2012 Giro d'Italia; Stage 15: Busto Arsizio - Lecco/Pian dei Resinelli (169km)

[Froome19]

Even if we accept the "stalemate on the first mountain stage" idea, why on earth is stage 14 the first mountain stage (and why aren't we counting stages 7 & 8?)? The last time stage 14 was the first high mountain stage was Pampeago in 2008. They sure weren't waiting around like idiots that day.

This is the Giro, not the Tour, so gutless, insipid riding should be the exception, not the norm. Ironically Hesjedal was one of the guys expected to play the "hold on in the high mountains" card, but he was the one that decided to go for it.

I think you know the answer yourself, to attract the other riders who are not necessarily climbers and yet they also want an opportunity to wear the leaders jersey and attack with a chance of takig the jersey. Also I think they are playing towards the riders who like to abandon before the mountains and so they are still giving these riders an opportunity to win stages suited for them as otherwise they wouldnt race the giro whatsoever.

You have to remember that the giro is about a lot more than merely the climbers, who make up a much smaller proportion of the peloton that other types pf riders. Of course imo its all abit ott but that is where they are coming from.

 

[DominicDecoco]

No one? How about mister Hushovd with his seven figure contract at BMC? Not overpaid?

No. No one is overpaid in this sport. This is the most damanding sport in the world and they get paid f*** all for it.

 

[vcampbell]

Well that's what you have when people complain about the GC being closed after just a week.
Anyway last year's route had its flaws too.

Except Contador the battle for the 2nd was really good. Maybe it's not the battle for the maglia rosa, but still was good. Just imagine this peloton with last years route. Here there is no one who is a lot stronger than the others.

 

[hatcher]

can't see this mentioned already:

liveciclismo ‏@liveciclismo
#Giro / es oficial F. SCHLECK (RNT) se retira de la carrera

 

[Delicato]

Fränk Schleck has abandoned the race. He has been complaining of shoulder problems since his run-in with Alex Rasmussen a few stages ago.

Oh how surpising.

 

[Havetts]

Let the 10 pages of hate commence!

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

After coming in with the favourites yesterday it is a little surprising, but oh well.

 

[Eshnar]

Except Contador the battle for the 2nd was really good. Maybe it's not the battle for the maglia rosa, but still was good. Just imagine this peloton with last years route. Here there is no one who is a lot stronger than the others.

If you wipe out Contador from last year's Giro, you have a lot of conservative racing. Apart from Gardeccia and Zonc, the GC guys arrived together on the MTFs.
Only good point of that route was that the first serious mountain was in the first week, but the mountain stages as a whole (except Gardeccia and Zonc/Crostis if UCI didn't wiped it out) were pretty badly designed, and were supposed to provide not more than 7-8 kms of attacking racing each.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I think you know the answer yourself, to attract the other riders who are not necessarily climbers and yet they also want an opportunity to wear the leaders jersey and attack with a chance of takig the jersey. Also I think they are playing towards the riders who like to abandon before the mountains and so they are still giving these riders an opportunity to win stages suited for them as otherwise they wouldnt race the giro whatsoever.

Guys who have no intention of completing the race should forfeit having stages designed for them. If you're not there to take it seriously, the organisers shouldn't be pandering to you.

This has been a pretty tame Giro thus far. I know Zomegnan had his mis-steps - 2004 and 2009 in particular - but I can't help but think he wouldn't have let us go 2 weeks with everybody holding hands up the handful of climbs we've had.

I don't see why stages 7 and 8 weren't mountain stages, in which case this wasn't the first mountain stage, so there is no "oh it's the first mountain stage" nonsense. The idea is to be in form for three weeks, not one, anyway.

 

[Froome19]

can't see this mentioned already:

liveciclismo ‏@liveciclismo
#Giro / es oficial F. SCHLECK (RNT) se retira de la carrera

I am resigned to watching him drag the peloton along with Fuglsang up the steep stuff, in July.

 

[Eshnar]

can't see this mentioned already:

liveciclismo ‏@liveciclismo
#Giro / es oficial F. SCHLECK (RNT) se retira de la carrera

And I was thinking he was ready to fight for the victory... #joking

 

[airstream]

strange that the forum hasn't bursted out because of the mixture of hatred and delight yet

 

[Froome19]

Guys who have no intention of completing the race should forfeit having stages designed for them. If you're not there to take it seriously, the organisers shouldn't be pandering to you.

This has been a pretty tame Giro thus far. I know Zomegnan had his mis-steps - 2004 and 2009 in particular - but I can't help but think he wouldn't have let us go 2 weeks with everybody holding hands up the handful of climbs we've had.

I don't see why stages 7 and 8 weren't mountain stages, in which case this wasn't the first mountain stage, so there is no "oh it's the first mountain stage" nonsense. The idea is to be in form for three weeks, not one, anyway.

And what about guys like Navardauskas and Malori, if you had gotten your way there would have been a mountain stage on stage 4 and none of them would have worn the jersey. Is that fair on them?

 

[Havetts]

strange that the forum hasn't bursted out because of the mixture of hatred and delight yet

Yea it kind of nullified my inb4 .

 

[DominicDecoco]

This was planned by Frank from the begining. Quite weak but was to be expected from him, really.

He could say that instead of finding a scapegoat in Alex. That shoulder is just fine.

 

[El Pistolero]

Yea it kind of nullified my inb4 .

You were wrong in thinking any one cares for Frank Schleck on this forum.

 

[Delicato]

You were wrong in thinking any one cares for Frank Schleck on this forum.

Nice

10 chars

 

[Libertine Seguros]

And what about guys like Navardauskas and Malori, if you had gotten your way there would have been a mountain stage on stage 4 and none of them would have worn the jersey. Is that fair on them?

If I had gotten my way they wouldn't have gone to Denmark in the first place, or at least would have had a stage around Vejle.

Navardauskas got the jersey because of a TTT, so that's totally irrelevant. If I had my way, no race outside of the track would ever have one.

I wouldn't necessarily have a mountain stage straight away, but I would want some kind of selectivity early on. The 2008 Giro, which took nearly two weeks for a high mountain stage, had a selective uphill finish... on stage ONE. Giovanni Visconti still got a week in pink thanks to breakaways.

There is more than one way to skin a cat, Navardauskas and Malori didn't have to get the jersey the way they did, they could have got it another way.

Everybody makes the assumption that I would like 21 mountain stages in every GT. This is patently not the case. I just would like riders to actually have some kind of challenge to the GC men outside of week 3. Otherwise it's two weeks of playing around and giving outsiders a chance to wear the pink jersey, but ultimately two weeks of total irrelevance. Why would you need to watch it at all?

The whole idea of a Grand Tour lasting three weeks is that you race for three weeks. Not that you clap politely at the favourites going on training rides together for two weeks, then chasing each other around the mountains for a week. It's a three week race. Frankly it doesn't really feel like the GC battle for this Giro has even started yet, and it's stage 15. That's a joke.

 

[Descender]

If I had gotten my way they wouldn't have gone to Denmark in the first place, or at least would have had a stage around Vejle.

Navardauskas got the jersey because of a TTT, so that's totally irrelevant. If I had my way, no race outside of the track would ever have one.

I wouldn't necessarily have a mountain stage straight away, but I would want some kind of selectivity early on. The 2008 Giro, which took nearly two weeks for a high mountain stage, had a selective uphill finish... on stage ONE. Giovanni Visconti still got a week in pink thanks to breakaways.

There is more than one way to skin a cat, Navardauskas and Malori didn't have to get the jersey the way they did, they could have got it another way.

Everybody makes the assumption that I would like 21 mountain stages in every GT. This is patently not the case. I just would like riders to actually have some kind of challenge to the GC men outside of week 3. Otherwise it's two weeks of playing around and giving outsiders a chance to wear the pink jersey, but ultimately two weeks of total irrelevance. Why would you need to watch it at all?

The whole idea of a Grand Tour lasting three weeks is that you race for three weeks. Not that you clap politely at the favourites going on training rides together for two weeks, then chasing each other around the mountains for a week. It's a three week race. Frankly it doesn't really feel like the GC battle for this Giro has even started yet, and it's stage 15. That's a joke.

Thanks for saving me typing time. Well said!

 

[Red Rick]

Just a reminder. This is what we had on the same Sunday, last year:

Trust me, in that region you can make stages even way harder than that

 

[Captain Sensible]

You were wrong in thinking any one cares for Frank Schleck on this forum.

From my short time on this forum I would say he and his brother are no more disliked than Cav is ?
Maybe a few people are frustrated with him as he has the talent to do so much more .?

 

[Kodiak]

anyone have a live video feed now? nothing I can find starts for another 90 minutes

 

[Eshnar]

Trust me, in that region you can make stages even way harder than that

No need to trust. Of course you can.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Both stages last weekend offered chances. This is just the same old wailing at the wind, thinking back to the good old days when things were not professional in the fullest sense and there were big gaps in riders abilities, causing big gaps in the results.

 

[Lanark]

First mention of headwind I see.

I've already mentioned this elsewhere, but... why does it matter that it's the first mountain stage? Why should it matter? It's stage 14 of a three-week race, and we already had Lago Laceno and some hills. Why should we accept that the first true mountain stage should be like the Champs Elysees stage, other that because we've been sadly accostumed to it?

When do you think this trend started? I'm the last person to glorify the Armstrong years, but then the first real mountain stage usually completely shattered the field, even on climbs like La Mongie and Courchevel, that are hardly more difficult than what we had yesterday.

Just looking at the Tour for a moment, 2006 had some pretty big gaps on Puerto de Beret (just 13 km at 5.5%), although the heads of state were close together.

2007 Tignes didn't amount to much, outside of Rasmussen. 2008 Hautacam was decent, some favorites were already eliminated, but the top-favorites stayed together. 2009 Arcalis was a complete joke, 2010 Morzine-Avoriaz wasn't any better, 2011 was an insult to a great climb like Luz Ardiden. Seems pretty recent. My recollection of the first mountain stages in the Giro and Vuelta isn't good enough to make a comparison.