Giro d'Italia Giro d'Italia 2023, stage 15: Seregno - Bergamo 195 km

[staubsauger]

More drama

Unnecessary comment. Not even protecting his rider Cepeda. Which would have been understandable. Only mean bullying.

That answer of Pinot though. What can Vaughters answer? Former domestique of Lance Armstrong? Former winner of the Dauphine for US Postal?

 

[RedheadDane]

That answer of Pinot though. What can Vaughters answer? Former domestique of Lance Armstrong? Former winner of the Dauphine for US Postal?

I just love the fact that it's not even angry. Just basically "I don't care about your opinion."

 

[The fridge in the blue trees]

Post COVID the face of cycling has changed with super-aggressive racing in all types of racing including Grand Tours - The question to be asked is. Why have the last two editions of the Giro gone against the pattern.

Simple. Because both the Giro 22 and 23 were designed that way. An attempt to keep interest till the end, to have the race decided on the last climb, to keep it open as long as possible. Worked last year, suspense till the end. At the expence of spectacle. Blockhaus early, then really little until Fedaia. Torino was a positive surprise, but the other mountain stages were kind of designed in a way that made sure that it would be hard to make big differences.

This year the same, more TT early, more hard mountains, but by putting the Tre Cime-Lussari combination at the very end you sort of castrate everything before. Laceno did what it was supposed to do, Gran Sasso failed a bit, the wind, but that was going to be small differences anyway. Then Crans Montana, great stage, that could be a big GC battle. But in 90% of cases not with this placement. Crans Montana itself is too easy, Croix de Coeur is where the action would really have to start. But with all that's coming? Most likely outcome is waiting.
Bondone again, it's a nice stage, but the long final climb risks reducing it to a race just there, just the final climb, especially since the penultimate climb isn't all that hard. Now with nobody clearly in command, no contender that really desperately needs to gain time, normally it's just action on the Bondone. But even with Remco 2' ahead that seemed rather likely.
Stage 18 is nice in itself, 3 (or let's say 2,5) not too long but tough enough climbs in the last 30 km. Here things can happen. Oh wait, what's the next day? Right, Tre Cime, Which guarantees less action than there would be if there was an easier stage the next day. Or not clearly the most difficult one of the whole Giro.
Of course I still hope that we see a bit less suspense, more spectacle on Tuesday and Thursday, and expect that there will be differences, but most likely nobody will win the Giro there, just some riders fall out of contention. And then the win comes on Friday+Saturday.

The Giro is designed this way, planned this way, they invite waiting, they want suspense, not spectacle but a decided race on the second weekend. And while the riders make the race, the riders are not stupid either, they know that the differences are all made in the third week. Even with Remco there with 2' advantage we wouldn't have seen that much more action so far, Crans with a full stage, Remco's team as bad as they were until then, Tao still in, then hopefully yes. But basically the riders for the moment are riding exactly the way the route is telling them to ride. Wait for Tuesday, Thursday but mostly Friday. Saturday then is a bit of a mystery anyway...

 

[jmdirt]

I love it when the winner comes from a break!

WOOHOO Brandon Mc!

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Forget about GC guys, there was an interesting breakaway action again with strong guys involved. On Roncola Alta Benny Hill showed climbing class, it seems he's not only a hilly specialist. McNulty was also strong, limited his loss and caught Healy on the descent. Impressive ride by Frigo, who was chasing alone (actually two times) and still managed to fight at the finish. Congrats to Brandon on a great victory at the end. GC guys are still sleeping but there will be hiding from Tuesday on.

 

[Sciatic]

If I counted right, we’ve had riders from 9 different countries winning stages. What’s the record for the Giro?

Potential wins still possible from Slovenia, Britain, Portugal if GC guys ever decide to try.

Found the answer: the record is 12 different nationalities (which is pretty impressive). So I doubt that will happen this year, though still possible.

Different nations winning a stage | ProCyclingStats

www.procyclingstats.com

 

[Tim Cahill]

Vaughters, right sentiment but expressed poorly, the comments of Pinot after the race and some of his fans on social media towards Cepeda have been rather classless. Not saying he shouldn't show his emotions obviously but badmouthing a young rider who was doing what he should've to give himself the best chance of winning isn't right.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Rubio, what an ass.

I just watched the race...yeah, he has an anti-fan in me, for sure. Wheelsucker, and the elbowing on the climb was just stupid. What an unlikeable guy.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I just watched the race...yeah, he has an anti-fan in me, for sure. Wheelsucker, and the elbowing on the climb was just stupid. What an unlikeable guy.

He literally tried to ram Healy into the crowd.

 

[Mayomaniac]

I just watched the race...yeah, he has an anti-fan in me, for sure. Wheelsucker, and the elbowing on the climb was just stupid. What an unlikeable guy.

Nah, that elbowing was fine, Healy moved towards him when the road got more narrow because of the fans and tried to push him away and he wasn't having it. If you run out of space soon you either have to break or you're able to accelerate past the guy. Can't expect the other guy to move for you.
I can understand the dislike for Rubio for not working a lot (if all) in breakaways, but that was a normal racing incident.

 

[Escarabajo]

People trying to find ways to hate Rubio? seriously? couldn't find another idiot for that purpose. I swear, trying to find ways to hate Rubio for that is so stupid that it even sounds ****. Just leave him alone, he is not going to hurt you.

There was nothing wrong there. Absolutely nothing to see there. They even shook hands in the following sprint. Have people ride bicycles in here. In almost every sprint riders lose balance. It is very easy to lose balance, even if it looks otherwise. Even if it is not, it wasn't a big deal trying to outmuscle the other rider within the rules.

 

[Escarabajo]

Nah, that elbowing was fine, Healy moved towards him when the road got more narrow because of the fans and tried to push him away and he wasn't having it. If you run out of space soon you either have to break or you're able to accelerate past the guy. Can't expect the other guy to move for you.
I can understand the dislike for Rubio for not working a lot (if all) in breakaways, but that was a normal racing incident.

In this Giro he has done his due of work IMHO. In the last climb in stage 13 he did not have to work because they kept dropping him.

 

[memyselfandI]

I just watched the race...yeah, he has an anti-fan in me, for sure. Wheelsucker, and the elbowing on the climb was just stupid. What an unlikeable guy.

Actually everyone except leading cyclist are wheelsuckers technically....... Another finding, today, was that Healy tends to change his line in the heat of the battle. I think I've seen ît more than once, close the door so to say, in a bit rude way. Didn't saw that Rubio case fully, just a flash, maybe it wasn't the case that time from Healys side.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Vaughters running his mouth passive-aggressively and in his own self-interest usually just means the day ends in -y.

 

[jmdirt]

More drama

Pinot had so many options for a great comeback...and he completely blew it!

 

[jmdirt]

I just love the fact that it's not even angry. Just basically "I don't care about your opinion."

I'd say that's more of a 'I don't know what to say, so I'll be flippant'. Even if he doesn't know JV the racer, how does he miss the guy who has been the team director of the same team for a dozen or so years?

 

[Peyroteo94]

Pinot is a loser. His weak mentality prevent him from being a gt winner. Guys like Contador or Lance would smash EF riders in the road and shut up JV.

 

[RedheadDane]

I'd say that's more of a 'I don't know what to say, so I'll be flippant'. Even if he doesn't know JV the racer, how does he miss the guy who has been the team director of the same team for a dozen or so years?

He probably does indeed know.
However, this reply shows that the opinion of JV the team manager is not something he cares about.

 

[proffate]

However, this reply shows that the opinion of JV the team manager is not something he cares about.

What would have shown that is not replying

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Pinot is a loser. His weak mentality prevent him from being a gt winner. Guys like Contador or Lance would smash EF riders in the road and shut up JV.

There is no grand tour that Pinot lost which he would have won if he had a stronger mentality. Literally 0. He had illness, Injury, bad luck etc but was only a contention for the win at 2 grand tours and none of those because mentality. I will remember him always on the attack

And who can forget that he left a GT crying, at 23, because he was too scared to descend. And he came back and won big races with descending. This is a strong mentality.

 

[Cookster15]

Pinot is a loser. His weak mentality prevent him from being a gt winner. Guys like Contador or Lance would smash EF riders in the road and shut up JV.

Yes, Professional road racing is soft. Any rider who doesn’t “smash” their rivals no matter what setbacks is soft and a loser.

Such an unnecessary and ill informed comment.

 

[Elos Anjos]

I just realized that even if Giro GC rankings before the MTT were similar to the Tour 2020 rankings there is no way to enable in real time if the Maglia Rosa is loosing the Giro in real time or not. We all remember the moment that Pogacar's time slipped from red to green simultaneously to Roglic's time slipping green to red.

RCC/Tudor has been terrible in providing accurate and real times so there is no way no relive the drama again, even if it happens.

 

[HelloDolly]

Pinot is a loser. His weak mentality prevent him from being a gt winner. Guys like Contador or Lance would smash EF riders in the road and shut up JV.

Ha ha ...calling someone who has stood on the podium of the Tour , who has overcome his fear of descending and who is an honest straight forward guy who shuns the limelight a loser is totally ridiculous

Wonder what great fetes of strength you have achieved macho man

 

[HelloDolly]

I'd say that's more of a 'I don't know what to say, so I'll be flippant'. Even if he doesn't know JV the racer, how does he miss the guy who has been the team director of the same team for a dozen or so years?

By asking who you are he is indicating that JV opinion doesn't matter
Much better put down than any else

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

He literally tried to ram Healy into the crowd.

Yeah, this narrative that Healy did something wrong is BS. Rubio was trying to make him brake by pushing him into fans, because he knew his legs couldn't do the work. There was well enough space for Rubio to move right, with no cost to him at all. He was being a d!ck.