2011 archive
A demanding attack on the final climb up to Macugnaga paid off for Paolo Tiralongo on Friday with his first-ever stage victory at the Giro d'Italia.
The Astana cyclist was caught and passed in the final fight for the finish by Alberto Contador, but Tiralongo grabbed the overall leader's slipstream then passed Contador at the finish.
The fact that Tiralongo and Contador are former Astana teammates may have had something to do with the Italian winning the race. …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/27/contador-still-gaining-time-at-giro/
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/27/paolo-tiralongo/
Sad news today from the TransAmerica Bicycle Route.
A 79-year-old cyclist from Bellevue, Washington, died in Virginia on Thursday just a few days into a coast-to-coast group bicycle tour.
The man, James Stocker, was fulfilling a life-long dream to ride his bicycle cross country, according to his granddaughter.
[Services are scheduled at 1 p.m. June 11 at Westminster Chapel in Bellevue, WA.]….
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/27/washington-state-cyclist-dies-on-transamerica-bike-tour/
With Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) firmly in command of the maglia rosa, a few questions still remain for the 2011 Giro d'Italia. Among them:
Who will share the podium with Contador, and will Stefano Garzelli hold onto the mountains jersey.
Anticipating this questions several months ago, the Giro organizers threw in mountain-top finishes for the 19th and 20th stages.
Below is a 3D tour of the first climb of the day …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/26/stage-19-climb-preview-another-mountain-top-finish/
Team Liquigas must have loved Stage 18, as cyclist Eros Capecchi won the team's first victory at the 2011 Giro d'Italia in San Pellegrino Terme.
The 25-year-old joined a 15 to 20 man breakaway that developed more than halfway through the 151km (94 miles) race, then joined the three-man break that survived to the finish.
Meanwhile, overall leader Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) relaxed in the peloton with a 4:58 lead …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/26/first-win-for-italian-cycling-team-at-2011-giro-ditalia/
Deep snow in the Cascade Mountains this winter and spring delayed the opening of the Northern Tier Bicycle Route through Washington until earlier today.
The bicycle route follows State Route 20, also known as the North Cascades Highway, over the breath-taking Washington (el. 5,477 feet) and Rainy (4,875 feet) passes in North Cascades National Park.
The highway is normally closed due to snow in late November until the spring. This year, state highway snow-removal crews arrived to find the snow 75 feet deep in places.
An April snowstorm and avalanche danger delayed the start of snow removal that took 6 weeks, about twice as long as normal. This year marked the second latest opening of the road …..
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/25/northern-bicycle-route-finally-opens-through-washington-state/
Races judges decided that an Italian sprinter at the Giro d'Italia was doing more than just gesturing with his hands and relegated him to third place at the close of Stage 17 in Tirano on Wednesday.
In the final sprint, Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini) appeared to tap Diego Ulissi (Lampre) on the hip then push him aside with his forearm as he passed by along the barricades.
Ulissi slowed down a bit in the commotion as Visconti win the sprint. But the judges don't like cyclists to take their hands off the handlebars ….
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/25/strange-odyssey-to-stage-17-victory-for-giro-sprinter/
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/25/diego-ulissi/
For the first time since last Thursday, the Giro d'Italia cyclists won't be struggling uphill to the finish line on Wednesday.
Stage 18 is a 230km (143-mile) bike race from Feltre to Tirano in the Alps. The peloton crosses a couple of passes, but finishes on a downhill run.
The first climb is the Category 2 Passo del Tonale ….
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/25/mountains-in-stage-18-but-no-uphill-finish/

Heading out for a morning bicycle ride, I paused to take a photo of this rather large peloton coming my way on Lake Washington Boulevard in Bellevue.
It wasn't until most of them passed that one of the cyclists told me it was the Phil Liggett bike ride.
I suppose if I had been listening more closely, I could have heard someone saying, “He's dancing on the pedals,” or “The elastic has snapped!” ….
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/24/phil-liggett-bike-ride-rolls-through-bellevue/
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