Categories: Racing

Ride Like a Leader: Ivan Basso

Basso leads the mice into the Pain Cave

Everyone knows that things like “tactics” and “thinking” are for the weak. After all, if you’re strong enough, loud enough, and stubborn enough, you should be able to outlast those pesky details like evidence, facts, or people who can ride their bikes faster than you can.

Ivan Basso knows this, and Ivan Basso believes he falls on the “strong enough” side of the fence. Whether he does or not remains to be seen, but three days from Milan, he is still racing – as he has this entire Giro – like the final Maglia Rosa in Milano has his name stitched into the collar.

In a race punctuated by fantastic rides from all the G.C. contenders, Ivan Basso’s Liquigas team stands out as the team who has taken control of each critical stage. I love seeing a rider toe up to the start line and race like its a foregone conclusion that he will wind up with the prize at the end of the three-week long tunnel that is the Giro. His team has been at the front every day, racing like they have the pink tunic on their leader’s back and haven’t bothered with minor details such as trailing in the standings by almost a minute and a half.

While a clever tactician wins my respect; a rider who races from the front wins my heart. It was good enough for Eddy, so its good enough for Ivan. Bravissimo!

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

Ron says:

May 25 2012 at 8:11 am

It blows my mind that a cyclist (or any athlete or person!) can target a 3-week stretch of the year, carve it out, aim at it, get that fucker in his sights and then just BLOW it up. Extremely impressive! Plan, train, ride, focus and then...MAKE IT HAPPEN!

What concentration, passion & heart. Love it!
Ron says:

May 25 2012 at 8:14 am

And how about the Leaky dudes? OssJawszilla, Peter the Great, Ted King, and Nibali rockin' it in the Golden State & the rest of 'em ready to pounce on the Giro crown in the MotherLand. Amazing squad.
Ron says:

May 25 2012 at 8:17 am

ChrisO - how about the catenaccio on display last weekend (and for many weeks!) by Chelsea? Not the type of futbol I like to watch, but hey...they're Champions League champs!

Despite bolting the door, what a stunning header from DD. That guy is a bull.
versio says:

May 25 2012 at 8:27 am

@Souleur

Basso's style is unique, not loud as you mention, he doesn't shoot off his mouth like some Italians, rather is quiet and rather 'un-Italian' from that standpoint, but he is of the upmost class.

Nonetheless, I disagree with the assertion that he has 'forgone' and won and its because Liquigas has led out

I'm not sure any team has flat out dominated, they have all been playing cat and mouse. I will say, Katusha has not done the controlling, and J-rod has just sat on Basso's wheel, and Ryders, but in so doing, HE...WILL...LOSE the maglia rosa, unless he rides up the Stelvio like a billygoat on cocaine.

I think Basso has ridden like he has to try to win, no doubt, valiantly, no doubt and the classiest thing was said that he will ride high tempo into the high mtns and see who pops, Kruezinger-missle did and Cunego and others, which is success to an extent, but...and this is a huge BUT, but Ryder did not, and that really is Basso's main rival now. Its not J-rod. It neutralized some, but not others. Ryder is in control, and Liquigas and all didn't pop him, but the class comes in the DS saying that Basso was going to ride and not going to cry or relent if he didn't win after he rode HIS race...that is C-L-A-S-S

Great Giro, loved ever day of it, especially seeing Cav getting beat by tne young Italian yesterday

and it will come down to the Stelvio tomorrow, then the TT

I admire Service in Silence. Doing the work and why tell what you are planning to do.
Cyclops says:

May 25 2012 at 8:34 am

Ride like a leader: and get spanked by a Canadian.
Cyclops says:

May 25 2012 at 8:34 am

Eh.
eightzero says:

May 25 2012 at 8:39 am

Threadjack: What's with all the busted collarbones for Armstrong and Vos? Yeah, cycling's not inherently dangerous.
Buck Rogers says:

May 25 2012 at 8:42 am

@Cyclops

Ride like a leader: and get spanked by a Canadian.

NICE! Man, Ryder is making a Monkey out of me, I am becoming a believer! Fuckin awesome ride today! Wonder how well he'll recover tomorrow. Just has to hold wheels tomorrow (hell, that's all he HAD to do today--fuckin ballsy ride today!)
Netraam says:

May 25 2012 at 8:45 am

Kreuziger had an amazing ride as well today.
Dan_R says:

May 25 2012 at 8:52 am

@Buck Rogers

@Cyclops

Ride like a leader: and get spanked by a Canadian.

NICE! Man, Ryder is making a Monkey out of me, I am becoming a believer! Fuckin awesome ride today! Wonder how well he'll recover tomorrow. Just has to hold wheels tomorrow (hell, that's all he HAD to do today-fuckin ballsy ride today!)

Can you hear that sound? Italian hearts breaking....