Giro d'Italia Giro d'Italia 2025 Stage 10: Lucca – Pisa (Time Trial)

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YavorD

Jul 8, 2017
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There are warnings about thunderstorms and rain during the stage, but it's been like that since yesterday.
It there's an actual concern about the amount of rain falling (yes, it intensifies at 3-4 PM), there should've been discussions to start the stage early. Yes, it's likely that GC riders would ride on wet conditions, but if the stage goes they would have to ride in wet conditions anyway.
 
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Red Rick

Red Rick

Feb 20, 2012
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YavorD said:
There are warnings about thunderstorms and rain during the stage, but it's been like that since yesterday.
It there's an actual concern about the amount of rain falling (yes, it intensifies at 3-4 PM), there should've been discussions to start the stage early. Yes, it's likely that GC riders would ride on wet conditions, but if the stage goes they would have to ride in wet conditions anyway.
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Get out of here with your simple, reasonable solutions to problems. This is Il Giro. This is Don Vegni
 
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Rackham

Rackham

Jul 16, 2015
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In the name of respecting grand tour tradition like racing bikes on gravel roads with a peloton going full speed into narrow dusty sectors, just as well it never used to rain in Italy until recent history so they're free to cancel today's stage without impacting Tradition™ if that's their choice. We know this because there isn't a single rainy scene in Gladiator.
 
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YavorD

Jul 8, 2017
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Rackham said:
In the name of respecting grand tour tradition like racing bikes on gravel roads with a peloton going full speed into narrow dusty sectors, just as well it never used to rain in Italy until recent history so they're free to cancel today's stage without impacting Tradition™ if that's their choice. We know this because there isn't a single rainy scene in Gladiator.
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I mean, there's more tradition in gravel roads (literally the sport started on gravel roads) than on a 2km/11% finish where Roglic stomps people.
 
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Rackham

Rackham

Jul 16, 2015
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YavorD said:
I mean, there's more tradition in gravel roads (literally the sport started on gravel roads) than on a 2km/11% finish where Roglic stomps people.
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I mean that's my point, i.e. the almighty call for "tradition" in cycling is absolute nonsense as a concept.

Bikes have changed, the peloton has changed, the racing has changed, the support caravan has changed. It's all different. So anyone invoking 'tradition' as a pretext for gravel sectors might as well call for modern F1 cars to race each other around Monte Carlo's streets without barriers between the cars and the spectators like the good old days because "tradition".

i.e. that's the finality of such reasoning where 'tradition' becomes a selection box arbitrarily used whenever it can backup a current-year decision. And then unironically "extreme weather protocol" is installed and everyone is reminded that this is 2025, not 1925.
 
Armchair Cyclist

Armchair Cyclist

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Is it beyond the wit of organisers to say that, in exceptional weather circumstances, tere will be flexibility in start times, and a maximum time that will be applied to all riders (15% more than 20th placed on the day), even non-starters on the day. Get the top 30 on GC going when the weather forecast is safest, thereafter teams fill the rest of the schedule in a similar "pick the order you like" to that used in a prologue. Anyone who is not GC relevant or fancying their chances of a stage result doesn't need to risk it, can just be given the maximum time.


Starting in reverse GC order maybe matters in a stage 20 or 21 TT, but not at stage 10.
 
Gratemans

Gratemans

Jul 15, 2021
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Armchair Cyclist said:
Is it beyond the wit of organisers to say that, in exceptional weather circumstances, tere will be flexibility in start times, and a maximum time that will be applied to all riders (15% more than 20th placed on the day), even non-starters on the day. Get the top 30 on GC going when the weather forecast is safest, thereafter teams fill the rest of the schedule in a similar "pick the order you like" to that used in a prologue. Anyone who is not GC relevant or fancying their chances of a stage result doesn't need to risk it, can just be given the maximum time.


Starting in reverse GC order maybe matters in a stage 20 or 21 TT, but not at stage 10.
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It's surely an unconventional solution, but this sounds like the best option to me.
 
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YavorD

Jul 8, 2017
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Rackham said:
Bikes have changed, the peloton has changed, the racing has changed, the support caravan has changed. It's all different. So anyone invoking 'tradition' as a pretext for gravel sectors might as well call for modern F1 cars to race each other around Monte Carlo's streets without barriers between the cars and the spectators like the good old days because "tradition".
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No, it's not about tradition. It's all about the fact that GC riders have to prove they're worthy in any kind of terrain.
Also, well designed gravel stage provide more action than most of the mountain stages AND open up a necessary time gaps to make the mountain stages more exciting.
 
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Rackham

Rackham

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Cycling111 said:
In cycling, tradition and history are very important.

For those who don't want to race in the rain, on gravel, or in other road cycling conditions, there's track cycling or zwift.
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The point today is we're seeing some whispers about potential stage cancellation because of the rain. That makes no sense two days after sending a full peloton at top speed onto gravel sectors in the name of 'tradition'. I mean people can spin this however they want but you can't be 'selective' with tradition. Racing in the rain is way more a part of cycling than gravel ever was tbh.

YavorD said:
No, it's not about tradition. It's all about the fact that GC riders have to prove they're worthy in any kind of terrain.
Also, well designed gravel stage provide more action than most of the mountain stages AND open up a necessary time gaps to make the mountain stages more exciting.
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Interesting sentiment but it's not entirely true is it? Certainly not from the 1980's onwards anyway. The "being worthy of any kind of terrain" wasn't a thing when the likes of Marco Pantani were dropping watts bombs on climbs and winning GT's.
 
Devil's Elbow

Devil's Elbow

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Armchair Cyclist said:
Is it beyond the wit of organisers to say that, in exceptional weather circumstances, tere will be flexibility in start times, and a maximum time that will be applied to all riders (15% more than 20th placed on the day), even non-starters on the day. Get the top 30 on GC going when the weather forecast is safest, thereafter teams fill the rest of the schedule in a similar "pick the order you like" to that used in a prologue. Anyone who is not GC relevant or fancying their chances of a stage result doesn't need to risk it, can just be given the maximum time.


Starting in reverse GC order maybe matters in a stage 20 or 21 TT, but not at stage 10.
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I doubt this is allowed under UCI rules. So it would be beyond the wit of our dear bobos in Aigle, not of organisers.
 
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YavorD

Jul 8, 2017
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Rackham said:
Interesting sentiment but it's not entirely true is it? Certainly not from the 1980's onwards anyway. The "being worthy of any kind of terrain" wasn't a thing when the likes of Marco Pantani were dropping watts bombs on climbs and winning GT's.
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How about my second point then?
People still talk about the Montalcino stage, and Giro 2010 as a direct consequence of this stage.

So, in conclusion, well designed gravel stage makes the GT better. Certainly this Giro looks more interesting after the gravel stage than before.
 
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Tim Cahill

May 6, 2021
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Fantastic news for diminutive climber types if this gets binned, nobody wants to see grand tours decided by some rich nerds in a laboratory like formula one. Should get the opportunity to look your opponent in the eyes as you defeat them on a mountain. The only aerodynamics they need is a go-faster backwards cap. #boycottdishonourabletimetrials
 
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Armchair Cyclist

Armchair Cyclist

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Devil's Elbow said:
I doubt this is allowed under UCI rules.
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Neither is race organisers issuing leaders' jerseys in a colour similar to a competing team. Neither is riding on the pavement. So is a team time trial with each rider getting his own time. Neither is considering a number of riders who complete the race on a road parallel to the intended route to have finished the stage (Algarve).Neither are numerous things introduced as ad hoc weather/unforeseen event arrangements.

And why could it (or something similar) not be listed as an allowable contingency plan in races in the rules henceforth?
 
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