There's nothing cooking today. I've been going through the pictures I took Tuesday and might post a few here.
News Item of the Day: Gilberto Simoni feels he is in the right shape to enter Milan in pink come Sunday, and has also hinted at racing this year's Tour de France. "It's not in my programme but given my form, I would like to ride the Tour - having won this Giro, because it's me who's going to win!" the Lampre rider said.
The Italian currently lies in third place, trailing compatriot and Discovery Team race leader Paolo Savoldelli by 1'48". But Simoni's belief of taking the Giro was bolstered by his rival's recent wobbly performance on the climb to Livigno at the back end of stage 14 where untimely cramps saw Savoldelli lose a precious 28 seconds. "From what I've seen," Simoni boasts, "it's my rivals who should fear me, and not the other way round."
But if his words come as a treat for voracious cycling journalists worldwide, one thing remains uncannily certain: this Giro is as full as tricks, turns and surprises as it is demanding ascents. Nothing is certain with five days left to go, and the unpredictable nature of the action so far has been glaring. "Of all Giros, I have never seen one quite like this! If someone asked me to make a prediction, I would be completely incapable," triple Giro winner (1948, 1951, 1955) Fiorenzo Magni, the former Lion of Flanders, tells French sports daily l"Equipe.
Who would have foreseen 2004 winner Damiano Cunego's collapse on the Passo Duran? More unlikely still, who would have guessed that Ivan Basso would crack so astonishingly on the Stevlio, losing over 40 minutes just days after being touted for Giro glory, not to mention Lance Armstrong-dethroning stardom?
And what of Danilo Di Luca's extraordinarily knack of clinging on; better still, of competing for the overall prize? The Italian hotshot lies just 25' adrift of Savoldelli and his recent form suggests that nothing can be taken for granted as the race enters its final five days.
Viewpoint: I have to agree with Simoni that he is still a threat in this Giro. However, announcing he will win is rather bold. He hasn't looked that much better than anyone to make that statement with any conviction. To me, it almost sounds like the bluster of someone who is not confident at all and is trying to bluff his opponents.
And if it's springtime, it is time for the usual Simoni Tour de France boast. Seems as though he learned his lesson from the past few years and isn't predicting victory or downplaying Armstrong's abilities. Typically, July rolls around and he loses 5 minutes on the first mountain stage. Go for it Gibo, Maybe you can snag a stage along the way.
News Item of the Day: Gilberto Simoni feels he is in the right shape to enter Milan in pink come Sunday, and has also hinted at racing this year's Tour de France. "It's not in my programme but given my form, I would like to ride the Tour - having won this Giro, because it's me who's going to win!" the Lampre rider said.
The Italian currently lies in third place, trailing compatriot and Discovery Team race leader Paolo Savoldelli by 1'48". But Simoni's belief of taking the Giro was bolstered by his rival's recent wobbly performance on the climb to Livigno at the back end of stage 14 where untimely cramps saw Savoldelli lose a precious 28 seconds. "From what I've seen," Simoni boasts, "it's my rivals who should fear me, and not the other way round."
But if his words come as a treat for voracious cycling journalists worldwide, one thing remains uncannily certain: this Giro is as full as tricks, turns and surprises as it is demanding ascents. Nothing is certain with five days left to go, and the unpredictable nature of the action so far has been glaring. "Of all Giros, I have never seen one quite like this! If someone asked me to make a prediction, I would be completely incapable," triple Giro winner (1948, 1951, 1955) Fiorenzo Magni, the former Lion of Flanders, tells French sports daily l"Equipe.
Who would have foreseen 2004 winner Damiano Cunego's collapse on the Passo Duran? More unlikely still, who would have guessed that Ivan Basso would crack so astonishingly on the Stevlio, losing over 40 minutes just days after being touted for Giro glory, not to mention Lance Armstrong-dethroning stardom?
And what of Danilo Di Luca's extraordinarily knack of clinging on; better still, of competing for the overall prize? The Italian hotshot lies just 25' adrift of Savoldelli and his recent form suggests that nothing can be taken for granted as the race enters its final five days.
Viewpoint: I have to agree with Simoni that he is still a threat in this Giro. However, announcing he will win is rather bold. He hasn't looked that much better than anyone to make that statement with any conviction. To me, it almost sounds like the bluster of someone who is not confident at all and is trying to bluff his opponents.
And if it's springtime, it is time for the usual Simoni Tour de France boast. Seems as though he learned his lesson from the past few years and isn't predicting victory or downplaying Armstrong's abilities. Typically, July rolls around and he loses 5 minutes on the first mountain stage. Go for it Gibo, Maybe you can snag a stage along the way.
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