You've read a lot of complaints from me lately, but the fact is that things could be much worse. We knew when we left Seattle for two weeks of combined family and work stuff that we were venturing into areas of the country where you may or may not have a wifi signal. Results have been mixed, and when you consider that we're smack dab in the middle of this year's spectacular Giro d'Italia, it sounds like a nightmare. But the events themselves which are dragging me away are enjoyable in their own (non-Cycling) way, and meanwhile the Giro itself is still sorting out its preamble matters.
- Daily Savoldelli: Kind of interesting that he's contesting virtually every stage. Yesterday il Falco stuck his nose in the sprint finish briefly; today he's second in the stage. I'll have to check the Paceline to tell whether he's after stage time bonuses or just trying to stay away from the crashes. In either case, it's worked: he was up ahead of the shenanigans in yesterday's final curves, and he's come from ten seconds down to five up on Basso. As we've mentioned here before, he needs every second he can scarf up in the early days.
- Maglia Rosa update: No shocker to see Pollack take a quick turn yesterday, even though he and teammate Gonchar traded kits again today (not literally). Tomorrow is the first major uphill finish, and unless they both fall asleep, expect Savoldelli and Basso to contend for the race lead 24 hours from now. There are numerous contenders lurking close behind, but they'll be heavily marked, and the most likely scenario is for the heads of state to come in largely together... puttingSavoldelli in charge. Second-most-likely: a long breakaway succeeds. There's 150 km of modest coastal terrain before the hostilities start.
More notes and links on the flip:
- Anthony McCrossand at Cycling.tv has developed a pretty nice style of calling a finish. Overall he's got a smooth style, but he manages to gradually, subtly amplify as the race nears the end. Other than having a kid, I can't think of anything that's changed my life more than the Dawn of Cycling.tv. OK, yes I can, but still, I remember rading about the races for the first time in Winning Magazine, on a three-month-delayed basis.
- Pez gives Savoldelli its love today. Also, they rode the Cesane climbs from today's stage, so you don't have to.
- More race reports: BiciRace for starters; VN is on the ball today too. And the Paceline congratulates its bosses for a solid ride today.
- Amusing story at VN: What's Basso eating?
- Pez lets Dario Cioni take you through the TTT.