Giro d'Italia 2020, stage 18: Pinzolo - Laghi di Cancano 207 km

[hayneplane]

Reading some of these posts about missing the race or getting in for the last hour makes me wonder why in 2020 you don’t all have the ability to record the midweek stages and watch them in full when you get home from work. Surely you are not all watching on dodgy streams over the internet!

I tend to record and follow the live ticker/forum for the first couple of hours then maintain a news blackout so I can watch in full without knowing what happened with the bonus of being able to fast forward any dull parts.

 

[Laplaz]

Maybe Nibalis last real chance to win a GT. Vai Squalo!

 

[railxmig]

I would love Tao Hart to be a Nibali and he actually has some semblence of a team (Ganna, Castroviejo and Dennis can climb to some extend) and seems to go better with each day but then i guess he may be happy with just a podium and battle Hindley for this precious 1s on the finish line.

I expect Pedrero, Valter (finally!), Paret-Peintre and McNulty(?) to try to be in the break and Fuglsang (with Felline?) also trying a break if those "cocaine and hooker" driven dreams will turn into reality and considering that it's 2020 and the modern society resembles that created in Married with Children there may be a 5% chance of it happening.

 

[BlueRoads]

Reading some of these posts about missing the race or getting in for the last hour makes me wonder why in 2020 you don’t all have the ability to record the midweek stages and watch them in full when you get home from work. Surely you are not all watching on dodgy streams over the internet!

I tend to record and follow the live ticker/forum for the first couple of hours then maintain a news blackout so I can watch in full without knowing what happened with the bonus of being able to fast forward any dull parts.

Personally I just don't like to watch sport events after they happened. The good thing about watching sports is that it is live, that you don't know the outcome, that there is no script and that it is not a piece of art somebody invented, but raw "life". Well, that's just me, that's what draws me in. I sometimes tell myself - oh, I can watch that afterwards, on youtube/ eurosport player - but then I just never do. The moment it's over the thrill is gone for me, even if I don't know the outcome by then, it just does not feel... like I'm in the moment anymore.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Personally I just don't like to watch sport events after they happened. The good thing about watching sports is that it is live, that you don't know the outcome, that there is no script and that it is not a piece of art somebody invented, but raw "life". Well, that's just me, that's what draws me in. I sometimes tell myself - oh, I can watch that afterwards, on youtube/ eurosport player - but then I just never do. The moment it's over the thrill is gone for me, even if I don't know the outcome by then, it just does not feel... like I'm in the moment anymore.

That's also the reason why I hate it when only the delayed Tiz streams are working properly

 

[Netserk]

 

[damian13ster]

Surely Fuglsang needs to go early?

 

[Tonton]

In the bag!

Nibali has nothing to lose at this point...attack before the Stelvio summit, epic descent...

 

[Danskebjerge]

I'm not sure Rodriguez will be much of a help for Fuglsang tomorrow. Fuglsang writes in his column Wednesday evening about the day's stage:

"We had Óscar Rodríguez in the breakaway. He must have planned by himself to go into that breakaway, because it wasn't part of the team's plans. I don't know if it's because he hadn't understood our plan, although it may be good to have a rider in a big breakaway."

Fuglsang also writes that if he has legs, he will go for it tomorrow no matter what it costs.

 

[Escarabajo]

I'm not sure Rodriguez will be much of a help for Fuglsang tomorrow. Fuglsang writes in his column Wednesday evening about the day's stage:

"We had Óscar Rodríguez in the breakaway. He must have planned by himself to go into that breakaway, because it wasn't part of the team's plans. I don't know if it's because he hadn't understood our plan, although it may be good to have a rider in a big breakaway."

Fuglsang also writes that if he has legs, he will go for it tomorrow no matter what it costs.

That's probably the case for everyone!

 

[DanielSong39]

I'm starting to think that this is a race in name only and it's rigged to let Almeida win
There are at least 3 climbers that are clearly stronger and they refuse to drop Almeida on purpose

 

[The Barb]

GC day, surely. Even with teams depleted, Sunweb, with a bit of help from the few who remain on Trek, ought to keep it close enough at the base of the Stelvio for it to be a GC day.

For me this stage screams out for Nibali to attack on the Stelvio, increase his lead on the descent, and win solo.

 

[damian13ster]

Wonder what the tactic from Sunweb will be. Go hard right from the start to tire out Almeida, or try to arrive at the base of Stelvio as fresh as possible to react to Nibali/Fuglsang attacks

 

[movingtarget]

Hindley will accidentally drop everyone and win the stage by 10 minutes...........actually this race is too hard to predict because the potential winners are either untested, veterans or riders with promise that never fully delivered. it's still a very unconvincing podium even at this stage of the race even though Almeida has had a great race up to this point.

 

[Jungle Cycle]

hope for an attack near the top of Stelvio with 2-3, Tao+Nibali+Pozzo, and "la vida loca" on the descent to isolate Almeida and maybe 1 of the Sunweb, then connect with helpers sent early on the break..
from then on i'ld be happy already...

 

[Pantani_lives]

If the Giro is decided today with an attack on the Stelvio it would still have a worthy winner. If it's only about small gaps on the final climb today and Saturday it would be the least memorable Giro victory since Luigi Marchisio in 1930.

Kelderman is usually the kind of guy who rides conservatively for a place of honour. Now he will have to attack to drop Almeida. Letting Hindley attack alone would be the perfect tactic to finish second and third. Ideal would be if the two Sunweb riders got away together on the Stelvio.

Hart is the most likely to become a regular GT performer, but he probably doesn't have the heart to play all or nothing with a major attack.

In 2016 Nibali was 4'43" behind after stage 18. Now he's only 3'31" behind after stage 17. Looks like a piece of cake!

 

[SafeBet]

Reading some of these posts about missing the race or getting in for the last hour makes me wonder why in 2020 you don’t all have the ability to record the midweek stages and watch them in full when you get home from work. Surely you are not all watching on dodgy streams over the internet!

Yeah I tried in 2016 with the Agnello stage.
At 3pm my friend called me and didn't even give me the chance to say "Hello there" before shouting "Lo Squaaaaaaloooooooooooo".

Never again.

 

[saganftw]

i hope for some pre-Stelvio action from sunweb to drop every DQS domestique and then just who is better on stelvio because they also need time before final TT

if they wait for like final 5 km i swear to god...

 

[RedheadDane]

Reading some of these posts about missing the race or getting in for the last hour makes me wonder why in 2020 you don’t all have the ability to record the midweek stages and watch them in full when you get home from work. Surely you are not all watching on dodgy streams over the internet!

Because it's not the same. What the ***'s the fun in watching cycling - or any sport - when it's not live?
I'm not watching dodgy streams, I'm watching perfectly legal streams, provided by the broadcasters.

 

[Cookster15]

Because it's not the same. What the ***'s the fun in watching cycling - or any sport - when it's not live?
I'm not watching dodgy streams, I'm watching perfectly legal streams, provided by the broadcasters.

er, well obviously you have favorable time zones. Please try to think of those of us who live where these stages finish sometime after 1:30am and have to work the next day .

 

[RedheadDane]

er, well obviously you have favorable time zones. Please try to think of those of us who live where these stages finish sometime after 1:30am and have to work the next day .

 

[johnymax]

er, well obviously you have favorable time zones. Please try to think of those of us who live where these stages finish sometime after 1:30am and have to work the next day .

No excuses. I've been watching NBA games at those hours (from Europe) for the past 10 years.

 

[Cookster15]

No excuses. I've been watching NBA games at those hours (from Europe) for the past 10 years.

Urgh. Also, I didn't mention but on this side of the planet we also ride in the early morning before work. Sleep is important!

 

[Blanco]

I'm not sure Rodriguez will be much of a help for Fuglsang tomorrow. Fuglsang writes in his column Wednesday evening about the day's stage:

"We had Óscar Rodríguez in the breakaway. He must have planned by himself to go into that breakaway, because it wasn't part of the team's plans. I don't know if it's because he hadn't understood our plan, although it may be good to have a rider in a big breakaway."

Fuglsang also writes that if he has legs, he will go for it tomorrow no matter what it costs.

Fuglsang is seriously full of ***!

 

[Anybody_but..]

Wonder what the tactic from Sunweb will be. Go hard right from the start to tire out Almeida, or try to arrive at the base of Stelvio as fresh as possible to react to Nibali/Fuglsang attacks

Sunweb doesn't have such dilemma: if they go really hard from the start, Fglsgng & Nib'2020 will be both dropped at second climb at the latest. Both dropped before Almeida.