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Il Giro d'Italia 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006: Fanta Giro d'Italia


















Colle delle Finestre











































The best stages of the Giro :
24/5/2006

Lance Armstrong official website ; Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) : Austin, TX, USA, 18/09/1971 ; 1.77 m ; 75.0 kg ; professionist since 1992; Tour de France : 1st in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005; World Championships road race : 1st in 1993 ; San Sebastian Classic : 1st in 1995 ; Grand Prix of the Nations : 1st in 2000 ; Flèche Wallonne : 1st in 1996 ; Dauphiné Libéré : 1st in 2002 and 2003 ; GP du Midi Libre : 1st in 2002 ; Tour of Switzerland : 1st in 2001 ; GP of Atlanta : 1st in 2001 ; US Championships : 1st in 1993 ; GP Eddy Mercks : 1st in 2000 ; Tour of Luxembourg : 1st in 1998

Jan Ullrich official website : Rostock, Germany, 02/12/1973 ; 1.83 m ; 73.0 kg ; professionist since 1995 ; palmares : Tour de France : 1st in 1997, 2nd in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 3rd in 2005 ; Vuelta a Espana : 1st in 1999; World Championship time trial : 1st in 1999 and 2000; Olympics : 1st in 2000; Coppa Agostoni : 1st in 2000; German Championships : 1st in 1997 and 2001 ; Hew Cup : 1st in 1997 ; Tour of Cologne : 1st in 2003; Giro dell'Emilia : 1st in 2001 ; Regio Tour : 1st in 1996

Gilberto Simoni ("Gibo") official site (in French) Fan Club Forum; ^{ref1, ref2} ; Photogallery ; Dutch Fan Club : Palù di Giovo (TN), Italy, 25/08/1971 ; 1.70 m ; 58.0 kg ; professionist since 1984. Palmares : Giro d'Italia 1st in 2001 and 2003, 2nd in 2005, 3rd in 1999, 2000 and 2004, 6 stage victories (Bormio 2000, Arona 2001, Monte Zoncolan, Alpe di Pampeago and Formazza 2003, Corno alle Scale 2004) ; Tour de France : 1 stage victory (Loudenvielle 2003) ; Giro del Trentino : 1st in 2003, 2 stage victories (Arco 1997 and Ronzone 2003) ; Giro del Veneto : 1st in 2004^ref ; Cronoscalata del Mottarone : 1st in 2004 ; Giro dell'Appenino : 1st in 2003 ; Tour of Switzerland : 1 stage victory (Grindlewald 1999) ; Vuelta a Espana : 3 stage victories (1 in 2000; Alto de Abantos 2000); Giro dell'Emilia : 1st in 2000 and 2005 ; Japan Cup : 1st in 2001 ; Tour of Romandy : 1 stage in 2001; Tour of Lombardy : 2nd in 2005; Paris-Tours : 1 stage victory (Mont Faron 2005)

You need Java to see this applet.You need Java to see this applet.

Damiano Cunego (Bocia, Il Serpente) ; Fan Club ; Blog : Verona, Italy, 19/09/1981 ; professionist since 2002. Palmares : Giro d'Italia : 1st in 2004, 4 stage victories (Pontremoli, Montevergine di Mercagliano, Falzes, Bormio 2000) ; Giro del Trentino : 1st in 2004 ; GP Industria e Artigianato : 1st in 2004; Giro dell'Appennino : 1st in 2004 ; Criterium Marco Pantani : 1st in 2004
Ivan Basso : 26/11/1977 ; 1.81 m ; 70.0 kg ; professionist since 1999 ; Palmares : Tour de France : 3rd in 2004, 2nd in 2005, 1 stage victory (2004), Giro d'Italia : 1st in 2006; 4 stage victories (2 in 2005; 4 in 2006)
Paolo Bettini : 01/04/1974 ; 1.68 m ; 58.0 kg ; professionist since 1997. Palmares : Clasica San Sebastian : 1st in 2003; Championship of Zürich : 1st in 2001 ; Tirreno-Adriatico : 1st in 2004 ; Liège-Bastogne-Liège : 1st in 2000 and 2002 ; Milano-San Remo : 1st in 2003; Italian Championship : 1st in 2003 ; Coppa Placci : 1st in 2001 ; Coppa Sabatini : 1st in 2002 ; GP de Suisse : 1st in 2001 and 2005 ; Hew Cup : 1st in 2003 ; Giro del Lazio : 1st in 2002; Giro del Mediterraneo : 1st in 2003 ; Tour des Régions Wallonnes : 1st in 2002 ; Tour des Pouilles : 1st in 1999
Roberto Heras : 21/02/1974 ; 1.72 m ; 59.0 kg ; professionist since 1997 ; Palmares : Vuelta a Espana : 1st in 2000 and 2003 ; Tour de Catalogne : 1st in 2002 ; Bicyclette Basque : 1st in 2004
Paolo Savoldelli :Palmares : Giro d'Italia : 1st in 2002 and 2005, 2nd in 1999
Stefano Garzelli official website : Varese, Italy, 16/07/1973 ; professionist since 1997. Palmares : Giro d'Italia : 1st in 2000, 2nd in 2003, 4 stage victories (Pratonevoso 2002, Terme Luigiane and Terminillo 2003, Presolana 2004) ; Tour of Switzerland 1998 ; Vuelta Aragona : 1st in 2004 ; GP Miguel Indurain : 1st in 1999; GP Industria e Artigianato : 1st in 2002
Richard Virenque : 19/11/1969 ; 1.79 m ; 65.0 kg ; professionist since 1991. Palmares : Paris-Tours : 1st in 2001; Polka dot jersey at Tour de France : 1st in 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
Tyler Hamilton : 01/03/1973 ; 1.72 m ; 67.0 kg ; professionist since 1995 ; Tour of Romandy : 1st in 2003 and 2004 ; Dauphiné Libéré : 1st in 2000, 2nd in 2004 ; Liège-Bastogne-Liège : 1st in 2003 ; Tour du Danemark : 1st in 1999
Aitor Gonzalez : 27/02/1975 ; 1.77 m ; 69.0 kg ; . Palmares : Vuelta a Espana : 1st in 2002
Iban Mayo : 19/08/1977 ;
Michele Bartoli :
Pavel Tonkov : Palmares : Giro d'Italia : 1st in 1996, 2nd in 1997 and 1998
Fabrizio Macchi (WikiPedia)
Fausto Coppi : Giro d'Italia : 1st in 1940, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953; Tour de France : 1st in 1949, 1952

Gino Bartali : Giro d'Italia : 1st in 1936, 1937, 1939; Tour de France : 1st in 1938, 1948, 4th in 1952

Alfredo Binda : Giro d'Italia : 1st in 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1933

A sad story
Italian rider Filippo Simeoni admitted use of EPO at the trial against the Italian physician Dr.Michele Ferrari (whose patients also included Lance Armstrong, Abraham Olano, Fernando Escartín, Mario Cipollini, Ivan Gotti, Paolo Savoldelli, Pavel Tonkov, Tony Rominger, Claudio Chiappucci, Axel Merckx, Beat Zberg, Kevin Livingston, Armand De las Cuevas, Enrico Zaina, Gianni Faresin, Alessandro Bertolini, Gianluca Bortolami, Andreas Kappes, Giorgio Furlan, Daniele Pontoni, Filippo Simeoni (from Sezze), Eddy Mazzoleni), reporting that the physician had showed him how to use Epo without resulting positive at tests. Simeoni was disqualified for 3 months. In an interview to "Le Mond" Armstrong told Simeoni was "a lier and a clown" : Simeoni bring an action against Armstrog for libel. In Tour de France 2004, at stage 18 (Friday July 23; Annemasse - Lons le Saunier), Filippo Simeoni (Domina Vacanze team)  escaped from the group at km 17 to reach the escapees (Flecha, Joly, Garcia Acosta, Fofonov, Mercado and Lotz) : Lance Armstrong (US Postal Services Team) ordered his teammates to stop the Italian rider. As they couldn't fill the gap, he himself went back to Simeoni : once in the group, Armstrong joked Simeoni (by telling him "What a good action !") and told the other 6 riders that until Simeoni would have been in the escape, the T-mobile team would have tried to fill the gap. Simeoni referred Armstrong also told him not to try to rebel as his word would be put  aginst the more powerful Armstrong's word, and with all his money and lawyers he would have destroyed him. Garcia Acosta forced Simeoni to give up and Armstrong accompanied him. Once back in the main group, Simeoni was offended by other Italian riders : Daniele Nardello and Giuseppe Guerini (T-Mobile team), Andrea Peron (CSC team) and Filippo Pozzato (from Fassa Bortolo team). Simeoni was instead encouraged by other riders : Scarponi, Mori, Secchiari, Commesso, and even a rider from Gerolsteiner team. Simeoni's director Vincenzino Santoni revels that at Tour of Georgia, Lance Armstrong to Domina Vacanze's leader Mario Cipollini (another of Dr.Ferrari's patients) to discourage Simeoni from going to the Tour of France and Cipollini tried to force Simeoni not to join the team (Cipollini had already refused Simeoni and Scarponi as teammates in 2004 Giro d'Italia). In stage 20 (Sunday July 25; Montereau - Paris) his team stopped Simeoni agains at km 0 and near Champs Elysees : after the latter stopping Ekimov (Armstrong's teammate) offended Simeoni cuckolding him. Such behaviours were evidently aimed to humiliate Simeoni for his confession about wrong practices in the group. Once in the group the Australian rider Wilson slapped Simeoni for attempting to escape from the group in the final stage but the jury did not take action against Wilson and instead graded Simeoni for the fighting spirit award. After each Tour victory Lance Armstrong received telephonic congratulations from US President George W.Bush (native of Texas as Armstrong), who also used photos of Armstrong's victories in his election campaigns for November 2004 presidential elections : some noted that Armstrong's winning style changed dramatically during the 2004 Tour (more exultation on the finishing line and more stage victories than ever, even when not strictly "necessarily" for overall classification) and suspected he was acting for better photos. According to Alfredo Martini, Armstrong "could manage himself better. He doesn't entered the heart of the large public.". Bernard Hinault told : "With such roads [designed by organizers in the last 6 years] Merckx would have win until [he was] 60!". Organizers' compliance could be partly explained by the opening of a new market fronteer in the USA (e.g. Trek bicycle, Armstrong's sponsor, was also a sponsor othe Tour de France) : pecunia non olet ! Discovery Channel will invest US$ 10 millions for 3-5 years to replace US Postal Service as the main sponsor of the team (possessed by Tailwind Sports) since 2005. Lance Armstrong earns US$ 40 millions a year : his divorce from the wife who gave him3 children costed him US$ 20 millions before he could marry the US pop singer Sheryl Crow, who followed him during all stages of 2004 Tour. During 2004 Tour of France, the organizer's policy was to discard those riders who had been even only just involved (not yet damned !) in doping enquirements : for this reasons Gilberto Simoni's teammates at Saeco team Di Luca and Stefano Casagranda were prevented from riding, but Armstrong's teammate Padrnos was not... Tour de France's director Lebland was forced to send a car before the race to clean the road form doping-related writings to Armstrong with apposite paint and Armstrong was targeted by spectators' spits during Alpe d'Huez mountain time trial on July 21. Just before the 2004 Tour, a journalist from Le Mond and another from The Independent published an enquiry book about Lance Armstrong titled "L.A. Confidential" : Armstrong, his agent Bill Stapleton and his team director Johan Bruyneel took action against the authors at both London and Paris courts but judges condamned him to pay a symbolic € 1 fine for useless engagement of law. Further, during his 6 Tour victories Armstrong gave tremendous distance to his competitors : the second classified was in most cases more than 6 minutes in delay, apart from 2003's Ullrich performance (1 minute delay only). Many rivals joined the Tour after the Giro d'Italia and couldn't compete with Armstrong, whose only engagement of the year was the Tour. According to Prentice Steffen, medical staff leader at US Postal Services before 1997 (and hence before Armstrong's arrival), Marty Jemison e Tyler Hamilton asked him for illicite drugs : a few days after doctor's refusal he was dismissed. The tremendous increase in performance of Armstrong's teammates seen in 2004 Tour strictly resembles that seen in Pantani's teammates in 1998 Tour, followed by the litigation between Pantani and Andrea Tafi about the opportunity to undergo anti-doping tests in the 1999 Giro d'Italia... 

In memory of :

• Marco Pantani ("The Pirate") official website ; Pirata Fan Online ; Cuore Pirata; Il Covo Dei Pirati; Foto Monumento Pantani; Tributo a Marco Pantani; Marco Pantani Fansite; Fondazione Marco Pantani ONLUS ; Marco Pantani xsempre blog: Palmares : Giro d'Italia : 1st in 1998; Tour de France : 1st in 1998, 3rd in 1994 and 1997








Tour de France 2000

• stage 12 : Thursday13 July 2000. Carpentras-Mont-Ventouz (km 149) (1909 m): 21 km at 7.6%
• stage 15 : Sunday 16 July 2000. Draguignan/Briançon-Courchevel (km 168)
• Col du Lautaret (2060 m): 13.6 km al 4.3%
• Col du Galibier (2645 m): 8.4 km al 6.9%
• Col du Télégraphe (1566 m): 4.9 km al 4%
• Col de la Madeleine (2000 m): 19.3 km al 8%
• Montée de Courchevel (2004 m): 17.3 km al 8.1%
• stage 16 : Tuesday 18 July 2000 : Courchevel-Morzine, 196 km, after the rest day.
• Col des Saisies (1650 m): 15.1 km al 6.5%
• Col des Aravis (1498 m): 8.2 km al 6.4%
• Col de la Colombière (1618 m): 11.6 km al 6%
• Col de Chatillon (733 m): 4.9 km al 5.2%
• Col de Joux-Plane (1700 m): 12 km al 8.4%
The stage began after a moment of silence for a 12-year-old boy who died in an accident with a Tour car on July 14. In a fall just after the departure, Marco Pantani and Marcos Serrano are involved : the former restarts immediately, while the other resigns. At 37 km, Robbie McEwen (Farm Frites) made the day's first attack. His move touched off a flurry of attacks and raised the peloton's speed. U.S. Postal Service had to go to the front to restore order. At 53 km, Salvatore Commesso (Saeco) and Javier Pascual Llorente (Kelme) attacked. 6 km later, the pair led by 30 seconds. The 2 had 1:15 on the peloton when they began the ascent of the day's first major climb, the Category 1 Col des Saisies. Marco Pantani (Mercatone Uno) attacked from the peloton (129 km to the arrival !). He took Toni Tauler (Kelme) and Jose Maria Jimenez (Banesto) with him. Pantani dropped his companions and surged toward Commesso and Pascual Llorente. Javier Otxoa (Kelme), Daniel Atienza (Saeco), Jimenez, and Alexander Vinokourov (Telekom) attacked from the peloton. Pantani joined the leading pair; the 3 were 40 seconds ahead of the bunch. Richard Virenque and Pascal Herve (both from Polti) attacked. Dariusz Baranowski (Banesto) and Kelme teammates Santiago Botero and Roberto Heras joined them. The leaders dropped Commesso, while Virenque's group overtook the Italian. Virenque attacked, and only Botero could join him. Jan Ullrich attacked the yellow jersey. He caught the Virenque group just as Pantani dropped Pascual Llorente. Tyler Hamilton led the yellow jersey up to the Ullrich-Virenque group. Fernando Escartin (Kelme) attacked the yellow jersey. U.S. Postal Service brought him back, but Herve attacked and Escartin joined him. The 2 joined Pascual Llorente. Pantani breasted the summit of the Col des Saisies 31" ahead of Escartin, Herve, and Pascual Llorente and 1:04 ahead of the yellow jersey group. On the descent, Pantani waited for the pursuing trio. Moments later, Pascual Llorente was dropped. When Pantani, Escartin, and Herve reached the summit of the Category 2 Col des Aravis, they led the peloton by 1:15. At the feed zone at Le Grand Bornand (118 km), the 3 led the yellow jersey group by 1:05. At the feed zone, Pantani changed bicycles and rejoined his companions. At 125 km, the 3 leaders led the peloton by 1:36. They were on the Col de la Colombiere. U.S. Postal Service, however, began to cut the lead. It was down to 47" on the descent of the Colombiere. As the yellow jersey group descended the Colombiere, Virenque and Botero attacked; Otxoa joined them. Christophe Moreau (Festina) attempted to bridge up to the chasers. Moreau's move sparked an immediate response from the peloton, which reeled in all 7 leaders at 146.5 km. Andrei Kivilev (Ag2R), Didier Rous (Bonjour), and Guido Trentin (Vini Caldirola) attacked the peloton. Pascal Herve lit out after them. U.S. Postal Service, perhaps unwisely, chased. Telekom joined them. Herve gave up and rejoined the peloton, but the break led the bunch by 1:25 at 162 km. 12 km later, the lead was 2:13. At this point, the Tour had reached the Hors Categorie Joux Plane. U.S. Postal Service's pursuit dropped many riders from the yellow jersey group. Marco Pantani and Jan Ullrich were among them. Heras joined U.S. Postal Service at the front. Ullrich got back on. Heras attacked and reeled in Rous, who had been dropped from the leading group. The Kelme rider then passed Kivilev and Trentin to take the lead. Behind, Ullrich dropped Armstrong. Virenque countered and dropped Ullrich. He bridged up to Heras. The 2 cooperated well and appeared set to contest a sprint. With 7 km remaining, the pair were 26 seconds ahead of Ullrich. 2 km later, they were 23 seconds ahead; 2 km later still, they led the Telekom rider by 17". With just over a km to ride, however, Heras took a tight turn too wide and crashed into the barriers. The Kelme rider needed a new bike and settled for third place. Virenque, who faces an October trial because of his alleged involvement in the Festina doping scandal, won his greatest victory since before the scandal. Ullrich solidified his hold on second place overall by taking 1:49 (1'37" + 12" of bonus time) out of Lance Armstrong. "The problem was a bonk," Armstrong said. "I didn't eat enough, and on the last climb I had no energy." Fortunately, the American had 7:30" on Ullrich going into today's stage. More attrition occurred in the peloton. Marcos Serrano and Nicolas Jalabert, both of ONCE, abandoned, as did David Plaza of Festina. 134 of the 177 starters remain in the race. In the overall, Lance Armstrong leads Jan Ullrich by 5:37 and Joseba Beloki (Festina) by 6:38. With the race moving out of the mountains tomorrow, the standings probably will not change. The basically downhill, 155-km stage from Evian-les-Bains to Lausanne, Switzerland will give the climbers a chance to rest their legs, while no-hope long break specialists such as Jacky Durand (Lotto) and Christophe Agnolutto (Ag2R) have a go. Watch 'em give it a try! Marco Pantani, after 80 km of escapee, arrived 13'43" after Virenque. "Marco drunk too much fluids and sugars - told his manager Manuela Ronchi - He couldn't eat solid foods and this caused him an attack of diarrhea". Pantani is now 14th in overall classification 20'46" back from Armstrong.
In fuga (Francesco Baccini)
E ti porto con me
come i giorni di pioggia
a due passi dal mare...
Solo
E il sorriso un pò triste
di quegli occhi in salita
è un ricordo sbiadito...
Ora
Vai... Vai... Vai...
In fuga da tutti noi
Mai... Mai... Mai e poi mai
la pioggia ti fermerà.
E la vita va in fuga
quando scappa di mano
quando il gruppo è lontano...
Sei solo
Vai... Vai... Vai...
In fuga fra tutti noi
Mai... Mai... Mai e poi mai
la pioggia ti bagnerà
E' proprio lui
Guardalo lì
Sembra che dorma
E' fermo lì
Respira o no?
Che brutta fine ha fatto
Guarda lì
Tiralo su
Muovilo un pò
Non serve a niente
Non c'è più
Chissà dov'è?
E' proprio andato via...
Vai... Vai... Vai...
Pirata sei tutti noi
Mai... Mai... Mai e poi mai
La notte ti fermerà!
Pedala Pirata (Pino Casali)
 
• José Maria Jimenez, "El Chava" : forced to retire from cycling in 2001 because of depression, he died of heart failure at the age of 32 in the San Miguel psychiatric hospital in Madrid on Saturday night December 6, 2003. Jimenez won 28 victories with Spanish team Banesto from 1992 to 2001. He was famed for a fearless climbing style and was one of the country's most respected and well loved cyclists of recent times. He saved his best performances for the Tour of Spain, winning the King of the Mountains prize 3 times and finishing third overall in 1998, when he also played a major part in helping team mate Abraham Olano win the race.

The Haka

Ka mate, Ka mate! Ka ora, Ka ora!
Ka mate, Ka mate! Ka ora, Ka ora!
Tenei te tangata puhuruhuru
Nana i tiki mai whakawhiti te ra!
A hupane, kaupane
A hupane, kaupane whiti te ra!
Hi!

According to Maori ethos, Tama-nui-to-ra, the Sun God, had two wives, Hine-raumati, the Summer maid, and Hine takurua, the Winter maid. The child born to him and Hine-raumati was Tane-rore, who is credited with the origin of the dance. Tane-rore is the trembling of the air as seen on the hot days of summer, and represented by the quivering of the hands in the dance. Haka is the generic name for all Maori dance. Today, haka is defined as that part of the Maori dance repertoire where the men are to the fore with the women lending vocal support in the rear. Most haka seen today are haka taparahi, haka without weapons. More than any aspect of Maori culture, this complex dance is an expression of the passion, vigour and identity of the race. Haka is not merely a past time of the Maori but was also a custom of high social importance in the welcoming and entertainment of visitors. Tribal reputation rose and fell on their ability to perform the haka (Hamana Mahuika). Haka reflected the concerns and issues of the time, of defiance and protest, of factual occurrences and events at any given time. The centrality of the haka within All Black rugby tradition is not a recent development. Since the original "All Black" team of "New Zealand Natives" led by Joseph Warbrick the haka has been closely associated with New Zealand rugby. Its mystique has evolved along with the fierce determination, commitment and high level skill which has been the hallmark of New Zealand's National game. The haka adds a unique component, derived from the indigenous Maori of New Zealand, and which aligns with the wider Polynesian cultures of the Pacific. The All Blacks perform the haka with precision and intensity which underpin the All Black approach. View the Haka online :

• Streaming for a modem
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