Giro d'Italia 2015 Stage 20: Saint-Vincent – Sestriere 199km

[Energy Starr]

If Astana plays smart, it could be a very interesting stage. I think they had the right idea today...have Aru attack and try to bait Contador into following...to set up Landa counter. Today Contador was smart and didn't bite. Tomorrow might be different. Contador would again be wise not to chase Aru because it would probably be easy for Contador to allow the time loss and still win the Giro. However, We all know that if Contador senses weakness or the possibility of a stage win, he will pounce. Only if he pounces and goes for the stage win will Landa have a chance (of gaining time...Landa isn't winning anything unless there is a crash). Contador likes to put on a show, so can Astana bait him into putting on a show in hopes of Landa gaining time? Aru is a non factor, even if he is 2nd. His best hope is as bait.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Iseran in May is always a risky call, so it's not surprising they wouldn't go for something like that after the weather so heavily affected the 2013 and 2014 races.

What I'm really waiting for is a stage which does Finestre then Pramartino with the descent right into Pinerolo. Moncenisio-Finestre-Pramartino could be gold.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Why would Contador react when Astana waits until the last 5-6kms of the stage to attack?

Contador can simply ride tempo in the wind and minimize any loss to 90s regardless of who went up the road when everybody waits so long.

Or put in another way: Astana once again didn't use their strength to put the race leader into trouble. The team simple lacks ambition (GC) and appears to be just as clueless at tactics as our friends from the Sky.

 

[SeriousSam]

They were never going to get back 4 or 5 minutes from Miguel Contador who is solid if unspectacular in the mountains. There comes a point when riding for 2nd and 3rd and winning all mountain stages takes precedence. Evidence suggests that point was reached not long ago. That sacrifice of a mightily popular Italian would have been necessary to really challenge for 1st certainly played a role. They didn't play that card and are instead winning all big stages. Quite well done.

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

Iseran in May is always a risky call, so it's not surprising they wouldn't go for something like that after the weather so heavily affected the 2013 and 2014 races.

What I'm really waiting for is a stage which does Finestre then Pramartino with the descent right into Pinerolo. Moncenisio-Finestre-Pramartino could be gold.

Isn't the descent to Pramartino after Fenestrelle too much of a false flat and not an actual descent?

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Re:

They were never going to get back 4 or 5 minutes from Miguel Contador who is solid if unspectacular in the mountains. There comes a point when riding for 2nd and 3rd and winning all mountain stages takes precedence. Evidence suggests that point was reached not long ago. That sacrifice of a mightily popular Italian would have been necessary to really challenge for 1st certainly played a role. They didn't play that card and are instead winning all big stages. Quite well done.

They started that tactic 10 stages ago or so.
No change today.
Still clueless.....

 

[Netserk]

Re: Re:

Iseran in May is always a risky call, so it's not surprising they wouldn't go for something like that after the weather so heavily affected the 2013 and 2014 races.

What I'm really waiting for is a stage which does Finestre then Pramartino with the descent right into Pinerolo. Moncenisio-Finestre-Pramartino could be gold.

Isn't the descent to Pramartino after Fenestrelle too much of a false flat and not an actual descent?

Yes, but if the race has exploded on Finestre that doesn't really matter that much, just like the last 20km to Aprica doesn't hinder them from racing Mortirolo.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re:

They were never going to get back 4 or 5 minutes from Miguel Contador who is solid if unspectacular in the mountains. There comes a point when riding for 2nd and 3rd and winning all mountain stages takes precedence. Evidence suggests that point was reached not long ago. That sacrifice of a mightily popular Italian would have been necessary to really challenge for 1st certainly played a role. They didn't play that card and are instead winning all big stages. Quite well done.

You are outright laughable now.
Surely Astana could have tried more, but Aru would have to attack from very far out to pose a serious threat for Contador. After failing their sneaky Mortirolo move, Aru was looking so terrible, that it's unthinkable he'd have tried a long range attack. They missed a chance on the Madonna di Campiglio stage, bu that's about it.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: Re:

Iseran in May is always a risky call, so it's not surprising they wouldn't go for something like that after the weather so heavily affected the 2013 and 2014 races.

What I'm really waiting for is a stage which does Finestre then Pramartino with the descent right into Pinerolo. Moncenisio-Finestre-Pramartino could be gold.

Isn't the descent to Pramartino after Fenestrelle too much of a false flat and not an actual descent?

If my numbers were correct the distance from fenestrelle to villar perosa is about 24 km´s and fenestrelle is located 665 meters higher than villa perosa. That means the descent would only be 2.6 % steep or said differently: false flat.
I don't know if this combination would really work. These false descents appear often and they don't always kill a route but 24 km is quite a big distance.

 

[Energy Starr]

Re: Re:

They were never going to get back 4 or 5 minutes from Miguel Contador who is solid if unspectacular in the mountains. There comes a point when riding for 2nd and 3rd and winning all mountain stages takes precedence. Evidence suggests that point was reached not long ago. That sacrifice of a mightily popular Italian would have been necessary to really challenge for 1st certainly played a role. They didn't play that card and are instead winning all big stages. Quite well done.

They started that tactic 10 stages ago or so.
No change today.
Still clueless.....

Maybe not clueless...just doing what they can. I mean there's really no way they're going to win, right? So they're doing the next best thing, no?

 

[Axis]

Re: Giro d'Italia 2015 Stage 20: Saint-Vincent – Sestriere 1

I just don't understand why they don't use any hard mountains before finestre. The stage is still great but especially the fact that the penultimate mountain stage finished in the area of aosta makes me wonder why they don't make a monster like that:

To be honest that would maybe even be too difficult but I would love to see something like that
(btw the climbs are: Col du Petit St. Bernard, Col de I`Iseran, Col du Mont Cenis, Colle delle Finestre, Sestriere

Great.

 

[ILovecycling]

Re: Giro d'Italia 2015 Stage 20: Saint-Vincent – Sestriere 1

I just don't understand why they don't use any hard mountains before finestre. The stage is still great but especially the fact that the penultimate mountain stage finished in the area of aosta makes me wonder why they don't make a monster like that:

To be honest that would maybe even be too difficult but I would love to see something like that
(btw the climbs are: Col du Petit St. Bernard, Col de I`Iseran, Col du Mont Cenis, Colle delle Finestre, Sestriere

Great.

To sit safe in bunch and do nothing as this is too much at the end of 3 week race.

 

[HiroAntagonist]

Re: Re:

Contador wisely does not seek a stage win. That chance was on the Mortirolo stage, but Landa hammered him in the end.

Contador will be content with making sure that the Astanas don't get too much time. Landa or Aru are going to win this stage too, underlining Astana's climbing supremacy in this Giro. With the long flat time trial, however, they were ultimately without a chance against a strong time trialler such as Contador, who can also cope with the mountains pretty well.

Lol! I hope I never meet UnseriousSam

Sam and Taxus may be conjoined, but then again I'm not a doctor.

 

[manafana]

Re: Giro d'Italia 2015 Stage 20: Saint-Vincent – Sestriere 1

very interesting route, astana of course will go all out once again just to make Contador work a little bit more with a mind to helping Nibali at the tour.

I quiet like the chances of Uran maybe repeating todays good showing.

 

[Electress]

Re: Giro d'Italia 2015 Stage 20: Saint-Vincent – Sestriere 1

very interesting route, astana of course will go all out once again just to make Contador work a little bit more with a mind to helping Nibali at the tour.

I quiet like the chances of Uran maybe repeating todays good showing.

Astana might need to be a bit careful..Aru put a lot in today and these are rather tougher slopes. The team pulled a lot today, too. Seems v. unlikely he'd lose podium now, but he's looked pretty ragged when they've been going gang busters prior to today. Guess it'll depend on how he's feeling.

Contador and Landa didn't seem to be exactly overstretched today...

 

[Sasquatch]

Re: Giro d'Italia 2015 Stage 20: Saint-Vincent – Sestriere 1

The only good thing about today is the battle for the KOM jersey.

*** knows how many points is on offer today over the climb.

Visconti - 125
Kruijswijk - 109
Intxausti - 107
Landa - 76
Betancur - 75

But it's a race in 3. Landa could win it, but its hard to say without knowing the points scale.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Re: Giro d'Italia 2015 Stage 20: Saint-Vincent – Sestriere 1

The only good thing about today is the battle for the KOM jersey.

**** knows how many points is on offer today over the climb.

Visconti - 125
Kruijswijk - 109
Intxausti - 107
Landa - 76
Betancur - 75

But it's a race in 3. Landa could win it, but its hard to say without knowing the points scale.

45 / 30 / 20 / 14 / 10 / 6 / 4 / 2 /1

If Landa took the Cima Coppi and the stage he'd be on 127

 

[Sasquatch]

Re: Giro d'Italia 2015 Stage 20: Saint-Vincent – Sestriere 1

The only good thing about today is the battle for the KOM jersey.

**** knows how many points is on offer today over the climb.

Visconti - 125
Kruijswijk - 109
Intxausti - 107
Landa - 76
Betancur - 75

But it's a race in 3. Landa could win it, but its hard to say without knowing the points scale.

45 / 30 / 20 / 14 / 10 / 6 / 4 / 2 /1

If Landa took the Cima Coppi and the stage he'd be on 127

Thanks. I thought the points were doubled? So it would have been 70 for first over the top.

 

[Jelantik]

Re: Giro d'Italia 2015 Stage 20: Saint-Vincent – Sestriere 1

I think tomorrow will a hatrick for Landa. If Aru is as strong as today and his team still riding good tempo w/o destroying him, this dynamic duo will present another headache for AC to deal with. The last climb isn't that hard, so if AC is still gunning for a stage win, he has to attack the dynamic duo on Finestre and hope one of them will fall of the wagon. The rest of the stage he can deal mano a mano with whoever from the dynamic duo comes along with him. But of course that's easier said than done

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Re: Giro d'Italia 2015 Stage 20: Saint-Vincent – Sestriere 1

The only good thing about today is the battle for the KOM jersey.

**** knows how many points is on offer today over the climb.

Visconti - 125
Kruijswijk - 109
Intxausti - 107
Landa - 76
Betancur - 75

But it's a race in 3. Landa could win it, but its hard to say without knowing the points scale.

45 / 30 / 20 / 14 / 10 / 6 / 4 / 2 /1

If Landa took the Cima Coppi and the stage he'd be on 127

Thanks. I thought the points were doubled? So it would have been 70 for first over the top.

This seems to have been correct for everything so far ...
http://www.cyclingpro.net/spaziociclismo/giro2015/regolamento-giro-d-italia-2015

 

[Sasquatch]

Okay, so that's the right system.

Visconti could hold onto this without picking up a point today. Intxausti and Kruijswijk need to finish no less than third on the climb if they want a safer chacne at winning it.

 

[The Hitch]

What was it in Sam's post that so many people disagree with. Seems like a sensible one to me.

 

[cellardoor]

I'd like to see Kruijswijk and Hejesdal attacking early on the Finestre while Astana and Contador look at each other. Kruijswijk to take the KOM and Hejesdal to get the stage win.

 

[Jspear]

Re:

What was it in Sam's post that so many people disagree with. Seems like a sensible one to me.

With the long flat time trial, however, they were ultimately without a chance against a strong time trialler such as Contador, who can also cope with the mountains pretty well.

They were never going to get back 4 or 5 minutes from Miguel Contador who is solid if unspectacular in the mountains.

Sensible?

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

This was one of my favorite stages in 2005 when Salvodelli rode brilliantly to salvage his Giro after being put into difficulty on the Finestre.
His descent that day was magnificent. What a stage that was. Hopefully we'll see a proper battle tomorrow as well.