I was glad to find live coverage of the Giro on universalsports.com. It beat the hell out the coverage that Vs. has provided in the past - who can forget the incessant SAAB, Lincoln, and TapouT ads. As much as I like the commentary of Paul and Phil (my personal favorite quotes - "Digging deep into the suitcase of courage", "He's dying a thousand deaths", and "he looks like a frog on a Matchbox"), they can't quite cancel out all of the obnoxious ads you had to endure just so you could watch a bike race. The Vs. network can't seem to figure out who watches their programming - Cycling, Strongman Competitions, Bull Riding, Cage Fighting, Fishing, and NHL hockey is a pretty eclectic mix by anyone's standards. How on earth do they convince any advertiser that they can reach their target demographic on a consistent basis?
Universalsports.com had it dialed with their Giro coverage. One 30 second ad when you log on, and then uninterrupted racing coverage - none of the human-interest bullshit about every Garmin Slipstream rider known to man and how they're superior to other racers (even though they can't manage to win any races of note) because "they race clean". I think it's great that they race clean and everything, but at the end of the day if I want to see a "clean" racer get his ass kicked I'll just film my races and watch them.
After watching the excellent coverage of the Giro, I came away with a few conclusions:
1. There is no way that Menchov and DiLuca can win without the needle.
2. Basso has still got it.
3. Fabian Cancellara needs to to find his happy place.
4. Levi should focus on races besides the Tour of California and the Tour of the Gila.
5. Lance is going to win his 8th Tour de France.
