Category: Giro d’Italia
-
Which bike races actually matter?
There are a billion bike races, but few people know which ones really matter. Everyone knows the Tour de France, but beyond that people are generally a bit lost. There’s a dim awareness of the Giro d’Italia (“It’s like the Tour de France, only in Italy”) and the Vuelta a Espana (“It’s like the Tour…
-
Do I have an opinion on Ryder Hesjedal winning the Giro?
No, not really. I’m still coming to terms with a Canadian who doesn’t seem to wear winter clothing. I’m quite intrigued by his 8.3 litre lungs though. The average is about six litres, so maybe Ryder’s got three of the blighters tucked away inside his ribcage. He’d have to have sacrificed his pancreas and a…
-
Domenico Pozzovivo is also illogical
The reasons to love Domenico Pozzovivo keep coming, thick and fast – much like the rider himself should he be going uphill. Most revolve around his limitations – to ‘downhill’, ‘the flat’ and ‘time trials’ we can now add ‘in the wet’, ‘in the cold’ and ‘in a group’. Basically, he can go uphill on…
-
Why I love Domenico Pozzovivo
In general, if you’re one of the best climbers, you’re one of the favourites for a Grand Tour. I love Domenico Pozzovivo because this doesn’t apply to him. I love him because of his limitations. Put Pozzovivo on a long, steep incline and he will ride away from everyone. If he were reasonably competent in…
-
Who is Ramunas Navardauskas?
The first week of a Grand Tour sometimes feels like a complete irrelevance. You know that the leader at this point generally doesn’t stand a chance of winning overall. I’d be surprised if Ramunas Navardauskas won the Giro, for example. Surprised and also annoyed. Ramunas Navardauskas is a cracking name, but it’s a bloody nightmare…
-
Mark Cavendish wins stage two of the Giro
I missed this, but I’ve seen enough Mark Cavendish stage wins to know EXACTLY what happened. There will have been a large group of cyclists and David Harmon will have repeatedly said the name ‘Cavendish’. However, I wouldn’t have known where Cavendish was. I’d have thought that I’d spotted him a couple of times but…
-
Taylor Phinney’s prologue win in the Giro causes very mild irritation
I don’t have enormously strong feelings about the Giro. Nor do I really ever feel that strongly about prologues. Add in the fact that they’re cycling in Denmark to magnify the sense that the first week of a Grand Tour is really just the groundwork for the race proper and it’s hard to feel too…
-
The Dolomites and the Giro
I will freely admit that I know very little about the Giro d’Italia. For the most part, I hear about it afterwards. It is something that just happens. Something that is referred to frequently during the Tour but which has very little impact on me when it actually takes place. Well not this year. This…