2016 Giro Field Discussion

[staubsauger]

Hesjedal is one year older once again and ain't got no promosing results far this season, has he? Ofc there's always some hiding before the Giro. Especially from Hesjedal. Somehow this year I got the feeling that he might be more a contender for the blue jersey.

 

[dirkprovin]

Re: Re:

[quote="

Chaves is likely to lose too much time in the TTs even if he hasn't had a bad day in the first 2 weeks. TBH, Tzurruka was a complete WTF signing as he's minimal use as a domestique in any terrain.

Ewan may be able to get up a hill IF its not raced hard or if he was positioned perfectly at the start and was able to hold on. Mountains or even medium mountains are a completely different matter. If he can snag a win or even stage placings on ANY stage finish in the first week, OGE should then get him the hell out of the race by rest day 2 (maybe even by stage 9 ITT) rather than wasting resources aimlessly towing his carcass any further.

Ewan for cobbles or classics ??? Not as long as his backside points to the ground !! He hasn't the engine and will never have the engine to go the distance let alone be able to react to the key moves. He's a one trick pony and realistically he is a resource intensive one trick pony as he generally needs a train (given he tends to get "washed away" without one.

It WON'T happen but I'd be quite happy to see OGE show him the door should he get a little greedy or presumptuous come contract renewal time. Why so ? Quite simply, IF OGE are switching towards GC at GTs then how are they going to also accommodate a sprinter who (1) requires significant resources and (2) is unlikely to last the full 3 weeks unless its the flattest GT in known history or the the most timidly raced ?. Lets face it, they'll have higher (re)signing priorities than C.Ewan at the end of this year.

 

[vedrafjord]

Re:

Hesjedal is one year older once again and ain't got no promosing results far this season, has he? Ofc there's always some hiding before the Giro. Especially from Hesjedal. Somehow this year I got the feeling that he might be more a contender for the blue jersey.

He seems to always find his legs in the third week of a GT, falling uphill in slow motion near the front of the field, so as usual it depends what happens in week 1. Last year he was 6:16 down by the first rest day, and 11:17 after the second, but still finished only 9:52 off Contador after a very tough last week.

 

[Anderis]

Re: Re:

He seems to always find his legs in the third week of a GT

Usually, not always.

There was one exception in 2014, where he was just a minute from 3rd in GC with 4 and 3 stages to go but he lost a lot of time during the MTT and Zoncolan stage.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re:

Hesjedal is one year older once again and ain't got no promosing results far this season, has he? Ofc there's always some hiding before the Giro. Especially from Hesjedal. Somehow this year I got the feeling that he might be more a contender for the blue jersey.

One year more experienced, he is in a good age to perform well.

it is not very important what he did before the Giro. He was much better in Romandie than Cataluña.
Yes, he could be a contender for blue.

 

[Ataraxus]

Sky roster just confirmed on Twitter:

Landa
Nieve
Lopez
Roche
Seb. Henao
Knees
Deignan
Viviani
Boswell

Not too bad a team actually, and at least Landa will have Nieve now as his last man in the mountains.

Kiryienka is a curious omission. Hasn't raced since Pais-Vasco and normally he would definitely ride the Ardennes so I guess either illness or the vampires got him.

Further to this, I think that Sky team does lack a bit of power on the flat. Puccio or Kiryienka would have been nice (probably in place of Lopez who was MIA at Trentino). Reading Sky's press release apparently Knees on the flat days is supposed to protect Landa and help position Viviani for the sprints so he's going to have his work cut out and I can see it not working out very well at all.

I agree so wholeheartedly with this....what Landa really needs is protection and positioning just as much if not more than he needs help in the mountains. IF you are in the wrong place or badly positioned then your tour can be over in a flash
we have seen how dangerous the Giro can be

I would have left Seb Heano or Lopez at home and brought a strong guy....

It is well plausible that the giro can be lost in a flash due to bad positioning in the flat. But it can also be lost in the stages of Sestola, Cividale, Risoul, Pinerolo, Andalo as easily. Especially if Kangert, Fuglsang Nibali and Scarponi start making full mutant chain attacks. Henao and Lopez are not so bad a choice IMO.

There is a possible scenario that at least three Astana guys might be in top spot (or podium) Giro contention by the Cividale stage (Kangert, Fuglsang, Nibali, Scarponi). How can you manage all this threat only with a domestique like Nieve?

 

[yaco]

Re: Re:

[quote="

Chaves is likely to lose too much time in the TTs even if he hasn't had a bad day in the first 2 weeks. TBH, Tzurruka was a complete WTF signing as he's minimal use as a domestique in any terrain.

Ewan may be able to get up a hill IF its not raced hard or if he was positioned perfectly at the start and was able to hold on. Mountains or even medium mountains are a completely different matter. If he can snag a win or even stage placings on ANY stage finish in the first week, OGE should then get him the hell out of the race by rest day 2 (maybe even by stage 9 ITT) rather than wasting resources aimlessly towing his carcass any further.

Ewan for cobbles or classics ??? Not as long as his backside points to the ground !! He hasn't the engine and will never have the engine to go the distance let alone be able to react to the key moves. He's a one trick pony and realistically he is a resource intensive one trick pony as he generally needs a train (given he tends to get "washed away" without one.

It WON'T happen but I'd be quite happy to see OGE show him the door should he get a little greedy or presumptuous come contract renewal time. Why so ? Quite simply, IF OGE are switching towards GC at GTs then how are they going to also accommodate a sprinter who (1) requires significant resources and (2) is unlikely to last the full 3 weeks unless its the flattest GT in known history or the the most timidly raced ?. Lets face it, they'll have higher (re)signing priorities than C.Ewan at the end of this year.

I watch riders development closely and don't have an agenda - Ewan biggest weakness is endurance,though not surprising for a second year rider - It's something OGE is slowly developing and at the same time providing a range of experiences to unlock Ewan's potential. That third stage in the Tour of Yorkshire with its climbs was raced hard by SKY and it was an interesting development to see Ewan hold on for so long - It should be noted that 10kms later Ewan withdrew from the race which was probably a pre-arranged move. Have noticed that Ewan sprints best when its a straight sprint or has an incline - He struggles in technical finishes. Anyway, OGE like any team aim for a stage win and a good GC result.

 

[HelloDolly]

Sky roster just confirmed on Twitter:

Landa
Nieve
Lopez
Roche
Seb. Henao
Knees
Deignan
Viviani
Boswell

Not too bad a team actually, and at least Landa will have Nieve now as his last man in the mountains.

Kiryienka is a curious omission. Hasn't raced since Pais-Vasco and normally he would definitely ride the Ardennes so I guess either illness or the vampires got him.

Further to this, I think that Sky team does lack a bit of power on the flat. Puccio or Kiryienka would have been nice (probably in place of Lopez who was MIA at Trentino). Reading Sky's press release apparently Knees on the flat days is supposed to protect Landa and help position Viviani for the sprints so he's going to have his work cut out and I can see it not working out very well at all.

I agree so wholeheartedly with this....what Landa really needs is protection and positioning just as much if not more than he needs help in the mountains. IF you are in the wrong place or badly positioned then your tour can be over in a flash
we have seen how dangerous the Giro can be

I would have left Seb Heano or Lopez at home and brought a strong guy....

It is well plausible that the giro can be lost in a flash due to bad positioning in the flat. But it can also be lost in the stages of Sestola, Cividale, Risoul, Pinerolo, Andalo as easily. Especially if Kangert, Fuglsang Nibali and Scarponi start making full mutant chain attacks. Henao and Lopez are not so bad a choice IMO.

There is a possible scenario that at least three Astana guys might be in top spot (or podium) Giro contention by the Cividale stage (Kangert, Fuglsang, Nibali, Scarponi). How can you manage all this threat only with a domestique like Nieve?

Landa has Deiganan (who was last man after Nieve for Froome in Vuelta 2014 and was very good for Landa in Trentino and) has just come into form, Boswell who was very good at Vuelta 2015 and Nico Roche who has lost lots of weight and has ridden several GT top 15 and when slim can climb very well indeed as seen in Yorkshire outclimbing Kruijswijk & Yates .

I therefore would leave Lopez as hit and miss or Heano who though good is young yet &will not be as strong over 3 weeks and replace one with a strong man like Kiryenkia

The reason why Landa needs strong men in replacement for either of those 2 imo is crosswinds in Holland and
the first 9 stages ...its an no brainer...
The Tour was won and lost in the first 9 days last year and it will be the same in this Giro

 

[dirkprovin]

Re: Re:

[quote="

I've also been watching him for a few years and it was always patently clear that he is damned quick and an absolute killer when it comes to criteriums. However, it was watching him in his senior ventures during 2014 (against not overly formidable fields) that gave me pause with regards to his wider skill set and his significant limitations. He was 2nd at AUS Nats RR last year on a course with some hills but those hills weren't raced with any particular vigor which allowed him to survive; this year with Dennis and Porte riding "intervals" up the main hill ..... ping goes Caleb !

To my mind, cobbles are a non starter given his lack of strength and power and I'm battling to think of ANY international one day race on the WT calendar where he'd be remotely suited apart from a vague shot at MSR if he ever developed the capacity to go that distance. Cobbles, Ardennes, Laurentian races ..... even Cuddles Race (if it made WT) look no go.

OGE are certainly being reasonable and realistic with how much exposure and where ........ the issue will be whether Master Ewan's ego doesn't or hasn't become over inflated with winning GT stages. His tendency to show boat needs to be reined in before he suffers or causes a nasty accident.

 

[SlickMongoose]

Landa has Deiganan (who was last man after Nieve for Froome in Vuelta 2014 and was very good for Landa in Trentino and) has just come into form, Boswell who was very good at Vuelta 2015 and Nico Roche who has lost lots of weight and has ridden several GT top 15 and when slim can climb very well indeed as seen in Yorkshire outclimbing Kruijswijk & Yates .

I therefore would leave Lopez as hit and miss or Heano who though good is young yet &will not be as strong over 3 weeks and replace one with a strong man like Kiryenkia

The reason why Landa needs strong men in replacement for either of those 2 imo is crosswinds in Holland and
the first 9 stages ...its an no brainer...
The Tour was won and lost in the first 9 days last year and it will be the same in this Giro

Yes, Stannard and Rowe were worth their weight in gold in the tdf last year. You need some classics guys who are used to fighting for position all day and dealing with crosswinds etc.

 

[TMP402]

Heano who though good is young yet &will not be as strong over 3 weeks

Isn't the received wisdom on Henao that he gets better over the three weeks?

 

[manafana]

Huge boost for Landa that he got Nieve, as he did look short of support in trentino.

 

[Ataraxus]

Sky roster just confirmed on Twitter:

Landa
Nieve
Lopez
Roche
Seb. Henao
Knees
Deignan
Viviani
Boswell

Not too bad a team actually, and at least Landa will have Nieve now as his last man in the mountains.

Kiryienka is a curious omission. Hasn't raced since Pais-Vasco and normally he would definitely ride the Ardennes so I guess either illness or the vampires got him.

Further to this, I think that Sky team does lack a bit of power on the flat. Puccio or Kiryienka would have been nice (probably in place of Lopez who was MIA at Trentino). Reading Sky's press release apparently Knees on the flat days is supposed to protect Landa and help position Viviani for the sprints so he's going to have his work cut out and I can see it not working out very well at all.

I agree so wholeheartedly with this....what Landa really needs is protection and positioning just as much if not more than he needs help in the mountains. IF you are in the wrong place or badly positioned then your tour can be over in a flash
we have seen how dangerous the Giro can be

I would have left Seb Heano or Lopez at home and brought a strong guy....[/quote]

It is well plausible that the giro can be lost in a flash due to bad positioning in the flat. But it can also be lost in the stages of Sestola, Cividale, Risoul, Pinerolo, Andalo as easily. Especially if Kangert, Fuglsang Nibali and Scarponi start making full mutant chain attacks. Henao and Lopez are not so bad a choice IMO.

There is a possible scenario that at least three Astana guys might be in top spot (or podium) Giro contention by the Cividale stage (Kangert, Fuglsang, Nibali, Scarponi). How can you manage all this threat only with a domestique like Nieve?[/quote]

Landa has Deiganan (who was last man after Nieve for Froome in Vuelta 2014 and was very good for Landa in Trentino and) has just come into form, Boswell who was very good at Vuelta 2015 and Nico Roche who has lost lots of weight and has ridden several GT top 15 and when slim can climb very well indeed as seen in Yorkshire outclimbing Kruijswijk & Yates .

I therefore would leave Lopez as hit and miss or Heano who though good is young yet &will not be as strong over 3 weeks and replace one with a strong man like Kiryenkia

The reason why Landa needs strong men in replacement for either of those 2 imo is crosswinds in Holland and
the first 9 stages ...its an no brainer...
The Tour was won and lost in the first 9 days last year and it will be the same in this Giro[/quote]

Of course it is a logical decision to strengthen the team with strong rouleurs. But I honestly believe very little will happen GC-wise in the first 9 stages. Plus it is easier for Sky (or any GC contender team) to find alliances in the flat due to mutual interests in the potential echelons.
The last year Tour comparison is not a good reference IMO because situations in the 2015 Tour and Giro were much different from each-other. The Tour had cobbles and is generally way more hectic in the first week whereas the Giro had the Astana bullying all over the mountains. What do you expect this 2016 Giro to resemble more? To the last year's Tour or the last years Giro? My answer is the latter of course.
I have a gut feeling that Martinelli still resents the losing of 2015 Giro despite having the strongest team and doesn't want to repeat the same mistakes again.