Giro Tweets: Snow, the Acquanettes and Lance

This is the last Giro Tweets for this year, next week we’re back to just plain old Tweets of the Week. We’ve had a good few weeks – and we still have some great stuff coming up. We have Michele Acquarone, That Boy Phinney, The Boy Vinny is all over the place and one Lance Armstrong, who is freaking everybody out by getting more active on Twitter and engaging with the very people who detest him.

A spring snowstorm

Snow curtailed a few of the stages this week – including the full cancellation of stage 19 and a few of the climbs cut from stage 20. The pictures of the riders coming across the finish line barely visible for the snowstorm raging at the top of the Tre Cime will surely be some of the defining images of the Giro. Here are a few comments about the state of the stage.

My Beloved™ Cancellara was racing in the rain in Belgium while the boys were climbing the snow-capped mountains of Italy, but he had some things to say about the race. Needless to say, he got a lot of stick about his comment from, well, most people. And for the record, I don’t even agree with him. (I’m sorry, Fabs, I’m so so sorry!)

Giro grand poobah Michele Acquarone is wonderful – he engages with cycling fans and is also very well-mannered. Here are some tweets to him in support of his decisions. (More on the lovely Michele in a mo.)

As soon as the snow comes out, the Empire Strikes Back comments come out. That scene where Han saves Luke’s life by spilling the guts of a hapless snow creature seems to have imprinted itself on the brains of people of a certain age.

Of course, with the snow also came the announcement that Danilo Di Luca got popped for EPO.

What a dope

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again and again and again – how was Di Luca even allowed a licence to ride? I’m sure he had three positives/bans in his career! I thought two and you were out out out. Well, he’s out out out now. Here are some of the reactions from all and sundry.

And a familiar name popped up in the Twitterstream …

I realise that saying this might get me flamed by all those people who talk nonstop about how much they hate Lance and wish he’d go away so they don’t have to talk nonstop about him ever again (but then what would they talk about, I wonder?), but you know what, some of his tweets are actually quite amusing.

Partying in Brescia

After a three-week Grand Tour, it’s only right that the boys should kick back with some champagne and confetti. But I’m not so sure about the guy in the pink gimp outfit.

As you all know, I am no fan of Wiggo but I would have actually liked to have seen how His Dourness dealt with that strange, crazy mascot wanting a photo opportunity.

Does Jens know cookies come in this size?

Balocco positively littered the course with those giant bags of biscuits lurking at the finish line, on the starting ramps, even just hanging out at the back of events. When asked for favourite moments in the Giro, you’ll see how Balocco’s money was well spent.

The Gruppetto

Nice to see Tom and his magnificent Boonens back on the racing circuit.

Jens didn’t realise that there were giant bags of cookies on offer at the Giro – he’d have made sure he was on the team if he’d known that.

I have to do this – I have to put in this string of tweets. I stupidly let curiosity get the better of me when I saw Tanja and John talking about a particular article about a, well, episode in the life of Lance Armstrong. We shall not speak of *what* this article said, just suffice it to say, if you know, that’s a mental image that will never *ever* go away. To the unsullied – be thankful you don’t know. But I put this in because I absolutely *had* to include the picture of the dog in pyjamas. Genius!

Bed head – or Giro hair? Doesn’t matter. Both That Boy Phinney and Adam Blythe look great. A lot better than when they’re wearing those hideous helmets that look like coconuts.

Back to Michele Acquarone. First it was the Bernie Eisel Hubba Hubba Club and the Schnozz & Haunches Club, now it’s the Acquanettes – the fans of the lovely Michele. I reckon we’ll get a lunch with him next Giro if we play our cards right.