Giro d'Italia questions

tobiasg said:

I plan on attending the 19th stage of the Giro d'Italia, from Savigliano to Sestriere. However, I have never attended a European bike race before and I have a few questions. How early should I get there to find a good spot? Is there a way to get live reports while I am sitting there waiting for the cyclists to pass by? Any other tips or suggestions would be appreciated too.

1. Arrive as early as possible, esp if you want to get near the top of a climb.
2. yes...if you speak Italian. Local and national radio broadcast at least the last couple of hours of each stage live. Some mountain stages/TTs they'll broadcast the whole day.
3. Have fun and make some friends with the locals!

Look for a steep section on one of the climbs and get there VERY early. Serious fans will get there very early and make it a day/picnic thing.

If you find a good section there will undoubtedly be lots of people - try to get in with someone with a portable TV (lots of people with campers and generators get new friends on climbs!).

Bring food and copious amounts of liquids (preferably alcoholic) and a bit of paint to express your support for your favorite riders on the road surface.

Make friends, get tipsy and watch the race! 😄

PS - plan on it being a full day. By the time the race and the 'motorcade' get by and the road re-opens, there will be a hellish drive with a couple of hundred thousand other people trying to get off the mountain. Wait the afternoon and tootle on down in the evening.

I have a few questions too, if I might join in. 🙄

I'm trying to plan a trip to the Passo dello Stelvio for the Giro. Logistics are proving to be challenging to a degree. Seems the best thing to do is hop a train from Milan up to Tirano, and then a bus to the Stelvio area. Find lodging of course. 😄

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with how to plan and arrange that? Can you get tickets for the train/bus etc ahead of time, and if so, how/where? Also, a similar concern: is planning to leave Milan the day before the stage enough time? Would like to arrive at the Stelvio the day before the stage. Seems the trip is doable in a day under normal circumstances from Milan, but I am beginning to think travel would need to happen even a day before that since it undoubtedly gets backed up. I dont mind a long slow ride to get there - I just want to be certain to get there.

Not sure how to plan this part of it. Any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.