Giro d'Italia 2021 Giro d'Italia, Stage 8: Foggia – Guardia Sanframondi 170 km

[cellardoor]

Probably a break will take it tomorrow too.

Climbs not that tough. I doubt much will happen.

Giro gotta be better at placing some more exciting stages on the weekend.

Quite possibly. On the other hand, it's a short stage, barely a metre of flat and a rest day coming up - I'll be watching from the beginning.

 

[Gigs_98]

2020 Giro looks more and more like the weakest GT since probably decades. Hindley, Almeida, Nibali, Masnada nowhere near their top 10s from last year.

Yeah, it's pretty meh indeed. That said, Remco vs Bernal might actually be the battle between two of the four strongest gc riders in the world right now, we are currently just really clueless about how good two actually are. I remember bitching around about how weak the 2019 Vuelta field was because a 20 year old managed to get on the podium. I simply didn't realize at the time how good that 20 year old was. This might be similar.

 

[Red Rick]

Quite possibly. On the other hand, it's a short stage, barely a metre of flat and a rest day coming up - I'll be watching from the beginning.

Tomorrow is way easier than the stage last year.

 

[ice&fire]

Bala was a sprightly young 30 years old the last time they won

Jesus Herrada won a Vuelta stage the day after his brother was defeated by Madrazo. Bala was 39.

 

[Red Rick]

Yeah, it's pretty meh indeed. That said, Remco vs Bernal might actually be the battle between two of the four strongest gc riders in the world right now, we are currently just really clueless about how good two actually are. I remember bitching around about how weak the 2019 Vuelta field was because a 20 year old managed to get on the podium. I simply didn't realize at the time how good that 20 year old was. This might be similar.

First 10 stages of the Giro have been *** for like 5 years now, apart from 2018 I guess.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Yeah, it's pretty meh indeed. That said, Remco vs Bernal might actually be the battle between two of the four strongest gc riders in the world right now, we are currently just really clueless about how good two actually are. I remember bitching around about how weak the 2019 Vuelta field was because a 20 year old managed to get on the podium. I simply didn't realize at the time how good that 20 year old was. This might be similar.

He was talking about last year, not this year.

 

[sir fly]

I don't think the stage was dull.
More than an hour of breaking at the beginning and a classic at the end.
Time for everything you've planned in-between.
...Saturday timetable.

Congrats to Lafay.

 

[Gigs_98]

He was talking about last year, not this year.

That's actually a really good counterargument. I conceed

 

[jmdirt]

I love it when the break succeeds!

 

[Lui98]

Some photos from the start

Spoiler

 

[Alexandre B.]

This reminds me of when Blel Kadri won a TDF stage out of a group of weak breakers no one cared to chase. Biggest meh feeling in cycling.

Simon Yates, Sylvain Chavanel, Niki Terpstra and Adrien Petit qualify as weak breakers?

 

[Lequack]

Wiggins is getting more aero laterly

 

[Kangaridoo]

Simon Yates, Sylvain Chavanel, Niki Terpstra and Adrien Petit qualify as weak breakers?

Niki Terpstra and Petit in the mountains and a neopro Simon Yates in poor shape and an old underperforming Chavanel?

Blel Kadri was probably bottom 25% worst climbers in that Tour but somehow ended up in a break with riders belonging in the bottom 10%.

So yes, that was an anticlimactic break.

 

[will-10]

2020 Giro looks more and more like the weakest GT since probably decades. Hindley, Almeida, Nibali, Masnada nowhere near their top 10s from last year.

As I mentioned elsewhere, I don't think we'll know for at least a couple of years what the level of that Covid Giro was like. Nibali is no yardstick anymore and we literally don't know how good Almeida and Hindley (and Tao) are atm.

 

[Frankschleck]

Surely Oliveria takes this right? Maybe Goosens or Lafay I guess. Carboni must be tired as well as almost in every break this morning.

Hahaha oh well. Thought he would be stronger. Well done Lafay and also Gavazzi.

 

[armchairclimber]

I remember seeing Lafay at the sign on for the final stage of the Tour de Yorkshire a few years ago. He was such a rosy cheeked kid, he looked like a schoolboy. But a nice smile and my missus took a shine to him. He went out in the break and rode really well that day, so we have followed his progress closely ever since. For some it may have been a meh! sort of stage. Not for us, I can tell ya. I may have got something in my eye.

 

[Mayomaniac]

The strongest rider won, some of the others like Campenaerts and Carboni tried to get into the breakaway multiple times early on and wasted a decent amount of energy.
Carboni seems to get worse every season he stays at Bardiani, he should probably go to a different team. He looked like a good prospect in the u23 ranks and during his first season as a neopro.

 

[Billie]

The strongest rider won, some of the others like Campenaerts and Carboni tried to get into the breakaway multiple times early on and wasted a decent amount of energy.
Carboni seems to get worse every season he stays at Bardiani, he should probably go to a different team. He looked like a good prospect in the u23 ranks and during his first season as a neopro.

The Bardiani team looks worse every year. Reverberi's have lost the magic it seems. Couple years now they have lost all comptetiveness in il Giro.

Before and after 2008 they always were good for a show and a nice stage win here or there but last couple of years have been meager... Ciccone the last one in a great line of entertainers