It's June. How do I know? Well, it's certainly not the weather, which is curiously un-June-like here in Cali. Not that I'm complaining, but it is confusing. No, I know it's June, because the Tour de France stories have begun to show up, and the bike racers have begun to say silly things. The sandbagging, the will-he or won't-he, the I'm only going for stages, the I'm not racing the Dauphiné, Tour de Suisse, fill-in-the-blank for results. Yes, it's Tour de France season. Time for some silly talk.
Today's installment comes to us from Italy. Such givers there in Italy, like the Giro wasn't enough? Tuttobiciweb had a chat Damiano Cunego. Remember him? He won a few races in Italy earlier this season, was seen occasionally near the front during the Ardennes, then skipped the Giro to take a break. Cunego said today that he has enjoyed his time off. He is currently training for the Tour de Suisse and the Tour de France. So far, all unexceptional.
Then the interviewer asked Cunego about his goals for the Tour de France. Well, said Cunego, I'm going to ride for the general classification....
You said what now?
Yes, Cunego said today in an interview that he will try to ride for a good general classification placing at the Tour de France. If that plan doesn't work, then he'll try to pick off a stage win. He said last year, he trained for the major classics, so did not target the overall. This year, "I am going to ride for the classification at the Tour." Anyway, it never hurts to be an optimist when you're a bike racer.
A couple other tidbits from today's news: It's a double for Kreuziger! The Astana rider will reportedly follow his ride at the Giro d'Italia with a trip to the Tour de France. He is in Czech and will begin training on Monday. Cadel Evans, meanwhile, said that he is riding the Dauphiné for the training, not for the winning.