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

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Tratnik, Bettoil, Guerriero, Mohoric, Gallopin, Visconti, Covi, Brambilla, Roche, Bouwmann, Tetafision

potential break candidates

You could name half the peloton. De Gendt, Taramae, Champoussin, Goossens, Jorgenson, Hermans, Mollema...

Bahrain should be very active again. I expect Mohorič in the break. Maybe Bilbao can join too. He already lost some time. Hopefully he'll ride aggressively from now on, like he's been riding for the last couple of years.

Hehe, Bilbao is at 2 minutes from Valter and 1m50s from Evenepoel. Fat chance they'll let him in the break.

 

[BlueRoads]

Small risk of rain tomorrow?

 

[Breezy1985]

Please hold up a poster: "Greetings to the cyclingnews-forum"

A sign saying "Jose Rujano will win this bike race"

 

[Red Rick]

Kinda disappointed De Gendt hasn't been in any breakaways yet. Kinda hoping that will happen tomorrow. The stage should suit him well enough.

Think Sunday is more of a De Gendt day.

Or why not both

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Sagan will win this stage.

 

[Blanco]

Mohoric and Bilbao will go loco on that descent...

 

[Samamba]

Think Sunday is more of a De Gendt day.

Or why not both

The first 2 weeks of his first GT of the year are never good. Dont expect him to be close to a win. He's basically training for the Tour already.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Small risk of rain tomorrow?

It seems that it will definitely rain around Pietraroja tomorrow, but not very much. So not really any risk of dangerous descents or questionable TV coverage.

 

[SafeBet]

So not really any risk of [...] questionable TV coverage.

That's bold.

 

[search]

the TV pictures seem to be particularly bad in the first part, even when there's no rain, like today. Do they use a cheaper method (like 4G transmission, or whatever) as long as it's exclusively (in Italy) on Rai Sport, and not on Rai 2 yet?

 

[will-10]

Mollema take two.

 

[johnymax]

Hehe, Bilbao is at 2 minutes from Valter and 1m50s from Evenepoel. Fat chance they'll let him in the break.

I didn't mean in the early break, but maybe attack from the group of favourites on top of the long climb or on the descent and try to bridge to teammates in the break.

With Landa out, they have 2 GC cards to play, buy neither of them should normally be a podium candidate, so they have to be creative.Their DS Stangelj said both Bilbao and Caruso will be protected riders till the sterrato stage and then they'll decide the tactics going forward. For both to just try to follow the best and then end up around 10th place in GC doesn't make any sense and is the worst thing they can do.

 

[will-10]

There are opportunities to go long-range in this Giro, but I don't see tomorrow as one of them (unless the weather is suitably horrendous)

 

[Samu Cuenca]

That's bold.

You're right, that might be wishful thinking.

 

[broppo]

bora should let fabbro do his thing this stage, suits him well.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I didn't mean in the early break, but maybe attack from the group of favourites on top of the long climb or on the descent and try to bridge to teammates in the break.

With Landa out, they have 2 GC cards to play, buy neither of them should normally be a podium candidate, so they have to be creative.Their DS Stangelj said both Bilbao and Caruso will be protected riders till the sterrato stage and then they'll decide the tactics going forward. For both to just try to follow the best and then end up around 10th place in GC doesn't make any sense and is the worst thing they can do.

More like an early attack, than going in the break, then. I actually think it would be good for someone like Almeida to do something like that. He's even further back so he should get even more leeway than Bilbao. If he was really bad just due to bad weather and not bad form, he might still be able to play a tactical role in GC later in this Giro.

 

[johnymax]

More like an early attack, than going in the break, then. I actually think it would be good for someone like Almeida to do something like that. He's even further back so he should get even more leeway than Bilbao. If he was really bad just due to bad weather and not bad form, he might still be able to play a tactical role in GC later in this Giro.

Yes, Almeida is another good candidate. He looked way better on stage 6. But do you think DQS would even try to bring him back in GC contention? I think they are all in with Remco and won't try anything "fancy" with Almeida. I think they'd want him and Masnada to be near Remco at all times, at least on the crucial climbs towards the end of the stage (I'm not talking specifically about this stage, but any stage). Especially now, when Remco is in a position to defend already.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Yes, Almeida is another good candidate. He looked way better on stage 6. But do you think DQS would even try to bring him back in GC contention? I think they are all in with Remco and won't try anything "fancy" with Almeida. I think they'd want him and Masnada to be near Remco at all times, at least on the crucial climbs towards the end of the stage (I'm not talking specifically about this stage, but any stage). Especially now, when Remco is in a position to defend already.

They probably won't, but i would (if i were them). I don't think Almeida will be able to really be a contender anyway, but he could give the team some extra options if he were at say 1 or 2 minutes in GC. I'm talking about similar situations like Ineos with Martinez. Martinez attacked and Masnada & Almeida had to work, which left Evenepoel isolated as soon as Bernal attacked. And now would be the time to have him do it, take some time back in GC i mean. If they wait longer, and it's clear that he has indeed grown stronger as the race progresses, then Ineos won't give him the possibility to claw his way back into GC contention. Remember last year's TDF, when the group of favorites was al that was left. Had Roglic still had Dumoulin close in GC, and had he attacked, then Pogacar would have had to chase Dumoulin himself, paving the way for Roglic. It's scenarios like that that i'm talking about.

 

[Savant12]

Only if Bernal or Remco look to be having a bad day will something happen on GC. Yates (if on 2018 Giro mindset) might try to attack and gain some time back.

 

[Publiuszam]

This stage starts from my hometown. I will be at the start for sure

We need pictures. Nothing will happen GC wise if there arent any crash or something.

 

[hfer07]

38+K long descend can turn the race for some into an advantage or a nightmare
hopefully no accidents getting through that sector, so the GC guys can have a proper race uphill

 

[movingtarget]

Expecting a big break to go clear. Ineos will probably test the GC legs again towards the finish of the stage.

 

[IndianCyclist]

Almost every team is likely to have a representative in the break. it is possible that the GC/plan B guys who lost tons of time might try to get back the time.

 

[Volderke]

Kinda disappointed De Gendt hasn't been in any breakaways yet. Kinda hoping that will happen tomorrow. The stage should suit him well enough.

I see a lot of logic in De Gendt not going in any breakaways in the first week:

1. He has to work for Ewan, and it seems it's Lotto's best recipe for stage victory success.
2. First week stages are a lot harder to make the breakaway successful: everybody is fresh and hungry, and the GC is not set yet.
3. The older De Gendt gets, the longer he needs to ride into form in a 3-week grand tour.

 

[Breezy1985]

38+K long descend can turn the race for some into an advantage or a nightmare
hopefully no accidents getting through that sector, so the GC guys can have a proper race uphill

Or a certain GC guy who is well liked on here and has a talent for descents has a proper race downhill