Thor de France: random observations of mine about today's TTT

The second stage of the Tour has come and gone and it has had some important effects on the GC. We all know that the Tour is a 3 weeks long race, but there are guys who have already lost a meaningful amount of time after just two days of race. In particular, Samuel Sanchez is already 2' 36" down in the GC and, considering he's not the best climber out there, he might have already lost all his chances to get on the podium in Paris.

Also Contador has already got a meaningful delay from the yellow jersey (1'36") but, in spite of that, I think we shouldn't cut him out of the list of GC contenders yet. In fact, Alberto is a rider who can gain up to 40" in just one mountain stage, so I won't consider him out of the 'battle for yellow' until I see the final podium in Paris.

Another rider who's got a meaningful delay after just two stages is Ivan Basso, whose team had a disappointing result this afternoon. Right now in fact Ivan has a delay of 57" from the yellow jersey - and a delay of 53" from Andy Schleck. Basso probably knew that his team wouldn't have been the best one this afternoon, but perhaps he didn't expect such a big delay.

However, imo, right now the only one who should start to worry about his final GC is Samuel Sanchez. This year in fact TTs aren't on his side and I think that, in the mountains, the Spaniard isn't as strong as Schleck, Contador, Van Den Broeck or Gesink. Therefore, I think it's very negative for him to have already lost a minute from his main adversaries.

Talking about los Schlecks, Leopard Trek was really good this afternoon. Cancellara did a tremendous amount of work and caused Joost Posthuma to get dropped after a few kms. Also Jens Voigt soon blew up and LT concluded its TTT with just 5 riders. This happened also because the Schleck brothers didn't actually work that much this afternoon. Frank in fact remained at the back of the team' single-file for the whole day, whereas Andy rode right in front of Frank. I never saw Frank taking turns at the front and, honestly, I saw Andy taking just two turns. Of course this is the strategy chosen by the team - a strategy with which I completely agree. By riding this way, Frank and Andy in fact could save up energy and they didn't even risk to slow down the team. And, by riding this way, LT got a wonderful 5th placement. Well done guys!

Actually, other two teams ended the TTT with the same time as Leopard Trek: Sky and BMC. BMC was really impressive this afternoon and Evans really did an awesome work for his team ('and for himself', I'd add). Also the riders from Sky did a great work, of course. Boasson Hagen for example (who's just recovered from herpes zoster, a very painful disease) was very good, just like Thomas and Wiggins. Talking about Sky: have I already mentioned I like their new jerseys? And still talking about jerseys: I screamed of joy when I discovered that Garmin was going to wear a white kit during the Tour. In this way, at least, we supporters can recognise those who ride for Garmin, those who ride for Sky and those who ride for Leopard.

As well as changing kit, however, during this year Tour Garmin has already done other important things like winning a stage (today's TTT) and getting the yellow jersey, which ended up on Hushovd's shoulders a few hours ago. Garmin won this team time trial in a great way, although I actually think HTC would have won if Bernie Eisel hadn't crashed in the first curve after the start.

Talking about other teams, 6th in the stage classification was Radioshack. Talking about this team, did you know that the only 'under 30' rider in its line-up is Braijkovic (who is 27)? Amazing.

Anyway. Back to today. 7th in the TTT was Rabobank, whereas 8th was Saxo-Bank, which ended itsperformance 28" down on Garmin. Saxo Bank was the first team to start the TTT and finished the stage with just 5 men. To my happiness, Chris Sorensen was amongst them.

Talking about Saxo Bank, did you read Richie Porte's last twit about Frank? If not, here's what happened.

Apparently, Frank and Richie shared a trip in a lift yesterday evening (they were in the same hotel) and, while walking out of the elevator, Frank gave a little 'gift' to Richie - who, in a very kind and friendly way, thought it would have been nice to tell the world about it.

This little anedocte pretty shocked me, because I really can't imagine the comments that Saxo Bankers made after Porte told them about that. Actually, I believe I don't even want to think about those comments :P At the same time, however, I can't help but imagining Frank walking proudly in his hotel room in order to tell his teammates about his heroic fart action against the enemy. Apparently, the fight between LT and SB will be very tough in the next weeks - and it will see the riders battling even in the hotels' elevators.

Anyway. Back to the TTT, 8th in the stage was Astana, who wore terrible kits that should be banished from Cycledom right here, right now. Luckily I discovered that those kits (who made the guys look like enormous jelly beans) were just a temporary thing, since experts think that the stuff they're made of could have helped Vino and his friends during their battle against the clock. Experts actually weren't that right, since Astana's time wasn't that good. But still, right now the most important thing is that we won't see those kits for a long time.

Oh, and talking about things that make the riders go faster during TTs: this afternoon I discovered that helmets allow the riders to gain 1" pro km when they battle against the clock. Moreover, I discovered that some of the pro's handlebars can cost up to 14.000 euros. Amazing, isn't it?

Anyway, let's go back to the race. 10th in today's stage was Omega-Pharma Lotto.

Gilbert looked great in his all-yellow look, but tomorrow he'll be forced to abandon it, because he lost the jersey to Thor Hushovd. Talking about Thor, does anyone know how the Norwegian chronists reacted when he got the yellow jersey? Seriously, I love those two men. And talking about jerseys: Gilbert thinks that Lotto's jersey is the worst one in the Pro-Tour. Nice, isn't it?

Anyway. Back to the race (once again). Another team (as well as Liquigas, Euskaltel and Astana) that didn't do that well in today's stage was Lampre, whose rider Adriano Malori could show off his brand new jersey of Italian TT champion for the first time this afternoon. Adriano is a very talented rider, but his efforts didn't prevent Lampre from finishing the stage 1 minute down on Garmin.

19th in the stage then was Movistar. Was I the only one who had very sad thoughts as she saw the riders facing the parcours?

21st instead was Cofidis, who had to wait for poor Toni Gallopin during the first kms of the race. Poor Toni, in fact, kept on having problems with his chain. However, the last team to end the TTT was Euskaltel Euskadi. Poor, poor Samu Sanchez.

So, this is all for the second stage of the Tour: while waiting for tomorrow's flat stage, I wish you a goodnight - and remember, always pay attention to the people who share an elevator with you!!

2010 Cycling Awards decided by moi plus some radom links:

So ladies, here I am again after our virtual party. I didn't post any news over the last days, therefore here you have some interesting links:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/schlecks-to-be-ambassadors-for-special-olympics-in-luxembourg : not only are they cool and good-looking, the Schleck brothers are also golden-hearted boys (did we have any doubt about this?). In fact Frank and Andy presented a check for 7000 euros to the sport federation for people with intellectual disabilities. Didier, Kirchen and Serge Waldbillig presented a check for 5000 euros too (the link also contains some clues about team Luxembourg's cars which, as we already know, will be Mercedes).
http://www.team-saxobank.com/ny_news.asp?n_id=3007 : the new season is finally beginning and Richie Porte is going to ride TDU together with N.Sorensen, Tanner, Vandborg, JJ and Sebastian Haedo and Cooke. On this link you have a nice interview with him (and if you go to the right you can also book a signed copy of Riis' biography...).
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/geox-and-tmc-threaten-to-quit-cycling : what a bad story. Don't Geox and Tmc realise that, if they leave cycling now, their image could suffer some bad blows between cycling supporters?
http://www.team-saxobank.com/ny_news.asp?n_id=3008 : here you have a interview with Chris Sorensen, who has recently written in his blog that he's not going to take part in 2011 Giro d'Italia. Right now, I'm a disappointed Fangirl.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/breschel-voted-danish-rider-of-the-year : Yes dear fangirls, over the last days the 'Best 2010 rider of the year award' has been held in Denmark. The prize was won by Matti Breschel (as predictable), who had a very funny comment on it(“I've always thought that this event was deeply corrupt, but now I have faith in it again").

Matti won in front of Chris Anker Sorensen, Jakob Fuglsang, Alex Rasmussen and Lasse Norman Hansen.

Since the end of the year is 'award time' almost everywhere, however, miss Fede's now going to give her own 2010 cycling awards. Here they are:

Best performance: Fabian Cancellara's Parix-Roubaix victory. Simply amazing.
Best Team: Liquigas, Astana or Saxo Bank? That is the question. Saxo riders won Flanders, Roubaix, the TT World Championship and one of them was second in the Tour. On the other hand, Liquigas won Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana. Astana instead won the Tour and Liége. However, considering that the Tour and the Classics didn't go that well for Liquigas, that Astana didn't win anything at the Worlds, and that SB also got stage victories at the Giro (Richie Porte even won the Maglia Rosa), I think I'll go for Saxo Bank.
Best sprinter: Cavendish. When he's fine, he's unbeatable. Special mentions also goes to Yahueni Hutarovich for winning a Vuelta stage in a very surprising way, to Freire for winning Sanremo and making my race prediction come true, and to Petacchi for winning a great stage and the green jersey at the Tour.
Best TT rider: Cancellara (did anyone have doubts about this?)
Best new rider: Richie Porte. He rode an amazing Giro and showed that he has a bright future in Grand Tours. A mention also goes to Peter Sagan, great revelation of the first part of the year.
Most emotional moment of the year: imo there have been many emotional days this year. For example, when Chris Soensen won the Giro stage on Terminillo. However, I think the most emotional moment of the year was Andy Schleck's victory in Morzine-Avoriaz. That day I screamed as if I was mad!
Rider to watch in 2011: Richie Porte, of course. Also Peter Sagan has showed great things this year, just like Craig Lewis, Teejay Van Garderen, Sacha Modolo and Geraint Thomas. Attention also to Taylor Phinney.
Craziest moment of the year: The 60 men breakaway at the Giro, with everyone blaming everyone on what had happened, Vinokourov trembling in the rain, Chris Sorensen finding a random excuse for what had happened and Savoldelli transforming himself in Vinokourov's personal psychologist.
Most exciting Grand Tour of the year: Giro d'Italia. From the Dutch roads to l'Arena di Verona, going through Gavia's snow, Montalcino's mud and L'Aquila's stage, the Giro had a daily surprise for everyone who followed it (those surprises include Chris Sorensen going 'round with a Inter scarf in his hands the morning of the Zoncolan's stage).
Most exciting one day race of the year: the Worlds in Melbourne. Once again, I screamed as if I was mad when I saw that Hushovd had passed Breschel.
Worst moment of the year for Fangirl: Andy Schleck's chain pop on Port du Balés. In that moment I could have smashed my own tv. Then I managed to calm down, but Contador's stupid excuse had the power of making me get angry again.
Best chronist of the year: Savoldelli, of course. His Bergamask accent has become a symbol of this year Giro, just like his 'A Voi!' sentence. Moreover, he kept in contact with Rai during the Tonale stage by using his mobile phone and he commented what was happening through that. A genius.
Worst polemic of the year: there have been a lot of polemics over the last months. Beergate and Chaingate were probably the biggest here in the Blogosphere, but I think that the polemic that someone created with Cancellara ('You have an engine in your bike!') was probably the worst.
Best race I saw live this year: Tonale stage of the Giro (although I managed to meet Menchov at Tour of Lombardy, and not at the Giro).
Best brothers du peloton: and you expect me to give you an unpredictable answer? Muahahaha.
Best eyebrows du peloton: Jakob Fuglsang, of course. However, Logic doesn't accept the idea that those eyebrows have that natural shape.
Most unlucky rider of the year: For the second year in a row, this award goes to poor Robert Gesink for what happened to him at the end of the season.
Worst supporters of the year: those who booed at Vinokourov in Liége. If the system allows doped riders to come back racing after a disqualification, it doesn't make sense to boo at them as soon as they start winning important races again.

So, these are my random 2010 awards. You're free to create new categories or/and give me your opinions about my decisions, of course.
Considering that I'm not going to write anything new before of Christmas, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a nice holiday break :D
(Pic by Scanpix).

Random post about Will Clarke plus random links:

Also this year, miss Fede is going to write a short introduction to every of the neo pros who have joined her favourite teams. Or, more or less, that's what she would like to do (she still doesn't know whether she'll have enough time to do so or not). Therefore, today me's going to dedicate a random post to Will Clarke, who's recently signed a 2 year contract with Team Luxembourg (aka 'Schleck the best, fuck the rest', 'We're the Cutest brothers of the peloton',ecc. ecc).
But before of starting to talk about Will, there are some things I have to do.
First of all, you probably know that last week I had a discussion with someone on another blog and I was told that I had a strange idea of friendship. Well, that person has recently deleted me from her list of friends on a social network without any explanation. Since I can't send her e-mails there anymore, I'm now going to thank her here for showing me what true friendship is through her honorable actions. Thank you very much dear, now my idea of friendship is much better than before and it's all due to you! =)

Anyway, after making you know about the mean part of me, let's go on with some links. First of all, on http://www.procycling.no/article3034930.ece there is an interview with Richie Porte in which, as well as other things, he said: 'I rode with Andy Schleck in the Classic of San Sebastian and he was my domestic. It was one of the best moments this season: I had a great rider who was riding in front of me and protecing me in the peloton'.
On http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/6447/Fothen-still-hasnt-got-a-contract-facing-future-as-a-pig-farmer.aspx (via http://sansenmag.livejournal.com/ ) instead you have an article about Marcus Fothen. After Milram's retirement from Cycledom, the 29-year-old German hasn't found any contract for next year yet. The problem for Marcus is that, if he doesn't find any new contract before of the end of 2010, he'll end up working at his parents' pig farm.Anyway, did you know that pigs are said to be able to eat human beings when they are extremely hungry? I already imagine the newspapers' headlines: 'Former promising cyclist gets eaten by a pig in the family's farm'. Terrible. Therefore, I really do hope that Marcus will be able to find a new contract for next year. Otherwise, let's just hope he'll be careful with the pink 4 legged creatures that his parents breed.
On http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vinokourov-aiming-for-tour-de-france-podium-in-2011 instead it is written that Vinokourov's aiming for a top 3 placement in next year Tour de France. Therefore, girls of the Vino-rehab, I'm afraid we'll have to meet us more often at the course, because I don't want anyone to pop up on this blog in the middle of July 2011 to tell me they've decided to support Vino rather than los Schlecks during the Tour! ;)

Anyway, let's now talk about Will Clarke. William is a Tasmanian rider who was born on the 11th of April 1985, is 192 cms tall and has a weight of 80 kgs.
Will (whose nickname is Wilbur and whose family has a farm) was a very good 400 and 800 metre runner before taking up cycling, a thing that he did just in 2007 (this reminds me a lot of Richie Porte, another Tasmanian rider that we've all learned to appreciate over the last months). Just like Richie, Clarke rode for team Praties (also known as Genesys Wealth Advisers/Praties Cycling Team). The difference between Will and Richie, however, is that Richie left that team in 2007 and Will joined it the following year.
In 2008 Will won an Australian race called 'Goulburn-Citi' and was 3rd in the 4th stage of Tour of Tasmania. The following year instead he won the Cycling Australia National Road Series, an annual award in which riders accumulate points during the year in selected Australian races. He accumulated the points by winning a stage and the GC of Canberra Tour, a stage at Tour of Geelong and the Launceston International Cycling Classic. That year he also got other good results in races near Australia.

In 2010 he was 4th in the National Open TT Championship and rode as a stagiaire for Ag2R since July. Moreover, last year the boy won a stage in the Mersey Valley Tour, dominated the Tour of the Southern Grampians (he won all 3 stages, the GC and even soloed 30 kms to the finish with a numerous group of cyclists behind him, unable to catch him). Then Will also won a stage in Tour of Canberra before heading to Europe, staying with Richie Porte in Monaco and getting his stagiaire contract with AG2R.
'Richie is just a good bloke and has been helping me a lot. He’s been letting me stay with him. I’ve also been training with him and it’s partly because of him I’ve been able to get this chance with Ag2r,’ he told the Daily Peloton this July.
Daily Peloton actually has lots of information about William and on http://www.dailypeloton.%20com/displayarticle.asp?pk=16277 there's also an interview with him. Here are some questions taken from it (interview by Chris Graetz):

ournalist: How did you first get into cycling, who was instrumental in this?
I first got into cycling just before my 22nd birthday in 2007. I bought a bike because I had been injured from running for a while. I was recovering from a navicular stress fracture in my leg and I couldn’t run - I rode because it didn’t put any pressure on my injury.
Soon I got the bug for it and went along to a "Bums on seats Race"-racing designed for beginners to learn the ropes about the sport. It was only a 37km handicap but I managed to get the fastest time and just missed out on winning. It is run by an older but experienced cyclist called Peter Fraser from Launceston. Peter really encouraged me early on and told me that I had a lot of talent. I kind of laughed at him to start with because I still thought I was a runner just keeping fit, but that soon changed and I became a cyclist. I met a guy called Tim Elmer out at my first cycling Tasmania Open Race. He was a really strong rider in his day and still is. He won the Victorian 200km championship 2008 aged in his 40’s and he took me under his wing and trained me and helped me develop from a C grade rider to an A grade rider in a bit over 6 months.
You were a big athletics star before you turned to cycling, can you shed more light into your other talents?
Will Clarke: Haha! I don’t think I have many other talents, but I seem to be reasonable at most sports like football and swimming. I did a lot of sport when I was at school - that is what I enjoyed doing.
Who were your heroes growing up and who are they now?
I used to love AFL football as a kid so I Idolized the Melbourne Demons. I admired all the great middle distance runners like Steve Ovett and Seb Coe and the battles they had even though it all happened before my time, and in cycling I really like the classics guys. If I could be any cyclist it would be Fabian Cancellara - he is amazing.
(...)
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
I think my strengths are my ability to ride hard for long periods of time. My weaknesses are that I can often get a bit carried away and I tend to waste energy at times when I don’t need to. However, as I develop more, I will learn how to deal with that.
What type of rider are you?
I’m a bit of an all rounder - but my sprinting and time trialing is probably better than my climbing. I just sort of try and hang in there and it is something I think I need to work on. I think my strengths are longer stage races and one day races. I seem to do better at these than the shorter races we do a lot of.
What are your hobbies besides cycling?
I like reading, I have an interest in history and I like watching most sports and going to the beach and relaxing.
Tasmania have produced some good talent and one of your friends, Richie Porte has turned professional. How much of a lift is it you to try and follow in his footsteps?
Tassie has produced its fair share of cyclists over the years, particularly Matthew Goss and Wesley Sulzberger. It’s definitely inspiring to see one of your friends join the Pro Tour ranks. It shows me that it’s not impossible and it can be done. I hope to follow Richie's lead.
What are your longer term goals?
My longer term goals are to represent my country in international events, and get a pro contract and be a professional cyclist.

As you can see from the interview above, Will took up cycling very late, but managed to get very good results in just two years. He's an all-rounder cyclist (although he's not that good at climbing, according to him) and in his free time he enjoyes reading. According to http://genesysprocycling.com.au/?page_id=245 ,his favourite movie is 300 (this is Spartaaaaa!) and he likes listening to all kind of music
If you've already started to like the boy as much as I do, here's Will's Twitter: http://twitter.com/clarkeywilbur . Now that we know a bit more about him, let's wish Will a good first season as a professional rider!!

Bennati to Team Luxembourg, Porte wants freedom and random marketing reflections of mine:

To everyone's joy, miss Fede is pretending she doesn't have any history homework for tomorrow and is here to delight you with a new great post of hers. In fact,it seems that the riders' exodus from the former glorious Team Saxo Bank may continue with Richie Porte's exit from the team and so me feels in need of commenting on this news. If things continue this way, in fact, I'm afraid that the only guys who'll take part in Saxo Bank's first training camp next year will be Chris Anker Sorensen and Alberto Contador. Or, perhaps, Chris will get fed up by Riis before of the end of this season too, will decide to create his own personal team with the help of Nicki Sorensen (the events of the last months show that you need to be in two and have the same surname to create a new successful team) and his new team will steal some other riders from Bjarne Riis as well. Obviously, the name of the team will be the Danish translation of the sentence 'We Sorensens aren't brothers, keep it in mind!'
I'm obviously trying to joke, but the latest news about Richie Porte (who may leave Saxo Bank too,although his contract expires at the end of next year) really leaves me speechless. If I were Bjarne, I would probably be very angry right now and my favourite dream would probably be Alberto Contador's 4th Tour de France triumph.
Actually, what's happening to Saxo Bank reminds me a lot of the Murphy Law. I don't have a big knowledge of it but, after all, who has never heard famous sentences like 'Everything that can go wrong, goes wrong' and so on? Actually, there is one application of the Murphy law which says that 'Everything goes wrong at the same time'. Well, imo these words seem born to describe what's been going on at Saxo Bank over the last months.
Talking about Porte, btw, the young Tasmanian has told Cyclingnews that, although he's got another year of contract with Riis, he hasn't decided yet whether he'll ride for SB or not next year (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/porte-considering-his-options-for-2011 ).

Obviously Riis exploded with anger at the news and complained about the behaviour of Richie's agents and managers. 'The problem is that managers and agents are pushing the riders to their limits and advise their riders wrong. Contracts must be respected', Bjarne said. 'Richie's manager continues to provoke and try to push us. We have told them that it cannot happen. He cannot be bought off. Yet they continue.It's fair enough for a manager to ask,but when he is told no, he must stop. He pushes lawyers and everything at us,but according to the rules you don't come out of a contract unless both parties agree” (full article on http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/porte-must-stay-with-saxo-bank-riis-declares ).

Poor uncle Bjarne. Two days ago I thought nothing else could go wrong for Saxo Bank and instead, here comes this new problem. And the trouble is that, even if Richie eventually stays with Bjarne, I don't think his manager will have a good relationship with Riis in the future...

Anyway, although this is a very bad period for Saxo Bank (luckily for Riis the end of the marketing season is getting closer everyday!), we can't say the same about Team Luxembourg (or how the hell it is called) and its riders. The team in fact is always very active on the market and the other day Bennati said he's going to ride for it next season. Also Jens Voigt has been linked to this team very often, although he said he can't confirm any rumour yet.

Apropos, I don't know what your opinion is, but all this secrecy about this nre team is really annoying me. I mean, we're talking about a cycling team, not about a new top secret way of avoiding terroristic attacks to important places in the World! Supporters want to know which athletes are going to ride for their new favourite team next year, they want to know what the name of said team will be, they want to know which the colours of the new team kit will be (well, at least some do)!! I understand that guys at Team Luxembourg want to create suspense, but aren't they exaggerating a bit? I mean, Leif Hoste signed for Katusha the other day and everyone already knows about it.They didn't create any mistery or so and nobody complained about it, right?
Also Taylor Phinney, after some very long reflections, decided to join BMC, but didn't behave in a mysterious way as almost everyone who's leaving Saxo Bank is doing. After he had taken his decision, Phinney simply told the press and the supporters about it. And no one complained for the lack of suspense, right?
Luckily for Fangirls, however, there are also guys (a few ones, to say the truth) who have already admitted they're joining Team Luxembourg next season. One of them is the lanky Brice Feillu, the other one is Daniele Bennati (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/bennati-to-luxembourg-team-for-two-years ). Logic doesn't like Bennati very much, especially because she had great hopes for him in the past but, unfortunately, those hopes have been disappointed over the last years. 3 years ago in fact it seemed that Daniele was going to become the new Petacchi, but nowadays instead he's a decent sprinter and nothing more. Hopefully he'll find new motivation at Team Luxembourg and will offer us good sprints like those he used to show us in the good old days.
On the other hand, however, Fangirl is completely happy to read that Bennati's joining SB. 'With him, the Schlecks and Brice Feillu, the team is already very good-looking! And the level of handsomeness of the team will become even higher when Fuglsang and Cancellara join it!!! Oh, I can't wait to see the new picture of the team's riders all together!!!', she's been screaming for the last twenty-four hours. 'Hopefully, this new team won't be just hot- it will also be strong. Because remember darling, that to win races you need fast legs and a clever head, not a good-looking face and a pair of blue eyes!', Logic replied her. Unfortunately, I'm not sure Fangirl has received the message yet...

Richie Porte gets the pink jersey!

Yes,dear Saxo Bank supporters,this is the news du jour: thanks to an incredible nap that the GC riders and some ds had this afternoon,Richie Porte is now in the Maglia Rosa. If you haven't seen today's stage,I resume it to you in just one adjective: CRAZY!!!!

As you may know, the stage ended in L'Aquila,where an earthquake killed 300 people last April. The stage was very hilly and yesterday Vinokourov compared it to a little Liége and said that he would have attacked.Therefore,every other Gc rider was awaiting for a move from the Kazakhistani during today's stage.But unfortunately for them,they were so focused on Vino that they let 56 (56!) riders escape the peloton and get to the finish-line with a 12 minutes advantage.Oops...

The creation of the breakaway,as always,wasn't a quiet moment.At first some riders escaped,then some other ones joined them,then other ones as well...And eventually there they were,56 Giro riders at the front.And no one between the GC riders moved a finger to avoid that dangerous breakaway.

Amadio,Liquigas ds,said he didn't order his men to pull because he didn't think it was fair."There are other teams who want to win this Giro,they must pull as well!",he said.

Astana never pulled,probably because Vino wasn't feeling well even this morning.In fact in the last part of the stage (the weather was freezing also today here in Italy) he often had a very suffering expression on his face.At a certain point,he was even shivering from the cold,and Savoldelli said that perhaps he could have come down with temperature just like his teammate Gasparotto (who got retired this morning).Temperature or not,Astana didn't pull at all.

BMC probably wanted to pull,but Evans' helpers aren't actually that strong.Acqua&Sapone ds said that he was the only one to order his men to pull and complained about the lack of information during the race."The jury told us the gap between our group and the breakaway after they had gained more than eight minutes on us!".Jury,temperature,unfairness or whatever else, the fact is that the breakaway went away and in it there were dangerous guys like Sastre,Porte,Wiggins,Arroyo and Tondo.SB was also represented by Didier and by an amazing Chris Anker Sorensen.

As mentioned,soon the breakaway had a 8 minutes advantage on the GC riders.On the last climb the gap was up to 13 minutes and in the GC group all the helpers had disappeared.So big guys like Basso,Nibali,Vino,Evans,Scarponi,Cunego and Garzelli had to spend their own energies to reduce the damages and they eventually lost 12 minutes from the breakaway riders.

The winner of the stage was a very happy Evgeny Petrov (his last success dated back to 2002).After the finish-line he dedicated his victory to his wife and screamed her something in Russian.As obvious,I didn't understand a word.Second was a disappointed (he comes from Abruzzo) Cataldo,third was Sastre. Little thing to notice about the winner: he rode to the finish-line with a t-shirt.No 'mantellina',no gloves,no scarves for Evgeny: just a t-shirt.After all,he comes from Siberia.

Richie Porte arrived 13th,more than 12 minutes before Vino and the other guys.Therefore,the young Tasmanian now has the Pink Jersey and has almost 2 minutes of advantage on Arroyo and Kiserlovski.

Imo,what happened this afternoon was ridicolous.In fact I think that you simply can't let 56 (56,not 3) riders get away from the peloton on a hilly stage and hope you'll get them all back before the finish.But,apparently,some people in the peloton had a different opinion this afternoon...Well,it doesn't matter.

Anyway,the Giro now is even more open than before.Porte has the pink jersey and behind him there are tough climbers like Tondo,Sastre and Arroyo,who I don't think will lose more than 13 minutes from guys like Vino or Basso in the hard mountain stages.Didier is 9th,while Vinokourov is 12th,with a 9 minutes delay.Porte also has the white jersey and his team has been the best one so far.

Some riders today even crossed the finish-line 45 minutes after the winner.Luckily for them,the time limit rule wasn't applied and so they'll be able to start tomorrow's stage. Apropos,tomorrow's stage will end up in Recanati and is supposed to be a calm (and hopefully sunny) one.Considering where the stage is ending,I suggest you getting ready to hear someone reading a Leopardi's poetry tomorrow afternoon as the peloton arrives in the city near 'l'ermo colle'.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/porte-in-pink-midway-through-giro :interview with Richie.
http://blog.tv2.dk/chris.anker.ol/entry370870.html : yes,Chris updated his blog and talked about his amazing win once again.As well as that,he says how it's like to get confused for Nicki very very often and he also tells a funny anedocte about Bobby Julich.Here it is.

We Italians often cheer on riders by screaming "Dài,dài",which is pronounced as the English 'Die'. Now,back in his first Giro Julich heard many people yelling at him: "Dài,dài!",and he spent a whole climb wondering himself why Italian people hated him so much and trying to answer them in a proper way (said proper way,obviously,was 'F*** you').Just then Bobby found out that 'dài',actually means "Allez",and not 'die'.Well,better late than never!!

It's Giro time!

Ok,I have to admit that I didn't watch the last part of yesterday's TT, a thing that I pretty regret right now.Anyway,it was for a good cause: I've told you about the Alpini Meeting in my town,right? Well,yesterday some relatives were going to see the city all covered in Tricolore,and they asked me whether I wanted to go as well. "There's the Giro",I said,and by doing so I made a revolt against me explode.My relatives said all the usual things they always tell me every time we have to go somewhere and I don't want to go with them because of a cycling race (those things are: "You're a girl,you're 17,all your friends are around and you're here lying on the couch, you'll regret not coming,ecc ecc") and when also another relative who didn't want to come told me that 1.the national meeting has taken place in my town just twice over the last 30 years and 2.that time trials are boring,well,I surrendered.In that very same moment,Bookwalter crossed the finish line of the TT and took the lead of the race,in front of Gustav Larsson.I took it as a divine sign that wanted me to go to Bergamo,so I got ready and went.My last words to the only familiar who was going to keep on watching the race was: "Look out for Richie Porte.He's young, but he seriously rocks".Prophetic words,I'd dare to say.

After leaving my house (and my tv) my mood was very bad for some minutes.Then however I found myself on a bus together with a bunch of Alpini singing their traditional songs and there I understood that perhaps I could have had fun in the city.And I did have fun,in the end.My good mood was eventually destroyed completely by ATB (the bus transport of the city),but that's another story.

Obviously,as soon as I saw my dad in the evening I asked him who had won the TT. "Things have remained the same since you left the house this afternoon", he told me."Oooh,Bookwalter has won? That's nice! And how was Porte?",I asked. "He was strong,really strong". Then I asked other information about the race and started to cheer for Bookwalter's victory. "Bookwalter?",my father asked me in a surprised way."It's Wiggins who won,not Bookwalter!",he continued to my surprise."But you had said..." "Ok,I got confused.Wiggins won."
This news didn't actually change my mood at all,since I'm happy with Wiggo's victory.In fact, I would have hated it if one of the main GC contenders (Evans,Basso,Vinokourov) got the jersey already on the first day.Wiggo instead is racing the Giro just to train (at least,that's what he said),so I'm happy it ended up this way.

"It kind of sounds corny, but I'm such a fan of the Giro and always have been since I was a kid. I know a lot about the history of cycling. To wear the pink jersey in the Giro is special. It's such an iconic jersey," Wiggins told Cyclingnews after the prologue. "I grew up watching videos of the Giro, seeing [Maurizio] Fondriest and [Gianni] Bugno wearing it.I realise what I have on my shoulders. And that's quite special in itself because it will hang on my wall for the rest of my life. It means a lot to me. To be able to enjoy that moment tomorrow, whether it’s for a day, two days, or however long, it's very special. To take it in such style in Amsterdam,is probably even more special."

Second was 26 year old Bookwalter,who made the same time as his teammate Evans.3" behind them was Vinokourov,who got the same time as Henderson (look out for him in the sprints!) and as Richie Porte,the very impressive SB neo pro.Talking about his result,Richie told Cyclingnews: "I don't know why there is such a difference (ndr; between me and the other riders).I was a bit nervous at the start.It might be because of my crash last week (ndr;in Tour of Romandie).Or maybe I rode too conservative. I guess I have to bang my head against the wall." Anyway then Richie said he's incredibly happy for being able to wear the first Maglia Bianca of 2010 Giro.
Going on with the placements,7th was Millar and 8th was Gustav Larsson.9th was Van Emden and 10th was Marco Pinotti.11th was Nibali,who during his ride had a problem with a pidgeon (and this demonstrated once again that pidgeons are the most stupid animals on the earth after human beings).Konovalovas was 18th,while Morkov was 19th.
Chris Sorensen was 176th and said he was really unhappy with his placement,and that he rode slowly because he was afraid of falling. Understandable,if you also consider that Chris rode when the asphalt was still wet.Worse than him was Capelli, Footon Servetto's man for the GC (at least according to the newspaper of my town,while me thinks that the GC man for Footon is probably Capecchi...).
Since Chris is the rider I'm going to support most during this Giro,here's the link to his last blog entry: http://blog.tv2.dk/chris.anker.ol/entry369687.html .Surprisingly,in this year Giro he's sharing a room with Morkov,and not with Nicki Sorensen.Talking about that,he thanks not being roommate with Porte and accuses him of snoring too much during the night.
On to today's Giro stage,it is a flat one and should end up in a bunch sprint.I fear that, however, some of the riders are most worried for their comeback to Italy than for today's stage.In fact our beloved Arthur (the big ash cloud produced by that Icelandic volcano) is creating problems once again,many airports in Italy are closed and so the riders (but also the mechanics,the soigneurs,etc.) could be forced to get to Italy by bus (or by car or by train) rather than by plane. Hoping that this won't happen,I go to see the second stage of the race (this time without interruption,hopefully) and pay a lot of attention to time bonuses.

(Wiggo's pic by Bettini,Porte's one by Ispa)

Team Saxo Bank's Giro squad:

Yes,finally,after 12 months of await,the Giro d'Italia is beginning once again.And,obviously, Fangirl is excited.Terribly excited.So excited that,the other day,she spent the whole bus travel to school thinking about the Giro and she decided that,between all the people who work at/in/for the Giro,those who she envies most are the journalists.Therefore,Fangirl spent a lot of her school time thinking about how nice it would be for her to be a cycling journalist.
Anyway,since it's almost Giro time,and since I have two days off,today I go with 2 useless posts: one includes the Giro start list,the other one (this one) is about Saxo Bank's Giro squad.

"Why do you have two days off?", I hear you ask.Well,simple: this year my town hosts the Raduno Nazionale degli Alpini ("Alpini's National Meeting") and so the streets of my town are full of men in militar suits and hats that cook cotechini and costine and drink a lot of wine.Since the Alpini (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpini ) have put up their tents in every park/ piazza/ garden they have found (they come from every part of Italy and so they have to sleep somewhere here in BG), and considering that they've also taken possession of some schools (mine included), me has two days off. To make you understand the "Alpini fever" that keeps on making victims here in Bergamo, I give you a link to some pics regarding today's parade in the center of the town: http://www.ecodibergamo.it/galleries/Foto/1862/1/#top_galleries (please notice the Upper City's Walls covered with the Tricolore).

Anyway, it's probably time I started to talk about cycling.So,in this post you'll find some information about every Saxo Bank rider that is racing the Giro and,where possible,you'll find a link to the latest news about him. Enjoy.

BADEN COOKE:

This Australian rider of 31 is one of the most experienced boys that are racing the Giro for SB this year.This is his first season with the team, but he has already got some Top 10 results in races like Tour of Qatar,Tour Down Under,Tour of Oman and Tirreno-Adriatico.He also came 14th in Gand Wevelgem.In 2003 he won a stage in Tour de France and he also won the point classification of the race.Between his main results that are stage victories in Herald Sun Tour, Tour de Suisse,Tour Down Under,Three Days of La Panne and Tour of Poland.He's also won Dwars door Vlaanderen and Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen.To my disappointment,no news about his shape are available.

LAURENT DIDIER:

This Luxembourgian rider of 25 is a neo pro and this is his first year in Team Saxo Bank. He has a degree in Engineering and he used to race for Team Designa Kokka until last year.So far in the season he has showed he's a strong climber and he has been an excellent helper for the Schleck brothers during the Ardenne's week.He's not the first cyclist in the Didier family,since both his father and his grandfather were professional riders.In 2005 he won a stage of Fleche du Sud and the U23 Natonal Championship.In 2007 he won a race in Staargau and a stage of Friedens-und Freundschafttour (which,judging by its name,is probably the most peaceful sport competition of the world).This year his best result has been a 12th place in Hel van het Mergelland.

On http://lequotidien.editpress.lu/index.php/les-sports/11129-CYCLISME-Lobjectif-cest-terminer.html there's an interview with him made by Romain Haas.In it Laurent says that his main goal for 2010 Giro is arriving in Verona. He says that his form is good, that he's really anxious to begin because he wants to test himself during a Grand Tour and that the Giro reminds him of Andy Schleck's second place in 2007.

LUCAS SEBASTIAN HAEDO:

Lucas is the younger brother of JJ Haedo and this is his first year in Team Saxo Bank. Argentinian, this 27 year old boy is a sprinter,just like his brother.Last year,his first one as a professional rider,he won Nature Valley Grand Prix and a stage at Tour of San Luis.So far in the season he has already got Top 10 results in Tour of Oman and Volta a Catalunya.As well as that,he was also 4th in a stage of Tour de Romandie and this demonstrates that the boy is in good form.

GUSTAV LARSSON:

Gustav is a rider who doesn't need any presentation.Swedish,29 year old,he's probably the second strongest time trialist of the world behind Cancellara.He was 2nd in the TT race in Beijing 2008 and he was 2 also last year,in Mendrisio TT championship.In 2008,on a very hard parcours,he was 14th in the Giro GC.He hasn't had any success so far in the season,but tomorrow's Giro TT could be a good chance for him to show his skills.

If you want to follow him during the Giro,this is the link to Gustav's twitter,which he shares with his girlfriend (and professional cyclist) Veronica Andreasson: http://twitter.com/GustavVeronica.

ANDERS LUND:

This 25 year old Danish rider is an all-rounder and has been racing for Saxo Bank since 2007.He was second in the 2003 junior World Championship and he hasn't got any victory in the pro category yet.In 2005 he was second in U23 Liége-Bastogne-Liége and in U23 European Championship and this year he was 8th in a stage of Tour of Romandie,result that shows shows that he's in a good form.He indicated his teammate Porte as a possible surprise for tomorrow's prologue.

MICHAEL MORKOV:

In the Rasmussen-Morkov couple,Michael is the blonde one.He comes from the track world where so far he got many excellent results together with Alex Rasmussen.He's 25 and in 2009 he became World Champion in 4000 team pursuit,World Champion in Madison and won a Six days race in Copenhagen.On the road he won a stage of Giro del Capo,South Africa,in 2008.He he was also second in U23 Ronde van Vlaanderen,and this shows that the boy's got talent also on the road.

On http://sporten.tv2.dk/cykling/article.php/id-30373971:m%C3%B8rk%C3%B8v-er-giroklar-og-skadesfri.html there's an article with him written by Kasper Nielsen.In it Michael says that he's had problems with a knee for 4 months,but that now he can finally ride painfree. "Racing a Grand Tour is a dream that comes true for me.I obviously dream of winning a stage,but I also have to be realistic.I'm a good rider and my form is good,but I know that I'm not a climber and that I'll have to spend as less energy as possible during these 3 weeks,if I want to finish this race",he told Nielsen.If you want to follow Michael on Twitter,here's the link: http://twitter.com/michaelmorkov .

RICHIE PORTE:
I've talked about Richie a few times on this blog, so if you want to read a decent post dedicated just to him (and including one of the usual interviews whose questions are: "What's your favourite food? Do you miss your home? Do you like Italy?",ecc), I suggest you looking for the post that I wrote in February and that was completely dedicated to him.Richard is 25 year old and is an all-round rider.Last week he won a great TT in Tour of Romandie and last year,as a young rider,he got some good results,like a victory in a TT at the Baby Giro d'Italia.
Here's one of the latest article about him (there are dozens around the Net!): http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/4070/Giro-dItalia-Saxo-Banks-Richie-Porte-ready-for-debut.aspx .Richie also has a Twitter page,whose link is: http://twitter.com/porteye .

CHRIS ANKER SORENSEN:
If you've been reading this blog for some time,you're probably aware of the fact that Chris is one of my favourite riders.Perhaps,he's probably Logic's favourite riders,because of his passion for historical books (yes,Logic has strange tastes).Even if Fangirls may not like him because he actually doesn't look as handsome as,say,Boonen or Bennati or one of the Schlecks,I assure you that this boy is great rider and a very amusing guy.
Chris Anker joined Saxo Bank in 2007 and that year he was 17th in Vuelta a Espana GC (he rode in support of Sastre on that occasion).In 2008 he won the Kitzbuhel stage in Tour of Austria and La Toussuire stage at Dauphine Libére.Last year he was second in the Danish National Championship and he won Japan Cup.
As you probably know,he should have ridden this Giro with good expectations for the GC,but then he broke his collarbone during Volta a Catalunya and everything was fucked up,ehm,his plans had to be changed,that's what I meant.After his injury,Chris has said that he would ride the Giro trying to win a stage and trying to build a good shape for the Tour.
One of the latest articles about him is this one: http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/4041/Sorensen-amongst-Saxo-Bank-riders-confirmed-for-Giro-wants-to-ride-into-form.aspx ,while if you want to follow Chris almost daily during the Giro, well,here's the link to his blog: http://blog.tv2.dk/chris.anker.ol/ .As you can see he updated it yesterday and he said that he's going to update it often during the Giro.In yesterday's post he wondered why the Giro has to start from Holland,which isn't actually that near to Italy,and he complains a bit about this.Anyway he quickly says that he's very happy to take part in the Giro,says that the Italian journalists "aren't surprisingly focused on me" and says that he's both nervous and happy for the Giro start.He then writes that he hasn't updated his blog in the last weeks because he says that probably his tifosi aren't interested in knowing that he defeated his 4 year old neighbour while playing "Mario Cart" videogame.

NICKI SORENSEN:
Last guy to be presented in this post,Nicki Sorensen is a 34 year old Danish all rounder.Last year he won an amazing stage at Tour and some years ago he also won a stage in Vuelta.Therefore,his main goal for this year Giro is winning a stage and become the second Danish rider to win stages in all 3 Grand Tours.However Nicki doesn't know whether he'll arrive to Verona,because he says that the 3rd week this year is probably too hard for him and that the Tour,not the Giro, is his main goal of the 2010 season (read more on http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/4059/Saxo-Banks-Nicki-Sorensen-looks-to-complete-the-trifecta.aspx ).

LITTLE FAST GUIDE FOR THOSE WHO ARE GOING TO READ THIS BLOG DURING THE GIRO :
First of all,I won't update this blog daily during the next days because,surprisingly,I also have an offline life that is offering me many tests during the next 3 weeks.Anyway don't worry, I've reserved my precious 'justification' in philosophy for the last week of May because,when the teacher will be examining people on Kant,me will not probably be very present with her mind.
Anyway,the main aim of this last part of this post is: the differences between Nicki and Chris Anker Sorensen. First of all,you have to remember that they're not related.And then,look carefully at the pictures below: in the first one,there is Nicki,while in the second one,there is Chris Anker.

Why am I doing this,you may wonder.Well, I'm doing this because I don't know whether I'll be able to bear people confusing them every day during the next three weeks.No,I'm not talking about you,dear reader: I'm talking about the many chronists,photographers,journalists,ecc. that will talk/write about the Giro in the next days. For them,here I've organised a little course to make them discover the differences between Nicki and Chris.
Obviously,miss Fede can understand that,after a quick gaze on these two riders,the similarities could seem more evident than the differences. In fact,to say the truth,none of them is as good looking as one of the Schleck brothers.Then,they're both Danes,they both ride for team Saxo Bank and they also have the same surname.And they are permanent roommates as well.But,if you look carefully,you'll notice that they actually don't look that much to one another.I mean,one (Nicki) is blonde and has blue eyes,the other one (Chris) is less blonde and has brown eyes. And then,one of them (Nicki) usually wears orange glasses,while Chris wears violet ones. As well as that,their riding stye is very different.Nicki rides in a 'normal' way,while when you see Chris riding full gas,moving on the saddle,you can feel his pain. And remember: Nicki is the one who won a stage during 2009 Tour,while Chris is the one that about the Tour 2009 wrote a book.Clear?
So,that's all for now: obviously me wishes all of the best to the SB riders (but also to the other ones) for the next three weeks of race.Allez guys!
(Nicki's pic by Tim De Waele,Chris' one by Nielsen).

Random Post with Random Links:

The Giro d'Italia begins next week and obviously Fangirl is really looking forward to it because, as a famous Italian journalist once said,during the Giro 'everyday is a holiday' (in Italian the sentence sounds a bit different,but that's the meaning).
Hoping that this year Giro won't end up like last year (read: 'hoping there won't be any doping cases'), here I go with some random links about Team Saxo Bank's riders that are racing in the Giro and also with some little useless comments of mine about Tour of Romandie.Enjoy!

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/saxo-bank-cofidis-for-the-giro-ditalia : first of all,the Saxo Bank line up for the Giro.Lots of people have been very surprised by Riis' Giro team ("Where are the Schlecks? Where is Cancellara? Where are Fuglsang and Breschel?!? And Voigt and O'Grady?") and I can understand them completely. The trouble is that,as Frank Schleck once admitted in an interview, the team sponsor (Saxo Bank now,but also Csc in the past) doesn't care at all about the Giro, so Italian tifosi can't do nothing but complain about the lack of big stars in Saxo Bank's Giro line-up. As well as that, the Giro isn't as famous as the Tour (although the hardest mountains are here in Italy) and this year Riis desperately needs his team to get good results during the Tour, and not during the Giro, if he wants to continue his adventure in Cycledom for some other years.

When the Giro parcours was first announced in November (was it November? Oh,who cares!), both Fangirl and Logic had one big hope: seeing one of the Schleck brothers, possibly Frank, in Italy in May. "Why Frank and not Andy?",someone asks. The answer is simple: this year the Giro features lots of hard climbs and a few time trials so,in my opinion, it could have been possibe for Frank to win.As well as that, Italian journalists never pay a lot of attention to him,so he could have ridden without a big pressure. Then, after getting a good result in the Giro, Frank could have gone to the Tour as a 'super helper' for Andy and he could have tried to get a good GC result also there. Obviously I know that this is just imaginary cycling and that there are lots of factors that influenced the season schedule of the brothers, but me would have loved to see one of the Schleck brothers come back to the Giro this year. Well,it will be for another time.
Anyway,back to SB line up for the 2010 Giro, here it is: Larsson, Cooke, Lucas Haedo, Chris Anker Sorensen, Nicki Sorensen, Michael Morkov, Laurent Didier, Richie Porte, Anders Lund. When I told some people I know that the Saxo Bank's captain for 2010 Giro would have been Chris Anker Sorensen, they looked at me in a very surprised way. "Who?",they asked. "Chris Sorensen",I answered. "The one that won a stage during last year Tour?","No,that was Nicki Sorensen". "And who's this Chris Anker,then?" . Anyway the most irritating fact featuring me talking about SB's Giro line-up with other people involved a little boy that goes to my school. When I told him that Saxo Bank wasn't going to bring the Schleck brothers and Cancellara to the Giro, he started to make fun of Saxo Bank. And until that point I managed to stay calm. Everyone's free to make fun of everything/everyone,right? And then I couldn't be rude to him because his mother was there as well while we were talking. But then,at a certain point,the little boy dared to say that "Saxo Bank totally sucks.They have Cancellara and they never manage to win team time trials during Grand Tours. Well, that's obvious when you have a team in which together with Cancellara you have guys like the Schlecks or Larsson, which can't ride time trials at all". Now, I think that the stupidity of this sentence doesn't even need any comment because by commenting it I would just waste my time. Simply, I remember you that Larsson was second in the TT at the Olympic Games in Beijing and at the 2009 Mendrisio Worlds.

Anyway,back to the line-up. As said, the team captain should be Chris Sorensen. I say 'should' because you all know that he broke his collarbone in March and he hasn't ridden any race since then,so I don't know how his condition is right now. Anyway also Gustav Larsson could get some interesting results, especially during the time trials. Nicki Sorensen is a very strong rider as well and he isn't that bad as a climber. Cooke and Lucas Haedo (who has never ridden a Grand Tour so far) are both good sprinters, but in Italy they'll have to compete against guys like Greipel, Petacchi and Freire. Anyway they can always enter a breakaway and get a good result,right? Morkov is a rider who comes from the track (where he got excellent results together with Alex Rasmussen), whereas Lund is an all-rounder. Porte and Didier are two neo-pros that will surely show something good. Porte got a great victory the other day in Tour of Romandie, while Didier was really good during the Ardenne's classics and has showed that he can climb very well. Therefore,although the team hasn't got any famous name in its line-up, I believe that they will ride a good Giro.Actually,the fact that some riders are completely unexperienced could be good, since they will surely have the will to demonstrate their skills. Anyway don't worry, I'll probably come back talking about the team's line-up for the Giro in the next days (if my maths teacher allows it...).

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/64th-tour-de-romandie-upt/stage-3-itt/results : this is a link about Richie Porte's incredible first win,which Richie got in front of guys like Valverde, Menchov and Rogers.If you want to know more about Richie,here's the link to one of my uforgettable posts about Saxo Bank's neo pros: http://fede-myblog92.blogspot.com/2010/02/random-post-about-richie-porte.html

Tour of Romandie: I know I haven't talked at all about Tour of Romandie over the last days and I apologise for that. Actually, I have to admit that I missed almost all the stages of that race because I didn't know it was broadcasted (anyway I fear that I would have been too busy to watch it even if I had known that it was broadcasted). That was obviously a big shame, since the race saw guys that I really do like (Pinotti, Sagan, Porte and Spilak) get some good victories. In addition, Jaroslaw Marycz attacked in the last kms of the stage eventually won by Cavendish and showed once again that he's a really talented rider.As well as that, Menchov showed he's in a good form and this made Logic really happy. Yes,Logic and not Fangirl. In fact Logic surprisingly approves me supporting Menchov because he seems a very clever man and also because he suffers from spring allergies just like moi
By the way,talking more seriously about the race,I have some small things to point out.
1. Richie Porte rode incredibly well this afternoon.
2.Professor Pinotti is in great form.
3.Sagan and Spilak are both very impressive riders.
4.If Basso rides this way also at the Giro (today he crossed the finish-line 9 minutes after Valverde), Liquigas would better give the captain title to Pellizotti or to Sylvester Szmyd.
5. yes, Menchov's smile in the photo below is worrying.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/bellis-to-return-to-racing-at-uk-nationals :a very nice news for cycling supporters: Bellis may come back racing this summer at the UK National Championships. Obviously me wishes him all the best for his comeback.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/cyclings-best-worst-and-strangest-victory-salutes : this is a funny Cyclingnews feature regarding the 'worst,best and strangest victory salutes'. Cyclingnews did a very good work, but me is able to add one more strange salute to that list. In fact,how could someone forget Chris Sorensen's 'fisherman' salute? (vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrjO0CPNhJM ).

http://eavis.jp.dk/index.php?alias=DK-JPTO&s=8434&p=217601 :still talking about Chris Anker: here's a great interview that A Beautiful Freak (http://mahoela.blogspot.com/ ) pointed out to me the other day (thank you once again!) .In it Chris talks about his interests aside cycling. And,between those interests,there are also reading historical books,watching football matches and cooking (this last interest particularly shocked me especially because he knows how to prepare a risotto while me can't hardly prepare a coffee).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t1rvhspX7E : if you're a Schleck supporter and you've been so kind to read all this post,here's a little link that you might like since it features Andy before and after Liége (attention: for a brief moment, also Vinokourov appears in this vid).

(pic by AFP)

Random Post about Richie Porte:

Finally,here's the last post of the "New Saxo Bank Pro Riders Series,2010 edition" series.This time I'm going to talk about Richard Julian Porte,considered by many people one of the best neo pro-riders who will make their debut in professional Cycledom this year.It took me about 2 hours and a half to collect information about Jaroslaw and Jorgensen in order to write 2 decent posts about them,but luckily finding information about Porte wasn't that difficult.
First of all,Richie was born on 30th January 1985 in Launceston,Tasmania.He's 172 cms tall and wrights 62 kgs.The surprising thing about Richie is that he took up cycling just 4 years ago,after racing for a lot of years in the thriatlon world.
In 2006,his first season as a cyclist,Richard managed to arrive 3rd in a stage of the Tour of Murray River,an Australian small race.In 2007 he got his first victories by winning 2 stages and the final GC at the Tour of Bright.
In 2008,after getting a 9th place in the Tour Down Under GC,Richie moved to team Mastromarco, an Italian squad directed by former pro-rider Andrea Tafi.In that year he won the Tour of Perth,2 stages and the GC at the Tour of Tasmania and got a 5th place in the final GC of the Herald Sun Tour.
2009 was Richie's breakout year,since he won the second stage of the Giro del Friuli Venezia Giulia,the 4th stage (a TT) at the "Baby-Giro",the first stage of the Giro delle Valli Cuneesi nelle Alpi del Mare and the GP Città di Fellino.As well as that,last season Richie came in 3rd in the Australian Elite RR Championship.
In his career,Richie has raced for Tasmanian tream Praties until 2007,for team Mastromarco in 2008 and for Team Bedogni-Grassi in 2009.
Last year,Richie's most important victory was a TT in the Giro-Bio,in which he defeated for just 0.01 seconds Adriano Malori.Another important victory for Richie was the one he got in Città del Fellino (http://www.cusparma.it/cgi-bin/Allegati/attivitaSportive/vaq1Uhg66N_1254.pdf for more information about the race),a victory that unfortunately was spoiled by the death of the young Ukrainian rider Oleksandr Shapoval few hours after the end of the race.
Since there are lots of good interviews with Richie around the net,here is one of them.Enjoy!

Richard Julian “Richie” Porte has been one of the best riders who live in Italy for some time now.He’s a very good cyclist from Australia,but just few people know his story.
Born on 30-1-1985 in Launceston,Tasmania,the country of the famous “Tasmanian Devil”,Richie used to swim and take part in triathlon races with very good results before of choosing to take up cycling in 2006.In just 3 years time,Richie has become one of the most interesting Australian young riders.After winning 18 races in 2 years in his country,Richie moved to Italy in May 2007 thanks to the unlucky Daniele Tamberi,a team manager and former cyclist who gave him a place inside of the team Gruppo Lupi-Sammarinese,whose training center is in Chiesina Uzzanese (Tuscany) and where Richie could join his friend Cameron Wurf,another Australian rider.Few days after arriving in Italy,Richie got his first victory in Tuscany by winning a very hard race,the San Donato in Fronzato.
In 2008 then he moved (not without polemics) to the GS Mastromarco-Chianti Sensi team. Andrea Tafi,who was looking for young talents to ride on the team,decided to give him a place in the squad and soon Richie got 10 victories.Between his most important victories there are the GP Cerreto Guidi,2 stages and the final GC of the Tasmanian Tour.Richie managed to get these victories in spite of breaking his pelvis.In fact there was an accident near to the finish-line of the Parma-La Spezia race,accident in which a team car guided by the former pro Piotr Ugrumov played an important role.
In 2009 Richie changed team again (also this time his transfer caused some polemics) and started to race for the glorious team Monsummanese-Grassi-Sergio Natalini-Bedogni.With the new jersey Richie won some nice races,like the TT stage at the GiroBio (on that occasion he rode better than the World Champion Adriano Malori) and the international GP Città di Fellino.
Complete athlete,not very tall,intelligent and with a big tactic sense,Porte can get excellent results in hard mountain races and also in time trials competitions.
To allow his new tifosi to know him better,we met him for an interview during the Monsummanese training camp.

So Richie,talk us about your family.How did you take up cycling?
My parents' names are Ian and Penny and they've never been cyclists.I’ve got 3 brothers: Nick,who’s 29 years old,Kieran,26,and Tom who is 21 and is a very strong swimmer and runner,although he‘s got a characteristic that is very bad for athletes: he beloves beer! I took up cycling in April 2006 and in my first race (the Tour of Canberra) I arrived 15 minutes after the other riders.But anyway it was a useful esperience.

Why did you choose cycling?
The truth is that I started to be fed up with triathlon,I didn’t have any motivation left.I was looking for something that could give me new feelings and I think I made the right decision when I choose to take up cycling,because it is a hard but wonderful sport,that I love every day more.
When did you get your first victory?
In may 2006,in a local race in Launceston.
You’ve been living in Tuscany, (in Monsummano Terme) for a while now.What do you like of Italy? What do you dislike?
The country landscapes in Tuscany are incredible and almost unique: in Australia they envy me because I can live in this area,which is often considered one of the best place where to go on holiday in Italy.Then I love Ice-cream and Italian food.My perfect menu is formed by watermelon,ravioli al burro,pizza margherita and tiramisu.There are 2 things that I dislike about Italy: the beer and the traffic.The second one is always so chaotic! I come across lots of bad drivers every day and I’m terrified by them.I think they’re the worst drivers in the world, sometimes they are true criminals.
Have you got any point of reference in cycling?
Of course I have.One reference point is my friend Brett Lancaster,who lives in Monsummano and that often trains with me.Then there is Michael Wilson,who suggested me coming to live in Italy after seeing me racing in Tasmania.I really like the way Davide Cassani speaks during the broadcasts of the races on tv,since he’s smart,quiet and expert.I also admire a lot Damiano Cunego,he's a great athlete and a very positive model for young riders because he's been able to send out strong messages against doping.
Do you miss Australia?
No,I like living Tuscany and the poor Daniele Tamberi,with his family,has always helped me to win homesickness.Also the ds Carlo Franceschi behaved as a father with me,even if he had to give a lot of time to Vincenzo Nibali as well.This year in Monsummanese team I found an ideal group of people,with amazing guys like Giacomo Pasqui,Beppe Trinci,Andrea Tafi and Paolo De Geronimo,the owner of the bike-shop Cicli Banzai in Castelmartini di Larciano.Then I immediately got on with my teammates,Mucelli,Lasca,Quintero and all the other ones.We're a true family and results demonstrate it.
What's your favourite training parcours?
I like training on the Appennino tosco-emiliano,between Pistoia and Bologna.It is a 210 kms route that go from Monsummano to San Baronto,Pistoia,the Collina climb, Porretta, Fanano, Sestola,Pievepelago,Abetone,Prunetta,Montecatini and finally ends in Monsummano.This year I rode that parcours about 10 times with my friend Brett Lancaster.
Have you got any other interest outside cycling?
I love motorbike racing and I support Casey Stoner,although I have to admit that Valentino Rossi is unique and that his charisma made this sport become incredibly popular.I don't like F1 and I don't support Webber,even if he's Australian.I find the races boring and I don't like the organisation.
What would you suggest doing to an Australian boy who would like to take up cycling seriously?
I would suggest him coming to live in Tuscany,it's a nice place,with an ideal weather,where people are friendly and where there's lots of love towards cycling.It is like a cycling university and,if you want to have success,you mustn't be afraid of going through hard moments,at least at the beginning.They help you to learn new things and to grow up.
(Interview translated from http://www.tuttobiciweb.it/index.php?page=news&cod=24573 written by Stefano Fiori)

So,that's all for this post.If you want to know more about Richie,here are 3 more links:
http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=15462 :interview from Daily Peloton (even Richie enjoys fishing!!)
http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/opening-doors-comes-naturally-for-porte :interview from cyclingnews.
http://twitter.com/porteye :Richie's Twitter page.
http://www.riis-cycling.com/ny_news.asp?n_id=2624 :article from Saxo Bank website.

Giro dell'Emilia,Coppa Sabatini and Saxo Bank news:

Today there has been one of Fangirl's favourite race,the Giro dell'Emilia.It's a very hard race,one of the hardest of the season in my opinion,since the riders have to ride over the San Luca climb (the one faced by the Giro riders during the Bologna stage this year) 5 times.

Fangirl of course had high hopes for the Saxo Bank guys and was in a great "Allez Chris-Anker!!" mood this afternoon.Of course Chris wasn't the only good rider in this race;in fact at the start of the race this morning there were also Kolobnev,Fuglsang,Gesink,Evans, Basso,Szmyd,Lovkvist, Soler,Cunego,Basso,Horner,Pozzovivo,Sella,Vinokourov,Pinotti,Monfort and many others.

After 44 kms of race Vladimir Duma (Ceramica Flaminia),Vitaly Kondrut (ISD),Aristide Ratti (CarmioOro - A-Style) and Alain Van Der Velde (Centri della Calzatura) escaped from the group.Duma lost contact by the first climb of San Luca,while the remaining three riders led by 1'40" over the top.
Things changed after the second passage on San Luca's climb.In fact Sexy Banker Jakob Fuglsang decided to attack and managed to form an escape group together with Vinokourov, Gesink and Thomas Lövkvist.

When she saw that her beloved Tommy was in the breakaway,my sister went crazy and turned the video recorder on.After that,she watched me grinning and said: "If Lovkvist wins,you'll give me 13 euros".I replied:"Lonkqvist (ndr;yes,that's the way Italian chronists sometimes call him) is not going to win.Chris-Anker Sorensen will win.Anyway,I accept your offer:if Lovkvist wins,I'll give you 13 euros;but if Sorensen wins,you'll give me 13 euros".My sister accepted the deal and after making it we started to support our riders in a very Fangirly mood.

On the penultimate passage on the San Luca climb,Soler decided to attack but couldn't catch the "escapados".With 2 kms to go and the San Luca climb to face for the last time,the 4 breakaway riders in fact had 15" of advantadge on Swede Kessiakoff,while other riders (Cunego,Pozzovivo, Kolobnev,Sorensen,Evans,Tiralongo,Basso and others) had to recuperate 35".

During the first part of the climb Fuglsang seemed to be the strongest,while Lovkvist seemed to have some problems.During one of the hardest part of the San Luca,Jakob attacked and was followed just by Vinokourov.Vino then litterally blew up,while Gesink and Lovkvist rode past him and managed to join Jakob again.

The victory was decided in a 3 men sprint.Said sprint was won by Robert Gesink,while Fuglsang came in 2nd and Lovkvist was 3rd."Obviously it was a tough race but since the Vuelta I have been strong although I have not trained as much as earlier in the season",said Fuglsang after the race."For me it was not surprising to be in the finale today because I am still keen on going for the victory and I am still motivated despite the long season,I've been through in my first season as a professional."

Robert Gesink instead told the Gazzetta dello Sport:"I didn't expect to win today,but I'm very happy because after a very unlucky season I really needed a good victory.My knee is feeling better now and during the last days I went to see the Lombardia's finale.It's a tough race,just like the ones I like.I'm going to try and win it".

4th was Cadel Evans,who managed to pass Vinokourov during the last meters of the climb.The Kazakh finally ended up in 5th.6th was Kessiakoff,while 7th was Kolobnev.8th was Chris-Anker Sorensen,who raced very well even if he's ill.Best Italian rider was Tiralongo,10th,while Spaniard Fernandez came in 9th.

The other race I managed to watch this week was the Coppa Sabatini.This race is held in Tuscany and the riders who race it have to face a climb during the last few kms.

This year the race was the first one in which Cadel Evans showed everyone his rainbow jersey. He received a lot of attention and was really happy about this."I felt as if I was everyone's champion,it was a great feeling",the Aussie said after the race.

Evans made his debut in pro cycling world 10 years ago in the Coppa Sabatini and on Thursday ,just like on that September day of the last century,his jersey number was 96.

Anyway,let's talk about the race.

By km 20,25 riders escaped from the peloton.Said riders were Philippe Gilbert and Cadel Evans (Silence - Lotto),Giovanni Visconti,Ruslan Podgornyy and Bartosz Huzarski (ISD),Leonardo Bertagnolli,Alessandro Bertolini and Luca Solari (Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni - Androni Giocattoli),Davide Malacarne (Quick Step),Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez (Centri Della Calzatura),Domenico Pozzovivo,Marcello Pavarin and Alan Marangoni (CSF Group - Navigare), Luca Mazzanti and Nikita Eskov (Team Katusha),Cristiano Salerno,Riccardo Chiarini and Matteo Montaguti (LPR Brakes-Farnese Vini), Juan Mauricio Soler Hernandez,Diego Caccia,Daryl Impey and Giampaolo Cheula (Barloworld),Vladimir Duma and Enrico Rossi (Ceramica Flaminia -Bossini Docce) and Emanuele Sella (Carmiooro - A Style).

The victory was finally decided between these 24 riders (Cheula was dropped before of the last kms) also because all the other riders got retired before of crossing the finish-line.

Evans made a great work to help Gilbert to win,while ISD worked really hard for Visconti.The race was finally won by the Belgian Silence-Lotto rider,while Visconti came in 2nd.3rd was Bertagnolli,while Malacarne came in 4th.

"Cadel was superb",said Philippe Gilbert (who can speak Italian very well) after the race."He made a great work on the last climb.I stayed calm and waited until the last 200 meters.Roberto Damiani,our ds,had told us before of the start: 'with just 14 teams,it's going to be hard to control the race.Pay attention to the breakaways,it's better to stay at the head of the race than at the back'.He was right".Gilbert,who made the decisive move by attacking 20 kms after the start of the race,is now scheduled to race Paris-Tours,Piemonte,Lombardia and Gp Nazioni.
Visconti (who won this race twice in the last few years) said:"This race suits me.To arrive second after Gilbert isn't a disappointing thing.He's a great rider.Perhaps I could have started the sprint before of him.I wouldn't have won anyway,but perhaps I would have managed to lose in a better way".

SAXO BANK NEWS:
Here are 2 links to some articles about Saxo Bank team.
The first link (http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/opening-doors-comes-naturally-for-porte) is about Richie Porte,a 24 year-old Tasmanian rider who's just signed a two year contract with Team Saxo Bank.Me wishes him good luck and a good career between pro riders.
The other link (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ljungqvist-to-retire-rejects-contract-offers-from-armstrong-riis ) instead is about Marcus Ljungqvist's retire from competitions.The 34 year-old Swede rider said he's going to end his career tomorrow at the Paris-Tours.Btw Marcus has said that he will remain in cycling world also after his retire from competitions.