2014 Giro D'Italia, stage 1: Belfast › Belfast, 21.7 km (TTT)

[Anderis]

I will admit I forgot to put BMC in the poll, but other than that, it would be a huge surprise if anyone not mentioned wins.

Yeah, it would be a surprise, but the purpose of the poll should be to know other's opinion, not just yours, don't you think?

 

[Akuryo]

BMC on paper is the likely winner- but there is also Garmin & OPQS with good engines to perform well/upset the results

OPQS has left their real engines at home: Martin, Terpstra, Kwiatkowski are not at the start in Belfast. Sad for Uran, but I don't see them in the Top 5.

 

[williamp78]

I'm going to be honest; I have no idea who will win and I don't really care. However for the first time ever I will be watching a pro race in person and just a few minutes walk from my house! I'll be ragin (said in my broadest possible ulster accent) if it is raining!

The presentation is thursday evening I think around 7:30 from Belfast City Hall which is where the first two stages finish. Can't see any coverage on the tv listings.

 

[manafana]

I will be taking plenty pictures I will link them up when i get back.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The "opening TTT" is a marketing ploy. It's just an extension of the team presentation - it's razzmatazz to get the ball rolling. Guys in skinsuits on ultra-sleek machines riding at absurdly high speeds.

By the bye, a tautology requires a repetition of the same point/argument. Thereby you should have said that the words were "A tautology". Secondly, they are not. What is pointless to a hardcore cycling fan makes an awful lot of sense to a marketing man.

It's a marketing ploy that affects the race, rather than just being razzmatazz. The words are tautologies, as while "pointless gimmick" is a tautology, both words are tautologies in the statement independent of the other. After all, guys in skinsuits on ultra-sleek machines riding at absurdly high speeds... guess what you just described: an individual time trial. Yes, they get faster in team time trials, but there is nothing a TTT achieves that an ITT can't achieve, except an ITT is, you know, fair.

Besides, why does it need to make sense to a marketing man? How many people would turn up to a TTT that wouldn't have turned up if it was an ITT, a crit, a road stage? Williamp78 a couple of posts up shows it: they are going to see the Giro. They don't give a flying one that it's a TTT, because they're getting to see the Giro. Nobody who is at the race would be thinking "you know what? This sucks!" if the stage wasn't a TTT. Nobody is saying "well, I wasn't planning to go, but then I found out it's a team time trial, so I've got to be there!" There are only two things to recommend a TTT:
1) it looks cool (perhaps, but apart from a few photos, what does that achieve?)
2) it forces teams to balance their selection between rouleurs and climbers more (which is fair, but tougher rouleur stages would achieve that with less unfairness).

I'd say that the spectacle is kinda poor from a racing point of view once you get past the aesthetic of a team time trial, but then, there's not much to recommend anything in the first week of this race from that point of view, unfortunately. There is a lot that could have been done with Belfast and the surrounding area to make an interesting couple of days' racing, but not only have they done none of it, but they have actively gone out of their way to ensure that nothing interesting CAN happen.

 

[cocteau_ireland]

Same - mind-blowing! Will be watching the morning practice session from my office window. Orica Ftw.

Well i've taken the whole week off work to stalk the Giro. Team presentation tomorrow nite & gonna plonk myself by lyric theatre for friday. Heading to dublin on Sunday and stay at the merrion-cause it finishes there. Bliss. Who's gonna win? Don't care.

 

[Better Call Saul]

When are the start times announced?

 

[Carols]

Well i've taken the whole week off work to stalk the Giro. Team presentation tomorrow nite & gonna plonk myself by lyric theatre for friday. Heading to dublin on Sunday and stay at the merrion-cause it finishes there. Bliss. Who's gonna win? Don't care.

Enjoy!!!! How awesome to have the Giro in your backyard

 

[the sceptic]

It's a marketing ploy that affects the race, rather than just being razzmatazz. The words are tautologies, as while "pointless gimmick" is a tautology, both words are tautologies in the statement independent of the other. After all, guys in skinsuits on ultra-sleek machines riding at absurdly high speeds... guess what you just described: an individual time trial. Yes, they get faster in team time trials, but there is nothing a TTT achieves that an ITT can't achieve, except an ITT is, you know, fair.

Besides, why does it need to make sense to a marketing man? How many people would turn up to a TTT that wouldn't have turned up if it was an ITT, a crit, a road stage? Williamp78 a couple of posts up shows it: they are going to see the Giro. They don't give a flying one that it's a TTT, because they're getting to see the Giro. Nobody who is at the race would be thinking "you know what? This sucks!" if the stage wasn't a TTT. Nobody is saying "well, I wasn't planning to go, but then I found out it's a team time trial, so I've got to be there!" There are only two things to recommend a TTT:
1) it looks cool (perhaps, but apart from a few photos, what does that achieve?)
2) it forces teams to balance their selection between rouleurs and climbers more (which is fair, but tougher rouleur stages would achieve that with less unfairness).

I'd say that the spectacle is kinda poor from a racing point of view once you get past the aesthetic of a team time trial, but then, there's not much to recommend anything in the first week of this race from that point of view, unfortunately. There is a lot that could have been done with Belfast and the surrounding area to make an interesting couple of days' racing, but not only have they done none of it, but they have actively gone out of their way to ensure that nothing interesting CAN happen.

Do you think the TTT is more pointless and boring than a prologue or a short sprint stage? As long as its short, and its only function is to work as a team presentation and to put someone in the leaders jersey, then I dont really mind. At least they have learned not to make them 60km and put them in the middle of GTs anymore

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Do you think the TTT is more pointless and boring than a prologue or a short sprint stage? As long as its short, and its only function is to work as a team presentation and to put someone in the leaders jersey, then I dont really mind. At least they have learned not to make them 60km and put them in the middle of GTs anymore

Prologue -> Short Sprint Stage -> TTT.

If they'd done the Napoli - Napoli stage in reverse last year, with the more interesting circuit 2nd and the flat one 1st, that would have been better than all of those though. I quite like the idea of a circuit race on an interesting circuit for the opening stage, where the location permits. In Herning, for example, the prologue was the only way to go. In Belfast you could have an interesting circuit race or a prologue, both are possible.

A TTT as a once-every-five-years change of pace, like the cobbles in the Tour, might be nice. But at the moment it seems every single GT has to have one, and the prologue has become a dirty word.

 

[CycloAndy]

Well i've taken the whole week off work to stalk the Giro. Team presentation tomorrow nite & gonna plonk myself by lyric theatre for friday. Heading to dublin on Sunday and stay at the merrion-cause it finishes there. Bliss. Who's gonna win? Don't care.

At least with them going along Stranmillis embankment it highlights Belfast's only half-decent bike lane My already futile attempts to get a strava best along there will be a lot harder after though

 

[Nuash65]

nothing interesting CAN happen.

Aren't OGE bringing a bus?

 

[karlboss]

I wonder if they could do a commonwealth classic thing with a TTT, team presentation and TTT on the same day which has no bearing on the outcome of the Tour.

Personally I think your enjoyment of a TTT depends on who you barrack for, there are many components to them and can be an interesting race, but if you've every cheered for a rider from Euskaltel they are painful to endure.

A TTT I enjoyed was the battle and approach in 2009 between Garmin and Astana, but it also highlighted the problem with big money teams vs small, as you watch lotto also.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I wonder if they could do a commonwealth classic thing with a TTT, team presentation and TTT on the same day which has no bearing on the outcome of the Tour.

Personally I think your enjoyment of a TTT depends on who you barrack for, there are many components to them and can be an interesting race, but if you've every cheered for a rider from Euskaltel they are painful to endure.

A TTT I enjoyed was the battle and approach in 2009 between Garmin and Astana, but it also highlighted the problem with big money teams vs small, as you watch lotto also.

The 2009 Tour should have been the death knell for the long TTT in GTs - the only guy in the top 10 not in one of the top 4 teams in the TTT was Le Mevel, who was 10th and who got his position through breakaways. And he wouldn't have been there if Levi hadn't crashed out either.

 

[Kwibus]

Orica wants this and will probably get it as well.
BMC looked good in Trentino, but this aint Trentino. They will finish 3rd, movistar 2nd.

 

[Publicus]

I will admit I forgot to put BMC in the poll, but other than that, it would be a huge surprise if anyone not mentioned wins.

It would be a huge surprise if Tinkoff Saxo won. Frankly you could have replaced them with BMC.

 

[Anderis]

For me, a professional cycling would lack something without TTTs. I don't claim they have to be present in every single important stage race, but I would be very sad if they appear not more often than in one out of 3 GTs on average.

That's my personal view. TTTs is my favourite kind of stage. Maybe appart from cobbled stages on GTs.

 

[greenedge]

Feels good to see OGE as favourites- that's my vote.

 

[saneguy]

Orica to nail this one!

 

[Netserk]

Have TTTs less often, make it with individual timing and on a non-dead-flat course. Then I wouldn't mind them.

 

[Fzotrlool]

Anyone who knows anything about start times? The order in which they start in could be crucial.

 

[karlboss]

The 2009 Tour should have been the death knell for the long TTT in GTs - the only guy in the top 10 not in one of the top 4 teams in the TTT was Le Mevel, who was 10th and who got his position through breakaways. And he wouldn't have been there if Levi hadn't crashed out either.

Not just a function of the TTT though, just how uneven teams are in general, take the TTT out, Frank jumps to equal 3rd, Nibali into 6th, and Le Mevel into 8th, nothing too drastic there. Surprise surprise it indicates the best riders are on the best teams.

 

[manafana]

a TTT gives real value as all the action is within one city, i would have preferred an ITT mind you but thats going close roads for the day so they didn't go that option

 

[Eshnar]

OMG it's Giro's eve!!!


PS: Orica ftw

 

[b3n3v3nt3]

Probably either Orica or Movistar will grab the win. But I think BMC is also capable of putting a fight for the top spot.