May 29 - The riders spent a rainy rest day in the beautiful Agordino area, where we saw some of them spinning their legs along the road that runs along the valley of the Cordevole river.

May 30 - The dark skies and snow-covered mountains created a fascinating and dramatic atmosphere...and for the riders, one of dread.

(left) Rivamonte Agordino (below) Monte Civetta

Riccardo Riccò (the accent is on the last syllable) and Andy Schleck, two superb young revelations who surprised and delighted the fans and added additional excitement and interest to the race.

(above) The riders leave Agordo on their way to Lienz, Austria.
(right) Everyone loves the Giro! It turns everyone into a child again.

The riders weren't warmed up yet and were still going slowly when they climbed this steep little road through Digonera to Pian di Salesei. From here they headed towards the Passo Campolongo. Later in the stage, many of the freezing riders would take shelter in a tunnel, where they put on dry, warm clothes.

The following day took the riders over the infamous Passo Zoncolan. Not wanting to deal with the crowds and chaos, I watched the race from the comfort of my living room.

The next stage brought the riders back down to the plains for a guaranteed sprint finish in Riese Pio X, not far from my home. The skies were threatening but fortunately the storms stayed away. I wrote an article about the little town and its stage for CyclingNews.com. Click here to read it and see the accompanying photo gallery.

Friday's stage started in Treviso--drat, rain again! I skipped the start and headed directly for Pian delle Fugazze, on Monte Pasubio. It was raining very hard when the riders arrived, and I only managed to take one semi-decent photo.

A delightful motorized float created by a group of young people from the town of Sant' Antonio (on the way to Pian delle Fugazze). The legs moved up and down, the cranks rotated, and Bartali's head turned from side to side. Wonderful!

Ghost riders on the Pasubio

The last stage in the Veneto Region was the Bardolino-Verona TT. I was looking forward to a festive day on scenic Lake Garda, and to taking lots of close-up photos of the riders at the start...but guess what--rain yet again. The usually aqua-blue water was a dull gray, and the thick mist eliminated all views of the lake and surrounding mountains. My camera stayed in my backpack, in a Ziploc bag. Thus ended my 2007 Giro 'Italia.

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