Giro 2017, Stage 6: Reggio Calabria-Terme Luigiane 217km

[70kmph]

Clever timing by Quickstep

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

This Giro is awful so far. They can't even get action on an uphill sprint stage. Too many teams like FDJ, Sunweb and Lotto-NL who are adding nothing to the race, just going all in to try and get a rider into the top 10 on GC.

Yeah absolutely crazy thought by Lotto Jumbo if they have the best man in the race last year in their team.

Well, each team can justify their choice of course. But the cumulative effect of having so many teams fully backing riders who are probably going to finish somewhere between 3rd and 10th is resulting in really dull flat and medium mountain stages.

Well I didn't watch today but seems there are also teams like Cannondale who have like 3 punchers in their team and no GC ambitions who are just epic failing. Nice to see the break fighting for this now.

To be fair to Cannondale, they were pretty much the only team making any effort to chase the break down. So many other teams wouldn't even commit a man - just interested in protecting their 3rd tier GC guy.

Then Sunweb and Lotto-Nl finally come to the front in the final 10km; but only to position Dumoulin and Kruijswijk well for a stretch of narrow road. Awful viewing when the only important selection of the day comes nearly five hours before the finish.

 

[Valv.Piti]

The Giro so far has been a Sunday bunch ride, only serving to reach Blockhaus on Sunday.

 

[rainman]

Kudos to the break but this Giro is pretty bad. If the teams keep serving up this fare people are going to switch off in droves. I could not believe the peloton just switching off the gas on such a promising run in.

 

[Irondan]

Great win today by Dillier, I thought surely that Stuyven would pip him at the line. Great ride today!

 

[sir fly]

The breakaway took the stage, but there wasn't much excitement until the closing kilometres.
Some great shots from the helis. Been worth watching.

 

[Gloin22]

If this was Tour people would have created 20 pages how *** it is

 

[alspacka]

Re: Re:

To be fair to Cannondale, they were pretty much the only team making any effort to chase the break down. So many other teams wouldn't even commit a man - just interested in protecting their 3rd tier GC guy.

Then Sunweb and Lotto-Nl finally come to the front in the final 10km; but only to position Dumoulin and Kruijswijk well for a stretch of narrow road. Awful viewing when the only important selection of the day comes nearly five hours before the finish.

Annoyingly for them, I think Woods won the bunch sprint.

 

[Brullnux]

Re:

This Giro is awful so far. They can't even get action on an uphill sprint stage.

On the contrary, what we got was a good example of an uphill sprint. The problem is that uphill sprints, by and large, are boring. Your murito-fetishism makes these stages, usually a 1km watt fest, appear much more exiting than they actually are. The only way they are exciting is if some action precedes it.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

If this was Tour people would have created 20 pages how **** it is

It really feels underwhelming for some reason. Oh well.

 

[ThePirate81]

Re: Re:

To be fair to Cannondale, they were pretty much the only team making any effort to chase the break down. So many other teams wouldn't even commit a man - just interested in protecting their 3rd tier GC guy.

Then Sunweb and Lotto-Nl finally come to the front in the final 10km; but only to position Dumoulin and Kruijswijk well for a stretch of narrow road. Awful viewing when the only important selection of the day comes nearly five hours before the finish.

Annoyingly for them, I think Woods won the bunch sprint.

Rusty got 5th place. Cannondale must change DS ASAP.

 

[GraftPunk]

Re:

The Giro so far has been a Sunday bunch ride, only serving to reach Blockhaus on Sunday.

As much as I'd like to think Blockhaus is going to be an amazing stage, I have the awful feeling that the current trend of conservative riding will negate it. I really really hope that I am wrong.

 

[pastronef]

Re:

If this was Tour people would have created 20 pages how **** it is

ahhahaha

 

[deValtos]

Woods would've been a good shout but watching some of the faces coming over the line like Thomas they didn't put much into that and had 10 seconds and a stage win been available it could've been different.

 

[movingtarget]

Loved the final 250 metres................

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

If this was Tour people would have created 20 pages how **** it is

It really feels underwhelming for some reason. Oh well.

Worst start to a GT I can remember. Some of the stage designs haven't been that bad, but the majority of teams just don't seem interested in racing until Blockhaus at the earliest. Might as well have just not bothered with the first week; I don't anyone is going to be close to fatigued from what we've seen so far.

 

[yaco]

Cannondale doesn't have the right type of team to bring back a strong breakaway, especially if only Willier Triestina is helping - Biggest failure of the day must be DD - Have the pre-race favorite for the stage, do not nothing to set up the final for Haas, except for a token effort from 40k to 30k - It's seem its more important to get 2 or 3 points mid-race for the points classification - I'd be disappointed if I was Haas.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re: Re:

The Giro so far has been a Sunday bunch ride, only serving to reach Blockhaus on Sunday.

As much as I'd like to think Blockhaus is going to be an amazing stage, I have the awful feeling that the current trend of conservative riding will negate it. I really really hope that I am wrong.

I am afraid so. Not sure if Quintana is on top form. Just waiting for the third week. And half of the contenders waiting for the TT to gain time.

 

[ThePirate81]

Re: Re:

If this was Tour people would have created 20 pages how **** it is

It really feels underwhelming for some reason. Oh well.

Worst start to a GT I can remember. Some of the stage designs haven't been that bad, but the majority of teams just don't seem interested in racing until Blockhaus at the earliest. Might as well have just not bothered with the first week; I don't anyone is going to be close to fatigued from what we've seen so far.

I agree. I expect another breakway win on Blockaus too...

 

[Scarponi]

Re: Re:

This Giro is awful so far. They can't even get action on an uphill sprint stage.

On the contrary, what we got was a good example of an uphill sprint. The problem is that uphill sprints, by and large, are boring. Your murito-fetishism makes these stages, usually a 1km watt fest, appear much more exiting than they actually are. The only way they are exciting is if some action precedes it.

Exactly these shallow 5% are even worse then the 15% monsters. At least there is a gap there

 

[hfer07]

damn it!!! I could only watch the last 2K that was a fantastic sprint between Dillier & Stuyven the strongest won fair and square

Looked like there was some action from the breakaway... got to watch it toning

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

Cannondale doesn't have the right type of team to bring back a strong breakaway, especially if only Willier Triestina is helping - Biggest failure of the day must be DD - Have the pre-race favorite for the stage, do not nothing to set up the final for Haas, except for a token effort from 40k to 30k - It's seem its more important to get 2 or 3 points mid-race for the points classification - I'd be disappointed if I was Haas.

The fact that Cannondale go into every GT and keep talking up Rolland shows how worried other teams would be !

 

[Volderke]

Quite an amateur sprint from Stuyven! Dilier is strong and not to be underestimated, Stuyven was sleeping...

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

The Giro so far has been a Sunday bunch ride, only serving to reach Blockhaus on Sunday.

As much as I'd like to think Blockhaus is going to be an amazing stage, I have the awful feeling that the current trend of conservative riding will negate it. I really really hope that I am wrong.

I am afraid so. Not sure if Quintana is on top form. Just waiting for the third week. And half of the contenders waiting for the TT to gain time.

It's a bit weird how strong teams like Sky, Orica and Bahrain aren't trying to pressure Quintana a bit more in the first half of the race. Try to create some echeleons, split the race on descents, or pick up potentially valuable time bonuses on stages like today and on Etna. Insteadthey just ride defensively, before inevitably getting destroyed in the third week.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Astana have no leader to shake up things and Nibali's Bahrein doesn't have the firepower. Usually it was Astana shaking things up by riding really hard in the 1st week...