2012 Giro d'Italia, May 12th, Stage 7: Recanati - Rocca di Cambio 205km

[King Of The Wolds]

It's also the fault of the organizers mind you. They should have 2 sprint stages in the last week(and less in the first week) to keep the sprinters in, or at least some of them. Also this is an Olympic year, but most sprinters drop out in other years as well, so...

For once, I agree with you.

 

[Lexman]

Frank winning the Giro wouldn't be so bad, Andy winning the Tour however.

Amen to that, Frak winning the Giro is possible maybe and i can deal with that but Andy winning the TDF , well we won't see it this year... but Andy will be as happy this year and call it a success nevertheless

 

[Lexman]

pff Cataldo arriving at 25 seconds after Pauwels doin' all this work for him and still finishing ahead of Cataldo

Cunego & JRod deceived of course today

 

[Caruut]

I understand, Basso is a narrow specialist in terms of climbs with an average gradient 9+%, but currently Frank may be a better climber in general (not today, just if we would try to compare them in off-season). It can play a role. Furthermore, there will be the only stage suited to Basso perfectly (Alpe di Pampeago). I strongly doubt he will take a risk to drop everyone on Giau (again, in theory in case he's able to do it) as there is a 20k descent onwards.

Isn't that exactly why you want to drop Schleck? Gap him before the descent and then put chunks into him there.

 

[Havetts]

Isn't that exactly why you want to drop Schleck? Gap him before the descent and then put chunks into him there.

I get the Schleck dislike by a few, but Basso putting time into ANYONE on the descent? Heh..

 

[Lexman]

the biggest race of the year

so for you it's the TDF?

I don't consider it the biggest race, this years biggest race has been ridden already between Paris (Compiègne) - and Roubaix... TDF is a mass commercial
monster and lost all its charms

 

[rhubroma]

I get the Schleck dislike by a few, but Basso putting time into ANYONE on the descent? Heh..

The Giau us tough enough to have a sizable enough gap at the top to hold the chasers off till the finish. Basso doesn't need to gain time on the descent, it's on the climb he has to fly.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

I don't consider it the biggest race

.... TDF is a mass commercial monster

I rest my case.

 

[trevim]

I don't know much about cycling but I think everybody is reading too much from these results. Last year everybody claimed Contador was weak on Montevergine because he had some troubles on the final sprint. And then it was mayhem

So about Frank Schleck, Rujano, Basso, Scarponi.....: better be 1st than 2nd and better gain 5 seconds than lose it but I would be surprised if that's something important by the end of the race.

 

[trevim]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tiralongo-dedicates-second-giro-stage-victory-to-contador

Nice reminder from Paolo. It would have been easier to forget about him.

On a serious note, Tiralongo probably has more WT points than the entire Saxo Bank team so he may be a nice fit

 

[Forunculo]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tiralongo-dedicates-second-giro-stage-victory-to-contador

Nice reminder from Paolo. It would have been easier to forget about him.

On a serious note, Tiralongo probably has more WT points than the entire Saxo Bank team so he may be a nice fit

lol so true

On the other hand nice move from Paolo. Loyalty in bad times is priceless

 

[The Hitch]

Nope, merely calling out the bad habit of leaving Grand Tours when the first mountains come up. Cipo got criticized for it in the Tour, so why can't I do the same for riders who're doing it to the Giro?

Boonen and Phil aren't in this race. Last time Phil did the Giro he won the 20th stage.

You called him a "*****" for not starting the Dolomite stages.

You are by all means welcome to criticse him as a coward, for not doing say Mortirolo stelvio.

But if you do, realise that we then can too point out that Bonnen and Gilbert wouldnt have a chance at time limit in those stage either.

 

[airstream]

Isn't that exactly why you want to drop Schleck? Gap him before the descent and then put chunks into him there.

Only if it will be raining. Although bearing in mind Basso's descent from Colle San Carlo in 2006, Frank is head and shoulders above Ivan at this discipline.

 

[El Pistolero]

You called him a "*****" for not starting the Dolomite stages.

You are by all means welcome to criticse him as a coward, for not doing say Mortirolo stelvio.

But if you do, realise that we then can too point out that Bonnen and Gilbert wouldnt have a chance at time limit in those stage either.

I didn't talk about Cavendish. I talked about people leaving the Giro when the first mountains show up. Whether it's 2008, 2009, 2010 or 2011. It's always the same story. Phil actually finished his last Giro back in 2009. Cav did not. Boonen has never raced the Giro and most likely never will. You're clutching at straws.

 

[Parrulo]

I get the Schleck dislike by a few, but Basso putting time into ANYONE on the descent? Heh..

frank isn't even such a terrible descender, he is bad technically and that's why he gained his bad descender fame but he usually is man enough to take the risk and i give him credit for that.

As for him winning the giro? Not gonna happen, the last week is too hard and his recuperation is sub par compared to other top GC riders in this giro like basso, rujano and scarponi

on a side, irrelevant to 90% of the forum, note: WTF happened to Nelson Oliveira? His climbing must have improved exponentially since last years vuelta.

 

[trevim]

frank isn't even such a terrible descender, he is bad technically and that's why he gained his bad descender fame but he usually is man enough to take the risk and i give him credit for that.

As for him winning the giro? Not gonna happen, the last week is too hard and his recuperation is sub par compared to other top GC riders in this giro like basso, rujano and scarponi

on a side, irrelevant to 90% of the forum, note: WTF happened to Nelson Oliveira? His climbing must have improved exponentially since last years vuelta.

About Schleck I think the biggest question is how he'll handle the steep gradients of the Giro. I can't remember see him climbing that kind of things before. Maybe Bola del Mundo but that's a usual alpine climb with a steep final.

About Oliveira, his best TT's are usually on hilly courses, specially the one in Switzerland last year. And he isn't a power-house on the mold of Phinney and Rasmusses. So if he were to climb decently, I don't think he would have much weight to loose. Maybe one day he'll be competitive on heavy TT stage races.

 

[Michele]

According to Tuttobiciweb (I didnt watch Processo alla tappa myself) it seems that Rai found out that Cavendish wasnt gonna make the time cut when suddenly the elicopter had to stop down ("..not enough gasoline..") and Cav suddenly appeared few mins later on the finish line right on the time limit.

 

[Bernie's eyesore]

According to Tuttobiciweb (I didnt watch Processo alla tappa myself) it seems that Rai found out that Cavendish wasnt gonna make the time cut when suddenly the elicopter had to stop down ("..not enough gasoline..") and Cav suddenly appeared few mins later on the finish line right on the time limit.

So he got a lift in the helicopter?

 

[jens_attacks]

According to Tuttobiciweb (I didnt watch Processo alla tappa myself) it seems that Rai found out that Cavendish wasnt gonna make the time cut when suddenly the elicopter had to stop down ("..not enough gasoline..") and Cav suddenly appeared few mins later on the finish line right on the time limit.

we discussed it somewhere...i found it funny...still cav deserves to be in the race and he always does it by any means necessary

tomorrow starting with that climb,i don't know it will be hard for him to stay in the race...it's again up and down all day long...


here poor cav on capella...according to the witnesses he crashed there because he was going that slow,he couldn't stay on the bike...still magnificent recovery on the last 15 km...grande cav!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyqYBcTUsP4

 

[cineteq]

A Canadian in Pink, Yeah!

 

[airstream]

I can't remember see him climbing that kind of things before.

He nicely got over Col du Romme and the hardest version of the Colombier in the 2009 Tour. Both have an average gradient about 8.5-9%. At that, pure climbers always have less problems with adjusting to steep gradients than say time trialists due to ability to vary the pace more easily and work on the pedals with less effort.

 

[trevim]

So he got a lift in the helicopter?

No. Sky opened a marginal breach on the space-time continuum allowing Cavendish to beat the time limit.

This Cav stories are getting really stupid. He's climbing much better this year. Probably the best I've seen from him.

 

[El Pistolero]

we discussed it somewhere...i found it funny...still cav deserves to be in the race and he always does it by any means necessary

tomorrow starting with that climb,i don't know it will be hard for him to stay in the race...it's again up and down all day long...


here poor cav on capella...according to the witnesses he crashed there because he was going that slow,he couldn't stay on the bike...still magnificent recovery on the last 15 km...grande cav!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyqYBcTUsP4

It's actually against the rules to let your self get pushed up a mountain. You need to make them stop or you get time penalties.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Just watched the stage. Kinda boring until the final climb but that was better than expected.

more attacks then I'd expected and a somewhat suprising final kilometer. Expected more Cunego/Uran/Rodriguez instead of Scarponi and Tiralongo

rujano's time loss is easy to explain. In the little downhill up to the last km he lost a lot of positions. I think he started the final 1,5km in 50th position

Aside from Cunego/Uran/Rodriguez I was also suprised that Kreuziger didn't do that well. I thought a finish like this + a climb like that in front of him would suit him a lot. But oh well...

 

[Parrulo]

About Schleck I think the biggest question is how he'll handle the steep gradients of the Giro. I can't remember see him climbing that kind of things before. Maybe Bola del Mundo but that's a usual alpine climb with a steep final.

About Oliveira, his best TT's are usually on hilly courses, specially the one in Switzerland last year. And he isn't a power-house on the mold of Phinney and Rasmusses. So if he were to climb decently, I don't think he would have much weight to loose. Maybe one day he'll be competitive on heavy TT stage races.

Nelson has always been a terrible climber ever since he was a junior despite being a rather light rider, so his performance today is a massive surprise, even more if you compare it to his vuelta performance where he always arrived with the autobus

No. Sky opened a marginal breach on the space-time continuum allowing Cavendish to beat the time limit.

This Cav stories are getting really stupid. He's climbing much better this year. Probably the best I've seen from him.

then you weren't around in 09 i guess. . . .

that video jens posted is a sad sight, the sarcasm in the italian tiffosi's voice that screamed "vai campeone del mundo" says all.