Giro d'Italia 2016 stage 2 - Arnhem – Nijmegen 190 km

[LaFlorecita]

Brilliant by Kittel, simply the best.
Great leadout by FDJ and nice 2nd place for Demare. With 2km to go they were gone but then with 1km to go they reappeared with 4 in a row. Well done!
Very happy with Ruffoni's result, great positioning by him, he could have timed his jump a little better maybe. He tried to go after Kittel and then got passed by Hofland and Modolo in the end. Maybe if he'd jumped later, he could have gotten top 3. funny to see him headbutting and elbowing riders out of the way, he's small but tough
Also impressed by Amador - top10!! Surely one of the most allround riders in the peloton.

 

[JRanton]

Re:

I spent the entire last 3k feeling sorry for Viviani.

At least last year he had Eisel and Puccio to position him for the last 2km. This year he'll have to wait until some of the sprinters have gone home to even have a chance of being competitive. Bit of a waste of time really. Should have just sent a rouleur instead to look after Landa.

 

[StryderHells]

Re: Re:

Greipel really badly positioned there.

Yeah what a surprise, he's becoming a pussy again.

Classless comment. he is coming back from injury so clearly has a way to go to get his mojo back, no need to call a person something like that

 

[Pantani_lives]

The green and pink mascot or cuddly toy that Kittel received on the podium comes from Giro Casa 3, an app to follow the Giro. They have a green and pink logo.

 

[pedromiguelmartins]

What a stupid pathetic stage. I hope the organization burns to the ground. 0 chance of action.

So the useless organization found suitable to start the weekend with a stage that gives 0 chance to attackers, 0 chance to even write a word on the outcome of the race, etc?

Pathetic. Simply pathetic. I feel sorry for everybody that is trying to spread knowledge about how cycling can be great instead of a borefest. If a casual turned on their TVs, they changed the channel in less than 5min. Pathetic.

 

[HelloDolly]

Re: Re:

pity there were no crosswinds as that was a bore fest and I doubt attracted many new fans to the Giro

This is a ridiculous opinion to have. For the casual fan, what was boring about it? It was simple: a slow crescendo to a brilliant climax. For the casual fan, a sprint finish is easy. You'd rather that they have to keep track of 5 groups on the road up a mountain, while maintaining knowledge of who is fighting for the stage and the overall? Watching as foreign names blend together, and the jumps between camera bikes force the loss of all hope of giving coherence to their positions on the road?

I'm an invested fan, and I enjoyed it. I can't tell you to stop being sour, but I can say that echoing the opinion of "sprint stages are useless and boring" is bad for the sport.

What you can do is have some respect for others opinions and not say they are ridiculous . Is this not a forum for varied opinion...And also calling me sour ..WTF ? If I would prefer cross winds that is my perogative and not for you to ridicule ...Many sprint stages are not boring but that was and I didn't say they were useless only I prefer cross winds ..Excuse me for having a preference

 

[jmdirt]

Kittle in pink tomorrow!

 

[jmdirt]

Re: Re:

Greipel really badly positioned there.

Yeah what a surprise, he's becoming a pussy again.

My uncle used to say that considering how much he likes pussy, being called a pussy is the highest compliment!

 

[StryderHells]

Re:

What a stupid pathetic stage. I hope the organization burns to the ground. 0 chance of action.

So the useless organization found suitable to start the weekend with a stage that gives 0 chance to attackers, 0 chance to even write a word on the outcome of the race, etc?

Pathetic. Simply pathetic. I feel sorry for everybody that is trying to spread knowledge about how cycling can be great instead of a borefest. If a casual turned on their TVs, they changed the channel in less than 5min. Pathetic.

BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

The green and pink mascot or cuddly toy that Kittel received on the podium comes from Giro Casa 3, an app to follow the Giro. They have a green and pink logo.

I was wondering about that, it looked like a frog?

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Nizzolo used too much power for those intermediate sprints. Would have come 2nd if he had kept his powder dry

 

[Squire]

Re:

What a stupid pathetic stage. I hope the organization burns to the ground. 0 chance of action.

So the useless organization found suitable to start the weekend with a stage that gives 0 chance to attackers, 0 chance to even write a word on the outcome of the race, etc?

Pathetic. Simply pathetic. I feel sorry for everybody that is trying to spread knowledge about how cycling can be great instead of a borefest. If a casual turned on their TVs, they changed the channel in less than 5min. Pathetic.

I don't get the anger. There surely must be other things more worth getting worked up about than a completely normal first road stage in a GT? Flat sprint stages have been prominent in the first week forever, and that's completely ok for most people.

It even had a very, very, very flat profile, which you could look at before the stage, and decide if you felt the potential for action satisfied you, and then decide whether to watch it or not. I watched 15 minutes of it in the middle, to get some Giro feel, and then the last 1,5 kilometers. I'm very pleased with the stage. It gave me exactly what I expected.

As for casual fans, most very casual cycling watchers I know actually think sprint stages are the most exciting, probably for the simplicity and the intense action at the pointy end. They also don't seem to mind the slow build-up. I don't think the Giro lost any potential new fans today.

 

[the delgados]

Re:

pity there were no crosswinds as that was a bore fest and I doubt attracted many new fans to the Giro

Agreed.
I can't begin to grasp how anyone finds watching any more than ten km's of a bunch sprint stage interesting.
I remember becoming fascinated with cycling by watching the *cough* John Tesh *cough* hour-long productions back in the 80's.
I dunno--whenever I mistakenly tune into a flat gt stage with 100 km's to go, the first thought that comes to mind is "How in hell would a cycling newbie be into watching this?"
There's absolutely no drama; it's just a bunch of guys riding along until it comes time to organize the sprint chain.
No wonder the sports networks in Canada have dropped the coverage altogether.
Best do a half-hour hi-light package that contains some drama and excitement rather than spend hours watching a travel tourism ad.

 

[murali]

WTF!!

c'mon guys! we had a completely sane giro sprint stage without any crash! what more can you guys ask for!

or is "casual fan" a sadist wanting to see ppl killed!


This was a very normal sprint stage. upto 10' for leaders, with last guy caught within 10 km. no crash. simple fight for positioning. at least one sprint team messing up(greipel and almost kittel). a bunch of messed up sprint trains. and the best man winning the stage with a clean sprint.

 

[Red Rick]

Its not really crazy *** that bring fans to cycling. I was at the finish today, and the atmosphere was pretty great. I heard people say that they didn't really understand the appeal of cycling, but they actually really enjoyed it. Casual fans won't watch races all day, so as long as they come to the events when they're there and enjoy it its pretty good.

Though I do really think that the commercial caravan should be replaced by a beer caravan

 

[murali]

Re: Re:

I dunno--whenever I mistakenly tune into a flat gt stage with 100 km's to go, the first thought that comes to mind is "How in hell would a cycling newbie be into watching this?"
There's absolutely no drama; it's just a bunch of guys riding along until it comes time to organize the sprint chain.
...
Best do a half-hour hi-light package that contains some drama and excitement rather than spend hours watching a travel tourism ad.

it was the travel show for me. when things are going slow, most ppl i talked to do daily chores or light work. but most ppl learn to time needed attention fast.

 

[the delgados]

Re:

WTF!!

c'mon guys! we had a completely sane giro sprint stage without any crash! what more can you guys ask for!

or is "casual fan" a sadist wanting to see ppl killed!


This was a very normal sprint stage. upto 10' for leaders, with last guy caught within 10 km. no crash. simple fight for positioning. at least one sprint team messing up(greipel and almost kittel). a bunch of messed up sprint trains. and the best man winning the stage with a clean sprint.

I can't imagine anyone who has ever turned a pedal in anger (i.e. raced) would tune in to watch a crash.
Today's stage finale was brilliant; I'm just glad I was able to stay awake to watch it.

 

[dusty red roads]

Action is great, but I also enjoy slow lazy days, seeing a bunch of bright colors riding thru the countryside.... and if I don't feel like watching I only watch the end or a few bits here and there. These kind of days also give a bit of rest/breathing space to the GC guys so they can go even more intensely on the stages they need to. I'm into ebb and flow not everyone is of course, but since I'm probably a more casual viewer than most people here I can speak from that point of view.

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

Brilliant by Kittel, simply the best.
Great leadout by FDJ and nice 2nd place for Demare. With 2km to go they were gone but then with 1km to go they reappeared with 4 in a row. Well done!
Very happy with Ruffoni's result, great positioning by him, he could have timed his jump a little better maybe. He tried to go after Kittel and then got passed by Hofland and Modolo in the end. Maybe if he'd jumped later, he could have gotten top 3. funny to see him headbutting and elbowing riders out of the way, he's small but tough
Also impressed by Amador - top10!! Surely one of the most allround riders in the peloton.

Ruffoni manhandled the even smaller Caleb Ewan.

 

[Jagartrott]

Today was a normal sprinter stage. We have to have those as well - clearly.
Biggest problem for me is that tomorrow will very likely be a repeat of today (with perhaps more crashes as the last circuit has more corners). In a weekend, i.e. the time when more people would be watching more than just the final 10 km, that is a bit of a missed opportunity.

 

[the delgados]

Re:

Action is great, but I also enjoy slow lazy days, seeing a bunch of bright colors riding thru the countryside.... and if I don't feel like watching I only watch the end or a few bits here and there. These kind of days also give a bit of rest/breathing space to the GC guys so they can go even more intensely on the stages they need to. I'm into ebb and flow not everyone is of course, but since I'm probably a more casual viewer than most people here I can speak from that point of view.

That's cool.
Some people like watching others throw darts; some like watching others hurl giants rocks down a sheet of ice.
Whatever floats yer boat, ya know what I mean?
I'm just speaking from the perspective of someone who enjoys the sport, but hates to see how it's marketed in a non-cycling-mad country.
Seriously, I have zero experience in tv production, but I swear I could do a better job attracting people to the sport than those who buy the tv rights and do nothing with it other than filling dead air in non-prime-time hours.

 

[Orbit501]

Any point Viviani turning up here?

He'll only lose the points jersey battle to Nizzolo anyway and doesn't seem to have a hope in hell of stage wins if he can't latch on to other team's trains.

Very disappointing today, although not exactly his fault.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re:

What a stupid pathetic stage. I hope the organization burns to the ground. 0 chance of action.

So the useless organization found suitable to start the weekend with a stage that gives 0 chance to attackers, 0 chance to even write a word on the outcome of the race, etc?

Pathetic. Simply pathetic. I feel sorry for everybody that is trying to spread knowledge about how cycling can be great instead of a borefest. If a casual turned on their TVs, they changed the channel in less than 5min. Pathetic.

Sure, let's have mountains every single freaking day for 21 days

 

[the delgados]

Re: Re:

What a stupid pathetic stage. I hope the organization burns to the ground. 0 chance of action.

So the useless organization found suitable to start the weekend with a stage that gives 0 chance to attackers, 0 chance to even write a word on the outcome of the race, etc?

Pathetic. Simply pathetic. I feel sorry for everybody that is trying to spread knowledge about how cycling can be great instead of a borefest. If a casual turned on their TVs, they changed the channel in less than 5min. Pathetic.

Sure, let's have mountains every single freaking day for 21 days

Someone's watching the Vuelta!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Kittel is way too fast for this field

Hofland actually placed well in a sprint. What a surprise