“THE GIRO IS A METAPHOR FOR ITALIAN LIFE”
STEPHEN FARRAND Procycling UK, ISSUE 255 / MAY 2019 “I love the Giro d’Italia because it is far more than just a bike race : it is a sporting metaphor for the Italians’ infallible love of life in an often chaotic country. Nobody is as enthusiastic as the Italian tifosi , waving their arms and shouting at the riders from a mountain roadside; nobody wants to meet the riders like the children in the south. Spring turns to summer during the Giro, bringing out the best of the country each day. As interest in the race increases so does the number of people wearing pink. The Giro is a three-week crash course in Italian culture, sociology and, of course, gastronomy. I soon learned to imitate the Italian journalists who covered the Giro with a restaurant guide in the glove box of the car, a decent evening meal being the only moment to switch off after another long day on the road. I first covered the Giro d’Italia as a journalist in 1994, when, like th...