Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia
In the 1990 Giro, a relatively unknown cyclist named Gianni Bugno lit the cycling world on fire by winning the first stage, thereby taking the Maglia Rossa. That wasn’t so surprising in itself; what was surprising was that the little bugger managed to hold the jersey all the way to Milan, a feat previously only accomplished by Binda and Merckx postwar, and prewar legend Costante Girardengo.
This all happened in the age before smartphones and social media; while these days a stealth strike on the World’s Most Wanted Dude gets live-tweeted, in 1990 it took until well after I knew Greg LeMond had won the Tour de France before I found out that Bugno had won the Giro. Reading about the feat in Winning magazine, Bugno instantly became one of my heros and went on to cast himself into a bronze statue of Rad by being one of the few riders able to challenge Indurain in the following years. (He also possessed the mental frailty that seems to be common among my favorite riders. There’s something Shakespearean about heros with flaws that I simply can’t resist.)
The Giro d’Italia is just prestigious enough to be the maker of champions. It’s isn’t made up of a downgraded field like the Vuelta, but it also ins’t as popular as the Tour where only the best riders on the best teams seem to stand a chance. Every Giro produces a revelation that goes onto great things; that’s one of the key reasons this is my favorite Grand Tour: the field is strong enough to have serious contenders, but weak enough to let an outsider play. It’s perfect.
Aside from a well-balanced field, the geography of Italy lends itself to a better three week race than do France or Spain. Many European companies are defined by natural borders such as mountains or water, which generally means the mountains and great bodies of water lie at the borders with plains in between. (Or, as is the case with the Netherlands, beneath.) Italy is unique in that it is narrow and has mountainous terrain in nearly every region. Whereas the first week(s) of the Tour and Vuelta feature mostly flat stages suited for the sprinters and little else, the Giro’s first week generally contains several mountaintop finishes. The difficulty of a typical Giro’s first week means that riders who ride strongly there typically fade towards the end, while riders who were weak on the first climbs may come on strong as the race closes down. The result is a tight race from start to finish with regular changes in leadership. Except in 1990. And whatever years those other three guys who did what Gianni did.
This year’s Giro will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy by making strong men cry. Forty major climbs, and 7 mountain top finishes, one of which involves climbing Mount Etna twice. (Welcome to Sicily, assholes. You get to ride up the most active volcano on Earth twice.) I have it on the excellent authority of a man down the pub that Contador is stocking up on extra drugs even as I write this in an attempt to quiet the rattle of his skinny little bones in his spanish boots.
With that we kick off the best Grand Tour of the year, and the first test of our Grand Tour VSP Software. The other VSP editions have been a piece of cake. Grand Tours include free “swapping of the picks” logic whenever a rider in a contestent’s pick list drops out. We have rest day swaps for 2 or 4 points each, depending on which rest day it is. Our system is supposed to handle all of this smoothly and seamlessly. We’ll see.
Read the scoring guidelines, work out your strategy, dope up on clairvoyance drugs (alcohol) and chuck your picks up. As usual, the winner of this VSP edition will earn an “Obey the Rules” bumper sticker and all reader’s points qualify towards the final prize of the free personalized Velominati Shop Apron. If you are inclined to enter, simply post your predictions for the top five placings in the designated area above the posts section, bearing in mind that entry/modification of picks closes at 5am Pacific time on the day of the race. You are eligible to swap picks at no penalty for your picked riders who drop out; rest day picks each come at a 2 point penalty for the first rest day, 4 points each for the second.
Good luck.
Just re-read what I wrote. Not meaning to be cryptic, just that with the VMH out of town I was free to do as I pleased, like watch every Giro stage. With her back, we were running errands, like checking out potential wedding reception sites. Way, way more fun that watching bike racing;)
@Ron
What, you couldn’t manage to keep her out of town for another week and a half??
So its MY climb today, this could hurt a lot of people. Watch out for Serpa and Sella!
What do you all–wiser in the VeloArts than I–think about them removing the Crostis climb from tomorrow’s Stage 14? The UCI stepped in, claiming the “sporting aspect” of the ascent and descent could not be guaranteed, therefore the mountain didn’t meet the qualifications of the UCI regulations.
Is this a back-door move for the safety of the riders? Or (from the complete other side), is this a back-door move from the teams to protest a stage in which all of their normal operations would have to change (e.g. no cars on the mountain), therefore leaving the Giro a bit more up to the whims of chance?
How’s that great philosophical question go? If a chain snaps on a mountain, and there’s no mechanic around to hear, does it really blast out the back of the derailleur? I think that’s it…
@Ron
Friggin ATOC. It’s the annual crazy town cycling circus before the American media, between Floyd and Tyler.
I think Rujano is actually going top 10, perhaps top 5 at the end of this Giro…
@Zoncolan
THE ZONCOLAAAAAAN!!!
Contador just changed bikes again: Motorbuterol?
@Steampunk
the commentators on eurosport reckon that s because the battery is already flat in his first bike :)
@Steampunk
Rule #12 compliant
New bike has a custom saddle which gives a little steak enema concealed in the irish pirate treasure trench…
Moto overheats!! Go J-Rod!!!
Go DenChov! You’re in my Top 5 man!
Fuck that looks hard. Awful, good, but awful.
Wow the boos for Conti.
@Marko
Oh, that’s only because he’s a wheel-sucking, steak-chowing, rat-sniffing, weasel-fucking worthless sack of shit.
Kreuzenegger shit the bed.
Looked like someone threw something at him right near the line.
And the steak on a fishing pole was a laugh.
@frank
Your position on Clenbutador is wishy-washy. Please state how you really feel.
That’s all? These Italians are picky…
@harminator
Espresso through the nose. Fuck, that burns.
@Steampunk
Honestly, though, the guy has no sense of sportsmanship. If he wants to fight for time bonuses etc, don’t fucking suck wheels. If you are happy with your lead and want to leave it up the rivals to take their initiative and fight you, then fine. But don’t fucking play both games. That’s what Garmvelo did at Roubaix, too, and it’s disgusting. You can’t have it both ways.
Don’t be a douche, play fair, play right, lay down the V and win.
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@Roberto Marques retakes the Maglia Rosa that he won last year. He’s looking good for the win now, too, as the GC starts to shape up.
What did I miss by having to be at work?
@frank
I think that’s being a bit harsh. Wheel sucking? The race I saw today had Sack-O bank driving the pace with a protected race leader who then responded to attacks on the critical section of the day. He was egging Vincenzo on to take a turn and was trading pace with him all the way up the Zoncolon until he buried him at the end. He didn’t need the stage win, surely could have gotten it if he wanted it, but let a countryman take it who rode the stage of his career. Contador was racing bikes today, fair and square and displayed why he’s untouchable. Douchenozzle, lack of pinache, doper, perhaps, but let’s be fair.
Well, Frank introduced “weasel-fucking” to the extensive multi-cultural vocabulary of bicycle racing. I’d say that was pretty big.
@Marko
Show me one meter where he took the lead and drove the pace before he attacked. He sat on the entire way; first behind Scarponi, then Nibali. Nibbles even asked him for help and he refused. Which is Ok if you are the leader because it’s up the others. But then to attack is typical Contador classlessness. That is why I hate him.
@Marko
Agreed. He definitely gifted that one to Anton. A crazy stage today route-wise too. Crostis climb taken out, and then shortened again.
Here I am wearing the maglia rosa again…do I get an extra prize if I wear it for 2 years in a row? Just waiting Menchov to get in the top 5…come on Invisible Denis!
@frank
I was ready to write that after this stage there’s not a slight possibility to stand Contador, then I read you comment and I couldn’t agree more.
Today Contador played with his opponents especially with Nibali, not a classy rider at all, not at all a ‘gentle champion’ that for me is the highest level of a cycling champion.
Man, what sort of batteries is that kid running? He’s made the entire field look like, worm infested, lame assed donkeys! Who else in the world can dominate like that over 3 days in the mountains? Just wish I could believe he’s not a douchebag,gerbilweenered, COTHO dope fiend. Astonishing.
HOPY SHIT second podium!
1. I was being sarcastic.
2. This is a little over the top, isn’t it? He’s already destroyed the field, hasn’t he? Surely he’s earned the right to ride defensively today in order to store energy for the next climbs. The onus was on someone else to beat him. Big points to Anton””he picked a nice stage to go for his stage win (as he suggested at the start of the Giro; playing possum?)””but surely Nibali, Scarponi and the others need to beat Contador. We’d only be complaining if he put another three minutes into each of them today and bemoaning the fact that the Giro was already over and out of reach.
3. Not that I’m defending Contador; just the tactics.
4. How much do you suppose Nibali misses Szmyd who’s been ill? He was the engine in the Liquigas train last year in the mountains. He’s been conspicuous in his absence this time around, and I suspect Nibali could really use him…
@Netraam
…HOPY… ? Hee hee. Just kidding. But smiling.
@Karolinka
Sorry, I read too much Homestuck..
@Marko
@frank
I have to agree with Marko. Without even taking into account the juicing (am I tired of reading/hearing/talking about THAT!), Contador, as far as I can tell not personally knowing the guy, shows all the signs of being a jerk, on and off the bike. But there was nothing really out of line with today’s stage. In my humble opinion.
I’ll be curious going forward how things play out between Gadret and Dupont, close in the GC, finishing seconds apart two stages in a row, but little to suggest they are teammates, at least by what one can see on the race feed.
Having a blast watching ToC today. The race is on MY road that I climbed countless times. Of course, they’re going 7-10kph faster than I ever did these climbs.
@Karolinka
Whatever are our ideas and opinions, when Contador departed from Nibali the move was saluted by the tifosi with boos and whistles of disapproval and the same when he was on the podium.
That’s the tough law of sportmanship.
@xyxax
Just wait for Gadret to need Dupont’s wheel late on a climb. I’d be curious to know what his response would be…
To try and understand the issue. Contador marked his rivals up the mountain, but didn’t do any pace-making. Then in the last km, he attacked Nibali. The reason he was booed is because he didn’t do any of the work on the climb? If he swapped pulls with Nibali, then his attack would have been okay? Or was any attack uncalled for?
Contador did show a little bit of classlessness – not quite on par with the post-schleckanical attack – but just shows that he doesn’t race to win friends. Pretty sure he didn’t get any pushes up the hill though.
What is really shit though is the coverage of cycling in our media. One article on page 17 of sports section of sunday paper (standard). The article is all about Big George the Canary. Tiny mention of Giro & ToC
@Steampunk
I get the sense that Dupont might give it to him as a necklace.
In today’s gear teeth news:
Read that a couple of teams were using 52/34 and 11-32 for today’s stage.
VeloNews says Contador used a 34-32 going up Zoncolan.
My bike wears dentures.
At the end of the day, I just believe there is no situation in life and certainly not sport that is worth sacrificing your dignity and/or self respect in order win.
Bertie didn’t cheat, but he sure reminded us of what he’s made.
My friend Grom fitted a 36t cassette and MTB rear mech to go along with the 38t small ‘ring on David Millar’s rig – Story here…
today was such a great stage! i loved seeing igor win, nibali whine (oh, poor baby, alberto won’t help…pff, please…), and finally some action from denis & purito. but, the best was watching a motorcycle ignite on the climb to prove just how f’n hard this stage was. gah, this race is soooo much better than ToC””is anyone from Retirement Shack still even in the giro?
@heath
I completely agree. I can’t get my head around the ToC or the Colorado Tour of Toasted Sandwiches.
BTW, did Grewal catch a ride on a team for the Colorado Tour? Haven’t seen anything about him in a while.
Sorry. What i meant by that is that I soak my cassette every night in a glass on the night stand.
@Oli
That is some inspired bricolage. You’ll have to explain someday the benefits of an eliptical. I don’t gather that this is a choice that has not swept the peleton.
Yes, I think it’s fair to say that the jury is still out on elliptical ‘rings…never having ridden them myself, my opinion is limited to the fact that they make a poor wrench’s work much harder when it comes to getting decent front shifting performance.
@frank
Each to their own. Couldn’t give a fuck about what he does in the race, I hate him because he’s making a mockery of the sport by even being at the Giro and for Puerto and Clenbuterol. But you’re right, he is a weasel-fucker
@Oli
They also look fucking ugly and isn’t that why we’re here after all?