Giro D'Italia 2024: Chirps, Buzz and Updates

[Shebeen]

9 minutes ago, Frosty said:

The question comes from GCN+, and the answer is A.

Senza Fine = endless.

Here’s something about the best trophy in Cycling; excluding the cobblestone.

https://www.rouleur.cc/blogs/rouleur-it/il-trofeo-del-giro-ditalia-uno-sguardo-allinterno-della-fabbrica

English translation below

GIRO D'ITALIA 2023: HOW DID THE ENDLESS TROPHY COME ABOUT?

From issue 19.3, Andy McGrath and Paolo Ciaberta have interviewed the producer of the Endless Trophy.

 

 

On a sparkling December morning in Vigodarzere, a village on the outskirts of Padua, in the north-east of Italy, we enter Penello Mario's laboratory. Here the trophy of the Giro d'Italia has been produced since 1999, when Fabrizio Galli won a competition organized by the Italian Copper Institute to design a new one.

"That project was done on the computer," recalls Luca Penello, Mario's son, who runs the company. "But at first trying to make it was not easy, the costs were not particularly reasonable. But after trying and trying again, we succeeded."

It takes a month to make the Endless Trophy. A copper bar is rounded, then shaped with a bending machine and subjected to a first polishing. Next, it is heat treated and twisted into a recognizable spiral shape. Then it is cut to size, the base is added, and the trophy is polished again. Finally, entries from past winners are added with the laser and the trophy is sandblasted.

“The hardest part of the process is modeling the trophy and engraving the names. Once you're stuck in that spiral, you have to be very careful with any finishing," Luca explains.

A torture device or a cycling trophy in preparation? “It looks a bit like one of those,” he agrees. “We need all of these metal pegs to support the copper and give a particular shape.”

Once completed, the Endless Trophy is 54 centimetres tall and weighs 9.5 kilograms. The company also creates the trophies for the Milano-Sanremo, the Milano-Torino, the Strade Bianche and the famous trident of the Tirreno-Adriatico.

Luca's work doesn't stop when this beauty plated with 18 carat gold leaves his atelier. Since the 2017 Giro, Penello has been present at the finish of the race to personally engrave the winner's name on the trophy.

Passionate Sunday cyclist, who travels 4,000 kilometers every year, this work is a special joy for Penello: "It is a great honor for me to make a trophy like this, so important, so famous, so rich in history".

might be an obvious question, but is it not a floating trophy? ie. do they make a new (slightly larger) one every year and the winner then keeps it?

[peepeekaitjie]

11 minutes ago, Frosty said:

best trophy in Cycling

The Tro-Bro Leon piglet would like a word

[Frosty]

6 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

might be an obvious question, but is it not a floating trophy? ie. do they make a new (slightly larger) one every year and the winner then keeps it?

Yes, in the documentary with Vicenza Nibali, he has two trophies displayed on his cabinet.

They make new ones each year.

[Frosty]

6 minutes ago, peepeekaitjie said:

The Tro-Bro Leon piglet would like a word

That falls under the category called “Weird Prizes” 

https://humancyclist.wordpress.com/2018/10/07/weird-prizes-in-cycling/

[babse]

G is looking boss.

That move yesterday to help Roglic just after Roglic had tried to drop him was suttle but savage. 

 

Not a fan of the Ineos brigade but how can you not like this ballie looking like a teen in the last few days of a GT. If nothing changes today and he continues to hold wheels like glue, I actually think he might win the ITT on saturday.

 

[lechatnoir]

9 minutes ago, babse said:

G is looking boss.

That move yesterday to help Roglic just after Roglic had tried to drop him was suttle but savage. 

 

Not a fan of the Ineos brigade but how can you not like this ballie looking like a teen in the last few days of a GT. If nothing changes today and he continues to hold wheels like glue, I actually think he might win the ITT on saturday.

 

Ineos is a bit 'marmite-y', but from what I've seen of Thomas, he's a decent guy and someone everyone would welcome into their group ride. 

A lot of what we read, hear etc is through the filter of media... It's hard to not have their own agendas filter things. But what I've seen of him on podcasts, GCN (in the cold shed) etc shows him to be down-to-earth. 

And doesn't he deserve some reward for staying upright for a change?

[Shebeen]

1 hour ago, lechatnoir said:

Ineos is a bit 'marmite-y', but from what I've seen of Thomas, he's a decent guy and someone everyone would welcome into their group ride. 

A lot of what we read, hear etc is through the filter of media... It's hard to not have their own agendas filter things. But what I've seen of him on podcasts, GCN (in the cold shed) etc shows him to be down-to-earth. 

And doesn't he deserve some reward for staying upright for a change?

If it's a reliable marker of reputation, I don't think the french spectators have thrown piss at him yet.

[DJuice]

Mic drop 2.0 coming.

['Dale]

Eina, moer! 5 x Category Eina climbs. 5000 plus vert. 3 of them above 2,000 metres above sea level and oxygen will be limited. 2300 metres altitude is where the finish line is. If ever you should WFH, today would be it. So, start coughing excessively at work from about noon, which means just about now.

It appears that Primoz are playing mind games with the rest of the GC contenders, faking injury and that he lost time 2 days ago because of his side-hip niggle after several crashes. Or is it a double bluff? Wie weet... Whatever, the ramps of 9-12 percent will suit the explosive Slovenian.

Geraint seem to be one foot on the beach, sipping cocktails and looking forward to retirement. He would want to finish his career on a high, pun intended. He alluded to as much in comments from the latest edition of "Watts Occurring".

Hugh Carthy abandons. I am hoping Ben Healy will get the mountains jersey now that Pinot has used all his gun powder yesterday chasing that elusive stage win. C'mon Benno!

One Italian in the top 20 of GC and he is 35 years old. No Italian teams. The same dynamic in Spain. What is going on? One would guess economic pressures have taken its toll. For example, the Colnago is now majority owned by a Abu Dhabi investment fund, Chimera Investments LLC.

Enjoy today. It is going to be beautiful and dramatic racing before tomorrow's uphill drag race. Onto the beautiful and legendary Dolomitic mountain peaks of Tre Cime di Lavaredo.

Pic credit: Frank Bienewaldt/LightRocket via Getty Images

Edited May 26, 2023 by 'Dale

[Underachiever]

14 minutes ago, 'Dale said:

Eina, moer! 5 x Category Eina climbs. 5000 plus vert. 3 of them above 2,000 metres above sea level and oxygen will be limited. 2300 metres altitude is where the finish line is. If ever you should WFH, today would be it. So, start coughing excessively at work from about noon, which means just about now.

It appears that Primoz are playing mind games with the rest of the GC contenders, faking injury and that he lost time 2 days ago because of his side-hip niggle after several crashes. Or is it a double bluff? Wie weet... Whatever, the ramps of 9-12 percent will suit the explosive Slovenian.

Geraint seem to be one foot on the beach, sipping cocktails and looking forward to retirement. He would want to finish his career on a high, pun intended. He alluded to as much in comments from the latest edition of "Watts Occurring".

 

Hugh Carthy abandons. I am hoping Ben Healy will get the mountains jersey now that Pinot has used all his gun powder yesterday chasing that elusive stage win. C'mon Benno!

One Italian in the top 20 of GC and he is 35 years old. No Italian teams. The same dynamic in Spain. What is going on? One would guess economic pressures have taken its toll. For example, the Colnago is now majority owned by a Abu Dhabi investment fund, Chimera Investments LLC.

Enjoy today. It is going to be beautiful and dramatic racing before tomorrow's uphill drag race. Onto the beautiful and legendary Dolomitic mountain peaks of Tre Cime di Lavaredo.

Pic credit: Frank Bienewaldt/LightRocket via Getty Images

 

 

Spectacular racing in a spectacular setting.  Is even prettier that Swiss.

I feel for Pinot, he's trying is utter best in his last season.  I hope he keep Blue.. as a consolation prize.  Healy can win it next year!!

For G - I was never a fan, but after 2018, he was deserted a bit due to falls, etc.  Making a classy comeback since last year. 

Also feels for the Rog... losing Yellow is such a way, and then to be overtaken by the youngsters in the following years.  He deserves better than just being a Vuelta winner...

 

Edge on the seat stuff!!! Who needs Evenepoel!!!!

[Johan A Marais]

I am afraid they (GC Riders) are just going to sit in the peloton until Tre Cime di Lavaredo.

Sure hope I am wrong 🤐

Edited May 26, 2023 by Johan A Marais

[Frosty]

43 minutes ago, 'Dale said:

It appears that Primoz are playing mind games with the rest of the GC contenders, faking injury and that he lost time 2 days ago because of his side-hip niggle after several crashes. Or is it a double bluff? Wie weet... Whatever, the ramps of 9-12 percent will suit the explosive Slovenian.

As a listener to Watts Occurring,  we all know what GT has to say about Rog; always playing the “it’s so hard”, when asked how his effort felt. Will be interesting if he can attack and get time on GT, and see how GT responds. 

Edited May 26, 2023 by Frosty

[babse]

1 hour ago, Underachiever said:

Spectacular racing in a spectacular setting.  Is even prettier that Swiss.

I feel for Pinot, he's trying is utter best in his last season.  I hope he keep Blue.. as a consolation prize.  Healy can win it next year!!

For G - I was never a fan, but after 2018, he was deserted a bit due to falls, etc.  Making a classy comeback since last year. 

Also feels for the Rog... losing Yellow is such a way, and then to be overtaken by the youngsters in the following years.  He deserves better than just being a Vuelta winner...

 

Edge on the seat stuff!!! Who needs Evenepoel!!!!

yeah not really...

 

but lets see how it goes today!?

[edgarblount]

Oh man, the Dolomites are beautiful. That's bucket list stuff right there.

[Frosty]

2 hours ago, Johan A Marais said:

I am afraid they (GC Riders) are just going to sit in the peloton until Tre Cime di Lavaredo.

Sure hope I am wrong 🤐

It's up to the others (2nd and below) to do something. As much as many dislike the Grenadiers way of riding, they're in the lead, and can afford to do things their way unless challenged. 

As GT said yesterday, consistency is all he needs. Pog and Almeida both had "bad" days.

[Frosty]

Giro - best GT? best supporters? best trophy? best scenery?

Edited May 26, 2023 by Frosty