Sastre got feisty with the press today during his press conference on the second rest day. “Since Monaco, I have received a lack of respect,” he said. Below, a quicky translation of his remarks. Source is L’Équipe.fr.
“When I took the start, I knew where I stood. I repeated during the first rest day that it would be difficult to win the Tour, but neither the journalists nor the organization treated me like I should do it. Since Monaco, I have preceived, not a plot, but a situation in which no one wants that I win the Tour de France, above all among certain riders.”
Eleventh in the general classification after the first Alps stage, Sastre above all regrets the media attention on the duel between Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong, explains L’Équipe. “Since the start in Monaco, and also before, everyone only asks one question: What do you think about the rivalry between Armstrong and Contador and of the fact that you sit in their shadow? This is a total lack of respect.” Adds L’Équipe, according to the Spanish rider, it is this general view that has influenced the unfolding of the race. “You have created a polemic between two riders and excluded the other possibilities. If the race is boring, it is the cause of all of this atmosphere. The course is … Then, you come to see me saying, attack, attack.”
“You have created an idol. Of course, this is a great rider. But you have exactly what you have hoped. If yesterday, I had chased after Contador, one would have said that Sastre lost the Tour to a Spaniard. The media prefers to give out compliments more that to inform, they judge people without knowing them.”
“The Tour is not finished until Paris. But it is necessary to be realistic, it will be difficult. The most important stage for me will be the Mont Ventoux. I want to win it.”
A postscript to the story about troubles in the House of Lampre-Ngc:
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, team manager Giuseppe Saronni told his riders that they could not participate in any of the post-Giro criteriums. Saronni is not happy about the lack of results from the team during the Giro and said that he would prefer to see his riders out training to prepare for their next objectives than travelling around Italy for the crits. “Instead of wasting time and hours of sunlight to ride at night, we prefer to concentrate on preparing for our many upcoming objectives,” he said. The criteriums are typically held at night for more optimal partying.
Of course, the riders make significant money in appearance fees by “racing” the post-Giro criteriums, so Saronni’s edict is not without conseqences. Damiano Cunego had planned to make six appearances, which would have brought him close to €20,000.00 in fees.
Memo to Lampre riders: Start winning. Today.
So much fun, this Giro Centenario, it’s hard to let it go. I always enjoy the merry month of May and the romp around Italy. I did miss the high mountains, though, in this Giro. Where was my Gavia and Stelvio, where was the “Graveyard of Champions”? But it was fun, anyway. So much lovely scenery on and off the roads.
How about some random left-over Italian gossip?
Franco Pellizotti, who finished third in the Giro Centenario, wants to ride a grand tour as sole captain. Apparently, he didn’t much like sharing a team with Ivan Basso. In particular, he said that Basso’s hard riding on the Alpe di Siusi cost Pellizotti the Giro win. Pellizotti got dropped in the final kilometers of the climb. Ooops. Pellizotti seems to think that he’d have been better off without Basso, ignoring the likelihood that someone would certainly have attacked on the Alpe di Siusi, with or without Ivan. And does Pellizotti really think he could have beaten Menchov? You’re dreaming, Franco, you’re dreaming. I mean, I do like the hair, but hair alone a grand tour winner does not make. Word is that Pellizotti will ride the Tour de France, with the ambition to finish high in the general classification. Optimistic, this Italian.
In the meantime, Ivan Basso will head to the Dauphiné Libéré, where he will ride for the general classification. “I would like to win,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport. Basso also said that he is happy with his Giro d’Italia, though he admitted that he needs to do more work on his time trialing. He will have the chance to get in some practice at the Dauphiné, which has two individual cronos. The long crono is 40 kilometers. Youch. Basso confided to Gazzetta that he found the high speed of this Giro difficult, and the unusually short stage finishing on the Blockhaus to be a big challenge. He felt best on the Alpe di Siusi and on the road to Faenza, where he launched an early, though ultimately unsuccessful, attack with Stefano Garzelli. After the Dauphiné, Basso will take a break, before preparing for the Vuelta a España.
A mini-tempest in a teacup broke out earlier this week after Riccardo Riccò – remember him? – gave an interview, in which he talked about his suspension and his plans to return to racing. The interview followed the usual narrative of how devastated he was by his positive control, how his friends and family supported him, how terribly sorry he is about his big mistake, and how much he is looking forward to returning to the sport. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
In any case, Riccò mentioned that several teams have expressed an interest in hiring him when his suspension runs out. He mentioned Diquigiovanni-Androni, Ceramica Flaminia, and Lampre-Ngc by name. Riccò also claimed that a new team is in the works, perhaps sponsored by Mercatone Uno. Riccò, taking his Pantani obsession to new levels. It’s not enough to have hired Pantani’s former soigneur and adopted il Pirata’s climbing style, but he also wants to ride for the same team. A little creepy, if you ask me, which you didn’t, but I’ll say it anyway.
It turns out that Lampre-Ngc is not interested in Riccò. The team management quickly issued a denial, and claimed that the suspended climber did not meet the team’s ethical standards. Apparently, we are expected to forget the three riders – yes, count them, three riders – who tested positive from the Lampre squad. Now, all three have been fired, and it’s understandable that they might not wish to borrow trouble at chez Lampre. But still. It’s never a good idea to mix stones and glass houses.
On the subject of Lampre, reportedly, management is not happy with Marzio Bruseghin, who vocally supported the riders’ strike in Milano. The team sponsor Mario Galbusera happened to be sitting in the car with team manager Giuseppe Saronni during the stage, and Saronni instructed the team to race. Saronni later said that he had ridden the course 6 or 7 times, and found no problems with it. Bruseghin proved less-than-obedient to the team car’s directives. Rumors immediately erupted to the effect that Bruseghin would leave Lampre before his contract is up at the end of next season. Liquigas-Doimo is apparently his preferred destination. Not so fast, says Saronni, the team does not intend to let Bruseghin leave his contract early. Bruseghin, himself, has since made nice noises and all seems to be patched up. At least, for now.
And what about the Cunego Cunundrum? The 2004 Giro winner had a less-than-stellar Giro and provoked his share of polemica. In particular, Cunego suggested in an interview with Gazzetta after the stage finish on the Alpe di Siusi that the stage results would likely be revised before too much time had passed, implying that the riders at the top of the results sheet were doping. (More on that here.) From the press, meanwhile, came increasing calls for Cunego to give up on the grand tours and become a full-time classics rider. Until now, he has resisted this advice, determined to ride well in both the one day races and the grand tours.
Still, with every passing day, Cunego dropped farther down the classification. A long escape on the road to Monte Petrano offered a glimpse of the Cunego who wins bike races (as opposed to the Cunego who gets dropped early and often), but that effort failed to bring him the success he needed to quiet his critics and save his Giro. In a brief interview on the final day in Roma, he blamed his team management for putting too much pressure on him, saying, “I’m a man, not a machine.”
In a recent interview with L’Équipe, Giuseppe Saronni denied that there was a breach between Cunego and the team. Saronni explained Cunego’s recent grand tour problems as the result of nerves. He characterized his young captain as emotionally fragile. Cunego has carried a heavy burden of expectation, named as he was the next great Italian stage racer when he won the Giro at 22. In Saronni’s view, the consequences of that burden are still weighing Cunego down, especially on the roads of the Giro, where he found success so early and so easily. The answer? The former Giro winner will almost certainly switch to the one-day classics beginning next season. It’s clear that the grand tours aren’t working, said Saronni, and he believes Cunego can handle his nerves better in the one day races. “It’s time to decide,” concluded Lampre-Ngc manager.
All this may be true, but it’s also clear that Saronni is likely doing some fence-building here for Cunego. The former Giro winner’s out-spoken anti-doping comments risk making him persona non grata, which among other things would complicate Cunego’s ambition to win Worlds in Mendrisio this season. (More on that, in a moment). Certainly, suggesting that Cunego’s comments and his lack of performance are the consequence of nerves lets everyone avoid the hard questions. Is he really doping free, as he claims? And is that the reason for his lack of results? And if so, what does that say about the 19 or so riders who placed ahead of him at the Giro? The answer probably lies somewhere between Saronni’s explanation and Cunego’s. His lack of results in the grand tours are some combination of his own fitness and talent and the “ethical” decisions of the riders around him.
In the meantime, Franco Ballerini, the selector for the Italian Worlds team, has named Danilo Di Luca as the captain for the Azurri in Mendrisio. Cunego, who finished second in Varese last year, had set Worlds as one of his main goals for the season, because the hilly course in Mendrisio should suit his characteristics. Paolo Bettini had also named Cunego as his successor for team leadership of the Azurri.
That all looks likely to be brushed aside by the ambitions of Danilo Di Luca. In particular, Di Luca wants invitation to the big races next year. He has threatened to change teams, if the LPR Brakes management can’t acquire the necessary guarantees. Di Luca has named Lampre, Katusha, and Silence-Lotto as possible detinations. Plainly, if he wants a free hand at Worlds, Cunego needs to find a good result soon.
Oh, and in one more twist to the story, Cunego is also out of contract at the end of this year. Would the Lampre management throw Cunego to the wolves and hire Di Luca? At this point, it doesn’t seem likely, as by all accounts, the team sponsor likes Cunego. But liking may not be enough, if the results don’t come.
Ah, Italy. There really is rarely a dull moment in Italian racing. But now, we really must move on to France. The Tour awaits, and the Dauphiné starts on Sunday. I have previewage of the Dauphiné up, natch., and I’ll write daily updates over at Steephill.
And I’ll try not to neglect my poor bloggy so much in the future. It’s good to have goals, dontcha think?
I bet you thought I’d forgotten all about you. Abandoned my faithful blog people, never to return. Fear not! I have simply been off writing more stuff about cycling. More is better.
I have stage previews posted for the first 16 stages of the Giro d’Italia. Head over to steephill.tv and give them a read. I’ll also be stopping in daily there with updates and commentary after the stages.
If I have any words to spare, I’ll write them here. Yay for Giro!
I’m currently up to my eyebrows in Giro stage previews. The first nine stages should pop up over at steephill.tv soon. Hopefully, the next twelve will come out of my brain soon, too. Ah, yes, this is why we have espresso. And chocolate.
The first week of this Giro is difficult, with the mountains coming already on stage 4. Team time trial, two sprint stages, then… Bam! Mountains! From stage 4, which marks the first mountain top finish of the race, until stage 8, which finishes in the Città alta of Bergamo, this Giro passes through difficult terrain. It’s all about mountains in Northern Italy, and this Giro throws in a bit of Austria and Switzerland for good measure.
For the teams interested in the maglia rosa, this race may prove very difficult for them to control. The early mountain stages impose a constant weighing of alternatives, of calculating effort versus return. There exist plenty of roads in these stages for the wrong breakaway to slip up the road, or an opportunist general classification rider to pick off a minute or two of advantage. Certainly, this Giro will favor the strong teams, but maybe more than that, it will reward the tactically astute. A very difficult race to control, indeed.
How about a little vocabulary to help us get good and ready? Today’s word: Tranquilo. Tranquilo is the multi-tool of Italian bike racing words. Before the race, after the race, in the midst of a raging doping scandal, Tranquilo has you covered. You can take it home, introduce it to your mom. Dress it up with some tasteful jewelry and it’s ready for an evening out. Put some fenders on it, and Tranquilo will get you to work in the rain without that nasty muddy stripe on your pants. (Yes, we are among the believers when it comes to fenders here In The Laughing Group.) From knee-high to double-overhead, Tranquilo is your magic stick.
What? You mean, you actually want to know what it means?
Tranquilo adj. Calm, serene, relaxed, contented. Synonyms: Contento, Sereno.
Looking foward to today’s stage? Io sono tranquilo. Not looking forward to today’s stage, but don’t want to admit it? Io sono tranquilo. Wish the interviewers would get out of your face? Io sono tranquilo.
Just finished the stage and got worked? Io sono tranquilo. Won the stage? Still, tranquilo, though you might wish to add a touch more enthusiasm. Like say, felice. But that’s getting ahead of ourselves. Today is all about tranquilo. Finished in the field? Definitely tranquilo.
Warning! Italian is one of those pesky gendered languages. So, if you are of the Girl persuasion, you can never be tranquilo. I know this news comes as a crushing disappointment. But don’t be sad! For you can be tranquila, which is way better in every possible way. Sugar, spice, and everything nice.
Have a tranquilo weekend!
More on the Davide Rebellin case. The analysis of the “B sample” will take place on 28 May at the Chatenay Malabry lab in France. Assuming the analysis confirms the findings of the A sample, CONI will invite Rebellin for a hearing in Rome. Federico Cecconi, an experienced hand in these anti-doping cases, will serve as Rebellin’s lawyer. Cecconi’s name pops up frequently in Italian anti-doping cases, including defending the riders involved in the 2001 Sanremo Giro raids.
In the meantime, the criminal authorities in Veneto have also begun steps to open an investigation into Rebellin’s doping habits. The case is based in Padova. In particular, the investigators are interested in digging more deeply into Rebellin’s dealings with doping doc Enrico Lazzaro. Lazzaro already received a 14 month prison sentence as a consequence of the 2001 investigation into his activities, which included providing doping products to cyclists. Though Rebellin’s name surfaced in that investigation, he escaped penalty. This time around, the rider may not prove so lucky.
In other doping-related news, the Italian anti-doping court will hold a hearing on the case of Alejandro Valverde on 11 May. The CONI prosecutor has recommended a two year suspension for the Spanish rider as a consequence of his alleged involvement in Operation Puerto. In particular, Italian investigators matched Valverde’s DNA to one of the blood bags seized in the case. During the 11 May hearing, the court can confirm, reject, or revise the recommended sanction. In the case of Riccardo Riccò, the Court imposed a more lengthy sanction.
The UCI has decided that they are now interested in the Valverde case. The world cycling union will send a representative to the 11 May hearing to listen in on the court’s deliberation. According to the UCI’s rules, a sanction imposed by a national federation must be recoganized by all member federations. No doubt the UCI expects some resistance from Spain, where the Federation has already stated its unwillingness to recognize the Italian investigation. The UCI will send Mario Zorzoli to attend the hearing.
Basta, with all this doping news. Next time, some racing!
Rebellin hearts him some doping.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Davide Rebellin is among the athletes who has tested positive in the re-testing of the Olympic samples. The silver medalist reportedly tested positive for CERA, that magical fruit which sent Riccardo Riccò, Emmanuele Sella, Leonardo Piepoli, Bernhard Kohl, and Stefan Schumacher on vacation last season. Gazzetta does not reveal the source of the information. Presumably it is a member of the Italian Olympic Committee, who is not authorized to speak on the story. I was trying to come up with a catchy acryonym for that, and so totally failed.
This is not Rebellin’s first brush with the doping authorities. In 2001, prosecutors named him in connection with a doping investigation in Padova. According to the investigation, Rebellin received doping products from Dr. Enrico Lazzaro. The evidence allegedly included telephone intercepts and video tape, in addition to evidence seized during the 2001 raid on the Giro at Sanremo. The Italian cycling federation subsequently banned Lazzaro from working with cyclists.
By 2004, the case reached the courts. With a trial date looming, Rebellin won Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but later that Summer, the Azurri excluded Rebellin from the Olympics and Worlds teams. In response, Rebellin applied for Argentinian citizenship. The Argentinian passport did not arrive in time, and Rebellin missed worlds anyway.
In the meantime, Italian legal shenanigans continued. Specifically, the Padova prosecutor sent the evidence over to Pistoia, for reasons of jurisdiction. In Pistoia, they weren’t interested, apparently. For reasons unclear, the district attorney’s office in Pistoia archived the case. And as best as I can uncover, that was that. For the next four seasons, Rebellin continued to ride and win, including the 2009 edition of Flèche Wallonne.
Which brings us back to the present. Rebellin is one of six athletes involved in the emerging scandal from Beijing, including one other cyclist. No word yet on who the second cyclist might be, though reportedly he or she did not receive a medal. For those who wish to play along at home, the officials tested the top five placers in each event plus two randoms. I leave further speculation to the enjoyment of the reader.
Track and field will also get to join the fun. Current reports say that at least one athlete from track and field was male and won “only one” gold medal. Sheesh, they might as well come out and say, no?
The best English language summary is at ESPN and they are updating constantly.
Links for the 2001-2004 story:
Bikeradar: Brief story
Sportpro: Padova investigation
Sportpro: Rebellin and Worlds
Sportpro: Case archived
At last, Andy Schleck has taken the huge potential that has grabbed the attention of the cycling world since he turned pro, and celebrated victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Schleck’s winning move came on the Côte de la Roche aux Faucons with 20 kilometers to go. It should have come as no surprise: He launched precisely the same attack in last year’s edition of La Doyenne. In that case, the determined efforts of Davide Rebellin ended Schleck’s bid for freedom. This time, the large chase group could not bring back the flying climber.
Sometimes, it’s easier to stay away from a large group than a small one. Odd, but true. In a small group, everyone is playing to win. There is commitment and urgency. In a big group, well, there’s always someone else who will chase, right? And look, there’s more than one guy from the other team, I’m sure they’ll do the work. Of course, by then, the winning move is well and truly gone.
In the case of this Liège, a sprinter problem also slowed the chase. No one wanted to drag Alejandro Valverde, Davide Rebellin, or Damiano Cunego to the line. Of course, both Cunego and Valverde wanted nothing more out of this race than to reach the sprint. Waiting for the sprint sometimes works. But other times, it becomes a trap, forcing a rider into a passive, defensive role, from which he can not shape the race to his ends.
Saxo Bank, meanwhile, made sure to disrupt the chase effort whenever possible, subtly inserting a rider into the line-up. The Danish team is truly skilled at this manuever: no Cat. 5 style sit-up and grab brake levers blocking here. It didn’t hurt that in Karsten Kroon and Fränk Schleck, the team had two possible winners in the chase group.
Though Andy Schleck won solo, the team deserves significant credit for this win, as he proved quick to acknowledge. In much the same way Quick-Step dominated the Ronde van Vlaanderen, Saxo Bank had tight control over this race. Indeed, put Andy Schleck in the position of Stijn Devolder, and you have exactly the same race. Well, except for the part about the cobbles. Details, shmetails.
Tactically, this Liège bore the marks of a team effort. The successive attacks of Chris Anker Sörensen, Alexandr Kolobnev, and Karsten Kroon wore down the teams and set the conditions for Schleck’s big move to succeed. Lampre-Ngc, in particular, looked short-handed in the finale, and Cunego had no team-mates left by the decisive kilometers. From the helicopter shot, it was possible to see either a Silence-Lotto or Caisse d’Épargne rider (the jerseys look similar from the air shots) waving his arms in Cunego’s direction. What, you expect us to tow you to the line?
Cunego seemed to trap himself in this race. He convinced himself that he needed to wait for the sprint to win, and he seemed to expect that one way or another a sprint would come. Though he tried to follow Andy Schleck on the Côte de la Roche aux Faucons, he did not appear to have the legs. Even so, he wasn’t the first to react, instead waiting for Davide Rebellin to jump first. Cunego followed much the same pattern on the Saint-Nicholas. He followed the attack of Michele Scarponi, looking for the small group sprint, he’d conditioned himself to expect. Unlike Saxo Bank, Cunego’s Lampre-Ngc could not impose their plan on the race. They could only react.
Perhaps Cunego could not do anything more this time, though his performances elsewhere suggest he has the legs to win in the Ardennes. The Italian seems to ride best when he has nothing to lose, and simply rolls the dice, as he did at Lombardia last October. When Cunego has won, he has also made the race, rather than rely solely on his big sprint. And perhaps that is the mark of the best one-day riders: They are able to adapt to the way the race unfolds, seize what opportunites that come their way, and commit without second-guessing. Sometimes Cunego shows those characteristics. This time, he didn’t.
And then, there’s Philippe Gilbert, who has never seen an attack he didn’t like. Gilbert’s move made a certain kind of sense: Anticipate the attack he knew must come from Andy Schleck on the Côte de la Roche aux Faucons, an attack he knew he couldn’t follow. It nearly worked, except for the part where in Gilbert’s words, “Schleck dropped me like a junior.” At the finish, Gilbert still had legs left to take fourth in the sprint. With just a bit more speed, he’d have taken his second podium in a monument this season, after his third place finish at the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Like Andy Schleck, Philippe Gilbert begins to come into his own. In Gilbert, we have a rider who will always dare and always surprise. Hopefully, he’ll win a few, too, while he’s at it.
All of which is to say that the strongest rider won on the day. A big solo escape, perfectly timed and placed to the characteristics of the rider who made it. Andy Schleck will never win a sprint, but he climbs like a dream and has the engine to finish the deal. All of cycling’s sages have marvelled at his abilities since he first turned professional, and all expect him to win the sport’s biggest races. He has a Tour win in those legs somewhere. It’s a matter of if, not when. He’s already made the podium in the Giro d’Italia. The last rider to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour de France in a single season was Eddy Merckx. Only two other riders have won both races in their career: Bernard Hinault and Jacques Anquetil. And they both, like Merckx, won the Tour five times.
But it’s far, far too early to be talking about the Tour de France. We have first the party in Italy to enjoy. Giro!
Liquigas has taken on a new co-sponsor beginning at this year’s Giro. Doimo is one of the leading furniture manufacturers in Italy. So far, the sponsorship agreement covers the Giro d’Italia, but it may extend into a more permanent relationship.
Liquigas also today announced the riders for the Giro Centenario. Ivan Basso fresh off his win at the Giro del Trentino will lead the team. Franco Pellizotti, who finished fourth in last year’s Giro d’Italia, is listed as a co-captain, though it seems likely he will ride in support of Basso when it comes right down to it. Kjell Carlström, Manuel Quinziato, Gorazd Stangelj, and Alessandro Vanotti will drive the team on the flats, while Valerio Agnoli, Vladimir Miholjevic, and Sylwester Szmyd support Basso and Pellizotti in the mountains.
Sadly, Liquigas sprinter Daniele Bennati has not recovered from the injury he suffered at Tirreno-Adriatico and will miss this year’s Giro. He hopes to recover in time for the Tour de France. Given the ambitions of the team’s stage race captains Basso and Pellizotti, Bennati would not likely have had much team support in the sprints, anyway.
In somewhat related news, Damiano Cunego called Ivan Basso the favorite to win this Giro in an interview this morning on Sky.it. Cunego said that Basso had a “good head and motor,” and is a true rider for the stage races. Cunego believes Basso has a “better chance than Armstrong” to wear Pink in Roma. For his own part, Cunego is hoping to make the podium this time around. In the years since his win in 2004, Cunego has consistently finished in the top five. To beat Basso is a big ask, but a podium finish is well within reach for Cunego.
Back lates with some chat about Liège. Yes, that’s very out of order of me. I s’pose you can sue if you like, but I’d rather you didn’t.
No doubt he is hoping next month to see that headline alter just a tad.
The Giro del Trentino came down to the final climb of the day today, the road to the mountain town of Pejo Fonti. With the help of Danilo Diluca of LPR Brakes, Liquigas forced the tempo up the final climb. Race leader Janez Brajkovic of Astana looked lonely with no team support to be found, and soon fell off the pace. Ivan Basso needed only four seconds to take over the lead, and it was clear long before the finish line that he would claim them.
With just a few kilometers left to ride, Domenico Pozzovivo of CSF-Navigare attacked from the leading group in an effort to steal the show. Not so fast, said Ivan Basso, and the Liquigas captain went to the front. Basso ended Pozzovivo’s bid for freedom, towing Diluca and Giampaolo Caruso of Ceramica Flaminia, among others, along for the ride. Diluca outjumped Caruso and Stefano Garzelli of Acqua e Sapone to take the stage win. Basso glided in 4 seconds behind in fifth, his overall win secure. Though he missed the stage win, Giampaolo Caruso took home the mountains classification, thanks to his solid riding in the steep bits.
In his post-race comments, Diluca said that he started the race “on the wrong foot,” when he rode a less-than-stellar opening time trial. On the Alpe di Pampeago on the following day, he suffered a coughing fit close to the finish. Maybe he has allergies, or maybe it was the suddenly wintery weather of the higher altitude. Anyway, though Diluca tried during stage 3 to win the stage, he had “no luck,” and Robbie Hunter outsprinted him for the win. Today, it all went right for the rider from Abruzzo. “I finally found again the beautiful sensations of success,” said Diluca, celebrating his first win of the season. “Certainly, the victory makes me happy, but I am also tranquilo in view of the Giro.” Diluca will return home to Abruzzo to put the last touches on his Giro form.
For Basso, meanwhile, the win at Trentino marked his first victory after serving a two year doping suspension in connection with Operation Puerto. He dedicated the victory to his family who “in these very difficult two years have suffered along with me, and then, have believed in my return to racing.” Basso also thanked the President of Liquigas, his team, and his tifosi for their support (Signor Liquigas lent Basso his private plane for the trip to Liège). “I am very happy to return to victory… The open parenthesis is now closed, but its mark remains on my career and on my personal life,” he said of his suspension from racing.
Gazzetta proved quick to celebrate Basso’s victory and declared that he had not only returned to his best form, but also “recovered his credibility.” It remains to be seen, though, whether the tifosi on the roads of the Giro Centenario feel the same. In the two years of Basso’s suspension, frequent signs of hostility appeared and more than one sign read “Basso abbasso,” or down with Basso. For some fans, it may prove impossible to close the parenthesis, and all the internet posts about training numbers and blood values, will not convince them that Basso has reinvented himself into a clean rider and left behind the habits of the past.
For me, the Smiling Assassin remains a guilty pleasure. A charming rider with a beautiful style on the bike, especially in the high mountains. But do I believe his assertions of transparency? As the eight ball says, Ask Again Later.
Post-race comments from tuttobiciweb.it and Gazzetta dello Sport.
Full Stage Results.
Final General Classification.
Next time, something funny!
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