Twiggo is dreaming of a Giro-Tour double. He has sent out mixed messages about his Tour ambitions. Will he use the Giro as the ultimate Tour preparation or will be burn all his matches in May and hope he can find another pack for July? He has abandoned his successful 2012 Tour run-up strategy of winning every stage race he entered the previous spring. Now it’s the seclusion of Mount Doom of Tenerife, his coach and his watt meter his only competition. Team Sky is supporting Wig with a very strong squad, including superman, Kanstantsin Siutsou and with Cav no longer a teammate, it’s all the knights of the round table for Sir Twig.
Will the curse of the god-awful Astana kit continue to haunt non-Kazahk riders? Can Vincenzo’s Italian mojo overpower its powerful pale blue and yellow aura? Roman Kreuziger was finally able to win a big race once he shed that kit and pulled on one of Bjarne’s Saxo jerseys. Maybe it was more Bjarne and less jersey that made the difference.
Ryder gets no respect as the defending champion. His little dance at the end of Liége-Bastogne-Liége showed he is fit and ready for a fight. He can time trial, he can climb. Personally I have to back the local boy. And I always hate the overpowered, overwhelming favorite (read Team Sky here) in any race, unless that racer is Fabian Cancellara. No one can say Fabs has won a race this year surrounded with a team as strong as Sky’s. The Shack is just the Shack or a shack. Once Cancellara leaves for the Swiss “I AM” team, it’s lights out in the shack. Frandy, don’t forget to turn out ’em out when you leave.
If Cavendish wins the first day’s sprinter’s stage he will be in pink. He may be out of it after stage two, a team time trial.
But this is the Giro: crazy, unexpected, beautiful things can happen. The spinning wheels of fortuna are less predictable in Italy as they are in France in July. The betting window is now open. The complete start list is not yet available, an incomplete one is here and shall be updated soon. So sleep on your picks, wait for all the teams to make it official, unless you want to go with the obvious all Sky podium. The race begins Saturday so don’t Delgado away a Grand Tour opportunity.
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View Comments
@Fausto
For a race held in a country noted for style, here sure are some abominations around. See my post on Vini Farnese's golfer caps/visors.
Great little jump by Good Cadel at the end. Let's hope he's got the grinta he had back on the strade bianche back in 2010 this time around. Gutsy.
@Ron
Ample beer causing me to channel BRR.
@wiscot
He is pointing at the 'thing' on his head as a comes over the line. Not sure if he saying "see, this fucking helmet rocks !" or perhaps "I won despite looking like a dickhead in this fucking thing" Either way, it does NOT look fantastic.
Saint Cadel is back, at least for this day!
Goddamn, I first saw those shades on El Gato a year or so ago. They're fucking terrible. Belong on an old lady who has fled NYC for Miami and gets her hair done every other day.
Did anyone see Cavendish trying to pull on his baseball hat and shades after the Saturday finish while the RAI reporter shoved a mic in his face? He told her in Italian to calm the fuck down until he got situated.
Nice attack from Paolini, also a nice ride from Cadel, and good racing from Ryder.
So the two Blanco riders crashed in front of Scarponi, one of them being Gesink. Looked to me like Scarponi was going down before/as those two crashed, but some are writing they caused his crashed. Maybe because he saw them going down and locked up his brakes?
Anybody have a better view/take on the crash?
@Ron
Wee Scarpo said he locked up when they went down.
@Ron
Sounds like classic Cav to me. Not entirely unjustified I might add. I mean he's just gone super deep to win and before he can even get his HR under any kind of control, the chick with the microphone wants his reaction/feelings. What other sports allow/demand such immediate access?
I'm looking for the distribution details of VSP picks? Is there a summary of how popular the pro-riders are among the enlightened selectors on this website for the Giro and who the collective wisdom suggests is going to place well?