"Laud be to God! even there this Giro must end.
It hath been prophesied to me many years,
I should not die but in Verona;
Which vainly I supposed the Holy Land:
But bear me to that chamber; there I'll lie;
In that Verona shall this Giro die."
-Adapted (with love) from Shakespeare's Henry IV, part II
And so it comes to an end, one of the best GTs of recent years. A race which rarely failed to disappoint; and in many instances provided pleasure and excitement almost to great to express.
For this spectacular Giro to finish in Verona is fitting; the entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its many beautiful buildings. Long a city artists, poets, thinkers and Damiano Cunego, it also provides the setting for Shakespeare's most overrated tragedy (the lamentable Romeo and Juliet) and one of his most underappreciated comedies (the delightful Two Gentlemen of Verona, widely considered to be the Bard's first play). Verona also has quite some history in the cycling sport outside the Giro, having hosted the World Championships twice, in 1999 and 2004, both wins for Oscar Freire.
It's sad to offer my final prediction... But I'll do it anyway. Because I'm still a little disappointed he wasn't able to do better I'll pick Cadel 'Cuddles' Evans to take the stage win and somehow rocket into 3rd place overall.
It hath been prophesied to me many years,
I should not die but in Verona;
Which vainly I supposed the Holy Land:
But bear me to that chamber; there I'll lie;
In that Verona shall this Giro die."
-Adapted (with love) from Shakespeare's Henry IV, part II
And so it comes to an end, one of the best GTs of recent years. A race which rarely failed to disappoint; and in many instances provided pleasure and excitement almost to great to express.
For this spectacular Giro to finish in Verona is fitting; the entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its many beautiful buildings. Long a city artists, poets, thinkers and Damiano Cunego, it also provides the setting for Shakespeare's most overrated tragedy (the lamentable Romeo and Juliet) and one of his most underappreciated comedies (the delightful Two Gentlemen of Verona, widely considered to be the Bard's first play). Verona also has quite some history in the cycling sport outside the Giro, having hosted the World Championships twice, in 1999 and 2004, both wins for Oscar Freire.
It's sad to offer my final prediction... But I'll do it anyway. Because I'm still a little disappointed he wasn't able to do better I'll pick Cadel 'Cuddles' Evans to take the stage win and somehow rocket into 3rd place overall.
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