Can Landa win the Giro?

[Carols]

If Alberto crashes or gets ill. Otherwise No, 4 minutes is simply to much to take on Alberto Contador in Pink......

 

[DBotero]

I think it's too late for that,even as a team leader would have been hard given the ITT.But certainly the race would have been more fun if Aru wasn't the protected leader.

 

[red_flanders]

Now that Landa is going to be unleashed can he win the giro?

There is still a number of hard stages to come so if he is the strongest climber he should be able to make up time and he has the strongest team to support him. He is a long way down but if he attacks from a long way out and it works he could be taking back time.

Barring incident, no.

Longer answer, he's way too far behind. He's not clearly the best climber, he's climbing really, really well and might be the best climber but the tactical situations have not allowed us to see if he is. Now he has to drop Contador to make up time. I don't see it. Unless Contador has to chase back a minute before the Finestra or some such nonsense, and even then he still has too much time to make up.

He can't attack from way out alone, he's now marked which he was not for most of the race previously.

Barring incident this race is over.

 

[red_flanders]

Re:

No...but on thi form he could win the Tour de France

You have to be kidding. He lost 4 minutes in the TT with this absurd form. He won't even be the team leader.

 

[HelloDolly]

Re: Re:

No...but on thi form he could win the Tour de France

You have to be kidding. He lost 4 minutes in the TT with this absurd form. He won't even be the team leader.

No TT in the Tour ...as for team leader he won;t be the first non leader to win a Tour

 

[red_flanders]

Re: Re:

No...but on thi form he could win the Tour de France

You have to be kidding. He lost 4 minutes in the TT with this absurd form. He won't even be the team leader.

No TT in the Tour ...as for team leader he won;t be the first non leader to win a Tour

Really, there's no Time Trial in the Tour this year? I've not looked at the parcours but that would be a first, no?

EDIT: There appears to be 1 TT and one TTT.

 

[Marco Pantani]

He can. Even considering he sat on their wheels for some kilometres prior to his move, it was an incredible show of force to distance two of the three strongest riders of the day on a 4km false flat by 35 seconds.

Unbelievable. Supreme performance.

 

[HelloDolly]

Re: Re:

No...but on thi form he could win the Tour de France

You have to be kidding. He lost 4 minutes in the TT with this absurd form. He won't even be the team leader.

No TT in the Tour ...as for team leader he won;t be the first non leader to win a Tour

Really, there's no Time Trial in the Tour this year? I've not looked at the parcours but that would be a first, no?

EDIT: There appears to be 1 TT and one TTT.

Yes (stand corrected) but ITT is a very short prolog

Astana very good at TTT

 

[Stan955]

Re: Re:

No...but on thi form he could win the Tour de France

You have to be kidding. He lost 4 minutes in the TT with this absurd form. He won't even be the team leader.

No TT in the Tour ...as for team leader he won;t be the first non leader to win a Tour

Really, there's no Time Trial in the Tour this year? I've not looked at the parcours but that would be a first, no?

EDIT: There appears to be 1 TT and one TTT.

Yes (stand corrected) but ITT is a very short prolog

Astana very good at TTT

It's 28km which isn't that short , he lost close to 3 minutes to Contador in this Giro's time trial by about the first mountain which started at 30km

 

[Cookster15]

The gap is too big. But Landa's rise has certainly made the last week of this Giro more interesting than it was looking just a few days ago. Maybe it would be different if Landa had not been riding in support of Aru in the earlier stages.

But at least Contador is being pushed now. For a change AC is not the strongest climber - Landa is - but I think that has something to do with Contador also aiming to be strong for the Tour to go for the double.

 

[IamIronMan]

Is everyone forgetting that Nibbles is the clear leader of Astana at the Tour? And Nibbles >>>>>>> Aru, so there is no discussion about Landa at this years TdF.

 

[HelloDolly]

It's 28km which isn't that short , he lost close to 3 minutes to Contador in this Giro's time trial by about the first mountain which started at 30km

The inndividual TT is 13+KM ??

 

[Jelantik]

he will win.. if he gets ahead start of 1minutes before every hard mountain stage. Today's stage is hardly.. showing of his collective strength because an unfortunate un fair advantage. Until I see him toe to toe w/ Contador in equal footing.. then i will cast my vote. I hope he keeps his place in the expense of Aru falling off podium.

 

[Jspear]

Re:

No...but on thi form he could win the Tour de France

I'm having a hard time following this logic.
AC will be at the Tour to; most likely with "this form." That means AC will win the TdF and Landa will be 2nd.

 

[damian13ster]

I think his logic is:
there is no serious ITT in the Tour
Landa is climbign better than Contador

 

[Jspear]

Re:

I think his logic is:
there is no serious ITT in the Tour
Landa is climbign better than Contador

We'll have to wait and see. It's already been stated; AC climbed way better than anyone today. He had a disadvantage and did VERY well...we shall see in a couple of days.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Nope. He is good at sucking wheels though

 

[jmdirt]

I'm not so sure that Landa is a better climber than AC. There are many factors here: AC chased for 10K before the climb, AC knows he has 4: minutes to play with, and AC might be saving a few rounds for July.

 

[bambino]

Re:

Nope. He is good at sucking wheels though

Well, with all fairness I did not see Bertie doing jack *** either after the trio with Kruijwijk and Landa was formed.

 

[MotorRouleur]

In answer to the question, yes he can, maybe. Maybe. But not in 2015, with 4 minutes down a few days left.

 

[Alcanelo]

Not even Pantani/Armstrong/whoever can beat Alberto at current.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Re:

If Astana fires all the DSs, but I think its too late anyway.

Best call... The DS(es) spoiled it*. Certainly a case of them reaching their level of incompetence. Idiots, no other word can describe it better. Sorry.

(* I thought up to day only Sky can do the trick to seemingly (almost) always have their best rider being a dom, and not let him unleash even when it´s obvious to every house-wife that the No. 2 on the team has a better shot at winning.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Principle

 

[Red Rick]

The eternal "can x do x" question, always to be answered with, "yes, but will he? No"

 

[Gigs_98]

yes in a very unlikely scenario including meteorites and earthquakes there is a small chance he can win this giro.
No seriously, if nothing like a crash or a really black day of contador (something like floid landis 2006 in la toussuire) happens there isn't really a chance, especially because alberto now will completely concentrate on him

 

[red_flanders]

Re:

I think his logic is:
there is no serious ITT in the Tour
Landa is climbign better than Contador

I'll take that bet if anyone wants to make it interesting.