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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View Comments
@cantona
geez. We're such bitches on the interwebs.
The weather has been total shit. It's a bit rich to be calling Wiggs out for being soft, especially considering he would have won the TT if he hadn't flatted.
@strathlubnaig
Again, FFS. Wiggins would have likely I won't Trentino if his shit E-lectonic shifting hadn't stopped working.
Of course we had to tip shit on him because he "wasn't being cool" throwing his expensive bike about.
Getting heartily sick of the bitchiness and negativity.
@mouse
I don't think it's just that Mouse. There is some scepticism about just how bad it really was and that some people are using it as the excuse for Wiggin's poor showing.
Yes he would have won the TT, but before that stage everyone was saying he should be putting 2 or 3 minutes into the other GC contenders. Even without the flat he would have been pushing it to gain 40 seconds on Nibali.
I'm generally pro-Sky but I don't think they would be beyond a bit of spin if they thought it helped their cause. What sounds better:
"Sorry Chris, Brad was shit at the Giro but we're going to give him another go at the Tour, so you have to share the leadership."
or
"Come on Froomey, we know the plan was for Brad to do the Giro and you the Tour, but we can't do anything about chest infections can we ?"
@mouse
Didn't Wiggo call himself soft? I'm assuming that's what he meant when he said he'd been descending like a bit of a girl...
In other news Sestriere's been stripped from today's stage due to the poor conditions at the summit & on the descent. Valley road instead so they're only doing the final climb.
http://c-cycling.blogspot.cz/2013/05/giro-ditalia-stage-14-preview-favorites.html
@strathlubnaig
Maybe this man has access to such equipment
@strathlubnaig
Love it. Just waiting for the "my rivals must have hacked my wireless shifting" excuse from someone now.
@frank
Too fast fore vowels.
What streams are you guys using? Are they all 80% ads like this Eurosport one?
@xyxax
I stay away from getting that skinny these days. The extra couple Kg's keeps me healthier, and to be totally honest, I don't race nearly as much as I did when I was in my 20's (when I had delusions of going to Europe and chasing a pro contract).
Fo me now, it's more about staying in decent shape, having fun, and teaching the noob's on my team how to race. 'Sides, Mrs. Scaler is less likely to "give it up" when I'm looking like a Schleck.
And now the Galibier is confirmed removed from tomorrows stage....dUran dUran is running out of vertical meters to pull time back from Nibali and Evans...
"AFP are confirming, via French officials that the Galibier and the Col du Mont Cenis have been withdrawn from tomorrow' stage. RCS are scrambling to come up with a new route"