Giro d’Italia 2012 – First Rest Day, but now there’s a misnomer; ‘rest day.’ But ‘day to facilitate huge transfer which we have to carry out after our money spinning exercise in Denmark‘ doesn’t quite roll off the tongue as easily. Let’s go back to the reason the UCI introduced two rest days into Grand Tours, along with regulations to govern stage and total race lengths.
There’s a clue in the name, ‘rest’ – it was part of a raft of measures designed to lessen the stresses and strains on the riders.
Read; ‘stop them having to kit up.’
But rest days have now become a vehicle for crazy transfers.
The race has hardly started, a prologue and two pan flat stages is hardly going to have worn anyone out.
And the second rest day isn’t for almost two weeks, not next Monday, but the one after.
I suppose the argument could be that they’ll really appreciate that one.
The riders don’t like transfers by air – buses and trains they can live with, but flying and the reduced cabin air pressures cause fluid to gather in the muscles.
Really what’s required after a flight is a couple of easy days to loosen the legs.
Not a death or glory 20 mile team time trial conducted at close to team pursuit speeds.
When riders’ legs are exploding tomorrow, they won’t be thanking anyone for the ‘rest day.’
And don’t worry, Cav gets a mention.
Being up north for a few days, I’ve not had time to sit and study all the images online.
But there is a side on shot of Cav in the Independent, this morning – his shorts are all but gone and the colour of his thigh matches his red sprint leader’s jersey.
That was a ‘sore one’ – you can’t loose that much skin and it not hurt.
But like Vik says, it comes with the territory.
The TTT – hard to call, Garmin and Liquigas are the masters and Sky have some big horsepower.
But something says, ‘BMC’ to me.
