Giro 2013 rumours

[Eshnar]

What makes you think it's going to be flat?

All the sources mentions it as a "Passerella finale"...
I do hope it is not ofc.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

TY. I guess it's a done deal then. Too bad, really.

 

[Eshnar]

Silandro start sounds good, guarantees a 200km stage.

I do not know what to make of the route. The early TT will be good but it's still back-loaded like crazy, unless one or two of the "hilly" stages are monument length.

Meh, I think that as a whole route it is way better than last year. A bit less backloaded and above all we finally get a real ITT.
On the other hand, I only like one of the mountain stages.

 

[the asian]

The ITT is around 52 kms. The MTT 20 kms.
No idea about the TTT.

52 km.

Thanks.

Route is definitely better than last year.

 

[will10]

A little backended but the early TT should open it up early. Looks pretty good

 

[El Pistolero]

Please explain, I really want to hear this lame thing.

You should know of all people.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Promising course with a long flat ITT and a MTT. Me like. Enough MTF's too. Interesting that they are doing the Galibier.

 

[Pippo_San]

You should know of all people.

Do I? Really? You're getting me intrigued.

 

[SafeBet]

I'm from northern Italy and have no idea what you guys are talking about.


Route looks ok, not special, not bad. Hoped for some downhill finishes. But the trend seems set for GTs: descending skills won't matter.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

I'm from northern Italy and have no idea what you guys are talking about.


Route looks ok, not special, not bad. Hoped for some downhill finishes. But the trend seems set for GTs: descending skills won't matter.

Maybe el pistol and hitch are saying up north people are less rugged rubes than folks from the south, my theory

 

[ILovecycling]

The presentation will be broadcasted
http://www.gazzetta.it/Ciclismo/28-...ideo-telecronaca-lombardia-912746861290.shtml

Si prosegue domenica con il live della presentazione del Giro d’Italia 2013, in onda sempre sul sito rosa dalle 13.40 alle 14.45

Am I correct?

 

[SafeBet]

The presentation will be broadcasted
http://www.gazzetta.it/Ciclismo/28-...ideo-telecronaca-lombardia-912746861290.shtml


Am I correct?

On their website yeah.

 

[Lupetto]

Really looking forward to this.

 

[Ferminal]

Grr, too early for me

Eshnar - did you want to make a new thread?

 

[Eshnar]

Grr, too early for me

Eshnar - did you want to make a new thread?

I won't see the presentation, I have to go at 13:30
I'll be here way later...
I'll probly make the usual "rate the route" thread then.

 

[Mad Elephant Man]

If the route does not have descent finishes on mountain stages it is a total failure. There MUST be a balance, no balance = failure.

 

[Descender]

If the route does not have descent finishes on mountain stages it is a total failure. There MUST be a balance, no balance = failure.

Amen brother!!

 

[Eshnar]

Now, let's discuss a bit upon every stage.
NOTE: The following reasoning is only a... reasoning. It might be wrong.

Stage 1: What is this? A circuit? A long loop near the city? It'll be short I guess. There's a rumour it could be held in the evening.
2: TTT of about 20 kms I thing. Not flat.
3: It'll be hilly for sure in the first half, then it could either go along the coast or go inside and have a good descent finish. I think the latter. It'll be interesting.
4: That's perhaps the most promising stage in the first week. Surely hilly (there's no flat way to reach Serra San Bruno to my knowledge), and they say it could have sterrato sections.
5: This stage could be pan flat along the coast AND have an uphill sprint, OR be entirely hilly. In any case, it won't be for regular sprinters and it'll be long.
6: This should be flat. Probably windy though.
7: Two possibilities: a) We have hills in the beginning and then 40-50 kms of pan flat roads. b) We have Passo Lanciano topping at 60 kms to go and then a hilly final part of the stage.
8: ITT of 52 kms. I already showed the rumoured route.
9: Very hill first part and then 3 laps of the Worlds circuit. Should be interesting.
10: First serious MTF. Notably it could feature the Passo Cason Di Lanza before a long valley and the final climb to Montasio.
11: A few hills before the final climb. Finish after a little false flat. I don't know if the gc-guys will bother.
12: Hilly first part, pan flat second part. Maybe it could feature the Montello at 20-25 kms to go. But if stage 4 has sterrato I'm sure this one won't.
13: Flat first part and maybe some fun in the end. If they want they can make this interesting. Otherwise, there's room for a totally pan flat stage.
14: Sestriere and Jafferau. Maybe Pramartino before Sestriere but both will serve just as a warm up.
15: We already discussed this one.
16: Mont Cenis and then a long, flat road for a bunch sprint. They can make it hilly but I do think they won't.
17: 170 kms flat and then a demanding terrain. Probably a total of 205 kms with the last 30 quite interesting. The finish won't be uphill but this is not a bunch sprint at all.
18: MTT. Gaps comparable to those provided by stage 8.
19: Vuelta-sized stage with Gavia, Stelvio and a dull valley before Val Martello (finish at the Gioveretto Lake)
20: Over 200 kms with an unknown run in before San Pellegrino, Giau, Tre Croci and Tre Cime Di Lavaredo. The real queen stage and the only one who apparently allows long range attacks.
21: flat with a final circuit. The circuit might be hilly.

 

[airstream]

imo, perception of asolo and gap stages decently deformed reality. in reality we can get action on descents only in following cases:
1 technically difficult descent is needed. there are the overwhelming minority. say, neither nibali nor sanchez nobody will even try to get away on peyresourde downhill which is 300-500 meters straights with smooth cambered turns. even giau descent consists of minimum of short 'snakes', that are so liked by descent specialists, and turned out to be not that difficult. we really need something intricate like pra martino or rain;
2 that should be really outstanding specialist to make a move and even given that, it's very unlikely that rivals let him go in case he's a gc threat.

in short, we really need the whole series of coincidences of get a proper action on a descent stage, i mean gc action surely.

frankly speaking, before the bales stage i always tended to consider descent stages transitional and didn't change my opinion, though probably some guys think i know nothing about sport or something.

what a descent stage balances is real riddle to me.

 

[Eshnar]

imo, perception of asolo and gap stages decently deformed reality. in reality we can get action on descents only in following cases:
1 technically difficult descent is needed. there are the overwhelming minority. say, neither nibali nor sanchez nobody will even try to get away on peyresourde downhill which is 300-500 meters straights with smooth cambered turns. even giau descent consists of minimum of short 'snakes', that are so liked by descent specialists, and turned out to be not that difficult. we really need something intricate like pra martino or rain;
2 that should be really outstanding specialist to make a move and even given that, it's very unlikely that rivals let him go in case he's a gc threat.

in short, we really need the whole series of coincidences of get a proper action on a descent stage, i mean gc action surely.

frankly speaking, before the bales stage i always tended to consider descent stages transitional and didn't change my opinion, though probably some guys think i know nothing about sport or something.

Ofc we must have a technical descent, but descent stages do not prevent something to happen in the ascent. It's not like we expect the action to be only on the descent. Descent stages are good because they add another variable to the picture. The presence of a descent doesn't take away anything to the stage. That's all.

 

[Descender]

imo, perception of asolo and gap stages decently deformed reality. in reality we can get action on descents only in following cases:
1 technically difficult descent is needed. there are the overwhelming minority. say, neither nibali nor sanchez nobody will even try to get away on peyresourde downhill which is 300-500 meters straights with smooth cambered turns. even giau descent consists of minimum of short 'snakes', that are so liked by descent specialists, and turned out to be not that difficult. we really need something intricate like pra martino or rain;
2 that should be really outstanding specialist to make a move and even given that, it's very unlikely that rivals let him go in case he's a gc threat.

in short, we really need the whole series of coincidences of get a proper action on a descent stage, i mean gc action surely.

frankly speaking, before the bales stage i always tended to consider descent stages transitional and didn't change my opinion, though probably some guys think i know nothing about sport or something.

what a descent stage balances is real riddle to me.

I feel like either you don't pay attention to what people tell you or you don't want to pay attention.

Eshnar exposed it very well (for the gazillionth time). It's not (only) about attacking on the descent, it's about variety and balance. A complete rider must be able to climb, to ride on the flat and to descend. And that tour you mentioned succeeded in being a balanced route, in that it exposed the descending weaknesses of certain riders.

You've already made up your mind that descents mean nothing, and you just won't budge no matter how hard reality slaps you in the face.

The Vuelta 2006 was won on a mountain stage finishing after a descent (Granada, Valverde-Vinokourov-Kasheshkin, look it up). In the Giro 2010 we had one of the most exciting stages in the Mortirolo-Aprica day, with the eventual winner attacking and distancing the leader, then almost ruining it all in the descent. That same year, Nibali won the stage and gain time after attacking on a descent. TdF, Gap and Pinerolo stages last year... etcetera, etcetera.

And that's despite the fact that there are so few mountain stages finishing after a descent (or after a descent+easy climb, a là Mortirolo+Aprica or Finestre+Sestriere).

 

[Eshnar]

Since I won't be at the pc during the presentation, can someone of you guys post here the profiles as soon as they're available? So I will look at them from my mobile. It would be a pain in the *** to use Gazzetta's site.

 

[Descender]

Since I won't be at the pc during the presentation, can someone of you guys post here the profiles as soon as they're available? So I will look at them from my mobile. It would be a pain in the *** to use Gazzetta's site.

Ma certo!

 

[Eshnar]

Ma certo!

Grazie mille!

 

[Netserk]

Gazzetta stream of presentation