Seven days after the disappearance of Wouter Weylandt, the Giro riders are ready to start the second week of race.
Although I'm not a rider, I really needed a rest day from the Giro - and not only because this afternoon I had to study for some bloody tests. I needed a rest day because I'm still shocked by what Contador did yesterday on Etna.
In the comment area of my last post I wrote that the way Contador rode yesterday was 'too good to be true'. 24 hours after writing that, my opinion hasn't changed.
'Innocent until proven guilty: four words to live by', this is the motto of the main character of a BBC series about barristers. Actually, that motto doesn't apply just to barristers - unfortunately, it worths also for cycling supporters.
As I wrote in one of my last comments, I think that people who believe that no one in cycling is clean should stop following this sport. It'd cause them just pain and sickness and they could avoid wasting their time in such an improductive way. Being naive is an important condition for being a cycling supporter, especially after all the scandals of the last years. But still, even naiveness has a limit.
Watching Contador dropping everyone else on a climb like Etna was too much for me to take. I know that the Spaniard is the best climber of the world, but it should be impossible to drop other riders in a way like that. Especially if you consider that amongst the cyclists he dropped there were some very strong grimpeurs like Kreuziger, Nibali and Scarponi.
'Innocent until proven guilty: four words to live by'. Better write it on a sheet of paper and hang it on the wall in front of my bed. Perhaps it will make those doping ghosts go away from my head.
I'm really trying to believe that Contador is clean, but I'm finding it very hard. And I find it even harder when I think that, actually, 'the innocent until proven guilty' thing doesn't apply to the Spaniard. In fact, last year (no matter what the Spanish justice thinks) there was some clenbuterol in his blood. So, he was already proven guilty once.
To say it all, right now I'm torn between two parts of my ego: the pessimistic one and the optimistic one. Pessimism makes me think that it's useless to watch the rest of the Giro, because Contador will surely win it and because he's a doper. On the other hand, optimism tells me:
1. that is not the first time that Contador drops everyone else on the first climb of a Grand Tour.
2. that Contador's power datas weren't that impressive.
3. that Contador wouldn't risk another positivity just because he wanted to win on Etna.
I'm really confused right now, since I would love to be able to believe that Contador's victory was a clean one but, at the same time, I'm finding it very tough.
'Innocent until proven guilty'. Again, those words ring inside my head. Shall I apply them to Contador's case? Or not?
Well, perhaps it would be better if I believed that Contador is clean. In that way, I would be able to read the newspaper without laughing sarcastically every time I read headlines like: 'Contador is as strong as Pantani', 'A spectacular Contador wins on Etna' or 'Contador is as strong as Coppi'. And perhaps I would even be able to enjoy the next Giro stages without thinking about doping.
However, I really do hope that Contador will give his adversaries the chance to do something against him. Many people said that Alberto's action on Etna was 'superb, spectacular, a joy for every cycling lover', but personally I found it boring and I didn't really like it. In fact, I want to see riders battling on a climb, not a single athlete attacking and dropping everyone else in 2 seconds time.
But hey, perhaps there's something wrong with me. And to say that I pretty like Contador as a person. I mean, I hated him after Chaingate, but last week I watched an interview with him and he came across as a very nice and modest boy.
Anyway, considering that right now I seem unable to put an end to the debate going on my mind between Pessimism and Optimism, perhaps it's time to think about the next stages of the Giro.
In the last hours I've heard many people saying that Contador has already won the Giro and that his adversaries should race for the second place. Most of the GC contenders have said that: 'Contador is strong, but the Giro is long', and this may sound like the usual cliché that people say when things go bad. However, I don't think we should despair in front of Alberto's strength. The Giro is a complicated race and it takes very few to lose it: a night without sleep, a virus, a sudden cold, an allergy problem, a crash, a chain popping at the wrong moment... Therefore I think we should all watch the next Giro stages and see what happens. Doping or not, Contador is strong, but the Giro is a three weeks long race. Moreover, now that he has the pink jersey, Saxo Bank will have to control the race in the next days. And, as we know, controlling a race takes a lot of effort.
Talking about other things connected to yesterday's Giro stage, I'd like to point out that Pieter Weening lost the jersey. However, I'm glad that I've discovered this rider: he seems a very nice guy and some of his facial expressions are just great.
Another thing to notice about yesterday is that Visconti went on a breakaway. Although he isn't in his best condition, in fact, the Italian champion absolutely wanted to honour the only Sicilian stage of the Corsa Rosa. He and Nibali were welcomed by a great support in their home region and Nibali even sang a Sicilian song at the start of the stage (although he did look embarassed, he made the tifosi happy). After the stage instead he was welcomed by a plate full of cannoli siciliani (which he couldn't eat). Yum!!
Other thing to notice, Niemiec's great work. The boy is strong, I had told you that!!
Amongst the riders that disappointed me a bit yesterday there were Pinotti, Menchov, Rodriguez and Lovkvist. On the other hand, I was happy to see Rujano, Siutsou and Bakelandts doing well.
A thing that I didn't understand was Garzelli's sprint in order to take the third place on the stage ahead of Nibali. Those 8 bonus seconds are surely going to change his GC eventual classification... :P
Last but not least, two riders finished out of time limit yesterday. They are Robbie McEwen (Richie Porte said he's worried because now the gruppetto has lost its leader) and Graeme Brown. Cavendish instead entered the time limit for just 30" - and, according to Gazzetta, he also received some help from the supporters.
So, these are my few, confused opinions about yesterday stage. In case you're wondering how the debate between Optimism and Pessimism ended up, well, let's say that the temporary score is 1-1 (yesterday evening instead Pessimism was leading with the score of 1-0). Hopefully tomorrow my opinions will be a bit clearer.
That's all from me for the moment - sorry for the confusing post, but my cyclistic mind right now is a true mess! :S
Although I'm not a rider, I really needed a rest day from the Giro - and not only because this afternoon I had to study for some bloody tests. I needed a rest day because I'm still shocked by what Contador did yesterday on Etna.
In the comment area of my last post I wrote that the way Contador rode yesterday was 'too good to be true'. 24 hours after writing that, my opinion hasn't changed.
'Innocent until proven guilty: four words to live by', this is the motto of the main character of a BBC series about barristers. Actually, that motto doesn't apply just to barristers - unfortunately, it worths also for cycling supporters.
As I wrote in one of my last comments, I think that people who believe that no one in cycling is clean should stop following this sport. It'd cause them just pain and sickness and they could avoid wasting their time in such an improductive way. Being naive is an important condition for being a cycling supporter, especially after all the scandals of the last years. But still, even naiveness has a limit.
Watching Contador dropping everyone else on a climb like Etna was too much for me to take. I know that the Spaniard is the best climber of the world, but it should be impossible to drop other riders in a way like that. Especially if you consider that amongst the cyclists he dropped there were some very strong grimpeurs like Kreuziger, Nibali and Scarponi.
'Innocent until proven guilty: four words to live by'. Better write it on a sheet of paper and hang it on the wall in front of my bed. Perhaps it will make those doping ghosts go away from my head.
I'm really trying to believe that Contador is clean, but I'm finding it very hard. And I find it even harder when I think that, actually, 'the innocent until proven guilty' thing doesn't apply to the Spaniard. In fact, last year (no matter what the Spanish justice thinks) there was some clenbuterol in his blood. So, he was already proven guilty once.
To say it all, right now I'm torn between two parts of my ego: the pessimistic one and the optimistic one. Pessimism makes me think that it's useless to watch the rest of the Giro, because Contador will surely win it and because he's a doper. On the other hand, optimism tells me:
1. that is not the first time that Contador drops everyone else on the first climb of a Grand Tour.
2. that Contador's power datas weren't that impressive.
3. that Contador wouldn't risk another positivity just because he wanted to win on Etna.
I'm really confused right now, since I would love to be able to believe that Contador's victory was a clean one but, at the same time, I'm finding it very tough.
'Innocent until proven guilty'. Again, those words ring inside my head. Shall I apply them to Contador's case? Or not?
Well, perhaps it would be better if I believed that Contador is clean. In that way, I would be able to read the newspaper without laughing sarcastically every time I read headlines like: 'Contador is as strong as Pantani', 'A spectacular Contador wins on Etna' or 'Contador is as strong as Coppi'. And perhaps I would even be able to enjoy the next Giro stages without thinking about doping.
However, I really do hope that Contador will give his adversaries the chance to do something against him. Many people said that Alberto's action on Etna was 'superb, spectacular, a joy for every cycling lover', but personally I found it boring and I didn't really like it. In fact, I want to see riders battling on a climb, not a single athlete attacking and dropping everyone else in 2 seconds time.
But hey, perhaps there's something wrong with me. And to say that I pretty like Contador as a person. I mean, I hated him after Chaingate, but last week I watched an interview with him and he came across as a very nice and modest boy.
Anyway, considering that right now I seem unable to put an end to the debate going on my mind between Pessimism and Optimism, perhaps it's time to think about the next stages of the Giro.
In the last hours I've heard many people saying that Contador has already won the Giro and that his adversaries should race for the second place. Most of the GC contenders have said that: 'Contador is strong, but the Giro is long', and this may sound like the usual cliché that people say when things go bad. However, I don't think we should despair in front of Alberto's strength. The Giro is a complicated race and it takes very few to lose it: a night without sleep, a virus, a sudden cold, an allergy problem, a crash, a chain popping at the wrong moment... Therefore I think we should all watch the next Giro stages and see what happens. Doping or not, Contador is strong, but the Giro is a three weeks long race. Moreover, now that he has the pink jersey, Saxo Bank will have to control the race in the next days. And, as we know, controlling a race takes a lot of effort.
Talking about other things connected to yesterday's Giro stage, I'd like to point out that Pieter Weening lost the jersey. However, I'm glad that I've discovered this rider: he seems a very nice guy and some of his facial expressions are just great.
Another thing to notice about yesterday is that Visconti went on a breakaway. Although he isn't in his best condition, in fact, the Italian champion absolutely wanted to honour the only Sicilian stage of the Corsa Rosa. He and Nibali were welcomed by a great support in their home region and Nibali even sang a Sicilian song at the start of the stage (although he did look embarassed, he made the tifosi happy). After the stage instead he was welcomed by a plate full of cannoli siciliani (which he couldn't eat). Yum!!
Other thing to notice, Niemiec's great work. The boy is strong, I had told you that!!
Amongst the riders that disappointed me a bit yesterday there were Pinotti, Menchov, Rodriguez and Lovkvist. On the other hand, I was happy to see Rujano, Siutsou and Bakelandts doing well.
A thing that I didn't understand was Garzelli's sprint in order to take the third place on the stage ahead of Nibali. Those 8 bonus seconds are surely going to change his GC eventual classification... :P
Last but not least, two riders finished out of time limit yesterday. They are Robbie McEwen (Richie Porte said he's worried because now the gruppetto has lost its leader) and Graeme Brown. Cavendish instead entered the time limit for just 30" - and, according to Gazzetta, he also received some help from the supporters.
So, these are my few, confused opinions about yesterday stage. In case you're wondering how the debate between Optimism and Pessimism ended up, well, let's say that the temporary score is 1-1 (yesterday evening instead Pessimism was leading with the score of 1-0). Hopefully tomorrow my opinions will be a bit clearer.
That's all from me for the moment - sorry for the confusing post, but my cyclistic mind right now is a true mess! :S
