Giro d'Italia 2021 Giro d'Italia, Stage 4: Piacenza - Sestola 186 km

[hayneplane]

Important to remember, week 1 of Giro 2020 nobody was considering Hindley and TGH favourites. They weren't protagonists on Etna. Today is not a GC write off for those in Buchmann group.

Absolutely. Much deeper into the race than this Tao was 3 minutes down on GC.

 

[Luthor]

My batch of favourites was quite broad, admittedly, (more than 15 guys) but given the fact that Bennett has never really had the chance to go for it himself in a GT after having resolved his side stitch issue, I would give him the benefit of the doubt. And maybe, just maybe, the rain could explain his loss today? It was still so big, though, that it currently seems insurmountable.

Apparently he is from a sunny place and never liked bad weather. TJV says they don't give up on GC just yet. I guess he can go for 7-10 GC if he has good form in 3rd week.

 

[Lequack]

If this is Remco without any racing beforehand, he'll surely be minutes ahead of everyone in the third week.

 

[Escarabajo]

If this is Remco without any racing beforehand, he'll surely be minutes ahead of everyone in the third week.

Hey this is some serious math!!

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Ok strange, says he is in his form of his life and drops on a climb he would normally have no problem with.
Guess the weather might have affected him, still strange though

Sometimes I get the feeling that saying "you're in the form of your life" is the cycling equivalent of a chairman/sporting director backing a football manager: they will be dropped/sacked shortly after.

 

[Lequack]

Others were just panick attacking Remco because they know they need a lot of time before the TT.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Why did Mikel Landa strangely look like Cadel Evans?

 

[Red Rick]

How often do riders really peak in the third week without being hampered by crashes in the first week anyway? I think it's actually really rare.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Most recent editions were won with a big time grab in the 3rd week or close to it.

-TGH and Hindley running amok on Piancavello and Stelvio 2020
-Carapaz taking 2 mins on Landa, Nibali and roglic to Cormayeur in 2019
-Froome's infamous exploits to sestriere in 2018
-Nibali mugging Chaves and Kruijswijk in the final mountain stages on 2016
-Nairomann Stelvio robbery in 2014 taking 3 mins.


Don't read too much into Sivakov or Hindley losing 30 seconds or Yates 11 seconds on stage 4

 

[titan31]

How often do riders really peak in the third week without being hampered by crashes in the first week anyway? I think it's actually really rare.

Possibly but just using a recent example, I'd say Pogacar peaked in week 3 of the Tour.

I do think Thursday will be a tell. If today is a one off due to the weather and it being a short steep climb, fair enough. If likes of Yates and Remco lose time again to Bernal, Vlasov, Landa etc there, I think I'm going to move away from them as contenders for the win here (bar something crazy happening)

 

[Red Rick]

Most recent editions were won with a big time grab in the 3rd week or close to it.

-TGH and Hindley running amok on Piancavello and Stelvio 2020
-Carapaz taking 2 mins on Landa, Nibali and roglic to Cormayeur in 2019
-Froome's infamous exploits to sestriere in 2018
-Nibali mugging Chaves and Kruijswijk in the final mountain stages on 2016
-Nairomann Stelvio robbery in 2014 taking 3 mins.


Don't read too much into Sivakov or Hindley losing 30 seconds or Yates 11 seconds on stage 4

Carapaz was already winning in the first week. Froome crashed 2 or 3 times in the first week. Nibali wasn't improving slightly towards the third week but rather had an off moment and 2 massive off days at the end of the 2nd week. Nothing about last years Giro makes any sense. Quintana okay.

 

[Red Rick]

Possibly but just using a recent example, I'd say Pogacar peaked in week 3 of the Tour.

Broke Peyresourde record on stage 8, won stage 9. Got dropped on stage 17, and briefly on stage 18.

 

[VeloMaster]

Wait. Dombrowski is 30? Damn, we're all getting old..

A lifetime ago, I raced with a young Dembrowski, in West Virginia. As I recall, he lapped the field on a hilly circuit course and never looked back. He was a nice kind then and seems like a good guy now. So pleased to see that he finally got the top-of-the-world result that his innate talent seemed to support.

 

[titan31]

Broke Peyresourde record on stage 8, won stage 9. Got dropped on stage 17, and briefly on stage 18.

I'd say stage 8 is they let him go as they didn't think he was a danger. Stage 17 he was only very slightly dropped by Lopez and Roglic and then on 20 he of course went thermonuclear.

 

[Luthor]

Peaking in 3rd week is more like a myth to keep people's hope up. It's more like "I hope to be able to have a good result while the others just falter". TGH and Hindley weren't peaking in 3rd week last year, the others weren't strong enough to keep up with Dennis.

 

[Cookster15]

How often do riders really peak in the third week without being hampered by crashes in the first week anyway? I think it's actually really rare.

Yes its rare. But another example was Cadel in 2011 TdF - no crashes. He definitely peaked in the 3rd week even though he was strong since the beginning. Evans certainly didn't weaken in the 3rd week.

 

[Cookster15]

Peaking in 3rd week is more like a myth to keep people's hope up. It's more like "I hope to be able to have a good result while the others just falter". TGH and Hindley weren't peaking in 3rd week last year, the others weren't strong enough to keep up with Dennis.

I think its more a case of not weakening in the 3rd week. When most rivals naturally weaken with the accumulated fatigue, if you stay strong it seems like you peaked. Its all relative.

 

[Fantastico]

Peaking in 3rd week is more like a myth to keep people's hope up. It's more like "I hope to be able to have a good result while the others just falter". TGH and Hindley weren't peaking in 3rd week last year, the others weren't strong enough to keep up with Dennis.

I agree. I think most often it's more about reacting better to the accumulated fatigue within the race than actually improving form.

 

[Fantastico]

I think its more a case of not weakening in the 3rd week. When most rivals naturally weaken with the accumulated fatigue, if you stay strong it seems like you peaked. Its all relative.

Haha, we basically made the same post simultaneously

 

[johnymax]

Interesting that Ciccone was the strongest rider for Trek today. I thought Mollema would have been a safer bet given his solid record in GTs

Mollema is not riding for GC. It will be interesting to see if Ciccone will try to hold on for a high GC placing. I like his attacking style. It feels like every time there's a climb towards the end, he is always one of the first riders to go on the attack.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Don't read too much into Sivakov or Hindley losing 30 seconds or Yates 11 seconds on stage 4

And yet you would have DQT shove Evenepoel and go for Masnada instead...
You're a funny one.

 

[postmanhat]

And what are we thinking about Ciccone? Why did he attack today? There was no tangible trophy in sight for him. Is he secretly mounting an assult on the GC? Yesterday's attack was surely for a stage win but today's seemed like something more.

I posted something similar just after the finish. On reflection, it might just be Trek's tactical genius. They've rarely given me the impression that they really know what they're doing either before or during a race?

 

[the delgados]

How often do riders really peak in the third week without being hampered by crashes in the first week anyway? I think it's actually really rare.

Lots of riders who didn't crash in the first week came out smelling fresh as a daisy in week three.

 

[Sciatic]

I think its more a case of not weakening in the 3rd week. When most rivals naturally weaken with the accumulated fatigue, if you stay strong it seems like you peaked. Its all relative.

Well said, it’s the contrast to others fatiguing. In Amercan baseball announcers/coaches will sometimes say a hard -throwing pitcher throws a “rising fastball.” In fact, the ball does not rise as it heads toward the batter—it’s the fact that it doesn’t drop as noticeably as a typical fastball that gives the hitter the impression it is rising.

 

[Lequack]