Giro d'Italia 2021 Race Thread - Enthusiastic Laymen Edition

[Logic-is-your-friend]

If Evenepoel takes the pink on stage 1, should they just give him the GC trophy, the rest to fight for second place GC, and send him directly to Tour?

Only if they do the same in France. He has to get ready for the Olympics.

 

[johnymax]

• if nothing happens Buchmann will be in his best shape at the start of the Giro
• without the descent at the last stage at Itzulia he would have been able to follow Pogacar
• he should be able to maintain his level from start to finish while others normally regress during three weeks
• he will focus on week three
• they worked on his TT and believe Buchmann is from the GC candidates one of the better ones

A lot of IFs. I think he can do well. I expected him to do the next step after a good Tour 2019, but since then he has been a disappointment.

 

[johnymax]

I think the GC field is maybe not one of the best, but probably one of the deepest I can remember for the Giro. Only thing missing are the top dogs, who are all going to the Tour. Although you can maybe count S. Yates and Bernal as top dogs, depends on which versions we'll get.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I think the GC field is maybe not one of the best, but probably one of the deepest I can remember for the Giro. Only thing missing are the top dogs, who are all going to the Tour. Although you can maybe count S. Yates and Bernal as top dogs, depends on which versions we'll get.

If Bernal and Yates aren't top dogs anymore, then i hope either Pog or Rog win the Tour, because apparently, if they don't they'll lose their status!
Only as good as your last race ;-)

 

[johnymax]

If Bernal and Yates aren't top dogs anymore, then i hope either Pog or Rog win the Tour, because apparently, if they don't they'll lose their status!
Only as good as your last race ;-)

Like I said. It depends on which versions we'll get. I give Bernal the benefit of a doubt. He is young and probably had just a setback last year. I believe he'll be back on top.

For S. Yates is a bit more complicated. You are comparing apples and oranges here. Sure, he won the Vuelta. But that is his only top 5 in a GT in 10 tries. Not comparable to Rogla and Pogi, not even to Carapaz or Thomas. That's not exactly "top dog" statistics. I believe his peak is very strong, though. But he has to show consistency. This is what separates the best GT riders from the rest.

I like them both and hope they put on a show. We can both cheer together for them to finish 1st and 2nd if you want, then we can both call them top dogs, deal?

 

[tobydawq]

I like them both and hope they put on a show. We can both cheer together for them to finish 1st and 2nd if you want, then we can both call them top dogs, deal?

Of course not, if they only beat other non-top dogs, it's not much of a win

 

[CyclistAbi]

Pretty much.
And do the same in the Tour. Don't bother with the Slovenians.

Personally, if they all take a couple of notable wins in the future, competing against each other, that works for me.

 

[BlueRoads]

I am asking myself who has shown GC consistency at all in the past six or seven years, apart from Froome when he was at it, Valverde, but he mostly picked the weakest GT, Nibali (who specialized in the Giro). Now there are Roglic and Pogacar who seem almost inviolable, even when they are, but Roglic hasn't won the Tour, yet, and whether the Pogacar dream will go on like that we don't know.
So, consistent topdogs are really very, very rare... All the others have their weaknesses, whether easily to see or sometimes almost unexplainable. So I think we cannot discount those who do not show that consistent super super super level, to speak with Guardiola, just because they are a bit more human.

 

[OlavEH]

I really hope guys like Bernal, Evenepoel and perhaps Buchmann will turn up in good form for the Giro. If they do, in addition to Yates, I'm pretty sure it will be a great GT.

 

[OlavEH]

I am asking myself who has shown GC consistency at all in the past six or seven years, apart from Froome when he was at it, Valverde, but he mostly picked the weakest GT, Nibali (who specialized in the Giro). Now there are Roglic and Pogacar who seem almost inviolable, even when they are, but Roglic hasn't won the Tour, yet, and whether the Pogacar dream will go on like that we don't know.
So, consistent topdogs are really very, very rare... All the others have their weaknesses, whether easily to see or sometimes almost unexplainable. So I think we cannot discount those who do not show that consistent super super super level, to speak with Guardiola, just because they are a bit more human.

MAL and Landa are fairly consistent, But I woudn't call them "top dogs"? That is reserved for the two Slovenians, Dumoulin, Bernal and perhaps Carapaz in top form. Quintana and Aru were "top dogs" before their decline. And Yates and Pinot would be that if they were more consistent.

Except for perhaps one more Ineos-rider (and Pinot), I really don't miss anyone in the Giro. Bernal, Sivakov, Martinez, Ganna and Sosa are a strong team, but they're still missing Porte, Thomas, TGH and Carapaz. There will be many domestiques of a really high quality in the Tour, and still it's not very probable that they will match the two Slovenians.

 

[CyclistAbi]

I wouldn't exactly call the Slovenians as being inconsistent. In addition Roglič rode his best Tour ever in the 2020 season. He just needs to keep up with the consistency.

 

[HelloDolly]

Its hard to see past Simon Yates given how good he is going
The issue is can he keep this form for 3 weeks unlike 2018


I expect Ineos to have one rider at least on the podium ..if they dont then that would be a waste of a good team




Landa will be 4th
Dan Martin will be 5th

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Lots of talk about Evenepoel in the thread - as expected.

My take:

DQ would not put him in the squad, if he was not ready.

Whether "ready" means stage hunting or going for GC, is of course the big question.

I expect him to start by riding GC, until he (possibly) cracks.

Last years Giro showed us that anything can happen, so I don't see DQ wanting him to drop time early on for stage hunting.

 

[Froome]

Lots of talk about Evenepoel in the thread - as expected.

My take:

DQ would not put him in the squad, if he was not ready.

Whether "ready" means stage hunting or going for GC, is of course the big question.

I expect him to start by riding GC, until he (possibly) cracks.

Last years Giro showed us that anything can happen, so I don't see DQ wanting him to drop time early on for stage hunting.

Remco said today that he will be working to joao almeida.

 

[johnymax]

Remco said today that he will be working to joao almeida.

I think he should go full gas in the ITT of course and ride for himself in the next GC relevant stage. Then see where he stands. If he's not good enough, then ride for Almeida. If Almeida is not good enough, then pick a couple of stages and try to go in the break.

 

[Froome]

He's doing a better tour de romandie than in 2012, so tour de france 2021 is in the bag for froome ah ah.

 

[Skalman]

I think he should go full gas in the ITT of course and ride for himself in the next GC relevant stage. Then see where he stands. If he's not good enough, then ride for Almeida. If Almeida is not good enough, then pick a couple of stages and try to go in the break.

Perhaps DQ doesn't want to gamble with having a number 1 that might pull out after a week and instead having a clear number 1 in Almeida. Sounds sensible.

 

[Escarabajo]

I think he should go full gas in the ITT of course and ride for himself in the next GC relevant stage. Then see where he stands. If he's not good enough, then ride for Almeida. If Almeida is not good enough, then pick a couple of stages and try to go in the break.

They'll probably do that anyway. But Plan A is Almeida.

 

[Bonimenier]

They'll probably do that anyway. But Plan A is Almeida.

Or that's at least what they want the outside world to believe.

 

[BlueRoads]

I have added a poll.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I have added a poll.

No Vino option for an Italian race?

 

[SafeBet]

No Vino option for an Italian race?

She prefers beer (which turned out being some kind of herbal tea, but whatever).

 

[BlueRoads]

No Vino option for an Italian race?

There were already not enough possible options, so no space for that.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

There were already not enough possible options, so no space for that.

You could at least have added Martínez to the Sivakov ticket.

 

[gregrowlerson]

You could at least have added Martínez to the Sivakov ticket.

Quit your whining Samu