Didn’t go in person because of the pestiferous rain even though the peleton passed quite near us at Borgo di Mozzano.

But TV coverage was great. Fun to see all those places so familiar to us on the screen and from a helicopter too!

Just thought about how cold those fingers must be getting as they sped and skidded and sometimes crashed from the 5000 feet high Passo delle Radici descent to sea-level finish at Viareggio on stage ten of the fabulous Giro d’Italia (going strong since 1909). These cyclists are all heroes.

But why is the Giro d’Italia called ‘la corsa rosa’, (the pink race)?

It’s because a pink jersey is given to the cyclist with the best cumulative time (leader of the general classification).

Jerseys of other colours are given as follows:

The cyclamen jersey is for the rider who scores the most points in the intermediate and finish lines (leader of the points classification).

The blue jersey is for the runner who wins the most points and bonuses on the peaks (leader of the mountain classification).

The white jersey is for the rider who has not yet turned twenty-five on 1 January of the current year with the cumulative best time (leader of the junior classification).

But why pink????? – a colour with feminine association and which in Italy is usually given to ribbons and balloons bedecking doorways of households who have just given birth to a baby girl?

Answer is simple. It’s because the founder of the event and main sponsor is the sports rag ‘la gazzetta dello sport’ which printed on pink paper!

In 2015 the Giro d’Italia passed through Bagni di Lucca and the Lima valley. We were there to witness it and you can read our account at:

Think Pink and Win!