The Giro, Monaco, Indie 500, Coca-Cola 600

[CanadaSue]

Goooooooooooooood morning sports fans!

A great night's sleep, snack foods in the house galore & a roast beast planned for tomorrow night. Salads & cold stuff for meals today. Yes sir! This is one of my big sports weekends.

Today, the pentulimate stage of the Grio d'Italia... 219 kilometers of hell, much of it vertical. Yes, the bears go over the mountains today with an out of category summit finish. AND... a Canadian is in second with only 17 seconds between him & the Pink Jersey. Go Ryder! Suddenly Grand Tour bike racing is hot in Canada with our national network promising updates as they happen. Screw updates - my cable package has the play by play, pedal stroke by pedal stroke coverage of the agony starting at 0830.

Tomorrow bright & early... F1: Grand Prix of Monaco, followed by the Indie 500, then the Coca Cola 600. My ears will be buzzing from the sound of hot engines by the end of the evening.

VROOM!

[CanadaSue]

Cruel, cruel. The riders are lurching up the 11 kilometer Mortirolo or as I call it "death on wheels". The last kilometer is a 22% slope & they didn't repave it. It's horrible. You could ski down that thing! This is going to be carnage once the pelton hits it... one of the toughest climbs in bike racing & the first time I've ever seen it - North America doesn't show the Grand Tour bike races save for the TdeF.

Man, the current leader is suffering big time. No wonder this one of the epic climbs & sorts out the men from the boys.

My legs are screaming just watching.

[Twoolf]

Beer.....check
Peanuts.....check
corned beef.....check
Jewish Rye.......check
Baby Swiss......check
Surround working.......Check
Laptop charged for leaderboard.....check

Drivers, start your engines !

[CanadaSue]

OMG this is going to be a finish!

Young Belgian rider about to take THE stage win on this tour & deservedly so.

But it's wreaking havoc in the general classification.

Everything may all change for the time trial tomorrow.

My heart is pounding.

Tomorrow with 4 big events - killer!

Think I'll go do some groceries & garden a while to calm down & prep for tomorrow.

'Fanning' is a hard day's work! And hungry work.

---------- Post added at 11:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:20 AM ----------

6 hours, 54 minutes & 41 seconds of pain for a stage win that was completely unexpected for a young rider.

WELL DONE!

Now - what's gonna be the gap to Scarpone then Rodriguez & Hesjedal?

Argh - I can't stand it.

[Kassy]

LOL ~ i so missed the Indy 500.

Monaco wasn't as good as it could have been (would be nice to have had a downpour) but ok & it produced yet another record (6 different winners in 6 gp's with Lewis Hamilton still in play for any victory).

What's the Coca Cola 600? I imagine a HUGE burping contest but i might be wrong.

[Twoolf]

Originally Posted by Kassy

What's the Coca Cola 600? I imagine a HUGE burping contest but i might be wrong.

Longest race in NASCAR, 600 miles. at Charlotte, NC. Major bragging rights to winner plus a BUNCH of cash.

[CanadaSue]

NASCAR - 600 miles of drivers going in circles. Lots of bumping & crashing.

What I really love about it is the Memorial Day cermeonies they add in - always puts a lump in my throat & I'm not even American.

Monaco can be boring as hell - not many places to pass. You're right though - it's a great start to the season with 6 winners in 6 races.

[Kassy]

Ah NASCAR. We really don't get it here on TV at all but it's a fine racing class.

IndyCars we get occasionally. I did watch whole seasons when Arie Luyendijk was competing.

For Monaco i was spoiled since i watched some historic GP's on YouTube.
Below are clips but the 1984 gp with Senna can be found in whole and it's not that long either.

Senna nearly winning Monaco in a Toleman in 1984:

You Tube

In 1982 it had a spectacular finish:

You Tube

[Auburn Boy]

Goes to show you what the Canuck's know...,

It's the:

INDY 500

[CanadaSue]

Oops - & I've got no excuse; nothing I can come up with quickly.

[Auburn Boy]

Originally Posted by CanadaSue

Oops - & I've got no excuse; nothing I can come up with quickly.

And you live pretty much "right across the street."

[CanadaSue]

It's the multicultiral, bilingual part of me - something like that.

[Fartacus]

I didn't get to attend or even watch the Indy 500 this year. I got to listen to about the last 50 laps, though.

Hottest 500 in history.
Most lead changes (35?).
Tony Kanaan leads toward the very end, only to lose AGAIN. So sad.
Dario Franchitti wins for a 3rd time and then goes home to this