Well, that was certainly exciting. Denis Menchov aces the biggest test of the Giro so far and steals the pink jersey from Di Luca who, all things considered, had an impressive ride today, finishing 6th. Leipheimer was second today and remains in third place overall. He trails the Russian by 40 seconds and the Killer by just 6. He's definitely still in the hunt for the overall victory. He might learn a lesson from those two, though, and go for a stage win or two. Those bonus seconds are beginning to look pretty important. It all adds up to some exciting racing over the next week and a half. With three uphill finishes left to come, there is plenty of opportunity for fireworks. And with the likes of Sastre and Basso conceding some ground today, the forecast calls for mucho attacking. Liquigas, in particular, has some interesting cards to play, as Pellizotti moved ahead of Basso on the GC thanks to his 5th place finish today. If they can get their act together, those two could provide a thrilling one-two punch. And if the mountains don't manage to get it all sorted out, it will make for a riveting 14 km ITT in Rome on the final day of the race.
We knew that today's stage was not your usual time trial, with two significant climbs and some technical descending. But we didn't know it was going to be so hard for some of the noted TT men in the peloton. Dave Zabriskie finished 118th, over 10 minutes back. And Cancellara didn't even see fit to give it a try. He withdrew before the stage started. Stefano Garzelli finished third today. But his impressive ride was overshadowed by the GC battle being played out on the road behind him. Check out Pez to see how it all played out.
Highlights:
Over in the FGBC Giro d'Italia Pool, Bill and Vic are the only ones with Menchov, whose 175 point performance laid the groundwork for a good day. But it was the Impaler who got the stage win today, with 295 points, courtesy of Leipheimer, Garzelli, and Wiggins. Bill finished second with 225 points, while Dan, the prince, had 205 points for third place. In the overall race, Mike gained a little ground today. He narrows the gap to 130 points behind me. Chris A still sits in third. But those two will have to do without the daily dose of 25 bonus points they'd been receiving for Di Luca's pink jersey. As for the FGBC - RRR FGD Challenge, things don't look so good. After Brad's p[erformance today, RRR now holds three of the top six spots. The FGBC has just two in the top 20.
Stage 12 Results:
Brad E 295
Bill A 225
Dan L 205
Mike G 200
Chris D 185
Kevin K 185
Chris H 180
David S 180
Vic P 175
LeAnn F 175
Ian H 170
Naomi H 170
Chris A 155
Chris O 155
Jonah H 150
Mark S 150
Paul V 150
Andy L 135
Brian S 130
Jonny G 125
Matt H 125
Paddy H 125
Rachel H 125
Greg W 120
John W 120
Charlene 100
Miriam H 85
Hal L 75
Dallas S 60
Donna H 55
Craig P 0
Jonny B 0
Adam B 0
Overall Standings:
Chris H 2345
Mike G 2215
Chris A 2143
Kevin K 2129
Greg W 2053
Brad E 1998
Ian H 1966
Dan L 1950
Dallas S 1922
Naomi H 1861
Mark S 1831
Andy L 1786
David S 1687
Paul V 1659
Hal L 1641
Donna H 1629
Jonah H 1608
LeAnn F 1579
Bill A 1567
Brian S 1537
Chris O 1508
Matt H 1455
Adam B 1356
Charlene G 1350
John W 1342
Craig P 1338
Paddy H 1315
Rachel H 1306
Miriam H 1279
Chris D 1246
Vic P 1243
Jonny G 1233
Jonny B 1173
Thursday, May 21, 2009
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3 comments:
Good ride, Brad. You rode stong today.
You too, Bill.
What's with the old guys on the 60 km TT?
It's always an honour to share the podium with Bill.
My real ride was also uphill today. Intervals at Civic Park.
I won that race too.
That was some sweet riding by an otherwise over looked rider. I'd bet a case of stir stick stout that he won't win the giro though. Deluca is most likely pissed and ready for more "vino" style attacks.
Dallas " Basso needs some t'v time about now." Sigurdur
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