Giro 2017 Field Discussion/Speculation

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Jens must know his w/kg on Pla d' Adet in 2005?

Pla d'Adet
2005:10,3 km@8,3%
---30:34---average speed 20.22 km/h(Basso-Armstrong)
---30:58---average speed 19.96 km/h(Rasmussen-Mancebo)
---31:58---average speed 19.33 km/h(Jan Ullrich)
---31:59---average speed 19.32 km/h(Alexander Vinokourov)
---32:20---average speed 19.11 km/h(Levi Leipheimer)
---32:40---average speed 18.92 km/h(Christophe Moreau)
---33:00---average speed 18.73 km/h(George Hincapie)

http://www.climbing-records.com/2014/07/climbing-times-on-pla-dadet-from.html

Pretty impressive, especially having been toiling in the break all day.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Yes, very impressive after such a stage.

 

[jens_attacks]

Hincapie was hyped as a favourite for the 2006 tour, the succesor for lance.
Still, being a grand tour rider is harder than people think.

 

[DFA123]

Re:

Hincapie was hyped as a favourite for the 2006 tour, the succesor for lance.
Still, being a grand tour rider is harder than people think.

Completely agree. That's why when you've got a guy like Landa who has proven himself in the race before, you go with him as sole leader. Especially on such a hilly parcours. You don't go with a guy who has no top 10 finishes.

 

[HelloDolly]

Re:

Hincapie was hyped as a favourite for the 2006 tour, the succesor for lance.
Still, being a grand tour rider is harder than people think.

Its so so hard ...with the hardest part being consistency

There are some great climbers who can't do it over 3 weeks and there are all rounders who can produce it year in year out and hit those top 10s

Thomas has not proved anything like the consistency needed....His 2015 GT experince was probably the worst thing that ever happened to him.....His first 10 stages was remarkable but they were very hard for most climbers...the wind, the cobbles etc. If he hadn't had that experience he would be riding for Paris Roubaix now

However I am a litle concerned about Landa and his mental strength as a leader when the pressure is on....But he remains for me one of the best climbers in the peloton

Quintana v Nibali V SK for me with maybe Pinot in top 5

 

[LoSqualo]

Sky usually messes up the Giro so it's a safer bet to have 2 leaders. Not a fan of Thomas GT's ambitions though, since he was strong in the cobbled races and would have a shot on winning a monument if he focussed more on this. Hopefully Landa will find his 2015 climbing legs.

 

[Eshnar]

Both Yates to the Giro, Chaves to the Tour. OP updated.

 

[JRanton]

Both Yates to the Giro, Chaves to the Tour. OP updated.

Nice addition to the race but I thought this year's Tour route would be really good for the Yates brothers and slightly less so for Chaves (who prefers the big mountain stages).

 

[Charly_Gaul]

Dont know where to post it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI2qlsJK-Dk

Hope you enjoy it

 

[huge]

So... confirmed top 10/final contenders at the moment?

Aru
Dumoulin
Kruijswijk
Landa
Majka
Mollema
Nibali
Pinot
Quintana
Thomas
Van Garderen
Yates (Adam)
Zakarin

For a top 10 I would also add in:

Formolo
Henao


Shame that Chavez has chosen the Tour.
He is still very young and after his 2nd place last year, and this being the 100th edition with such a strong field... I really think he should have aimed at the Giro this year.

Big names missing:

Bardet
Chavez
Contador
Froome

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

So... confirmed top 10/final contenders at the moment?

Aru
Dumoulin
Kruijswijk
Landa
Majka
Mollema
Nibali
Pinot
Quintana
Thomas
Van Garderen
Yates (Adam)
Zakarin

For a top 10 I would also add in:

Formolo
Henao


Shame that Chavez has chosen the Tour.
He is still very young and after his 2nd place last year, and this being the 100th edition with such a strong field... I really think he should have aimed at the Giro this year.

Big names missing:

Bardet
Chavez
Contador
Froome

Majka isn't going. König instead. Simon Yates will also be there. And Rui Costa and Pozzovivo (although I get why you wouldn't mention them).

Porte and Valverde are also missing as big names.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Re:

Shame that Chavez has chosen the Tour.
He is still very young and after his 2nd place last year, and this being the 100th edition with such a strong field... I really think he should have aimed at the Giro this year.

It wasn't Chaves' choice and it's not a shame IMO. Good call by Orica to send him to the Tour, even if he fails. No point in him skipping the Tour for another year, especially since he has nothing to win by going for the 2017 Giro, as he's not likely to win that one, either, and has already finished second. Best to get that TDF experience in as soon as possible.

 

[huge]

Re: Re:

Majka isn't going. König instead. Simon Yates will also be there. And Rui Costa and Pozzovivo (although I get why you wouldn't mention them).

Porte and Valverde are also missing as big names.

How come that Valverde is skipping it?
He would be the best super-domestique for Quintana.
And the Colombian definitely needs the strongest team possible behind him, not just to win the Giro, but to also minimize the effort necessary thinking of the TdF in July.

Didn't add Rui Costa and Pozzo because I don't think they will be top 10 contenders.

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

Majka isn't going. König instead. Simon Yates will also be there. And Rui Costa and Pozzovivo (although I get why you wouldn't mention them).

Porte and Valverde are also missing as big names.

How come that Valverde is skipping it?
He would be the best super-domestique for Quintana.
And the Colombian definitely needs the strongest team possible behind him, not just to win the Giro, but to also minimize the effort necessary thinking of the TdF in July.

Didn't add Rui Costa and Pozzo because I don't think they will be top 10 contenders.

Well, Valverde can't be used as a domestique the whole time, can he? He didn't want to do all three GT's in one year again and due to his rather annoying wish to always do the Tour, he had to skip the Giro. Otherwise, Movistar would be without a captain in the Vuelta and that will of course not do.

 

[huge]

Re: Re:

Shame that Chavez has chosen the Tour.
He is still very young and after his 2nd place last year, and this being the 100th edition with such a strong field... I really think he should have aimed at the Giro this year.

It wasn't Chaves' choice and it's not a shame IMO. Good call by Orica to send him to the Tour, even if he fails. No point in him skipping the Tour for another year, especially since he has nothing to win by going for the 2017 Giro, as he's not likely to win that one, either, and has already finished second. Best to get that TDF experience in as soon as possible.

I don't agree.
The 100th Giro edition is a unique occasion. Well worth skipping the Tour for one more year, imo.
Obviously I'm talking from a rider point of view. Moneywise the Tour always wins.

For the same reason I think Froome is doing a big mistake going for the Tour once again and not riding the Giro.
In his case even more so, having already raced and won the TdF in several occasions. Money and sponsors unfortunately are the real cycling gods...

 

[deValtos]

Re: Re:

How come that Valverde is skipping it?
He would be the best super-domestique for Quintana.
And the Colombian definitely needs the strongest team possible behind him, not just to win the Giro, but to also minimize the effort necessary thinking of the TdF in July.

Didn't add Rui Costa and Pozzo because I don't think they will be top 10 contenders.

It makes sense that Valverde is missing the Giro this year. Sure Quintana needs a good Giro team but he will need his strongest team for the TDF hence Valverde will be at the TDF. Movistar will then obviously want options for their home GT (Vuelta) and exposure with a big name who can get results so Valverde will double up there.

It's probably not wise to send both your top riders to the first 2 GT's and leaving nothing for the last one, especially when that's where most of your sponsorship is based.

 

[huge]

True. Didn't think about the Vuelta.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re: Re:

Shame that Chavez has chosen the Tour.
He is still very young and after his 2nd place last year, and this being the 100th edition with such a strong field... I really think he should have aimed at the Giro this year.

It wasn't Chaves' choice and it's not a shame IMO. Good call by Orica to send him to the Tour, even if he fails. No point in him skipping the Tour for another year, especially since he has nothing to win by going for the 2017 Giro, as he's not likely to win that one, either, and has already finished second. Best to get that TDF experience in as soon as possible.

This.

No reason for skipping it another year. It doesn't look like he can win either this year, so why not give a try to the Tour. He is 27 already. Time to do the Tour. It is probably his dream. Besides, sponsors wants him to go for obvious reasons.

 

[Escarabajo]

So, no Aru for the Giro.

Nibali trying to encourage his friend to ride the Giro. He probably needs him if he want to win. Similar thing happened in the Tour last year. Without Contador Froome could easily focus on Quintana. Then we saw what happened in La Vuelta. These injuries could play a big factor for the main contenders at the end of the day. Or do we believe Froome prefers the Tour without Chaves and Aru. The more contenders the more distraction. My 2 cents.

 

[staubsauger]

What Nibali needs to win already started off with Aru crashing ...

 

[Sciocco]

Surely it's almost time for Eshnar's Best thread of the year?!

 

[Eshnar]

Re:

Surely it's almost time for Eshnar's Best thread of the year?!

still a couple weeks

 

[Sciocco]

Re: Re:

Surely it's almost time for Eshnar's Best thread of the year?!

still a couple weeks

Only 20.5 days til there's racing! I need to read the Eshnar stage analysis thread at least a dozen times beforehand.

 

[Jungle Cycle]

Re: Re:

Surely it's almost time for Eshnar's Best thread of the year?!

still a couple weeks

Only 20.5 days til there's racing! I need to read the Eshnar stage analysis thread at least a dozen times beforehand.

last year was really great....

 

[Rollthedice]

Bahrain team for Giro:
Franco Pellizotti, Ramunas Navardauskas, Manuele Boaro, Valerio Agnoli, Kanstantsin Siutsou, Javier Moreno, Vincenzo Nibali, Giovanni Visconti and
Luka Pibernik.