Giro d'Italia 2022 Giro d'Italia, Stage 6: Palmi – Scalea 192 km (Thursday, May 12th)

[SHAD0W93]

Watching the stage, it’s crazy how Cav held them off from 300 meters out and today didn’t have it getting dropped off at 200 to go. Maybe the climbs and riding out of the peloton slowing the legs down and that will look to only help Demare’s chances with Ewan withdrawing at some point.

After watching the Lanterne Rouge podcast someone commentated there was a headwind which explains it. Even more shows how strong Demare is and he is a lot bigger then Cav or Ewan.

 

[carton]

Yeah GTs are getting too hard.

This was 3 hours into the stage.

The thing that stands out to me is the peak power. Gaviria is quietly back in form, that's why he's so frustrated, not being able to show it. He had to back off in stage 1 and just could bring himself to do it this stage. The relegation seems appropriate to me, by the way, just because he went for a gap that wasn't there. But I can't help but think that had it been Cavendish in that situation and had Dainese been Argentinian instead of Italian they would have surely relegated him for blocking instead.

Anyway, letting that go, just to further those numbers, from Ben Zwiehoff's Strava :

First 170km in 4:45 at 36 Kph doing 120W.

Last 15km in 17 mins at 54 kph doing 235W.

Max speed was 82 kph on the descents so nothing insane either - you can keep up with a compact. I think your average punter would have a hard time just staying in the saddle much less being in a pro peloton for 195km but it's certainly doable for anyone used to drafting big groups.

 

[tobydawq]

The thing that stands out to me is the peak power. Gaviria is quietly back in form, that's why he's so frustrated, not being able to show it. He had to back off in stage 1 and just could bring himself to do it this stage. The relegation seems appropriate to me, by the way, just because he went for a gap that wasn't there. But I can't help but think that had it been Cavendish in that situation and had Dainese been Argentinian instead of Italian they would have surely relegated him for blocking instead.

Anyway, letting that go, just to further those numbers, from Ben Zwiehoff's Strava :

First 170km in 4:45 at 36 Kph doing 120W.

Last 15km in 17 mins at 54 kph doing 235W.

Max speed was 82 kph on the descents so nothing insane either - you can keep up with a compact. I think your average punter would have a hard time just staying in the saddle much less being in a pro peloton for 195km but it's certainly doable for anyone used to drafting big groups.

Why did he push 1757 watts at any point during the first three hours of the stage?

Also, how was he supposed to know that Dainese would just stop dead in his tracks?

 

[carton]

Why did he push 1757 watts at any point during the first three hours of the stage?

After yesterday my guess is he did a little sprint just to make sure the gears are working to his satisfaction. To my eyes, he seemed to match that in that little acceleration onto Dainese's wheel.

Also, how was he supposed to know that Dainese would just stop dead in his tracks?

He wasn't, but that's when you pull the plug and call it a day. Them's the brakes. He's said it himself: "Sometimes in the sprint you take the wrong way and then you need to brake.” Today was one of those days. He should've braked.

But yeah yesterday he couldn't get the right gear and on stage one he got closed off by Cavendish. I'm guessing he's just itching to get a good sprint in whatever happens. And he seemed to be about to go early just to give it all the beans when Dainese stopped. To be fair he most likely would have lost to Demare anyway, who was really strong and alert today and probably would've been wise to an early move like that.

 

[Netserk]

Did Gaviria participate in the intermediate sprint?

 

[carton]

Did Gaviria participate in the intermediate sprint?

Doesn't look like it. I wasn't watching, though.