There are three big tours in the cycling calendar and the first of the year is the Giro de Italia. Unusually it started with a Team Time Trial and this has given us an unusual early leader in Mark Cavendish. The Isle of Man rider, generally acknowledged to be the best sprinter in the World was helped by his team obviously and his storming finish crossing the line first meant he took the Maglia Rosa. Surprisingly enough he then lost to Petacchi in the next stage sprint and is now looking for revenge in one of the later sprint stages but Petacchi repeated the stage victory today and has taken the Pink Jersey. Why wasn’t Cavendish involved in the sprint today, a little matter of some smallish mountains near the finish line meant he finished down the field.
The Giro is a three week tour and like all tours each day has something different for various types of riders. Pettachi will lose the jersey as soon as a minor mountain stage comes along and total times are taken into account. The time trialers will come into their own on a couple of stages and the mountain goats will get their way in the mountains although Van De Velde won’t be one of them this year after falling and breaking two ribs today. As for Lance Armstrong, he twittered that he is feeling good yesterday after the first time trial but would it be too much to expect him to come back and start winning at his age?
