The Giro in full cry
All are huddled in sleeping bags in advanced base camp on Everest while it is heating up in the 100th edition of the Giro d’Italia, also occurring in mountains at the minute. I have to confess I’ve never been a big fan of the race, not sure why exactly. There have been some great races these past few years, and who can forget the image of Andy Hampsten in a blizzard on the Gavia pass in 1988? Great interview of Andy here. Anyway, it’s an interesting race this year, with the boys, only at Stage 5 today, stomping up some pretty serious climbs. Amazingly Lance Armstrong was only 2:38 down from the winner Denis Menchov (Russia). Not too shabby for someone who has not raced in mountains in a couple of years, and is coming back from a broken collarbone and surgery from a crash in the Vuelta Castilla y Leon in Spain in March. Levi Leipheimer, he of eternal Tour of California dominance, is riding really well, and is in with a shot to win still.
Images ©:RCS Sport
mountain climbing on the road……brrrrrrr. Lots of guys gave up on this stage, but not Hampsten. One of the great stages in cycling history. Hampsten went on to win that year’s Giro (although he took second on the Gavia pass stage!), the only non-European to do so…so far. Maybe I need to watch more of the Giro 🙂
