Danilo Di Luca finally entered Milan wearing the pink jersey to become the first rider since 1994 to win a Spring Classic and a Big Tour Event. The last man to do so was Russian Eugeny Berzin who also took the Liége – Giro double , and Alessandro Petacchi claimed his second win in three years in the final stage of the Giro.

Let’s take a look at the good and the bad of this 90th Giro d’Italia, who did better than expected, who looked rejuvenated and who disappointed his fans and the so-called experts:

Best Riders: chapeau to Danilo Di Luca. Many, including myself, did not think he had the strength to maintain his top form for a whole three weeks' event, but he showed us that the changes he made to his physical preparation for this 2007 season were worth it. He was by far the strongest rider even before the 15th stage, where he performed a little masterpiece in the hardest part of the climb towards the Tre Cime, gaining more than two and a half minutes on the riders ahead of him. He suffered on the Zoncolan, but he held on pretty well. The same thing can be said for Saturday’s Time Trial (where he, unlike in the other stages, wore the headphones).

Some words of appreciation were also well earned by Leonardo Piepoli. The Saunier Duval rider was by far the best climber of this year’s Giro, winning a stage and finishing second three times, and here I’ll just leave a provocative question: could he have won the Giro if he didn’t have to help teammates Gilberto Simoni and Ricccardo Riccó? I don’t know for sure, but I think the race at the top would have been much tighter with Piepoli as Saunier Duval’s captain.

Breakthrough Riders: Two riders clearly overshadow all other candidates in this category: second-placed Andy Schleck and third-placed Eddy Mazzoleni. The former just turned 21 and looked extremely strong in all stages, climbs and time trials alike, adding another chapter to the Schleck family story (his father was a good rider and helper in the ‘70s, and his older brother Frank is one of the best one-day riders. They were just missing the Big Tours specialist). The latter benefited from the problems his team leader Paolo Savoldelli had in the 12th stage because of the fall in Pinerolo the day before. He seized the opportunity and showed he was no pushover in the stage that ended at the Tre Cime where, thanks to Savoldelli, he was the main character of a decisive breakaway in the last 40 km, which even gave him the “virtual pink” for a short while.

Best Youngster: Apart from Schleck, another young rider helped to fuel the competition this year: Riccardo Riccó. The 23-year-old from Modena won on the Tre Cime (thanks to Piepoli) and did well in other mountain stages, even though he showed he still has work to do there because he was not with the top riders but immediately behind them. If he hadn't dropped from the breakaway in the 8th stage he could have been a more serious contender for a podium finish, but a great Giro for him anyway.

Other Youngsters to Watch: Two Italians enter this category: One for future Big Tours - Vincenzo Nibali (23) -  and one for one-day races and small tours, Giovanni Visconti (24). The former, a teammate of Di Luca, was a big help to the eventual winner in many stages, and managed to finish 19th in the General Classification; the latter was second in the 19th stage and also did well in the last Time Trial.

Comeback Rider: Alessandro Petacchi. he was lacking confidence at the start of the Giro because he was coming off a horrible season last year, which ended for him at the beginning of the Giro when he broke his kneecap. His lack of confidence could have been extended by Robbie McEwen's victory in the 1st stage, but Petacchi rebounded well to win 5 stages and the purple jersey of the points’ classification.

Disappointing Riders: Two sub-categories are here. The first applies to all those sprinters who decided to quit after the 11th stage because they didn’t want to climb the Alps (Robbie McEwen, Thor Hushovd, etc.); the second, more classical definition has a clear winner: Yaroslav Popovych. The Ukrainian was promoted to Captain of the Discovery Channel after the Basso Affair, but was never a contender despite some expectations at the beginning of the Giro. In the end he decided to drop out of the race altogether. Slightly less disappointing was Damiano Cunego, who never had the legs to attack Di Luca and  never came close the showing us some of his 2004 magic.

Most Exciting Rider: This title can only go to Julio Alberto Perez Cuapio; The Mexican, riding for Panaria, is always attacking when the road goes up steep toward a mountain. The problem is that his strength doesnot suffice to remain not only with the best riders but also with the peloton. Nevertheless, chapeau to him for his many attacks in this Giro.

Team of the Giro: The team that characterized this Giro for the best and the worst was Saunier Duval. They had two riders in the top 6 (although neither of them on the podium) and Piepoli finished 14th, but they never mounted a serious threat to Di Luca and sometimes even helped him when he had no teammates left. On the positive side there are the 4 stage victories, including atop the Tre Cime and the Zoncolan, the two hardest stages of the whole Giro.

Career award: Gilberto Simoni. The Saunier Duval captain finished his 9th Giro and for the first time he wasn’t on the podium in Milan (2 wins, 1 runner-up, 5 third places) but he managed to win on the hardest climb in Europe, the Zoncolan, (thanks again to Piepoli) and lost the third place in the General Classification only at the last Time Trial, when Mazzoleni overcame him. Anyway, another good ride for the old climber and we are all waiting for him next year to see whether he can finish again on the podium when he’ll be 37.

So Di Luca took his maiden win and Andy Schleck and Riccardo Riccó showed they’re the future for Big Tour Events, and now let the chase for the Tour de France begin.