This years Giro d’ Italia has been an excellent race, Ivan Basso has really proven his abilities. No rider out of the 200 plus field has come even close to challenging him. Expect all eyes to be on Basso this July when the “big race” gets started in Strasbourg. As the Giro wraps up this weekend in Milan Italy tour reporters, television media and bloggers around the world focus on two “preparation races” which will then lead the pro peloton to the Tour de France.
The Dauphine Libere gets under way a week from Sunday in France, often referred to as a “mini” Tour de France this years addition has several famous climbs including the Galibier and Mont Ventoux (image on the left). This years addition will be exciting and will give cycling fans a chance to catch up on American riders like David Z, Floyd Landis and George Hincapie who have not raced in weeks as they have been preparing for the Tour in July.
George recently posted to his site:
“My shoulder is healing and I’m feeling better every day. I am still rehabbing my shoulder, but I’m encouraged by my progress so far. I’ve been riding well this week and I’m anxious to get back to racing my bike. I’ve been training at altitude in the Pyrenees for the last 5 days to get ready for the Dauphine and the Tour. The Pyrenees are beautiful this time of year, if you ever get to visit. If you do, maybe I’ll see you on the road.”
Ciao,
GeorgeFloyds Blog mentions:
That he is focused on the tour and preparation continues as he in in the Pyrenees with teammates Santiago Betero and Koos Moerenhout. They are have focused on stage 11 in particular that features some tricky decents that could be pivotal in this years Tour de France.
The official website for the Dauphine Libere is located here.
The finial day of the Dauphine is also the first day of the slightly longer Tour de Suisse (9 stages I believe) and is also used by many pro tour riders as a preparation race for the Tour de France. Then Tour de Suisse website can be located here. The site has some color graphics on the into page however their is no english version of the site, ugh.
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