Riding upto the start in Napoli , on Saturday , Cameron Wurf , had me for company . As we parted , i reminded him that Dave Mc Kenzie had made a name for himself when he made a Lone Breakaway about a decade before !That day Dave rode the bulk of that Stage alone , building to a 16 minute lead at one point . As he passed through the Finish line the first time , he was still 11 minutes clear and was still 7 minutes ahead of the Peloton as he took the victory that Saturday .
Cameron took the fight to the final 12 kms before deciding to ride for his team sprinter's train , and thus the Cannondale team were able to put Elia Viviani in the top 3 , at the hard faught sprint finish ..Once again the bulk of the Peloton was delayed by a crash in the last kilometres of the race .
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/giro-ditalia-wurf-tries-to-beat-the-odds-in-naples
At one point the Orico Team looked set for the victory , but Brett Lancaster decided , unwisely i thought , to take a Solo Sprint ! That failed and i am sure it reduced the horsepower that the team needed to deliver Gossy to the line , he faded to 5th . Standing opposite the 300m mark i was not only able to see the final stretch but also the big screen . Standing with me was Gary , a Calafornian that i first met many Giros past , Betty stayed in the shade . Water filled bollards are a few feet tall so we were both above the heads of those around us , which ensured an unobscured view of all that was happening .
As Cameron rode the first of the shortened circuits i was able to holler " AUSSIE ;Aussie aussie " at him , but whether he hear remains to be discovered since he was very focused on the road as he rode past .
The earlier part of the day , started with me making my first circuits at 6am . There were a few people sleeping in that would later discover their cars towed , since the Polizia Municipale , were busy issuing the orders needed , for the towtrucks to earn their fees . About 7ish , i started to see a few other Cyclists , making an effort to discover the exact route that the racers would use later in the day . I too made the mistake of following signs which took me to the Tangenziale , which will help me later as i leave Napoli on the way south .
About 9.30 , i linked up with Gianni Motta , whom i was with on Thursday , to ride to the Start Village and thus meet up with the Banko Medlianum Clients that would join the Group Ride with Maurizio Fondriest and Francesco Moser . Going up the climbs Francesco set his usual fierce pace , thus causing many of the clients to scream for relief . that Gianni Motta was not pushing so hard would have suited them , though the " Vittoria Team Car , did give Gianni a pull for a few hundrer metres . Second time around thre course , saw many head for the barn or Start Village . When i eventually got through riding with the racers to the sign on , i was hailed by Gary , who was sittingh eating Lunch with Betty , in a Cafe close to the Start Line . Betty had been eating a Vegatarian Pizza , that together with a Peroni Beer , set me up for the afternoon.
Gary since arriving in Europe prior to the Northern Classics , has suffered a Medical Problem that required a week in Hospital and then recently , a pinched neck nerve has seen to his Cycling Enjoyment , being non existant . Betty has done little Cycling alone but i am sure now that we are in the warmer climes , they will both be back on the road .
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