Sunday's Giro Stage - Milan (Spoiler???)

[Tompy]

When I lived in Italy my car got towed away from the market square 3 times when, unknown to me, there was a local saints day and there was going to be a market. Why the police in Milan couldn't tow the cars that were on the route today is a mystery. But there's not much they could have done about the tramlines that were running in the same direction as the riders (according to Lance Armstrong on Twitter).

Well done Cav, though. A win's a win.

 

[yenrod]

Yeah, it did seem like the big boys throwing their weight around. Clearly Cav didn't agree from his comments afterwards, but he was diplomatic enough not to say so directly. Cippo obviously wasn't impressed!

And then Di Luca said that Cipo had forgot what it was like to be a pro and complained when the road went up...

 

[Dave5N]

An important reminder of how hard-headed and political pro-cycling is.

Still, as yer man said: a win's a win. And a sprinter's win from the worlds best is a good win.

 

[John the Monkey]

Round up of comment and reaction at t'other place;

http://www.bikeradar.com/blogs/article/the-giros-milanese-farce-who-was-to-blame--21659

 

[yello]

I like this from Angelo Zomegnan (race organizer) from the above link...

But there's a certain age at which your legs start to get shorter and your tongue longer."

 

[John the Monkey]

Hmm.

'Nother round-up at Cycling Weekly has Di Luca seeming to say that the stage was supposed to be a tribute to Horrillo;

“Unfortunately the protest became a joke when some of the teams didn't respect the idea of letting the Rabobank team cross the line first. We went from being right to being wrong.”

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/giro_ditalia_news_roundup_article_282787.html?aff=rss

 

[Haitch]

“Unfortunately the protest became a joke when some of the teams didn't respect the idea of letting the Rabobank team cross the line first. We went from being right to being wrong.”

Dutch newspapers reported that Rabobank didn't want the "honour" of being a sacrificial pawn and declined to get involved in what it saw as a political row between certain riders and the race organisers.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

Hmm.

'Nother round-up at Cycling Weekly has Di Luca seeming to say that the stage was supposed to be a tribute to Horrillo;



http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/giro_ditalia_news_roundup_article_282787.html?aff=rss

odd, as the poor chap hasn't died, and is at least stable…

 

[rich p]

odd, as the poor chap hasn't died, and is at least stable…

I think there was far from unanimity and some mixed messages. It smacks of Armstrong throwing his weight around from Zomegnan's comments especially after whingeing about having to ride in the rain the day before.

 

[John the Monkey]

I think there was far from unanimity and some mixed messages.

Exactly - I really couldn't figure out if it was about the race as a whole, the Milan stage specifically, stage 7 and/or 8...

 

[John the Monkey]

Dave Zabriskie interviewed on NYVelocity;

schmalz What was the main concern about the course?
zabriskie Parked cars railroad tracks wide to narrow roads signs in middle...this course had it all...
schmalz How did the word about the protest get around? Was it like grade school where kids passed notes around - also did the note say "do you like me?" with boxes for "yes" and "no"?
zabriskie Di luca and his team were at the front keeping people in check...it wasn't easy to keep everyone cool...the bosses in the cars were telling riders to race.
schmalz So was the situation pretty tense? Who wasn't playing along?
zabriskie Everyone was pretty sensible

Also, this comedy gold;

schmalz You've been riding with the Shimano electric shifters on your road and TT bike, aren't you afraid someone is going to stand by the side of the road with a TV remote and shift your gears against your will?

http://nyvelocity.com/content/interviews/2009/zabriskie-giro






And NEW TOTO.


http://velocitynation.com/content/toto/2009/toto-turns-137

 

[rich p]

Great bit about the remote control

According to the Guardian the Italian press are laying into LA. "First he doesn't like the downhills and now he doesn't like the flat."

"...an old age pensioner, a Texan slipper seller..." Anyone understand that reference?

 

[John the Monkey]

Armstrong and Basso apologies for rider protest;

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news...for_rider_protest_article_282795.html?aff=rss

"It's an unfortunate situation, an accumulation of days and days of frustration and I think fear on a lot of people's parts and then this war of words and this war of power afterwards that we have to avoid."

Armstrong concluded that there is a need for a fully independent rider's organisation to effectively represent riders' concerns to race organisers and other parties.