Day 5 of the Six Days of the Giro continues with an impromptu VSP event.
Lets have a look at where we are in the 2013 Giro. Wiggins must have spent time training in Luxembourg because he’s been descending like a Schleck when things get dodgy before disappearing into the team van to have a cry about it. Hesjedal has put in some good moves and then proceeded to get creamed in the time trial before getting shelled on the last climb in yesterday’s stage. Evans seems to be riding like he did when he won the Tour though he’s sure to get sick before very much longer, as appears to be his usual approach to racing. Perhaps the biggest shock is that Gesink has managed to both stay in contention and on his bike. And Nibbles is killing it, proving once again that moving to a team with a long history of doping is usually all anyone needs to convert from contender to winner.
We’ve also had climbs, rain, rain, climbs, turns, descents, twists, rain, climbs, and more rain. The Giro is proving once again why it is the best Grand Tour of the year.
In honor of the first big climbing stage and with the time gaps already big enough to suggest some bigger, gutsier moves from some of those riders who have already lost time, this could be a zinger. Most likely some wild cards will escape and stay away, which makes naming your picks even harder than usual, but surely the favorites who are already behind will lay down massive helpings of the V to try to claw time back. The irony is not lost on me that the climb has the word piano in it, when you know the last thing that would ever happen is that they would ride up there at an easy tempo.
Get your picks in by the time the clock goes to zero. There isn’t much time, so get to it.
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@Bianchi Denti
I'm more worried about the size of Evans jaw these days, who woulda thought it could get any bigger? Seems to be a performance correlation! What happened to the Canuck? Very disappointing.
@the Engine
Once I ate 'shrooms on a mountain bike ride and tasted a crash.
@Bianchi Denti
Great call Bianchi Denti. Cycling inquisition is an excellent site and Klaus is one of my favorite cycling bloggers. Always great stuff about the colombians and cycling in general. I picked up a copy of "Kings of the Mountain" from him which has been out of print for years. He buys them at used book stores etc. and then resells them without making a profit. I urge everyone to check out his site and also his brothers blog/podcast http://speedmetalpodcast.blogspot.com/ similar content but in a very entertaining podcast format. Good stuff
Regarding his theory about the Colombians and their resurgence over the last few years in the pro peloton, he brings up some interesting points and if there is anyone out there I would give credibility about the escarabajos he's the guy. But to that point, reading his site (and Matt Rendells books) has also educated me on just how massively important pro cycling and pro cyclists have been to the country over the years. The government, national and regional politicians, national industry and even drug lords have been connected to some of the bigger cycling teams. With that sort of backing and the national adoration that goes with success in cycling there, it's hard for me to imagine that at least their top cyclists didn't have access to - and sometimes take advantage of - some of the same doping opportunities that the rest of the worlds cyclists did.
The timing of their successes definitely lends credence to his theory. I hope Klaus is right, and their success is a result of a cleaner peloton - either way they are energizing the vertical stages of many of this years races...and it is great to watch!
@frank.
Very interesting point though, because I thought the same thing about the Columbians. I wonder if their status in the late eighties had to do with innovating EPO use? They can't stay on their bikes to save their life, either. It always seems to me there is a correlation between doping and poor bike handling skills.
So who has the worst bike skills at the Giro? Give you a clue, goes down like a big girls, very wet, blouse...
On a completely different note - halfway across the globe good 'ol Jensie was doing his best to animate an otherwise hohum day at the TOC:
"The third stage of the Amgen Tour of California saw the first appearance of RadioShack-Leopard's Jens Voigt, one of just a handful of riders to have started all eight editions of the race. The large German attacked from kilometer zero, driving the initial pace up to 40 km/h before the field quickly reeled him back and settled down a bit.
Voigt then joined another larger group of 23 riders that immediately peeled away from the field"
He seems to be living by The Badgers mantra of "As long as I breathe I attack"....
@LA Dave Heh, some of what you wrote there about the place of cycling in Columbia reminded me of the coke-binge story from We Were Young and Carefree.
@DerHoggz
There is a good read here on inrng that discusses the altitude thing. Not a factor.
@LA Dave
Indeed, I stayed up to watch the second half last night and then wished I had not bothered....the highlights were:
1. YungerSchleck doing some work in a breakaway - Surprising but hardly a highlight.
2. Peter Sagan massive swing across the line of sprint to find a way through which although pretty spectacular considering he succeeded, did look pretty dangerous and I am surprised he was not DQ'd. I wonder if there was a lot more space there than I could see from the head on shot...?
After the previous days racing in a Kiln it was somewhat benign but I suppose that could be the case wherever it was held....although I am not sure we get roads that wide over here which makes for a different style of racing....
Well, I've been offline a few days cos of work and only just caught up on yesterday's stage. Oh to have been a fly on the wall for the conversation between Wiggo and Dave Brailsford lastnight. Two Knights of the realm discussing how many bottles Wiggo can fit up his jersey on the upcoming mountain stages?! Going to be very interesting to see how this plays out.
@frank
If we believe Hampsten when he says he retired because he didn't want to dope, then we should believe Herrera and the other Escarabajos. It's not just a post on the Colombians - it's an entire blog full of VVonderful V-intage cycling photos and stories.