 News Letter
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In The (Time) Zone by David Olle, Italy, +39 333 5959 217 (twitter feed @DavidOLLE)
Café Negociants is my office (Bourg d'Oisans)
Stage 9, May 15, Messina - Etna 159 km
Well the news of the day is that race leader Pieter Weening went backwards, and out of pink almost as fast as Contador went forward on the volcano, and into the pink jersey. Meanwhile, here in the French alps, we rode Alpe d'Huez today, and it snowed when we were at the top.
Barring some natural disaster, like a volcano eruption, Alberto Contador will win this year's ‘Giro d'Italia' on one leg. (That's a little Italy pun, ha-ha).
Stage 9 results
1 Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) 4:54:09
2 José Rujano (Androni) + 0:03
3 Stefano Garzelli (Acqua&Sapone) + 0:50
General classification after Stage 9
1 Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) 33:03:51
2 Kanstantsin Sivtsov (HTC-Highroad) + 0:59
3 Christophe Le Mevel (Garmin-Cervelo + 1:19
Skippy report: At last year's Giro, I remember saying that these were the golden days of Australian cycling. This year's Giro is backing me up.
Cuisine Report: Enjoyed a ‘chocolate chaud' at ‘La Garde'today, Alpe d'Huez corner no. 16. Not quite stiff enough to hold the spoon upright, but after a little bit of snow on top of the Alpe, and a very cool descent, it was well received.
Tomorrow: May 16, rest day
The Bike Race:
Italy is celebrating 150 years of unification this year and starting the 2nd biggest Grand Tour of the season in Torino. From there the race traverses the Tyrrenian seaboard (over the ‘knee') south, all the way to Sicily's Mt Etna. An air transfer helps the riders back over to the Adriatic coast (near the ‘calf') where they begin the run north, through the Dolomites, taking a quick rendezvous in Austria, before finishing in Milan. Just 3,482 kilometres, and with 8 hilltop finishes, it will definitely be some super skinny guy donning the winners Maglia Rosa in Milan, at the end of this year's ‘Fight for Pink' May 7-29.
Giro d'Italia, May 7 - 29, 2011,
The Writer:
David Olle's cycling reports have featured in many places, ABC radio's 774 DRIVE show in Melbourne, ABC radio 702 breakfast show in Sydney, ABC national overnights and 3RRR FM's Breakfasters. He also created and produced the magazine style TV show ‘Top Bike TV' which is seen throughout Australia and New Zealand on community televison. The reports are also published here, www.cyclesportnews.com, along with any photos.
These reports are independent, opinionated, Australian biased, and could miss a day here and there, along with containing the odd error.
We also run good bike tours.
David Olle
Topbike Tours (just book it)
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