2014 Giro d'Italia Stage 6: Sassano – Montecassino | 257 km

[JosephD]

Peloton to put the hammer down every time Evans stops for a nature break?

Matthews is riding like a dream

 

[podunavac]

Well, this just opened up the race completely, I hope Purito stays in the race, he could make a real mess if he want to.
Prediction: BMC have only one thing to look forward to = PAIN.
Let the battle begin.

How do you think Rodriguez can turn around this race?
I think the race is pretty much closed, rather than opened now.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

How about Pantani then?

I wish, but I only belive that on really good days

 

[SafeBet]

Watching the replay now.
In the roundabout where the massive crash occured there was a car parked on the left side of the street. How crazy is that? This is the effing Giro d'italia.

 

[jens_attacks]

what a disaster for christ's sake. how is caruso?

i'm with cadel on this one. very good that he didn't wait.
he's very strong but i don't think he will drop matthews in this giro really strong legs by matthews seriously now.

i'm glad that aru, basso and rambottini are still in contention but overall, awful day, didn't imagine it like that at all. on the other hand, cippo di carpegna will be raced big time.

 

[Arnout]

I'm normally in favour of keep racing when someone crash, but this time I'm not sure.

To people saying you need to stay in front: I agree, but we're talking a 150 men peloton here, there are 20 captains trying to stay in front with their teammates. Its a big mess. Why is that? Because you design a panflat stage with a bump in the end. In the first week. Nobody is gonna drop before the final climb. No contender is already out of the GC. And they all want to stay in front.

Plus, these roads suck big time. And you put a roundabout with plenty of road forniture a couple of km before hitting the climb. Look at Brajko's crash. It's scary, he could have died there. Really this first week is horribly designed. Its nonsense.

To be honest it's impossible to design stage races without roundabouts nowadays. And they are not that big of a problem and I think Brajkovic crash wasn't caused by the roundabout.

If there was a car parked on the roundabout, Giro organizers should look into that.

 

[Butterhead]

How do you think Rodriguez can turn around this race?
I think the race is pretty much closed, rather than opened now.

I don´t think he can turn anything around, but if he goes in the offensive BMC have to take it seriously and work to keep him close, it can make a mess in the long run, plus if other contenders start to ride more agressive, but again, we still dont know how the GC look like now, if several have lost to much time we will probably see fireworks on every mountain stage, both to put pressure and for stage wins. BMC can´t just ignore it.

 

[ILovecycling]

Majka

Pff, all my giro bets are off

I understand you bro.
I probably lost huuuge money,ALL riders with my bets crashed!

Tinkoff self think Majka and Roche are + 15 min.


Tinkoff Saxo ‏@tinkoff_saxo 2 min.
Unfortunately, both #Tinkoff_Saxo's Roche and Majka both suffered a 15 minute set-back today. Rogers and McCarthy in the chase group. #Giro

Well this s:cks,Tinkoff is completely gone!

 

[barmaher]

What is the story with Caruso? Really hope he is okay.

What a day.

I think Evans did nothing wrong. We were in the last 10km. It was time to race bikes and try to win the stage. He went to the trouble to send his men to the front and to keep out of trouble.

Fortune favours the brave. Evans and BMC were brave.

Bravo Matthews.

I thought Quintana was a little bit weak, too. I still think he will win the Giro, but he didn't look strong today.

I did not spot Roche or Majka in the front group. I saw Rogers.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Aru is waay to skinny and whimpy to be a 2nd Vino.. weirdo
He could be the 2nd coming of Simoni though

simoni wasn't skinny either 170x62 kg, completely different from aru, who has the body of an 8 year old like gesink

 

[Arredondo]

Rogers and a other Saxo were in the second group. Looks like Majka

So Majka and Rogers were up front. No Roche however.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

simoni wasn't skinny either 170x62 kg, completely different from aru, who has the body of an 8 year old like gesink

Doens't have to be the exact build, but Vino and Aru are 2 quite different riders with very different bodies. Simoni is how I imagine he will end up (skinnier body perhpas, as you say)

 

[JosephD]

Says Arredondo came in 18.30 down

 

[Benotti69]

Roche and Majka are given +15:08

‏@tinkoff_saxo
Unfortunately, both #Tinkoff_Saxo's Roche and Majka both suffered a 15 minute set-back today.

http://www.gazzetta.it/Giroditalia/2014/classifiche/it/t_06_class.shtml?t=05&lang=it

 

[chiocciolis_calves]

So they 'should' have attacked after the crash?

They appeared to be putting the hammer down to me, and I have no problem with that. I already explained why. This is the only sport where it's considered unseemly by some to keep playing/going full tilt after a rival screws up or has misfortune. Some of you think that's notch in favor of the sport. I don't see it that way and I never expected a rival in any sport I played to slow down or stop playing because of me. I can't imagine complaining about it afterwards if he didn't.

 

[b3n3v3nt3]

Sad crash

Evans did what he had to do, but of course he'll get no sympathy from some teams.

 

[Butterhead]

Rogers and a other Saxo were in the second group. Looks like Majka

So Majka and Rogers were up front. No Roche however.

was MCCARTHY Jay of all people, bit of a surprise to be honest.

 

[Arredondo]

Majka is for sure in the second group. Rogers looked behind to see if Majka didn't lose some seconds in the sprint

Just look at 16.28-16.30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpISTt4Isvw

 

[luckyboy]

Brajkovic DNF, possible broken elbow according to Astana

 

[happytramp]

I can't imagine complaining about it afterwards if he didn't.

But lots of them do, and will. Movistar had/have a rep for it and it made them very unpopular. Remember when they attacked BMC (after Phinney crashed into the parked moto I think) at P-N a few years ago? That didn't go down well.

 

[Arredondo]

was MCCARTHY Jay of all people, bit of a surprise to be honest.

Probarly Majka did take Mccarthy's bike after the crash. That's why they given him.

 

[Hugo87]

Roche and Majka are given +15:08


http://www.gazzetta.it/Giroditalia/2014/classifiche/it/t_06_class.shtml?t=05&lang=it

Omg...

This stage is a freaking disaster.

Probarly Majka did take Mccarthy's bike after the crash. That's why they given him.

Hope you are right.

 

[Vino's Mum]

Swifty's bad luck returns: 25.58 down.

 

[happytramp]

Majka +49
Roche +1.09 (semi confirmed )

 

[podunavac]

I don´t think he can turn anything around, but if he goes in the offensive BMC have to take it seriously and work to keep him close, it can make a mess in the long run, plus if other contenders start to ride more agressive, but again, we still dont know how the GC look like now, if several have lost to much time we will probably see fireworks on every mountain stage, both to put pressure and for stage wins. BMC can´t just ignore it.

Evans has two minutes buffer on GC rivals, two time trials left and seems to be in the form at least equal to the rivals.
BMC can ride their race and only a misfortune similar to today's one can level the things up.
Regarding Rodriguez, it's more probable that he'll abandon than continue. He's targeting a GT victory, and this one looks out of his reach. There's not many GT opportunities left for him before retirement.