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Giro d'Italia Giro d'Italia 2021 stage 11: Perugia – Montalcino 162 km

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I've re-watched the stage and have to say I've changed my point of view a little bit. It was worse than I thought at first. I don't know what took the team and Almeida that much time to drop from the group to help Remco. Maybe Joao's ego, maybe he still thinks he has a bigger chance to finish higher in GC at the end than Remco. Maybe he read about the many definitions of being dropped on this forum and just didn't want to become the guy being dropped. Anyway, whatever the reason, he reacted way to late. After he and Remco made contact, till the finish, Almeida did a great job though.

There is only one small thing that intrigues me... João should have been always next to Remcos and he was not... that's the big question that keeps returning to my head... Sure that Deceunick's director in all the mess at the gravel sections could be confused, sure that the broadcast had a delay but we are talking around 10 minutes between Remco's being dropped and finally being pulled by João and I still find hard to believe that João wouldn't comply with his Team's directors instructions right away!
 
Shame for Remco today, but I don't see him as any lesser grand tour rider, if anything it was expected when you don't have any racing in your legs. He still has much to learn, and the whole QS teams as well, because they don't usually ride GC and it's a different kind of racing.

The person I'm most impressed today is Tobias Foss, he went on the attack with Bennet and still finished quite high. After he won the Tour de l'Avenir (won previously by Bernal and Pogacar) there was always much talk about him as a GC rider, so maybe he is showing that now.
 
In fairness, Brambilla did a lot of work today.

he did, but not sure it really was necessary to put a man at the front at that point of the race. Maybe Brambilla was spent anyway, but otherwise he could have been more useful later on.

In the past Mollema often struggled to get back into racing mode after a rest day. No idea if that was the reason today, but it could be an explanation for the poor showing. Not that he looked great during those days in the breakaways either, though.
 
Shame for Remco today, but I don't see him as any lesser grand tour rider, if anything it was expected when you don't have any racing in your legs. He still has much to learn, and the whole QS teams as well, because they don't usually ride GC and it's a different kind of racing.

The person I'm most impressed today is Tobias Foss, he went on the attack with Bennet and still finished quite high. After he won the Tour de l'Avenir (won previously by Bernal and Pogacar) there was always much talk about him as a GC rider, so maybe he is showing that now.

IMO if Tobias hangs on tomorrow, and then at stage 14 and 16 he will surely prove himself as a contender for GC in years to come
 
Congratulations to Mauro Schmid for taking the win.

Bernal is on fire, feeling comfortable. Heck, by now he is a bit cocky already. Ineos being Ineos, well-oiled machine drilling it. Chips of gravel dropping off all around. I would be worried there not being Slovenians.

Evenepoel. Doesn't like gravel, rest days or maybe his team doesn't like him or all of the above. All in all a youngster in his first GT. Lets see how he handles mountains next.

It was a nice stage and i am happy that mechanical issues didn't spoil it.
 
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Here is the proof: one does not simply drop Ramco!
Ramco will be the judge of that.

As some people on this forum said, just wait until you see peak Remco in week 3...

Almeida at the front while Remco is suffering at the back:
"This is an absolute catastrophic mess-up of major proportions".

My guess is that Joe Alan was promised prior to Giro that he won't be a domestique. And perhaps he thought he could gain some time on GC, maybe even drop Egan. I wouldn't hold it against him.

Who knows, it might end up being like Pogacar riding for McNulty in Itzulia. o_O
 
Yes, he had to keep closing gaps on his own after having them grow on the gravel descents. Eventually, a price had to be paid.
Be fair to Remco and JA. Remco rode like riders that attempt Paris-Robaix for the first time and discover how much power you need to ride the appropriate speed to handle the terrain. He didn't have the technique, the strength that required training or the ability to recover. This was fairly predictable for any good rider facing his recovery and limited training exposure. Any of us armchair analysts only need to find a gravel road and try to ride in too small of a gear or too slowly....you'll come to disaster. DQS didn't have a good plan B, C or D and just looked hapless. They may do better but they should cut the kid some slack and pick a stage that suits him so he can recover confidence. Live to fight another day, I say.
 
Is Almeida's comment authentic? (I saw it on twitter):

Almeida to the newspaper A Bola: "I felt good, I had a chance to beat the best, but I had to follow orders to wait for Remco. Do I feel disappointed? I'd rather be silent than say what I think."

Did he think he could have won the stage or something? "Beat the best" - what does that mean, outsprint Bernal? Even if he could have done that (lol), what would've been the point exactly?

Cyclists don't have to be intelligent of course though, which I think is good thing for Mr. Almeida.
 
Is Almeida's comment authentic? (I saw it on twitter):

Almeida to the newspaper A Bola: "I felt good, I had a chance to beat the best, but I had to follow orders to wait for Remco. Do I feel disappointed? I'd rather be silent than say what I think."

Did he think he could have won the stage or something? "Beat the best" - what does that mean, outsprint Bernal? Even if he could have done that (lol), what would've been the point exactly?

Cyclists don't have to be intelligent of course though, which I think is good thing for Mr. Almeida.

Well, after the fact, no one in their right mind understood why Pogacar was riding for McNulty at Itzulia, last stage. We'll see in 10 stages what was the smarter move (or even sooner, if one of the two drops out) ...
 
Is Almeida's comment authentic? (I saw it on twitter):

Almeida to the newspaper A Bola: "I felt good, I had a chance to beat the best, but I had to follow orders to wait for Remco. Do I feel disappointed? I'd rather be silent than say what I think."

Did he think he could have won the stage or something? "Beat the best" - what does that mean, outsprint Bernal? Even if he could have done that (lol), what would've been the point exactly?

Cyclists don't have to be intelligent of course though, which I think is good thing for Mr. Almeida.
He'll have a lot to prove in the coming years. Not sure this interview will do him any favors.

But then again Evenepoel and Honoré were talking about more freedom today so perhaps Almeida will not be called back next time.
 
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Is Almeida's comment authentic? (I saw it on twitter):

Almeida to the newspaper A Bola: "I felt good, I had a chance to beat the best, but I had to follow orders to wait for Remco. Do I feel disappointed? I'd rather be silent than say what I think."

Did he think he could have won the stage or something? "Beat the best" - what does that mean, outsprint Bernal? Even if he could have done that (lol), what would've been the point exactly?

Cyclists don't have to be intelligent of course though, which I think is good thing for Mr. Almeida.

That was a bad translation. He said "tinha pernas para me poder bater com os melhores". They are taking the word "bater" (beat in english) very literaly. The expression he used is a very common phrase to say "I had the legs to battle with the best"


Complete translation:

"I felt good and had good sensations. I had the legs to battle with the best, but I had to follow the orders from the car to wait for Remco. If I feel disappointed? I rather shut my mouth then speak my mind. I'm learning everyday and today I learned a lot, in a fantastic stage where I could have gone far. Cycling is a colective sport and the DS are the ones in charge and we have to obey."
 
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