Some more theories on the rest day saga: there are a handful of difficult stages coming up that would have at least sorta warranted a rest day, in a let's-segment-the-pain kind of thinking. IMHO this is how the riders think of things: I've got this much suffering to do, so I'll mete it out here and here, then recoup on the rest day. And yet the Giro decided to have the rest after three relatively undemanding stages?
Another theory: that there's so much detritus to move, it can't be done in a day, not from Sardinia. But can it be possible that the Giro has a single road crew? Just hypothesizing here... surely the job of setting up and dismantling a stage is too much for one crew to do every day. Surely they have a second crew, second set of barriers, grandstands, banners, and supermodels. Maybe there's only one set of ad trucks dispensing crappy trinkets to the fans... but RCS would't wait for them, would they? Anyway, I'm sticking with my original theory: they didn't need to do it, but having the rest day on a beach (drive to Amalfi for the day, anyone?) beats chilling outside Spoleto or something. Anyway...
- CyclingRevealed says it's all about the logistics. Don't they have any cynics on staff there?
- VeloNews, who has one daily Giro piece and who could barely lift a finger to cover most of the Classics, has four stories on its front page regarding the Landis case. Besides yesterday's preview, they have the first day's lawyer's analysis, a somewhat juicy story on the witness lists, and the daily fat-approaches-the-fire piece we'll be seeing regularly to give one the impression something is happening (yawn). Now, I'm a realist, and I know that we get traffic spikes when a doping story breaks. But at what point do I have to start calling them the Journal for Exploiting Competitive Cycling?
- As for their main competitor, hats off to Cycle Sport for getting their Giro Preview out just as the race begins (arrived yesterday). I know, that sounds like congratulating your kid for doing his homework, but their thing is quality over timing, and for once those elements aren't in open conflict. They even caught the beginning of the end of Basso, so the previews aren't all about stopping Discovery.
- Speaking of doping, Caisse d'Epargne (the sponsor) is downplaying yesterday's internal workings. Just a meeting. Nothing going on.
- Rest day media: Eurosport checks in with those smiling Liquigas types, who must be pleased with the early lead, especially given their poor prospects two weeks from now. DiLuca admits they're not holding their cards back like the other GC teams, which is refreshing, even if he leaves out why.
- Graeme Brown hit the ground barfing yesterday, as it were, which explains why he left the race after 50km.
- Pez goes chatting up riders on break today.
All for now. Previewing tomorrow's stage once I can get this baby off my lap. He's pretty cute though. And determined.