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.
[vsp_results id=”23343″/]
I know as well as any of you that I've been checked out lately, kind…
Peter Sagan has undergone quite the transformation over the years; starting as a brash and…
The Women's road race has to be my favorite one-day road race after Paris-Roubaix and…
Holy fuckballs. I've never been this late ever on a VSP. I mean, I've missed…
This week we are currently in is the most boring week of the year. After…
I have memories of my life before Cycling, but as the years wear slowly on…
View Comments
@Deakus
I try to tell myself it's only a bit of fun, especially since I only get good points when Vos is racing, but I WANT THAT FUCKING APRON!!!
@snoov
half right. You only get a donut, there's no drop in to the negative.
@Mikael Liddy
O!
@Mikael Liddy
Oh sorry, I though I had a memory of it happening to someone last year, must have been in a dream. Getting much sleep at the moment? Hope all it going well.
@snoov it's not too bad at the moment (I'm staying up to watch the Giro anyways), especially given I can kinda go straight back to sleep when he wakes during the moment. Having this month off makes it a little less taxing too.
What's the odds that Uran and Henao try and work over Nibbles and Cuddles today in an effort to drain them for Brad to make his steady way through the bunch and out the front?
@Deakus
Possible. According to the forecast the roads will remain dry, so Wiggins won't be in need of all his team.
@Mirko
I think we got the Zoncolan today so either way it's going to be a beast of a stage!
@Deakus
No Zoncolan in this year's Giro, although they're in that region today.
@Mirko
Yes I looked at the profile and could not see it, not sure but I could swear I read somewhere that it was in there....nevermind it is still proving gripping with Uran laying down the V and leaving Nibbles in the middle of shit sandwhich with Biggles!