Stage 9 is the final stage before the first rest day. It was 177km with four categorized climbs, the second of which was quite nasty. The route was probably the most beautiful yet however, with long sweeping descents of over 10 km and magically cool forests on two of the climbs. Tim said that this was probably the most enjoyable ride he has ever had. The weather and the route were idyllic.
Ted was strong on the climbs keeping a good cadence throughout the day. Tim and I rode the whole day instead of splitting it up. It really gave me a taste of what Ted is going through riding every km of every day.
Arriving in Florence surrounded by distinct florentine style and renaissance architecture took the sting out of our legs as we breathed a sigh of gratitude for the rest day ahead of us. We are definitely going to enjoy this rest day.
Part 4 includes coverage from Stages 7 (177km), 8 (54.8km) and 9 (170km) as our intrepid group are pedaling every kilometer of the Giro d’Italia course a day ahead of the race – so far they’ve ridden 1,259.2km.
London, Ontario’s Velikonja, a First Vice President at CIBC Wood Gundy is continuing his goal to ride all of the Grand Tours – Velikonja has already completed the Tour de France and is now back on track to tackle the Giro.
Stage 7 – Halfway point
Stage 7 – Villa Manja
Stage 8 – Massage
Stage 9 – Fiesole
Stage 9 – Tim in Tuscany
Stage 9 – Bon apetit – Dinner at Relais Palazzo Di Luglio