Giro d'Italia 2020, stage 15: Rivolto - Piancavallo 185 km

[gregrowlerson]

Comments about Almeida this week be like:

1st ITT: "Just good because he started early"
1st Mountaintop: "Already dropped there. Won't last long"
every stage between then and second ITT: "Could lose it today, but will definitely lose it in the ITT or on Sunday."
2nd ITT: "He wen't so deep, will pay tomorrow." (what do you guys think others do it a ITT btw?)
Today: "Told you he'd suck. Look at him. Now he'll pay for going so deep." (Yeah, he was the only one going deep today)
.....
give me a break!??! this is getting ridiculous

And why would you not go all out when it's a MTF followed by a rest day?

 

[gregrowlerson]

Too much to catch up on. Damn sleep and work.

I will just say for now that this race is far from over, unless of course it is (cancelled).

Regarding field depth, it reminds me of 2006 TDF, only those big names were thrown out a day before the start. Also with this Giro field, I think it was considered weak even before the abandons. But whether it is actually weak or not, is another question. As some have said, maybe some riders just haven't developed their reputation yet.

 

[hrotha]

That is some logical debate right there

It's not a debate. There's an entire side of the equation that can't even be brought up in this forum.

 

[Leinster]

I, honestly, believe that Gerraint Thomas would have walked this. But, who cares? The race is on, and its the Giro. It's a big deal. And you have to finish it to win it. Do not belittle it because so and so could have done better - it's the Giro, kudos to the winner.

Tirreno-G would have been up there. Dauphiné-G would’ve been nowhere. We don’t know which G was at the start line, because we never saw him go up a hill. Yates won T-A, but was off the pace at the Giro even before he had to pull out.

If Nibali and Fuglsang had crashed out week 1, people would be calling it a weak field because of that, too. But here we are and they’ve both been dropped on the steepest mtf of the race, and they’re (more than likely) out of the running.

 

[Red Rick]

Tirreno-G would have been up there. Dauphiné-G would’ve been nowhere. We don’t know which G was at the start line, because we never saw him go up a hill. Yates won T-A, but was off the pace at the Giro even before he had to pull out.

If Nibali and Fuglsang had crashed out week 1, people would be calling it a weak field because of that, too. But here we are and they’ve both been dropped on the steepest mtf of the race, and they’re (more than likely) out of the running.

Yates only got hit by a pandemic.

 

[YavorD]

Well, the field looked weak even before the start.
However, considering Almeida, Hart and Hindley are all young. And if they win 10 GT's between them in the next years will it still be 'weak field' or the beginning of a new era ?
Now if top 4 had Nibali, Fuglsang, Pozzo, Majka in that order I would be more inclined to conclude that the field is weak.
If that performance remains one of for all of them it's surely compromised GT.
But if what I said about GT wins turns out to be true, in 5 years all the 'weak field' comments will look silly.

As someone said, give it a bit of a hindsight before saying "rider X would just walk with the win in that GT".

 

[Extinction]

Some interesting anecdotes and statistics reported today in La Gazzetta dello Sport. Firstly Nibali said this Giro is not ridden slowly or by a "weak" field. To the contray, lo Squalo remarked that in his estimation the pace Sunweb set on Piancavallo was "worthy of the best Sky". Interesting.

And here are some stats for the climb: Tao Goeghegan rode it in 38'56", with a VAM of 1723 m/h. By contrast Nibali's VAM was 1684 (against 1652 in 2017). Pinot in 2017 had a VAM of 1674. The record, however, belongs to Pantani in 1998, who rode the climb in 37'08" with a VAM of 1831 m/h. Granted the 1998 stage was 20 k shorter, which did not come immediately after a time trial, and Piancavallo was the only ascent of the day. Yet bike performace is so much higher in 2020 and Pantani would not have had a "train" quite so organized and effcient as Sunweb proved yesterday.

 

[Red Rick]

Well, the field looked weak even before the start.
However, considering Almeida, Hart and Hindley are all young. And if they win 10 GT's between them in the next years will it still be 'weak field' or the beginning of a new era ?
Now if top 4 had Nibali, Fuglsang, Pozzo, Majka in that order I would be more inclined to conclude that the field is weak.
If that performance remains one of for all of them it's surely compromised GT.
But if what I said about GT wins turns out to be true, in 5 years all the 'weak field' comments will look silly.

As someone said, give it a bit of a hindsight before saying "rider X would just walk with the win in that GT".

I think 2020 won't have that much bearing on how levels will relate to each other going forward.

 

[DanielSong39]

Surely Kelderman has this, right?

 

[Carols]

Surely Kelderman has this, right?

Surely you jest? Have you seen the parcours this week? His Strong team gives him the edge but It's Not over until the Fat Lady sings!

 

[klintE]

It's not a debate. There's an entire side of the equation that can't even be brought up in this forum.

Numbers are objective, "weak" is very subjective. That's sole problem why it isn't any kind of debate.

I, honestly, believe that Gerraint Thomas would have walked this. But, who cares?

And I believe that if Evenepoel would have ridden here, he could be in Milan already. Who cares?

 

[hrotha]

Numbers are objective, "weak" is very subjective. That's sole problem why it isn't any kind of debate.

Every single field was super weak for 15-20 years then.