Finish to the Giro!!!
 

Wow!!! Lots of drama to very end.

Remind me to avoid cobblestones-especially when they are wet!!

I have it recorded to watch this evening. Unfortunately I know the result due to turning onto a Sports News channel. Still want to watch it though.

Wonder If I can keep the wife in the pool for another 2 hours?:innocent: So I can watch it in peace.

It has been a very good race for me to follow this year. My appreciation for stage racing has grown considerably. And, yes the last stage was very exciting. Just the difference in the aggressiveness of riders at the top of the GC and others when they hit the wet cobbles told a compelling story about what it takes to be a champion. Di Luca fought to the very end, but Menchov was just too powerful.

just watched the guy in pink, did he win? the video was downright frightening! incredible how fast they go

Still haven't watched it- so it looks as though it will go on the Keep file on the hard disc. Along with this years Paris- Roubaix and the womens world championships from last year.

I was a great grand tour and finish. I do not understand Di Luca's choice of bikes. He used his road bike without modification. His position was too high and frontal profile too big. I am sure his team director debated that decision with him. I get wanting to use the road bike to accelerate but it was clear he gave Menchov too great of an aero advantage. The fact that Menchov crashed going in a straight line could have happened to Di Luca. Go figure.

I rode on the cobbles in Florence, Italy and they are frightening when they are dry. I cannot imagine racing on that course in the rain.

I thought Lance did really well considering his crash, surgery and recovery. I am looking forward to the TdF.

From my understanding- The rain on wet cobbles would have given more control to a bike with conventional handlebars- as Menchov also found out- but I should think that the conditions were not quite bad enough to be in Luca's Favour.

And Not a Lance Fan- but I feel that this was just a warm-up for the TDF. On a few of the stages- he showed his "Old" brilliance- but I just feel that others have caught him up on Skills.

Great Giro! but then the Giro is THE stage race of the year... for me, 5, maybe 6 sprinter's stages out of 21 very hard days. Le Tour pales in comparo.

having to find other resources than Versus, was a good thing. I miss Phil and Paul (and Bobke ofcourse) a tiny amount, but don;t miss the incredibly bad weekly recaps they did each wkend.
Not having Versus do any Giro was a great thing. made me look to some great streaming on the web.
The internet streaming is now so much better and seeing most, if not all, of a stage is what itz all about...
bike racing is about the continuum of the race/stage not just any one moment.
If you can't get the continental broadcasts, its really been the 1st Giro in a long time where one gets the real flavor of the race.
Missed Contador though... woulda been real interesting iff'n he showed...

It was a good Giro overall, but they really should concider rain delays on short TTs. Especially on the final day. There were a lot of really fast guys that did not have a chance at winning the final stage.

I read your post and immediately thought of NASCAR. Could it be that there are cycling fans who love to see the accidents? I guess the protest on stage 9 over dangerous conditions had little impact. We must sadly remember the professional cycling is primarily entertainment, and a danerous slippery finish adds drama.

Late response here: I aggree it can add to the dramma, but in this case 90% of the really fast guys decided to play it safe and went slow which took a lot of the dramma out of the race. I live 20 minutes from Talladega and 90% of the fans there show up for the big wreck, not the race.

I was able to watch on over the air prod cast on NBC high deff, was great to watch.

The average speed of the winner was over 27 MPH, I can't imagine riding that fast.

here's a replay of the slide/fall

http://www.universalsports.com/media...5956&sid=13044

I don't normally follow pro racing. How long is the final day TT? In good weather, at least, 27mph might not earn a win in an amateur 40K TT.

For some reason, I have always preferred the Giro to the Tour of France. I can't put my finger on why exactly, but it just seems more fun to watch. Maybe it's the fans or the scenary. It is a race I'd love to see in person.

This year's was great, rivaling Salvodelli's 2005 victory determined on the next to last day.

Hats off to Di Luca for a game effort on every stage the last week. Hats of to Menchov for digging deep and matching each and every attack on the mountain stages.

Great racing.

I folow the VeloNews "Live Update Guys" on the computer at work. I got a bit behind these past weeks LOL!

TysonB