Sports Eye
Unheralded riders top this year’s Tour of Italy
By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.
WORLD cycling connoisseurs said the postponed world’s three biggest, longest, richest, prestigious and most strenuous multi-stage bicycle race would not be successful because the events will be witnessed from indoors and there would be no spectators lining-up in the highways and eat the finish line to watch their cycling heroes because of the pandemic.
They were wrong. The 2020 Tour de France (September 29-October 20) and the just concluded (October 3-25) Giro ‘d Italia (Tour of Italy) both run in 21 days were successfully completed sans obstacles. The 18-day Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain) is ongoing and now on its 9th day of road skirmishes.
The Giro this year surprised us cycling fanatics by unheralded 25-year-old British rider Tao Geoghegan Hart who seized the coveted title in the last day of the race – the 15.7 kilometers individual-time-trial event – by beating co-leader Jai Hindley of Australia by just 39 seconds overall. After the 20th stage won by Hart, Hindley and Hart unexpectedly registered an equal time in the overall standing but Giro race officials gave Hindley the honor to wear the pink jersey (symbolic of overall leadership) due to a dint of fractions of seconds per Giro rule. I believe this is the closest margin and unique victory in the history of Giro since its birth in 1909.
The conclusion stage reminds me of the 1989 Tour de France when American elite rider 1986 TdF titlist Greg Lemond trailed two-time TdF winner (1983-1984) Laurent Fignon of France, by 50 seconds surprised everybody by winning the 21st and final stage by winning the 24.5 kilometers individual-time-trial event. He was 58 seconds better than Fignon to dislodge the Frenchman that ended in capital city of Paris to win the prestigious tiara by just eight seconds overall. That was the second of Lemond’s three TdF diadems and the only American to accomplish it. It was the closest margin (so far) in the history of TdF since its birth in 1903. Lemond successfully defended his title the following year.
What happened in Giro this year also already happened here in the Philippines when Lingayen native Edmundo de Guzman tied the overall leadership with Rodrigo Abaquita of Cebu City after the fifth stage in the 1962 Tour of Luzon and both wore the yellow jersey (symbolic of overall leadership). De Guzman eventually won the championship by edging the visiting South Korean standout Kim Ho Soon by 1:43 minutes while Abaquita abandoned the race after suffering a bum stomach in the sixth stage. De Guzman was the third of 21 Pangasinan champions since the birth (1955) of Philippine national multi-stage cycling races after Rufino Gabot of Manaoag in 1957 and Mamerto Eden of Mapandan in 1958.
Yes, what happened in 1989 TdF also happened to San Nicolas, Pangasinan son Bernardo Llentada capturing the fabled 1991 Marlboro Tour crown by beating overall leader Nueva Vizcayano jewel Carlo Guieb in the individual-time-trial, the 17th and final stage, held at the Roxas boulevard in Manila. Knowing the precarious lead by Guieb over my friend Llentada, I deliberately took a trip from Guam to watch that final phase of the bikathon in person (like I used to), to give some tips to our kabaleyan. And he prevailed. (But sorry my dear readers, I cannot recall the official time of margin of the two anymore). Lie they say, “It’s not over, until it’s finally over.” I certainly agree.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: And I will bring sword against you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant; when you are gathered together within your cities I will send pestilence among you; and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. LEVITICUS 26: 25
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