94th Giro d'Italia May 7 - 29

[Havetts]

I still fear someones going to crash off, eventhough there are nets..

 

[Lupetto]

Acqua & Sapone

Stefano Garzelli
Vladimir Miholjevic
Massimo Codol
Danilo Napolitano
Claudio Corioni
Ruggero Marzoli
Fabio Taborre
Cayetano Sarmiento
Carlos Betancur

22 teams confirmed, Garmin still missing.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

surprising last minute adition betancourt!! he rode well in hamburg

 

[Cobblestoned]

Let's not forget to keep up the passion


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Bku7ELpG6LE

 

[vcampbell]

They crashed before the mud and spent the rest of the stage chasing together...
Cautious?

I know that they crashed, but apart from that they were cautious, and still that wasn't enough not to fall.

 

[Eshnar]

I know that they crashed, but apart from that they were cautious, and still that wasn't enough not to fall.

Obviously they were cautious before the mud (and inside the peloton), but they crashed due to a mistake of Scarponi if I remember right.... Anyway, no one were to attack there... we cannot know what would hav happen without that crash on the mud sections.

 

[Ferminal]

Ferminal;

Sella is the best one from Androni. Maybe Rodriguez?

Sella will hunt for stage wins. Androni will want stage wins and a high place on GC out of this. They probably wouldn't mind picking up the KOM jersey either like they did when Rujano came third in 2005. Sella is the man for that. Agree.

I think that if a rider picks it up early, say a pineau, tschopp or a type like that then they could hold it till the end.

Stage 3 a rider can pick up points - only one cat 3 climb
Stage 4 the same rider can pick up points - only one cat 3 climb
Stage 5 the same rider can pick up points - only two cat 3 climbs
Stage 7 the same rider can pick up points - only one cat 2 climb

If a rider gets in a break on those days and they get the jersey early, someone could do a Lloyd and hold it.

Stage 9 a cat one in the middle of the stage. That said rider has had a couple days to recover.
Stage 13 a cat two, three and two before the final climb. Can pick up points on those climbs after a good rest.
Could back up on Stage 14
Could give stage 15 a miss.
Take it easy in the time trial
Go for the points in stage 17 when a break will go away with a cat 2 climb and a cat 3 climb
Stage 18 a cat 2 climb - the only climb in the stage.

I daresay that the rider that gets the jersey early in the first week can very well defend it if they have the legs and those four bigger names won't be going in breaks.

They can do it, but it will be hard. Lloyd had almost no competition from "KoM specialists" and still only just won it from Basso.

Contador will take points on -

Stage 7 Montervergine MTF (maybe) - 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 9 Etna MTF - 15, 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 13 Grossglockner MTF - 15, 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 14 Crostis - 15, 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 14 Zoncolan MTF - 15, 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 15 Fedaia - 15, 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 15 Gardeccia MTF - 15, 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 16 ITT - 15, 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 19 Macugnaga MTF (maybe) - 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 20 Finestre - 15, 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 20 Sestriere - 9, 5, 3, 2, 1

He might pick up smaller points in a couple of other stages, but it's not worth considering. The bold adds up to 75 points.

My problem with "someone from the pack" is that can they contest the early stages like 3, 4 and 5, and then back it up in the serious mountains.

Stage 3 Climb 1 - 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 4 Climb 1 - 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 5 Climb 1 - 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 5 Climb 2 - 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 7 Climb 1 - 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 9 Climb 1 - 15, 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 11 Climb 1 - 3, 2, 1
Stage 11 Climb 2 - 3, 2, 1
Stage 11 Climb 3 - 3, 2, 1
Stage 13 Climb 1 - 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 13 Climb 2 - 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 13 Climb 3 - 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 14 Climb 1 - 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 14 Climb 2 - 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 14 Climb 3 - 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 15 Climb 1 - 15, 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 15 Climb 2 - 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 15 Cima Coppi - 21, 15, 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 17 Climb 1 - 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 17 Climb 2 - 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 18 Climb 1 - 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Stage 19 Climb 1 - 15, 9, 5, 3, 2, 1

There are the "break" climbs, I may have missed a couple, but I also deliberately left out the two stages with early cat 4s (not worth the effort for someone chasing KoM in breaks).

Unless they are super strong, they can't go in the break every day and chase points. Or some days they might get points on the first one or two climbs, then ease up.

Bold adds up to 87 in this case across 8 days in the break, the main difference being the Cima Coppi. This is hardly a scientific method, more just a random assignment of points to give some indication.

But it's easier to pick one of the big GC names because you know they will be on form, you know what days they will definitely be getting some points. Contador you know only has 3-4 contenders on his summits, the break KoM man will have different contenders much fresher than him each day.

Garzelli is a good one but who knows how good he will be, and what his plan was (he didn't really have the recovery last year).

Hoogerland... yeh, in his 2009 form he is good enough.

Rujano would probably be the favourite for this if he wasn't riding for GC. He could possibly fail badly on an earlier stage so he may end up going for one of his big days on 13/14/15 anyway which would net serious points.

Guys like Sastre and Duarte will probably not have the license to go for it. Plus they would target only the biggest stages, so it would be a different estimate.

So then you're left with Pineau, Tschopp, a Movistar, a token Basque, one of the Leopards and a Vacansoleil (Carrara?), surely one of the Geox will be allowed to go for it, so if not Sastre or Duarte, maybe Blanco? Nocentini or Gadret.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Do we even know what the points scoring is for this year's KOM ? It seems they have Cat 4 climbs in now (similar to the Tour) ....

 

[theswordsman]

Came across a brilliant large photo slide show of Contador's recon of Monte Crostis. The story in La Gazzetta the other day said that Hernandez and Navarro got in the car before a tunnel, but Alberto wanted to ride the rest of the stage. The first two pics, with the ice they mentioned in the tunnel, really bring it home. Photo six shows the kind of curve he was talking about when he said he hoped they'd have nets. Imagine gaining time on a brutal climb, then trying to race a descent like that one.

http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/7988/sport...rkent-vreselijke-Monte-Crostis-uit-Giro.dhtml

 

[Mellow Velo]

Do we even know what the points scoring is for this year's KOM ? It seems they have Cat 4 climbs in now (similar to the Tour) ....

I don't think so. They only have Cats 3,2 and 1, plus MTF and Cima Coppi.
No 4th cat or HC.

 

[Eshnar]

I don't think so. They only have Cats 3,2 and 1, plus MTF and Cima Coppi.
No 4th cat or HC.

there's a 4th category now.
Just look at stage 2 and stage 14.

 

[Grzdylu]

There are nine 4th category climbs:

Tabiano Castello, Madonna delle Grazie, CAstelaccio, Soriano nel Cimino, Vasto, Ripaberarda, Rapagnano, Morrovale, monte Vidon Combatte.

1st - 3 points
2nd - 2 points
3rd - 1 point

 

[Ferminal]

I don't think so. They only have Cats 3,2 and 1, plus MTF and Cima Coppi.
No 4th cat or HC.

There are no extra points or separate category for MTF this year, as far as I can tell. It is all based on the ranking of the climb.

Cima Coppi - 21, 15, 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Cat 1 - 15, 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Cat 2 - 9, 5, 3, 2, 1
Cat 3 - 5, 3, 2, 1
Cat 4 - 3, 2, 1

 

[roundabout]

This may sound daft, but where did you find the point scales for climbs?

 

[Cobblestoned]

Jack Bobridge out of Giro !?!

Who will replace him ?

http://www.steephill.tv/giro-d-italia/#rosters

 

[Ferminal]

This may sound daft, but where did you find the point scales for climbs?

http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2011/it/GARIBALDI_REG.ITALIANO2011.pdf

p. 13

English version -

http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2011/en/GARIBALDI_REG.INGLESE2011.pdf

I went looking for it today, it is one of the links on the bottom menu "Regulations".

 

[roundabout]

Thanks, it seems I'm worse than I thought in navigating the Giro page.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Thanks Ferminal - very useful

 

[Mellow Velo]

This may sound daft, but where did you find the point scales for climbs?

It's not daft at all. Some info is pretty hard to find. I can't navigate the official site, either.

Which leads me to this 4th cat innovation.

The official guide is colour coded, or at least I thought it was.
I assumed: Grey = 3rd cat
Yellow = 2nd cat
Red = 1st cat
Green = MTF
Blue = Cima Coppi

However, there are 13 grey coded climbs in the guide, not 9.

In short, between what is being said here, it appears that the official guide is completely wrong throughout.
Another example: Sestrieres and Macugnaga are coded green, like Zoncolan.
Monte Crostis Colle delle Finestre and Fedaia are coded red.

I will have a look at Ferminal page link and probably end up throwing the official guide in the bin!

Just as I thought................money down the drain. I'm not scribbling catagories all over it.

 

[Ferminal]

When was the official guide printed? Maybe it was before the most up to date profiles were released (with properly colour coded climbs).

 

[theyoungest]

Jack Bobridge out of Giro !?!

Who will replace him ?

http://www.steephill.tv/giro-d-italia/#rosters

Tom Peterson, I guess, since he mentioned on twitter that he's taking a 9 pm flight to Italy for the Giro.

 

[The Hitch]

That worries you while Igor Anton is in the race? I see him killing 5 people in that descend including him self

I could see Nibali kill 5 pigeons in that descent.

 

[Mellow Velo]

When was the official guide printed? Maybe it was before the most up to date profiles were released (with properly colour coded climbs).

Came out about 2 weeks or so ago.
Well, I've ploughed through that link. It is excellent for all the hard to get at details, so I will link it elsewhere if that's OK.

Like I said, I don't fancy scribbling cats all over it's pristine but pointless pages.
Oh well...........

 

[Ferminal]

What is the story with Bobridge? He looked good in the break at Romandie, but suffered a bit after that. They will miss him as an engine on the flatter stages.

 

[greenedge]

Guys i have to say if contador does not win this i will be utterly suprised. A few Qs about him though. When did he perfect art of ITT? Who was his most influential DS? And does he have a book that's been translated to English?