CyclingRevealed's Giro '07 Perspective
Rest Day - May 15th,Transfer to the Mainland of Italy
It's all about logistics
It's very unusual for a Grand Tour to have a rest day after just three days of racing. The reason however is very simple. Sardinia lies about 250kms (at its closest point) to mainland Italy. From Cagliari, where the race finished yesterday, it is about an eight hour ferry crossing back to the mainland. While the riders take a relatively quick and short flight, most of the race entourage of support vehicles and staff enjoyed a night time ferry crossing.
Race leader at the airport ( Image © La Gazetta )
So this rest day is not so much about rest as dealing with the logistical reality of transporting the race caravan. The riders themselves will spend the day doing some light training, getting a massage and plenty of rest. There is a lot of Giro still to be raced!
Often by the first rest day a pattern starts emerging that identifies the real contenders from the pretenders. So far all that we have seen is that the Liquigas team appears to be the strongest team and thus capable of supporting their GC contender, Danilo Di Luca, in his quest for the Maglia Rosa. As for the other GC contenders they have all been keeping quiet (as they should at this stage of the race). Tomorrow's mountain top finish will not decide the race but anyone not able to stay at the front with the other GC hopefuls will probably lose their dream of winning the Giro right there.
In the traditional manner the first two road stages belonged to the sprinters. Gallant but doomed breaks featured on both days. In the end Robbie McEwen took his twelfth Giro stage win on the first road stage and in so doing added to the opinion that Alessandro Petacchi is no longer the power that he was before his crash last year. Yesterday an emotional Petacchi finally gained the triumph that he so desired. All of Italy now hopes that ‘Ale-Jet' is back and that he will shortly claim more Giro stages in his ways of old.
When people dream of starting the Tour de France in North America they should take a close look at what it takes to transport a Grand Tour from one land mass to another. Sardinia to mainland Italy is one challenge but traveling from one continent to another adds time zone changes and lengthy plane rides. It's not impossible, it's all about logistics.
Stage Winners 1 to 3 : [Each picture holds a story, click on the picture]
Click on the picture for each story Stg 1-3 ( Images © La Gazetta )
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