Giro d'Italia Giro d'Italia 2025, stage 1: Durrës - Tirana (160.0k)

[Didinho]

Wout has been sick the last weeks. Makes it a bit more less predictable for the first stage.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Wout has been sick the last weeks. Makes it a bit more less predictable for the first stage.

It‘s not like he‘d win the sprint with his eyes closed anyway at the moment.

 

[Red Rick]

What's this intermezzo. Did Roglic get lost again?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

It‘s not like he‘d win the sprint with his eyes closed anyway at the moment.

That sounds more like Philipsen behaviour anyway.

 

[titan31]

I think it's the kind of stage where if the right riders attacked a big sprint could easily be avoided, but most of those riders are gc guys and so none of them will actually do it.

Maybe likes of Pidcock, Scaroni, Hermans might go.

 

[titan31]

I was just scanning the start list, and other than Pidcock, there are few candidates for hating on.

Any suggestions on who else?

The Max announcers will be British, so if they gush too much over a countryman I suppose I could find a candidate there. Scanning the list for British riders everyone else seems too likable. Maybe Tarling, if they really go overboard, but I expect they will only gush during the TTs

Will Robbie McEwan be broadcasting? But he usually keeps the cheering to a modest level. So the Aussies seem safe enough.

Tiberi is the easiest one (unless you hate cats like he does)

 

[King Of The Wolds]

I was just scanning the start list, and other than Pidcock, there are few candidates for hating on.

Any suggestions on who else?

The Max announcers will be British, so if they gush too much over a countryman I suppose I could find a candidate there. Scanning the list for British riders everyone else seems too likable. Maybe Tarling, if they really go overboard, but I expect they will only gush during the TTs

Will Robbie McEwan be broadcasting? But he usually keeps the cheering to a modest level. So the Aussies seem safe enough.

Don't know where you live, but I'm sure there's some help and support available for people like you 👍

 

[King Of The Wolds]

I've decided to Hayter-watch this Giro, but I don't expect a lot of Ethantainment.

Hayters gonna hayt, hayt, hayt, hayt, hayt, hayt.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Pidcock will probably try to make a big attack on the last climb or descent, that could make the stage more interesting.

 

[Gratemans]

I don't know, it just doesn't look hard enough for an attack to shed the faster riders and make it to the finish. I'm expecting Groves or Pedersen to take this one.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

The start of stage 1 is the end of the entry period for the Giro CQ Game. About 37 hours left on both counts.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Giro live team presentations

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0IgO0ymsdM

o gawd! Anthony McCrossan is doing his weird "let's stick an -ahh on the end of every name" again

Listened as far as "Derek Gee-ahh", then just decided it would be too irritating to watch any more.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

So EF have a fairly tame alternative to some of their historic avoidance-of-pink kits, but they have joined Bahrain/Movistar/UAE in ignoring the rule that their kits must not clash with the young rider's jersey, just as Jayco and all the teams in blue have apparently been unperturbed by the big announcement at the beginning of the year that teams must avoid colour clashes with all the leaders' jerseys in all the GTs (in much the same way as race organisers have ignored the part of that rule that said they must make sure in all other races that their leaders' kits are distinct from any of the competing teams' kits)

 

[SafeBet]

o gawd! Anthony McCrossan is doing his weird "let's stick an -ahh on the end of every name" again

Listened as far as "Derek Gee-ahh", then just decided it would be too irritating to watch any more.

Seriously why does he do that???
Been around Italian people for too long?

 

[tobydawq]

o gawd! Anthony McCrossan is doing his weird "let's stick an -ahh on the end of every name" again

Listened as far as "Derek Gee-ahh", then just decided it would be too irritating to watch any more.

He is just the absolute worst. How can he still be employed?

 

[Heston]

Groves could threaten Pedersen here if he is back in good shape. But doubtful when hes just coming back from injury.

 

[search]

Groves could threaten Pedersen here if he is back in good shape. But doubtful when hes just coming back from injury.

what injury is he coming from? Didn't he drop out of his last race (Catalunya) due to sickness?!

 

[Netserk]

what injury is he coming from? Didn't he drop out of his last race (Catalunya) due to sickness?!

Knee pain in Catalunya, afaik. I guess it was just a precaution then to leave the race as he injured that(?) knee last year.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Groves was also coming back from a knee injury last year and proceeded to finish in between Milan and Merlier in the points classification. I doubt he'll beat Pedersen but I do expect him to be the closest competitor once again.

 

[Poursuivant]

o gawd! Anthony McCrossan is doing his weird "let's stick an -ahh on the end of every name" again

Listened as far as "Derek Gee-ahh", then just decided it would be too irritating to watch any more.

Vengagar

 

[Potomac]

I'm too excited, why do we have to wait until Friday?

 

[HashRouge]

Vengagar

How is this so accurate

Anthony McCrossan is not a name I recognise (I'm a newer cycling fan) and I was reading the earlier comments thinking "I wonder who that is". As soon as I saw your comment, I was certain I knew 100% who people were talking about. Double checked the Giro presentation to confirm. Yup.

 

[Cycling111]

It seems very hard for Kooij.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1920401151490482599

View: https://x.com/ammattipyoraily/status/1920401151490482599

 

[proffate]

Vengagar

I mean that's just his accent imo. I rather he speak in his natural accent than try to imitate Danish.

I kind of like mccrossan. Actually I really liked the duo of Marty McCrossan and Maggy Backstedt about 15+ years ago on cycling.tv (I think it was?), I think Marty is the brother of Anthony. Marty is funnier but Anthony is less banal than Rob Hatch and less error-prone than Kirby.

And I'm not a scholar of British accents, so dunno if it's Cockney or what, but it feels more approachable and working-class compared to the posh nonsense spewed forth by Phil Liggett. As in, I'm happier to give him a pass if he does make a factual error whereas when Phil does it, he seems senile and out of touch.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

well, there are fundamental problems with this parcours. Lack of TT kms, not enough tough classic/hilly stages and the backloading. However the three stages in Albania looks very good so we could see a great start to the race. On another note I do think the field is one of the more interesting in recent times primarily because the favoritism of Roglic seems overstated. Let the show begin.