2000 Giro | 2002 Giro | Giro d'Italia database | Final GC | Teams and Riders, Stages with results and running GC | Predictions
Plato's Phaedo is available as an audiobook here.
A comparison of the recent Giros:
2001 Giro d'Italia Complete Final General Classification
2001 Giro d'Italia final podium. From left: Abraham Olano, Gilberto Simoni and Unai Osa
Points Classification:
Climbers' Competition:
Intergiro:
Team Classification (Fast Team)
Team Classification (Super Team)
May 19, Saturday, Prologue: Pescara Individual Time Trial. 7.6 km. This is an almost dead-flat time trial. The elevation goes from 2 meters to 18 meters then back down to 2 meters. A rider averaging 49 km/hr will finish in 9min 18 sec.
Results:
May 20, Sunday, Stage 1: Giulianova - Francavilla al Mare. 197 km. This is not an easy stage. In fact, almost unrelenting might be a better word for it. Leaving Giulianova on the coast, the route heads straight into the Gran Sasso Mountains to the the Valico (valley) di Capannelle (1299 meters) with the mountains prize at the Colle dal Capraro (1320 meters) at km 66.
This climb entails 464 meters of actual elevation change for the riders. The feed zone follows at km 85. The route then loops back to the east coast of Italy descending and climbing until km 130, reaching an elevation of 849 m at Valico delle Svolte. Then there is a long descent until the climb to the city of Chieti (km 180). My maps show about 10 km of 5% - 6% gradient on the approach to Chieti. They'll go from 45m elevation to 330m at Chieti. Then a 20 km descent to the finish at sea level.
GC after Stage 1:
May 21, Monday, Stage 2: Fossacesia - Lucera. 146 km. This should be a sprinter's romp. After a roll down the Adriatic coast, the ride turns inland (almost due south) and heads for the finish line at Lucera.
There is almost no gradient change except for the end. For about 30 meters before Lucera, the road rises from about 100 meters to 219 meters at Lucera, then dips back down to 135 meters elevation with a circuit back to Lucera at 219 meters.
There should be nothing here to stop Cipollini or the other speedsters from having their way with the pack. There is no Mountains sprint in this stage. The feed zone is at km 93.
Corrected GC after 2nd Stage:
May 22, Tuesday, Stage 3: Lucera - Potenza. 146 km. This stage shows why some riders believe that riding the Giro is more exhausting than riding any other race.
The relentless hills just grind away the the rider's reserves. There are six climbs, including the last kilometers into Potenza (761 meters). The Mountains climb is at km 114 (770 meter). The race starts at 1:15 PM in Lucera, elevation 218 m.
They should finish about 5:00 PM in Potenza (761m), region of Basilicata. Basilicata (or Lucania as it is otherwise known) is a wild, mountainous area. This is the farthest south the Giro goes.
Stage 3 results
GC after Stage 3.
May 23, Wednesday, Stage 4: Potenza - Montevergine di Mercogliano. 172 km. The first hilltop finish. This is one of the tougher stages of the Giro, taking the pack through the mountains just east of Vesuvius. I remember thinking how tough this area is when I visited it with Mondonico last year.
They should depart Potenza (675 meters) at 12:25 PM local time. At km 25 is the first Mountains (GPM) climb, the Valico di Pietrastretta (839 meters, 7 km at 4.75%). I cannot find this name on my maps. I can only find the "Marmo" which is listed as the name of the climb in most of the official Giro literature I can find.
Heading almost due west towards the sea and the city of Salerno, they get to almost sea level, and just before Salerno, they get a feed (km 93). Then after passing through Salerno, they head due north with 2 more GPM climbs to come: Celzi (500 meters at kilometer 132) and the mountaintop finish at Montevergine di Mercogliano (11.5 km at 4.68%). They should arrive between 5:00 and 5:30 PM, local time.
Stage 4 Results:
GC after 4th Stage.
May 24, Thursday, Stage 5: Avellino - Nettuno. 226 km. This is a relatively flat stage with one Mountains climb (GPM), at km 136, but this climb rises to only 268 meters. The stage wanders in the valleys just north of Naples, passing by Vesuvius.
It eventually joins the ancient Roman road, the "Appian Way" as it heads north to the finish at Nettuno, just a few kilometers east of Anzio on the Tirrenian Coast. The feed zone is at km 114.
Gilberto Simoni with Marco Pantani close by
Results:
GC after stage 5. I don't see any changes that matter.
May 25, Friday, Stage 6: Nettuno - Rieti. 153 km. Starting from Nettuno on the coast (20m) at 1:25 PM the riders will head just about due north. There is some climbing on this stage, but nothing that should affect the overall race.
The race will pass through just to the west of the Alban Hills, but will get a Mountains climb (GPM) at Km 34 at Albano Laziale (400m). As they pass the Alban hills they will go by Castel Gandolfo, the summer home of the pope and go by Rome sitting to the east of the race route. Then they will pass Tivoli, home of Roman Emperor Hadrian's Villa at km 70.
There's lots of history on this stage. While the rest of the route is through fairly hilly country, the designers of the stage resisted the lure to include some of the potential climbs along the way. They should arrive at Rieti (385m) about 5:00 PM local time. The race does three 4.4 km circuits at Rieti before the finish.
The sprinters should know the route by then. No excuses for bad timing on this stage. Interestingly, Rieti is considered the geographical center of Italy.
Results for Stage 6
GC after Stage 6.
May 26, Saturday, Stage 7: Rieti - Montevarchi. 238 km. This is the longest stage of the Giro. Once again, the race planners have avoided the temptation to make the racers climb. Today's route goes through some very hilly country, passing all the way through Umbria and ending in Chianti country in Tuscany, yet there is only one real climb.
Leaving Reiti (405m), the route travels through the valleys passing the hilltop town of Todi at km 76. The hard approach to Todi is the only climb I found in Umbria where a 23 wasn't enough. But, the pack will just go by, missing that charming little slope, sort of followng the Tiber River for a while. At km 108, they get a feed. Then it cuts a bit to the west and heads for the south shore of Lake Trasimen (the north shore of which was the scene of Hannibal's massacre of the Roman army, but I digress...) After a nearly dead flat run from the west shore of the lake, they head north.
The race is in Tuscany now. They jump on a Superstrada west headed towrds Siena. A superstrada is a divided highway rated just below Italy's best toll roads, the Autostrada. Then, they get on one of those little tiny Tuscan roads in classic, beautiful Chianti country. This road appears to have the easiest approach to the finish at Montevarchi. But, not so fast sprinters... There's a climb from 200m to 834m at km 222 in the way with a Mountain Prize (GPM). Then a descent into Montevarchi ( 144m).
I don't think you'll see Quaranta in the fight for this stage. This long stage starts at 10:35 AM and could end as late at 5:30 PM local time.
Results for stage 7:
GC after Stage 7
May 27, Sunday, Stage 8: Montecatini Terme - Reggio Emilia, 179 km. Time to go to work. Starting at Montecatini (38m), the stage just goes up and over the Appennines to land in Reggio Emilia on the Po Plain, the agricultural flatland that skirts the Appennines. Heading north out of the city at 12:10 pm, the climbing starts almost immediately.
I have ridden this road and it almost broke my legs. At km 58, they reach the first serious summit of the day at Abetone. It's a Mountains points (GPM) climb rated as being 12 km of climbing with an average gradient of 5%. But even just out of Montecatini, there are gradients of over 12%. They continue to wind through the Appennines riding on little roads that continually rise and fall. There is another GPM climb at km 139 (Castello di Carpeneti) that's about 6 km of 8.2% climbing. They then descend into Reggio Emilia (58m).
This isn't the high Alps or Dolomites, but it offers no rest. I see lots of opportunistic break attempts, maybe even a bit of real testing by the GC contenders. You can bet Frigo's Fassa Bortolo boys will be working hard on this stage trying to keep their boy in pink.
Results for stage 8:
GC after Stage 8. Some Changes...
May 28, Monday, Stage 9: Reggio Emilia - Rovigo, 144 km. This is a dead-flat rip across the Po River Plain. While this is one of the richest agricultural regions in the world, it has little in the way of landmarks to note.
They'll depart at 1:40 PM and should arrive in Rovigo around 5:00 PM. They'll do an extra circuit around the town. Rovigo is situated about 50 kilometers east of the Adriatic Coast and about 40 kilomoerters dead south of Padua, one of the bicycle building capitals of the world.
I'm sure that Saeco and Allexia and perhaps Lotto will try to keep everything together for a sprint finish. While I'm sure that ONCE and Azevedo would like to test the legs of Frigo and his tired team, and try for those 3 seconds, I don't think the sprinters' teams will allow anything to get away. Cipollini doesn't race for second.
Results:
GC after Stage 9:
May 29, Tuesday, Stage 10: Lido di Jesolo - Ljubljana (Slovenia) , 198 km. This should be another's sprinter's fest. It starts out in Lido di Jesolo, a coastal town just a few kilometers northeast of Venice.
The route follows the curve of the Gulf of Trieste at the top of the Adriatic Sea. For the first 98 kilomoters, it is at about sea level and dead flat. As the route curves south it climbs a bit, to 245 meters at Prosecco, the scene of the GPM climb, at km 112. This is just before reaching Trieste. Just a few kilometers before hitting Trieste, the race turns inland as it crosses the border into Slovenia. It heads east and northeast to Ljubljana in Slovenia with a mild ascent until kilometer 158 at Postojna.
There are some switchbacks out of Postojna after km 158, but they are descents in the 4% - 7% range. I don't think there is anything that will cause the sprinters any real grief in this stage.
Results:
GC after Stage 10. No important changes.
May 30, Wednesday, Stage 11: Bled (Slovenia) - Gorizia, 190 km. I didn't get it very right on Stage 10. The sprinters got nothing. This stage is a long haul in the Carnic Alps. Starting at Bled (504 m) at 12:15 PM in Slovenia (my maps still say Yugoslavia) they head east and cross into Italy at km 43.
While they are climbing steadily so that they are at 850 meters by km 43, I don't see any of the dreaded hash marks on the road maps of this part of the route that indicate a gradient over 4%. When they head south from Tarviso (km 50, in Italy) they head back into Slovenia for the Passo del Predil (1156 m) at km 58, the 1st GPM climb. This has some steep sections, but it is early in the stage. Then, a southerly descent, passing Kobarid.
When this was part of the Austrian Empire, Kobarid was known as Caporetto,and the scene of a famous and important victory in WWI over the Italians by the then unknown Irwin Rommel. Just before the entry into Gorizia, in Italy again, they take a detour to wander in some hills just north of the city and climb the Collio at Vrhovlje (392m) at km 142 for the second GPM climb, and maybe to look for some vowels. Then about 35 km of descent into Gorizia, with a second circuit to the finish. It should end about 5:00 PM local time.
Results: Another break got away. Lastras-Garcia's attack at the end was masterful.
GC after Stage 11. Still no changes.
May 31, Thursday, Stage 12: Gradisca - Montebelluna, 136 km. A nice friendly, flat stage, reasonably short before the ferocious stage in the high mountains on Friday.
They basically double back on roads just a bit to the north of the ones they did in stage 10. They will leave about 1:50 PM. and head east. They will pass thorugh charming town Conigliano, home of Modolo bars and stems, at km 103 and finally arrive at Montebelluno about 5:00 PM. Italian towns that have names that contain "Monte" or "Rocca" should be viwed with respect by cyclists.
I'm sure the riders will be able to see the high mountains from their hotels that evening and be able to contemplate their date with destiny. No GPM climbs this stage.
Results:
GC after Stage 12: Simoni moves up!
June 1, Friday, Stage 13: Montebelluna - Passo Pordoi, 224 km. C'e il Pordoi, Il Giro chiama i grandi (Here's the Pordoi, the Giro calls the great ones) is the headline from La Gazzetta Dello Sport. This is the mountain stage we've been waiting for.
This stage has 4 major climbs, and it is very long at 224 km. Because of the difficulty of the terrain, the organizers are predicting an average speed of betwen 30 and 34 kph. Leaving Motebulluno (109m) at 9:55 AM the route goes up the Piave River Valley, then turns off and heads west and then almost due north again. They will circle south of the Croce D'Aune by going through Fonzaso at km 46. By km 70, they're at Siror (765). From here on, the climbing gets serious. At points, the road looks like a picture of intestines, with all the switchbacks., finally arriving at Passo Rolle (1989 m elevation, 23.1 km at 5.5%, max gradient 10%, 1272 meters of vertical gain). They then continue to wind their way north.
Then the Passo Pordoi (at 2239m, 12.1 km averaging 6.4% with a maximum gradient of 10%. Total elevation gain is 774 m). This isn't enough. They circle around counter-clockwise on the map and head around to the Marmolada with the Passo Fedaia (2057m, 13.7km, averaging 7.7%, but the last 6 km are at 9% with parts at 18%, a total elevation gain of 1059m). Then a return for a hill top finish at the Passo Pordoi.
Depending on the speed of the stage, it can end somewhere between 4:30 PM and 5:30 PM local time.
If I can tear myself from the TV, I'll do some live updates. But, we've got 15 superb racers all within in about a minute of the lead in GC with a truly epic stage. It won't be that close when it's over. They'll tell stories around the campfire about this stage for ages to come.
Results: 151 riders finished
GC after Stage 13:
June 2, Saturday, Stage 14: Cavalese - Arco, 163 km. This stage doesn't have the mythic proportions of stage 13, but it will be tough. Leaving Cavalese (1000 m) at 12:35 PM, they head east and join the famous road from Austria into Italy, the Brenner Pass, following the Adige River until Trent (Trento).
In this region, cities often have two names, because many of the people speak German. At Trent, they turn off and head for Monte Bondone (1650m, 19.5 km, average gradient 7.5%, maximum gradient 13%, 1457m of elevation gain). Then they head down to the northern tip of Lake Garda and at the town of Arco they loop around to the east to catch the Santa Barbara (1165m, 13 km, 7.3% average gradient, maximum gradient of 23%!!!!, 951 m elevation gain). Then, they continue the loop back to the city of Arco (86m). Both climbs, Bondone and Santa Barbara are GPM climbs.
Gilberto Simoni in pink
Results:
GC after Stage 14:
Mountains Leader: Fredy Gonzalez (Selle Italia)
Points Leader: Masssimo Strazzer (Mobilvetta)
Intergiro Leader: Massimo Strazzer (Mobilvetta)
June 3, Sunday, Stage 15: Sermione Terme - Salo', 55 km individual time trial. This stage circles around the southwest end of Lake Garda, north of Mantua and east of Milan.
Starting at the end of a narrow peninsula stickng into Lake Garda at 10:50 AM, the last rider should should arrive in Salo around 5:00 PM, local time.The promoters are expecting average speed of between 46 kph (1hr 12.5min) and 50 kph (1hr 6.5min). On the map below, there are three points labeled "RC". These are the time-check points.
Can Dario Frigo pull out enough time from a determined Simoni? We'll also be able to see how Kaiser Jan is progressing in his build-up to the Tour.
Results:
I think Simoni's comment says it all: "The Pink Jersey is magic!" He and Frigo out time-trialed two of the finest living crono-specialists, Olano and Honchar.
GC after Stage 15:
Climber (GPM): Fredy Gonzalez (Selle Italia)
Points: Massimo Strazzer (Mobilvetta)
Intergiro: Massimo Strazzer (Mobilvetta)
June 4, Monday, Stage 16: Erbusco - Parma, 131 km. Not quite pan flat, but awfully close. It starts out at 1:05 PM in the little town of Erbusco (195m). We are now a few kilometers to the west of Sunday's stage, on the main route between Torino, Milan and Venice.
If you look on the road map below, Bergamo is the city to the west of Erbusco, on the way to Milan. The race goes east a little bit to find the only elevation change around, going from 185m to 238m at Torbiato for the day's GPM prize. Then, they head south across the Po River Plain to end in Parma at 4:30 for a probable sprint finish.
Results:
GC after Stage 16:
Climber (GPM): Fredy Gonzalez (Selle Italia) And wearing Vittoria Shoes!
Points: Massimo Strazzer (Mobilvetta)
Intergiro: Massimo Strazzer (Mobilvetta)
June 5, Tuesday: Rest Day
June 6, Wednesday, Stage 17: San Remo Circuito dei Fiori, 138 km. Back to work, boys. The rest day entailed a long transfer, which the racers hate. The stage starts and ends in the city of San Remo (13m elevation) on the Italian Riviera.
They roll out of town at 2:05 PM local time. They head down the coast in the direction of France and turn north into the hills at km 14.6. They climb to 900 m at Baiardo (km 35.4) for the first of 2 GPM climbs. Then they head south back to San Remo. Then, they head east on the coast and then north into the hills, climbing the famed Poggio hill the other way than they do in the Spring classic.
Looping up to the Passo di Ghimbegna (898m) for the second of the day's GPM climbs at km 88, they then head back down the same road to San Remo that they used when the returned from Baiardo to San Remo the first time. They should arrive abut 5:00 as usual, local time.
This stage is no cakewalk, but I don't see Frigo prying any of those precious 15 seconds from Simoni on this stage. Tougher stuff is coming Thursday. Much, much tougher stuff.
Results:
GC after Stage 17:
Mountains: Fredy Gonzalez (Selle Italia)
Points: Massimo Strazzer (Mobilvetta)
Intergiro: Massimo Strazzer (Mobilvetta)
June 7, Thursday, Stage 18: Imperia - Santa Anna di Vinadio, 234 km. Cancelled after San Remo drug raid revealed massive doping within the Giro pelton.
June 8, Friday, Stage 19: Alba - Busto Arsizio, 184 km. Unless you believe in miracles, it doesn't seem likely that there will be any GC change today. It's not completely flat, but about as close as you can come as they cross the eastern Po River plain, also crossing the Ticino and several other rivers.
They leave Alba (172m) at 1:05 PM Italian local time and just head northeast towards Milan. They managed find a rise to 260 meters elevation at km 45, and they call that the GPM climb for the day.They should arrive at Busto Arsizio around 5:00 PM for three circuits of 5 kms each.
Tourists will recognize this name because it's the off-ramp to go to Malpensa airport. It should be a great day for racing. The weather is forecast to be sunny, 82F (28C) with the wind at just 2mph (3kph) from the north.
Results:
GC after Stage 19: Olano picks up a few seconds by being in the front group. Frigo was booted from Giro as a result of the San Remo drug raid on Wednesday.
Mountains: Fredy Gonzalez (Selle Italia)
Points: Massimo Strazzer (Mobilvetta)
Intergiro: Massimo Strazzer (Mobilvetta)
June 9, Saturday, Stage 20: Busto Arsizio - Arona, 188 km. Starting in Busto-Arsizio (226m) at noon, this route take the race into the hill bordering Lake Maggiore. They've put in a double loop to take the Mottarone twice. It was intended by the race designers that the outcome of the race would be in doubt until this decisive stage.
The events of the past few days have given Simoni an almost sure thing. As they head up into the lake counrty, the road rises a little. By km 45 (the little town of Miasino), they are at 367 meters and turn off onto the road to the Mattarone at km 67 (1389 m, 8.2% average gradient, 14% maximum, 10.6 km long, 866m elevation gain) for the first GPM climb. Then, down the west side of Lake Maggiore to Arona (223m), then back around to the Mottarone (they'll hit it at km 139 this time) again for the second GPM climb. Then a very slightly different route back to Arona. The feed is at km 116.
Weather forecast for Novara, a few kilometers southeast of Busto-Arsizio is 80F (27C) and partly cloudy. It looks like there may be rain on Sunday for the finale in Milan.
Results
GC after Stage 20:
June 10, Sunday, Stage 21: Arona - Milan, 124 km. The final stage. Barring serious misfortune, the race is decided. Simoni has a lock on GC, Strazzer owns the Points and Intergiro and Fredy Gonzalez with his beautiful Vittoria Shoes will win the Mountain (GPM) contest. It's not a long stage.
They'll start at 1:55 PM in Arona on the shore of Lake Maggiore and head almost due southeast into Milan. It's pretty flat. When in Milan, they'll do 10 circuits around of 6.2 km each around the big, hulking Sforza Castle and the Sempione Park. A nice Criterium finsh that should end in a blaze of speed.
But....rain is forecast in Milan for Sunday. 79F (26C), and almost no wind are predicted. They should finish about 5:00 PM Italian local time (That's 8:00 AM PDT).
Results:
Updated May 18
Alessio: Ivan Gotti, Endrio Leoni
Alexia: Pascal Herve, Ivan Quaranta
Bonjour: Damien Nazon, Jean Cyril Robin
Cantina Tollo: Danilo Di Luca
Panaria: Vladimir Douma
Telekom: Jan Ullrich, Erik Zabel, Giuseppe Guerini, Danilo Hondo, Kevin Livingston
Fassa Bortolo: Francesco Casagrande, Dario Frigo, Wladimir Belli, Dimitri Konyshev
IBanesto: Leonardo Piepoli
Kelme
Lampre: Gilberto Simoni, Oscar Camenzind, Max Sciandri
Liquigas: Sergei Hontchar, Davide Rebellin
Lotto: Jeroen Blijlevens, Rik Verbrugghe
Mapei: Paolo Bettini, Stefano Garzelli, Manuel Beltran, Andrea Noe
Mercatone-Uno: Marco Pantani, Marco Velo, Simone Borgheresi
Mobilvetta
ONCE: Abraham Olano, Jan Hruska
Saeco: Mario Cipollini, Mirko Celestino, Laurent Dufeaux, Paolo Savoldelli
Selle Italia Pacific: Hernan Buenahora
Tacconi Sport: Gianluca Bortolami, Eddy Mazzoleni
Team Colpack
I have asked a few of my friends who they think will win the Giro.
Chairman Bill
Pink Jersey: 1st Pantani, 2nd Casagrande, 3rd Garzelli. I know everyone is looking at Casagrande as the man to beat. And, as the World No.1, he is. Also, he is highly motivated. In all the interviews he gives, it is clear that Casagrande replays the 2000 Giro and his near win in his mind over and over and over. He also has a superb team. Barring misfortune, he will be on the Podium.
Garzelli has it all. He can climb, and time trial, and read a race well. He is just coming into form. His team, Mapei, is not as well suited for Grand Tours, but they are no pushovers.
Pantani, however, can leave everyone open-mouthed when he launches an attack in the mountains. Remember last year, how he was able to turn in some spectacular performances on very poor preparation? In the last week of the 2000 Giro, he had to wait for Garzelli at least once. With three mountain-top finishes in this year's Giro, he is capable of putting real time on the competition. Also he is one of the peloton's most skilled descenders. He has a very loyal team designed to do one thing, get a man to Milan or Paris in the winner's jersey. Since 1998, they have done it 3 times. Add a reasonable time-trial ability that allows him to limit his losses and you have a man that can win this race. One more thing to add to this. Pantani is furious at his exclusion from the Tour. I'm sure he would love to give Leblanc a figurative "Ted Williams Salute" from the Winner's Podium in Milan.
But... as Antonio notes below, there is a joker in the deck. If Ullrich finds himself in Pink after the 55 kilometer individual time trial on stage 15, a distinct possiblity, he could then go for the Giro-Tour double. He insists that he is just riding the Giro for training. Is he sandbagging us? If Ullrich races to win, then the 3rd week of the Giro will turn into the greatest week of bike racing in modern history.
Green Jersey (mountains): Like Antonio below, I give this to Danilo Di Luca. This is, of course, dependent on Cantina Tollo team management keeping the women from trying to break down "Handsome Dan's" hotel room door, so that he can get some rest between stages. Some guys have real problems.
Cyclamen Jersey (Points): I give this Cipollini. Giro management has shown a willingness to overlook his cheating to get over the hills. Since he will be watching the Tour on TV, he will be very motivated to make the Giro his.
Celestino Vercelli (7-time Giro finisher and owner of Vittoria Shoes)
Celestino had seen my predictions and is referring to my above comments.
Pink Jersey: 1st Pantani, 2nd Simoni, 3rd Casagrande. I believe your predictions are right, and your reasoning is the same as mine.
I visited Marco Pantani in Cesenatico two weeks ago and found him absolutely determined to have a great season this year. Too many bad things have given him a great will of revenge (rivincita in Italian).
Pantani said, referring to the Giro, "This is a very important test. I have the possibility to demonstrate to all, adversaries, critics, public, that Pantani "is". In the next Giro I will begin, maybe with suffering. But, I am sure that all my work in preparation will bear fruit - I will run against myself."
Also, speaking with Mr. Giuseppe Martinelli, team manager of Mercatone-Uno, comforted me. Martinelli told me: "Marco has been thinking about the Giro from November. His mind is very focused. In the last month he looked very good. All the team is very close to him and this is very important for his morale. I saw some flashes of lightening in his last training sessions..."
Marco Pantani is also the favorite of Alfredo Martini of the Italian National Team.
Maybe logic says Casagrande, Garzelli, Simoni, Pantani in the first 4 places, but my podium is Pantani, Simoni, Casagrade for the same reasons you give about the last week in the Giro.
Green Jersey (Mountains) 1st Casagrande, 2nd Pantani or Simoni
Cyclamen Jersey (Points) 1st Cipollini, 2nd Quaranta
Antonio Mondonico
Pink Jersey: Casagrande. He has shown incredible strength and power in the races from middle April to the start of May. He decided to stop racng for two weeks just before the start of the Giro. This means that he wants to avoid arriving at the third week of the Giro out of gas, which happened last year.
Green Jersey (mountains): Di Luca, if he gets knocked out of the fight for the podium.
Cyclamen Jersey (points): Cipollini, since he is probably out of the Tour, so he will fight really hard to try to finish the race and make it to Milan.
Of course, it will be an incredible race with so many important riders ready to show their good condition. But, the race is so long, and 3 weeks is very hard to handle.
Then, I think there is a big uncertainty: Mr. Ullrich. If he finds himself in good shape, staying in the front for the first ten days, and he decides not to retire, thinking of the Tour, then he will be a very hard competitor for the Pink Jersey. But, in the end, I think the Tour is the crucial event of the season for him and he will come to the Giro just to find the right condition.
Paolo Guerciotti, former Cyclocross Champion of Italy:
Pink Jersey: 1st: Francesco Casagrande, he is the strongest. 2nd: Dario Frigo who recently won Paris-Nice and Tour of Romandie. 3rd: Danilo DiLuca, who won the amateur Giro two years ago and is a very young, powerful rider. 4th: Jan Ullrich.
Green Jersey (mountains): Perhaps Wladimir Belli.
Cyclamen (points): I haven't given this much thought, perhaps Ivan Quaranta.
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