Grounded

Somewhere on the Italian Riviera, or perhaps relaxing in some Piazza sipping an espresso, Mario Cipollini, the retired Lion King, has to be smiling some inner (and possibly outer) smile and breathing a little easier as his record for total Giro stage wins is safe for now.


Today, after a rain filled Stage 3 of the 89th edition of the Giro d'Italia, Alessandro Pettachi has abandoned. Although he made it to the finish line after crashing earlier in the day, later tests revealed a fracture in the left knee cap. This has to be a huge disappointment for a man who has virtually owned this race the last couple of years. The timing of the injury also makes questionable his other target this season, the Tour de France.

For a man who has openly questioned his desire to remain a sprinter or attempt to become a man for the Classics, the tifosi and fans abroad have to begin to wonder whether the star that just shot across the sky was actually Ale-Jet.