2012 Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 6: Offida-Offida 181km

[Mellow Velo]

Good to see Sagan redeeming himself. Nibali won't be angry at him anymore after today.

Sagan repaid Nibs today.

Sagan definitely paying Nibali back there

Terrific job by Sagan, today, as devoted domestique par excellence.
He's put Nibs in with a great shout of taking the overall, tomorrow.
6 seconds bonus may not sound much, but over 9kms, when their isn't much to choose between the protagonisti, could make all the difference.
Granpa Horner will need a double shot of beetroot juice expresso and his Pais Vasco form of last year, if he is to hold onto the top slot.

Frankly, after all that time out, first race back and his age, he's amazing.

 

[Lexman]

Sagan, what a rider. So f**king strong.

my words exactly and only 22 years old...

 

[Zam_Olyas]

GC
http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/TirrenoAdriatico/download/2012/tappa6/ClassificaGenerale.pdf

Highest BMC man at 30th pinotti, and coldeportes at 56th.duarte

 

[Lexman]

I don't know what would be funnier, Horner winning the TT, or Horner failing to win the overall after his declarations.

hahahaha indeed difficult to chose !!

 

[Lexman]

16. Stijn Devolder 16"

No way! Will this finally be the year Volderke wins le Tour!?

what Devolder still rides ???

 

[Lexman]

Great ride from Purito, he accelerated like a rocket, promising for LBL and Gold Race, way to go Phille !!

 

[BillytheKid]

Horner will win Terrino-Adratico at 20-25 seconds on RK, Nibali at 30.
Horner 3rd in the on day tomorrow. He looks fresh. WT racing is beating up the ranks.

wild guess

 

[Parrulo]

Yeah but I remain stubborn claiming Gesink is even better if he finally stays upright for once.

i would say they are equally talented riders, with gesink being the better climber and nibali a better rider for the classics and about equal time trialists

 

[theyoungest]

i would say they are equally talented riders, with gesink being the better climber and nibali a better rider for the classics and about equal time trialists

Gesink was already 3d in Amstel at age 22. What's Nibali's best result in a classic?

Anyway, the Dutchie of the day is of course Wout Poels. With a leadout by Devolder, I thought I'd seen everything... hope he stays ahead of Meyer in the TT, don't think so though. Meyer's minute headstart from the TTT is definitely paying off.

 

[hrotha]

Gesink was already 3d in Amstel at age 22. What's Nibali's best result in a classic?

Anyway, the Dutchie of the day is of course Wout Poels. With a leadout by Devolder, I thought I'd seen everything... hope he stays ahead of Meyer in the TT, don't think so though. Meyer's minute headstart from the TTT is definitely paying off.

If we go by early promise, then Nibali is a vastly superior time-trialist compared to Gesink. But right now that doesn't seem to be the case anymore, does it? Same with the classics. You know, in theory. I wouldn't completely agree with Parrulo, though, although I'd rate Nibali above Gesink in certain classics where tactics are more important.

Regardless, Nibali has been top 10 in Lombardy, Liege and MSR. Not bad at all.

 

[Climbing]

Nibali lost alot of weight to get better in uphill (and he has clearly improved there), so that could have worsened his tt skill (which were not that good to begin with).
This year he had alot of training in tt (aero, positioning, tecnique), let's see if it payd off or not.
I wouldn't try any prediction, they are too close, and the chrono is too short, anything can happen.

Sure Nibali has been the more attacking rider, even if he was forced too being many seconds back.

 

[Pippo_San]

Gesink: http://www.cyclingarchives.com/coureurfiche.php?coureurid=15061

Nibbles: http://www.cyclingarchives.com/coureurfiche.php?coureurid=13069

Take the palmares and compare. Right now Nibbles is the best rider of the two, by a whole lot.
These are FACTS. Everything else doesn't mean **** (and I have a soft spot for the Rabobus )

 

[Zam_Olyas]

lo squalo indeed.

 

[Parrulo]

Gesink was already 3d in Amstel at age 22. What's Nibali's best result in a classic?

Anyway, the Dutchie of the day is of course Wout Poels. With a leadout by Devolder, I thought I'd seen everything... hope he stays ahead of Meyer in the TT, don't think so though. Meyer's minute headstart from the TTT is definitely paying off.

gesink hasn't delivered nor performed on a classic in a long time tho, while nibali has had some nice performances on the last few years with attacking riding and good placings in monuments like MSR and GdL and some decent performances in LBL as well

 

[search]

gesink hasn't delivered nor performed on a classic in a long time tho, while nibali has had some nice performances on the last few years with attacking riding and good placings in monuments like MSR and GdL and some decent performances in LBL as well

to be fair, Lombardia has always been the race best suited to his abilities, and he missed it two times in a row due to unlucky circumstances

 

[Lexman]

anyone knows why Vanendert DNF?

 

[search]

anyone knows why Vanendert DNF?

I don't know, yesterday he said he was just here to make kilometers, he had no ambitions at all

 

[Lexman]

I don't know, yesterday he said he was just here to make kilometers, he had no ambitions at all

Thanks, seems logic that he ended the stage in that case, since it was mini LBL... all the more since he said a few days ago he was still lightly overweight like Gilbert

 

[hrotha]

Haha, it's questionable enough when a big star takes a race like TA as mere training, but Vanendert?

 

[Lexman]

Haha, it's questionable enough when a big star takes a race like TA as mere training, but Vanendert?

Well he knows he never can win TA but can end real close in LBL and the Gold Race so... but i agree he could try at least for a stage win like he did recently in Spain?

 

[phanatic]

Amazing that Sagan even let Nibali take his points jersey. Are there points available in the ITT?

 

[El Pistolero]

Haha, it's questionable enough when a big star takes a race like TA as mere training, but Vanendert?

Why wouldn't he? T-A IS a training race for most. Ardennes classics are so much more important. It's not like he can win T-A, so why bother. If you can win these races, but use them as training instead, that's more questionable in my opinion.

You fail to understand that for Vanendert a win in FW means a lot more than T-A.

 

[theyoungest]

Gesink: http://www.cyclingarchives.com/coureurfiche.php?coureurid=15061

Nibbles: http://www.cyclingarchives.com/coureurfiche.php?coureurid=13069

Take the palmares and compare. Right now Nibbles is the best rider of the two, by a whole lot.
These are FACTS. Everything else doesn't mean **** (and I have a soft spot for the Rabobus )

I think Dekker_T added "if he stays upright". I.e. in a purely hypothetical fairy tale world. Nobody's going to argue that whatever Gesink has won outweighs a Vuelta and two Giro podiums.

Haha, it's questionable enough when a big star takes a race like TA as mere training, but Vanendert?

Are you questioning the great Jelle's star quality?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

If we go by early promise, then Nibali is a vastly superior time-trialist compared to Gesink. But right now that doesn't seem to be the case anymore, does it? Same with the classics. You know, in theory. I wouldn't completely agree with Parrulo, though, although I'd rate Nibali above Gesink in certain classics where tactics are more important.

Regardless, Nibali has been top 10 in Lombardy, Liege and MSR. Not bad at all.

Actually no. At age 22 Gesink was already 10th in the Olympics time trial and at age 21 already 5th in a Pais Vasco TT. So even there. No.

If anything, everything at early age was done better by Gesink. Everything at age 25+ was done better by Nibali (mainly because Gesink kept falling).

 

[hrotha]

Why wouldn't he? T-A IS a training race for most. Ardennes classics are so much more important. It's not like he can win T-A, so why bother. If you can win these races, but use them as training instead, that's more questionable in my opinion.

You fail to understand that for Vanendert a win in FW means a lot more than T-A.

Of course winning FW would be more important to him, but it's not like sacrificing TA will mean he'll be a top favourite for FW or like his palmares has so many victories he can start choosing, is it? Vandendert couldn't win TA, but he could win a stage.