On Virtual Giro enters the high mountains with the route that begins to twist and turn through the upper part of the boot.
Last week Ivan Basso faced the first of the Dolomites stages when a part of the stage from Bassano di Grappa to Madonna Di Campiglio, pure and simple Veneto, land of sport and above all skiing, was replayed.
It was 26 kilometers with 900 meters of elevation gain to an enclave of the power of Madonna di Campiglio, 26 kilometers of which half were flat and the slope was in the second part.
A kind of two-part time trial in which "you had to go out, get into a rhythm, but always saving for the end," suggested Basso.
The Giro in Lombardy
The virtual race is entering the Lombardy region these days. Lombardy. The last 30 kilometers of the 18th stage are replayed, from Bocca del Braulio to Laghi di Cancanoa magical place in the middle of the Stelvio National Park.
There is little I can add about this place that is so important to me," Basso admits. It's the circle of the great passes in the history of the Giro d'Italia, with the Stelvioyes, but also El Gavia, Mortirolo and Aprica, where I managed to take the lead before winning my second Giro." Right in the middle, Bormio is the privileged town with access to all the major passes.
On a day as singular as this Sunday, Ivan Basso remembers that the race is on the territory of Valtelina "the region where my mother was born".
"The finish is demanding, a climb where you have to arrive fresh" suggests Basso who spins about the area, its importance and the affection he has for it.
"I climbed the Stelvio for the first time when I was eight years old, it was something casual, I started climbing and I was told that if I was able to reach a certain point of the pass whistling on the bike, I would easily make it up to the top. That's how I did it and that's how I climbed the Stelvio for the first time," says the Lombard. 
And "the Stelvio was in the two editions of the Giro and I was even able to pass through Tirano stopping to greet my grandparents dressed in pink".
These are the things you don't forget.
By the way, the area is home to the head office of Kometa the main sponsor of the team they manage Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso. We are talking about a meat products company whose emblem can be seen halfway around the world, printed on one of the creations of Gobik within professional cycling. 
Texts:JoanSeguidor's Notebook
