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.
[vsp_results id=”23343″/]
I know as well as any of you that I've been checked out lately, kind…
Peter Sagan has undergone quite the transformation over the years; starting as a brash and…
The Women's road race has to be my favorite one-day road race after Paris-Roubaix and…
Holy fuckballs. I've never been this late ever on a VSP. I mean, I've missed…
This week we are currently in is the most boring week of the year. After…
I have memories of my life before Cycling, but as the years wear slowly on…
View Comments
@Ron
As far as I'm aware Garzelli is as bald as a coot. Hence the headwear. But in this day and age being bald doesn't carry the same stigma it once did (thankfully!) Mind you, he does ride for the team who wore golfing apparel at the pre-race gathering so they have form i the inappropriate headwear department. Golf "caps" I tell you FFS!
Hesjedal looked strong attacking yesterday and apparently garnered some media criticism for taking the incentive so early. His response, "I'm not worried about what other people might think [of the tactic]. Everyone said I couldn't win the Giro last year, and they got that wrong, I'm just happy with my day. The team was fine, and we're here to race, to do what we feel we need to do to win."
Quite Merckxian.
@wiscot
I've always thought of Garzelli as a pretty stylish rider - perhaps he's going senile in his old age (although googling some images does reveal that he has consistently made sartorial missteps with his helmet liners)
is today already a rest day?
Cuddles did well today, 6th spot and safe. Ryder in 8th, MT. And Twiggy fell back a bit. Proper rule #9 (Scottish) weather too.
@RedRanger
Do you mean b/c the GC guys didn't duke out the final sprint after the climb? Some pretty good racing at the end there with the rain/fog and final climb.
@strathlubnaig
Uran looked a bit tasty today....I wonder if he is in the sin bin for dropping sad brad or if he were given clearance to go for it?
@Deakus
Likely that Sky wanted him to finish ahead of Cuddles and Ryder (which he did), mopping up any bonus seconds on offer. I love that they've reintroduced the stage bonifications, makes for exciting and tactical racing by the main protagonists and their teams.
I thought that Wiggo was in the front group, but apparently he lost time.
@imakecircles
Hear, Hear! Good for the Lumberjack! So he's not sticking to "the script"? Fuck 'em. Ride you own race. Give it a go, at least you'll die trying and who knows, one day the elastic will snap or the other contenders will all look at each other and wonder who'll do the chasing. Meanwhile Ryder is off down the road. In the back of their minds, Ryder's passion and enthusiasm has to have the others worried - they know he is strong over three weeks. I suspect the lack of respect he got last year has to be a factor. Merckxian indeed.