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
@Pedale.Forchetta
Me thinks Frank was consulted at the bike fit.
VSP PICKS:
1. Wiggins
2. Nibali
3. Hesjedal
4. Sanchez
5. Gesink
@PT
I live in hope that Saint Cadel moves one more step towards the right hand of Merkxx. I want him to do well in the Giro, but we'll, we'll, we'll.....we'll see.
i think he is trying to re-establish himself and get his team functioning beyond the abysmal level of the last years.
Never write him off.
To most of the field The Giro is the biggest race of the year. There is no way the Italians are going to let a non-Italian win two in a row. Just watch Wiggo and Ryder get worked over in the mountains. Watch them get worked over before the TT's. Teams aren't able to control the Vuelta and Giro like TdF. I can't wait!
Whew...that is not easy. Fuck Beaker. I want Sky's season to continue to suck DBs. How can Garzelli still be racing? And Scarponi allowed to race? Where is that Russian ex-Giro winner, where is he hiding? Gesink? Really Frank, fair enough, but my picking Peter Stetina is mo' bettah.
I found a channel, BeIn Sports, if I throw money at it, tivo will record it at 3 am and I can waste a lot of May watching the Giro. Score!
I've Delgado'd myself. Son of a bitch. It's not easy living 12 time zones away. Oh well, Ryder may lose and Beaker will win and I would get squat for points. My season was doomed already.
@Gianni yeah I've already put the hand up for the late night baby care as I figure I'll be up watching the Giro anyway!
@Mikael Liddy
Hey, been away a bit but I wanted to say congratulations! Life will never be the same, but in the best possible way!
@Gianni
Jeez, Gianni, you Delgado'd? Say it ain't so!
Beaker, yes, he sure as hell does look like him, huh?
Why isn't De Gendt riding? What a day he had last year, what an overall race. A lot of the teams are stacked with riders I've either never heard of or have heard of but know nothing about. Going to be an exciting few weeks.
And yes, count me in on the "how the hell am I going to get anything done from 8-11 EST for the next few weeks" group.
Holy crap. Even in slo-mo that sprint was fast. Happy to see the wee Manxman get the win. Mind you, he had to do it on his own. Where was his train? Was it caught in the crash? Good placing for Blythe too. Mind you, until thee last 10kms, that was pretty boring!