Simoni's Big Mouth

Does Gilberto Simoni annoy you as much as he annoys me?
The last time the Saunier-Duval rider opened up his mouth (which basically means the last time he was complaining about something or someone), he was calling eventual Giro d'Italia winner Ivan Basso an "extraterrestrial" and accusing him of trying to bribe him during a stage.
My guess would be that it is a comibination of the heat of the moment, poor translation, and poor sportsmanship.
Following an Italian disciplinary committee hearing, Simoni retracted accusations aimed at Basso, according to a story in the Australian.
Simoni now faces possible sanctions, including suspension, which could keep him out of the Tour de France, which begins July 3.
I wouldn't bet on that happening, but Simoni would be better served if he could keep his blood pressure down. He had nothing nice to say about former teammate Damieno Cunego, who won the Giro two years ago, and repeated the poor-mouthing to Basso's detriment this year.
"I made some erroneous statements but I didn't want to damage Basso's reputation, certain things are part of the race," said Simoni, alluding to the common practice of Tour leaders to elicit help from a breakaway companion in exchange for allowing the companion to take the stage victory unopposed.
Simoni was angry that Basso had riden away from him on a tough mountain finish when he had waited for the CSC rider on a downhill section.
Our Boy Lance had a similar misunderstanding with the late Marco Pantani in the Tour de France and Pantani never got over it.
It's time for Simoni to put his energy into his racing instead of his griping.