i don't know what you guys are talking about... he's not just a classics winner, he's an ardennes classics winner (who are highly correlated with GT winners or top 5 finishers anyway... the name sean kelly comes to mind)... also he turns 30 usually the age for endurance peak... who one year while cleaning up on stage wins is high up in the giro GC and decides to keep going... and rides to a 4th place. next year he changes his training completely that allowed him to ride to success the previous year to success... and ends up sucking in the Giro... not to mention the competion was massively higher... this year he does the training he did in 2005 and surprise, surprise he has success again... not to mention the competion has gone down a knotch again... other point.
if you guys think we are looking at a clean field, you need to get your brain examined... seriously, you think DiLuca's competion is clean?? did you leave the planet the last few years?
let's get real... they are still on dope and DiLuca just prepared well this year maybe better than anyone else... guess we'll see after the Zoncolan... seems to tailor made for Simoni but as others have written maybe he's just too old... he couldn't go with Ricco and Piepoli.. but you never know it's a perfect stage for Simoni (at least the one of old).... Ricco is right up there now hell, he could end up on the podium too... remember he actually rode better than anyone else an stage 15.. but i think in Simoni's eyes that is his best chance to do something so maybe Ricco will be on a short leash that day?
anyway, should be an awsome stage... for great, exciting racing the Giro can't be beat...