First test for Iban

The first real mountain-stage is on the menu for the Giro-peloton tomorrow, and that means the first real test for Iban. What kind of form is he in? Will he be able to stay with the best? Will he be sacrificing himself for Simoni? Some of those questions will no doubt be answered come the finish of the stage. Though, Iban has played down his chances ahead of the stage, stating "it`s too early for me, I need more time to get used to the tempo after such a long break. I will for sure not be seen among the front-runners on that stage". We should really trust Iban, as he tends to know what he`s talking about. But, will he just chill out at the back for the entirety of the stage? I`d say no. I think he`ll be working at the front for Simoni at the early stages of the last climb tomorrow. Iban will probably, together with perhaps fellow Spaniard, and for sure the rider with the coolest name in the peloton, "Litu" Gomez Gomez, set a high tempo at the start, before Italians Piepoli and Ricco take over the responsability. Iban will likely burn all his matches early on, and will probably drift further and further backwards until reaching the summit. I`d say a top-50 place on the stage is a realistic predicition, but, hey, what do I know, these are just my thoughts. I also think we Iban fans should be pleased if Iban grabs something like a top-50 spot on the stage, as he`ll surely just get better and better as the race unfolds. But, don`t exclude the possibility of Iban coming up with a top, top result tomorrow either. Maybe he was just kidding with all that lack-of-racing-in-my-legs talk, and maybe he`ll win. Er, this is just turning out to be the most messy post ever posted here, as I just realised predicting Iban`s performances are just a waste of time. The thing with Iban is; he`s unpredictable, and that`s what makes him so special and what makes him stand out from the rest. Though, I can`t just post this without a conclusion. My final prediction is that he`ll place 39th on the stage, at 8:34 from the winner. Or, perhaps, no, forget it. 39th, at 8:34, that`s my bet.