Giro d'Italia 2020, stage 8: Giovinazzo - Vieste, 200 km

[RedheadDane]

Actually is it the first WT win ever for the team?

It is, but to be fair; it's their first year as a WorldTeam.

Top 3:

Dowsett
Dog
Puccio

 

[Bolder]

Brandle was a big help to Dowsett at just the right time. But I think the others were a little cooked too.

 

[Lequack]

 

[SafeBet]

Wow Dowsett so emotional. Give this man a contract for next year!

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Dowset
needed this
no 2021 cotract and baby on the way...

 

[gregrowlerson]

Who let the dogs out?

Probably Toby.

In preparation for an argument of "Heal: Tour 2020, Hurt: Giro 2020" in ten years time

 

[richwallone]

And now it will be a sprint between Sagan and Matthews as Demare couldn't care less to sprint for the 7th place

 

[Gigs_98]

Genuinely shocking showing by the chasers. One of the most stupid chases in cycling I can remember

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Lovely to see Dowsett so emotional, so much heart

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Genuinely shocking showing by the chasers. One of the most stupid chases in cycling I can remember

They just didn't have the legs

 

[Andy262]

Delighted for Alex Dowsett, but scenery apart that was a shocking stage. Peloton on strike.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

FroomeDawg making an apperance incognito

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Genuinely shocking showing by the chasers. One of the most stupid chases in cycling I can remember

It has always been that way in cycling..... if you work to hard chasing, you compromise your own chances of winning.

It's why we regularly see attacks from 10 to 30 k working.

 

[JosefK]

Stage savers today (for fans), in chronological order: (1) Fuglsang's mechanical and Trek's considering the possibilities. (2) Dowsett. (3) Dog.

 

[Red Rick]

Okay this stage I'll permit the "riders make the race" argument.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

It is, but to be fair; it's their first year as a WorldTeam.

Top 3:

Dowsett
Dog
Puccio

Dog DSQ.
Deviated from its line.

 

[movingtarget]

Dowsett wins in front of the dog, as we see it didn't in fact get run over.

Another canine road runner.

 

[Eclipse]

The dustbin man cleans up

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Dog DSQ.
Deviated from its line.

But since he didn't cause a crash, the commissaires will just throw him a bone

 

[Andy262]

They just didn't have the legs

Disagree, too scared of losing to win.

 

[broppo]

so sagan has given up the points jersey already

 

[TomLPC]

Judging by his celebration and interview, this seems more like one of those 'I'm racing for my life' wins.

 

[Pantani_lives]

I thought the Dogg wasn't in the Gito?

 

[Gigs_98]

It has always been that way in cycling..... if you work to hard chasing, you compromise your own chances of winning.

It's why we regularly see attacks from 10 to 30 k working.

There are usually more factors leading to that though. Maybe there is a strong teammate behind who you don't want to drag to the finish (I guess Brändle is actually one of the reasons they decided not to chase hard but not chasing because you are afraid of Brändle? That doesn't sound very smart to me either), maybe there is a really strong guy in the group who would easily win if everyone does the same workload. So often we've seen groups with Sagan getting attacked, Sagan then not wanting to do all the chasing, and the others not wanting to help Sagan.

But this was different. You had a group of fairly evenly matched riders who all would have benefited from working to catch Dowsett yet they gifted him like half a minute on the kilometre before the final climb alone. That's inexcusable.
And considering they gained half a minute on Dowsett on the climb alone it's also not like this was a hopeless cause. They had a good chance to catch him but decided to rather look at each other.

 

[TMP402]

Froome should really call up ISN and tell them to take care of Dowsett.