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Giro d'Italia, Italy

Stage 1, Reggio Calabria - Tropea, 208K

8 May

Dust Devil's Daily Wrap
I would have bet my entire life savings

Stage List, Dust Devil's Daily Wrap

Paolo Bettini in Liège, photo: Capture-The- Peloton.com

I would have bet my entire life savings on the outcome of this race. But luckily I hadn't! Il Grillo (Paolo Bettini of Quick-Step) surprised us all in the way only he can! Coming inside 10K to go with the breakaway readily handled, the Fassa Bortolo boys were stomping their authority over everyone. It wasn't quite as textbook a finish as it looked on paper. The massive turn that the bunch went through with about 4K to go under a bridge upset the rhythm of the sprint train a bit. But Bettini's attack foiled everyone and gave me just what I was looking for. David beating Goliath! And Bettini has his first ever Giro d'Italia stage win and first Maglia Rosa of his career! With his fast finishing style he could keep it for a few days.

Wow! I'm excited by the prospect of upsets and surprises in this years Giro d'Italia. Already the race is very exciting. Admittedly, the thought of enduring seven or eight of the stages with Petacchi winning everything, had me a little less than enthusiastic. But, for the Double D, a really great race isn't necessarily about seeing the strongest guy win, it's about seeing the smartest, most clever guy fighting tooth and nail to the end!
The Dust Devil