Our Giro stage 6: Bonk!

Our Giro reaches Mount Etna for its first summit finish and, appropriately enough, the story of one of the Giro’s most famous explosions. 

Call it a capitulation, a hunger flat, a bonk – cycling has as many terms for running out of fuel and hitting the wall as Eskimos have for ice. In 2002 Cadel Evans, the Australian former mountain biker taking part in his first Grand Tour, was in the pink jersey and only had one mountain to hang on.

Evans was riding for Mapei, the world’s best team, in what was, as we discussed in our stage 4 episode, a controversial, scandal-ridden Giro. In this episode we speak to Evans about his baptism of fire and about the stage when his body said ‘enough’ – he tells us what it was like to ride for Mapei, to have a teammate expelled after testing positive and to find himself in the lead so close to the finish.  

Although Evans didn’t win, the experience did provide an important building block in a career that would see him win the Tour de France nine years later.

Amarcord is our daily visit to the vaults and in today’s we revisit Giromondo, an episode of Kilometre 0 from the first Giro we covered in full as The Cycling Podcast in 2016. 

The Cycling Podcast is supported by iwoca and Science In Sport.

To see the stage where it all fell apart for Cadel Evans (with Italian commentary) go here on YouTube.

In stage seven of Our Giro we’ll be embarking on the first of a two-part special on the life and times of Mario Cipollini, the most colourful, flamboyant and controversial sprinter in Giro history – as well as the holder of the record for most stage wins. 

Our first film, And So We Rode… is available for Friends of the Podcast to watch now. This is the story of Larry Warbasse and Conor Dunne packing their bags and going on a bikepacking trip in the French and Italian Alps after their pro team Aqua Blue Sport folded mid-season. It costs £15 to sign up as a Friend of the Podcast and you will be able to watch the film as well as listen to all our special episodes. thecyclingpodcast.com/join

iwoca became The Cycling Podcast’s title sponsors in March 2020. Iwoca specialises in supporting small businesses and can lend between £1,000 and £250,000. Applications can take only a few minutes to complete and they promise a fast and fair decision. To find out more, go to iwoca.co.uk

Science In Sport is The Cycling Podcast’s longest-standing supporter. It’s a relationship that stretches back to the 2016 Giro d’Italia. Listeners can get 25% off Science In Sport’s range of energy drinks, bars, gels and cakes at scienceinsport.com with the code SISCP25

This episode is also supported by Laka, a community of cyclists all working together to provide insurance cover for their bikes and equipment. To find out more, go to laka.co.uk

If you have a smart turbo trainer, you can ride Our Giro on the RGT digital platform. Each stage is around 30 kilometres long and will be online for three days. Go to RGTcycling.com/our-giro for details of how to download the app and sign up. Thanks to RGT and Veloviewer.com for helping us create Our Giro.

Our friends at Dvinecellars.com have put together a ‘Selezione Our Giro’ case of 12 wines from around Italy. There’s also a ‘Baby Giro’ case of six bottles. Use the code ‘Our Giro’ when ordering. Cases can be delivered in the UK, excluding the Highlands and Northern Ireland, and a donation from each case will be made to the Scuola Ciclismo in Cene.