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

[Parrulo]

You still think liquigas are a small team chump?

no need to insult any1.

and liqui is a small team compared to bmc, just look at the difference on the number of wins

 

[cineteq]

there was very little action in the front group. Just because there are few riders close to the leaders doesn't mean the stage was good. It was pretty disappointing TBH.

did you know there are 2 other mountain stages and the ITT to come?
ps: or is it because no BMC rider has a chance of making the podium?

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Is Hesjedal that great a TTer? I know he was best of the contenders in the opening ITT, but other than that I've never know him to be a world beater. 30 seconds might be enough.

Hejedal is not a great TTer at all. But he's good by the standards of the GC men in this Giro. It's a tallest dwarf in the circus thing.

JRod may have improved his TTing, but he's coming from a position where he habitually loses minutes and minutes to other GC men. He was leading the Vuelta in 2010 and managed to lose four and a half minutes to Nibali, and it isn't as if Nibali is an Evans or Wiggins.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

first rabo spotted
46 SLAGTER Tom JelteNED RAB 5:47:53 23:11

 

[dlwssonic]

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

Is Evans riding the Giro??
And you insulted BavarianRider for bringing people's favourite riders into the argument.
I just expected more from this stage with the way people were hyping it up.

 

[hrotha]

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

Well, hard tempo riding is pretty boring to watch. At least compared to actual attacks.

 

[SafeBet]

From what I'm reading, they only moved a bit in the last kms of the last climb. Now look at the profile of the whole stage.

Last kms?
Basso made the pace from km 0 of the Giau. They were 6 after 1km or so.

Accept that yes, they all might be on the same level approximately.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Is Hesjedal that great a TTer? I know he was best of the contenders in the opening ITT, but other than that I've never know him to be a world beater. 30 seconds might be enough.

He's not that good (certainly not as much as people have been suggesting multiple minutes out of the other contenders anyway). He's a pretty serviceable ITT rider, however, which may be enough if Scarponi loses out in the coming days and he only has to race Purito and Basso.

The only time he's come to a GT race-ending TT with something to fight for was the 2010 Tour, where relative to competition he was:

+2'49 from Menchov
+57 from Contador
+49 from Sanchez
+41 from Leipheimer
+26 from Schleck
-25 from Armstrong
-28 from Horner
-30 from Vandenbroeck

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Is Evans riding the Giro??
And you insulted BavarianRider for bringing people's favourite riders into the argument.

This is something entirely different. I appreciate the tempo riding style of Basso.
I find the stage nice therefore

Evans has exactly the same riding style. Yet you don't like the stage. That is something I do not understand and that's why I ask you.

I'm not insulting Evans, I'm not taking a jab at him. That's what BR does with Dekker.
So again, you fail to understand the point I'm trying to make

 

[will10]

Is Evans riding the Giro??
And you insulted BavarianRider for bringing people's favourite riders into the argument.

facepalm

Congratulations on missing the point. Or did you just read the word Evans in DT's post and ignored the rest?

 

[phanatic]

Pozzo will need to take 5 or 6 minutes in two stages given his crap time trial. He blew it big time today, looked like he had the legs to take some real time if he had been bothered.

Rats, I keep forgetting about the time trial; I still hope he can take one of the two stages.

 

[roundabout]

They were down to 6 with what, 6 or so km of the Giau to go. They still finished together. And it's not that there was much attacking in between.

The stage wasn't bad, but it could have and perhaps should have been better.

 

[CobbleStoner]

you guys complain about dopers and riding 'clean', then you complain about boring, non-aggressive racing, pick one and stick with it. you can't have both

 

[Zam_Olyas]

You are still complaining about me not putting liquigas in the most wins poll
Get over it for heavens sake.

Just asking you whether you still think they are small chump.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Is Hesjedal that great a TTer? I know he was best of the contenders in the opening ITT, but other than that I've never know him to be a world beater. 30 seconds might be enough.

Well, there's the Stelvio to conquer first. Ryder looked good all the way up and over today though. Definitely in striking distance. Purito didn't have to defend much today.

An epic stage for sure. Guys were *blowing* out the back on the penultimate climb. In this stage in particular, I think there will be some challenges meeting the time limit for many riders.

For the complainers, I'm not sure what you were hoping for. This is pretty much what stage racing looks like with limited doping.

 

[vcampbell]

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

Hard tempo riding = boring. I hate to come with Contador, but it's much more better to see, when there is a rider, who just attacks, and don't stop after 100m. I was waiting on Giau someone to attack, but nothing happened. If it was exciting to you, then it's good, but after 16 stages my expectations was much higher, so for me after all it was boring. Sorry.

 

[180mmCrank]

All the GC guys racing it out in a sprint for the line - mountain top finish - awesome!

What more could you ask for ... wait ... two more huge days to come and a decisive ITT - this is going to be a great week!

Brilliant. Bike racing at it's best - IMHO.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Hard tempo riding = boring. I hate to come with Contador, but it's much more better to see, when there is a rider, who just attacks, and don't stop after 100m.

Contador is an unreasonable comparison. He has a built in climbing advantage over everyone accept Andy Schleck, so of course he can attack and just ride away.

 

[El Pistolero]

Did non-GC contender Thomas De Gendt just beat Kreuziger, Rujano and Henao?

 

[Escarabajo]

Now will the world's best climber make the time limit?

That type of short (~10 km) climbs with changes from 8% to 9.5% and back to 8% and back to 10.5% don't fit his capabilities.

Now being serious, I hope he is fine. Cracking is a very bad feeling.

 

[dlwssonic]

This is something entirely different. I appreciate the tempo riding style of Basso.
I find the stage nice therefore

Evans has exactly the same riding style. Yet you don't like the stage. That is something I do not understand and that's why I ask you.

I'm not insulting Evans, I'm not taking a jab at him. That's what BR does with Dekker.
So again, you fail to understand the point I'm trying to make

I don't mind tempo riding, when its aggressive like Basso on Mortiloro and Zoncolan. But it was pretty conservative this stage. Come on all 6 riders were riding up together and watching each other until the very top of the climb. And basso was not fully committed today, but its ok because I know he will go for it on friday and saturday.

 

[patrick767]

Boring? This was the GC situation yesterday showing everyone within 3 minutes:

1 Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team 69:22:04
2 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda 0:00:30
3 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:01:22
4 Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:01:26
5 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Astana Pro Team 0:01:27
6 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:01:36
7 Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:42
8 Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Col) Sky Procycling 0:01:55
9 Dario Cataldo (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:02:12
10 Sandy Casar (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:02:13
11 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling 0:02:56

Here it is today:
1 Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team 74:46:46
2 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda 0:00:30
3 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:01:22
4 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:01:36
5 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling 0:02:56

Tiralongo is now over 4 minutes down. Kreuziger blew up spectacularly. Elorriaga dropped to 3:04. Henao was booted from contention. I don't know that Cataldo and Casar were ever in contention, but whatever, they're gone. Going a little further down yesterday's GC... Gadret's dynamite must have fizzled and Cunego lost more time.

All in all, it was a huge selection day for the race. No one rider destroyed everyone obviously, but Contador's not in the race. What do you expect?

 

[dlwssonic]

facepalm

Congratulations on missing the point. Or did you just read the word Evans in DT's post and ignored the rest?

 

[Fetisoff]

28+ minutes, still no Rujano

 

[El Pistolero]

This is something entirely different. I appreciate the tempo riding style of Basso.
I find the stage nice therefore

Evans has exactly the same riding style. Yet you don't like the stage. That is something I do not understand and that's why I ask you.

I'm not insulting Evans, I'm not taking a jab at him. That's what BR does with Dekker.
So again, you fail to understand the point I'm trying to make

Evans was much more entertaining in last year's Tour than Basso in this year's Giro.