Giro d'Italia Giro d'Italia 2025 Stage 15: Fiume Veneto – Asiago

[Rechtschreibfehler]

Yesterday, en route to victory, Voigt said that Asgren had clinched his face to a fist.

Beautiful language, who is gonna clench their face to the fist of victory today?

 

[Netserk]

Tiberi told RAI he feels fine and he still wants to get on the final podium.

Grappa descent attack confirmed!

 

[Gigs_98]

I don't remember that well exactly, but IIRC he was dropped on the meme side while Katusha was pacing towards the top and then came back on one of the intermediate sections? If they do the Semonzo side I'm like 95% sure he loses the podium Morcuera style.

I also think Nibali mostly lost that Giro blowing himself up too hard on Blockhaus and Oropa, which is where he lost his leverage over Quintana and put himself into an impossible situation going into the final stage where he basically had to drop Dumoulin and Quintana both.

Exactly. The argument for Nibali is mostly that he deals with stages ridden very hard from far out quite well while Quintana probably would have suffered on the flat after Grappa (in a scenario where Dumoulin is dropped by then). A little far fetched, I'm aware, but this is very relevant to my head cannon of why Nibali should be a 4 time Giro winner.

 

[RedheadDane]

Yesterday, en route to victory, Voigt said that Asgren had clinched his face to a fist.

And afterwards, his hands were all smiling.

 

[Cycling111]

The stage design isn't good. Grappa is too far away, and they're climbing the weaker side of Grappa and Dori. In 2017, they climbed the harder side of Dori, and from the Dori to the finish it was 15 km; today, it's 30 km.

But some can't wait any longer. Those who are more than 3 minutes behind have to try.

Tiberi told RAI he feels fine and he still wants to get on the final podium.

That's the difference between Tiberi and Bernal, even though Bernal may not be in his best shape for a GT.

Bernal wants to win the Giro and he´ll try everything. Tiberi will focus on the podium, like until now, chasing wheels and hoping the others dropped.

 

[Netserk]

Exactly. The argument for Nibali is mostly that he deals with stages ridden very hard from far out quite well while Quintana probably would have suffered on the flat after Grappa (in a scenario where Dumoulin is dropped by then). A little far fetched, I'm aware, but this is very relevant to my head cannon of why Nibali should be a 4 time Giro winner.

Only 4? 2010 (without the mud and the fuga bidone, he'd have been in pink and chained Basso), 2011 (rode poorly against Scarponi, had he only ridden for 2nd behind Contador, he should be the official winner now), 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019. The counterfactual needed for 2020 is a little hard even for me to imagine though.

 

[YavorD]

The stage design isn't good. Grappa is too far away, and they're climbing the weaker side of Grappa and Dori. In 2017, they climbed the harder side of Dori, and from the Dori to the finish it was 15 km; today, it's 30 km.

But some can't wait any longer. Those who are more than 3 minutes behind have to try.

I don't think 3 minutes is that big of a gap to justify such a risky attack.
And given that Del Toro is question mark, the gap may as well be just 2 minutes.
With what's coming in the final week, 2-3 minutes isn't such an impossible gap. You can ship that time on San Valentino and Finestre alone.

 

[topcat]

Nibali had a great career but there were 3 gts and 3 one day races that got away. The funny thing about almost is that it almost never matters.
I'm expecting gc gaps today.
It's unlikely but it would be funny if it was an epic stage after all the compliments about the stage design.

 

[Cycling111]

This whole Giro only has one MTF in the high mountains. Could that be a record?

The other day I read that it's one of the few Giros where there's only one mountain over 2,000 meters on the route.
But some say it's the hardest Giro
The last week is very hard, but the route is too unbalanced because of the first two weeks.

 

[Gigs_98]

Only 4? 2010 (without the mud and the fuga bidone, he'd have been in pink and chained Basso), 2011 (rode poorly against Scarponi, had he only ridden for 2nd behind Contador, he should be the official winner now), 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019. The counterfactual needed for 2020 is a little hard even for me to imagine though.

I guess in 2010 it was also only really one stage which created his entire gap to Basso right. Hm, maybe I should overthink my number. 2011 is actually the one he could easily have in his palmares, but then I'm kinda happy we don't always have to say that Nibali won 5(4) GTs. Clearly however the one I was forgetting was 2022. All he needed was a well timed cough by Almeida and he could have gone straight from 4th to 1st.

 

[Cycling111]

I don't think 3 minutes is that big of a gap to justify such a risky attack.
And given that Del Toro is question mark, the gap may as well be just 2 minutes.
With what's coming in the final week, 2-3 minutes isn't such an impossible gap. You can ship that time on San Valentino and Finestre alone.

I'm not talking about a risky attack. I'm talking about at least testing opponents and seeing their mountain level.
Bernal and Arensman are almost 4 minutes behin. Ineos has to try to something happen every day.

The ones who can be confident in doing nothing today are Roglic, and Ayuso, Carapaz and Simon on his wheel, because he knows he can be superior one day. Bernal and Arensmann arent Roglic, they probably won't win the Giro in Finestre.
With that difference they need something to happen every day.

 

[Red Rick]

I guess in 2010 it was also only really one stage which created his entire gap to Basso right. Hm, maybe I should overthink my number. 2011 is actually the one he could easily have in his palmares, but then I'm kinda happy we don't always have to say that Nibali won 5(4) GTs. Clearly however the one I was forgetting was 2022. All he needed was a well timed cough by Almeida and he could have gone straight from 4th to 1st.

2010 Monte Grappa meanwhile is great for my unipuerto propaganda.

2011 Nibali I think doesn't get away with how bad he was on Finestre if he's ahead of Scarponi in GC there.

 

[solo80k]

But some say it's the hardest Giro

Hardest Giro... to watch for the first 14 stages for sure.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Yesterday, en route to victory, Voigt said that Asgren had clinched his face to a fist.

Beautiful language, who is gonna clench their face to the fist of victory today?

Kudos to Jens for attempting to speak in a foreign language. I certainly wouldn't know my face from my fist in German.

But our world would be colourless without imperfections. Thanks to Jens I'm now hearing Ivan Drago say to Rocky Balboa: "I will clinch your face to my fist."

 

[RedheadDane]

Honoré: It's almost embarrasing to be a Dane in this Giro, and not having won a stage. We gotta get our acts together, me and Jakob.

Kudos to Jens for attempting to speak in a foreign language. I certainly wouldn't know my face from my fist in German.

Just make sure you don't ask someone where your "kopf" is.

 

[Netserk]

Masnada in front of the peloton in the neutral zone, @Ilmaestro99.

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

Kudos to Jens for attempting to speak in a foreign language. I certainly wouldn't know my face from my fist in German.

In this case he said it in German, I translated it. "Das Gesicht zur Faust geballt!" was the original the way I remember it.

But our world would be colourless without imperfections. Thanks to Jens I'm now hearing Ivan Drago say to Rocky Balboa: "I will clinch your face to my fist."

I also have to say that I looked at Asgrens face when Jens said this, and he was kinda right.
For me I don't share Jens funny comments to make fun of him, but because I enjoy his imperfections and also his overly optimistic enthusiasm most of the time.

 

[Netserk]

Masnada on the wheel of Van Aert!

 

[topcat]

The most likely outcome today:
Del Toro gains another minute.
Conclusion: he will collapse on Finestre.

 

[Netserk]

Van Aert has escaped with an Alpecin rider. Vacek has joined them.

Tarling also bridged across on his own.

 

[Red Rick]

Guys, I massively improved the stage design

 

[Tim Cahill]

Several tactical polar bears trying to get in the break

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

Guys, I massively improved the stage design

Nah, the climb needs to be at the beginning of the stage and the rest is 100k downhill ending in 3 hairpin corners.

 

[RedheadDane]

Several tactical polar bears trying to get in the break

Now there's a metaphor I haven't heard before.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Guys, I massively improved the stage design

How about