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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I don't mind the AHHstaNA kit at all, at least you can pick it out. Trying to figure out Quick Step from Garmin from some others is a royal pain in the arse. Even two neon yellows (Cannondale; Farnese Vini) can be tough.
Ryder, Wiggins, Froome. None of them seem to arouse any real passion, not sure why. I'll take Tommy V. all day over any of them. I'd love to see Nibali destroy Ryder and Wiggins.
That said, I still can't wait for the Giro. I shall now commence rearranging my life & schedule so I can watch an hour or so every morning. I see this as being the last spring/summer I can watch the races live so I'm going to live it up and enjoy. The hassle of a 9-5 looms large.
Mikael - good luck! Another breeding and blimping Follower, eh? I'll be looking at some of you for guidance in a few years I'll bet.
@Mikael Liddy Good luck!
@Daccordi Rider
Last night we were having network troubles, hence the weird moderation issues. Your comments were getting forwarded to my email, which I looked at before I retired and your three emails about Beaker really made me laugh. Giggled myself to sleep on those three comments I did.
And I agree, I don't know why Beaker copping a hiding seems proper but it does.
Unfortunately, I can't leave pommy Wiggles out of the mix. Cadel should be right up there but his form won't peak until the Tour De Froggies.. Maybe it's Froome's turn for Sky.
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Basso
3. Cadel
4. Scarp one
5. Wiggins
@Joe
Now for something completely different...I believe I heard the Stones played at some small club in Echo Park recently. They needed to see if they could remember lyrics and chord changes before launching another mega-tour. I hope someone tipped you off about that. Reason enough for living there.
@DocBrian - Brasso and Cuddles?? it'll be like 2010 all over again but on the Passo di Giau rather than the Zoncolan. That was a great Giro. Was it 2010? Or was that the one that Dirty Den fell off in the Maglia Rosa on the last TT to beat a doped Killer?
Anyway, great racing. Dai regazzi! I want to go home and eat some Spaghetti al Pomodoro. Damn the lack of normal basilico in this town.
I love the Giro.
Joe.
@Gianni - yeah that was at the Echoplex. Unfortunately as a result of an unbalanced training session on friday, I had a noisy little camp of piglets crapping all around my head in the morning. By the time my medicine of nurofen and baracoa tacos kicked in I was way too late to queue for tickets. I love the stones too. Never seen them live. And Mick Taylor played with them. Gah.
Being a dumb Aussie, I'm not fully cognizant of of the nicknames of the riders. Aussies never use nicknames but give all people of all nationalities respect by using their given monikers. (unless they are poms or sheep shaggers). I once knew a girl called cuddles who was a great rider, but she wasn't a cycliste. Who the hell is CUDDLES? Is it Saint Cadel? Please,someone, illuminate me!
@Joe
Spaghetti al pomodoro? Must find a recipe and try it. I think Cadel is coming into form at the right time and the very long times trial suits him better than Wiggly.