Iljo Keisse won the final stage, and as our amigo Dave is won’t to say at this stage; “our creds are no good to us now.”
Just a curiosity on the windscreen; the Giro is won and lost, Contador confirmed as one of the all time great stage racers.
He’s won all three Grand Tours – one of only six men in history to do so, along with Nibali, Gimondi, Anquetil, Hinault and Merckx.
He stands fourth in the all time Grand Tour winners list;
- Merckx has 11
- Hinault 10
- Anquetil 8
- and Bert has 7 (but if you add in the two where he was declassed it’s 9).
He’s had;
- 23 days in pink (with 13 ‘lost’)
- 11 in yellow (with 6 ‘lost’)
- and 26 in red as Vuelta leader.
Meanwhiles, Aru dreams of next year and Landa rings his agent.
Up in the Flatlands, sales of Jupiler in Gent go through the roof, Iljo gets the freedom of the city and Patrick Lefevere breathes a huge sigh of relief.
Uran’s Giro was a disappointment but the man was ill in the first week and we saw his real worth late in the race. He’s hugely popular with the fans is Rigoberto – but not as popular as Luca Paolini who’s the ‘Selfie King,’ he must have had hundreds taken after the race, yesterday.
But back to the actual race today; the route from Torino to Milano was as bland as you could get but Radio Nostalgia was cool and our coffee stop was a cracker.
The Milano circuit was similarly bland and it’s one aspect where the Giro doesn’t quite get it right.
The Tour’s finishing circuit across some of the most famous tarmac and cobbles on the planet speaks for itself.
The Vuelta’s finish in the heart of Madrid past the art museums and fountains is fabulous.
But the Giro’s route through anonymous low rise and shops just does not inspire.
The race a was a cracker though; not the usual sprintfest – a cliffhanger with a classy and heroic winner.