Giro d'Italia 2023 Giro d'Italia, Stage 7: Capua - Gran Sasso d'Italia (Campo Imperatore), 218 km (Friday, May 12)

[Didinho]

José kijkt al vooruit naar Gran Sasso: "Dan krijgen we zeker verschillen, of ik ken er niets meer van" | sporza

Karl Vannieuwkerke en José De Cauwer leefden in de 6e rit van de Ronde van Italië mee met vluchters Alessandro De Marchi en Simon Clarke, maar zagen uiteindelijk Mads Pedersen winnen. Voor de rest wordt er in hun dagelijkse Giro-analyse likkebaardend uitgekeken naar de bergrit van morgen.

sporza.be

short translation of the title:

One of the most experienced cycling commentators in Belgium, José De Cauwer, is looking forward to Gran Sasso:
"we will for sure have gaps there, if not, I know nothing about this sport"

The 4th in the stage at 3:10, some pretty gap if you ask me.

 

[Netserk]

That Dutch reporter telling Geraint Thomas he looks great twice is such brown nosing

I love G but he looks about 70 years old !!¬

That was Anders Mielke, a Dane.

Partly, he just likes most riders. I also think it was a way of encouraging more of a response, to get Thomas talking when there wasn't much to talk about and when he would rather get in the bus quick.

 

[Red Rick]

People who blame the 3rd week for this racing instead of this stage design after watching all day...... well I guess we just have to disagree okay

 

[Gigs_98]

Yeah those were absolute rubbish first 7 days of racing, but I won't act surprised. Like, of course today and stage 4 could have been raced much harder but the route up until stage 13 is simply bad. Maybe it was a bit of a surprise just how passive Lago Laceno was raced, but Gran Sasso is simply an all time horrible climb for mtf's and the other road stages were always gonna be sprints.

I definitely feel vindicated so far for claiming this race has a worse route than the Tour. The racing in the Alps might still end up really good, but that can't make up for this mess of a first 7 days. Honest question, has there been a single attack from the peloton, that wasn't about establishing the break?

 

[ice&fire]

Shame we don't see the descent on the cable car. That could be more exciting than the climb.

 

[noob]

Leknesund gutted for not having to fight today was worth it lol

 

[gunara]

Thank god none of the people who always ask me why on earth I watch cycling saw this.

Can't say it any better. I spent many random days of my life trying to get people into cycling by showing them live cycling, father in law, clients, daughter, guests in the house, all sorts of people. Luckily this is not one of those days, would have been a nightmare.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Yeah those were absolute rubbish first 7 days of racing, but I won't act surprised. Like, of course today and stage 4 could have been raced much harder but the route up until stage 13 is simply bad. Maybe it was a bit of a surprise just how passive Lago Laceno was raced, but Gran Sasso is simply an all time horrible climb for mtf's and the other road stages were always gonna be sprints.

I definitely feel vindicated so far for claiming this race has a worse route than the Tour. The racing in the Alps might still end up really good, but that can't make up for this mess of a first 7 days. Honest question, has there been a single attack from the peloton, that wasn't about establishing the break?

I guess its back to Blockhaus every 1st week. None of these MTFs are worth anything including Etna and what they usually are cooking.

 

[yaco]

I get it for Pinot for mountain points. Rest are morons for sprinting.

Dunbar is sprinting because Jayco need UCI points.

 

[Red Rick]

Yeah those were absolute rubbish first 7 days of racing, but I won't act surprised. Like, of course today and stage 4 could have been raced much harder but the route up until stage 13 is simply bad. Maybe it was a bit of a surprise just how passive Lago Laceno was raced, but Gran Sasso is simply an all time horrible climb for mtf's and the other road stages were always gonna be sprints.

I definitely feel vindicated so far for claiming this race has a worse route than the Tour. The racing in the Alps might still end up really good, but that can't make up for this mess of a first 7 days. Honest question, has there been a single attack from the peloton, that wasn't about establishing the break?

I mean, you know what I always say

The riders make the race

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

Wish Roglic had put his team to work and given it a go here. A bit disappointing and makes me miss Contador even more, like others have said. Remco looked like he was digging deep in that final sprint and Roglic looked completely relaxed.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

It's a real shame the stage was cancelled due to the awful weather. Fortunately they had a video of the 2020 Mont Aigoual stage to broadcast in its stead.

Even more fortunately, they broke off the broadcast before they got to the abhorrent Sepp Kuss interview that set me shaking with rage so violently it registered on the Richter scale and started a three year hate affair.

Vaya, Jumbo have Addy in the car and Sepp on the road, even if Rogla wanted action - which I don't believe for a second he did - he wouldn't have been given it.

 

[Red Rick]

It's a real shame the stage was cancelled due to the awful weather. Fortunately they had a video of the 2020 Mont Aigoual stage to broadcast in its stead.

Even more fortunately, they broke off the broadcast before they got to the abhorrent Sepp Kuss interview that set me shaking with rage so violently it registered on the Richter scale and started a three year hate affair.

That stage has provided me with years of entertainment in the form of Sepp Kuss hate posts satire*


*not actually satire

 

[Ilmaestro99]

It's a shame Peloton didn't do this in 2018, because then Masnada would win the stage on gran sasso and maybe get a WT contract a year earlier.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Time gained on Michel Hessmann in first MTF of race by best GC rider:
Cian Uijtdebroeks 2022 l‘Avenir: 1:25
Remco Evenepoel 2023 Giro: 0:49
Giulio Ciccone 2023 Catalunya 18:48

Clearly the best cyclist in the world, Ciccone.

 

[Gigs_98]

I guess its back to Blockhaus every 1st week. None of these MTFs are worth anything including Etna and what they usually are cooking.

There are more than enough tough climbs in southern Italy and when better climbs are used the racing usually improves to normal 1st week gt standards. Even Etna also hasn't always been horrible, it really only is when they take one of the exposed main roads. The racing was quite decent in both 2020 and 2018 iirc.

The reason why first week Giro mtf's are that bad is simply because the climbs are so often that bad. Gran Sasso, Campo Felice, Roccaraso, the shallow Etna sides, Montevergine, etc. Nobody can look at those climbs and act all surprised the racing isn't good. But the problem is that as long as the media completely eats the story lines of "the first big mountain test" people will keep watching and as long as people keep watching the Giro organizers don't see a reason to change their formula.

 

[Riek s]

Came home from work to watch the last couple of km... but the motherf**** rode so slow it wasn't on the recorded timeslot anymore :/

 

[JosefK]

It's a good time to wax philosophical about what we've witnessed, today. We can be thankful. If the Giro had not already been over after stage 1, today's events might have seemed like a downer. But since the Giro is still over, we can say that nothing was lost, today. And a lesser known rider from the breakaway got a win to never forget. Chapeau.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

There are more than enough tough climbs in southern Italy and when better climbs are used the racing usually improves to normal 1st week gt standards. Even Etna also hasn't always been horrible, it really only is when they take one of the exposed main roads. The racing was quite decent in both 2020 and 2018 iirc.

The reason why first week Giro mtf's are that bad is simply because the climbs are so often that bad. Gran Sasso, Campo Felice, Roccaraso, the shallow Etna sides, Montevergine, etc. Nobody can look at those climbs and act all surprised the racing isn't good. But the problem is that as long as the media completely eats the story lines of "the first big mountain test" people will keep watching and as long as people keep watching the Giro organizers don't see a reason to change their formula.

Nobody is pretending that Gran Sasso or Lago Laceno are good finishes, but both were significantly worse this time than the last time they were raced. And Lago Laceno was last seen in 2012, a year that still lives in infamy for the attitudes of the main GC riders, so that's saying something. In a normal peloton you have two half decent stages, now we had two utter wastes of time. And tomorrow, which is an actually good design, will probably go to waste (where the GC riders are concerned) as well at this rate. Sure, the route of the first half isn't exactly great, but the bigger elephant in the room is the GC riders repeatedly going out of their way to do anything.

 

[staubsauger]

That uphill sprint in 2018 wasn't more exciting than today's battle for the stage win IMHO. The favorites simply reeled in the breakaway. Nothing worse.

1999 simply was significantly better thanks to Pantani. Gran Sasso d'Italia is the confirmation that the pirate actually could make mountains legendary by winning atop of them!

 

[Potomac]

I could watch the finish live, so I have just seen the replay.

What a waste. Don't blame the organizers for this one. Sheesh.

 

[nightowl]

Today was especially bad to be honest. No Gran Sasso isn’t the greatest MTF in the world but the fact that no one bothered to try and make things and we had a 30-man sprint. At least setting a proper pace on the climbs is not that much to ask for from a spectator’s standpoint

 

[KZD]

Thankfully we had the breakaway riders to give some emotion to this stage because the GC riders were once again very passive.

This risks being the worst first half of the Giro that I ever remember.

 

[LookProGoSlow]

Rob Hatch yelling: “Campo Imperatore, Campo Imperatore, Campo Imperatore!!” throughout the last hour and then f*ck-all happening in the peloton. Face-palm.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

What a disappointing finale by the peloton! This must be the worst 1st week of Giro in a while (in terms of GC fight). Not that stage design helps but come on. Are they so intimidated by the Rainbow Imperatore or simply had no legs to try anything? There will be no major mountain stage in the next few days and on Sunday the Belgian will double (or triple) his advantage.