In case you missed it, let me tell you that the Giro was spectacular today. It was the embodiment of the Grimpeur ethos: the harder the better. The riders have been sorely challenged this year with the past three days consisting of two Summit finishes in the Dolomites as a warm up for the Plan de Corones time trial. This same highly anticipated climb was to be debuted in 1996 but the final, and most diabolical, few kilometers had to be abandoned due to heavy rains. The weather came through this year and so did the mountain.
You know the course is good when the riders are bitching, and bitch they did. The usually stoic and sturdy Jens Voigt of CSC called the race “stupid” after dragging his Cervelo up the last 24% slopes of today’s time trial. “I don’t like it. Leave it to the mountain bikers,” he said. The winner of the stage, Liquigas rider Pelizotti, after negotiating the final 600 vertical feet of gravel road said the race was, “simply too hard”. David Millar of Slipstream did him one better, calling the race, “ridiculous” and “insane.” Gasparatto even invoked the specter of le dopage saying, “They want us to race clean? This Giro is too hard.”
Ahhh, yes, it all harkens back to the early days of the Tour de France when Henri Desgrange, the race founder, was putting it to the likes of Francois Faber and Octave Lapize. Assasins they cried upon summiting the mighty Tourmalet, pushing their bikes and covered in mud. Hell, Eugene Christophe, affectionately known as “Cri Cri”, had to find a blacksmith and forge himself a new fork, the smithy standing aside, to replace the one he shattered on a descent. Despite such heroic efforts, old Henri had the audacity to give Cri Cri a 10 minute penalty for being assisted: he had a boy working the bellows. In the spirit of Henri Desgrange and Grimpeurs everywhere, this year’s race director, Angelo Zomegnan said, “ Look around us. There are not mountains like this anywhere else in the world. This is the Giro. If they don’t like it they can race somewhere else.”
One rider who can come on up to the pike and try his hand at the polka dot jersey any time he likes is the current holder of the Maglia Rosa, Alberto Contador. Called up at the last minute to ride the Giro, his Asthana team’s ban lifted in the twelfth hour, he left the beach and strapped on a pair. He rode the 12.9km, 8.4 average grade in a time of 40:48, strengthening his grip on the GC. To give you an idea of just how hard the stage was, Contador spun a 34x30 gear ratio. The biggest I spotted was a 38x27, the fool. Alberto managed all this on a broken radius he suffered in a crash a few days earlier. When asked what he thought about the race he said, “I will race up whatever they throw at me.” A man after my own heart; and I don’t care how gay that sounds. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) Contador is my new hero, at least until we find out what kind of pharmacy he’s hiding in his veins.
You know the course is good when the riders are bitching, and bitch they did. The usually stoic and sturdy Jens Voigt of CSC called the race “stupid” after dragging his Cervelo up the last 24% slopes of today’s time trial. “I don’t like it. Leave it to the mountain bikers,” he said. The winner of the stage, Liquigas rider Pelizotti, after negotiating the final 600 vertical feet of gravel road said the race was, “simply too hard”. David Millar of Slipstream did him one better, calling the race, “ridiculous” and “insane.” Gasparatto even invoked the specter of le dopage saying, “They want us to race clean? This Giro is too hard.”
Ahhh, yes, it all harkens back to the early days of the Tour de France when Henri Desgrange, the race founder, was putting it to the likes of Francois Faber and Octave Lapize. Assasins they cried upon summiting the mighty Tourmalet, pushing their bikes and covered in mud. Hell, Eugene Christophe, affectionately known as “Cri Cri”, had to find a blacksmith and forge himself a new fork, the smithy standing aside, to replace the one he shattered on a descent. Despite such heroic efforts, old Henri had the audacity to give Cri Cri a 10 minute penalty for being assisted: he had a boy working the bellows. In the spirit of Henri Desgrange and Grimpeurs everywhere, this year’s race director, Angelo Zomegnan said, “ Look around us. There are not mountains like this anywhere else in the world. This is the Giro. If they don’t like it they can race somewhere else.”
One rider who can come on up to the pike and try his hand at the polka dot jersey any time he likes is the current holder of the Maglia Rosa, Alberto Contador. Called up at the last minute to ride the Giro, his Asthana team’s ban lifted in the twelfth hour, he left the beach and strapped on a pair. He rode the 12.9km, 8.4 average grade in a time of 40:48, strengthening his grip on the GC. To give you an idea of just how hard the stage was, Contador spun a 34x30 gear ratio. The biggest I spotted was a 38x27, the fool. Alberto managed all this on a broken radius he suffered in a crash a few days earlier. When asked what he thought about the race he said, “I will race up whatever they throw at me.” A man after my own heart; and I don’t care how gay that sounds. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) Contador is my new hero, at least until we find out what kind of pharmacy he’s hiding in his veins.
6 comments:
he's my new hero, too!
Be careful. My last hero; Landis after that crazy stage where he made up the ten minutes he blew the day before. Prior to that it was Ivan Basso. Neither of those turned out so well.
Who cares if their hearts explode from pushing all that thick epo sludge. It makes for some great stories.
They all look like they are taking big after memorial day party beer shits.
This blog is a waste of time, someone must sit around late at night with nothing to do ... I for one do not enjoy it at all and will never visit this site ever again ... someone please tell this guy that he can't write, I know some of you are his friends so be one, please!
anonymous....
if you don't like it, don't read it. simple. have a nice day.
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