There is a very good reason why the Giro d’Italia is heralded as such an achievement and that is because Italy is
awesomely hilly. Even the beautiful wine growing region of Chianti, smack in the middle of Tuscany, means the vines are crawling up the hills that challenge the Italian Alps not in length but in gradient. So it was to this gruelling area that 75 cyclists headed off to in mid May in support of Action Medical Research hosted, by special invitation only, by Tesco.
This is the 7th year this group have got together in support of Action Medical Research and every year there are more people on the ride, the hills get bigger and better and the amount raised for this fantastic charity soar. This year further support to the event was donated by Stobarts who lent a truck and driver to get the bikes to the start in Italy, and Mercedes Benz who lent 3 of their finest vehicles to be used as support. As all 4 vehicles were in matching livery, we were indeed Tesco’s Finest. Sky also lent their support bringing a team of excellent riders including Simon Jackson, head of Sky Homes, who is hoping to be the first British man over the line at the 2010 Etape.
As always each person was able to
choose from a choice of 3 different rides a day, ranging from very hard to just plain hard. Whats the definition of hard vs very hard? On the most challenging day, the hard route was a mere 102kms and 1240m of ascent while the very hard route was 160kms and 2500m of elevation. Well it has to be sponsorshipworthy!!
From the wine region of Montepulciano in the pouring rain, via Lago de Trasimeno, the cyclists made their way north towards the sunshine and Arezzo, up and over well known Giro climbs. From the plains of Arezzo they once more hit the hills on their way to the beautiful
city of Siena, home of the Palio, the Duomo and the Piazza del Campo.
It wasn’t just Rome that was built on 7 hills. Every village and town of note has been built in strategically defendable positions and Siena is no exception. After some challenging climbs to get to the hotel in the city walls near the town centre, a drink in the setting of one of Italy’s most beautiful piazzas was a must.
From Sienna it was a comparatively short hop to get to Firenze (or Florence as we know it). From the Michelangelo view point, they descended to cross the river Arno, passing by the struts of the Ponti Vecchio to celebrate with cold beer, ice creams and an excellent busker and a spectacular finish in front of the Santa Maria la Novella church, a stone’s throw from the duomo.
In short, an excellent opportunity for some of Britain’s most senior decision makers to share quality time together in an exceptional setting while donating a huge amount to Action Medical Researches Touching Tiny Lives project.
