Chapelle Gresniac Race

Whilst visiting the stunning region of Dordogne in France this past June for the wedding of my best pal, in an amazing stroke of luck a split day criterium race passed right through the tiny village we were staying in. With a time trial in the morning and a road race in the afternoon, I snapped a few pics of the French teams competing. I haven't been able to find any info online about the race, which is a pity as im curious! 

Il Giro Fever!

Giro d'Italia countdown has officially begun. So here we stand a mere 3 days out from the perennial date in the grand tour calendar, a true signifier that the summer of stage racing has begun in earnest! 

Will be see Wiggo actually get his head down and race with vigor, or is Sicily's prodigal son Nibali about to wreck the party and tear it up with the support of his easter block friends? Honestly... im dearly hoping for a Nibz coup this giro. Scintillating on descents, and seemingly 100% committed to animating a race rather than computing SRM figures for 6 hours on end. Racing with panache I guess some will call it.  I cant help but really like the love-able Sicilian, and after a show of decent form bagging Tirreno is grim conditions this year, he looks in good shape. Looking remarkably lean 'n mean this season...  he is for sure my pick to don the Paul Smith designed Maglia Rosa for 2013. Id also like to see Uran right up there, maglia bianca perhaps?

You can keep abreast via Eurosport on tv daily, or if like me your chained to a computer screen, check out the links at the end for places you can stream (I actually love streaming via the official Gazzetta page for euro flair). Don't forget you can catch stages at the London Rapha Cycle Club, or head to Bar Italia and enjoy a machiatto and some late afternoon stage finishes daily. To get you in the mood, check out this 'Maglia Rosa' cocktail! 

We spied this this natty little wallpaper thats available to download for free to a variety of handheld or tablet devices, from artist Pierluigi Riccio...

For any design/type nerds out there, you can download a lovely PDF gratis (or a meager €5 for a lovely print copy on rosa-coloured paper) over at Binnenland

Strava & Castelli bring you the 'Battaglia in Montagna' challenge, in the shape of a charge to undertake 813km of riding within the ten day period starting from 13th May. The challenge sees riders undertake the combined distance of stages 10, 14, 15, 19 and 20 from this year's race. These five stages, all major summit finishes, are where the eventual winner will undoubtedly prove they have what it takes to bring home the Maglia Rosa! Sign up and get involved, nothing like a good dollop of early summer inspiration to get out and chase some tarmac and work on those grand tour-esque tanlines ;)

Bored at work and cant ride? why not shield your screen from your boss and exercise the inner child, check out this online interactive 'colouring book' to colour-in the Giro d'Italia logo. 

Finally, we here at Bianchista HQ recommend truly getting in the Mediterranean spirit and grabbing a copy of Raphas 'The Giro' music album. Packed with classic jazz, traditional folk and italo-disco belters, the album is peppered with excerpts from the 174 classic film 'The Greatest Show On Earth'. A perfect summertime edition to the jukebox, and whilst a few years old now, has still stood the test f time and every summer its on heavy rotation

So get ready to work your Giro-inspired splash of pink and enjoy what promises to be an electric edition of Italy's finest racing export!

http://www.steephill.tv/giro-d-italia/
http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2013/en/
http://www.cyclingnews.com/giro-ditalia

The Finish Line

I wait aside the finish line in Paris. The 2012 tour is a mere twenty minutes away from completion, its 99th incarnation capturing the hearts of many a hardened fan, and also enticing those with merely a scrap of interest. Bradley Wiggins sealed a historic first in British cycling folklore, sealing the tour in exemplary fashion. Never looking in trouble throughout the three weeks, Sky's air of control never wavered.

A thunderous roar erupts around the finish line of the Champs-Elysees stage as Mark Cavendish holds aloft four fingers as he seals yet another dynamite win on the famed central parisienne cobbles. And with that ultimate display of power, the tour over for another year, and thus our lives bereft of daily antics on 'les routes françaises'. Riders roll across the final white line to close the curtains on our french adventures. 

How odd a feeling it must be for these riders, for the race to be over. I think about the spectrum of emotions they must be experiencing today, and I can read each and every one on the various faces of the peloton as they meander around the technical zone.

It must be strange that after living so closely with eight other riders, and a nucleated support staff for the three weeks, the riders will leave this environment and return to some semblance of reality, whatever that may actually entail for a professional rider. I see happy faces, a Cofidis rider beams at me proudly on a backstreet as he rides to his hotel. I spy Mick Rogers, as he congratulates several riders ahead of the processional laps. He looks across and I offer him my broadest smile, as if telepathically thanking him and the peloton for their feats that fed my passion as a cycling fan this summer. I don't doubt I just looked like a grinning loon, but my respect for these gents is fortified every time I see their suffering in real and tangible sphere. They are but humans, with emotions, pain, a willingness to push their own boundaries of suffering. 

A day before in Chartres, I find myself mingling with fans as Alexandr Vinokourov rolls through. A loud cheer erupts in recognition for what will certainly be his last tour. A chequered past foreshadows him, sure, but the respect shown from the fans is palpable and deafening. Every story needs hero's and villains, and the tour is a theatre not exempt from this. 

I see faces that display the realisation dawning on them of their endeavours. I see pride, relief and I sense determination. I think I see faces that are already thinking to the next goal. The next hit of this circus.

The finish line is always such a melancholy place for me, tinged with sadness that its over for the next year. Sure enough, there's the Vuelta, and a slurry of late season races (Lombardia in particular is a fave) but it just seems like nothing can quite capture the magic of pro cycling like the Tour can. I remember 5 years ago being laughed out of the office for asking to watch the tour at my workplace, this year I walked in to pretty much every flatscreen dialled onto the live coverage daily. Oh how times change! Here's to the 100th Tour de France in 2013... I know I will be ensconced in your bubble yet again

Jersey Style

So, Alberto is back with fire in is belly in the Vuelta. Loved his 7 or so attacks on the Arrate, whilst he perhaps struggled to maintain the veracity of each dig, its clear the is a man on a mission, and it made for a very exciting finale indeed. Anyway! can anyone reveal the interesting scallops on the bottom of his jersey? I know the kit is manufactured by Sportful but I was unable to find any info on this pattern... and wondered what it might be in aid of. If you can shed any light, feel free to comment!

Tourminator

Nocturne - 9th June

The 2012 Smithfield Nocturne is almost upon us! info here

Condor Race Socks

Condor Cycles have released a new model of sock just in time for summer, this time tipping a nod to the cool euro styling seen on PRO racers within today's peloton. Their lightweight-tech white sock features a simple striped contrasting rear logo (available in both black and red, perfect to pick the coordinating colour to your S-Works heel cup!). In a longer incarnation of their previous sock, the race model boasts a 7cm long cuff section, perfect for those looking to enhance their bronzed pins for uber-euro points. 

Priced at £8.99, I can confirm from the featured pictures that even after a decent 40 wash cycle, the socks came out like new. A welcome piece of information for those prone to heavy washing of their kit. The midfoot section is crafted from a meshed version of the microfibre yarn, improving ventilation to this part of the foot, along with ease of moisture transfer - bound to a nice bit of respite on those hot summer days in the saddle. The toe and heel area offers a thicker blend of fabric, resulting in a comfortable and secure fit.

The socks are available in-store now, in two sizes, a S/M & M/L. Alternatively, those non-London residents can ping the good folks at Grays Inn Road an email or phonecall and take advantage of friendly mail order option. Another nice sock staple to add to the summer riding wardrobe.