Giro d'Italia 2011: Stage 14 Lienz to Monte Zoncolan

[Cobblestoned]

Ah i remembered why i love Zoncolan so much.

Huge crowds. Well hopefully tomorrow.

Anyway, nice preview.
Don't know what to think. Split decision. 50-50

 

[killswitch]

Even if it was Riis that complained to the UCI?

Hmm...

Technical race director Mauro Vegni showed team representatives a video of the descent during the rest day transfer and Zomegnan showed Cyclingnews a text message he had received from David Millar confirming that the riders were satisfied with the safety measures adopted by the organisers.

"I've had other messages too, including from Contador but I don't need a yes from riders to decide if a descent is safe. I want to make it clear that it's the race who decides things. Not the riders, not the media and certainly not people like Bjarne Riis. I especially won't accept lessons about the sporting aspect of cycling from him.

 

[The Hitch]

According to Charlie Wiggelius tomorow is judgement day.

Yes it is.

 

[greenedge]

Contador can now take the **** out of Nibali now. I'll go with anton, Contador and Rujano

 

[blaxland]

What a pitty,This stage had epic written all over it....But no Crostis?Looks like Contador and Rujano show again...

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Well, i guess that is some consolation. Minor but in this life we take them where we find them.

I cant help but feel however that the riders didnt like Zomegnans alternate idea for the stage which would also be very very difficult, so they decided to "accept" the Crostis, then the day before once its too late for a route change, say they wont ride it.

how is that good

rujano sucks in the rain

 

[wirral]

The organisers are going to have to control some of the more enthusiastic fans here, I reckon. Nudging them out of the way with the motorbikes, for instance.

 

[theswordsman]

The shortened stage will start an hour later tomorrow, so hopefully we'll see more of it.

http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=3
9085

 

[hoolaparara]

Hot news off the wires, apparently the rest of the giro has been abandoned for sporting reasons. It seems the last half is too far from several teams favourite hotels and the UCI consider it unfair to make them stay anywhere else!

 

[Parrulo]

wtf no crostis?

if i were zomegman i would had 150 more k's to every single stage from now till the end of the giro. <_<

 

[GoAndyGo]

I feel almost deflated and let down by this. I have been excited about this stage for a while now and now it will not be. I wanted to see how strong Contador really was. 5+ minute gaps and now he will just have to puch it on Zoncolan.

I think this might actually help Rujano though since he is not a great descender. I would have been scared AC would have dropped him on the way down Crostis if they decided to take off going up it.

 

[Ryaguas]

Crostis definately an mtf next year then?

You BET!!!!

OK... I want my money back...! or as a compensation I want Mortirolo, Zoncolan and La Marmolada in the same stage!!!! back to back to back!!

 

[The Hitch]

wtf no crostis?

if i were zomegman i would had 150 more k's to every single stage from now till the end of the giro. <_<

Zomegnan has been overuled by cowards in his organisation. Its like when the Politburo kicked out Kruschev or how Cassius and Brutus took down Caesar.

The man in power doesnt always have the power.

 

[washoezephyr1]

Another disapointment, last weekend I was on Brockway summit and ATOC stage 1 was rightfully cancelled. With all the hype for the Crostis, it will now be a different stage. Perhaps Saxo feared a rollerball type effort between camera shots on the dirt where the opposition would of boxed AC over the cliff. The Zoncolon and later Mt Baldy, should still make for a great day!

 

[Parrulo]

Zomegnan has been overuled by cowards in his organisation. Its like when the Politburo kicked out Kruschev or how Cassius and Brutus took down Caesar.

The man in power doesnt always have the power.

ya. tbh it was pathetic decision. by letting the riders/uci win this one its clear that they will protest against every single new extravagance RCS puts in the giro. the giro is a thought course those who don't like it feel free to ride in july.
they should have kept the crostis and said: "don't want to ride it? then leave just remember that you won't be welcome at the giro anymore" the though guys that are in contention would stay and so would all italians and since the giro is most of all an italian affair they couldn't care less if some guy from other country doesn't ride it. tbh i couldn't care less if people like millar are unhappy with a GT route.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

You guys aren't going to be happy until a Giro stage includes cleaning the Augean stables, climbing Everest, and crossing the Sahara. But heaven forbid they take anything other than PowerBars and Gatorade.

 

[The Hitch]

ya. tbh it was pathetic decision. by letting the riders/uci win this one its clear that they will protest against every single new extravagance RCS puts in the giro. the giro is a thought course those who don't like it feel free to ride in july.
they should have kept the crostis and said: "don't want to ride it? then leave just remember that you won't be welcome at the giro anymore" the though guys that are in contention would stay and so would all italians and since the giro is most of all an italian affair they couldn't care less if some guy from other country doesn't ride it. tbh i couldn't care less if people like millar are unhappy with a GT route.

Yeah thats what i was thinking.

Contador put a lot of effort into this Giro. Is he going to quit it because he doesnt want to do a descent on which he can spend like 10 minutes longer than the others.

Highly doubtful.

Nibali, Scarponi and Garzelli wont leave hence neither will their teams and Arroyo loves these descents so same for movistar.

The sprinters are gone anyway.

You just say, "a to b, first to b wins". If they ride down slowly thats their perrogative, all the organisers do is say where the race is and the riders do the rest. But theres too much at stake and too many days gone for people to quit and they would at best go down Crostis slower than start racing again on Zoncolan.

This way however you just have a FW on the ZOncolan, making the previous 50k boring.

 

[hfer07]

ya. tbh it was pathetic decision. by letting the riders/uci win this one its clear that they will protest against every single new extravagance RCS puts in the giro. the giro is a thought course those who don't like it feel free to ride in july.
they should have kept the crostis and said: "don't want to ride it? then leave just remember that you won't be welcome at the giro anymore" the though guys that are in contention would stay and so would all italians and since the giro is most of all an italian affair they couldn't care less if some guy from other country doesn't ride it. tbh i couldn't care less if people like millar are unhappy with a GT route.

+ 1000

Imaging Cancellara and his delicate a$$ complaining to Zomegnan 24/7 about the road conditions?

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

 

[etymology]

WHy o why did they destroy the stage

because neither uci nor any of the riders realized how leg-ripping, lungs gasping, psychologically crushing, and outright inhumane this stage was....until they read your stage preview.

eliminating the crostis climb and descent is all YOUR fault, hitch. uci, all riders, and cyclingnews forumites have only YOU and your talent for transmitting your passion to the written word for what would have been a record setting lactic acid stage to blame.

dang you, hitch. dang you to heck!!!!

i prefer not to do the following, but *someone* has to step up: "i now decree "hitch is prohibitied from writing stage previews for the remaining mountain stages in this year's giro."

regarding my disappointment over this late development, i can only quote a phrase from a time long ago: "bummer!!!!"

 

[Barrus]

Did you see the descent and read the reasoning on why not to iclude it? It had nothing to do with any sort of unsafety.


Anyway, I doubt the stage will really be that special today, almost the entire peloton will stay together untill the Zoncolan on which Contador and Rujano will ride away

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Did you see the descent and read the reasoning on why not to iclude it? It had nothing to do with any sort of unsafety.


Anyway, I doubt the stage will really be that special today, almost the entire peloton will stay together untill the Zoncolan on which Contador and Rujano will ride away

I did and actually, I was really looking forward to the Crostis. I thought the reasoning was poor. Second, to cancel it on the eve of the stage is absurdly lame.
I thought the stage looked dangerous, but if the riders feel it's safe, hey, let's go for it.

 

[Barrus]

I did and actually, I was really looking forward to the Crostis. I thought the reasoning was poor. Second, to cancel it on the eve of the stage is absurdly lame.
I thought the stage looked dangerous, but if the riders feel it's safe, hey, let's go for it.

Oow, I thought you were saying that the Crostis would've been too dangerous. Guess I'm still a bit too peeved of to read who makes the post

 

[etymology]

orange jersey....red jersey...my god! euskaltel and bmc leading on the descent???

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

orange jersey....red jersey...my god! euskaltel and bmc leading on the descent???

LOL.

If anyone cares, that pic is from Hans Rey's trip to the Cliffs of Moher. Pretty epic stuff.