clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Giro v. 2.0

By Chris Fontecchio

The first rest day marks the transition from Belgium and the first phase of this epic Giro d'Italia to the second phase -- a warmer, slightly more strenuous version of the first phase, where the riders continue to stretch their legs and lay low for the last eleven days.

Maybe there is something to having this rest day, however early. The riders arrived in Cremona for Thursday's team time trial with a full 24 hours to rest, dry out, warm up, and take their time trial rigs out for a test drive.  As for the stage itself, Bici checks it out... not that there's much to say. 38 km, flat flat flat... any team (named Discovery and CSC) that can do pure TTTs will earn chunks of time on their less diverse rivals. As far as I can tell, there are no ridiculous Tour de France limitations on the amount of time a team can lose, besides the fact that the TTT is only 38km and flat. If, as the Chimp says, Simoni thinks he could lose two minutes, it's time to look in the mirror.

Some other notes:

  • Alessandro Petacchi speaks from the post-op:
"The operation was more complicated than usual, but it seems all went very well," said Petacchi, who received a local anaesthetic. "Being awake while operated on did have a certain effect on me - they talked to me as if they weren't doing something delicate. I didn't feel any pain, but it was strange not to feel my legs anymore. I will have a splint and walk with crutches for five weeks, and I hope that the control in three weeks' time will allow me to anticipate a bit. I have a big desire to return to racing and winning, but I don't want to compromise my recovery. I still have some years ahead of me in my career."

More From Podium Cafe