Much was said about Basso’s punishing climb of the Stelvio at the end of last week, but the general feeling was that he stayed on to prove something to himself and his team mates. His comment was that he wished to stay in the race and win a stage later on. Many, including me said he should have climbed off, recovered and got back to training for tdf. The below text is from the CSC newsletter today:
Fantastic Victory for Basso
26.05 17:11
After having suffered a stomach bug earlier this week, Team CSC’s Ivan Basso on Thursday showed why he chose to continue in the Giro d’Italia. Basso escaped from the lead group on the last climb of the tough mountain stage from Varazze to Limone Piemonte and finished more than one minute ahead of José Rujano (Selle Italia) and Gilberto Simoni (Lampre). Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel) retained his overall lead.
”Today I proved, that we meant business, when we made the decision for me to continue in this race. I’ve known all along, that I’m a strong climber – maybe the strongest one here. And today I wanted to win without having to sprint for it. After my bad luck I had only one thing on my mind: To win in Limone Piemonte. I said this to Bjarne already on Stelvio. Now I did it, and it’s a big relief both for me and my team. The whole group did a tremendous job for me today, and they all deserve a big thanks. I began this race almost three weeks ago with an ambition to win. That wasn’t meant to be, and a stage win can’t change that fact – but that’s all behind me now. This victory says a lot about how much I’ve developed as a rider. A development owed first and foremost to Bjarne,” said Ivan Basso after the 194 kilometer stage.
”Ivan deserves this win so much, and it was great to see him pull through. We’ve done all we can to stay motivated, and that was one of the things, which made today possible. Everyone could see, that Ivan is by far the strongest in the mountains. We have bounced back after a big blow, and that is worth a lot to us. It’s also important to remember, that there’s still a time trial and a tough mountain stage to go and no one should doubt the fact, that we’re aiming to win both,” said Bjarne Riis.
I say "I am impressed, he was as good as his word. We shall find out if it was wise at the end of July.
In the meantime let’s see what tomorrow’s TT brings.
Easy to let a guy go thats down almost 40 minutes. Not saying he isn’t a stud, but what would be the sense on marking a guy down that much time? Definitely he is the best rider/climber that is down 30+ minutes, not a big surprise that he would win one of the remaining mnt stages. However a big boost for the team moral.
“I never considered quitting the Giro. I came here to win and when my physical problems wouldn’t allow that to happen, I had to change my focus to winning a stage,” said Basso."
I commend Basso for coming back, I hope it doesn’t come back to haunt him in July.
Amazing how time repeats itself. EVERY YEAR, at this time people have been saying, “Look out for , he is in great form”. Last year it was Mayo, Hamilton, Heras, Ullrich, etc. And every year people say how bad Armstrong looks in the early races. Remember the Dauphine, people were lining up out the door to say that Lance was in bad form and how he would get creamed in the mountains.
Do I believe Lance can be beaten? Yes, absolutely. But damn you think people would stop repeating the same comments year after year.
Easy to let a guy go thats down almost 40 minutes. Not saying he isn’t a stud, but what would be the sense on marking a guy down that much time? Definitely he is the best rider/climber that is down 30+ minutes, not a big surprise that he would win one of the remaining mnt stages. However a big boost for the team moral.
Well, this is great news. Basso deserves this win after the epic day on Stelvio. This does not mean that he will beat Lance in July, but it does show that he is in good form. OK, where are all the armchair directeurs sportif who just this weekend said Basso should have packed it in.
The guys is your true blue collar bike racer. Glad to see him win the stage. I wish him the best for the TdF. If there is one rider that I would like to see beating Lance he would be it.
I really like Basso; he seems to be a stand-up, humble guy. Truly unusual among top athletes these days. He could win the Tour in the next five years. Having said that I think he will have a tough time making the podium this year. Right now I’m predicting Armstrong, Ullrich and Valverde in that order. Since Mayo has been so quite this spring I’m thinking he might be the darkhorse this year??
I really like Basso; he seems to be a stand-up, humble guy. Truly unusual among top athletes these days. He could win the Tour in the next five years. Having said that I think he will have a tough time making the podium this year. Right now I’m predicting Armstrong, Ullrich and Valverde in that order. Since Mayo has been so quite this spring I’m thinking he might be the darkhorse this year??
Many, including me said he should have climbed off, recovered and got back to training for tdf. The below text is from the CSC newsletter today:
Will this hurt your chances to be Directeur Sportif next year?
Hanging on for a stage in the Giro may cost him a solid ride for overall in the tour. Whether a rider (even of Bassos star quality) can compete across 2 grand tours in a season these days remains to be seen. Pantani was the last but even in his prime wouldn’t be able to manage it now.
Was it a gamble too far ? …we’ll know in 5 weeks time.
“If there is one rider that I would like to see beating Lance he would be it.”
. . . and doing it on a bike made in Canada!
The stars are lining up for another epic Tour de France - a host of the usual favourites and some new-comers are showing great form. Lance was off to a slow start and is now off likley doing some top-secret training that will get him ready for the Tour. It will be interesting to see the cards that he shows at the Dauphine - his full-hand or just a hint. Another Grande Boucle is taking shape.
Less than a year ago people used to speak about Tyler just like this - what a stand-up guy, just a blue collar racer, the boy next door, makes me love what I do, I’d be happy to see him beat Lance, just got right back on his bike and rode through it… I’m not saying Tyler and Basso are the same; I’m just saying that everyone here knows Basso about as well as you know Tyler…
This is also the mindset of someone who isn’t 100% focussed on winning the TDF. IMO, at this time of year LA decides what color socks to wear based on which ones give him the best chance to win in July. All the other riders say they want to win the TDF, but have any of the top riders approached the TDF with the same intensity of focus?
At least now Basso has an excuse if he goes belly up in July.
Basso said prior to the Giro that he’s not 100% focussed on winning the TdF, but that the Giro was his top priority. Not every rider shares the same goals as LA, so it’s reasonable to expect that those riders don’t approach the TdF with the same intensity and focus.
Well, Simoni and Rujano are heading for to win the Giro. They do need every minute. Every second and although they were riding at their maximum Basso were able to escape and win the stage.
If I was in the same situation as Simoni was I would have chased Basso and then gave him the stage victory. That is the way to win the game.
Fantastic Victory for Basso