Sali-Scendi: The racing just gets better and better.

The penultimate day of racing and my penultimate day in Firenze. Today was a gorgeous day. The sun broke through the clouds just as I began my ascent of the hill up to Fiesole. Well, actually, mostly the just the sidewalk where there was one, then a lot of walking the bike. The Pro Women's Road Race was today, and it was an event that I was really excited about, given that the American's had a real shot at it. I'm easily the least patriotic person in the US, and I usually don't get to riled up and root for the Americans, I just root for my favorite riders, and in this race they happen to be Americans. Let's be honest though, I'll root for the Norwegian and Swedish girls too because most of them are cute blonds. Anyway....

The best thing about this trip is that it has a nice balance of a few of my favorite things: cycling and bike racing, amazing food, and nice clothes (when I can afford them). Although my personal ambitions as a musician are waining, it would be nice to hear some live music at some point, besides the odd accordion player here or there. I've actually twice overheard a band playing traditional music in the mornings, oddly enough while in the shower. The sound must come through the exhaust vent of something. The band must rehearse here, but I've never once seen them in person. Earlier today, I heard though the courtyard what sounded like a young student practicing his accordion. He sounded like a bit of a beginner but there is money to be made, especially in a tourist town like this, if he keeps at it.

Since the women's race didn't start until 2:15 and the start location was 57km away from the start of the circuit, I had all morning to walk around the city in plain clothes, rather than cycling kit. A few more miles of breaking in those new shoes, and a few more hours to empty my wallet on the aforemented clothes. In the process, I went into some of those vintage stores and came across some really cool stuff. Luckily I'm limited as to what I can purchese, not only by budget, but by space and weight. I do wish I wasn't, because the average Italian's wardrome makes me envious of how stylish they all look. Alas, at the very least, I could window shop and take some pictures for my sister to enjoy.

After a lunch from the Forno, I kitted up and made my way up to the race course. Although the women had not even left Montecantini Terme yet, no one was allowed to ride on the course. So, I took to the sidewalk. Once the sidewalk ended, there was about a foot and a half of space between the stone walls and the barriers. Walking was a major pain in the ass, and after about half a kilometer, I hopped the fence and rode most of the way up. Just as I got to the steep part, a police officer yelled something in Italian which I knew meant, "hey, no riding on the course". Luckily I was already in a great spot, with the Duomo off in the vista as a backdrop for what was to be an incredible race.

The excitement that builds when the spectators first hear the TV helicopters approaching is a beautiful thing. You hear them before you see them, and then the cars start arriving. Luckily just before the riders came, a press moto parked right near me and I was able to hear the race radio coming across. Three Americans were leading the peloton onto the foot of the climb. Evelyn Stevens and Carmen Small were right there and their pace was so furious, they actually had a gap coming into the climb. And furious it must of have. By the time they got to me, Eve (by the way, it's short for Evelyn so it's pronounced Evie) was right up front, but the race was shattered to pieces and Carmen Small went from the front straight to the back and presumably into the broom-wagon soon after. Job done. Lap after lap, the peloton got smaller and smaller until it was down to seven riders. Eve was right up there. On the last ascent, as she came by she was near the back of the group and I got worried. A little gap was opening and I yelled "close the gap Eve, let's go, let's go." No problem, just as they came around the turn and it ramped up, she went right from the back around the front and put a dig in coming over the steeper ramps into Fiesole.

After that, I was clueless as to what was happening. I decided it was best to walk up the climb, again traversing the gutter basically to get there with hopes of finding the jumbo screen in town. Finally after the remnants of the field came by, we were allowed on the road. Only 500 meters up, a huge crowd had gathered, Some Dutch fans had a tv and a bar all set up roadside. In case you don't know, Marianne Vos, the most dominant women in all of cycling, defended her title as reining world champ, leaving everyone behind on Via Salviati after an incredibly aggressive race. Oh, and she's Dutch so being able to watch the live pictures in the predominantly Dutch crowd was an experience all of its own. The other half of the crowd was obviously Italian, seeing as how we are in Italy after-all, and a young Italian came in for third, which I believe is the first podium placement for the Italians of this World Championships thus far (If the Italians can't do at least that again tomorrow, Paolo Bettini very well may be out of a job). Eve, after attacking multiple times managed 5th. While not on the podium, she also rode to 5th in the TT and was on the winning TTT team so not a bad week for her. I would have loved to see her win. She just seems like the most awesome person ever. But Marianne Vos could probably take on most of the men so it's a tough field. And thankfully so. It's so great to see such a strong women's field at an international level. I love women's racing and I hope under the new UCI president Brian Cookson, it can futher florish as it should.

After attending these Worlds, I am really excited about Richmond 2015.The road Worlds are coming back to the US! What would be very cool would be to get a job working for the organization for Richmond 2013. I wonder if I could make that happen.
Of course, the day was finished up with some more great food and a bunch of photo editing (trying to make iPhone pics look good). Tomorrow is the main event!! Hoping for dry weather and an excellent race. Regardless of the weather it'll be an excellent race, I just hope everyone can keep the rubber side down. Until tomorrow...