Five Thoughts on Giro Stages 16-18

1. Sad to see Levi have such a poor day on Monday. In all fairness it’s a great performance for him as he was never aiming for the Giro this year, so a top 5 or 6 is, all things considered, a pretty good result. Still he looked so strong for two weeks I couldn’t help but get excited about his prospects.

   I’m still holding out hope he can win the final TT in Rome on Sunday.

2. Menchov and Di Luca have really fought a battle. Menchov’s form isn’t a surprise to me, but I never expected Di Luca to stick around as long as he has. The course suits him and he’s obviously put a lot into the race, so he’s had the results. That said, Menchov just needs to survive tomorrow and la maglia rosa is his.
3. I thought Sastre was going to do it again, didn’t you? The chasing guys held tight though. Battling it out, like they have all month.

   That said, I watched Sastre take off and I couldn’t help but cast my eyes toward Mt. Ventoux and wonder what sort of hijinks he could get himself up to on the giant of Provence. He better be buried by the competition before then or else he’s going to light that mountain up.

   Of course, a certain Lance Armstrong has long regretted never winning a stage up Ventoux, so maybe he’d have something to say about that…

4. Lance’s tweet from the other day sums up how I feel about his form:

   “But I feel my condition is improving ok considering I drank beer for 4 years, crashed hard last month, and am an old dog. Onward.”

   He’s going to be interesting to watch in July, I can tell you that.

   Speaking of July and interesting, I actually want an Astana team Mexican standoff in the Tour. With Lance part of the dance, Levi vs. Lance vs. Alberto would make Lemond/Hinault look like a grain of sand versus a mountain.

5. I’m excited for Vesuvius tomorrow. If I had my wish, Basso would add to his palmares. He’s ridden pretty well for someone riding their first grand tour in 3 years, but I’d still like to see him make a mark in his comeback race. It’s been nice to see him so involved, but it would be really nice to see him get over the top just once before the race is over.

My next post on the Giro will be dateline:Rome, by the way. Complete with video and photos from the final time trial.