Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

[Guest]

I know it's a little tainted with AC and his cronies being allowed in at the last minute, but at least I've got someone to cheer against. It'll be nice to see High Road with Wiggins and Cavendish riding. Weren't they excluded as well at one point?
I think di Luca and Contador are the favourites, but it'll be interesting to see how the third week pans out. I am looking forward to seeing Riccardo Ricco especially as he expressed his dislike of that watery twat Pelizotti.

Is Andy Schleck injured or is he being saved for the tour? Simoni is too old, Piepoli, MacEwan, Menchov, Pelizotti, Brushegin, Soler and Fothen for stage wins.

1.Contador
2.Ricco
3.di Luca

[Guest]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

Say what you like about di Luca, he looked great in that pink skin suit yesterday, especially the time trial overshoes. I'd love to be able to where one of them around town. Imagine the abuse!

[ursus arctos]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

Pink always goes down well in Palermo.

My understanding is that Andy Schleck is focusing on the Tour. Lots of quotes from the Astana boys here about how they were on the beach when they heard they were in and haven't had any time to prepare, etc.

Kloden is the local bookies' favourite.

[Guest]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

Schleck would be a serious contender wouldn't he.
Ricco was very impressive today wasn't he?

[ursus arctos]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

Agreed on both points, even if I saw none of today's stage given that we were at the Meazza watching Inter revert to their traditional form.

[Brandenburger Toro]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

1.Ricco
2.Schleck
3.Simoni

[ursus arctos]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

Ricco thought that he broke a finger in one of today's pile-ups (not the one that has McEwan going home), but the x-rays have proven to be negative.

[Tony C]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

Didn't Cavendish win a stage today?

That's good isn't it?

I know bugger all about cycling.

[ursus arctos]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

Indeed he did. And that is a very good thing.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

I missed yesterday's stage and waited around til 11 to see the Eurosport highlights, only to find minor boxing had pushed it back to 1140. 'Fuck that', I thought. 'Must've been an uninteresting stage'. Imagine my surprise when I find out who won.

Eurosport moves in mysterious ways.

[Guest]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

I had the same problem Felicity but I recorded it and watched it this afternoon. Cavendish did brilliantly. A greta big pile up near the end with Nick Nuyens getting in an ambulance. Cavendish was very impressive and Bennati was very magnanimous.
That boxing was quite good though. Who won, the big German or the thuggish looking Italian veteran?
I haven't seen or heard about today's stage, but it's a high casualty count so far.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

I stayed up for it last night, still glowing with happiness at Rangers' defeat and it was on at 11 this time. So I saw the previous day's finale, the pile-up etc.

No British joy this time, as Millar's chain snapped in the last few hundred metres, just as he was going onto the wheel of the eventual Russian winner. He stood looking back along the road, saw no team car, so threw the bike over the hoarding. Great stuff.

[Guest]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

It was great wasn't it? He must have been sick. The thing is I just think of Kimmage's, "He does in his bollocks" quote every time I see or hear Millar now.
I'm not sure he would have won that stage anyway. I thought he looked a bit tired and Brutte played it perfectly. It was good to see someone almost too exhausted to raise his arm as he crossed the line.
I haven't watched yesterday's stage yet. I'll watch it this afternoon when I get home from work.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

Interesting time trial stage yesterday, but no big moves up or down resulted from it.

I guess the big Q answered was 'is Contador in good shape?'

I didn't doubt that he was-the commentators made too much of his refusal to chase after the others the other day, but he knows there are far bigger mountains to, er, fry.

[ursus arctos]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

DiLuca was very disappointed, and rightly so.

It is going to be interesting to see what Astana's strategy is in the mountains.

[Guest]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

I just don't understand Kloeden's mentality. He's a GC contender if ever I saw one. He's more than handy in the mountains, he can TT and he's got form. Why does he want to be a super domestique for a bloke in his early 20's?

Tomorrow should be very interesting.

[ursus arctos]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

I wonder if they have a deal in which they switch roles for Le Tour.

[Guest]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

Well I thought that but aren't Astana banned from le Tour?

[ursus arctos]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

For now, yes . . .

[Guest]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

I know what you mean, but I think ASO are likely to be stricter and less pliant than the Giro organisers.
I think the tour will stick to what they said, paticularly after last year's tour.

[ursus arctos]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

So do I, actually. But I'm not taking anything for granted this season.

In the mean time, this was nice to see:

[Gerontophile]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

(count me in with the 'know bugger all about cycling' brigade)

Cavendish won another one, and came second a few days ago. Is there a points thingy in this Tour (sorry, Giro)?

[Guest]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)


This is the jersey worn by the points winner. It's called the ciclamino and is currently worn by Daniele Bennati.

[ursus arctos]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

Seen eating Cavendish's dust off his right shoulder in the photo above.

Current top five for the Ciclamino:

Bennati 144 points
Cavendish 86
Bettini 71
Ricco 69
Zabel 66

[Sixmartletsandaseagull]

Pretty in Pink (The Giro d'Italia thread)

I was fortunate to see the 6 tappa of the Giro d'Italia pass our village on 15 May: the stage from Potenza-Peschici.

Many people young and old turned out to see them whizz by. It was a real event. It had not been by for 8 years.

We watched by the cement works, where many of the workers had knocked off waiting to see the cyclists.

Then I had coffee at my elderly aunt's house on the way back and she'd been to see it to and was really stoked by it all.

I know very little about cycling but it was rather impressive and dramatic to see them swing en masse round a tight corner and whoosh down the hill towards us.