Simoni and Ricco

El Loto said:

Simoni and Ricco, referred to on the cover of the June 2007 issue of Procycling as "Saunier Duval's Dastardly Duo". Inside the magazine interviews both and they get on very well, further backing-up this idea of the master and apprentice.
Simoni compares his relationship with Leonardo Bertagnolli to that with Ricco:

"We'd leave our room together, pack our suitcases together, fetch our bikes at the same time....Now, with Riccardo, it's almost the same."

What a difference 15 stages of the Giro makes (from cyclingnews.com):

"We don't have much in common though," Simoni said. "At 10pm, he already sleeps, I don't go to bed before midnight. When I go back to the room, he's asleep and when I wake up, he's gone. We actually meet more during the race."

Interesting comments!

Is this Simoni putting his guard up because he knows this apprentice is on the path to becoming the master? Another Cunego-esque episode?
Simoni has surely come to realise, finally, that he is unable to ever win another Giro.

I would disagree about Simoni and the Giro - he is far from out of this years race, and tomorrow's stage is one he won last year.

Do you think they are gay ? I love what they say about Basso's descending... “like following concrete” !

El Loto said:

Simoni and Ricco, referred to on the cover of the June 2007 issue of Procycling as "Saunier Duval's Dastardly Duo". Inside the magazine interviews both and they get on very well, further backing-up this idea of the master and apprentice.
Simoni compares his relationship with Leonardo Bertagnolli to that with Ricco:

"We'd leave our room together, pack our suitcases together, fetch our bikes at the same time....Now, with Riccardo, it's almost the same."

What a difference 15 stages of the Giro makes (from cyclingnews.com):

"We don't have much in common though," Simoni said. "At 10pm, he already sleeps, I don't go to bed before midnight. When I go back to the room, he's asleep and when I wake up, he's gone. We actually meet more during the race."

Is this Simoni putting his guard up because he knows this apprentice is on the path to becoming the master? Another Cunego-esque episode?
Simoni has surely come to realise, finally, that he is unable to ever win another Giro.

whiteboytrash said:

Do you think they are gay ? I love what they say about Basso's descending... “like following concrete” !

Yeah that bit cracked me up, it wasn't just a small comment either. Ricco is a bit too "Italo-disco" for Gibo surely.

Andrew76 said:

I would disagree about Simoni and the Giro - he is far from out of this years race, and tomorrow's stage is one he won last year.

He won Zoncolan (the other, easier side) in 2003, when he won the Giro itself.