Giro d'Italia **Spoilers**

[smutchin]

Worth noting, btw, that Tuesday's stage was supposed to be in last year's Giro (stage 19) but was abandoned due to the conditions. I wonder if that had a bearing on their decision to allow the race to go ahead - dropping it two years running would have made them look very silly... even sillier.

 

[smutchin]

It is hard to argue hypotheticals but do you take my point though ?

Yes... up to a point. But he broke away before the top of the Stelvio. His intent was clear. Riders made their choices as they saw fit. Some stopped to put on jackets. Lost a few seconds there but probably made them up by not being too cold to ride hard on the descent. I just don't buy the argument that team orders or race directives influenced the outcome to the extent some are claiming. This is bike racing.

Quintana seems to be a take-no-prisoners kind of rider. This might rub a few people up the wrong way and may not earn him many friends in the peloton in the long run, but it's bloody brilliant to watch.

 

[smutchin]

Also, if Quintana hadn't had to effectively ride solo all the way up that final climb, when his attack came, it probably would have been even more explosive (cf last year's TdF). He may well have gained enough time to grab the maglia rosa however the stage had panned out. It was the stage he was targeting for his assault on GC, after all.

 

[montage]

The teams were talking about 45 seconds.

He gained just under 2 minutes on the descent alone - I had to stop watching just as they hit the bottom, and the advantage was at 1:41 (which makes the claims that only 1 minute was gained going downhill pretty annoying).

I am sure he will take today's finish to prove that he is the strongest in the race, and when that happens the controversy should quieten down - which I hope is the case as he is a class rider, however he really is building himself a negative reputation pretty quickly, whether that is by his own mean's or the fault of the DS.

As a football analogy - it feels like Team A has taken the lead from Team B in the cup final with a penalty that shouldn't really be given. But in the long run it probably won't matter as Team A will win 3-1 anyway.

 

[dragon72]

Basso's having a great day by the looks of things.
I've got a soft spot for him.
Yes, he was as dodgy as they come in his heyday, but recent performance indicates that he's off the juice (how can a big team's designated GC rider be consistenly so disappointing over the past few seasons?).
But it seems that today he's riding great - mostly down to his descending, which growth hormones don't have much of an effect on.
Forza Ivan!

 

[Roscoe]

Ivan's had his day unfortunately. Just shows how much the juice helped him.

 

[Roscoe]

Really want Sky to win this stage (any stage!)

 

[Speicher]

Is anyone in the breakaway even remotely close to the top ten placings?

 

[Apollonius]

Cataldo wants this. He didn't really have a big effort on the previous climb. I think he was saving himself.

 

[Roscoe]

Cataldo has Deignan with him, that's going to help.

 

[Roscoe]

As usual, my prediction/hope for a Sky victory gets blown away!

Looks like it was a cracking stage, can't wait to watch it on V+ later.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Arredondo deserved that win. And a Colombian 1-2, with Deignan third - a podium placing which he also thoroughly deserves. And Evans lost over 4 minutes and may be out of the Top 10... so looks like somone is going to be losing a bet!

 

[Apollonius]

Cadel has been on borrowed time for a while now. Finished, I fear. This Giro has been remarkable for the young talent coming through. Aru, Pozzavivo, Keldermans, not to mention the odd Colombian!

 

[Hont]

And Evans lost over 4 minutes and may be out of the Top 10... so looks like somone is going to be losing a bet!

He only lost 4 minutes to Arrondondo. He lost about one and a half to the leaders. Doesn't change the outcome of the bet though. ;-)

 

[Hont]

Cadel has been on borrowed time for a while now. Finished, I fear. This Giro has been remarkable for the young talent coming through. Aru, Pozzavivo, Keldermans, not to mention the odd Colombian!

Pozzovivo is 31.