My best Giro ever

We've been home from Italy since Monday after much fun and much work, strangely today I feel completely exhausted. Mr FF has gone off for meetings and I don't plan to do much except catch up with the latest stage of the Giro d'Italia.
I'd been really looking forward to seeing the race come through our little village and following events on Italian television so I was devastated when a young rider, Wouter Weylandt, only 26 was killed on a fast descent on the third day of the race. The following day the riders did not race, the whole field rode the route in respectful silence with spectators applauding solemnly or holding up tributes to Wouter, his race number was constantly on display. Teams rode together taking turns to lead until the team mates of fallen rider went to the front and crossed the finishing line first with their arms round each other, many in tears. The next day the team withdrew from the race as did the best friend of the lost rider leaving me to ponder what huge risks these boys take for their sport.Our house is up on the mountainside, so we had to drive down to the lower more modern part where the giro was coming through towards the end of the days racing. Our village had done a great job of welcoming the giro and no one was allowed to stand in front of the police car even our local stone merchant, the Marmi Man as we call him, had put up banners and flags. First we had a breakaway of five riders (I am the over excited woman in the orange t shirt) and shortly after the rest of the field came through tightly packed together, it was like a colourful river of lycra sweeping round the corner, so beautiful.
Mr FF then said that we probably had time to drive to the end of the stage and catch them again. We found the perfect position just past the finish line,seeing the stage winner Francisco Ventoso as he slowed down over the line, the maglia rosa, the overall race leader, and the rest of the field who not only rode past us fairly slowly but then turned round and came back as they cooled down. Mr FF says I was delirious with delight, we sawthe live television broadcast stand and the presentations on the podium, a perfect afternoon for this giro groupie and our best viewings ever.
Yesterday back home I watched the stage in English which makes life much easier and was delighted to see British sprinter Mark Cavendish take the stage.
I'll tell you about the fun we had with my brother and sister in law and the hard work we had decorating another day, as I said I am really feeling tired today, knitting, telly and coffee are needed.