TAPPA 9 Giro d'Italia 2013

                                          Tappa 9 Giro d'Italia 2013

Once again 

a lot of rain

If Pirazzi moves 

to Pink today

Astana could still parlay

Nibali to gain some time

On Wiggins further down the line

Mount Vallombrosa deals out pain 

Chalapud and Pirazzi dual in the rain

Belkov  joins them--hard to explain!

This is for the KOM 

They fancy themselves mountain men

9 KM it's all uphill

Tests their soggy Sunday will

Points for Pirazzi--Bardianis' lad

Not a GC threat

He should still feel glad

Maxim Belkov proves he's bad

The rain and darkness descend as well

A fun day from bad weather hell

Astana leads the peloton

Hopes that Nibali holds on

Belkov forward 

Sky cold and damp

Is Brad losing his chance?

They fight to bring him back 

BMC and Garmin make no slack

Pantano is looking frisky

on the final ascent

Hesjedal is getting dropped

Sky's winning hopes seemed blocked

Belkov takes more mountain points

lactate coursing through his joints

High anxiety all round

Can Maxim hold his ground?

Firenze my favorite city

Drenched by rain still very pretty

Belkov wins this Tuscan trial

He'll be smiling for a while

A losing day for Hesjedal

And has Sky lost their winning style?

After Monday's day of rest

will Wiggo revive with real zest?

The GC top ten looks quite hardy

for week two the Giro party 

TAPPA 8 Giro d;Italia 2013

Tappa 8 ITT

Alex Dowsett, sturdy Brit,

grabs the TT aces it

Nibali ends the day in Pink

He did well, don't you think?

Bradley flew despite a puncture

His Giro still lives at this juncture

Cadel, Scarponi, and Hesjedal

frolic in GC corral

Gesink, Henao, and Uran 

avoid being 'also ran'

Ditto Santambrogio

Niemiec is still on deck

'Though 6 and 4 respectively

This Giro's uphill for

Ryder and Bradley

With top talent crowded tightly

An interesting week for the GC

As we approach Tappa Nona

No man nor team stands out alone-ah!

TAPPA 7 Giro d'Italia 2013

TAPPA 7 Giro d'Italia 2013

Pim Ligthart crashes

Elbow smashes

But gets back in the break

Tonight that's gonna ache

A hilly terrain

Will bring on the pain

The weather is iffy

The surfaces slippery

Trying for body and brain

Luca Paolini wants to be Pink

for one more day

He's on the brink

Danilo di Lucca

For Vini-Fantini

fronts il groppo 

Will he be todays' genie?

The first of four climbs

which owns a category

doesn't really tell the story

Today is hill after hill

Climbers need all their will

Non-climbers taste a bitter pill

Not a stage where one can chill

Seans' imagery is that of war

Of mountains they're so many more

The sprinters fade

including Mark

 incline is just too stark

Leading to Pietragrossa

All to win the Maglia Rosa!

Sella shows us how it's done

His lack of weight  makes it more fun

Takes points for the Chieti mount

Hoping that his efforts count

35 KM of tough hills

A contest of pure will

Sella takes a big spill

He's up but it's scary still

Rain slicked roads

Raise the risk

Taborre looks to benefit

Adam Hanson presses on

A stage win is his sirens' song

A wet descent and one more hill

More a drag and less a thrill

San Silvestro still to go

Easy lactate legs to blow

Short, sharp, shock!

Sean likes it--not!!!

Niboli falls skidding--yikes!

He jumps right back on his bike

The road is like a skating rink

Disaster can hit in a blink

Hansen descends gingerly

Sella falls so does Brad

Road conditions really bad

For me the last KMs three

Are filled with high anxiety

The stage is won by Hansen, A

Victor on a rainy day

Brad loses more than a minute

Wonder if he's still well in it ?

Tomorrow's time trials will reveal

who has got a chance for real

Tappa 6 Giro d'Italia 2013

Tappa 6 Giro d'Italia 2013

Today is for the sprinters

Flat as a cyclists' bum

in Margherita di Saviola

The fast mens' race is won

All eyes are on Mark Cavendish

speed god from the Isle of Man

With OPQS toiling for him

He's working on his tan

Markey battled mightily

on yesterdays' big climb

OPQS is determined

To lead him to the line

The first two sprints go by him

Is he not feeling top notch?

Wurf  then Viviani

take the top spots

Here is an occasion

where hubris plays a role

Is being fastest enough

to achieve his goal?

Each sprinter in il gruppo

is nursing a scenario

where Cav is somehow held in check

a mechanical or messy wreck

gives them a chance to earn respect

A long-shot, true, but what the heck! 

Flat stages in the Giro

Are few and far between

Manx Man means to win it

with or without his team 

Of course this is pro cycling

where anything can happen

Which is why it would be well

if no one were caught nappin'

After yesterdays' deluge

The chance of a big chill is huge

Taylor Phinney has a fever

He's still in--a true believer

Having taken a 'natural break'

including washing up my face

OPQS is on the case

Keeping up a lively pace

Now remaining 50 K

A short pause to get dressed, nah seh?

A couple of crashes muddy the field

Wiggins is caught up nothing will yield

Sky uses its' power to close that gap

Bradley not ready to throw in his cap

Recovering he moves towards the head

To the GC born and bred

Cannondale leads

Viviani speeds

Vacance Soleil leaps too

Marks' set up well

He wins -meno male-

OPQS team comes through

I'm relieved for them, aren't you

Tappa 5 Giro d'Italia 2013

Matera, the finish, is flooded right now

A deluge has dumped

rivers of water a rowboat could prow

Organizers are stumped

Has Mother Nature their plan trumped

With rainwater up to their rumps?

My english stream has disappeared

a victim of the weather

Italiano only now--

I wish that mine were better

Where is Sean Kelly and his

collega commentatore?

Have they had the good sense

to shelter indoors -eh?

65 KMs remain

But then there's that serious rain

Degankolb and Goss have eyes for stage Quinto

But do they know the conditions are stinko?

Ahead the climb to Montescaglisioso

short and steep 9 % purtroppo

Mark C soldiers on with a big gear

zigging and zagging so he can sprint clear

Cav's climb and condition create suspense

Here suffering meets confidence

13 Kilometers left till the end

Will the weather have cleared by then?

Matera it seems has a few tricks

Will the sprinters take their licks?

A crash opens the field for Argos-Shimano

Degenkolb takes it--speaks Italiano

A study in strength for the final length

The winner was a favorito

Luca Paolini stays Pink

A pretty good stage after all

don't you think?

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Tappa 4 Giro d'Italia 2013

Giro d'Italia 2013 Tappa 4

Halfway through Tappa four

Katusha is feeling good

Paolini hopes to hang on to Pink

Knock on wood/ knock on wood

The pace is mild

A seven man breakaway

leads the way/ leads the way

Katusha leads the pack

About four minutes back

The breakaway splinters

Sella is out

His GC position

Made peloton pout

A crash sends men scampering

Not doing much hampering

The peloton surges 

 Breakaway trampling

The Vibo Valentia a category 3

skirts Lake Agitola

lovely to see

Il gruppo led by Vini Fantini

Rain starts in ernest

The riders are nervous

Anxiety energy sapping

Remaining miles are 25

On Ryder and Wiggo are all eyes

Nibali has a difficult descent

Astana has a disappointment

Croce Ferrata, the Iron Cross,

'nuff of a grade to show who's boss

Marcato sets the tempo

For Vacance-Soliel

Pirazzi also, a new breakaway

Katusha holds firm for their man Paolini

Sky comes alive from their trance dreamy

Their über cool somewhat Teutonic

In carefree Italia a bit ironic

Di Luca and Chalapud dual in the rain

4.4 KMs left in Stage 4

Bardiani scores big

A total surprise

From Goliath David grabs the prize

Battaglin, Enrico  followed by Fellini

Visconti three

A very good stage for Italy

Paolini stays Pink

At least for today

Wiggo drops to 6th

All work and no play!

Tappa 3 Giro d'Italia 2013

Giro d'Italia Tappa 3

Wiggo and Froome

tiffing in cyberspace

'bout who's leading whom

and in which race?

Dave Brailsford had to step up

controversy to squelch

Is it Brad for Le Tour lead,

with Chris on the shelf?

Chris states "no"

on his own site

Wonder if the two top lads

Are having a fight?

Dave B says "no,

all's right as rain"

For management

social media's a pain

Riders and girlfriends

posting willy nilly

airing their laundry

It's kind of silly

Meanwhile Sky moves the team

to the front

Riding for Wiggo, awaiting the humps

Two climbs to go which will thin out the bunch

Who will be gobbling whom for their lunch?

It all comes to the final climb

The long descent will tell the time

The breakaway is still hanging in

The terrain makes it hard to spin

50 KM still on the map

Taborre strikes out alone

That's that about that

Wiggins sans mates

Nibali and Garmins

Ryder, Scarpoini

all storm ahead

something alarming'

Ryder makes a surge

25 KM to go

He's feeling the urge

4 KM to the top of the hill

Is dropping back a bitter pill?

Astana Nibali supports

Wiggins nibbling at his shorts

The descent a dizzy flash

Ryder going for the cash

Paolini, Luca takes the lead

3 miles of magic he will need

Katusha's guy takes the win

Cadel takes two

I'm glad for him

Hesjedal earns his third

Of stage 3  my final word