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
@RedRanger
Eurosport showed the finish. They then moved over to the tour of Norway.
Passo dello Stelvio, courtesy of BRR
@DerHoggz
Awesome! What year was that?
@Dan_R
Looks like 1965, when, I think, it was also the final stage??
to swap in cuddles or not, that is the question. He has a good lead on Uran, but I'm not convinced he's invincible. Risk 10 to gain 5? Mmm...
Gesink is a perpetual disappointment. If the man isn't falling off his his bike he's cracking on some climb or time trialling poorly.
@Brett I don't think Pozzato and his room full of smokeys is working for you. You're gonna need a fuckload of retirements to move up the board.
@Dan_R From what I can tell it looks like nineteen-fifty-V
Can somebody open the voting, please?
Fucken brilliant coverage here
http://www.steephill.tv/players/720/rai/?title=Last+7+Km+of+Stage+15&dashboard=giro-d-italia&id=d143c73f-aef5-4f28-96c4-e474c42ebfb6&yr=2013
This is what is so special about what we do, the finish is immense , the snow , the Galibier , the solo victory, the attacks inside the final three km's , from the top three , covered by everyone in the top five , punch counter punch, how you doin? Oh yeah? Punch counter , stalemate , the young guns allowed up the road to fight out the minor places , the relief and exhaustion shown at the line and immediately after , and the joy , the absolute joy from team mates , DS's , there is a great scene at the end as Visconti is waiting in doping control, head in hands trying to grasp his achievement , in walks Nibali who glances over and gives a nod to the young man.