Giro d'Italia 2018 stage 5: Agrigento – Santa Ninfa 153 km

[Gigs_98]

Re: Giro d'Italia 2018 stage 5: Agrigento – Santa Ninfa 153

Please, can anyone teach MAL how to first week. This is getting ridiculous. Let's hope he'll destroy everyone tomorrow

 

[search]

Re: Re:

Brambilla lost over a minute. He is riding for GC, right? What a joke.

Perhaps he was caught up in that crash

maybe, but he has no results for a year, didn't train for three weeks in March. In Croatia he was almost as bad as it can get - only topped by coming 113th in the prologue, on paper perfectly suited to him. No idea where those GC ambitions came from to begin with...

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

Bilbao obvious leader now for Astana.

Are you serious?

 

[red_flanders]

Probably not an original thought, but dang if the Giro doesn't have the best-designed stages of any stage race out there.

 

[Jagartrott]

Riders that leave QS tend to disappoint later on (with rare exceptions).

 

[Dazed and Confused]

ah, the hotsteppers effect. Indeed.

Still Brambilla has never really been a *real factor in important races.

 

[Rollthedice]

Re: Re:

Bilbao obvious leader now for Astana.

Are you serious?

No. But MAL's bike handling skills don't qualify him as a Grand Tour contender nor his TT and consistency. At least not yet.

 

[staubsauger]

The way little Pozzo closed that gap quite smoothly was impressive IMHO. There've been years where his general classification ambition would've died completely in a situation like this. Now, he even closed a good amount of the gap alone, before his teammates dropped back!

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

Enrico Battaglin peaking for the Giro; as certain as death and taxes.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

The way little Pozzo closed that gap quite smoothly was impressive IMHO. There've been years where his general classification ambition would've died completely in a situation like this. Now, he even closed a good amount of the gap alone, before his teammates dropped back!

I think he'll attack tomorrow. Considering how he rode today I have the feeling he peaked a little too early and will therefore try to take as much time as possible in the first week.

 

[staubsauger]

Re: Re:

The way little Pozzo closed that gap quite smoothly was impressive IMHO. There've been years where his general classification ambition would've died completely in a situation like this. Now, he even closed a good amount of the gap alone, before his teammates dropped back!

I think he'll attack tomorrow. Considering how he rode today I have the feeling he peaked a little too early and will therefore try to take as much time as possible in the first week.

I guess he wants to wear the pink jersey for 12 days or 10 days respectively. That's why I think your suggestion might be true.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Go Pozzo Go.
pocket volcano
Etna awaits

 

[alspacka]

Wasn't sure if Max Schachmann was worth the hype until this the giro but oh my he's very strong.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Re:

Go Pozzo Go.
pocket volcano
Etna awaits

Froomey vs Pozzo.....
Man, cycling really is a circus.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Actually amazed also LottoNL actually won something.
usually their foreign signings are hit or miss. But Roglic was a golden transfer and Battaglin is slowly coming into his own as well, though it's also because he is used as helper in a lot of races where he should not be a helper

 

[armchairclimber]

It has been a very difficult first week and, in the last two days especially, many riders have had to go deep into anaerobic territory multiple times. Given what is in store tomorrow, I think that there will be some damage later in the race.

 

[Brullnux]

I don't think Froome's form is bad - it can't be, he was fine in trentino. I just think that a) the crash has taken quite a bit out of him, and may not recover fully until after the rest day depending on how bad it actually is and b) he just isn't as good as he used to be. We saw this last year, he was good but never able to drop his rivals on climbs longer than 4km - not like the Froome of 2013, 2015 or 2016.

 

[Flat Out]

Pozzo said he really went through a strange diet with BM nutritionist, sometimes training and no eating for a whole day and then resuming the next one.

 

[fantomas]

Re:

I don't think Froome's form is bad - it can't be, he was fine in trentino. I just think that a) the crash has taken quite a bit out of him, and may not recover fully until after the rest day depending on how bad it actually is and b) he just isn't as good as he used to be. We saw this last year, he was good but never able to drop his rivals on climbs longer than 4km - not like the Froome of 2013, 2015 or 2016.

To be fair, he didn't look as bad on the final ramp today as I initially thought. But he also wasn't the Froome we're used to, confidently being at the front, chasing for seconds and being the strongest of the GC guys on those ramps. I wouldn't be surprised if he's fading, but I also wouldn't be surprised of he wins it all. We'll have to wait and see.

By the way, any suggestions as to how he's approaching the Giro-Tour double? Will he peak in third week for both races, or how would he go about that?

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

I don't think Froome's form is bad - it can't be, he was fine in trentino. I just think that a) the crash has taken quite a bit out of him, and may not recover fully until after the rest day depending on how bad it actually is and b) he just isn't as good as he used to be. We saw this last year, he was good but never able to drop his rivals on climbs longer than 4km - not like the Froome of 2013, 2015 or 2016.

To be fair, he didn't look as bad on the final ramp today as I initially thought. But he also wasn't the Froome we're used to, confidently being at the front, chasing for seconds and being the strongest of the GC guys on those ramps. I wouldn't be surprised if he's fading, but I also wouldn't be surprised of he wins it all. We'll have to wait and see.

By the way, any suggestions as to how he's approaching the Giro-Tour double? Will he peak in third week for both races, or how would he go about that?

That's a good question. I would think he would have looked at what both Contador and Valverde did as well as Quintana and tried to figure out what they did right and what they did wrong and how to adjust that to his abilities. (Although Valverde's attempt may not be as good to look at as Contador's and Quintana's attempts. This would be more based on Valverde's peaks aren't nearly as noticeable/different than most other rider's are).

 

[RedheadDane]

Re: Re:

Brambilla lost over a minute. He is riding for GC, right? What a joke.

His whole year seems like big joke with all the talk about free roles and leadership.

#FreeEg

He freed himself by losing time so people won't care when he attacks on Etna.

Though, as he eloquently said; "They probably aren't that worried about me either way."

He also said that he isn't gonna attack on Etna...

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Froome was going backwards on the steepest part of that hill, while every other GC contender moved up in that part. I really wonder tomorrow.

1) He was faking **** and destroys everyone
2) He is good, but can't really create a difference, like Tour 2017
3) He is really bad and loses all hope of winning the Giro

Or

4) Bad but as is customary for first MTF nothing happens and Froome crosses the line last in the leading group of 15 riders. Other rides miss chance to win Giro as Froome rides into form in 3rd week ...

Only one really good climber needs to go for it tomorrow and the race is open, and MAL can not wait.

 

[Bot. Sky_Bot]

Re: Re:

Froome was going backwards on the steepest part of that hill, while every other GC contender moved up in that part. I really wonder tomorrow.

1) He was faking **** and destroys everyone
2) He is good, but can't really create a difference, like Tour 2017
3) He is really bad and loses all hope of winning the Giro

Or

4) Bad but as is customary for first MTF nothing happens and Froome crosses the line last in the leading group of 15 riders. Other rides miss chance to win Giro as Froome rides into form in 3rd week ...

Sth like 4)

 

[fantomas]

Re: Re:

Froome was going backwards on the steepest part of that hill, while every other GC contender moved up in that part. I really wonder tomorrow.

1) He was faking **** and destroys everyone
2) He is good, but can't really create a difference, like Tour 2017
3) He is really bad and loses all hope of winning the Giro

Or

4) Bad but as is customary for first MTF nothing happens and Froome crosses the line last in the leading group of 15 riders. Other rides miss chance to win Giro as Froome rides into form in 3rd week ...

Sth like 4)

Maybe, but it's far from trademark Froome. He usually is up there fighting for every second. Then again, his approach is likely different because of the Giro-Tour thing. We'll have to wait and see.

 

[EroicaStradeBianche]

Good to see a random Androni rider destroying 2 Treks, hope they'll get a stage