Tirreno-Adriatico 11-17 March 2015 *SPOILERS*

[iLB]

Meanwhile Cancellara is being the "patron" or chief whinger about the snow on the tweeter.

 

[The Couch]

an anaemic doping apologist smurf....

wait... he apologized?!?


Nibali is looking like the Nibali of last year (so that should bring him again in top-form at the start of the Tour)
Contador defintely not looking as strong as last year (when he blew everyone away/my mind with his impressive form in the Tirreno)
Mollema is looking more and more like Fernando "the Crab" Escartin ... but Escartin was also a good climber
Nice from Yates (who both haven't shown much form yet) to stick with the favourites-peloton
No-shows by Dan Martin, Hesjedal, Konig and Rolland... I guess that's not much different versus other years as well
And a small applause towards Betancur... he managed to overtake Cavendish in the GC (he's already up to place 147 out of 160)

Lots of classics guys present who are riding this, so let's hope that they won't feel the effect of this stage in the upcoming weeks
(Terpstra, Van Avermaet, Stannard, Vanmarcke, Cancellara, Stybar...)

 

[rich p]

And a small applause towards Betancur... he managed to overtake Cavendish in the GC (he's already up to place 147 out of 160)

 

[Crackle]

What chance Cummings for a podium. He's not bad against the clock.

 

[oldroadman]

Sagan burst onto the scene, and it's hard to keep that "new kid" promise going; I am quite delighted to see him not making it look as if it's easy. Hope for the future? (Excluding the other nobbers who still dope of course...)

You can only get away with springing a surprise once. After that you become a watched man for a while.

 

[oldroadman]

Meanwhile Cancellara is being the "patron" or chief whinger about the snow on the tweeter.

Good heavens, have you ever tried racing 200+ km in freezing conditions with lots of descending? Yet again rider health put at risk by organisers determined to go ahead and ignore safety. I admire those who persevered, but that last stage was just beyond reasonable conditions. There's a lot of season to come, and I wonder how many riders will be ill from excessive cold before the classics, which start very soon? I'm with Cancellara, there is a point at which weather can stop a race. The ToB organisers cancelled a stage a couple of years back because of dangerously high winds and concern for rider safety, a brave and correct decision. Shame the T-A organisers don't think about that. A shortened and flatter stage of 100/120km would be enough.

 

[Hont]

Quintana is a beast in bad weather, it just does not seem to bother him.

He looked very fresh at the finish. Contrast with the way Mollema looked coming over the line.

 

[jifdave]

i know he doesnt need to be in form this time of year but nibali looks shocking, its one thing to be awful in the middle east early season but seems he has not built any form at all.

even by some stroke of luck astana manage to ride the tour, no chance nibali can repeat surely.

although he was crap this time last year too i think, 21st at paris nice.....

 

[raindog]

Sagan! At last - nice one

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Sagan, Ciolek and Debuscherre - again, more hard-men than pure sprinters in the bad weather.

 

[cyberknight]

Quintana is a beast in bad weather, it just does not seem to bother him. After a busy week I have yet to watch any of TA but have recorded highlights of the last two stages for tomorrow's viewing.

Did he do rather well at last years giro in the snow where everyone was whining because he had the cajones to descend in bad weather better than most ?

 

[jifdave]

Did he do rather well at last years giro in the snow where everyone was whining because he had the cajones to descend in bad weather better than most ?

rather contentiously he passed a red flag and everyone had been told over the radio it had been slowed

 

[iLB]

Peter not so Sad- gan. Excellent.

 

[oldroadman]

Did he do rather well at last years giro in the snow where everyone was whining because he had the cajones to descend in bad weather better than most ?

It's not about cajones. It's respect for your colleagues and opponents, if anyone thinks some people lack bottle watch the descending speeds in almost any race. The best guys fly, and even the lesser descenders would scare the bib shorts off most people. 80-100km/hr focusses the mind to the consequences of error - which is why certain teams are given a bit more room than usual in which to make their mistakes.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Well, Cancellara was alive and well-enough today to win the final TT over Malori.

The overall podium stayed the same with Quintana having done enough to relax a little (I'm sure he wasn't relaxed really...) in the TT, and Moellema and Uran both did enough to keep their overall places.

I had been hoping that Steve Cummings might ride himself onto the podium. He didn't quite manage that but he did move up to 6th overall, swapping places with Adam Yates, who dropped to 9th.