Originally Posted by
40 Cent
I wonder how this win changes the Caisse d'Epargne dynamic and his relationship with Valverde and Pereiro. To Valverde's detriment, his promise for stage races was overhyped early on -- somewhat like Cunego's and the added pressure probably hasn't helped. The spotlight on Sanchez just got a bit hotter. I hope he can deal.
That did remind me of the battle for control between Cunego and Gilberto Simoni in the 2004 Giro! A lot is going to depend on avoiding any infighting between riders on the team, and how team management is going to decide who rides in what race as team leader. I'm wondering if they have Sanchez pegged as the #1 Caisse d'Epargne rider in the Giro? I tried to search for their proposed team roster but had no luck. Even CyclingNews.com had no rider listing.
That was an exciting stage today, for a while I thought maybe Contador was going to do the unexpected, but Sanchez and his team, with the help from Saxo Bank, were at least able to control the last 20 km. I was disappointed to see my man Jens drop down a spot in GC...he was chasing like a madman on that last climb!