2012 Giro d'Italia, May 23rd, stage 17: Falzes → Cortina D'Ampezzo, 186 Kms

[Zam_Olyas]

yes i like the song a lot

by the way here is basso todays kM 186 T 5 h 23 WM 214

I miss robbobasso http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab_1qbecL24

 

[Angliru]

Lol i cannot understand how people find this stage disappointing but i guess some people don't understand hard tempo riding and the effect it has.
Especially weird that the Evans fan DWLSSONIC doesn't get it. Evans does exactly the same really

Of course that's totally different.

 

[burning]

yes i like the song a lot

Watt/kg ratio in beggining of the climb must be around 8-9, that was just insane

 

[VeloMaster]

The only positive result of this stage is at least, the haters, who thought Basso could be dropped on the descent without rhyme or reason, turned out to be wrong.

What's more, we can only speculate how Liquigas would have played had they not lost Sylvester at the crucial moment, after saving him all day for the Giau.

Given what happened to his chief climbing lieutenant, I think Basso played it very well. And he got down the mountain just fine. It still appears his race to lose.

 

[jens_attacks]

So Mollema would also crush the field here Jens_attacks?

yeah and even gesink not fully recovered from the crash.
i've never seen something like this,probably just 2004 but i think it's even worse.
that's three giri in the row in which they don't go up 6 w/kg on the long,decent climbs(except alberto 2011).they ride like pussies nowadays.
dauphine should be good though and le tour.

 

[UpTheRoad]

The only positive result of this stage is at least, the haters, who thought Basso could be dropped on the descent without rhyme or reason, turned out to be wrong.

Are you serious? No rhyme or reason? Can you fathom some people taking a "wild stab" that Basso would be gapped on a descent? Only it's not such a "wild stab," is it?

Basso has a history of going slow downhill. In fact, he was gapped just the other day and had to catch back on. Yet you find it incredulous that people don't think he's the second coming of Savoldelli.

EDIT: Not a hater at all. I like Basso. I picked him to win this year.

 

[jens_attacks]

and by the way,scarponi didn't do an extraordinary thing on the descent,they just went exremely slow on the front
i think michele at processo alla tappa said something like "well i caught you back because basso was at the front of the group" lol.
the w\kg are lower on the descents too nowadays hahaha

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Purito very good descending.
Uran awful

lol. were you even watching?

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

and by the way,scarponi didn't do an extraordinary thing on the descent,they just went exremely slow on the front
i think michele at processo alla tappa said something like "well i caught you back because basso was at the front of the group" lol.
the w\kg are lower on the descents too nowadays hahaha

they were all dead. especially hesjedal on the top of the climb so nobody could really force in the downhil

 

[Cancellator]

I don't get you people sometimes - you complain about doping and then you are nostalgic of the days of Robobasso, US postal and the like? I mean, even if you are ironic, what do you actually want?

I agree that this Giro is far from exciting - but that is caused by the riders ultra-defensive attitudes, not by the numbers being lower by 1 w/kg. I will have more respect for Basso if he wins now clean(er) than when he was absolutely doped to the eyeballs.

 

[maxmartin]

For people who think Hesjedal did not do a good job on the descending

“It was hard today. I am pleased with how it turned out, except that I started cramping on the descent,” Hesjedal told VeloNews after the stage. “Today was huge. There were not a lot of people who thought I could be third on the stage and sitting second overall in the Giro.”

 

[maxmartin]

“Today I saw a very strong Ryder,” said Rodríguez, who kicked to victory and kept the pink jersey. “Ryder was there all day today. If the Giro continues like this, the victory will be his. I hope he cracks and I’ll do everything I can to make him crack. But Ryder is strong.”

“If he keeps in this position, he can win the Giro,” Amadio told VeloNews. “He can take three minutes out of ‘Purito’ in the time trial and one-and-a-half minutes out of Ivan. We have to hope he has a bad day.”

 

[iZnoGouD]

what would happen had pozzo attacked earlier? they would all be dead!

 

[hrotha]

I don't get you people sometimes - you complain about doping and then you are nostalgic of the days of Robobasso, US postal and the like? I mean, even if you are ironic, what do you actually want?

I agree that this Giro is far from exciting - but that is caused by the riders ultra-defensive attitudes, not by the numbers being lower by 1 w/kg. I will have more respect for Basso if he wins now clean(er) than when he was absolutely doped to the eyeballs.

Aggressive racing has nothing to do with doping. Get that into your heads already, I'm tired of having to repeat it.

 

[Cancellator]

Aggressive racing has nothing to do with doping. Get that into your heads already, I'm tired of having to repeat it.

Isn't that exactly what I said?

 

[shalgo]

“Today I saw a very strong Ryder,” said Rodríguez, who kicked to victory and kept the pink jersey. “Ryder was there all day today. If the Giro continues like this, the victory will be his. I hope he cracks and I’ll do everything I can to make him crack. But Ryder is strong.”

“If he keeps in this position, he can win the Giro,” Amadio told VeloNews. “He can take three minutes out of ‘Purito’ in the time trial and one-and-a-half minutes out of Ivan. We have to hope he has a bad day.”

Okay, I guess they are finally taking Ryder seriously.

 

[Panda Claws]

Interesting stage.

Flaming accelerations and tempo riding both have their charms. Personally I was happy to see some awesome tempo riding at the bottom and peak of the climb after Rodriguez's accelerations in the last few stages.

 

[CraZyCaLL]

...“If he keeps in this position, he can win the Giro,” Amadio told VeloNews. “He can take three minutes out of ‘Purito’ in the time trial and one-and-a-half minutes out of Ivan. We have to hope he has a bad day.”

No way, Purito lost to Millar 2.14 in 26km tt last year. I think JRod will lose 50-80 seconds to Ryder in final tt, maximum 90 seconds. Basso will lose around 20-30 seconds to Ryder, not more

 

[hrotha]

Isn't that exactly what I said?

Probably. I've read that argument so many times I kind of jumped at the mention of Robobasso and US Postal

 

[gatete]

Aggressive racing has nothing to do with doping. Get that into your heads already, I'm tired of having to repeat it.

what could be a good race then? great attacks by??? who's going to make this huge attacks? I just don't get it sometimes. I bet that if someone attacked and made a huge gap then a clinic post is immediatelly opened.

What is the right answer here, I just don't know.

 

[Pippo_San]

Lots of kudos to Uran who passed his water bottle to poor Pozzovivo, left without water

Gotta love this sport.

 

[Red Rick]

This Giro would have been so awesome if it had an 80 km tt before the mountain's

 

[SafeBet]

and by the way,scarponi didn't do an extraordinary thing on the descent,they just went exremely slow on the front
i think michele at processo alla tappa said something like "well i caught you back because basso was at the front of the group" lol.
the w\kg are lower on the descents too nowadays hahaha

He said without cramping he could have caught and probably dropped all of them.
I don't remember him mentioning Basso though.

 

[maxmartin]

Hesjedal also had cramp, in normal situation I think his descending skills is on par with MS.

“It was hard today. I am pleased with how it turned out, except that I started cramping on the descent,” Hesjedal told VeloNews after the stage. “Today was huge. There were not a lot of people who thought I could be third on the stage and sitting second overall in the Giro.”

He said without cramping he could have caught and probably dropped all of them.
I don't remember him mentioning Basso though.

 

[SafeBet]

what could be a good race then? great attacks by??? who's going to make this huge attacks? I just don't get it sometimes.

Exactly my point.
I can't see anybody strong enough to attack and survive a small group chasing him.

Pozzovivo was probably the exception today. And I'll admit he lost a chance. But as for the other: Scarponi was clearly ****ed, same Uran. Hesjedal tried a brief attack and was brought back in a second. That leaves out Purito, who aknowledged he wouldn't survive other two stages with this tempo riding by Basso and the Liquigas during the Processo.

The field is even at the moment. You might not like it, but that's it.