2019 Giro d'Italia Stage 18: Valdaora-Santa Maria d.S. 220km

[fuiers]

Re:

Demare lost the jersey.

I dont know what he was thinking in the sprint.

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

Poor Denz.

 

[Laplaz]

Re: 2019 Giro d'Italia Stage 18: Valdaora-Santa Maria d.S. 2

Although the stage was dull, this finish was super exciting!

 

[Salvarani]

Re:

Demare lost the jersey.

Permanently.

He will not take anymore points.

 

[Jagartrott]

FDJ pulling the last 2 km meant Ackermann was able to get the jersey.
Exciting last 10-20 km - very nice.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Exciting finish. Stagewise (as in race action ranking) a top 5 for me so far.
Congrats to Cima and Ackermann.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Re:

Demare lost the jersey.

They deserve to lose the jersey

 

[movingtarget]

The break deserved that one. Not sure why Dimension Data were riding as they don't have a sprinter left in the race. Nice finish.

 

[Simurgh]

Great finish, deserved victory!

 

[yaco]

Denz needed most of the original break of nine to stay with him and then he may have won the stage - Nippo Vinni Fantini have added nothing to the race and somehow fluke a win.

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

The break deserved that one. Not sure why Dimension Data were riding as they don't have a sprinter left in the race. Nice finish.

Ryan Gibbons.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Re: Re:

For whom is Quick Step chasing?

Senechal I think

He was pretty fast. Would have been pretty close to Ackermann if he hadn't have been blocked by Demare

 

[Squire]

Re:

Denz needed most of the original break of nine to stay with him and then he may have won the stage - Nippo Vinni Fantini have added nothing to the race and somehow fluke a win.

This was just like Boem's stage win a few years ago. I had a feeling the break would take it today, but my pick Vendrame didn't make the break, neither did any other Androni riders surprisingly. Typical stage for the sprinters to mess up.

 

[Wvv]

Awesome.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re:

DQS must be really desperate

last time DQS did not manage to win a stage at a grand tour:
2012 - giro
2015 - vuelta
2012 - tour

I think they are going to end empty handed this time also. Bounce Jungels has looked more wobbly than usual

 

[Lequack]

 

[luckyboy]

Re:

Denz needed most of the original break of nine to stay with him and then he may have won the stage - Nippo Vinni Fantini have added nothing to the race and somehow fluke a win.

lol, look at that team and tell me what do you expect them to contribute more than getting in the break every day? Cima has been 932km in the break...

 

[jsem94]

I love stuff like this.

 

[SafeBet]

Re:

Denz needed most of the original break of nine to stay with him and then he may have won the stage - Nippo Vinni Fantini have added nothing to the race and somehow fluke a win.

This guy has spent 1000 km in breaks during the last 20 days.

 

[Scarponi]

Re: Re:

DQS must be really desperate

last time DQS did not manage to win a stage at a grand tour:
2012 - giro
2015 - vuelta
2012 - tour

I think they are going to end empty handed this time also. Bounce Jungels has looked more wobbly than usual

three pretty boring GTs plus this one has been boring, must be a common theme

 

[yaco]

Re: Re:

Denz needed most of the original break of nine to stay with him and then he may have won the stage - Nippo Vinni Fantini have added nothing to the race and somehow fluke a win.

This guy has spent 1000 km in breaks during the last 20 days.

A few teams have added little to the race - Dimension Data, Israel Cycling Academy, Bardiani - At the end of the day, Nippo Vini Fantini got lucky because they have no climber types in their team which are you best chance for a PCT to win a stage, especially when you have a predominantly sprint line up which is limited.

 

[Robert5091]

Demare & FDJ tried to play it smart but ...
Hail Cima & team NVFF! Great news for the team. The breakaway just got it. The other two in the break get a "mentioned in despatches".

Chapeau Bora's bandaged sprint star Ackermann who gets the points jersey. The whole sprint seemed very messy with Deamre boxed in/ badly positioned with no where to go.

Thankfully no nasty crashes, and it's on to the last 3 days.

 

[Scarponi]

Re: Re:

Denz needed most of the original break of nine to stay with him and then he may have won the stage - Nippo Vinni Fantini have added nothing to the race and somehow fluke a win.

This guy has spent 1000 km in breaks during the last 20 days.

A few teams have added little to the race - Dimension Data, Israel Cycling Academy, Bardiani - At the end of the day, Nippo Vini Fantini got lucky because they have no climber types in their team which are you best chance for a PCT to win a stage, especially when you have a predominantly sprint line up which is limited.

Honestly Dimension Data are the biggest waste of team other than Cofidis

 

[djconnel]

Re:

Incredible final 300 meters... prisoner's dilemma.

Denz was in a lose-lose position. Hesitate even one more second and end up with nothing. Lead out the sprint and end up with nothing. The former is unacceptable, so he chose the latter, because if you're going to go down, go down fighting.

Meanwhile Cima, who's been putting himself into futile breakaways the whole race, was willing to cooly sit on the wheels with the raging peloton breathing down his neck. It really came down to tenths of a second, and it got him the win.

Personally I admire Denz's choice more than Cimas, but Cima wins and Denz is 13th, and that's the game.

 

[Lequack]

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