mountain man

Carlos Sastre is a true mountain goat. His victory on Mt Vesuvius was text book (for a mountain goat), attacking early and then staying away for his second stage win of this year's Giro. While it may not have been as dominating as Charly Gaul's sprint up the volcano in 1959, it was the performance of a pure climber on top of his game. Once again Sastre has proved that he is a true angel of the mountains.

the underdog

That Franco Pellizotti flew under the radar in the lead up to this year's Giro said more about the fascination with the return of Basso and Armstrong to Grand Tour action that it did about the palmares of Pellizotti. The Italian climber finished fourth in last year's Giro, ninth in 2007 and eighth in 2006 after all. But last year was his best chance of a podium finish the experts explained, a brief outing as a genuine leader, sandwiched between two stints as super-domestique for Di Luca in '07 and Basso in '09. After his solo win on Blockhaus yesterday, where he attacked with 14km of climbing still to go but managed to hold off all challenges, any gregario duties are on hold for another race, another time. Pellizotti now lies third, two minutes back from the maglia rosa of Menchov with Vesuvius still to come. His smooth style that remains even when the gradient hits double figures, when pain becomes not the overriding sensation but the only sensation, is a joy to watch. Whether it will be enough to triumph over the cool detachment of Menchov and the sheer tenacity of Di Luca remains to be seen but Pellizotti has shone during this year's Giro despite the shadow cast by Basso and for that he deserves much credit.

the phoenix

Felice Gimondi at the 1967 Giro d'Italia.

Giro heats up

Since my last post the Giro has taken a few more twists and turns, ascents and descents with the temperature rising both literally and figuratively. The Cinque Terre time trial was as visually stunning a stage as you could wish to see. It was also brutal. Denis Menchov won from Levi Leipheimer but every rider in the top 15 would have been happy with their performance on a course that never let up. Cav won his third stage the following day and then left the race, ready to focus on the Tour de France and possibly an assault on the green jersey. Stages 14, 15 and 16 saw the race head for the steep stuff again, with Simon Gerrans, Bertagnolli and Carlos Sastre winning respectively. Sastre's victory was simply epic. With temperatures hitting 40 degrees, the race exploded on the Monte Petrano, with Sastre attacking, Menchov sustaining and Leipheimer struggling. Many riders described this seven-hour marathon as their hardest ever day in the saddle; a prolonged sojourn into the dark corners of the mind, which appealed to the purist and the sadist in equal meaures. Menchov looks secure in pink now but there are still two summit finishes and a TT yet to come so who knows? 

against the clock

Francesco Moser during the 1974 Giro time trial at Forte dei Marmi. Today's TT is going to be fascinating.

death, taxes and mark cavendish

There aren't too many certainties in this life but Cav is becoming one of them. His second stage victory yesterday at Arenzano again showed that he is the best sprinter out there and when he and team get it right, pretty much unbeatable. After his win in Milan he was asked if he had now figured out how to beat Petacchi. His reply was typically blunt. "I'm not sure I understand the question" he replied, which translated meant 'Petacchi's earlier stage victories were an anomaly and I'll put it right as soon as I get the chance.' Which he duly did in fine style.

no pain, no gain

Fiorenzo Magni riding with a broken collar bone in the 1956 Giro. Glory through suffering...

the killer

In my excitement I neglected to remember that today's Giro stage had been changed, but despite dropping the Col de Vars and the Col d'Izoard due to the possibility of landslides, it was still a real brute of a stage. Fittingly the 262km monster was won by race leader Danilo Di Luca, with the Killer showing great form, riding away from the leading pack on the stage's final climb and finishing in typically strong fashion. As for the other GC contenders, none were too far behind, with Menchov, Pellizotti and Sastre finishing 10 seconds back and Leipheimer, Basso and Rogers finishing 29 seconds down. Lance was also in this group and appears to be riding himself back into good shape. Garzelli's solo effort, alone for some 150km or so before being caught, was to the delight of the tifosi and an apt performance for a stage designed to celebrate Coppi's otherworldly feat in 1949. I still like Levi for the overall, only 1.40" back with the TT's to come...

il campionissimo

cuneo-pinerolo

Fausto Coppi's place in cycling history was cemented over a career that comprised of many great victories, but his solo win on stage 17 of the '49 Giro perhaps remains the deepest foundation on which his legend was built. Starting his attack on the Colle della Maddalena he rode alone through the mountains for 190km, with only the changing scenery for company. The Col du Vars, the Col d'Izoard, the Col de Montegenevre and the final climb to Sestriere were the perfect monuments for such a performance. Legends themselves and in the thin mountain air that they occupy, in their steep, unrelenting gradients, they provide suffering no doubt but offer too a chance to be heroic. The passing of time is often the friendliest of allies for any legendary status but the fact that Coppi won the stage by 11 minutes and 52 seconds from Gino Bartali in second and by 20 minutes 40 seconds from Alfredo Martini in third will always overshadow any hyperbole. Today, sixty years on, the riders will tackle the same glorious route from Cuneo to Pinerolo, with an opportunity to do something special too.

tomorrow...

Giro week one

So the first third of the Giro is complete and the last few stages have thrown up a little bit of everything. Edvald Boasson Hagen won a crazy stage 7, finishing with the kind of raw power that is beginning to define him as a rider. Already a winner at Gent Wevelgem, he was untouchable as he sprinted clear to take the victory, which came at the end of crazy final 30km that saw the riders take on a super technical descent in the foulest of weather. Rain, wind and cold mountain air made it a day the peloton will never forget, with Mick Rogers calling it "the most scared i've been on a bike". It was gnarly to watch but you have to question the wisdom of the race organisers who must have know that the chance of bad weather was a real possibility when they chose this route. I was just glad that everyone made it down safely. Pedro Horrillo wasn't so lucky the following day, crashing and falling into a ravine, leaving him in hospital with broken ribs and a punctured lung. The stage was won by Columbia's Kanstantsin Sivtskov, with Boasson Hagen grabbing second. The Crit stage in Milan was a step too far for the riders, who felt that their safety wasn't being considered and with Horrillo's crash weighing heavily on their minds they decided to make a protest, stopping after the first lap while the maglia rosa Di Luca read out a statement from the riders. In the end it was decided that times wouldn't count for the GC but those who wanted to contest the stage could race the last lap. Cav licked his lips and then licked the field, winning the sprint comfortably (aided by an awesome leadout that included Boasson Hagen stretching the field to the max as he took a huge turn at the front) and making it three in a row for Columbia. Riders of the Giro so far? I'm going for Chris Horner and Boasson Hagen, who have both been consistently impressive. Tomorrow's stage is a monster and could be decisive...

all in a day's work

Bitossi, Gimondi and Motta fulfill their obligations at the 1966 Giro. 

horner

If you haven't been following Chris Horner's Giro d'Italia blog, then you need to start. It's been interesting to get a rider's perspective of each stage and even more so because Horner has been performing so strongly. Cycling has always had plenty of unsung heroes, the men who sacrifice personal glory for the good of their team leader, and Horner wears the selfless jersey as well as anyone. If Levi stands tallest on the podium in Rome, it will be in no small part down to the tireless work of the man from Bend, Oregon.

bartali

the lone rider

A couple of seasons ago a football pundit coined the phrase 'bounce-backability'. Butchering of the english language aside, it was a term that made sense in the sporting arena. Michele Scarponi suffered badly yesterday in the mountains but today won stage 6 as the only surviver of an early breakaway. With a chasing peloton hitting speeds exceeding 90kph on possibly the fastest last 40km of stage racing i've witnessed , he dug deep to hold on and win by 32 seconds. Classic bounce-backability for all to enjoy.

wiggo

I somehow forgot to mention Bradley Wiggins yesterday. For me his was the performance of the day. The way he rode up the Alpe di Siusi was incredible for a guy really only recognised for his dominance on the track. He finished a mere 1.47 back of stage winner Menchov and ahead of the likes of Cunego and Scarponi. Great stuff.

the giro so far...

Five days in and it's been interesting. The 100th Giro has already thrown up some solid performances, answered a few questions and raised a few more. It was great to see Cav in the maglia rosa after the team TT. He then showed that he was human and that things don't always go to plan in road racing, but despite the loss to Petacchi and getting caught behind a crash on stage 3, his passion for winning and indeed for hating to lose was there for all to see. We've already seen the Jens Voigt breakaway and as always it was entertaining. Guts, grit and all that good  stuff. At 38, Voigt has the art of suffering down. The questions surrounding the return to Grand Tour action for Lance and Ivan Basso have largely been answered thanks primarily to an early trip to the Dolomites. Basso looks in good shape and is aided by a strong team looking to put the hammer down when it gets steep. Armstrong has also faired well considering the broken collar bone and again aided by a strong team has limited his losses on the tough mountain top finishes to three minutes. It will undoubtably get tougher for Lance but if riding himself into shape is the plan, then all seems good. As for potential winners? Di Luca? Menchov? Basso? I'm sticking with Levi...

pantani

The Giro hits the mountains today...which always gets me thinking about il Pirata. Never to be forgotten.

cuore matto

Franco Bitossi, Franco Balmamion and Eddy Merckx at the 1967 Giro d'Italia.

paint job

Here's Lance's ride for the Giro featuring artwork by Shepard Fairey. An easy spot for the tifosi on that bad boy!

more venice...

venezia

So the Giro starts tomorrow...it promises to be a great race. The variation in stages, from the super long to the super short, will keep it interesting, from the opening team TT against the beautiful backdrop of Venice to stage 10's reprise of Coppi's legendary 1947 ride from Cuneo to Pinerolo. I visited Venice last month with my girlfriend, so thought I'd post some of her great photos to get the Giro spirit rolling...