The Giro del Cielo is a 2-day stage race in Sussex County, New Jersey. Originally begun as a women's only race, in the 9 years or so that it's been in existence, organizers have added men's cat 3 and 4/5 fields. USA Cycling sanctioned, the 2 day/3 stage event is a great way to introduce people to stage racing without forcing them to commit to something as brutal as the Green Mountain Stage Race, Tour of the Catskills or the like. It's geographical location in northern New Jersey is also the perfect venue to draw a diverse group of racers and teams, ranging from local squads to teams and riders from New York City and Philadelphia.
I'll go through my experience stage by stage, discussing some of the things that worked, some of the things that didn't, and how to improve for next year. I'll cover:
- Time Trial warm up – Getting your body primed for a hard, constant effort
- TT recap
- Post TT recovery – How to make sure the legs are fresh for a second race that day
- Crit race warm up – Getting your leg speed online
- Crit race recap
- Day 1 recovery – The key to riding strong on day 2
- Circuit race warm up – Getting the legs moving after a couple hard efforts the day before
- Circuit race recap
- Overall impression of the race and of my performance
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:16 — 55.2MB)
