94th Giro d'Italia May 7 - 29

[palmerq]

Leopards team isn't too bad, they won't be winning it. Benatti is still pretty good and he could be a contender for the points jersey and get a stage win if he gets back to his old form of a couple of years ago :S, wegmann is quite handy too, weylandt won a stage last year and I think rohregger is alright too. I guess they will be hunting for stages wins. Obviously their best riders are all focussed on the tour now but I think this team is ok.

 

[roundabout]

You call this a weaker team?

21 Levi Leipheimer (USA)
22 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa)
23 Vladimir Gusev (Rus)
24 Antonio Colom Mas (Spa)
25 Maxim Iglinsky (Kaz)
26 Steve Morabito (Swi)
27 Andrey Mizurov (Kaz)
28 Andreas Klöden (Ger)
29 Assan Bazayev (Kaz)

The team (Klöden and Colom especially) did a great job in both mountain stages where Contador had the jersey.

They had 2 riders in the top-25 apart from Contador (could have been 3). Basically apart from the below par TTT they rode pretty well.

 

[roundabout]

Leopards team isn't too bad, they won't be winning it. Benatti is still pretty good and he could be a contender for the points jersey and get a stage win if he gets back to his old form of a couple of years ago :S, wegmann is quite handy too, weylandt won a stage last year and I think rohregger is alright too. I guess they will be hunting for stages wins. Obviously their best riders are all focussed on the tour now but I think this team is ok.

Zaugg, don't forget Zaugg. He can do a top-15 on GC or try for stage wins. I have doubts about his form though.

 

[luckyboy]

I think Noval, Navarro + Hernandez will do just fine for him. TTT-wise they look pretty bad apart from Contador + Larsson.

 

[jsem94]

Conti won't lose so much in the TTT that it will jeopardize his winning chances, how long is it anyway.. 19.3km. Worst case scenario they lose about a minute. Maybe 70 seconds.

 

[Ryaguas]

I think Noval, Navarro + Hernandez will do just fine for him. TTT-wise they look pretty bad apart from Contador + Larsson.

I think that Larsson will take HUGE pulls a la C0cky c0ck in Tirreno... also let me remember you that a sucky SBS team did a pretty well tirreno TTT... They have been training hard the TTT... but yeah that team is quite week...

 

[Ferminal]

SBS will be fine in the TTT. Liquigas aren't as good as last year. I think SBS will finish behind Lampre, Liquigas and Katusha, but nothing big, 30s max.

 

[The Hitch]

Does everybody think this Giro is better or worse for having Contador in it? No I am not talking about doping allegations and all that stuff I'm talking purely from a watching cycling perspective. On one hand we get to see a phenomenal rider test himself on some brutal stages and really show us how great he is. Though I wouldn't want him to destroy the competition and leave us watching a "best of the rest" race. I think the parcours will make it impossible to be a one man race though as even if Contador put minutes in to everyone on say the Etna stage he could blow up on anyone of Grossglockner, Zoncolan, Macugnaga, Fedaia, Sestriere etc. I'm torn to be honest.

I said in one of my earlier hype threads about the Giro that I hoped Contador wouldnt ride it because Ricco vs Anton vs Purito vs Scarponi vs Rujano, all for a first gt would be the ****.

Now of course Ricco is out, and even with a gt winner Menchov in it would be good because the race doesnt suit him.

But with Contador, the chances are he could just dominate big time.

 

[hfer07]

I said in one of my earlier hype threads about the Giro that I hoped Contador wouldnt ride it because Ricco vs Anton vs Purito vs Scarponi vs Rujano, all for a first gt would be the ****.

Now of course Ricco is out, and even with a gt winner Menchov in it would be good because the race doesnt suit him.

But with Contador, the chances are he could just dominate big time.

I honestly don't think he's going to "dominate" this Giro- and the simple reason is the brutal parcours he's going to ride this time around-setting apart the mountains, he's going to deal with a series of challenges that might take a toll on him & the team.-specially the first week when they have to ride along the coast & the very unpredictable stage 5 -ala Strade Bianche from last year- which could well take away chances of victory is the weather turns ugly- anyway -there are too many variables in this year's Giro that I wouldn't have the certainty to pin point a winner before the race starts- I would start to name a winner probably by the middle of the 3rd week TBH.

we'll see.....

 

[auscyclefan94]

Yes, I have those thoughts too, also because of the "shadow" or "Damoklesschwert" of course.
But Alberto is definitely not the only rider with this sword above him. Same for Scarponi, possible 2nd.

I think that Alberto won't overdo things too early.
So we should see a more or less exciting race, but the end seems somehow clear.
Contador will poker and tranquillo a little bit, and wait till one of the last MTFs, or even till Milan-TT, to then take the porky jersey.
But waiting for TT - that would be too much risk.
Anyway, he doesn't have a super-GT-team any more, so he will wait and let the others do and work, without losing too much time. The the sword is hanging over all other contenders anyway. Alberto will drop it in Macugnaga i bet.
Means, I would do it like that.

If Alberto sees that the others are in trouble even on the first mtn stage, he will hit 'em. The climbers at Saxo will be sufficient. There aren't many stages after the first MTF that aren't for the climbers.

 

[dlwssonic]

I gotta feeling Contador will lose time on the strade bianche like on last years cobbles

 

[Ryaguas]

I gotta feeling Contador will lose time on the strade bianche like on last years cobbles

He and the others lost time cuz of Frank... Also, besides His last Km puncture He rode the cobbles very well... also thx to Vino... Van Petegem's class worth it...

 

[palmerq]

I honestly don't think he's going to "dominate" this Giro- and the simple reason is the brutal parcours he's going to ride this time around-setting apart the mountains, he's going to deal with a series of challenges that might take a toll on him & the team.-specially the first week when they have to ride along the coast & the very unpredictable stage 5 -ala Strade Bianche from last year- which could well take away chances of victory is the weather turns ugly- anyway -there are too many variables in this year's Giro that I wouldn't have the certainty to pin point a winner before the race starts- I would start to name a winner probably by the middle of the 3rd week TBH.

we'll see.....

Now I think contador is a great gt rider but I think he gets a bit overrated he has only really dominated one gt(it was the tour de france to be fair :S). If I remember right the 2007 tdf ended very closely after some guy was removed, the 2008 giro was very close untill the final time trial I think ricco was only 4 seconds behind and di luca was pretty close too untill he blew up on. The vuelta that year was quite close aswell, I think it was less than a minute and if there wasn't time bonuses he wouldn't have won(although he would have raced differently then I am sure). Last years tour the gap was less than a minute aswell.

I would make contador the favourite for any gt he enters but I don't think he is such a big favourite that he just wins any race he enters just by being there and the giro looks good this year, lots of very good guys. Contador will need to be on top form to win and if he is thinking about the tour de france too much I think he will lose.


I wouldn't bet agaisnt him though :S......

 

[roundabout]

I think Noval, Navarro + Hernandez will do just fine for him. TTT-wise they look pretty bad apart from Contador + Larsson.

Noval won't be riding. Morkov will replace him.

 

[Scirea]

Noval won't be riding. Morkov will replace him.

Are you sure? Couple of days ago Benji was still on the start list.

 

[roundabout]

Are you sure? Couple of days ago Benji was still on the start list.

http://saxobanksungard.com/races.asp?r_id=2341#nu

 

[Scirea]

http://saxobanksungard.com/races.asp?r_id=2341#nu

Too bad. Should help more in the TTT at least.

 

[Christian]

He and the others lost time cuz of Frank... Also, besides His last Km puncture He rode the cobbles very well... also thx to Vino... Van Petegem's class worth it...

You mean cuz of Martin and cuz of bad positioning

 

[hrotha]

Still, he did reasonably well, and the sterrati aren't the same as cobbles anyway. However I do hope he loses time for the good of the show.

 

[roundabout]

I have my doubts that he will lose time, however this should be one of the "weaker" so to speak stages for Contador so I would hope that someone like Scarponi who may be in better form early in the race will try something.

 

[dlwssonic]

he has a weak team so if he loses time hard for him to get back, yes i also do hope he loses time so that it gives others a chance.

 

[MADRAZO]

Anyone know why Guardini is not riding.

Apparantly the deal was, that if he got two stagewins in Turkey he would still get a ticket, so after today he is halfway there already. Lets hope he gets the other one as he could be very exiting to follow in some girostages. He can just abandon halfway like many of the sprinters anyway, so I dont think he is to young.

 

[will10]

The Giro is a big step up from Langkawi, Qatar and Turkey. I wish him all the best if he does go and hope he's more successful than Cav in Le Tour 2007

 

[Eshnar]

Gazzetta TV will be on air since 2.30 pm (CET) for every stage. At 9 am there will be the stage preview. Total of 8 hours per day (source http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/it/22-04-2011/giro-gazzettait-80937580277.shtml)

btw, today on the newspaper there was an interview with Contador, who is making a recon to stages 13,14,15 and 16. Some quotes (loosely translated):

[talking about Crostis plateau and its descent]
This is not near the limit, it's beyond. [...] The ideal would be switching to MTB at the top of the climb, in order to descend. Let's hope it snows, so we'll avoid this climb [yesterday the snow stopped him to ride all the sterrato at the top]
[talking about stage 15]
It's incredible, it should be 6500 m of climbing. I never did such a thing. But if one survives to Crostis/Zoncolan, this will be a piece of cake.

In the end he said he really liked Zoncolan and especially Nevegal, which is "perfect for him"

edit: Now the article is on the website too
http://www.gazzetta.it/Ciclismo/24-04-2011/contador-operazione-giro-80958945832.shtml

 

[gregrowlerson]

I think everyone that fails to meet the time cut should be thrown out, no matter how big the group is.

Would be funny if for example Alberto Contador had a super team(he hasn't got one) and made the pace so hard on one of the mountain stages that more than half of the peloton would be thrown out the race. Now that would be amazing and I hope it happens some day

I too would like to see a harsher stance taken in regards to time limits.

For Aussie fans of the Giro, SBS TWO are showing half an hour highlights of each stage from 6:00 to 6:30 pm each night. I'm sure I will tune in to most of them. Actually, considering the lack of interest from the general public I should be able to watch each of them without knowing the result.