Giro! Giro! Giro!

I think I mentioned Belfast has gone Giro mad. The lead rider gets to wear the Maglia Rosa-the pink jersey. So all of Belfast is decked out in sympathetic shades of pink.
We went to city hall on Friday to see the teams cross the finish line after the first day of timed trials. Here's the turquoise team rounding the final curve.

The teams were named for their sponsors, most of whom I had never heard of. I do know the brands behind the Garmin Sharp team (navigation & electronics), which provided the day's tragedy. One of the rider's wheels slipped on a manhole cover and he took half the team down with him. Two riders broke collarbones. If you google Dan Martin (the Irish rider who went down first), you can see the video, but's it's hard to watch. The verdict of the team's manager: "Professional bike racing is cruel."

You could either watch the teams on the course via a jumbo screen, or turn around and watch the finish.
Here's Canadian Svein Tuft after donning the Maglia Rosa. His team, Australia's Orica GreenEdge won.

As a Subie owner, I was proud to see Subies followed the teams during the race, with a rack of bikes on top in case anyone needed a spare.

5/9