Will the Giro ever end?

Sigh... I've almost had enough of the Giro this year.

What with losing Wouter Weylandt, which was awful: then Leopard Trek leaving (which was understandable) then with Contador having a suspiciously good day up Mount Etna which started the rumours again (which are getting on everyone's nerves by the sound of it) and what with the booing (what was all that about?) and then we have press revelations about Armstrong.... then poor Tondo being killed in while getting ready to go training....and meanwhile the Giro seems to have been going on forever.

It's annoying, (if understandable and I suppose, a good thing) that the press can't make up their minds about Contador either.

THIS report from the Sydney Morning Herald is headlined "Stakes Rise as unflappable Contador's climb goes on."

The reporter repeatedly mentions how calm Contador is, how the pressure of the CAS doesn't seem to be affecting him, how Armstrong could never break him (?) etc.

But we all remember the fragile, sniffling Contador making big tearful puppy-dog eyes at the camera, don't we? What happened to "I'll never race again"? What happened to "I'm so upset at these allegations that I can't sleep and my hair is falling out"?

I suppose we could say that Contador's confidence indicates that he knows that the CAS enquiry is going to find in his favour.

I have already come to the conclusion that the CAS enquiry is fueled far more by politics than by he's-doing-drugs-let's-flatten-him. WADA and the UCI seem to feel that they have to make a stand against the blatant use of the Spanish president etc to get the ban squashed - and so they should. Bans should only be squashed if it's the right thing to do, not because some big-wig says that you must.

Incidentally, going back to the Giro, what was all that booing about?

I watched the Monte Zoncolan stage over the weekend, and I was staggered to hear the booing! I mean, I know we all dislike him for the Chaingate thing, but booing him in a different race, when Our Andy isn't even in it? Oh, it wasn't for that reason, apparently.  What was it then? He gave away the stage the day before, didn't he, and wasn't that a good thing to do? Oh, apparently he did it in a patronising way. It's not considered good form to make a hand gesture in front of everyone: "one" is supposed to pretend to be tired out, to make it look as though the other person is genuinely winning. Well, now I know.

But was that enough to be booed? Apparently the predominantly Italian fans felt that Contador was somehow single-handedly responsible for the cancellation of the mad Monte Crostis downhill plunge that would quite possibly have given Nibali a bit of an advantage, seeing as he is able to descend as though he was hang-gliding.... oh, and the way Conti rounded up some Spaniards to work in his group didn't endear him to the Italian fans either.

I must admit (*looks guiltily over shoulder in case anyone is listening*) that I did laugh as he rounded the last corner, getting his smile in place ready for the cameras, then he heard the boos and his face fell - just like it did on the podium at TdF last year.  But then within seconds I was indignantly asking "why are they booing?"

The Giro seems to be ill-fated this year...  as is Blogger, come to think of it - I started this post yesterday then I wasn't able to access it again until a short time ago. Ooer, perhaps I've used up all my allocation?