Giro D'Italia 2015

[DFA123]

Seems like Grosu didn't make it to the Giro after all.I'm glad that Tvetcov got his chance.Impressive team for Sky,i wasn't expecting both Sioutsou and Kyryienka,poor Viviani got only Puccio.Very weak team for Uran,i don't think he's to happy

The problem for Uran is who else do Etixx have? Martin and Kwiatkowski would obviously be great domestiques, but they have to save some big name riders for the TdF. Brambilla is probably the best climber and he will be there, but it's certainly a problem for Uran that the make-up of the squad is so much based around the classics and Cavendish.

 

[staubsauger]

Aru
Contador
Uran
Pozzovivo
Intxausti

 

[Escarabajo]

Tony Martin should ride the Giro. If you think Uran has no chance in the Giro what do you think Etixx chances will be at the Tour? It is even worse. At least there is hope that Uran will have the pink Jersey for some part of the Giro because of the TTT and his ITT abilities. Martin will be useful in the TTT as well as the flat stages. In the Tour they will be stage hunting. So the manager said that they want more action in the GC of the grand Tours but does not provide support for those aspirations? Maybe they should go back to stage hunting and competing for the Classics.

 

[DFA123]

Re:

Tony Martin should ride the Giro. If you think Uran has no chance in the Giro what do you think Etixx chances will be at the Tour? It is even worse. At least there is hope that Uran will have the pink Jersey for some part of the Giro because of the TTT and his ITT abilities. Martin will be useful in the TTT as well as the flat stages. In the Tour they will be stage hunting. So the manager said that they want more action in the GC of the grand Tours but does not provide support for those aspirations? Maybe they should go back to stage hunting and competing for the Classics.

I agree that Tony Martin would be a massive help to Uran, but I guess they have other factors to consider. The Tour is still by far the biggest race in terms of exposure that the sponsors get, and maybe they will want Martin there in top form - as one of the biggest names in the sport.

Also, Martin himself might strongly prefer peaking for the Tour where he has a decent chance of stage wins, rather than working really hard in the mountains during the Giro and having nothing left for the Tour.

 

[May0maniac]

Yes, the Etixx team is too weak, let's hope that the wildcard teams will ride an awesome Giro, even if I the Southeast team looks rather weak, even for a procontinental team.

 

[fowlyetti]

Not a single British rider in provisional start list. Wonder when the last time that happened was?

 

[JRanton]

Not a single British rider in provisional start list. Wonder when the last time that happened was?

1999.

 

[JRanton]

Seems like Grosu didn't make it to the Giro after all.I'm glad that Tvetcov got his chance.Impressive team for Sky,i wasn't expecting both Sioutsou and Kyryienka,poor Viviani got only Puccio.Very weak team for Uran,i don't think he's to happy

The problem for Uran is who else do Etixx have? Martin and Kwiatkowski would obviously be great domestiques, but they have to save some big name riders for the TdF. Brambilla is probably the best climber and he will be there, but it's certainly a problem for Uran that the make-up of the squad is so much based around the classics and Cavendish.

Brambilla had surgery after breaking his collarbone at LBL. Is he still going to make the Giro? Maybe plod around for the first 2 weeks and hope he's ready for the 3rd?

 

[therealtimshady]

No scarponi or Arredondo on start list - surprising

 

[Taxus4a]

Re: Re:

Contador's team is stacked as ****. If all of them are on decent shape contador will have 4 guys with the last 20,30 riders.

Kreuziger is in really good shape, he can easily top 5 if he rode for himself.

Yep, it looks very strong. You could say the same about Sky as well though - some very strong riders there. Etixx look significantly weaker than those two, so Uran could be very vulnerable if he has to try to defend the Maglia Rosa after the time trial.

I have to agree, Uran's team is much weaker, Astana on the other hand should also be very strong in the mountains.

Of course Tinkoff has a very strong team, all of them strong people and riders as Basso, Rogers and Kreuziger, who I think could be stronger even than Contador as in the Tour two years ago.

Astana has a strong team as well.

But you can understimate Etixx, thay dont have two riders to play, but Brambrilla is the best team mate you could have for the Giro, he show last year ITT how strong he is, and he is a loyal worker. De la Cruz is one of the best riders we have in Spain for the future.

There is an TTT, and I am sure Ettix will do really well despite if we see Astana: Luis Le, Cataldo, Kangert, all of them strong riders or Tinkoff: Contador, Rogers, Kreuziger, Tosatto,...and SKY: Porte Kiry or Siutsiu.

 

[qwer]

tinkoff saxo:
contador
kreuziger
basso
rodgers
tossatto
rovny
hernandez
paulinho
bruno pires?

tinkoff for the tour de france
contador
sagan
boaro
bodnar
majka
kreuziger
bennatti
kiserlovski
rodgers

tinkoff will be a contender for TTT


sky for tour de france:
froome
henao
poels
porte (i think he will crack on stage 16 and he will abandon il giro)
kiryenka
roche
thomas
pate
stannard

that's for sure, both teams lookink forward to gain time in stage 9

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

tinkoff for the tour de france
contador
sagan
boaro
bodnar
majka
kreuziger
bennatti
kiserlovski
rogers

Doubt Kreuziger will be there, and I think we'd sooner see Valgren race than Boaro. Team looking a bit weak on the climbing side I must say, assuming Kreuziger won't race.

 

[SyroboiII]

Porte > Contador
König > Kreuziger
Nieve >>>>>>>> Basso
Kiryienka > Rogers
Lopez > Hernandez
Henao > Jensen
Siutsou > Paulinho
Puccio > Rovny
Viviani >> Tosatto

Tinkoff are not even trying.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I love how you compared Henao and Juul Jensen while one is a climber and the other a powerhouse

 

[Cookster15]

What are the gradients on the mountain top finishers on stages 5 & 8? Do these climbs only average about 4% or are they over 6% with some steeper sections?

You can find answers to most of your questions here, I believe: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=29315

That's great we only need to wait until stage 5 to get a good glimpse what form AC, Porte, Aru and Uran are in

 

[Rollthedice]

Katusha is Paolini and 8 Russians.

 

[Miburo]

What are the gradients on the mountain top finishers on stages 5 & 8? Do these climbs only average about 4% or are they over 6% with some steeper sections?

You can find answers to most of your questions here, I believe: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=29315

That's great we only need to wait until stage 5 to get a good glimpse what form AC, Porte, Aru and Uran are in

Must be new to cycling to think something will happen in stage 5.

Bigger chance that something happens in stage 4

 

[jens_attacks]

Richie porte will explode the race on abetone and campitello trust me
He needs time for the 3rd week

 

[johngoat]

Some namedropping:

Formolo
Landa
Zakarin

Zakarin seems to be in charge of his team for GC. The other two aren't.
What do you think?

 

[DBotero]

Some namedropping:

Formolo
Landa
Zakarin

Zakarin seems to be in charge of his team for GC. The other two aren't.
What do you think?

Zakarin is the most interesting.I'm not sure he's the leader,but i expect some big things from him.Being a ITT specialist is an advantage also on that long ITT stage.

 

[jens_attacks]

zakarin said that his peak is for romandie and not il giro
i think trofimov will lead there. of course maybe the great ilnur changes his mind

 

[trevim]

Some namedropping:

Formolo
Landa
Zakarin

Zakarin seems to be in charge of his team for GC. The other two aren't.
What do you think?

Formolo has been all downhill since the first race of the season. Kind of a mistery to me considering how good he was in Suisse last year. Maybe it's too soon for him to ride a GT.
Regarding Landa I think he lacks consistency to ride a good GT but I secretly hope he fills the void left in my heart when Nieve went Skyborg Seriously though it would be awesome to see him in epic mountain raids targetting the mountains jersey and stages; I guess he'll be playing domestique for Aru though.

 

[Velolover2]

Some namedropping:

Formolo
Landa
Zakarin

Zakarin seems to be in charge of his team for GC. The other two aren't.
What do you think?

Zakarin is the most interesting.I'm not sure he's the leader,but i expect some big things from him.Being a ITT specialist is an advantage also on that long ITT stage.

The next Menchov? A TT'er who can climb very well.

 

[Kokoso]

Some namedropping:

Formolo
Landa
Zakarin

Zakarin seems to be in charge of his team for GC. The other two aren't.
What do you think?

Formolo has been all downhill since the first race of the season. Kind of a mistery to me considering how good he was in Suisse last year. Maybe it's too soon for him to ride a GT.
Regarding Landa I think he lacks consistency to ride a good GT but I secretly hope he fills the void left in my heart when Nieve went Skyborg Seriously though it would be awesome to see him in epic mountain raids targetting the mountains jersey and stages; I guess he'll be playing domestique for Aru though.

It would but not in this strange pale blue jersey...

 

[SafeBet]

Formolo is getting better, I'm pretty sure he'll be climbing well at the Giro.