2012 Giro d'Italia Stage 18, San Vito de Cadore - Vedelago, 24th May, 149km

[seldon71]

Cavendish can take the intermediate sprint today if there isn't a breakaway due to the fact that he is the only rider in the race who is interested in taking it.

If there is no breakaway at that point, there will definitely be efforts to break away in that hill 'cause it is a very natural springboard to break "elastic". And no, Cavendish can not stay in front in that hill if it is ridden seriously...

So, I don't see a way he can take intermediate points today. Look at the profile again...

 

[will10]

I recently read that it's 48.5 km/h on a stage i 1997 won by Cipollini.

I think it's 50kph+ from the 1999 Tour : http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=s5S6QrVuPx0

 

[Bernie's eyesore]

If there is no breakaway at that point, there will definitely be efforts to break away in that hill 'cause it is a very natural springboard to break "elastic". And no, Cavendish can not stay in front in that hill if it is ridden seriously...

So, I don't see a way he can take intermediate points today. Look at the profile again...

Obviously if there is an attack he won't be able to go with it. It depends whether or not anyone can be arsed.

I doubt Rodriguez even knows he is in contention for the points jersey.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

In the 1999 Tour, Cipo did 50,355 km/h in Laval-Blois (the question was about the fastest GT stage, if I'm not mistaken).

Oh, that's true. I just thought of the fastest Giro stage because I recently read it I guess.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Interestingly De Gendt says he is now in the top 10 because the peloton is cleaner. "No one is capable of doing something extraordinary. Almost nobody is capable of a real attack. I wonder what people like more, this type of racing. Or someone attacking at 30 km/h on the big ring, but full of......"

 

[taiwan]

Seriously, getting off this: We have to talk about Colombians in every thread, routine.
Surely, this more about allowing the right size group to get in the breakaway?
A lot of teams will be fighting to send a man up the road, but if the group can be kept to a modest size, it can be controlled fairly easily.
There will be some help around from teams like OPQ, Farnese Vini and a few others.

Yes, Farnese Vini, OPQ, Colnago, Androni, Katusha* and Movistar could all want a sprint. I'm not sure how hard people will be trying to get into such a totally doomed break, but yeah it will be easy enough to control. Agree: this is the least relevant stage to talk about columbians, possibly ever. *Although they won't make riders work for Kristoff when they have the pink jersey.

 

[boomcie]

Interestingly De Gendt says he is now in the top 10 because the peloton is cleaner. "No one is capable of doing something extraordinary. Almost nobody is capable of a real attack. I wonder what people like more, this type of racing. Or someone attacking at 30 km/h on the big ring, but full of......"

He seems to think the current style of racing is more interesting to watch.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

He seems to think the current style of racing is more interesting to watch.

Yeah. I didn't find yesterday disappointing or annoying. It's good to see racers break like normal humans one by one by incredible pace of liquigas. It's only logical nobody is able to attack after such pace.

 

[jens_attacks]

Interestingly De Gendt says he is now in the top 10 because the peloton is cleaner. "No one is capable of doing something extraordinary. Almost nobody is capable of a real attack. I wonder what people like more, this type of racing. Or someone attacking at 30 km/h on the big ring, but full of......"

the second one for me tommy

 

[hrotha]

Interestingly De Gendt says he is now in the top 10 because the peloton is cleaner. "No one is capable of doing something extraordinary. Almost nobody is capable of a real attack. I wonder what people like more, this type of racing. Or someone attacking at 30 km/h on the big ring, but full of......"

Well, De Gendt is an idiot then. Pretty rich coming from a Vacansoleil rider.

 

[Bernie's eyesore]

Personally I would rather watch human beings race than chemists. In any case, if everyone was on the same drugs everyone would be equal and there would be no scope for attacks. Maybe some riders should have electric bikes, they could attack then and you drugs fans could enjoy some fake entertaining racing without the need for countless cyclists to die young for your pleasure.

 

[labratty]

Yeah. I didn't find yesterday disappointing or annoying. It's good to see racers break like normal humans one by one by incredible pace of liquigas. It's only logical nobody is able to attack after such pace.

+1, and liquigas burnt through their guys pretty quickly when the pace really when up, it was possible to think you were watching humans on bikes instead of chemical experiments. They sat on the front as a pack while it was in maintenance mode but the pace hurt them too.
It was not a case of Poste Italiane (of course then they would never arrive)

 

[boomcie]

Well, De Gendt is an idiot then. Pretty rich coming from a Vacansoleil rider.

You really have to be so degrading toward people's intelligence all the time?

 

[Morbius]

What's the start time today?
Eurosport coverage in UK starts at 1:30

 

[hrotha]

You really have to be so degrading toward people's intelligence all the time?

When they say unintelligent things, yes.

Did Charly Mottet attack?

 

[boomcie]

When they say unintelligent things, yes.

Did Charly Mottet attack?

It's the condescending tone that bothers me. It's recurrent behavior.

 

[hrotha]

It's the condescending tone that bothers me. It's recurrent behavior.

Well yes, because I've spent the better part of last week replying to people who buy into the myth that you can only have aggressive cycling if people dope to the gills, and you can only do that so many times before you get frustrated that nobody listens and they keep using the same flawed arguments all the time to indirectly imply that *I* apparently don't want clean cycling.

 

[boomcie]

But if I didn't call you a self-important idiot now I wouldn't be at ease.

On the other hand, if he's referring to the likes of Augustyn, Carlström and Pauwels, he has a point. But he's an idiot to word it like that.

Pity that Cunego is clearly past his peak and won't be able to be more than a decent domestique for Scarponi. The idiots at Lampre have no idea about managing him. Rujano doesn't give me the impression of being as strong as last year, but we'll see.

The Tour is the only cycling event that's truly global, so in Europe you get tons of attention-grabbing idiots too...

Well, then Rabo is full of idiots obviously.

YAWN. Can boomcie and Pisti please stop being stupid. Thanks.

Few people here have said or even implied that Sagan is clean. The replies have focused on pointing out how *** the OP is.

Small sample. I'm gonna grab a sandwich.

 

[hrotha]

Small sample. I'm gonna grab a sandwich.

Oh. Well I don't see the problem. I'd say all of them were called for.

 

[wirral]

Cavendish can take the intermediate sprint today if there isn't a breakaway due to the fact that he is the only rider in the race who is interested in taking it.

Oh no, Bernie and his anti-tactics have jinxed it.

And where's that guy from Singapore who keeps saying this is the day Ferrari gets his comeuppance?

 

[dlwssonic]

boring stage...
Cav will win it easy without any crashes or mishaps.
Hope they let a break go.

 

[dlwssonic]

And where's that guy from Singapore who keeps saying this is the day Ferrari gets his comeuppance?

not me for sure.

 

[cineteq]

boring stage...
Cav will win it easy without any crashes or mishaps.
Hope they let a break go.

It seems every stage is boring for you. This one I understand.

 

[wirral]

not me for sure.

No, not you, the other one.

Edit: He probably got banned.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Of course there is a flip side to Henao being treated like a princess and being allowed to put his feet up.
If Sky don't make an effort to control and Cav gets next to nothing from this, his last winnable stage, is he then still going to slog on to Milan?
I seriously doubt it. The points jersey is paramount to this prospect.

If Cav climbs off, so will Eisel. Who knows what this would do to team moral and the possible knock on effect.
Both Stannard and Thomas could struggle tomorrow as it is.

Come Saturday, who is going to do all the fetching and carrying for the first 150 testing kms? It isn't just about who is around for the final 20 kms, it's about a team performing in a team sport.