Author: Alex
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Rigoberto’s hungry like the wolf
That’s a Duran Duran reference. You know, because his full name’s Rigoberto Uran Uran… Don’t scrutinise it. It doesn’t make sense. It’s enough to know that the Columbian rider won the time trial and therefore stripped Cadel Evans of his pink jersey, donning it himself instead (figuratively speaking). Where things stand Let’s simplify this. The…
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Michael Rogers enjoys a decent warm-up
Australian rider, Michael Rogers, entered the Giro at the eleventh hour after visa problems for a team-mate. Short of racing, he’s aiming to build a bit of form so he can better help Alberto Contador during the Tour de France. I’m not sure how much more racing he needs though, because he can already hold…
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Nacer Bouhanni chases back on
More crashing and another Nacer Bouhanni victory. In a sense, it seems like business as usual, but this was a fascinating finish where only the result fits the usual sprint script. Watch the last few hundred metres and you’ll see Tyler Farrar – the American sprinter who pretty much never wins a sprint – slide…
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Domenico Pozzovivo rises up hillside and general classification
You can’t claim ignorance of the major protagonist from yesterday’s stage, for it was Domenico Pozzovivo, the object of infatuation for this website. The stars aligned for our Domenico. It was dry, it was uphill and he could ride on his own. As ever, he picked the steepest section of the final climb to attack.…
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Stage eight was too difficult for Diego Ulissi
His words, not mine. I wouldn’t dream of describing it that way being as he won. A fast finisher, Ulissi is an even better climber than I thought he was, for this was a proper mountain stage. It was officially classed as ‘medium mountains’ but this was the day when the Giro reverted to type.…
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Apparently Nacer Bouhanni won another stage
I’ll be honest, I didn’t see this one, but it appears to have underlined the sprint pecking order. Marcel Kittel was fastest, but in his absence, Nacer Bouhanni is fastest. To be honest, the sprint competition in this Giro’s a bit second-rate. Bouhanni’s up-and-coming rather than being a major name and one of his main…
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Cadel Evans stays upright
A weird, intriguing, but ultimately unsatisfying stage. Crashes late on separated the bunch, leading to significant time gaps and abandons. Half the peloton decking it isn’t the way you want to see the general classification take shape really. Broken bones It was nasty stuff. Moving at pace in the wet, merely touching the brakes appeared…
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You were already watching Diego Ulissi of course
I’m slightly annoyed at myself for not explicitly tipping Diego Ulissi for yesterday’s stage, despite having said that he might be worth watching this season. Or could I just say that the instruction to watch him still stood? Yeah, that’s right. I’d already tipped him back in January so you can’t have your money back.…
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Nacer Bouhanni manages to sprint
After the Giro’s stint in Ireland, several riders had said they were looking forward to the warmer, drier weather of Italy. Well, the joke’s on them because stage four was so wet and dangerous that everyone was forced to dawdle along without racing. It was decided that times would be taken after the penultimate lap…
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Bradley Wiggins performs on the rest day
That kind of sounds like he gathered all the riders together and did a stand-up routine or sang I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor for them. But no, he’s actually elsewhere, racing on his bicycle. Specifically, he’s at the Tour of California, an eight-day stage race which isn’t quite as important as it thinks it…