Alberto Contador went into this Giro d’Italia as the clear favourite for the overall victory. His record of three Tours, one Vuelta and one Giro title is unmatched by the others in the peloton. Denis Menchov is however another with a very strong record in Grand Tours, having won the Giro d’Italia two years ago, and taken the Vuelta a España in 2005 and 2007. He’s had a record of taking a three week race every two years and if history follows that pattern, he’s due to take either the Giro or Vuelta this year.
Both races are of major importance to his Geox – TMC team, given that it wasn’t invited to the Tour de France. It had been pushing for a ProTeam licence but the UCI’s complex system of team rankings left it in a difficult position, and it was passed over in favour of the lower-ranked Ag2r La Mondiale. Because of that, its riders are determined to prove a point in this race and the Vuelta.
Speaking to VeloNation yesterday prior to the stage, a typically quiet Menchov said that he was satisfied with where he is at this early point of the race. “Everything is going well until now. I am in good shape. The real Giro is still to start,” he said, stating that he was fine with the preparation he has done beforehand. “I think it was good enough.”
He started off on what must have been a slightly frustrating note in that his team was just 18th out of 23 squads in Saturday’s team time trial. It dropped 53 seconds to the victorious HTC Highroad, and conceded 23 to Contador’s Saxo Bank SunGard.
However, when asked if he was disappointed, he played down the significance. “For me, it is more or less okay… normal distance [gap]. It is about 20 seconds to the competitors, but that is okay.”
If Menchov is to win the race, he will likely have to match or beat Contador in the mountains. The Spaniard is very strong in time trials if on form, and it is hard to see Menchov take significant time there. Fortunately for him, he said that the tough course is to his liking.
“I like it. I think the most important thing is good condition,” he said. “When you are in good shape, it is hard for everybody...”