While doing some page cleanup last night, I came across this headline:
“Ricardo Ricco was not planning to ride in the TdF, but got called up after Saunier Duval-Scott teammate Jose Angel Gomez Marchante fell ill.  The rest of the team will be Juan José Cobo (Sp) , Jesus del Nero (Sp), Alberto Fernandez de la [...]

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It’s Friday. The 13th Stage. Not exactly Friday the 13th, but certainly an unlucky day for the Saunier-Duval Scott team as they fire Leonardo Piepoli for “doping practices.” With yesterday’s departure of Ricardo Ricco and the subsequent withdrawl of the entire team from the race, the future of this team seems doomed.
Piepoli, along with teammate [...]

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There’s not a whole lot of actual racing going on right now. Seems that everyone is resting and training for the Tour de France. Here’s some headlines:

Yahoo Sports notes that the French anti-doping agency has already tested about 30 riders prior to the start of the Tour and that an addtional 20 to 30 riders [...]

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This is a very hilly stage with 4 significant climbs, the largest of which is Monte Carpegna. This climb peaks at the 108 km mark, but the climbing starts about 20 km before that. There will be little opportunity for the riders to sit up and take a break today.
Three riders did not start this [...]

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The Americans had their moment in the sun yesterday, but the Italians are back in control at the Giro.
The day started with the news that Igor Astarloa (Milram) dropped out of the race with intestinal issues.
The first escape of the stage race went to Dioniso Galparoso (Euskatel-Euskadi). He built up a lead of 1 minute [...]

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