The harbor was wrapped in a thick blanket of fog today. While just a few miles inland the sun was shining, you could barely see across Gloucester Harbor. The Seine boat race was postponed until tomorrow, and for much of the Festa di San Pietro, it felt like the day might never reveal itself. Then, almost on cue, the fog lifted. Just in time for the Greasy Pole. Congratulations to Derek Hopkins on another incredible Championship Sunday victory. As the son of a father who emigrated from Italy, days like today always feel a little different. Watching families line the harbor, cheering on generations of competitors, I couldn’t help but think back to standing in the Piazza del Campo during the Palio di Siena. They’re different events, separated by an ocean, but they share something deeper—a fierce pride in community, heritage, and the traditions that define a place. Traditions don’t survive by accident. They endure because each generation chooses to keep them alive. Maybe it was fitting that the fog lifted when it did. Sometimes the best traditions reveal themselves only if you’re willing to wait. Moments like this are a reminder of why these traditions matter so much to me. Viva San Pietro. 🇮🇹❤️ #GloucesterMA #FestaDiSanPietro #GreasyPole #ItalianHeritage

Today the Giro d’Italia Women reaches its queen stage. 105 kilometers from Rivoli to Sestriere. The Colle delle Finestre — one of the most feared climbs in Italian cycling. Long, steep, and partly unpaved. The kind of road that doesn’t care about form guides or race favorites. The summit sits above 2,100 meters. And then the race still has to climb to Sestriere. Anna van der Breggen has worn the maglia rosa since Stage 4. Demi Vollering has been hunting her every day since. Today the Finestre decides. And then there’s Elisa Longo Borghini. The defending champion. An Italian, racing on Italian roads, in front of Italian fans who have been willing her on since Stage 1. She’s lost time. The overall may be out of reach. But on a day like today, on a climb like the Finestre, never count out the woman who knows these mountains better than almost anyone. Women’s cycling doesn’t get the attention it deserves. But on days like today, on roads like these, it is absolutely unmissable. Forza Elisa. 🌸 @giroditalia #GirodItalia #Giro2026 #CorsaRosa #WomensCycling #AvantiTours

Today the Giro d’Italia reaches the Dolomites. 151 kilometers. 5,000 meters of climbing. The Passo Duran. The Forcella Staulanza. And the Passo Giau — the highest point of the entire 2026 Giro at 2,236 meters above sea level. Nearly 10 kilometers at 9.3% average with walls hitting 14%. This is the tappone. The queen stage. The day the Giro is won or lost. These are our roads. The same passes. The same gradients. The same views that stop you mid-climb and make you forget how much your legs hurt. Watching today feels different when you know you’ll be there in ten weeks. Avanti Tours Dolomites 2026 is sold out. But 2027 is already being planned. Link in bio. 🏔️ @giroditalia @mamoberna @biketourandrea @jeffreycap @patrick.mccrann @postazirmhotel #GirodItalia #Giro2026 #PassoGiau #Dolomites #AvantiTours

Today, the Giro d’Italia reaches its first mountain stage. 244 kilometers from Formia to the Blockhaus. The longest stage of the race. The moment the GC contenders finally show their cards. For most people watching, Formia is just a dot on a map. A coastal town where the peloton rolled out this morning before the road turned inland toward the mountains. For me it’s something else entirely. My father grew up in Gaeta, just down the coast from Formia. During World War II, when he was a boy, German forces took his family’s farm. His family escaped by stealing a boat and rowing across the bay in the middle of the night. They found American soldiers on the other side. They boarded a cargo train toward Naples. Somewhere along the way, Vesuvius began to erupt. The train stopped. Days passed. No food. No water. They eventually made it to Sicily, where they took refuge in a monastery until the war was over. He moved to the United States in 1956 at 18 years old. Years later, as a teenager visiting my nonna in Gaeta, I borrowed an old bike - the tires cracking, chain nearly rusted solid, but I was determined to ride it up to the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Civita in Itri. No map. No phone. No @strava for proof. Got lost more than once. But I made it to the top. That ride is part of why Avanti Tours exists. We’ll be watching every kilometer today. 🏔️ @giroditalia @jeffreycap #GirodItalia #Giro2026 #CorsaRosa #Blockhaus #AvantiTours