Giro 2022.....SPOILERS.

[T4tomo]

Did you see the GCN analysis yesterday (blythe and Mcewan?). They made the interesting point that Caleb rode a lot faster than Cav in the last 400m! But he started waaaaaay back, finished a couple of metres behind Cav. Result - a Cav win

No I didn't catch the highlights as was at hockey training, but I would counter its 30-40% easier to move faster when you are sheltered in the front end of bunch surfing wheels than when your nose is in the wind, so its a invalid comparison.

Cav rode 300m of the last 400m on the front, Ewan didn't put his nose in the wind at all.

Its easy enough to close the gap to the leader, the key is being able to use that speed advantage to be able to get round and past them when you lose that aerodynamic advantage of being in their slipstream.

Its also not the out and out fastest sprinter who wins races, its who (& who's team) is the smartest. Its no good putting out loads of watts if you deploy them at the wrong time. I give you stage 1 and Mr Ewan as an example.

I'm sure we'll see some good duals between the two on future sprint stages...

 

[matticus]

Its also not the out and out fastest sprinter who wins races, its who (& who's team) is the smartest. Its no good putting out loads of watts if you deploy them at the wrong time.

I think that's what I was saying!

 

[cougie uk]

I see Nibbles shipped some time yesterday - I wonder if that means they will let him get away today on home territory ? Although it's probably another bunch sprint today anyway.

 

[T4tomo]

I think that's what I was saying!

Ah, I thought you / they were saying the Ewan was faster / on better form just because he covered the last 400m quicker.

 

[matticus]

Ah, I thought you / they were saying the Ewan was faster / on better form just because he covered the last 400m quicker.

Well ... as it happens, I think Ewan probably is. But that sprint doesn't prove it (as you say).

I think that to have been so close to the win on two such different stages suggests he has the better form. Just IMO. On both stages he sabotaged his own chances, just in rather different ways!

 

[T4tomo]

Well ... as it happens, I think Ewan probably is. But that sprint doesn't prove it (as you say).

I think that to have been so close to the win on two such different stages suggests he has the better form. Just IMO. On both stages he sabotaged his own chances, just in rather different ways!

Maybe, although on Stage one, with that hill at the end, Cav was never going to get up that in the front group so cruised up at the back of the group, so we only really have once stage to compare. granted Ewan looked good until he forgot to look where he was going and stacked it

 

[mjr]

Cav rode 300m of the last 400m on the front, Ewan didn't put his nose in the wind at all.

Ewan was in the wind almost as long because his awful starting position meant he was trying to overtake everyone along the righthand barriers while the real sprint for the win was happening on the left.

It was a good effort but his train derailed at least twice as described by Blythe and McEwen.

 

[T4tomo]

Ewan was in the wind almost as long because his awful starting position meant he was trying to overtake everyone along the righthand barriers while the real sprint for the win was happening on the left.

this is bovine excrement - if you watch the clip I linked to, you can barely see Ewan on any front-on shot until the end. He gets a tow mainly from Bauhaus (42) until he pops past him at the end.
screenshot at 2.15 in clip and then again around 3.20 you see Bauhaus powering into the wind and Ewan pop past him

If you care to link the clip with Blythe and McEwen I'd be interested in taking a look.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Someone (I forget who and where) mentioned that the sprint was slightly downhill, which may have affected Cav's decision to go from a long way out. Whether that makes sense I don't know.

 

[Sittingduck]

Biggest chapeau of the day so far goes to Dan Lloyd for getting a word in edge-ways vs Adam Blythe and Robbie McK

 

[matticus]

Someone (I forget who and where) mentioned that the sprint was slightly downhill, which may have affected Cav's decision to go from a long way out. Whether that makes sense I don't know.

Yes, it very much does. Probably another sign of experience over speed.

It takes longer (and further?) to get past someone out of their slipstream downhill. Imagine the extreme - where every rider is running out of gears - it can become impossible to overtake!

[the exact opposite applies uphill, if you're interested!]

 

[Dogtrousers]

It's getting quite exciting at the mo with Cav and his friends 2 minutes off the back after the climb & Ewan and his friends are about 4 minutes back. They don't seem to be closing it much.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Just reported on telly that DQS have given up the chase to get Cav back to the front.

 

[T4tomo]

Just reported on telly that DQS have given up the chase to get Cav back to the front.

that's not a major surprise, its quite a big lump. more of a surprise that Ewan was even further back, unless he took the view he was never going to hang on a took it easy. a chance for the "lesser" sprinters. Van der Poel or Nizzolo would be good for my velogames team, probably prefer the latter as most people have VdP in their teams.

 

[Dogtrousers]

that's not a major surprise, its quite a big lump. more of a surprise that Ewan was even further back, unless he took the view he was never going to hang on a took it easy. a chance for the "lesser" sprinters. Van der Poel or Nizzolo would be good for my velogames team, probably prefer the latter as most people have VdP in their teams.

1,2 of Girmay and VdP would suit me fine.