Velominati Super Prestige: Giro D’Italia 2013
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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@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.
@imakecircles
I see why they might have done that….the front group fractured in to several smaller ones and I think that is where wiggo lost a few seconds….
Yeah apparently Syrup got help up by a crash inside the last 3k but they only awarded the same time time as the main group to the 3 downed riders. Contraversial? Good tactics sending Uran Uran up the road.
Damned iphone typing! Argh!
@wiscot
I have always felt quite ambivalent about Mr. Hesjedal. However, I really dig this statement of authority. The incredible thing is that I don’t see it as false bravado, but simply confidence in his ability to ride well in this race, coupled with his knowledge of not only how his training has gone, but how his legs are feeling. I think he told us about that a few weeks ago and Mr. Dan Martin benefited greatly.
FUCK YES! This is why I love cycling and my passion for many other mainstream American sports has waned. So much is about style and too little is about substance.
Beautiful, powerful statement from Ryder. Nice work, sport!
Eddy Merckx: Final Tour, 1977
Pantani: Stage 11 of 1994 Tour. From Cahors to Lourdes-Hautacam
I’d like to nominate Frenchman Laurent Pichon as the first contestant for the “Johnny Hoogerland Award” in this years Giro…Rule V coming out of his ears:
http://www.manualforspeed.com/diary/7may2013/
FRANK: SOMEHOW LABELS GOT MIXED UP AND MULTIPLE SCANS RECORDED. HOPE YOU CAN COPE WITH THIS. PLEASE. PURGE THE PROBLEMATIC ONES. BRIAN.
@DocBrian
Done matey. Cheers. Great shots.
@frank thank you. No idea why multiple shots appeared. Mislabel sling was my boohoo.
It will likely end, and it is quite early, but love pulling on the VSP pink jersey even for a second or so. Hooray for the interwebz!
DocB – they are both cracking pics mate. I cycled up a big hill several times after work this evening, sweating vinegar just because I saw shots like that when I was a kid and thought they were the coolest.
There’s redemption in those hills.
@strathlubnaig
If anyone ever sees me riding in one of these, please take me out and fucking shoot me.
@LA Dave
I’d like to nominate his team mates as some of the sorriest looking excuses for cyclists you’ve ever seen…WHAT.THE.FUCK is that bloke on the right wearing?
@Mikael Liddy
Is that Bouhanni ?
I presume it is the compression socks you’re objecting to ? I don’t care if they wear them off the bike – I’m sure in the evening you would see a lot of pro guys walking around in full tights, maybe under shorts or track pants.
@Mike_P
Back in the 80’s I use to roll with one of these, the trusty ol Brancale Giro
@sthilzy
Respect, but we all know what a fashion train wreck the 80s were ;-)
@Mike_P
@ChrisO the compression shorts I understand entirely, it’s the moronic shorts, sunglasses & cap I object to.
@ped
I wonder if that Darth Maul helmet could slot in with The Power of Hair…
That wee climb near the end has really don it in for Cavendouche and also Matt Goose, nae sprin win for those lads.
Is Evans going to go for the win/ time bonuses?
@ChrisO
My first thought was why are they standing? Aren’t they in the middle of a Grand Tour. Never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down. They look like they are just standing around chatting.
Respect to Johnny Pornstache, that was one long sprint.
Blatant Rule #50 violation there ! Hats off to the Eyetalians for strategic placement of freshly painted crosswalks too.
@Mirko
And goddamn, he was giving interviews in Italian.
Mustache + Italian + white Kit = Danger!
@Ron
Nice.
No change to the overall. Carry on.
Without wishing to be too self-reverential, see my Urs Freuler article on cyclists with mustaches. Degenkolb’s is very firmly in dodgy territory and should be dispensed with forthwith. If you can’t do Urs or Tom Ritchey, best keep away from the crumb catcher.
Loving all the “Mutiny” and “Columbian Conspiracy” talk within the Sky Team…. My plan for a Ryder victory is working perfectly… Although this may just have the effect of pissing off the beast that is Wiggo and he storms to a crushing victory on Saturday.
I’m in Paris right now and couldn’t find a full length live broadcast of the Giro. Where should I look?
Rai 3 (Sport) seems to pick it up partway through and Eurosport plays a partial replay the next day.
@Mike_P
@G’rilla
Not sure who actually shows the entire stage, but you can pick up the live Eurosport feed here but it may be the French one. In the UK they seem to come in at about 100km to go.
@El Mateo
I think the long TT stage on Saturday is going to be really interesting. Losing time at the end of tuesdays stage, the Columbian ‘conspiracy’, Chris Froome and his whiny bird must mean that Wiggins is totally screwing at the moment. On paper Wiggins should beat Evans, Nibali and Ryder if he can handle the pressure but it could easily all fall apart.
From a VeloNews article on Battaglin’s win over some dirty (former?) dopers…
“Di Luca also delivered a urine sample during his 2007 Giro victory that reportedly recorded the hormone levels of a small child, dubbed “pipi degli angeli” (angel’s pee), a sign of the use of masking agents. However he ultimately was cleared for that offense, with Italian Olympic Committee anti-doping officials admitting there was “not a sufficient degree of probability” for a doping conviction.”
Pipi Degli Angeli – a new Lexicon entry?
@Ron
I’m all for it – that’s hilarious! Fucking Di Luca. I’m such a hypocrite because I’ll totally fawn over old race footage of guys like Pantani or VDB, but my stomach turned a little the other day when I saw Di Luca go away on that climb.
Its been 2 years today. RIP WW.
Shit. Sky are driving that chase group hard! Nice through and off.
What was all the argument about afterwards – was it Hunter and Gavazzi ? I didn’t see anything wrong in the sprint, not up at the pointy end anyway.
Not sure what all the fighting was about, nor why Bouhani was pissed, maybe at Viviani. Nobody cut him off though, he just waited too long to go for it.
Also, for anyone who missed it, Cavendish dedicated the win to Wouter. Also said something along the lines of he’s just the noisiest cog in the cassette, meaning he has a great team to help him, he’s just lucky enough to be delivered to the line so often.
@Ron Vintage Cav, the finish, the dedication to WW and the appreciation of his team.
Hard to see anyone beating him when his lead out gets it right. Or even half right.