I'll be the first to admit that I've been among the Vino bashers on this site. I was disappointed to see him not riding for Jan last year in the TDF and thought of him as a selfish, foolish kind of rider. He's won some great races and stages for sure, but I sincerely doubted his ability to reach the top step of a Podium in a grand tour. I, like others, thought a serious bonk would occur and he would lose a big chunk of time. I was wrong...
Let's flash back to the eve of the TDF. Vino's team was banned from competition and his career was really in limbo. His team's sponsor pulled out, like most big phony corporations do at the slightest chance of embarassment, and a new sponsor ponied up. Vino could have made many excuses if he didn't perform but instead, he showed up in top form in Spain, attacked because he could, and rode very well with his team. He was not only riding for himself, but for his country and sponsor. He delivered the goods and he deserves the respect of the cycling world. Great job Alexandre!
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