Rain and wind descend on Sardinia. Jim's still in second but could still drop off the podium. Lisa's spots on the podium look secure. In bocca al lupo! (The rest of the post is brief. I'm too busy getting nervous about the TT to write much else.)
Stage 5, which was supposed to a very difficult 122km course, was cancelled because of hideous weather conditions--rain and wind. The race director felt the tricky descents would be too dangerous in such conditions.
All that remains is a 20km time trial. Though I stand in second place in my age category, I know that I’ll lose that spot to third place Ewald Wolf who trails me by about two minutes. He won the race last year and is a very good time trialist. The real question is whether I can hang on to a spot on the podium since fourth place Giancarlo Lensi, who won the race two years ago, is about four minutes back. Yes, four minutes should be a comfortable lead but when you’re as pathetic in time trials as I am, anything is possible.
Lisa, on the other hand, is in good shape. She has third place virtually wrapped up in her age category for the medium distance race. She is also in third place overall for women with a two minute advantage to the woman in fourth. And, unlike me, Lisa’s good at pushing the big gears.
My second place position is frankly due to a lot of luck. Lensi flatted the first day and lost quite a bit of time. Gianni Campana, who was in second place after the first day, flatted the second day and lost time. Then today’s cancellation also benefited me since my legs have been on a downward slide. I very easily could have lost time on today’s course to Wolf and Lensi based on our relative performances yesterday.
So, it will all come down to the time trial tomorrow. I didn’t even bother to bring aero bars along since I never expected that the time trial would have any significance for me. I’m regretting that decision now.
Tomorrow’s weather forecast calls for a chance of rain, which is no big deal. But it also calls for a shift in the wind, which will create a headwind on the one-way course. A time trial into a headwind is the worst possible combination for me. But maybe somehow, my streak of good luck will hold out. Or at least that I’ll have good legs.
So, as the Italians would say, “In bocca al lupo!” (into the mouth of the wolf). (And if someone says that to you, my good friend Matteo Motterlini pointed out to me that you should respond “Crepe il lupo!” (the wolf must die!)).
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