On his way to winning the Tour of Switzerland in 2001, Lance Armstrong underwent several anti-doping controls. On two occasions in this race Armstrong’s samples were suspicious with data suggesting the strong probability of EPO use but crucially not firm enough to launch a formal prosecution.
A major athlete with strong suspicions of heavy doping? You’d think this would have set red lights flashing and alarm bells ringing within the UCI. Did it?
A media and business theme to this week’s shorts. There’s been plenty of satisfaction in Italy with Vincenzo Nibali’s Giro win. A home winner is always going to pull in the crowds but his punchy style has been a real draw for TV audiences. La Gazzetta Dello Sport reports an average daily TV audience of 1.56 million on RAI, up 16% on last year. The audience peaked at 4.3 million for last Saturday’s stage finish at the Tre Cime di Lavaredo. This means over a third of the TV audience, an impressive stat.
Was there a race-winning moment? Vincenzo Nibali used the first week to put himself in the ideal position and took the race lead after the time trial in Saltara. From this point onwards the cast of potential rivals began to shrink and fade.
But if you had to chose one moment to define the 2013 Giro, what better than the one pictured above? It’s Stage 14 and the final climb of the Jafferau above the town of Bardonnechia. Snow forced a late change to the route and the bad weather even blocked the TV coverage. It’s a scene from winter but in a race defined by bad weather, the only concession to the cold from Nibali is toe covers. He attacks and behind the others think of giving chase but only Mauro Santambrogio and Carlos Betancur will be able to follow.
The final stage of the Giro should be a procession and celebration but it’s almost 200km long meaning it won’t be a simple victory parade.
If the overall result won’t change there’s still a show to put on and a final sprint where Mark Cavendish can win the stage and take the red jersey off Vincenzo Nibali.
The final mountain stage of the Giro sees a revised route but the summit finish of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo remains… for now but the weather forecast does not look good.
Snow, mist and icy temperatures remain and if the route is flatter it will still be a challenge, after it’s 210km and finishes on a very tough climb. Vincenzo Nibali has a firm hold on the race but the cold can do anything. But if the Italian copes, others might not.
It’s great to follow a stage race on TV and the web but the race belongs to the roadside crowds more than any remote audience. Watching the race from the side of the road is the best vantage point possible because if offers more than a visual spectacle, you can hear and smell the race too.
But it’s easy to make a few mistakes. Just as racers need info and plans on a mountain stage, spectators can gain from preparing too. Here are some tips for a day spent watching a grand tour, especially for a day out in the mountains.
A late change because of the weather sees less climbing and a small increase in distance but for all the alterations this is still a brutal mountain stage and the Giro cannot alter the weather.
The start and final summit remain but what if the biggest difficulty of the day was the bad weather?
An uphill time trial but one that’s not strictly mountainous as it features wide roads with a regular gradient and fresh tarmac.
Indeed today’s course offers the kind of certainty and mild weather that Giro organisers RCS crave ahead of the big mountain stages on Friday and Saturday which are threatened by poor weather.
Who runs cycling? Ag2r La Mondiale will sit out the Critérium du Dauphiné in accordance with the MPCC rules which state a team must stop racing for eight days following two positive anti-doping controls in the past 12 months. But the UCI rules say a team has to ride every race on the World Tour calendar and a substantial six-figure fine could be liable.
But there’s no need for an oppositional tone, the MPCC has proposed ideas which the UCI has readily adopted. Perhaps it’s time to do the same?
A day for the sprinters? Well the more you look, the less likely it seems. The profile shows a mischievous climb 16km from the finish but the secret lies in the narrow roads.
The race visits Vicenza to salute Tulio Campagnolo, the inventor of the quick-release lever and perfecter of the derailleur. Riders today will need to master more than their gear shifting to cope with the final climb.