Bragging like that is part of the game, it's all about psyching the other guy out. It's not like Simoni has no reason to brag, it's not like he's some loser- he's won the giro twice. But it's too bad he didn't do well in the tour and didn't do well when he did the vuelta in 2002. I think that doing the giro before the tour is one thing but winning it is something else. It's not a race to warm up for the tour, and few have managed to pull it off.
There's no doubt, though, simoni is probably one of the best climbers. Far better than armstrong, but I think it's the sweltering heat that does him in. He won this horrendous stage in the giro with snow and ice all over the place, but conked out on the Alpe D'Huez.
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You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. That's great...if you want to attract vermin.