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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Shit! Wiggo off the back again. Will he drop out tonight, I wonder?
@Buck Rogers
leave the poor wee lad alone, he has a cold apparently.
@strathlubnaig
Hell, I'm not beating on him, just amazed that he is off the back on today's stage and now all of his team have left him on the road. I do wonder if he'll pack it in tonight?
@Buck Rogers
hey ! beat away by all means. I cant see him abandoning, that would be lacking in character. Ryder didnt abandon after all. Froome must be lapping this up though.
@strathlubnaig
Definitely makes July a lot more interesting for Sky, no doubt! Do not think that FroomeDog will be too pleased as Wiggo will be out for a solid result in July now.
Damn! Today's stage is turning out to be a real nail biter. Suppsodely Duran Duran is not with the Nibali group either! Sky is imploding on the road.
@Buck Rogers @strathlubnaig If the reports of him having a chest infection are true it wouldn't be a surprise if he did pull out tonight. Might be lacking in character but riding without oxygen is a bit of a bitch and he won't get better if the weather carries on like it is.
@Buck Rogers Apparently Duran Duran and Crowded House are with nibbles, mis communication from Race Radio Ga Ga I think.
Fuck - Cav is as mega today as Wiggo is poor(ly)...I bet Froome will be sick when Wiggins drops out and decides he wants to go for TdF again to make up for this.
That felt slightly funereal, the amount of time time they gave to footage of Wiggo being brought in by his team rather than replays of Cav making everyone else look slow.