rolled along at a more casual pace of just over 30 km/h. We couldn't keep up even if we wanted to, and since it was 3:30 a.m. Calgary time, we felt happy achieving the speeds we did. As we rode along, fans lining the barricades on the side of the road cheered us on with loud whistles and shouts of "Bravo!" It didn't matter that we were just tourists. Italians love cycling and cheer on anyone who is there to celebrate the sport with them.

After arriving at the finish we pedaled down a side street where all of the team buses were parked. The pros were warming up on trainers as fans crowded around snapping pictures. It seemed as though the largest crowds were around the buses of Lance Armstrong's Team Astana and the Italian Lampre squad. One of the benefits of attending the Giro (verses the Tour de France) is that the race organizers allow fans to get much closer to the participants. As the teams headed out to the start, the pros rode through the crowd.

The hotel was an excellent venue from which to watch the time trial, which was won by the American team Columbia-Highroad (Mr. Armstrong's team finished third). Once the stage was over, the tour organizers welcomed us to a formal dinner at the Hotel des Bain. From there we took a ferry back to the mainland and then an hour-long bus ride to the Hotel Villa Abbazia in the town of Follina, which is situated in the foothills of the Dolomites. This will be our base for the first three days.

***

What appears below is Peter Verburg's kick-off blog entry and original Travel story on the Giro D'Italia.

When Lance Armstrong rolls up to the starting line today here on Lido Island, at the centenary of the Giro d'Italia, his many fans will cheer, Dick Pound and a few other cynics may grimace and cyclists the world over will feel inspired.

I hope to be in the latter group, because as the peloton heads north into the Dolomites during the first week of this 21-stage grand tour, I'll be following along, riding over many of the same mountain passes as Armstrong, gasping for oxygen and longing for performance enhancers to get me to the finish. (Yeah, that's right, Dick. Now buzz off.)

After Armstrong came out of retirement this year and announced plans to participate in the Giro for the first time at the age of 37, my business partner suggested that we fly to Venice and watch his attempted comeback up close, on a luxury cycling excursion.

It was an easy sell. I have long wanted to be here, on the ground, as the pros battle it out at one of the European grand tours. Yes, we'll have prime viewing spots along the race course, but we will also hit the road in the middle of the action for a taste of what the pros experience.

During the seven-day trip, we will ride along parts of the race course before the peloton arrives. Cycling-mad Italians - the famous tifosi - will cheer us (or jeer us) up the toughest mountain roads as they wait to see the maglia rosa (the pink jersey) worn by the race leader. On the fifth day, we are scheduled to ride over four mountain passes that have made legends (and footnotes) of riders since the time of Italian racing great Fausto Coppi.

Unlike the pros, however, we will have the option of resting if the burning in our legs becomes unbearable. Daily rides ranging in length from 10 to 120 kilometres will take us through the heart of the Dolomites. The distances are not an issue. What's worrisome is the insane amount of climbing: a gain of more than 9,448 metres of elevation over the middle five days, beginning Sunday with an ascent of the 1,775-metre Grappa massif. Fare il Grappa, or "to do the Grappa," is a rite of passage for cyclists in the Veneto region.

That's a lot of uphill early in the season for a couple of winter-weary Canadians. As part of our preparation, we flew down to Arizona in March and climbed Mount Lemmon outside Tucson. That was a hard day, with about 1,800 metres of climbing. The riding this week will be like doing a Mount Lemmon almost every day, with a couple of key differences: The grades will be much steeper and we could face biting cold temperatures and falling snow at higher elevations.

It goes without saying that this sort of trip is not everyone's cup of espresso. Even if you can get your head around the price tag in a tough economy, you still have to get in shape. This won't be a gentle jaunt along the picturesque back roads of sun-soaked Tuscany, stopping every few kilometres to sit through an olive oil tutorial or sample the fruit of a hidden vineyard.

Laid-back cycling vacations have an appeal all their own, and I'll probably wish I was on one right around the sixth day when I am halfway up the 2,057-metre Passo Fedaia. But then I'll (hopefully) reach the top, where the guidebook promises a view of the majestic Marmolada glacier - the Queen of the Dolomites - and I won't want to be anyplace else.

Of course, it bears mentioning that excursions like these appeal to masochists with a soft side. Although I am in for a week of strenuous physical activity (guests can go as hard or as easy as they like - and knowing how my friend likes to ride, I'll be tasting lung daily), the aches and exhaustion will be offset by luxury accommodations and sumptuous meals accompanied by fine Italian wines.

On top of that, we'll be equipped with the same super-light carbon-fibre road bikes used by Armstrong's Team Astana: the Trek Madone 6.5 Pro, which retails for $8,170. The equipment may not make us ride like the pros, but it may help us feel like them.

So, by press time I should be on the Venice Lagoon, eager to ride and excited by the spectacle of the race itself. There has been a lot of buzz surrounding Armstrong's participation: The Italian tour attracts less media attention than its French stepsister, but pros have said that because of its gruelling climbs, the Giro is more difficult than the Tour de France. And the pressure on participants is always intense because of Italy's passionate love affair with the sport (the tifosi have been known to spit on and otherwise harass riders).

A crash back in March put a dent in Armstrong's training schedule (he broke a collarbone) and will probably affect his chances of winning. Nevertheless, this year's race will feature some exciting rivalries. The seven-time Tour de France champion and celebrity cancer survivor will battle his old Italian nemesis Ivan Basso, who won the Giro in 2006. Other contenders include 2007 Giro winner Danilo Di Luca, Vuelta a Espana winner Denis Menchov and 2008 Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre. A larger than normal contingent of Canadians will also be there in supporting roles, including Michael Barry, Ryder Hesjedal and Svein Tuft.

In short, this year's Giro d'Italia has the makings of an exciting and historic race, and I'm happy to have a front-row

bicycle seat.

***

The grand Giro

The length

The centenary Giro d'Italia will cover 3,456 kilometres over 21 days of racing.

The route

It begins near Venice with a time trial around the Lido, heads up into the Alps and then takes laps around Milan. From there, the race heads for the Cinque Terre, Tuscany and then south, with stage 19 finishing atop Mount

Vesuvius. The final stage features a time trial in Rome.