On a personal note, I rode my bike to work today. The weather was beautiful and, in honor of tomorrow’s Giro stage, I rode a nice, piano pace. It’s a little hectic to do every day (I have to navigate treacherously close to a highway on-ramp), but it’s definitely good for a change of pace (plus my car is in the shop so I have no other option currently.)
On a sporting note, today’s Giro’s stage, the finiash atop the Monte Zoncolan won by Gilberto Simoni, was a lot of fun to watch. It was maybe not the complete carnage it could have been (I was hoping for bigger gaps), but it was actually very exciting because of how close it was. Danilo Di Luca held on pretty well today and is looking good in the maglia rosa. He rode within himself and limited his losses to a mere 30 seconds on the clock. Andy Schleck is now in second, which is just crazy, considering this is his first grand tour. What a talented rider (and a talented family.)
I also watched Stage 14, which was unbelievably bad-ass. It was 100%, complete, wall-to-wall action. Di Luca also managed gaps well in that stage. It’s rides like that, the ones where you limit losses, that can make a real difference in a grand tour. Obviously the days when a rider feels great and can put minutes on the peloton are important, but the days when a rider doesn’t maybe feel so hot or gets caught flat-footed can be just as important.
This was also good to see- Vinokourov team gains Tour place. They’re going to be a terror in the Tour this year. That’s a tough squad.
RSS - Posts