As we write this, many of you might be lounging in front of the television, enjoying the undeniably stunning spectacle of the Giro d'Italia 2025.
To celebrate the 108th edition of this most gorgeous of Grand Tours, we've put together previews of a selection of our favourite Giro d'Italia adjacent pieces from The Road Book. Today we focus on Ian Cleverly's excellent 'Giro d'Italia: Are you not entertained?' from The Road Book 2024, a fans eye view piece which breaks down Ian's first experience of the Grand Tour.
I’d never been to the Giro. All my years as a cycling journalist and it just never happened, for one reason or another. Tour de France visits, as a spectator or writer, I lost count of. The Vuelta, I made it to a couple of times, including a memorably bonkers stage start on the blisteringly hot deck of the Principe de Asturias aircraft carrier in Cádiz, where the sight of Alejandro Valverde in the maillot rojo posing for photographers was one of the more bizarre media opportunities I have witnessed. Top Gun, it was not.
But the Giro, for all the beautiful cities, the fabulous food, the glorious landscape, the passionate tifosi – oh, and a rather good bike race – remained unseen in the flesh. Fellow journalists and hipster bike-racing fans wang on about how it is the best of the three Grand Tours on every level. Why had I not been?
And France is, let’s face it, grossly overrated when it comes to cuisine. Ordering dinner past 9 o’clock? Forget it. Any chance of some vegetables or even something vaguely green or remotely fresh with that steak frites? Mais non! As for the hotels, checking in to find something clean and modern with helpful staff is reason to celebrate. Spain can be hit and miss on both fronts, but at least they are friendly with it, and like to eat late – always a bonus when you are working on a race.
So it was about time. I was a Giro d’Italia virgin and enough was enough. I consulted my regular Grand Tour brother-in-arms, Ashley, and we ran through the options. Italy was our oyster. Plump for a stage, pick a spot at the roadside and watch the show. The perfect mini break in a town of our choosing.
Where to go, though? Yomping up mountains, we’d done enough times. A stage start, we experienced last year at the Vuelta in fabulous Pamplona. There were no bulls running, thankfully, but we did get to have lunch – and experience almost instantaneous food poisoning – in Ernest Hemingway’s favourite restaurant. Wonderful room, terrible food. Hemingway, I’m still undecided on. Much like Chris Froome, he had his good moments but went on a bit too long.
The answer – and let’s face it, this is rarely the answer to anything – was the time trial. Of course, the time trial! A chunky three hours or more of spectator heaven; rider after rider hammering past in their silly hats on barely rideable bikes, up a classically Italianate incline to Perugia, the 14th-century jewel that towers over Umbria, affording views for miles in every direction. Perfetto!
We plumped for a spot around a kilometre from the finish, with the towering city walls to our backs, the warm sun dappling though the canopy of trees overhead. The Danish family to our right – beers and snacks fuelling their enthusiasm, red and white flag draped over the barriers – went full-on ballistic for every single one of their countrymen who flew by. This is bike racing at its best, I thought. The old Italian fella to our left, clutching his pink-paged Gazzetta, consulted his printed startlist and, unfailingly, announced the name of each rider five seconds after he’d passed by. I didn’t have the heart to point out the name plates on the front of each following car. The Giro, much like this lovely old man and his newspaper, is delightfully old school.
There you go! If that doesn't wet your appetite for the Giro, we don't know what will. You can read the rest of Ian's brilliantly entertaining piece in The Road Book 2024, which is available now. You should also keep an eye out for another little secret project Ian has been working on for us. We've just given it the GREEN light, and we can't wait to tell you all about it...
Illustration by Matthew Green
Images: Russ Ellis
