The 2009 Giro d'Italia was the 92nd running of the Giro d'Italia, one of professional cycling's Grand Tours; the race also marked the centennial of the first Giro d'Italia. It began in Lido di Venezia on 9 May, and concluded after 21 stages in Rome on the 31st. Denis Menchov (pictured), representing the Rabobank team, was the winner of the race. After having taken the race lead with his victory in a long and difficult individual time trial midway through the race, Menchov defended it against eventual runner-up Danilo Di Luca by staying with Di Luca in the race's last stages. Di Luca, riding for LPR Brakes-Farnese Vini, won the points classification in addition to finishing second overall, but tested positive for the banned blood booster continuous erythropoietin receptor activator twice during the race and stands to have those results removed.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Giro_d%27Italia

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1794:

The Reign of Terror: Branded a traitor, French chemist and economist Antoine Lavoisier, a former royal tax collector with the Ferme Générale, was tried, convicted, and guillotined on the same day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_Lavoisier

1886:

In Atlanta, American pharmacist John Pemberton first sold his carbonated beverage Coca-Cola as a patent medicine, claiming that it cured a number of diseases. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola

1945:

Most armed forces under German control ceased active operations by 23:01 CET after the German Instrument of Surrender was formally ratified, marking the end of World War II in Europe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Instrument_of_Surrender

1963:

In Huế, South Vietnam, soldiers of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam opened fire into a crowd of Buddhists protesting against a government ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag on Vesākha, killing nine and sparking the Buddhist crisis. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hue_Phat_Dan_shootings

1984:

The Soviet Union announced the boycott of the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, citing security concerns and stated that "chauvinistic sentiments and an anti-Soviet hysteria [were] being whipped up in the United States". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Summer_Olympics_boycott

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

overshorten (v): To shorten too much; to make excessively or inappropriately short http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/overshorten

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I want to break out — to leave this cycle of infection and death. I want to be taken in love: so taken that you and I, and death, and life, will be gathered inseparable, into the radiance of what we would become... --Thomas Pynchon http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Pynchon