Gossip dello Giorno

Doodschmakt edition

Rumors abound that Milram will soon deliver the doodshmackt to Petacchi. Confirmation coming soon to an internet near you. Upon the news that TAS threw down a doping suspension, team management is ready to fire the inhaler sucking sprinter. This news is neither especially exciting or surprising. I just wanted to use doodschmakt in a sentence.

Speaking of doodschmackt (and really, I should learn to spell this very essential cycling term), René Mandri of AG2R doodshmakted himself into a guardrail during today's stage. He broke a rib (or two) and perforated his lung. To crash out of a grand tour sucks massively. To pull a Moletta and crash out of the break? Suckage most profondo. Here at the Gossip, we wish him a speedy recovery.

The Italian word for rib, costola, also means cutlet. Mandri broke his cutlet. But I'm am being digressing.

Moletta, not content to make the Gossip for last year's caduta, has rebounded to give us this piccolo story. He and his team mates went to the podium for the teams classification (or one of them, aren't there like a dozen of these things at the Giro? I can't keep up.) There, Moletta set his eyes on the most beautiful podium girl ever. After the official festivities, Moletta went back to the podium to sneak a second look. He proved less than stealthy, and very nearly slipped and fell. Fortunately, he regained his equilibrium, saving himself the necessity of explaining to his DS how he managed to crash out the Giro while nowhere near his bici.

At Chez Tinkoff, Haircut 100's victory on yesterday's stage was met with much rejoicing. But alas, no vodka. A nice supper with my team mates is celebration enough, said Brutt. Such the party animal. So not living up to the Hair.

Vincenzo Di Falco who rode for Mercatone Uno back when Mercatone Uno was a team (which we're having a very hard time remembering) just got arrested for possessing large quantities of pot. But since we don't really know who he is, do we really care? Alas, no.

Lastly, Pellizotti tells the press that he can't understand Bettini these days. Pellizotti, Robbie Mac, and Dani D all agreed that today's stage to Peschici should be shortened. Bettini? He wanted to ride the whole damn thing. Pellizotti said that this year, Bettini has taken many "strange" positions. "We don't really understand him," said the ex-Rosa. Bettini gone batty? Wanting to ride 260km during the first week of a grand tour, well it must be said, normal people just don't act that way.

And, because it's fun for a girl and a boy, I leave you with this lovely shot of Bennati and his podium girls. Ooh là, là, What's not to like about Italia?