Category: Giro d’Italia
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Carlos Betancur climbs mountain and general classification
If you’re wondering what to get Carlos Betancur for his birthday this year, how about second place on a stage of the Giro d’Italia? He loves them. He’s now been second across the line on stages nine, ten and 15. Lord knows what stage 14’s third place was all about. He must have made a…
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Vincenzo Nibali nibbles his rivals
For a man whose nickname is ‘The Shark’, Vincenzo Nibali isn’t taking particularly big chunks out of his rivals. He’s more like one of those tropical fish which nibbles away at dead skin – Vincenzo Nibbly, if you will. Today’s stage featured well over a minute of visible action as TV cameras didn’t come into…
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The apparent inevitability of a Mark Cavendish win – chapter one billion
It was less than a day ago that I tried to get us all to appreciate the near-inevitability of a Mark Cavendish sprint win by pointing out that it had been less than a week since I’d tried to get us all to appreciate the near-inevitability of a Mark Cavendish sprint win. I then correctly…
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Cavendish wins, Wiggins doesn’t
It was less than a week ago that I tried to get us all to appreciate the near-inevitability of a Mark Cavendish sprint win. I don’t think I managed it and perhaps the measure of the man is that I feel in no hurry to correct that – I’ve infinite chances to get it right,…
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Cadel v Cav
Apologies to the winner, Ramunas Navardauskas, but yesterday’s stage was a bit nothingy. There was a big break (not a Big Break – that would be unacceptable) and Navardauskas showed great strength to win from it, but nothing much happened in the general classification. That will almost certainly be the case again today, but we will…
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Uran Uran unleashed
It’s amazing the difference a double-D can make. I’m not being lecherous; I’m referring to woeful 80s posers Duran Duran. They were rubbish, but Team Sky’s Uran Uran is very good. He won stage 10 and leapt into third place in the general classification in the process after finishing 30 seconds ahead of the leaders…
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The peloton is very wicked
That’s the only conclusion one can draw, because they don’t get much rest. It was a rest day yesterday, but that still involves a couple of hours on the bike to remind their legs that there’s plenty more to do. Today, it’s back to work and already there’s some serious climbing to be done, as…
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Ryder Hesjedal has problems
After yesterday’s time trial, I said that Ryder Hesjedal was a big loser. Today I’m saying he has problems. What is it about the Canadian that makes me talk like I’m in Mean Girls? The defending champion lost over a minute to his rivals on stage nine. He looked rocky in the time trial and…
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Alex Dowsett wins Bradley Wiggins’ stage
This is the problem when you have your entire offensive centred on just one stage. If it doesn’t go enormously well, what do you do? Bradley Wiggins was expecting to at least go into the race lead after yesterday’s time trial and he was hoping to put significant time into his rivals. As it turns…
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Bradley Wiggins doesn’t like descending in the wet
That’s my conclusion after he lost a bunch of time on stage seven. Maybe he should spend less time climbing volcanoes in Tenerife and more time skittering around in Lancashire, near home. Bradley Wiggins fell off his bike on a corner and he lost a minute and a half on his main rivals. It’s worth…