2012 Giro d'Italia, May 10th, stage 5: Modena - Fano 209Km

[theyoungest]

Matthias Frank

179th, 9.14 down

He's the first sort of semi-GC candidate to falter. That's a pretty good score, 5 stages in.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I'm so disappointed Frank is gone he was one of my only hopes in CQ-game I'm playing
Oh well. Go Garate (yeah, i basically have almost no giro riders). My hope pre-giro was quintana but then Unzue decided to fu.ck me

 

[El Pistolero]

I'm so disappointed Frank is gone he was one of my only hopes in CQ-game I'm playing
Oh well. Go Garate (yeah, i basically have almost no giro riders). My hope pre-giro was quintana but then Unzue decided to fu.ck me

What do you expect from a rider who had his best GT result at Quick Step?

 

[thehog]

Right from Het Nieusblad Hushovd has`nt performed.

Last year he was getting over the Aubisque to win a stage in the Tour and today he is getting dropped easily.

Vaughters must be having a chuckle to himself.

 

[El Pistolero]

Vaughters must be having a chuckle to himself.

It's not like Garmin is having a great year. Sure they won the team time trial, but they were nowhere in the classics, nowhere in stage races and nowhere in the sprints.

 

[The Hitch]

This discussion started with you declaring someone second best based on his palmares alone. .

What makes you think i based it on his palmares alone?

Moreover what makes you declare in my name that i based it on palmares alone?

Not that it matters what i based it on. I argued Goss was going to be 2nd best. You laughed giggled and ridiculed the idea and fought it tooth and nail.

In the end, my cycling prediction and analysis skills in this case proved to be superior to yours

 

[Caruut]

Just watched the replay of the last 5km. Goss is turning coming out of Cav's slipstream to finish half a bike length behind him into a fine art. Sky's train looked like it was always on the point of collapse. Certainly it's nothing like the HTC train. I think that overall, it may help having a GC rider in the same team as Cav, though.

Looking at this, and the pressure on the team, I think that we might see Sky happy to let breakaways go in the first few stages of the Tour. With Cav and Wiggins, they certainly don't want to be trying to defend the yellow jersey from early on as well. I expect they'll be happy if Wiggins can put in a good time on the first TT without putting himself in yellow.

Personally, I'd prefer it if Cavendish skipped the Tour just this once, given that Wiggins has such a fantastic chance for the GC. Would be great seeing him trying to complete his set of points jerseys.

 

[hrotha]

What do you expect from a rider who had his best GT result at Quick Step?

What was that? His 4th at the Giro with Lampre, or his Alpe d'Huez win with Rabobank?

 

[theyoungest]

What was that? His 4th at the Giro with Lampre, or his Alpe d'Huez win with Rabobank?

Garate actually won a stage in all three GTs.

 

[Froome19]

It's not like Garmin is having a great year. Sure they won the team time trial, but they were nowhere in the classics, nowhere in stage races and nowhere in the sprints.

And a Omloop win.

(Qatar TTT, Kreder domination.
Zabriskie at Lagkawi
And Dekker also count for something)
+ Talansky at Romandie

 

[El Pistolero]

What was that? His 4th at the Giro with Lampre, or his Alpe d'Huez win with Rabobank?

His KoM victory in the Giro!

In al seriousness, I thought his top 10 in 2006 was his best GC result, but it's not.

Ps: think you made an even bigger mistake than me.

 

[Catwhoorg]

Would be great seeing him trying to complete his set of points jerseys.

Yep he is going to have to tackle the mountains one year. I don't think this is the year he will do it. Trying to defend the Green at the Tour is too strong a pull.

 

[hrotha]

That was the Ventoux.

Herp derp.

I'm renaming the Ventoux the Alpe d'Huez and there's nothing you can do about it.

 

[hatcher]

Just watched the replay of the last 5km. Goss is turning coming out of Cav's slipstream to finish half a bike length behind him into a fine art. Sky's train looked like it was always on the point of collapse. Certainly it's nothing like the HTC train. I think that overall, it may help having a GC rider in the same team as Cav, though.

Looking at this, and the pressure on the team, I think that we might see Sky happy to let breakaways go in the first few stages of the Tour. With Cav and Wiggins, they certainly don't want to be trying to defend the yellow jersey from early on as well. I expect they'll be happy if Wiggins can put in a good time on the first TT without putting himself in yellow.

Personally, I'd prefer it if Cavendish skipped the Tour just this once, given that Wiggins has such a fantastic chance for the GC. Would be great seeing him trying to complete his set of points jerseys.

I think a bit of a myth has grown about the HTC train. They got it right a lot, but they got it wrong a lot too.

The Sky train today was about as perfect as one can be, and never looked like being swamped. It's also only the 3rd time Cav, Thomas, and Kennaugh have ridden together, so a few teething issues are not surprising.

 

[Pippo_San]

The Sky train today was about as perfect as one can be, and never looked like being swamped. It's also only the 3rd time Cav, Thomas, and Kennaugh have ridden together, so a few teething issues are not surprising.

Well Impey almost got 'em...yet yeah, especially Kennaugh has been awesome this time.

 

[Caruut]

I think a bit of a myth has grown about the HTC train. They got it right a lot, but they got it wrong a lot too.

The Sky train today was about as perfect as one can be, and never looked like being swamped. It's also only the 3rd time Cav, Thomas, and Kennaugh have ridden together, so a few teething issues are not surprising.

The Sky train today did work perfectly in the sense that they delivered Cav to where he wanted to be, when he wanted to be. There were times, though, when it could all have gone wrong. Today, it didn't, but had they done their job properly 2 days ago, then Cav would never have been in place to be a part of that crash.

Agree with you about the teething issues, and that it'll get better with time, just don't think it's at that level yet.

 

[Caruut]

Yep he is going to have to tackle the mountains one year. I don't think this is the year he will do it. Trying to defend the Green at the Tour is too strong a pull.

I think it depends on whether or not he's actually going to finish the Tour. If he is, then he heads home when the road heads up. If he plans to skip the mountains to train for the Olympics, then completing the Giro might make sense, especially since Wiggins is looking at the GC this year.

 

[The Hitch]

I think it depends on whether or not he's actually going to finish the Tour. If he is, then he heads home when the road heads up. If he plans to skip the mountains to train for the Olympics, then completing the Giro might make sense, especially since Wiggins is looking at the GC this year.

I don't think a sprinter trying to stay within the timelimit on Mortirolo stelvio will ever make any sense.

 

[FignonLeGrand]

Right from Het Nieusblad Hushovd has`nt performed.

Last year he was getting over the Aubisque to win a stage in the Tour and today he is getting dropped easily.

Don't forget most people on here wrote him off last year, before he went on to win those stages (which were not true mountain stages btw). Just thought id mention, although he does look rubbish

 

[jens_attacks]

gotta say the stage was good.magnificent area,the region of marco pantani.

de marchi was super strong but what the hell was he doing there?androni is such a weird "team"...rujano has to be babysitted in those stages..it's very dangerous

liquigas boys were pushing like demons on those hills...so congrats to cav,he really deserved this one.probably more to come.the last 35 kms were really good.

 

[Rocksteady]

Who thinks Phinney needs a new nickname...

Maybe a spin-off of his dad... Like the "Crash Register"

 

[GazelleFormula]

What was Liquigas doing today? Surely, they kept Basso in front. But there are other ways of doing that without having their men pulling at the front. Are they trying to ride Basso into form this way?

 

[roundabout]

Someone else somewhere sometime ago wrote that Hushovd only really cares about two races, TdF and Roubaix. Maybe there is a tiny element of truth in that.

Also, what was up with Liquigas? That didn't really look like an effort to keep Basso out of trouble from what I could see.

 

[Winterfold]

very entertaining last 35km.

It must be a bummer for the other teams when Sky say 'we cant be arsed today' then win anyway

Goss could not have been better positioned and just isnt quick enough.

 

[Froome19]

very entertaining last 35km.

It must be a bummer for the other teams when Sky say 'we cant be arsed today' then win anyway

Goss could not have been better positioned and just isnt quick enough.

No sprinter is quick enough against Cav.