Everyone knows that things like “tactics” and “thinking” are for the weak. After all, if you’re strong enough, loud enough, and stubborn enough, you should be able to outlast those pesky details like evidence, facts, or people who can ride their bikes faster than you can.
Ivan Basso knows this, and Ivan Basso believes he falls on the “strong enough” side of the fence. Whether he does or not remains to be seen, but three days from Milan, he is still racing – as he has this entire Giro – like the final Maglia Rosa in Milano has his name stitched into the collar.
In a race punctuated by fantastic rides from all the G.C. contenders, Ivan Basso’s Liquigas team stands out as the team who has taken control of each critical stage. I love seeing a rider toe up to the start line and race like its a foregone conclusion that he will wind up with the prize at the end of the three-week long tunnel that is the Giro. His team has been at the front every day, racing like they have the pink tunic on their leader’s back and haven’t bothered with minor details such as trailing in the standings by almost a minute and a half.
While a clever tactician wins my respect; a rider who races from the front wins my heart. It was good enough for Eddy, so its good enough for Ivan. Bravissimo!
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...and he looks oh so classy doing it, too. Of course, it seems to me that Liquigas and Basso have been riding a very tactical race. He'll get a lot of criticism if his swagger doesn't include the final Maglia Rosa, but I like strong teams and smart riders.
On that, Rodriguez was asked who the real threats were in the final three stages. His answer: "Hesjedal, Liquigas, and Scarponi." Don't know whether that's a criticism or a high compliment...
Bassissimo!
Fair commentary but Eddy won stages. Ivan has yet to do so. Will he? We shall see . . .
I'd love to see him trip and rip it up on the Stelvio tomorrow. It has the makings of a quite awesome final ascent!
What the hell are you smoking Frank ? Basso has ridden a completely tactical race - every minute has been tactics.
Catenaccio they call it in Italian football, and that's what Basso has been doing. It means nullifying the opponents' offence - bolting the door.
Nothing against the guy - very happy for him to win if it works out that way and it is a perfectly respectable way to do it.
Yes he's put his team on the line but it's been to stop his rivals making sudden breakaways and control the speed. That's hardly riding tete de la course.
@936adl
I'd love to see Basso take it on tomorrow. The stage has the potential to be truly epic, no-one can afford to sit back and let Hesjedal ride off on his TT with the Maglia Rosa on Sunday so there's a bunch of people who've no option to utterly commit themselves to a do or die ride.
Strongest team wins - either the one (Liquigas?) that can snap the string with Hesjedal the other end or Garmin by keeping him up there?
Basso is looking great today with 25km to go. He does the sport well with his casual professionalism and cool attitude. I would say that the race is his to win. If it were not for Hesjedal. (I am Canadian after all.)
I have always loved watching Basso ride, win, and sometimes lose. Thanks Frank, nice little post. We should all ride with that confidence!
@ChrisO
I think bolting the door, is an excellent race long strategy, that leaves a team leader the ability to turn tactics to his own devices.
On vera.
Basso's style is unique, not loud as you mention, he doesn't shoot off his mouth like some Italians, rather is quiet and rather 'un-Italian' from that standpoint, but he is of the upmost class.
Nonetheless, I disagree with the assertion that he has 'forgone' and won and its because Liquigas has led out
I'm not sure any team has flat out dominated, they have all been playing cat and mouse. I will say, Katusha has not done the controlling, and J-rod has just sat on Basso's wheel, and Ryders, but in so doing, HE...WILL...LOSE the maglia rosa, unless he rides up the Stelvio like a billygoat on cocaine.
I think Basso has ridden like he has to try to win, no doubt, valiantly, no doubt and the classiest thing was said that he will ride high tempo into the high mtns and see who pops, Kruezinger-missle did and Cunego and others, which is success to an extent, but...and this is a huge BUT, but Ryder did not, and that really is Basso's main rival now. Its not J-rod. It neutralized some, but not others. Ryder is in control, and Liquigas and all didn't pop him, but the class comes in the DS saying that Basso was going to ride and not going to cry or relent if he didn't win after he rode HIS race...that is C-L-A-S-S
Great Giro, loved ever day of it, especially seeing Cav getting beat by tne young Italian yesterday
and it will come down to the Stelvio tomorrow, then the TT
Basso knows he doesn't have the legs to do the "change of tempo" attacks in the mountains, like J-Rod seems to. He has to hope he can just burn Hesjedal and J-Rod off his wheel. So far, no dice. All Hesjedal has to do is stay where he is now until Sunday and the race is pretty much his. Basso and J-Rod need to distance him by a goo way before the TT.
We shall see ...