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A Puncheur's Stage
First a definition; a puncheur is a cyclist who specializes in rolling terrain and short steep climbs, they usual thrive in the Classics and Monuments of the ProTour calendar. One of those puncheurs is the former World Champion, Philippe Gilbert (BMC) and today's stage was tailor made for his particular skill set. His team had spent the day on the front of the peloton keeping the breakaway close enough so their team leader could bounce and claim the victory. Gilbert did exactly that. In so doing, he claim the first stage when for BMC in this the 98th edition of the Giro d'Italia. Obviously, not every team can have a rider winn the Giro, and mathematically, it is not possible for every team to claim a stage win, although that is a minimal goal for every team in the race. There are 22 teams competing in the race and only 21 stages that they can vie for. It reminds me of the old birthday party game of musical chairs. Someone is coming up short.