Friday, March 29, 2024

Tag: Giro d'Italia 2012

Giro d’Italia 2012 – Stage 6: Urbino – Porto Sant-Elpidio 207km. Rubiano and Malori Take Over

It was a tough one to Porto Porto Sant-Elpidio - Farrar, Feillu and Hushovd all go home. The dream is over for Navardauskas - he lost 15 minutes. But his Garmin team mates Ryder Hesjedal and Christian Vande Velde move up to third and fifth on GC. Garmin will burn up the watts in search of more pink - they know it'll be harder to come by when the Gazzetta stage ranking is a 5* and not a 3*, as yesterday's was.

Giro d’Italia 2012 – Stage 5: Modena – Fano 199km. Cav is back!

I have to be careful with this one. Cav: I think I might be turning in to a fan here in Modena! There! - I've said it. To take his first stage, he had to display coolness, decisiveness and pure speed...

Giro d’Italia 2012 – Stage 4: Verona TTT 32.2km. Garmin’s Day

A sore one for Phinney at the Verona TTT - he's conducted himself well, but once those cycling Gods single you out, they don't let go, easily. He struggled on the climb and then overcooked it on a left-hand bend, there'll be pics everywhere tomorrow of that grass sprouting from his rear mech.

Giro d’Italia 2012 – First Rest Day: Or Is It?

Giro d'Italia 2012 - First Rest Day, but now there's a misnomer; 'rest day.' But 'day to facilitate huge transfer which we have to carry out after our money spinning exercise in Denmark' doesn't quite roll off the tongue as easily. Let's go back to the reason the UCI introduced two rest days into Grant Tours, along with regulations to govern stage and total race lengths. There's a clue in the name, 'rest' - it was part of a raft of measures designed to lessen the stresses and strains on the riders. Read; 'stop them having to kit up.' But rest days have now become a vehicle for crazy transfers.

Giro d’Italia 2012 – Stage 3: Horsens 190km. It’s Not All Ice Cream & Fairies

My club mate Davie Gardiner, in the Kirkcaldy and District CC, back in 1971 used to say that when he meant things were going swimmingly well; 'it was aw ice cream an' fairies !' Cav had one of those days, yesterday. Not so, today for the Giro d'Italia 2012 - Stage 3 into Horsens.

Giro d’Italia 2012: What a difference a day makes!

I bought most of the 'quality' Sundays, yesterday - to see what they had to say about the Giro d'Italia 2012. The Observer and Times ? nada. The Independent at least had the result. The Herald had a micro mug shot of Phinney and told us that he also won the opening stage of the Giro in 2010? However, the Times did have the 'Sports Rich List.' At number one in the UK is Becks with a fortune worth £160 million. On the world stage it's Tiger Woods, worth £538 mil.

Giro d’Italia 2012 – Stage 2: Herning 206km. Cav is King!

Giro d'Italia 2012 - Stage 2 and Cav is King. If these were Medieval times I'd have to throw myself on his mercy. Prostrate myself at the foot of the steps to the Sky bus, next Monday in Frosinone. Trust that in the joy of his re-confirmation as king of Denmark he'd be merciful.

Geraint Thomas – busy with “all the fast, punchy stuff”

When Taylor Phinney crossed the finish line at the end of the Giro prologue, a big sigh went up here at VeloVeritas – ‘there goes our Giro prologue winner exclusive!’ Sky's Geraint Thomas had been top of the leader board until Phinney used those amazing genes of his to great effect and the Weshman had to make do with second place.

Giro d’Italia 2012 – Stage 1: Herning (ITT) 8.7km. The Head Says Phinney

'My heart says Alex, but my head says Phinney,' my statement as I walked out the door of our rented cottage in search of a stable wi-fi connection. I would have loved Alex Rasmussen to win, but something told me that he wasn't 'sparkling' for the Giro d'Italia 2012 - Stage 1.

At Random

Ryszard Szurkowski

It's with sadness that we learned that, at 75 years-of-age Ryszard Szurkowski, the man who you can argue was the greatest amateur rider in the history of the sport, has passed away.

Red Walters – Grenada Champion 2022

There we were for the start of the 2022 Tour of Britain, wandering round the pits passing critique on the hardware, strips and leg tans. Over at the Ribble Weldtite team there was a rather cool silver Aero machine, one of the ‘specials’ sprayed up for lucky Ribble riders participating in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Red Walters was the fortunate son.

La Vuelta a España 2012 – Stage 5: Logroño – Logroño 168.0 km

Argos’s John Degenkolb was ‘speechless’ about his second stage win in Logroño; but did manage to say that the last K was crazy fast and his team did a great job for him – that sounds about right.

The VV View: Opening Weekend, Vik’s Discs, and the Astana Rap?

Another rant, another exclusive: images of VeloVeritas mentor and soothsayer’s new Planet X machine, plus first thoughts on the opening weekend and why we buy Cycling Weekly...

Sam Watson – u23 Gent-Wevelgem Winner

In the u23 version of Gent-Wevelgem, which is a UCI Nations Cup 1.Ncup rated event, Britain’s Sam Watson beat the cream of Europe’s u23 talent to win a race which boasts the likes of Fons de Wolf, Eddy Planckaert, Niko Eeckhout, Greg Van Avermaet and Mads Pedersen among previous winners.

Le Tour de France 2012 – First Rest Day

Bonjour! VeloVeritas joins le Tour. The hotel is the Formule 1, Viry, with a wonderful view of a pile of tyres – it’s a glamorous life. But we’re not complaining. Easyjet, Edinburgh to Geneva wasn’t too bad, finding the car hire was a bit of a magical mystery tour but we were soon headed for Mâcon, our credentials and the Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank hotel.