Fran Muñoz’s blog (1): Ready for the Giro!
Hello everyone! I’m Fran Muñoz, Team Polti Kometa cyclist. I’ll be making my debut in the Giro d’Italia, starting tomorrow. This is my debut in a Grand Tour. During the race, I will share with you my feelings, my discoveries, the good and bad moments… in general, I will try to tell you from the inside what it means to ride the Corsa Rosa. Will you join me in this adventure?
It all happened very quickly. The line up to race the Giro d’Italia, a competition that wasn’t on my calendar first, forced me to pack my suitcase in a hurry and leave for Turin so that everything would be ready with my teammates. A mixture of excitement, nervousness, satisfaction… so many feelings that I hope will allow me to enjoy my Giro d’Italia debut.
As the day gets closer, you realise that this is a big event, and you can see the way Italians experience it. It is one of their big events of the year!
Last night we went to the official presentation of the teams. From the hotel where we are staying, which we share with the Visma team, to the presentation venue, the Giro d’Italia is already in full swing. The city was already decked out with flags, the atmosphere of the fans was spectacular, even though it was raining….
We arrived at the team park almost two hours before the presentation, and it was time for individual photos, a few mini-interviews, other mates had a press conference… The truth is that it is admirable how easy and well-organised everything is.
It seemed like it wasn’t to come, but finally it was our turn to ride our new brand AURUM bikes up the ramp to the presentation stage. It was a very special moment, to realise that the Giro d’Italia is really coming. Also, meeting great cyclists like Matteo Trentin or the rest of my teammates motivates us even more.
This morning, after resting, we went for a two hours ride on the road bike and also with the time trial bike. In the afternoon, massages, meetings and above all the message from the directors to stay focused. We come to the Giro to get results, to help our teammates achieve our goals… and I for one want to shine in the breakaways. I hope to have the opportunity soon.
Now it is time to rest, thinking about tomorrow’s demanding first day between Venaria Reale and Turin. It will be 143 kilometres, relatively short, and we will start ‘late’ at 13.50. I’m sure we’ll be able to fight for the breakaway in the early part, it would be nice to break through at Superga or Colle Maddalena before the beautiful finish in Turin. Wish me luck!
Fran Muñoz
