The last day of most stage races can be like the last day of school before the holidays, nobody takes the lessons seriously and the toys come out, the other day all the toys fell out of Simoni’s pram, so I don’t think it’ll be play-time in the Saeco team bus in Milan to day.

It’s all over barring Alessandro Petacchi’s virtually inevitable 9th stage win in Milano tomorrow. Gilberto Simoni’s wretched attempt to win a 3rd Giro was finally ended as Damiano Cunego did enough to secure the Maglia Rosa.

The defining moment of this Giro, and perhaps for the future of Italian cycling came in the last few hundred meters of today’s stage to Bormio 2000, when Damiano Cunego’s left his team leader, and the race, behind for good. His win signaled more than a spectacular arrival of his career, but a much need changing of the guard in Italian cycling.

Pavel Tonkov (Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie) powered himself to victory today over 153 Km of tumultuous roads between Brunico and Fondo Sarnonico; a dйjа vu victory for the 1996 Giro winner whose last win came, coincidentally, on the 17th stage of the 2002 Giro d’Italia.

So Cipo pulled a Snagglepuss and "exited, stage left" from the Giro - winless and muttering about his team not being up to snuff. But in uncharacteristic fashion, he slipped out barely noticed. We put Dunc on the case to chase down the down-lo...

Daimiano Cunego (Saeco) has floated his way to his third stage victory and back into the Maglia Rosa he loaned out, ever so briefly, to Yaroslav Popovych (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago).

The DMT shoe company is scrambling to create the first open-toed Shoe for sprinters in case Alessandro finds his climbing legs and takes another before Milan. The Fassa B speedster continued to embarass the bunch sprinters again today as he chalked up win #8.

...or Great...or Unstoppable...or whatever you decide to call him. Petacchi takes record-tying seventh win, and has a frightful chance at #8 tomorrow.

It was a coming of age for the fresh-faced Ukrainian Yaroslav Popovych this afternoon. 2 years of careful nurturing gave him his first ever Maglia Rosa as he produced a fine ride in the 52 km time trial.