Inclement weather again has affected the final two stages of the Girod'Italia. Organizers were forced to cancel stage 19, when temperatures of -7°C were recorded at the top of the almost 2,000 meter mountaintop finish. Stage 20, the last mountain stage, was also modified, primarily due to rider safety.
But it didn't matter for overall leader Vincenzo Nibali. During the 19th and last mountain stage, and with snow falling, he smashed his rivals with an attack in the last 2.5Km of the climb to TreCime de Lavaredo, a 2,304 meter monster. Chasing the Italian were a trio of Colombians- Fabio Duarte (Colombia), RigobertoUran (SKY) and Carlos Betancur (AG2R). Uran, who started the stage at 3rd place and who replaced the departed Bradley Wiggins as team leader, knocked off Cadel Evans (BMC) from 2nd spot due to a mechanical problem. Betancur, on the other hand, claimed the white jersey as the best U-25 rider.
But the story of course, was Nibali. He was considered as a rung below the Wigginses and the Contadors and his only claim too fame among the grand tour contenders was his fearless descending abilities. But today, he showed that he could time trial (he won stage 18 mountain ITT and lost to TT specialist Wiggins by just 11sec during stage 8 54km ITT) and not just climb with the best but also attack and win a mountain stage. And he can survive and win in the harshest of conditions. Some may this win as tempered by the absence of Alberto Contador, Chris Froome and the withdrawal of Wiggins but no one can't take anything from his win, the biggest of his career.
Another rider worth mentioning is probably the greatest sprinter ever, Mark Cavendish. Cavendish has four stage wins and should have no business climbing mountains in atrocious weather when the other sprinters have headed for home. But he persevered and this makes elevates him to another level.
Doping, again
Danilo di Luca is just plain stupid. The 37yo Italian, who won the Girod'Italia back in 2007, tested positive for EPO in a test taken 6 days before the start of this years'Giro. Maybe he had a "positive wish", for how could a sane cyclist ride a grand tour, knowing that the odds of getting a "glowing" test was as high as the Dolomites?
Cycling, if you read the press release, is serious in its fight against doping, but it simply befuddles me why the Giro organizers would honor a convicted doper, Marco Pantani, and at the same time, go ballistic with the di Luca positive? I'm sorry, but the logic escapes me.
Finally, another superstar in the juiced era, Laurent Jalabert finally made a pseudo-confession last week."I can't firmly say that I've never taken anything illegal. I've effectively used products when it was necessary, in case of lesions or other injuries. At ONCE, in the evening after the stages, the doctor took care of us, for our recovery, but we didn't really know what it was. A relationship with doctors based on mutual trust was established, so we didn't ask questions. We were treated, I've never said otherwise. Were we doped? I believe we weren't…"