2009 Giro d'Italia: Daily Dispatch from Giro d'Italia - La Sprinta Roma!

Daily Dispatch from Italia

5/29/2009

Benvenuto!

Stage 20 (Saturday) and Stage 21 (Sunday) offer you opportunities to compete in the Distance and Time Trial Competitions of the La Sprinta a Roma.

And remember, if you are planning on entering today's KOM Competition for Stage 19 you still have time to get on your bike.  Just be sure to  enter your ride by midnight tonight.

The Team Distance Competition (Saturday) runs in connection with Stage 20 - a long, flat 230 km slog!  The length of this stage obviously lends itself to a team-based distance competition.  The winning team will be the team that covers the greatest total distance on the day of Stage 20 (sum of all distances rode by team members on Saturday).  Grab some team members, log a long ride, and let us know how that suffer-fest worked out for your team. 

As a reminder the podium prizes for the Team Distance Competition include:

1. Polar CS200cad Cycling Computer and Wrist ID by Road ID
2. VERSUS Team Kit and Wrist ID by Road ID
3. Wrist ID by Road ID

The finale of the La Sprinta a Roma is the Time Trial (Cycling Pros VERSUS Joes) competition set for Sunday, May 31, 2009.  It runs in connection with Stage 21's Individual TT around picturesque Roma!  Naturally, it offers the perfect Stage for another individual contest.  Throw on the aero-bars and go out there and hammer out a 14.4 km TT just like the pros in Roma.  Your ride data will be converted into a virtual time like in the Cycling Pros VERSUS Cycling Joes Challenge.  The Competition winner will be the participant whose virtual time comes in lower than all other Challenge participants.  Let us know how your individual TT works out for you!   

As a reminder the podium prizes for the Time Trial Competition include:

1. Profile Design Volna Aerobar and Wrist ID by Road ID
2. Polar CS200cad Cycling Computer and Wrist ID by Road ID
3. MapMyRide.com Team Kit and Wrist ID by Road ID

Also remember that for each ride you enter into the Challenge you have the opportunity to win great prizes in the Giro Challenge Sweepstakes that will be held at the conclusion of the Giro.

Today's dispatch also offers up a preview of the final two Stages of the Giro! 

Stage 20 - Saturday, May 30: Napoli - Anagni, 203 km

Could Stage 20 be the last chance at glory for Al-Jet and Cavendish?  It just might be - but, don't discount the difficulty of the final climb to the finish!  And, that final climb might just offer a rider like Di Luca a chance for a solo escape and dramatic stage win.

Stage 20's route is relatively flat, leaving from Pozzuoli and heading into the province of Caserta via Castel Volturno, Mondragone and Campo Felice, and then into the region of Lazio and the province of Frosinone.  There is a slight climb up towards the finish of this Stage, but there is high likelihood that everything will probably come back together for a pack sprint finish because the competitors will have to complete a final circuit about the city before crossing the finish line. 

So, who will win Stage 20?  Log in and give us your predictions, or share some memories of Giros past! 

Stage 21 - Sunday, May 31: Roma (ITT), 15.5 km

The Giro concludes with a short yet demanding individual time trial.  This ''Race for Truth'' will prove memorable not only for its potential to shake up the battle for the maglia rosa, but also for its grand showcase of the beauty of Roma.  The time trial begins just below the Palatine hill by the Roman Forum, and ends in the shadows of the Coliseum.

Although the course is relatively flat, it boasts a number of tight turns.  Time trial specialists who can adeptly handle their bikes will therefore likely challenge for the final stage win. 

So, who will win Stage 21?  Log in and give us your predictions, or share some memories of Giros past! 

Here's the podium for Stage 19 - Thursday, May 29, 2009:

1. Carlos Sastre Candil
2. Franco Pellizotti
3. Danilo Di Luca

And, here are the GC standings after Stage 19: 

1. Denis Menchov
2. Danilo Di Luca
3. Franco Pellizotti

Ciao!