I recently returned from two grueling weeks in Italy attending a conference, conducting two seminars at a university, and visiting ruins, statues, and volcanoes.

The daily reporting on TV of the Giro d'Italia is amazing! Each evening, there was a recap of that day's race and they showed the important events time and time again and discussed it over and over again. Somewhat akin to
our analyzing the Indians or Tigers win at baseball that day.

Two days were particularly interesting to me and they both involve Pantani. One day I watched as someone from the crowd on an uphill, leaned out and whacked Pantani on the shoulder. He reacted by swerving across the road and nearly taking down another rider! I've never understood how these crazies can run alongside the world's top riders and not knock them down!

The other event was more awe inspiring. Toward the end of the day's 180 km race, there was an uphill that included the last 20 km or so. At about 20 km out, Pantani pulled off the road as the peloton whoosed by. He had trouble with his back wheel. The team car pulled up, the mechanic was out to help him, but I think Pantani fixed it himself - looked like the chain was jammed (I thought I was the only one to do that!). He got back on the bike, the mechanic pushed him along to get him going, and then there ahead of him were about five of his teammates. They lead him back up to the pack. I saw these domestiques gradually dropping off the front and they couldn't hold on to the back of the line (like me on TOSRV this year) after their pull at the front. Pantani then went through the pack and when he got to the front, he went off the front - by himself - to chase down a few (including the evil Jalabert) who had taken off when they heard that Pantani had trouble. Well, he caught them all, Jalabert was the last. He pushed right past Jalabert without Jalabert even trying to catch the wheel. Pantani went on to win with minute or two ahead of Jalabert, et. al. (And they were probably going as fast up that mountain as I do on the flats - when I feel good - and a slight tailwind.)

I only wish we got coverage like that here in the US. And I wish I could understand Italian!

ciao,

Richard (Past MVW member) DeLombard

p.s. Just wait til you see Joe [Dollman]'s new Italian jersey with "Colnago" on it! Now he will be so fast he won't drop off the pack quite so fast (SORRY, JOE, I JUST HAD TO SAY IT!)