Giro d'Italia stage 20, Stage 20: Alba – Sestriere 190 km

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It's still a drop for both nations. I know different era but in early to mid 2000, you had Heras, Beloki, Sastre, Mancebo, Sevilla, and then Basso, Simoni, Garzelli, Savoldelli for Italy.

Both nations now are a lot worse at the top GC level
There are more players at the top level too. Puerto gutted a lot of the Spanish scene but they then had people to pick up from that, and now that generation that sustained them through the post-Puerto era is to all intents and purposes over (there are a few hangers-on like Valverde, Luísle and Navarro) they're bringing through the next, but the economic crisis killing off a very strong ProConti scene in both countries is the bigger issue really.
 
So my compatriot Dutchman is not going to win. I can live with that as he's definitely not the strongest. He can do better than this but has been fading the last days, which of course often happens to riders at the end of a GT.

Hey they just clawed back half a minute!