Trying to stay ahead of the pros at the Giro d'Italia

My Giro experience. Stage 16, 2022.

It’s the start of another day in the Giro d’Italia and it promises to be an unforgettable one. With 200km and over 5,000m of elevation, we’ve got an entire day of gorgeous riding to look forward to. The alarm is set very early because we’re doing the SAME stage as the pro riders on the SAME day.

Since we’re not as fast as them (a vast understatement), we need to get a big head-start if we’re hoping to stay ahead of them. For a moment I wish I was doing the ‘Experience’ Tour instead of the ‘Ride Every Kilometre’. That way I would still be nice and snug in my bed, and the day ahead would be considerably less demanding. But these thoughts quickly make way for amazement and content when - after roughly an hour of riding through the valley - we see the sun rise and reflect on a nearby lake. The swirling morning colours and the fact that the first climb is gently starting are putting me in that epic Giro mood.

We’re a group of 4 riders today and the van’s support is already coming in handy as we take off our jackets during the first mountain pass of the day: the Passo Crocedomini. One of our guests is having a tough time on the first half of the climb. Those 4 previous stages are finally starting to tire her legs, but with some extra motivation and a couple of gentle pushes, she’s feeling better on the second half of the climb. At around the same time the skies open up and the amazing views of the pass are now really showing themselves. Encouraged by all this beauty, we soon arrive at the top and meet our second ‘REK’ group, that started just a tad earlier and is just about ready to start their descent.

After a well-deserved coffee and croissant in the charming bar at the top, we surrender ourselves to a beautiful descent and continue riding in the valley. Next up: the most famous pass of the day, Passo Mortirolo! But don’t be alarmed, it’s only the ‘easy side’, the one starting in Monno. ‘Easy’ is not how I would describe it though. ‘Awesome’ is what I would say. Not because of the gradients, which aren’t too bad, especially in the first half, but because now we are really getting into the Giro spirit.

Hundreds of fellow cyclists are tackling the climb with us and hundreds more are cheering us on from the side of the road. They’re anxiously waiting for the pros of course, but we are a welcome distraction and they shout and applaud us up the mountain. Towards the top, we navigate our way through the crowds and gratefully start our second-long descent of the day.

After some flat kilometres through the next valley, the road starts going uphill again. This didn’t look like a hard climb when studying the profile the evening before, but boy oh boy! We haul ourselves up, as the gradients get well into the double digits. But once again, the cheers and enthusiasm from the side of the road gives us a little nudge up those steepest parts.

After some flat kilometres through the next valley, the road starts going uphill again. This didn’t look like a hard climb when studying the profile the evening before, but boy oh boy. We haul ourselves up, as the gradients get well into the double digits. But once again, the cheers and enthusiasm from the side of the road gives us a little nudge up those steepest parts.

We stop in a little bar at the top for a big plate of pasta and realise that this will be the first day we won’t be able to stay ahead of the racing pro riders. They’re flying! We decide to get a small dessert and watch them as they pass us by. Kudos for that idea! The atmosphere when they fly by is out of this world, and we get to spot some of our favourite riders up close, including my countryman Thomas De Gendt.

Energised by our spaghetti, we take on the last climb of the day: Valico di Santa Cristina. The first half is not that steep, but we had been warned that the last part of the day might very well be the hardest. We continue upward, almost continuously dancing on the pedals to keep our cranks turning on the steep Italian slopes. To make the last kilometres of this already legendary day even more memorable, the skies burst open and it starts pouring rain.

Soaked, tired and satisfied we arrive at the finish and gratefully jump into our support car. With the heating and our favourite Van Morrison album on, we drive to our next hotel, realising we might just have lived our most epic day on the bike so far. Viva il Giro!