Closing out the Giro.
Friday’s Stage 19 had a pretty interesting ending in that the leaders in the final kilometers were Juan Garate, a climber, and Jens Voigt, a flatlander. Voigt has no business riding with Garate in the mountains, but he made a huge effort to stay with him and finish second on the stage. Voigt is definitely one of my favorite cyclists. This just adds to his reputation as a workhorse; last year he put on a heroic defense of the yellow jersey in the mountains, and this was another gutsy ride by Voigt. Stage 19 also showed how weak Savoldelli had become by the third week, as he lost more time to Basso and Simoni.
Stage 20—no breakaway would spoil the fight between Simoni and Basso. I thought it was really great that they fought like mad for the final mountain stage win, even though Basso’s overall lead was untouchable. They were racing hard for the sake of racing, and I applaud that. Naturally, Basso dropped Simoni like the bad habit that he is, taking yet another stage win.
Basso was better than everyone in the ‘05 Giro, but an illness cost him the pink jersey. In ’06 there was nothing to stop him. When he lost 23 seconds to Savoldelli in the opening time trial it was an illusion hiding the fact that he was twice as good as anyone else in the race. That illusion was destroyed by stage 8, when he won his first of three individual stages. With the exception of stage 1, Basso was clearly the strongest man in every GC-defining moment. If you’re stronger than your competitors at everything and your team support is superb, it’s pretty hard not to win. And the results are bluntly obvious. By the time the race got to Milan, the nearest rider was over 9 minutes behind Basso. Total domination.
Just when I thought I might respect Simoni for a very good race and a podium finish, he makes an ass out of himself (again). Here’s a quote I lifted from velonews.com.
"It's a Giro I would rather forget," said Simoni, who accused Basso of ungentlemanly conduct after Saturday's stage. "I don't want to make up with Basso, whom I no longer consider a friend. All I want to do now is look to the future. I'm hoping to compete in the Tour de France with David (Millar). After that I will ride for another year if (team manager) Mauro Gianetti agrees."
Is there anything this childish punk Simoni does not complain about? Look, pal, you lost by 12 minutes. Not even close. In stage 20 Basso dropped you 4 km from the finish and beat you by over a minute. You were at one time a great champion, but now you whine like a 4-year-old whenever you get beaten. Get over it—this was not the first time someone humbled you in the mountains, so it’s not really so “extraterrestrial” as you put it.
So, Simoni is thinking of the future. Over the last three years, lots of guys have left Simoni in their wake on the big climbs, and it will probably happen again at the Tour. Oh, and the enthusiasm for riding with a guy who is returning from a two year ban for doping isn’t going to improve your image. Simoni is such an ass.
Basso is king of the Giro today. And we’ll wonder if he can pull off the double. I can’t wait to see the Tour. Are there any other sporting events in the next month to pass the time?
Stage 20—no breakaway would spoil the fight between Simoni and Basso. I thought it was really great that they fought like mad for the final mountain stage win, even though Basso’s overall lead was untouchable. They were racing hard for the sake of racing, and I applaud that. Naturally, Basso dropped Simoni like the bad habit that he is, taking yet another stage win.
Basso was better than everyone in the ‘05 Giro, but an illness cost him the pink jersey. In ’06 there was nothing to stop him. When he lost 23 seconds to Savoldelli in the opening time trial it was an illusion hiding the fact that he was twice as good as anyone else in the race. That illusion was destroyed by stage 8, when he won his first of three individual stages. With the exception of stage 1, Basso was clearly the strongest man in every GC-defining moment. If you’re stronger than your competitors at everything and your team support is superb, it’s pretty hard not to win. And the results are bluntly obvious. By the time the race got to Milan, the nearest rider was over 9 minutes behind Basso. Total domination.
Just when I thought I might respect Simoni for a very good race and a podium finish, he makes an ass out of himself (again). Here’s a quote I lifted from velonews.com.
"It's a Giro I would rather forget," said Simoni, who accused Basso of ungentlemanly conduct after Saturday's stage. "I don't want to make up with Basso, whom I no longer consider a friend. All I want to do now is look to the future. I'm hoping to compete in the Tour de France with David (Millar). After that I will ride for another year if (team manager) Mauro Gianetti agrees."
Is there anything this childish punk Simoni does not complain about? Look, pal, you lost by 12 minutes. Not even close. In stage 20 Basso dropped you 4 km from the finish and beat you by over a minute. You were at one time a great champion, but now you whine like a 4-year-old whenever you get beaten. Get over it—this was not the first time someone humbled you in the mountains, so it’s not really so “extraterrestrial” as you put it.
So, Simoni is thinking of the future. Over the last three years, lots of guys have left Simoni in their wake on the big climbs, and it will probably happen again at the Tour. Oh, and the enthusiasm for riding with a guy who is returning from a two year ban for doping isn’t going to improve your image. Simoni is such an ass.
Basso is king of the Giro today. And we’ll wonder if he can pull off the double. I can’t wait to see the Tour. Are there any other sporting events in the next month to pass the time?
posted by uberschuck at 2:25 PM
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