Giro 2017, stage 16: Rovetta – Bormio 222 km

[LaFlorecita]

I expected nothing less from Movistar, as Ramira wrote they have a history of unsportsmanlike behavior

And Bahrain have no morals anyway, obvs

 

[movingtarget]

Good save by Dumoulin. What a difference 24 hours makes in bike racing.

 

[deValtos]

Let's also realise if Dumo hadn't had his stomach problems then Movistars tactics would've have netted them probably nothing, at best 20 seconds.

 

[Irondan]

Re: Re:

Yeah he really needs to make sure either Sunweb gets him a team next year or switch teams. Though of course losing Kelderman didn't help.

I think he needs to prove he can ride three weeks without cracking or getting ill yet, before a big team will risk backing him as leader.

At 26 years old he's still worth taking the risk of building a team of strong climbers around him. With a stronger team he would have a better chance in riding three weeks without cracking and getting ill.

Fair point. But if we're talking about a Sky, Movistar or BMC for example - teams who could offer a big improvement on Sunweb, they already have riders lined up waiting for GC chances. I'm sure any team would sign Dumoulin for his other abilities, but I'm not sure the best few would give him full team support in a GT if he cracks again at this Giro and finishes well down in the top 10.

BMC could be a good shout actually. They don't have any actual gc riders.

I don't think you're really being fair, Porte has proven that he's a GC contender. That ship has sailed.

The rest of BMC is still searching for their other GC leader though...

 

[fowlyetti]

Hope Tom wins for sure now.

 

[kingjr]

This waiting *** needs to go away, and fast.

 

[carton]

Re:

Let's also realise if Dumo hadn't had his stomach problems then Movistars tactics would've have netted them probably nothing, at best 20 seconds.

See, if you don't have the legs all the tactics in the world mean, well, we've had enough of that word today.

 

[Gigs_98]

Great win by Vincenzo. Quintana definitely shouldn't only worry about Dumoulin, Nibali is now pretty dangerous as well. He looked at least as strong as Quintana on the Umbrailpass although it's ofc impossible to say how strong Nairo really was.

 

[SeriousSam]

Re: Re:

Yeah he really needs to make sure either Sunweb gets him a team next year or switch teams. Though of course losing Kelderman didn't help.

I think he needs to prove he can ride three weeks without cracking or getting ill yet, before a big team will risk backing him as leader.

At 26 years old he's still worth taking the risk of building a team of strong climbers around him. With a stronger team he would have a better chance in riding three weeks without cracking and getting ill.

Fair point. But if we're talking about a Sky, Movistar or BMC for example - teams who could offer a big improvement on Sunweb, they already have riders lined up waiting for GC chances. I'm sure any team would sign Dumoulin for his other abilities, but I'm not sure the best few would give him full team support in a GT if he cracks again at this Giro and finishes well down in the top 10.

BMC could be a good shout actually. They don't have any actual gc riders.

Lil'Richie is an exciting GC rider for the same reason Dumoulin is, despite his vulnerability. He has demonstrated a level of climbing that makes it conceivable he can win, and few have.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Let's also realise if Dumo hadn't had his stomach problems then Movistars tactics would've have netted them probably nothing, at best 20 seconds.

Exactly. Big fail again

 

[Brullnux]

@irondan Porte is pretty old now though, he only has two or three more years at the top. Dumoulin has seven or eight more.

Dumoulin very gracious in defeat

 

[Irondan]

"I needed to take a dump, I couldn't hold it anymore"....

lol, it was as simple as that!

 

[hfer07]

Hold it guys: Where does it say the peloton has to wait for the GC Leader when he feels the need to taking a dump, when the race is on? It wasn't like he went during the first 50k and they took off racing hard to leave him behind....

and apparently they waited for him afterwards, so is all the complaining about? Tom got unlucky

 

[Ramira]

Re:

"I needed to take a dump, I couldn't hold it anymore"....

lol, it was as simple as that!

Yup, he also didn't seem to blame anyone but himself really.

A bit disheartened that he looked so resigned. It seems to me he feels he lost the Giro today, I hope he's wrong.

 

[SeriousSam]

Quintana odds on fav now, but Dumoulin and Nibali still in the race

 

[Irondan]

Re:

@irondan Porte is pretty old now though, he only has two or three more years at the top. Dumoulin has seven or eight more.

Dumoulin very gracious in defeat

Yeah, I get your point. Porte's getting a little long in the tooth for sure and BMC has no "plan b".

 

[kingjr]

Re: Re:

"I needed to take a dump, I couldn't hold it anymore"....

lol, it was as simple as that!

Yup, he also didn't seem to blame anyone but himself really.

A bit disheartened that he looked so resigned. It seems to me he feels he lost the Giro today, I hope he's wrong.

Why did he lose the Giro, if he's not ill he's still the favourite even though Nibali looks really dangerous.

 

[carolina]

Re:

"I needed to take a dump, I couldn't hold it anymore"....

lol, it was as simple as that!

He also said he was already feeling it during the descent. Why the hell did he wait for the start of the last climb to take a dump? That was so stupid...

 

[movingtarget]

BMC are weak in the mountains. The only help Porte had last year was from Caruso.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Hold it guys: Where does it say the peloton has to wait for the GC Leader when he feels the need to taking a dump?

and apparently they waited for him afterwards, so is all the complaining about? Tom got unlucky

they don't have to wait, but Tom waited for Quintana on Sunday. It's always the same story with Movistar, profit from other rider's misfortune and never return favors. Can't imagine them being very popular in the peloton.

They slowed down for a few milliseconds, yes. They could have let Tom catch on and gone full gas after that. This half-arsed approach was nonsensical.

 

[Ramira]

Re:

Quintana odds on fav now, but Dumoulin and Nibali still in the race

I'm not so sure I'd place Quintana that far ahead of Nibali. He didn't look particularly stronger than him today and Nibali gained 46 seconds on Quintana in the first TT. That's less than the gap Quintana has to him right now.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

I don't think you're really being fair, Porte has proven that he's a GC contender. That ship has sailed.

The rest of BMC is still searching for their other GC leader though...

Yeah, no way you'd back him ahead of Porte. Also, at the moment surely you'd try to sign someone like Chaves, Aru, Landa, Pinot or maybe Yates. Riders who are also young and have won or podiumed GTs already. Rather than a guy who cracks in the final week (if he does this year!) and slides well out of contention.

 

[luckyboy]

Dumoulin didn't say anything about being ill, just said he needed to go. Probably could've done it before the start of the final climb then?

 

[Irondan]

Re: Re:

"I needed to take a dump, I couldn't hold it anymore"....

lol, it was as simple as that!

He also said he was already feeling it descent. Why the hell did he wait for the start of the last climb to take a dump? That was so stupid...

It wouldn't have mattered if he took it any sooner, his team was long gone halfway up the Stelvio. He would have been in the same position regardless.

 

[deValtos]

Re: Re:

"I needed to take a dump, I couldn't hold it anymore"....

lol, it was as simple as that!

He also said he was already feeling it descent. Why the hell did he wait for the start of the last climb to take a dump? That was so stupid...

Thought he could hold it out and didn't want to *** live in front of millions of people?

Then he realised that actually he really couldn't. Pretty simple.