An eeeeh Giro

[McLovin]

I know there are still 3 more stages, but I don't think I'm rushing when I say that this Giro was like a big big present box with an orbit gum inside. The only stage that got my atention was the one after zoncolan ( for me the best in giro since the one in 2007 that ended in briancon, with andy, mazzoleni, di luca and I think simoni isolated with two mountains to go).
- the competitors are weak ( each time when MUUUU attacked, there were maximum two others to accelerate after him). kreuziger and niballi - big disappointments as this was their hihglight of the season
- tv transmision - weak weak weak, like every year. not just the quality but also how it was directed
- feeling - didn't feel it
- crowd - very small on mountain stages

Per unit, it's far far far from TDF. Maybe, as someone said on this forum, it's also about the month. And maybe those 8-9 mountain stages make them to be a little worn. And Zoncolan doesn't have half of Hautacam's (for example) class, even if they are both "young'. To conclude, I think they tried to much to make some Olimpic Games with 10 of 100m man race, and nothing else.
This is my opinion.

 

[auscyclefan94]

I know there are still 3 more stages, but I don't think I'm rushing when I say that this Giro was like a big big present box with an orbit gum inside. The only stage that got my atention was the one after zoncolan ( for me the best in giro since the one in 2007 that ended in briancon, with andy, mazzoleni, di luca and I think simoni isolated with two mountains to go).
- the competitors are weak ( each time when MUUUU attacked, there were maximum two others to accelerate after him). kreuziger and niballi - big disappointments as this was their hihglight of the season
- tv transmision - weak weak weak, like every year. not just the quality but also how it was directed
- feeling - didn't feel it
- crowd - very small on mountain stages

Per unit, it's far far far from TDF. Maybe, as someone said on this forum, it's also about the month. And maybe those 8-9 mountain stages make them to be a little worn. And Zoncolan doesn't have half of Hautacam's (for example) class, even if they are both "young'. To conclude, I think they tried to much to make some Olimpic Games with 10 of 100m man race, and nothing else.
This is my opinion.

I think some competitors didn't come in with the best condition but the field was strong. I do agree that the product RAI put out to the international broadcasters in relation to highlights packages is shoddy. I personally think the corwds have been very big. Nobody will tell me that cycling isn't popular in Italy. The feeling is always there in these races.

Each year it is a good race but it wasn't the best edition. I guess the past 2 editions we have been spoilt with such brilliant races.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

it has been a good edition, last year was better tho.
Stages 14 and 15 were brilliant this year tho.

Last year had a weaker field then this year, and it was a better race, I think the fact AC walked away with the race made it a little less exciting.

I didn't think Etna was that great. Wasn't bad either. Didn't match the hype (which I never really got anyway). Stage 5 was good, but strade last year was better.

Overall a very good giro tho.

 

[Astana1]

Stopped paying attention last weekend. It just wasn't that compelling after that.

 

[saganftw]

no wonder you didnt feel it watching it in TV,your crowd comment speaks for itself

 

[Climbing]

Your opinion is acknowledged and dismissed.
The RAI coverage was good by my standards, with five column throughout the day, 3 motos in race, helicopters, studios guests, good technical comment, long race coverage even integral in 5 stages(of course I’m talking about Italy).
Competition was absolutely not weak, by any means. Of course Contador destroyed the field, that’s true, but only Andy and Basso could compete with him (compete not winning!).
Do you want to know how many GT wins where represented?
And sure it was not boring, with some stages coming to mind… strade bianche, Zoncolan (even with Crostis omission), Gardeccia truly epic, Etna was good, and Finestre is coming this weekend.
And what? Small crowd on mountain stages? There was almost no space to pass in some of those mountains because of the people…

But of course the Tour will be surely epic, always been more entertaining… with those impossible climbs at 5% rofl.
Well I’ll hope it will be good, but it wasn’t in the last years, surely not like the Giro
The Giro is more fun. Far, far, far more. That’s my opinion.

 

[McLovin]

On the mountain TT stage, there were hundred of meters with like 4-5 people on the road. And the climb had only 7 k i think. Remember Alpe d'Huez on 2004.
And regarding RAI, I don't remember ever at Tour to look minutes and minutes at some lady speaking on the phone at the finish and some kids with some pink (ok, yellow) baloons. And I'm not sayin it's a bad race. It's just to....eeeh.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

On the mountain TT stage, there were hundred of meters with like 4-5 people on the road. And the climb had only 7 k i think. Remember Alpe d'Huez on 2004.
And regarding RAI, I don't remember ever at Tour to look minutes and minutes at some lady speaking on the phone at the finish and some kids with some pink (ok, yellow) baloons. And I'm not sayin it's a bad race. It's just to....eeeh.

There's a difference between the not-very-appealing climb of Nevegal and the storied history of Alpe d'Huez though. Look at the Kronplatz ITTs of 2008 and 2010 - no problem finding crowds for that, because it's a tougher, more evil climb. The fans were out in force at the weekend - Zoncolán is already nicknamed as a stadium from the amount of fans that show up at it, and you had huge numbers of fans on the key climbs of stage 15 - even those 60+km from the finish.

 

[Christian]

I agree with the horrible TV coverage. It's ironic, really cause Zomeg introduces all these ridiculous stages in order for people to watch it more on TV, and then he doesn't manage to get decent images.

Take last year - we didn't get images of the prologue, the helicopters couldn't go up because they were in the in-flight zone of Schiphol airport. How long had they planned the route? Did no one think of that?!

Same this year - as soon as there's a drop of rain and some trees by the side of the road we go to images from the finish line. Compare that to the Tourmalet stage in last year's TdF - I don't know how the French do it but we had live images all the way up even though you couldn't see a thing because of the fog. Apparently this was not a problem for French helicopters.

Finally on those "epic" mountain stages you only get to see two groups of riders - usually Contador and the group that's following him. Anything that goes on besides that you can only guess at, as you get no images and no time gaps. The French are once again much better at this - they show you images and time gaps of distanced riders, even if they're not in the top-5 (in this case Kreuziger for example).

Zomeg wants to play in the first division but once again he has proven to be an amateur compared to the Tour de France. Crappy coverage, boring racing, last-minute route changes, almost no breakaways getting through, riders abandoning by the dozens ... personnally I believe it would be a good thing for the sake of the Giro if he were indeed sacked!

 

[Anonymous]

IF only AC isnt so dominant.

 

[Eshnar]

I don't know how the French do it but we had live images all the way up even though you couldn't see a thing because of the fog. Apparently this was not a problem for French helicopters.

The fog was never a problem for Rai too. It's just the fact that, when the weather is bad, there's ice forming on the wings of the transmitter airplane, so it's forced to land. It's still may you know, at 2000+ m it's really cold.
Don't really know if the tdf could make something in this situation

Zomeg wants to play in the first division but once again he has proven to be an amateur compared to the Tour de France.

When did Zomegnan enter in RAI??? He's not responsible of the coverage...

boring racing

this makes you lose all credibility

last-minute route changes

Commanded by UCI (Crostis), or Milan's major (final ITT), not Zomegnan at all.

almost no breakaways getting through, riders abandoning by the dozens ...

Stage 5,7,(11),15,17,18 won by breakaway...
Maybe I'm wrong, but there are still 160+ riders in the race... it's not like they're 50.

 

[joe1265]

the strade bianche stage was the only one I got really, really excited about watching.

Let's face it, you knew the script for the mtn stages - Bert attacks - game over. I did watch and the crowds looked enormous.

Universal Sports had good replay coverage so I could watch the stage later that night.

I got bike racing overload when the ToCali was on and that race won over the Giro, so I kind of lost touch with the Giro for a week there.

 

[CatsNK]

Not enough mud for me. I like the muddy days.

Also a bit dull to watch, essentially, a race for 2nd place. I mean, I still care about 2nd place, but not as much, you know?

 

[auscyclefan94]

I found many of the mountain stages to be a tad boring which is probably due the predictability of the AC attack and therefore many people were just bored with it. I also struggled to get excited into it partially due to Wouter passing away. I felt quite hollow after that. Another element is that not many of the riders competing I particulary like. None of my favourites were competing.

 

[Eshnar]

- crowd - very small on mountain stages

let me guess... you saw the Etna stage only....

And Zoncolan doesn't have half of Hautacam's (for example) class, even if they are both "young'.

Wtf do you mean with "class"?
However trying to compare Zoncolan with Hautacam is a bit laughable, being totally different climbs.

 

[Christian]

The fog was never a problem for Rai too. It's just the fact that, when the weather is bad, there's ice forming on the wings of the transmitter airplane, so it's forced to land. It's still may you know, at 2000+ m it's really cold.
Don't really know if the tdf could make something in this situation

Airplanes fly all year long in much higher altitudes ... so what is the problem here?

When did Zomegnan enter in RAI??? He's not responsible of the coverage...

He sells the TV rights, doesn't he? Then it's his responsibility to make sure there is decent coverage

this makes you lose all credibility

Thanks for the heads up. From now on I will consider the exact same scenario on every mountain stage to be exciting

Commanded by UCI (Crostis), or Milan's major (final ITT), not Zomegnan at all.

Zomeg should have never put Crostis in there in the first place, it was bound to fail from the start; if Zomeg took care of the details he could have avoided the Milan fiasco as well - elections were bound to go into the second round and they are always on Sundays ... just choose a different course or do it a different day and you avoid any conflicts

Stage 5,7,(11),15,17,18 won by breakaway...

This makes you lose all credibility. In the beginning no one even wanted to go in breakaways, I think there were 3 stages with only one guy

Maybe I'm wrong, but there are still 160+ riders in the race... it's not like they're 50.

I'm talking about all the sprinters who had to abandon because of the course ... big middle finger right to their face from Zomeg

 

[Eshnar]

Airplanes fly all year long in much higher altitudes ... so what is the problem here?

Dunno (I'm not an aircraft expert). But the reason it's that, not the fog or rain

He sells the TV rights, doesn't he? Then it's his responsibility to make sure there is decent coverage

Probly Rai is the better offering? As you might notice, the rest of the world has little media interest in the Giro.

Thanks for the heads up. From now on I will consider the exact same scenario on every mountain stage to be exciting

Apart from Contador, the gc is exciting. Maybe you would place snipers on the MTF aiming at him? In what this is different from the Tour?

Zomeg should have never put Crostis in there in the first place, it was bound to fail from the start;

well, actually 24 hours before the stage they were still convinced they're gonna do that.

if Zomeg took care of the details he could have avoided the Milan fiasco as well - elections were bound to go into the second round and they are always on Sundays ... just choose a different course or do it a different day and you avoid any conflicts

Something like doing the last stage on Tuesday?
Probly no one in Rcs nor in Milan realised the problem a year ago.

This makes you lose all credibility. In the beginning no one even wanted to go in breakaways, I think there were 3 stages with only one guy

And the 3 stages are...?
I remember only stage 2 (244 km flat with HTC ready to chase... something that happens in every Tour stage for the first two weeks).

I'm talking about all the sprinters who had to abandon because of the course ... big middle finger right to their face from Zomeg

6 or 7 sprinters. A lot of people. Many of them would have left anyway to prepare the Tour (happened years ago)

 

[nesocip]

If this race didnt have Contador in it OR if it had top form Basso and slightly off peak Contador everyone that criticizes it at the moment would be drooling over it. I dont see how any of those are Zomegnan's fault. He couldnt dismiss Contador from the race, and Scarponi and Nibali are a whole class below Basso, sadly.

If last year's tour didnt have that mini P-R stage where Andy faceplanted his brother to create a gap in the group, and if he didnt have Cancellara to wheelsuck to the end it would have been a snoozefest (or more of a snoozefest than it was) all the way, even when we all saw Contador wasnt on this absolute best.

So two of the most exciting moments of last year's tour were Frank's crash and Andy's mechanical, and you call it a great race.

 

[UpTheRoad]

And Zoncolan doesn't have half of Hautacam's (for example) class, even if they are both "young'.

Please clarify what you mean by class in regards to a mountain climb.

I think Zoncolan is in an entirely different league than Hautacam -- a league above. I don't recall ever seeing a motorbike crack on Hautacam, but I sure saw one on Zoncolan.

 

[El Imbatido]

Also (pls correct me if i'm wrong) but RAI is publicly owned unlike the ASO....so i believe they probably don't have the resources to have crystal clear 1920x1080 full true native High Definition footage. Also i think someone said coverage sucks....only for english people RAI runs all day long on the Giro. A typical days coverage is:

1. Si gira -- The pre-race build-up in the morning, reflecting on previous stage, predicting this one

2. Anteprima Giro -- Start line coverage, may include early action on long stages ... or may not be broadcast at all

3. Giro in diretta -- Live from around half way up to the finale (early starters in TTs)

4. Giro al arrivo -- The finale live (late starters in TTs)

5. Processo alla tappa -- Immediate post-race analysis, live

6. TGiro -- More thoughtful analysis from Davide Cassani plus highlights

7. Giro Notte -- Late night highlights, often containing reconnaissance for tomorrow's stage (David Cassani), predictions (Gigi Sgarbozza) and better editing

 

[rzombie1988]

I think alot of the people complaining are spoiled brats.

Some points:
1) You can't blame Contador owning the race and leaving the winner without doubt on the organizers. Hey, it could be anyone up there with a 5 minute gap, but he's the only one who's good enough to make it happen. If you want to blame anyone for Contador's lead, blame the racers for not doing anything about it. Take Contador out and you have 8 racers within 5 minutes of each other.
2) I have no idea why some of you are complaining about there not being sprints in the 2nd half of the race. The sprinters had their time, now it's time for the climbers. Question to anyone complaining about the sprints - How many of you watch those stages from start to finish as opposed to the mountain stages? I do not believe anyone who says they would rather watch Cav take a nice stroll through Italy for 6 hours a day than seeing a mountain stage.
3) I agree that there are some issues with the broadcasts but it is colder there and I'm sure that effects the signal. I gurantee you that the organizers do not want errors just as much as we do, because it makes them look bad.

Overall, I think the Giro has been entertaining. No there wasn't alot of mud and no one had mechanicals but again you can't really blame the organizers for that. I thought the Queen Stage was one of the best races I've ever seen and I think the Crostis decent getting axed wasn't a bad thing, as it made the race shorter and gave everyone more energy for the final climb. Alot of the other stages were atleast interesting at the end too due to Contador attacking. I can't stand the guy, but he went for stage wins when he could have just sucked wheels.

 

[roundabout]

Let's be honest. it's not Zomegnan's fault but Giro does seem to be more likely to lose TV signal in bad weather

 

[McLovin]

Please clarify what you mean by class in regards to a mountain climb.

I think Zoncolan is in an entirely different league than Hautacam -- a league above. I don't recall ever seeing a motorbike crack on Hautacam, but I sure saw one on Zoncolan.

both were mtf 4 times, just cuz hautacam in 17 years, zoncolan in 8 years, so it's a little washed up, like shakira's songs, every week another one.
compare those 4 on hautacam and those 4 on zoncolan. the riss one and especyally armstrong one were at least classics. wich on zoncolan is classic? the one where evans wheelsucked in an epic style?or this year when it was won by a middling 11'th place rider? or the first two won by some 35 year old which reminds me of jose luis chilavert? they were fun, at least the 2007 one, but nothing compared to 2000 hautacam.
anyway, I think it's a little bit offtopic, it's not a battle of the climbs. it's not about the gradient, no? if I'll make a 30 percent climb on the hill behind my house, it will not be automaticly an epic ultra clasic climb, no?

 

[NedBraden]

I have been watching the Gazetta online feed and it has been pretty good but a bit odd. The announcing is in Italian but the graphics are in English.

Honestly I have not been as excited about this years edition as last year. Although missing the Zoncolan stage was a bummer! Part of it is Contador, who, IMHO, should not racing at all right now, running away with it in a dominating fashion and part has been the riders. It almost seems like many have been measuring their efforts a lot due to the difficulty of nearly every stage.

 

[movingtarget]

The presence of Contador definitely gave the race an inevitable feeling. Like today's stage. He could have won and gave it away to an ex-team mate. Last year was better but it has still been entertaining. Lots of tired riders in the third week may have flattened the racing in the past few days. The only real interest now is the battle for second place.