Giro D'Italia - where can I watch it?

I'm really enjoying this Giro.

Blockhaus tomorrow!

Rest day tomorrow, Jung. Blockhaus on Wednesday. Will Sastre take more time out of Menchov and Di Luca?

There were a few moments today where I thought I was gonna see someone get tripped up a la LA in 2003

What a stage! Absolutely compelling viewing. I just couldn't believe my eyes when Lance rode up to the chasing pack, shame he couldn't hang on. Great stuff.

There were a few moments today where I thought I was gonna see someone get tripped up a la LA in 2003

I thought that for a moment when that tosser got so close to Popovych.

What a stage! Absolutely compelling viewing. I just couldn't believe my eyes when Lance rode up to the chasing pack, shame he couldn't hang on. Great stuff.

Wasn't it just?

Nice and varied terrain, really challenging and unpredictable.

Now I just hope that none of them were doped, but it did look like credible racing, i.e. no super-soaraway bollocks. Sastre was strong, but not hyper-strong, and in the end he gained a mere 25 seconds. And it's still a very close race. One of the best Giros for years so far.

The only problem I have with Eurosport's coverage is Sean Kelly on the commentary. Cycling legend he may be, but bejesus he's fecking boring....

I led a three man Fireflies echelon on a 84 mile hilly ride Saturday around the cotwolds countryside, road-testing my newly acquired titanium racing bike.. the route looked remarkably like today's Giro D'Italia stage, except ours had scampi chips two pints of hookie bitter for lunch, and ice cream later on... well done Sastre stunning ride.. Menchov and Di Luca kept it going too (just)... and seeing LA helping Levi was well.. sweet..... very interesting Giro this year, being Centenary and all... looking forward to Blockhaus on Wednesday

The only problem I have with Eurosport's coverage is Sean Kelly on the commentary. Cycling legend he may be, but bejesus he's fecking boring....

you need the universal sports alternative feed from cycling fans. (i think the main one has regional restrictions)
English commentary and a very high quality image

What a stage! Absolutely compelling viewing. I just couldn't believe my eyes when Lance rode up to the chasing pack, shame he couldn't hang on. Great stuff.

i thought he was called back to help out leipheimer.

what a stage. i think i want sastre to win it now. good ride. and he's getting stronger when everyone else is fading.

you need the universal sports alternative feed from cycling fans. (i think the main one has regional restrictions)
English commentary and a very high quality image

I watched that recently, and yes, the image quality was good, but I thought the commentary was absolutely turgid--the guy ran out of things to say really quickly and showed a limited repertoire.

Sean Kelly isn't the most eloquent speaker, he doesn't articulate well, and he overuses 'certainly'--but the latter is his 'key word' that gives him a moment to think when a question is thrown at him. It's merely a technique to buy a moment's time, which is useful for untrained speakers.

I quite like his commentary, as he does occasionally provide an interesting perspective on the race.

you need the universal sports alternative feed from cycling fans. (i think the main one has regional restrictions)
English commentary and a very high quality image

Yeah, watched the first few stages on Universal, getting round the geo-restrictions using Hotspot Shield. Am at work when it's on in the week so have been downloading stages from usenet and catching up.

Didn't even think about it today, went straight for the Eurosport...

Sean Kelly's strength is his ability to read a race. Harmon does a great job in getting Kelly to analyse the situation as the race unfolds. They are so much better than Duffers and the cluster fuck that is Phil Ligget and Paul Sherwen.

Sean Kelly just called Leipheimer 'Leipy'. Made chuckle for some reason.

OK stage today, but not anywhere near as good as two days ago (hard to beat).

Shame they had to shorten the climb.

Pretty good stage, quite enjoyed the climbing.

The bloke who fell off on the cervelo was bloody unlucky, losing the front like that.

Pretty good stage, quite enjoyed the climbing.

The bloke who fell off on the cliveo was bloody unlucky, losing the front like that.

What did I miss there?

front got away from one of the cervelo team guys. Came off at maybe 50kph.... nothing broken apart from skin.

As far as i know he got back up and finished.

front got away from one of the cervelo team guys. Came off at maybe 50kph.... nothing broken apart from skin.

As far as i know he got back up and finished.

Read more closely. ;)

Read more closely. ;)

Ha! Funny edit read fail.

Thanks for the helpful reply, anyway. I could have been serious (as it happened, I watched it).

How can anybody be enjoying this fucking farce? Look at the names in the top ten - let alone the top three - nothing has changed. Read Bernhard Kohl's account on Cyclingnews of how he beat dope tests for years right up until he finally used CERA. The blood passport is discredited before the first results have even been revealed. Menchov? DiLuca? Pellizotti? Garzelli? You'd trust any of these fuckers? What pleasure can you gain from watching people make fools of you? With the exception of BMMF who doesn't mind if riders dope. I'm so bloody glad I gave my TV away.

Fucking hell. Good for you. And shame on us mere mortals.

I'm so bloody glad I gave my TV away.

you can watch it on the internet.
i would like to think that the old school dopers are slowly being weeded out of the sport or are reformed like Millar and are vehemently anti-doping. idealistic but there is hope for the future once the likes of lance and his cronies retire.
thankfully the french seem to be more anti doping than the italian authorities.

My view is similar to BMMF's, I suppose. I think doping is a logical extension of (all) elite sport. I don't connect any particular virtue with it. It's merely a kind of showbusiness, and I enjoy watching bike racing regardless. Yes, ideally I'd boycott it, too, like I boycott so many other things, but if I'm going to follow any sport, it'll be cycling.

Hope lies in grassroots sport, but nothing is going to improve unless society at large improves--sport is just a small part of that, and I'd rather we focused on the crookedness of bigger politics than use the distraction of doping witch-hunts to take our eye off the spinning wheel.

I basically agree with you, Will, but unless the big football stars start to be paraded in the spotlight, I'm not too interested in always putting cycling in the stocks.