2014 Giro d'Italia, Stage 20: Maniago-Monte Zoncolan (167 Km)

[hrotha]

What's with the talk about the favourites being tired anyway. Of course they're tired. No one ever accomplished anything by not moving unless they felt fresh as a daisy. If you're tired, you know everyone else will be too. That's when you can make a difference and get someone to crack, if you only dare to aim for a higher prize.

Problem is everybody was happy with their starting position. Which is not a sign of everybody being tired, but of everybody being cowards.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Of course. But the greats try to break the other by mental power alone, trying something even when tired to mentally break their opponent.

To crack a few hundred meters later and blow your GC position? There's no getting around the fact GC 1-2 had much more power than the rest.

I do agree the third week of a grand tour with so many steep climbs is not that great.

 

[Richeypen]

Of course. But the greats try to break the other by mental power alone, trying something even when tired to mentally break their opponent.

Anyway, it's also the fact that the race design is unbelievably crappy.

This. Many called it when the parcours was announced and they were proved completely right. There's more to race design than to throw in a load of MTFs and expect the action to just happen. The whole race has been an organisational joke topped off by what happened to Dehaes yesterday.

 

[Kokoso]

I contributed to the "nail your colours to the mast" thread, so you can check that.

But suffice to say, Sagan, Gerrans, Rogers and Froome are four of the five.

Thank you. 10 chars

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

LOL Rigo!!!!

They lied to me in this forum. They told me that Uran is an average climber and cannot climb with the best. I don't understand then why the results!!

He shouldn't be worse than Majka, and Aru was on a bad day. Quintana just followed wheels. I don't think many hear thinks Uran is a worse climber than say Rolland?

 

[murali]

Uh, we still haven't seen him being able to follow the best?

that's because he had never been a team leader till this giro.

except for a stupid stage, i dont find much fault with him.

even if Jrod had finished, he would have been there and thereabouts in GC

 

[Netserk]

Needless to say, Quintana never dropped Uran on a road stage

What happen on Oropa and Montecampione then?

 

[Fight.The.Power]

In anticipation of the 'rate the Giro' poll, I think today will take 1 point off my final score.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

if things were played fair, then Uran would have been wearing pink now.

You do realise that Quintana beat him by like 2:30 on Val Martello despite the fact that he had taken all the turns for the past 15 km's right?

 

[Escarabajo]

LOL Rigo!!!!

They lied to me in this forum. They told me that Uran is an average climber and cannot climb with the best. I don't understand then why the results!!

This stage was boring because the best climbers were suppose to climb at 7 watts/kg and they didn't. And Aru, Pozzo and Rolland were suppose to skyrocket to the top of the Zoncolan. Too many questions for me in today's cycling!!!

 

[luckyboy]

lol Evans climbed Zoncolan 24 seconds faster than Rogers

 

[dgodave]

Well that was a little more exciting than watching an MTB race.

 

[roundabout]

This stage was boring because the best climbers were suppose to climb at 7 watts/kg and they didn't. And Aru, Pozzo and Rolland were suppose to skyrocket to the top of the Zoncolan. Too many questions for me in today's cycling!!!

I thought Quintana was supposed to take minutes out of everyone to show that it wasn't his questionable riding that made the difference

 

[petiagos]

I am here

hehehe::

 

[PirazziAttacksVino]

if things were played fair, then Uran would have been wearing pink now.

If the whole "neutralisation" didn't happen, it would have been a totally different race. Quintana would have attacked on Panarotta and Zoncolan and would have gained time on Val Martello. You just can't get over the fact that Quintana was the strongest and would have won this no matter what had happened on the descent of Stelvio.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Problem is everybody was happy with their starting position. Which is not a sign of everybody being tired, but of everybody being cowards.

GC top-ten before the start of today's stage.

1 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Col) Movistar Team 79:03:45
2 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team 0:03:07
3 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:03:48
4 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar 0:05:26
5 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:06:16
6 Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:06:59
7 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:09:25
8 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 0:09:29
9 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin Sharp 0:10:11
10 Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Trek Factory Racing 0:13:59

##########After Zoncolon ##########

1 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Col) Movistar Team 83:50:25
2 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team 0:03:07
3 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:04:04
4 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar 0:05:46
5 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:06:41
6 Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:07:13
7 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 0:11:09
8 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:12:00
9 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin Sharp 0:13:35
10 Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Trek Factory Racing 0:15:49

Look at the new gaps. Not sure what else a rider can do but go as fast as they can on a Zoncolan. Because if they don't, they fall waaaaay down on GC. And they aren't going to hop over the GC rider in front of them assuming everyone is racing "pan y agua."

 

[Escarabajo]

You do realise that Quintana beat him by like 2:30 on Val Martello despite the fact that he had taken all the turns for the past 15 km's right?

+1.

Besides Uran had a bad day on that stage. Quintana would have put somewhere in the neighborhood of two minutes anyway.

 

[Lupi33]

one less big mountain stage and one more low stage would've improved this race quite a bit.

never thought i'd say that but they made this one far too tough

it was as if it were designed by someone whose following cycling for about two years. very one dimensional.

you can over do those classic MTFs

 

[dicanio_michael]

You do realise that Quintana beat him by like 2:30 on Val Martello despite the fact that he had taken all the turns for the past 15 km's right?

If they are riding together, I don't see Quintana can drop Uran for more than 2 minutes

 

[gmedina]

He shouldn't be worse than Majka, and Aru was on a bad day. Quintana just followed wheels. I don't think many hear thinks Uran is a worse climber than say Rolland?

or maybe Aru just dug too deep yesterday....I think Uran was right on par with Aru (except TT where both of them just trashed each other, and in the stage that Aru won, I think Uran didn't follow the 2nd attack since he wasn't a threat yet)

 

[UlleGigo]

lol Evans climbed Zoncolan 24 seconds faster than Rogers

How embarrassing to be beaten by 24 seconds by a former WC and TDF winner after spending all day in the breakaway. Oh lol. The embarrassment Rogers will feel after the elation of winning the Giro's Queens stage wears off. I would love to be a fly on the wall when someone tells him.

 

[Netserk]

GC top-ten before the start of today's stage.

1 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Col) Movistar Team 1:05:37
2 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:00:17
3 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team 0:01:26
4 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar 0:01:57
5 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:02:24
6 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli 0:03:22
7 Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:03:28
8 Sebastian Henao Gomez (Col) Team Sky 0:03:48
9 Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto Belisol 0:04:00
10 Dario Cataldo (Ita) Team Sky 0:04:10

##########After Zoncolon ##########

1 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Col) Movistar Team 83:50:25
2 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team 0:03:07
3 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:04:04
4 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar 0:05:46
5 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:06:41
6 Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:07:13
7 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 0:11:09
8 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:12:00
9 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin Sharp 0:13:35
10 Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Trek Factory Racing 0:15:49

Look at the new gaps. Not sure what else a rider can do but go as fast as they can on a Zoncolan. Because if they don't, they fall waaaaay down on GC.

That is the MTT results, not GC.

 

[Escarabajo]

I thought Quintana was supposed to take minutes out of everyone to show that it wasn't his questionable riding that made the difference

I thought he just needed a minute to be honest doing my calculations. But he looked a little tired and playing safe.

 

[icefire]

GC top-ten before the start of today's stage.

1 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Col) Movistar Team 1:05:37
2 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:00:17
3 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team 0:01:26
4 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar 0:01:57
5 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:02:24
6 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli 0:03:22
7 Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:03:28
8 Sebastian Henao Gomez (Col) Team Sky 0:03:48
9 Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto Belisol 0:04:00
10 Dario Cataldo (Ita) Team Sky 0:04:10

##########After Zoncolon ##########

1 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Col) Movistar Team 83:50:25
2 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team 0:03:07
3 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:04:04
4 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar 0:05:46
5 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:06:41
6 Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:07:13
7 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 0:11:09
8 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:12:00
9 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin Sharp 0:13:35
10 Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Trek Factory Racing 0:15:49

Look at the new gaps. Not sure what else a rider can do but go as fast as they can on a Zoncolan. Because if they don't, they fall waaaaay down on GC.

You got yesterday's stage times here, not GC times

 

[PirazziAttacksVino]

I'm a bit disappointed at Quintana. I don't want him to become the kind of rider that goes all in in one stage, takes the lead and then goes "defensive mode" for the rest of the stages. I really expected him to try and win this stage. He may have the mentality of a winner, but not of a champion.