Giro 2011 Review

[The Hitch]

ACF usually does this. But he hasnt yet so here we go.

How sad. A whole year left till the Giro. I feel like its the last day of summer holidays.

A few questions.

Moment of the giro?

Best win of the Giro?

Best Stage of the Giro?

Quote of the Giro...

Disappointment of the Giro?

Surprise of the Giro?

What are you looking forward to in the 2012 Giro?

Who did you expect more of?

Which riders performed beyond expectations?

Should there have been more pan flat stages?

Was the tragedy handled correctly?

Should Crostis have been included?

Overall, did the organizers do a good job?

Do you expect the other grand tours of 2011 to be better?

Did the awesomness of the 2010 Giro dampen this one a bit?

 

[El Pistolero]

7- Good first 2 weeks(not taking into account the death of WW here), but very very boring from stage 17 onwards.

Moment of the Giro= Contador finishing second on a flat stage after everyone thinking he had already shown signs of weakness.

The coverage was crappy as usual. They should learn a couple of things from Belgian races.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Best win of the Giro?
stage 20

Best Stage of the Giro?
stage 15

Quote of the Giro...
dunno

Disappointment of the Giro?
Menchov

Surprise of the Giro?
Kruijswijk, didn't expect that good of a performance.

What are you looking forward to in the 2011 Giro?
I'll assume 12. crostis ttt

WHo did you expect more of?
menchov

Which riders performed beyond expectations?
kruijswijk. nibbles at times.

Should there have been more pan flat stages?
nopr

Was the tragedy handled correctly?
yes

Should Crostis have been included?
yes

Overall, did the organizers do a good job?
yes

 

[Cobblestoned]

Goodwill 7, with tendency to average



Who did you expect more of? Geox, Serpa, Visconti

Which riders performed beyond expectations? Apollonio, Rujano, Gadret

Should there have been more pan flat stages? Not more, but better positioned over 3 weeks

Was the tragedy handled correctly? Yes, by most people, except Italian and some other media

Should Crostis have been included? Not under those circumstances.

Overall, did the organizers do a good job? Yes and No. Too much and too long transfers and not enough time to recover again. But course was really good, perhaps a little bit overdone in third week. 50-50

Do you expect the other grand tours of 2011 to be better? When it comes to competition, attacking and fighting, yes, I think the Tour will be better.

Did the awesomness of the 2010 Giro dampen this one a bit? No. Can't always be awesome. That was just an average Giro and its back to normality.
But I hope competiton and startingfield will be better again next year.

Moment of the giro? Contador vs Nibali trashtalking while pedalling

Best win of the Giro? Nieve

Best Stage of the Giro? stage 15

Quote of the Giro... "Maybe the Giro is won in hotel" - Alberto Contador"

Disappointment of the Giro? Fat Zomegans behavior and some Tifosi boooohing Alberto and other riders. Whole bad karma during that stage.

Surprise of the Giro? Alberto's total über-domination

What are you looking forward to in the 2012 Giro? More balance and better competition for the overall win

 

[rzombie1988]

Moment of the giro?
Maybe Contador dropping Scarponi/Nibali on Etna with ease and foreshadowing the whole Giro or Rujano rejuvenating his career at Etna.

Best win of the Giro?
Nieve winning on Zoncolan.

Best Stage of the Giro?
Zoncolan. Epic race where everyone gave it all they got. Even the km's before the climb were exciting!

Disappointment of the Giro?
- Denis Menchov. I thought he would easily podium. Now he gets put on the second teir like everyone else. I'd also like to add Carlos Sastre(Way to go GEOX) and Kreuziger for those who expected more(i.e. his team).
- The TV coverage was totally disappointing too as it no one ever knew where anyone was at and at points it was like listening to the radio.
- I'm also disappointed that Ricco had his incident and didn't get in as I thought he'd be a good challenge for Contador.

Surprise of the Giro?
Kruijiswijk for coming out of nowhere and showing his potential. I never heard of the guy before but he turned me into a fan.

What are you looking forward to in the 2012 Giro?
Hopefully another similar course with even less flat stages and maybe Michael Rasmussen!

Who did you expect more of?
Denis Menchov: Thought he would podium
Carlos Sastre: I don't know what I was expecting of him, but this wasn't it.
LeMevel: After the first or second week.

Which riders performed beyond expectations?
Rujano, Kruijiswijk, Gadret

Should there have been more pan flat stages?
Nope. They are boring and won't get my viewership. I have better things to do than watch Cav take a leisurely stroll for 6 hours.

Was the tragedy handled correctly? Sure

Should Crostis have been included? I think it should have been due to it being promoted for so long. I think the organizers also should have done more to make it safe. We will be seeing it next year anyway for sure so it'll be okay.

Overall, did the organizers do a good job?
Yes they did. I think they did a great job for all of the obstacles put in their way though I would like to see better TV coverage next year.

Do you expect the other grand tours of 2011 to be better?
- Nope. I think alot of people are acting like spoiled brats about this tour. They organizers really tried to make it viewer friendly and they succeeded. I really appreciated the lack of sprints in particular and some of the nasty mountains. I am looking forward to the Angliru and Frank/Andy vs Contador though.

Did the awesomness of the 2010 Giro dampen this one a bit?
- Nope. I enjoyed this more to be honest.

 

[lancaster]

a really good bike race...

just not as good as the giro can be

the re-emergence of rujano, along side great performances from nieve, anton, weening, kiserlovski, gatto, ulissi, gadret, tiralongo for stages were the good points.

the tragedy of 108 is the most memorable moment.



(it was also, obviously, the worst moment)

racing wise the poor performances of sastre, menchov, rodriguez and the lack of emergence of machado, lovkvist was dissapointing.
i would have liked to see more from sella, anton fighting for gc... but those are probably asking a bit much.

it's a shame that there wasn't a harder fight for the gc, but that can't be helped. AC is just much better than everyone else in gts and big mountains. (maybe basso and schleck could've kept it close, but i think contador would still've been four or five minutes clear)

 

[Eshnar]

A few questions.

Moment of the giro? Zomegnan swearing against UCI on stage 14

Best win of the Giro? Kirienka stage 20

Best Stage of the Giro? stage 15 (easy)

Quote of the Giro... See "Moment Of the Giro"

Disappointment of the Giro? Contador's dominance

Surprise of the Giro? Gadret

What are you looking forward to in the 2012 Giro? The entire route

Who did you expect more of? Menchov

Which riders performed beyond expectations? Nibali

Should there have been more pan flat stages? maybe one more in the last week

Was the tragedy handled correctly? Not perfectly but fine

Should Crostis have been included? Hell yeah!

Overall, did the organizers do a good job? Too many transfers

Do you expect the other grand tours of 2011 to be better? no

Did the awesomness of the 2010 Giro dampen this one a bit?no[/QUOTE]

 

[jens_attacks]

i gave it a 9 cause i'm generous.

Moment of the giro?-rujano's succesive attacks on finestre,alberto doing 30 km/h on etna

Best win of the Giro?-tiralongo,kiriyenka

Best Stage of the Giro?-grossglockner,gardeccia

Quote of the Giro..."contador didn't respect me"-nibali lolz

Disappointment of the Giro?-menchov

Surprise of the Giro?-ag2r

What are you looking forward to in the 2012 Giro?-all of it.

Who did you expect more of?-machado

Which riders performed beyond expectations?-kruijswijk

Should there have been more pan flat stages?-no

Was the tragedy handled correctly?-don't know what to answer,

Should Crostis have been included?-not necessary

Overall, did the organizers do a good job?-overall yes

Do you expect the other grand tours of 2011 to be better?-yes but it won't happen

Did the awesomness of the 2010 Giro dampen this one a bit?-no

 

[Moondance]

Moment of the giro? Well, there can only be one choice for this, and since it is a deeply sad moment, I won't go too much into it.

Best win of the Giro? Kiriyenka's win in stage 20. He owned that stage. No to take anything away from Contador's wins, both of which were impressive, but he just dominated the competition there.

Best Stage of the Giro? Stage 15 (the one Nieve won)

Quote of the Giro... Don't pay attention to stuff like this

Disappointment of the Giro? Tiago Machado.

Surprise of the Giro? Kruijwijk. Honorable mention to Gadret

What are you looking forward to in the 2012 Giro? Too soon to say.

Who did you expect more of? Obviously Machado. Also, Visconti, Pozzovivo, and Menchov instantly spring to mind.

Which riders performed beyond expectations? Quite a few. Kruijswijk, Gadret, Dupont, Rujano. Some of Ulissi's performances in the last week were great from such a young man.

Should there have been more pan flat stages? Obviously not

Was the tragedy handled correctly? Apart from that brief shot of Wouter lying there I would say a definite yes.

Should Crostis have been included? No

Overall, did the organizers do a good job? Yes

Do you expect the other grand tours of 2011 to be better? No

Did the awesomness of the 2010 Giro dampen this one a bit? Yes

 

[jobiwan]

I was going to give it a 7.5, but that wasn't an option, so I rounded up.

Questions and Answers:

Moment of the giro? Leopard Trek and Farrar crossing together

Best win of the Giro? Nieve

Best Stage of the Giro? Stage 15

Quote of the Giro... From Cav: "Look! Look! Oh! Oh! Oh! Look! Look! A sprint! A real sprint! For sprinters!"

Disappointment of the Giro? No one challenging Contador, and the Finestre stage (not counting Kiriyenka of course)

Surprise of the Giro? TeamGadret

What are you looking forward to in the 2012 Giro? A newer, tougher climb, and Alpe

Who did you expect more of? Menchov

Which riders performed beyond expectations? Kruijswijk

Should there have been more pan flat stages? I think so, but I like Cav

Was the tragedy handled correctly? As well as it could have been

Should Crostis have been included? On good weather, yes

Overall, did the organizers do a good job? I think so

Do you expect the other grand tours of 2011 to be better? Just hope they're a little closer ranking wise, it'll still be tough to top

Did the awesomeness of the 2010 Giro dampen this one a bit? A little

 

[saganftw]

Moment of the giro? weylandt lying down on tarmac bleeding

Best win of the Giro? de clerq- so unexpected i cant even spell his name

Best Stage of the Giro? zoncolan

Quote of the Giro... cant remember

Disappointment of the Giro? menchov,kruez "only" 6th

Surprise of the Giro? gadret TT abilities

What are you looking forward to in the 2012 Giro? no contador *fingers crossed*

Who did you expect more of? radioshack

Which riders performed beyond expectations? gadret,kruiswijk

Should there have been more pan flat stages? nooooo

Was the tragedy handled correctly? yea

Should Crostis have been included? absolutely

Overall, did the organizers do a good job? 8/10

Do you expect the other grand tours of 2011 to be better? i d be surprised

Did the awesomness of the 2010 Giro dampen this one a bit? dont remember 2010,it was a year ago

 

[taiwan]

Moment of the giro? Etna stage: Attacking Bert picks up Rujano and Scarponi grinds to a halt.

Best win of the Giro? Gatto in Tropea.

Best Stage of the Giro? The queen stage won by Nieve.

Quote of the Giro... Bert: "The stage was really hard. No srsly" (paraphasing).

Disappointment of the Giro? Last minute omission of Crostis was dissappointing.

Surprise of the Giro? Of course Weylandt's death was the biggest shock.

What are you looking forward to in the 2012 Giro? Competition.

Who did you expect more of? Rodriguez, but I'm assuming he just mistimed his peak.

Which riders performed beyond expectations? Rujano: I'd never seen him at that level before.

Should there have been more pan flat stages? No, I really liked how some of the nominal sprint stages had difficulty/interest added. My opinion.

Was the tragedy handled correctly? Yes.

Should Crostis have been included? Yes.

Overall, did the organizers do a good job? Yes.

Do you expect the other grand tours of 2011 to be better? Nah.

Did the awesomness of the 2010 Giro dampen this one a bit? Yeah, probably.

 

[Anonymous]

Best win of the Giro? Tiralongo

Best Stage of the Giro? stage 15


Disappointment of the Giro? that WW died.

Surprise of the Giro? Crostis.

What are you looking forward to in the 2012 Giro?

Who did you expect more of? the Italians.

Which riders performed beyond expectations? Gadret.

Should there have been more pan flat stages? hell no.

Was the tragedy handled correctly? yes

Should Crostis have been included? yes.

Overall, did the organizers do a good job? fairly good.

Do you expect the other grand tours of 2011 to be better? i wish.

Did the awesomness of the 2010 Giro dampen this one a bit? yes.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Moment of the giro?
Wouter Weylandt's crash. It wasn't a good moment, but it was the moment that was most important to the race. All of a sudden, cycle racing didn't seem so important anymore.

Best win of the Giro?
Vasil Kiryienka on Sestrières. That finish made the stage great. I don't care that the GC battle was a letdown. I will remember that win for as long as Rujano's in 2005.

Best Stage of the Giro?
Val di Fassa, obviously. 7 and a half hours, 5 climbs, rain, cold, and Euskaltel win. What more could you want? Mindblowing scenery and the most naturally beautiful pass in Europe? OK, we'll throw that in too.

Quote of the Giro...
Cavendish daring Ventoso to ride slowly so that his HTC guys could bully him since Cavendish can't keep up with the Spaniard in the hills.

Disappointment of the Giro?
The number of stages which were simply the Contador show.

Surprise of the Giro?
Nothing was more surprising, shocking or horrifying than reading the news of Weylandt's death.

What are you looking forward to in the 2012 Giro?
Probably a Crostis MTF?

Who did you expect more of?
Denis Menchov.

Which riders performed beyond expectations?
John Gadret (thought he could do a top 10 but didn't expect top 5), Hubert Dupont (though in retrospect it shouldn't have been a surprise), Mikel Nieve.

Should there have been more pan flat stages?
There should NEVER be more pan flat stages. Even the sprinters' stages should have something that makes them work for the bunch sprint. Like the one Ventoso won. If you have had to work for it and it's a sprint? Then the sprinters deserve the chance to duke it out. But stages designed solely to be sprints are a waste of time.

Was the tragedy handled correctly?
The only thing I would have changed would have been having every rider wearing race number 108 on stage 4. Otherwise I think it was handled very, very well. Leopard Trek allowing Farrar to ride to the line with them was a nice touch.

Should Crostis have been included?
I would have liked it to be, but I'm not going to hold the exclusion against them. I didn't like the way it was handled with the last second decision and the protests cancelling Tualis too.

Overall, did the organizers do a good job?
I think they did a pretty good job of a bad situation, but I'm not going to pretend that some of the situations weren't their own making. It wasn't a 2002-level farce at least.

Do you expect the other grand tours of 2011 to be better?
The disappointment here was just how strong Contador was. From a racing perspective the tension may be better at the other ones, but the Tour is always raced conservatively and the Vuelta has a bit of a tame finish (40km flat from Urkiola to Gasteiz on the penultimate stage?).

Did the awesomness of the 2010 Giro dampen this one a bit?
It was always going to have its work cut out, but it did fall a bit flat as a race after Contador showed just how strong he was.

 

[Squire]

Moment of the giro? A lot of significant moments, but for me personally it was the image of Popovych entering the sterrato in full flight engulfed in a big cloud of dust. After the sad events a few stages before, this was where I realized the Giro had started for real and that I would be able to enjoy it.

Best win of the Giro? Have to give this one to Kiryienka, although Nieve was impressive as well.

Best Stage of the Giro? Stage 15 without a doubt.

Quote of the Giro The Gazzetta guys shouting 'Contadoooooooor' when he attacked on Etna.

Disappointment of the Giro? Sella. Had hoped to see him go ballistic in the mountains, but apart from a promising start to stage 15, he was nowhere to be seen.

Surprise of the Giro? Nieve, and his performance on the Zoncolan.

What are you looking forward to in the 2012 Giro? A more exciting fight for the win, and I have secret hopes of seeing Ricco. Maybe Di Luca can feature as well with a whole season in his legs. Duarte can also be interesting.

Who did you expect more of? The whole Geox team, Pozzovivo and Di Luca.

Which riders performed beyond expectations? The AG2R boys, Nieve, Siutsou.

Should there have been more pan flat stages? One or two of the hilly stages towards the end were a bit unessecary, but overall the route was good.

Was the tragedy handled correctly? Yes. Luckily I didn't see the images from the crash.

Should Crostis have been included? Yes.

Overall, did the organizers do a good job? Yes.

Do you expect the other grand tours of 2011 to be better? Not really. I think the GC battle will be more open in the Vuelta though.

Did the awesomness of the 2010 Giro dampen this one a bit? Yes. This was never going to live up to the best GT in recent memory.

 

[lancaster]

with regards to the flat stages, i think they got the number right, probably should've been 1 on penultimate day.

i really enjoyed the gatto stage and the ventoso stage. sprinters should have to work to win, a rest day with a winner and a prize is pointless.

 

[vcampbell]

10 - because Contador showed that he is best stage racer in the world.

Moment of the giro? Basically this need to be a positive one, but I just can't forget all what I have seen, so it's WW 108, and I hate that this is the moment of the Giro

Best win of the Giro? Stage 9, Etna, where Contador showed how weak he is.

Best Stage of the Giro? Stage 15.

Quote of the Giro... "Contador will win it"

Disappointment of the Giro? Menchov, and because of the hype Machado.

Surprise of the Giro? Kruijswijk, Dupont, Nieve

What are you looking forward to in the 2012 Giro? Zoncolan, Crostis, Mortirolo, Val di Fassa, all the brutal Italian mountains, because that's why the Giro is the best GT for me.

Who did you expect more of? Geox, Sky (could we expect more? ), Pozzovivo, The Shack.

Which riders performed beyond expectations? Gadret

Should there have been more pan flat stages? Please, NO!

Was the tragedy handled correctly? Yes.

Should Crostis have been included? Yes.

Overall, did the organizers do a good job? Yes.

Do you expect the other grand tours of 2011 to be better? No.

Did the awesomness of the 2010 Giro dampen this one a bit? No.

 

[Mich78BEL]

after Weylands death i didn't feel like following the giro, only the last couple of days i followed it a little bit, but still i have a very negative perception of this giro

 

[Captain_Cavman]

It lived up to my expectations, which were probably lower than others'. If you repeatedly have the same kind of test in a GT it can come as no surprise when one rider proves himself the master of it.

It does seem a shame to have a race when there is little point in going to the end of it for so many riders except to simply say that they finished it. Congratulations to all that did.

The abiding memory will be stage 4 and on that note, this Giro has been unlucky. Whereas the 2010 Giro was blessed with all sorts of non-fatal crashes, variable weather and tactical errors that made it more exciting than perhaps it warranted.

 

[Skip Madness]

Obviously the significance of Wouter Weylandt's death far exceeded any bike racing, so I'll omit that from the answers as it goes without saying really.

Moment of the giro?
The protest on Tualis. I have visions of fans who would have been prepared to push the riders up Monte Crostis themselves if they had to.

Best win of the Giro?
Mikel Nieve at Gardeccia.

Best Stage of the Giro?
Gardeccia.

Quote of the Giro...
Contador going on about the difficulty of the stage to... Gardeccia.

Disappointment of the Giro?
Castelfidardo could have been a really exciting stage for the GC, but instead it never really got any more riveting than Christophe Le Mevel's brief sojourn with virtual pink.

Surprise of the Giro?
Contador accelerating away on the road to Tropea.

What are you looking forward to in the 2012 Giro?
The unpredictability of the route, I suppose. This year's was a disappointment for many reasons, but the one thing you can rely on with the Giro is not knowing what you'll get next year.

Who did you expect more of?
Denis Menchov.

Which riders performed beyond expectations?
Roberto Ferrari was frequently ahead of riders I'd have expected to beat him.

Should there have been more pan flat stages?
There should definitely have been more chances for the sprinters, whether pan flat or a bit more difficult, to say nothing of the fact that they should have also existed beyond stage 12.

Was the tragedy handled correctly?
By and large, yes. The race organisers did fine. Some media outlets were irresponsible, and on the other hand I'm not really one for the emotional symbolism, but in general there wasn't much which should have been done differently.

Should Crostis have been included?
Yes. The safety precautions applied to the route, plus the fact that such a fuss was being made of it would probably have made it the safest descent in the history of cycling. The added difficulty would have changed the dynamic of the stage, and had an effect on the following stage as well.

Overall, did the organizers do a good job?
In general, no. The route was mostly poor to begin with, and the never-ending alterations only made things worse.

Do you expect the other grand tours of 2011 to be better?
The Tour will probably not be any better. The Vuelta could go either way. It's not a great year for GT routes.

Did the awesomness of the 2010 Giro dampen this one a bit?
I don't think so. It just wasn't that great a race. Some memorable stages and performances, but much of it will be hard to recall with enthusiasm. I scored it 4 out of 10 on the poll.

 

[hfer07]

Moment of the giro?
Stage 4-It was too difficult to watch it & difficult to erase it from our memories-yet very emotional & symbolic for all the world cycling community to gather around in consolation & grieving.
Best win of the Giro?
Stage 8 Oscar Gatto plus Contador silencing the critics
Best Stage of the Giro?
Stage 15 to Val di Fassa 229km
Quote of the Giro...

Disappointment of the Giro?
Purito-I thought he was going to perform better.
Surprise of the Giro?
John Gadred-amazing Giro for him
What are you looking forward to in the 2012 Giro?
everything

Who did you expect more of?

Which riders performed beyond expectations?
Rujano-his return to Italy was superb.
Should there have been more pan flat stages?
I'd say yes-maybe one more but retaining the Giro style with some hills & tricks near to the finish line
Was the tragedy handled correctly?
without a doubt
Should Crostis have been included?
yes
Overall, did the organizers do a good job?
yes
Do you expect the other grand tours of 2011 to be better?
not necessary
Did the awesomeness of the 2010 Giro dampen this one a bit?
there is no magic recipe to repeat that Giro-It was unique.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Moment of the giro?
-Contadors power on the Etna for me, made it clear there wouldn't be any fight

Best win of the Giro?
-Plenty of nice wins. Weening and De Clerq just holding on after a late attack, etcetera. Can't decide on this

Best Stage of the Giro?
-Gardeccia/Val di Fassa stage

Quote of the Giro...
-Uh...pass...

Disappointment of the Giro?
-Denis Menchov and Igor Anton especially. Expected much more of him. Rodriguez wasn't doing to well either in the first 2 weeks, but he did a very good last week to finish top 5

Surprise of the Giro?
-Steven Kruijswijk and John Gadret. Amazing that Gadret finished 4th in the GC considering his very poor time trial, riding on the flat and positioning in the past. Kruijswijk because even in the best case scenario I didn't see him doing better than for instance Mollema last year (12th/13th). He finished 9th, and that without a breakaway to gain time. He was in 1 breakaway, where he LOST time (and probably his chance of the white jersey overall).

What are you looking forward to in the 2012 Giro?
-Less mountains. Yes, yes blasphemer I know. But this Giro made me realise that too much of a good thing makes it boring. I'm missing the anticipation/waiting for a mountain stage, because there's already one each day. Too much

Who did you expect more of?
-Denis Menchov and Igor Anton as I said. They really underperformed. Although Anton said he didn't go for a GC.

Which riders performed beyond expectations?
-Are you repeating questions now? Meh

Should there have been more pan flat stages?
-Probably yes. To give the riders a bit of rest

Was the tragedy handled correctly?
-Yes.

Should Crostis have been included?
-Yeah, don't see much wrong with it.

Overall, did the organizers do a good job?
-They did well. But maybe too much mountains as I said

Do you expect the other grand tours of 2011 to be better?
-Not really. No.

Did the awesomness of the 2010 Giro dampen this one a bit?
-Yes, you can't out do Giro 2010 it seems

 

[Archibald]

Moment of the giro? Stage 4

Best win of the Giro? Gatto or De Clerq

Best Stage of the Giro? Stage 20

Quote of the Giro...

Disappointment of the Giro? Rujano not managing to maintain his Etna performance on the remaining MTFs. Would loved to have seen him going with Contador each time in the mountains. Also that the other GC didn't really work to try and topple AC

Surprise of the Giro? Race for second beginning so early

What are you looking forward to in the 2012 Giro? No one dominating so much so perhaps a more intriguing GC

Who did you expect more of? Anton, Menchov

Which riders performed beyond expectations? Kruijswijk and Gadret

Should there have been more pan flat stages? no

Was the tragedy handled correctly? Yes

Should Crostis have been included? Yes

Overall, did the organizers do a good job? Yes

Do you expect the other grand tours of 2011 to be better? No

Did the awesomness of the 2010 Giro dampen this one a bit? No, but the awesomeness of one rider perhaps did.

 

[maltiv]

The worst team award goes to Team Sky for not placing any rider in the top 20 GC, only being present in 3 breakaways, not winning any stages/jerseys and generally being invisible. Other candidates for this amazing award were:

BMC- did not win anything, but Tschopp did better than expected in GC (16th) and they were in a few breakaways.

Colnago-CSF - Pozzovivo underperformed massively but Brambilla and Pirazzi were quite active in the breakaways. Probably did worse than Sky but at least they were visible in the last 9 days of the Giro.

Geox- Sastre and Menchov underperformed, but at least they got a top 10 gc. Duarte looked really strong until he crashed out.

Quick Step - No stage wins, but Cataldo got a decent GC placing (13th) and Seeldrayers was in quite a few breakaways.

 

[Havetts]

7

Moment of the giro?
Wouter Weylandt for unfortunate reasons.

Best win of the Giro?
Kirienka

Best Stage of the Giro?
Stage 15

Quote of the Giro...
Giro is won in the hotel..


Disappointment of the Giro?
The Contador supremacy, one could say its cool but it really made the race boring to watch after Stage 15.


Surprise of the Giro?
John Gadret and Steven Kruijswijk


What are you looking forward to in the 2012 Giro?
The Crostis!

Who did you expect more of?
Menchov


Which riders performed beyond expectations?

Steven Kruijswijk


Should there have been more pan flat stages?

As Libertine said, there should be no stages where a team keeps the distance at 3 minutes for 4 hours and then reels it in in the last 40 kms. Those are disappointing, it should be like the stage Ventoso won, major obstacle before the finish that they have to work for..


Was the tragedy handled correctly?
Yes it was

Should Crostis have been included?
Not sure about this one, it was criticized before the Giro and with the death of Wouter it wasnt really thought of rationally anymore.

Overall, did the organizers do a good job?
Yes.

Do you expect the other grand tours of 2011 to be better?
Nope, the tour will still have 300% sprint stages.

Did the awesomness of the 2010 Giro dampen this one a bit?
Yes.