2014 Giro d'Italia, Stage 15: Valdengo-Plan Di Montecampione (225 km)

[jens_attacks]

one thing is for sure, pierre rolland will attack from the bottom imo.
i hope he takes his deserved win. and i'd like domenico to drop them all too

 

[ItalianGigolo]

one thing is for sure, pierre rolland will attack from the bottom imo.
i hope he takes his deserved win. and i'd like domenico to drop them all too

Nobody in this Giro can drop Quintana. Nobody in the world can drop Quintana if he is 100%!

 

[Dazed and Confused]

He should just rest and take it easy. Ride within himself even if it means losing 1 minute or 2.

Then for Tuesday, which is the number 1 GT opportunity for attacking early of any Grand Tour this year or last, he can take a shot at making back maybe 3 or 4 times that (like Nieve got into the top 10 on Gardeccia), or at least more leeway for a shot at a stage win.

Meh, with a rest day on Monday there is no reason to take it easy.
But Rolland gotta wait until the Steppers' train is somewhat depleted.

I hope the heavies takes note of the relative weakness of the climbers in this race and engage in one hell of the morning break battle. That might make all the difference between a dull and great day.

So Preidler and Timmer gave it a shot. How about Stamsnijder today.

 

[DonMI6]

Was there any news on the race official who was hit by the moto yesterday? I can't find anything.

 

[Them Bones]

My questions is:

Why is Pantani worthy of tributes? Because he is dead? Should we be putting Lance stages in the TDF now?

I'm not trolling, I just feel it's a fair question to ask.

That's actually a very good question/statement imo. And a very fair one too.
And i strongly disagree with most of the replies you've received to the question.

You simply can not honor one rider, yet condemn and ostracize another rider for the exact same sins.
Don't get me wrong, i fully understand and relate to the admiration for Pantani... i am/was a huge fan.
Likewise, i understand and relate to the hate of Armstrong.

But anyone who criticizes one, yet defends and praises the other on this topic is doing so from purely an emotional stand point imo. Logically it makes no sense what so ever!

 

[darwin553]

Quintana will follow Pozzo and then fly away from him and win the stage!

Just the way that the Hitch wants him to win!

I reckon Quintana will pick up a few more seconds on the Poz while it will be the same for Cadel on Uran.

 

[GuyIncognito]

My questions is:

Why is Pantani worthy of tributes? Because he is dead? Should we be putting Lance stages in the TDF now?

I'm not trolling, I just feel it's a fair question to ask.

I'm not touching the 'worthy' parts or going into Pantani in particular.
But speaking generally, in every single sport, any top athlete who dies young has their negatives mostly forgotten, and in most cases is remembered as significantly better than he ever was.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

From yesterday's stage:

Uran, like a few others were in some trouble, but not enough took advantage.

Will Uran be affected today?

More pics from stage 14 here: http://www.steephill.tv/2014/giro-d-italia/photos/stage-14/

 

[PirazziAttacksVino]

Nobody in this Giro can drop Quintana. Nobody in the world can drop Quintana if he is 100%!

He's not been at his 100% this season though. Anyways, he's still the strongest of the big 7.

Evans in pink after this stage would be hilarious. Less likely to happen though since Cadel will just leap on Uran's wheel as soon as the climb starts and will let go only in the final 200m when he'll jump for 5 seconds again #CuddlesTactics

 

[Mellow Velo]

That's actually a very good question/statement imo. And a very fair one too.
And i strongly disagree with most of the replies you've received to the question.

You simply can not honor one rider, yet condemn and ostracize another rider for the exact same sins.
Don't get me wrong, i fully understand and relate to the admiration for Pantani... i am/was a huge fan.
Likewise, i understand and relate to the hate of Armstrong.

But anyone who criticizes one, yet defends and praises the other on this topic is doing so from purely an emotional stand point imo. Logically it makes no sense what so ever!

You might have a debatable point, were you at issue with a forum faction, but you appear to be at issue with the Italian nation.
You can't compare the way in which Italy views Marco with how the World views Lance.
They set him upon a pedestal; the top step of hero hierarchy.
Everybody wanted a piece of him, everybody was his friend.
Then, when it all changed, he was deserted by all but a tiny few.
He needed help, but backs were turned.

So, alone he died, and a shocked nation mourned.
After the grief, came the guilt.

This is why he is now honoured and remembered.
It is two way process.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Hard to look past Albert Timmer today. If not him then Quintana, though.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Arredondo launches a huge attack at the bottom, Quintana follows with ease but nobody else can, Arredondo leads all the way up, Quintana jumps out in the final 100m for the win

 

[DonMI6]

Europcar are due a win, so i'll say Rolland.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Van Baarle DNS

No injury or anything, it was decided before the Giro that he would only race 2 weeks.

 

[meat puppet]

quintana looks very cool and collected in that picture. almost tranquillo.

hope he and pozzo well bomb the climb from the lower slopes. probably they wont go before the false flat tho.

 

[roundabout]

Largely because there are no climbs before it whereas in 1998 it was a multi mountain stage.

Also in 1998 it was the final mountain of the race.

The only big climb was this one

http://cyclingcols.com/profiles/CroceDominiiSE.gif

But as far as I remember there may not have been a really hard race up it.

The popular opinion at the time was that Pantani needed to gain time on Tonkov with the last ITT still to come.

And as Tonkov won the previous stage it had to take a huge effort.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Was there any news on the race official who was hit by the moto yesterday? I can't find anything.

Coma via safebet on the previous stage thread.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Colombians are nationalistic when they come to sports. Besides Uran and Quintana are very good friends. I don't think he will work with him. Maybe just try to drop him if he can. He won't try to hurt his friend's chances against another contender.

I don't like it but I am afraid that's what it is.

that's not what it is at all. uran and quintana are no friends either. quintana doesn't have many friends in colombian peloton

all he did yesterday was sprint to finish and pozzo couldn't follow. it wasn't an attack

 

[jens_attacks]

The only big climb was this one

http://cyclingcols.com/profiles/CroceDominiiSE.gif

But as far as I remember there may not have been a really hard race up it.

The popular opinion at the time was that Pantani needed to gain time on Tonkov with the last ITT still to come.

And as Tonkov won the previous stage it had to take a huge effort.

i think pantani tried on the descent of that climb?

also why on earth did tonkov take turns with marco?cracked big time on finale.
but the speed was insane.
i think rolland will go pretty much where pantani attacked. probably again ag2r will be the strongest team lol

 

[Eclipse]

Looking forward to Rolland trying to make something happen earlier than anyone else again. Should at least liven things up before 5k out.

Would be nice if one of the big boys was feeling sprightly enough to give it a shot from further out given the rest day tomorrow but I doubt it. We'll see!

 

[roundabout]

I remember laughing my *** off at Konyshev dropping Zülle, but I don't think anything else happened before the last climb

 

[Mellow Velo]

that's not what it is at all. uran and quintana are no friends either. quintana doesn't have many friends in colombian peloton

all he did yesterday was sprint to finish and pozzo couldn't follow. it wasn't an attack

Who needs friends, when he's got you?

The point Pozzovivo made was that when asked, Nairo said he was unable to come through and contribute. (i.e. open the gap and take more GC time)

Yet..............
Well, you have answered that in your post.
Pozzo spent, Quintana, not.
Whether he would have taken more time by contributing is speculation.
The Ag2r man certainly would have, but that is irrelevant in terms Quintana's tactical choice.

It may come back to haunt him, though.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Who needs friends, when he's got you?

The point Pozzovivo made was that when asked, Nairo said he was unable to come through and contribute. (i.e. open the gap and take more GC time)

Yet..............
Well, you have answered that in your post.
Pozzo spent, Quintana, not.
Whether he would have taken more time by contributing is speculation.
The Ag2r man certainly would have, but that is irrelevant in terms Quintana's tactical choice.

It may come back to haunt him, though.

it may come back to haunt him? seriously? evans has been a wheelsucker for all his career and just 2 weeks ago angered the whole peloton and when did it ever come back to haunt him?

and quintana wasn't spent, but how could he knoew pozzo was riding in the red. quintana is no idiot, he needs to take time on pozzovivo so why help him and then have the risk of getting dropped

 

[spalco]

also why on earth did tonkov take turns with marco?cracked big time on finale.
but the speed was insane.

I don't think they were faster than the riders today, but it just looks so much faster. Maybe just Pantani's sprint-climbing style.

 

[spalco]

it may come back to haunt him? seriously? evans has been a wheelsucker for all his career and just 2 weeks ago angered the whole peloton and when did it ever come back to haunt him?

and quintana wasn't spent, but how could he knoew pozzo was riding in the red. quintana is no idiot, he needs to take time on pozzovivo so why help him and then have the risk of getting dropped

In the short term, Quintana needs to take time off Uran and Evans, not Pozzovivo.