2021 Giro d'Italia, Stage 19: Abbiategrasso - Alpe di Mera 166 km

[MrTea1976]

In fairness I know I'm just being dramatic.

What kills me is not that Ineos have 1 really strong rider with 1 amazing domestique it's that no matter who they send they have the best 2. Even when it's looking good for other teams the likes of Rowe and Dennis become the best doms ever.

Landa, Porte, Froome, Martinez, Kwiato when will it end and we get to see real 1 on 1 racing

It's a team sport, so not very often if teams have more than one strong rider.

 

[SafeBet]

Copeland to RAI: "Simon doesn't care about the podium. We'll try to win the race tomorrow. It's hard because we lost Schultz and Nieve is injured, but perhaps we can get some help from other teams."

 

[Escarabajo]

BikeExchange left Hamilton, Chaves and Howson at home for some reason. What are they saving them for lol

To work for Adam at the Tour!

 

[yaco]

BikeExchange left Hamilton, Chaves and Howson at home for some reason. What are they saving them for lol

Hamilton is riding for GC at the TDF, Chaves may ride the TDF, although more likely the Vuelta and Schultz has gone past Howson.

 

[Rollthedice]

Some extremely serious W/Kg today from Yates.

 

[saunaking]

I really don't think he ran into his limit or cracked at the end at all. He just kept the same pace rather than do the traditional hard effort to the finish. He looked completely different than yesterday at the finish and was in no way giving it his all at the end for a few extra seconds. At this point he's trying not to do any extreme efforts. He and the team did exactly what he said they were going to do yesterday

Yep. After the garbage job done by RAI at this race, let's give them some credit today.
Great close up shots of Bernal's face in the last few kms and he never looked in much trouble or to be suffering

 

[Red Rick]

Copeland to RAI: "Simon doesn't care about the podium. We'll try to win the race tomorrow. It's hard because we lost Schultz and Nieve is injured, but perhaps we can get some help from other teams."

If push comes to shove all the teams will protect their precious places.

Maybe Yates and Almeida can work together

 

[Escarabajo]

Can someone explain to me why Bernal is fading after today stage?
I just saw the results and he just came in 3rd. I really hope to fade like that one day!

 

[yaco]

Good win by Yates - Best he can hope for is second and then he'll need lots of luck - And then Yates can chase stages at the TDF - Disregard Copeland's statement - Almeida has let a lesson in the last two days - By not contributing with Yates and today Bernal he has potentially cost himself a stage win.

 

[luckyboy]

Hamilton is riding for GC at the TDF, Chaves may ride the TDF, although more likely the Vuelta and Schultz has gone past Howson.

I mean there's riding for an anonymous 9th or something at the Tour or winning the Giro..

 

[Pricey_sky]

Completely missed my point. Jumbo have a great team Ineos seem to have about 4 great teams

Of course, but bike racing has always been the same. We very rarely get to see ‘Mano-a-mano’ racing.

Most of the time it’s Sky/Ineos, but others do the same when they can.

 

[roundabout]

Copeland to RAI: "Simon doesn't care about the podium. We'll try to win the race tomorrow. It's hard because we lost Schultz and Nieve is injured, but perhaps we can get some help from other teams."

It's a nice statement, but I don't really buy it. Even with the stage win and a nice cushion to 4th.

Yates is welcome to prove me wrong though.

 

[limak_]

If push comes to shove all the teams will protect their precious places.

Maybe Yates and Almeida can work together

So Quickstep will make a deal with TBE? Stage win for helping to get rid of Bernal?

 

[staubsauger]

Hamilton is riding for GC at the TDF, Chaves may ride the TDF, although more likely the Vuelta and Schultz has gone past Howson.

Chaves apparently rides the Tour of Switzerland!

 

[Bonimenier]

If push comes to shove all the teams will protect their precious places.

Maybe Yates and Almeida can work together

True. With Yates having such a big gap on the 4th in GC that hopefully might matter a bit less.

 

[Red Rick]

Can someone explain to me why Bernal is fading after today stage?
I just saw the results and he just came in 3rd. I really hope to fade like that one day!

He went from best climber in the race to ~3rd to ~5th best climber in the race if we account for efforts wasted attacking and pacing. Arguably Martinez is better too?

 

[Pinot's goat]

I mean there's riding for an anonymous 9th or something at the Tour or winning the Giro..

They are not riding for him, Hamilton will just follow the wheels while the rest of the team stage hunts, it's experience for him.

 

[movingtarget]

Don't see Caruso doing anything silly and risking a podium. Yates will keep attacking and Almeida would like a stage win.

 

[Red Rick]

So Quickstep will make a deal with TBE? Stage win for helping to get rid of Bernal?

Sounds like an easy deal.

The scenes when EF chases down Almeida tho

 

[saunaking]

Can someone explain to me why Bernal is fading after today stage?
I just saw the results and he just came in 3rd. I really hope to fade like that one day!

He looked ok. A little concerning how much he lost to Almedia in the last 400m tho.

 

[Leinster]

Great win by Simon Yates. But his job is almost impossible now with the disparity of team strength.

This. It will be very, very hard to isolate Bernal enough to get a big gap on him. They (as in, Bikeexchange, with the presumed willing assistance of Quickstep and Bahrain)'ll have to try and drop Ganna and Moscon on the San Bernardino, but then after that they might not have the horsepower to drop Castroviejo and Martinez on the subsequent climbs.

 

[BlueRoads]

Can someone explain to me why Bernal is fading after today stage?
I just saw the results and he just came in 3rd. I really hope to fade like that one day!

Maybe he's fading. Or maybe it's just that Yates finally shows the strength everybody expected from him, now that the weather is better, and Almeida is free and eats.
If you compare Bernal to the others like Carthy, Vlasov, Bardet, it actually doesn't look like he's fading, no. (But he's not getting stronger either.)

 

[limak_]

He looked ok. A little concerning how much he lost to Almedia in the last 400m tho.

Almeida did exactly the same to Yates 2 days ago.

 

[ice&fire]

Can someone explain to me why Bernal is fading after today stage?
I just saw the results and he just came in 3rd. I really hope to fade like that one day!

He is not fading. He lost around 1min in Sega di Ala and 30s today. We can extrapolate that he loses 15s tomorrow.

 

[yaco]

I mean there's riding for an anonymous 9th or something at the Tour or winning the Giro..

The team will be rapt if Hamilton finishes 9th because he'll have limited team support at the TDF.