2018 Giro d'Italia, stage 2: Haifa - Tel Aviv 167 km

[Poncho]

Looked to me like Viviani didn’t go full out in the intermediate sprint. I suspect Quickstep, who don’t have GC hopes, let Dennis take 1st and Pink expecting payback later. In fact, it could very well happen at the end of this stage, with BMC keeping the pace high so QS can conserve their train and not worry about chasing down escapees. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dennis helping out with his TT skill. The best way to avoid getting caught up in a crash during a sprint is to be in the front.

 

[More Strides than Rides]

Looked to me like Viviani didn’t go full out in the intermediate sprint. I suspect Quickstep, who don’t have GC hopes, let Dennis take 1st and Pink expecting payback later. In fact, it could very well happen at the end of this stage, with BMC keeping the pace high so QS can conserve their train and not worry about chasing down escapees. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dennis helping out with his TT skill. The best way to avoid getting caught up in a crash during a sprint is to be in the front.

Or, a half-hearted intermediate sprint Viviani just wasn't as sharp as a full-on sprinting Dennis for pink...

Sometimes cycling is a chess game, but usually it is rock-paper-scissors.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Wouty...

 

[Rollthedice]

Re:

Wouty...

Plan B?

 

[RedheadDane]

Van Der Sande attempting a Pöstlberger!

And Viviani takes it.

 

[Irondan]

Wow! Viviani was really fast in the sprint, looks like he's the guy to beat for the rest of the sprints.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Imbecile danish commentators wanting Mørkov to sprint for himself after Viviani is a bit out of place.

Give me Thomas Bay back. Great sprint by Viviani!

 

[Velolover2]

I love the barriers here. Made the roads very narrow and twisty.

Actually one of the best stage designs for a sprint stage.

 

[Durden93]

WOW

 

[More Strides than Rides]

Man, who doesn't like sprint finishes?

That was fun to watch.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Superb sprint by Viviani, lost his train and came from a long way back.

 

[infeXio]

Re:

Imbecile danish commentators wanting Mørkov to sprint for himself after Viviani is a bit out of place.

Give me Thomas Bay back. Great sprint by Viviani!

Thomas Bay and Brian Holm are commentating on Kanal 5 - just FYI ;-)

 

[DFA123]

That was all a bit predictable. Viviani should really do a Gaviria here and take 4 or 5 stages. He has the best train (even if he didn't use it brilliantly today) and he's by far the fastest in a really weak sprinting field.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Imbecile danish commentators wanting Mørkov to sprint for himself after Viviani is a bit out of place.

Give me Thomas Bay back. Great sprint by Viviani!

Thomas Bay and Brian Holm are commentating on Kanal 5 - just FYI ;-)

Great. Thanks!

 

[Velolover2]

Re:

Man, who doesn't like sprint finishes?

That was fun to watch.

I normally don't but the race design was great today!

Last 10 k were fun to watch. Narrow roads and lots of twist and turns.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re:

That was all a bit predictable. Viviani should really do a Gaviria here and take 4 or 5 stages. He has the best train (even if he didn't use it brilliantly today) and he's by far the fastest in a really weak sprinting field.

Alternatively you could say that he had a pretty brilliant way of solving the fact that his sprint train had kinda dissolved.

 

[Irondan]

Great crowds today.

 

[Sestriere]

Impressive acceleration by Viviani to dirctly jump on Mareczko's wheel when he was flying past. Most others probably would've lost that spot to Bonifazio and not win the sprint.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re: Re:

That was all a bit predictable. Viviani should really do a Gaviria here and take 4 or 5 stages. He has the best train (even if he didn't use it brilliantly today) and he's by far the fastest in a really weak sprinting field.

Alternatively you could say that he had a pretty brilliant way of solving the fact that his sprint train had kinda dissolved.

No, it didn't dissolve. Viviani just managed to get himself out of position before the sprint, while the riders in his train were doing their jobs.

 

[skippo12]

Bennett was in perfect position with 250m to go but hesitated to start his sprint. Great leadout by Selig...Bennett simply lacks the killer instinct to win in big races.

 

[silvergrenade]

Anyone losing time today?
Except Poels

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

That was all a bit predictable. Viviani should really do a Gaviria here and take 4 or 5 stages. He has the best train (even if he didn't use it brilliantly today) and he's by far the fastest in a really weak sprinting field.

Alternatively you could say that he had a pretty brilliant way of solving the fact that his sprint train had kinda dissolved.

I half wondered if it was deliberate. Kittel rode pretty much the same way last year, just using his train to keep a high pace and everything fairly strung out up until the final 500m, but not actually following them. It could be the best tactic if you're by far the fastest rider in the field.

But the way his team mates were looking around with 400m to go, suggests it wasn't quite so planned.

 

[DNP-Old]

Poels lost 40 seconds.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re: Re:

That was all a bit predictable. Viviani should really do a Gaviria here and take 4 or 5 stages. He has the best train (even if he didn't use it brilliantly today) and he's by far the fastest in a really weak sprinting field.

Alternatively you could say that he had a pretty brilliant way of solving the fact that his sprint train had kinda dissolved.

No, it didn't dissolve. Viviani just managed to get himself out of position before the sprint, while the riders in his train were doing their jobs.

Looked pretty disolved in the last K. And Holm doesn't think it was too pretty either.

 

[yaco]

Viviani won the same way a in each of his seven wins in 2018 - That's by following wheels.