Giro d'Italia 2025, stage 2: Tirana - Tirana (13.7k ITT)

[Jan the Man]

Agreed generally- i would not rule Tarling out (but the hill and amount of corners count against him) whereas if it was a pan flat 14km TT he would be overwhelming favourite here he will be among 6/7 guys who i would not be surprised to do well.

Tough to pick between the likes of Wout, Vaceck, McNulty, Tarling

Outsiders- Rog, Ayuso, Mads, Affini

 

[Cycling111]

Remember how Remco won the Oly TT: spinning cadence and settled positioning that allowed him to ride around wet corners. The Big Dudes were breaking into wet corners and then accelerating back up to speed. The lighter guys can have an advantage here, especially those with quick accelerations.

Remco is superior to Tarling, so he has a bigger margin over other riders.

The time Tarling loses in the corners reduces the margin he has over other riders like Van Aert, Ayuso or Roglic.

 

[Bolder]

Roglic ftw, with Ayuso very close (or vice versa), among the GT favorites. Tiberi also should be very strong and I expect a top 5 from him.

Among the non GT riders, Tarling. Don't know if he dropped himself yesterday but I wouldn't be surprised if it was tactical.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Roglic ftw, with Ayuso very close (or vice versa), among the GT favorites. Tiberi also should be very strong and I expect a top 5 from him.

Among the non GT riders, Tarling. Don't know if he dropped himself yesterday but I wouldn't be surprised if it was tactical.

Nah, not when he had the chance of wearing pink today if he didn't get dropped.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

I love the fact that Bruyneel predicts Vacek to win the stage but Roglic to take pink.

 

[AupaPyama]

Roglic ftw, with Ayuso very close (or vice versa), among the GT favorites. Tiberi also should be very strong and I expect a top 5 from him.

Among the non GT riders, Tarling. Don't know if he dropped himself yesterday but I wouldn't be surprised if it was tactical.

He was also working for Arensman so that doesnt seem the best preparation .

 

[QueenStagiaire]

I love the fact that Bruyneel predicts Vacek to win the stage but Roglic to take pink.

Maybe he‘s expecting both to win by being tied all the way to the hundredth of seconds

 

[RedheadDane]

I love the fact that Bruyneel predicts Vacek to win the stage but Roglic to take pink.

He... does understand how those things work, right?

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Looking at the forecast today, the wind is going to gradually increase throughout the stage. Normally an advantage for the early starters but I'm not really sure here because on the exposed part of the course it's going to be a tailwind up the hill and a headwind back down. The GC riders are going to set the fastest times at the time check but maybe not at the finish.

 

[danielovichdk2]

Kasper Asgreen wins this one.

 

[AupaPyama]

I love the fact that Bruyneel predicts Vacek to win the stage but Roglic to take pink.

Can we all just ignore this man please? He and his compatriot did so much damage to our sport he shouldn't get any attention.

 

[Cycling111]

Can we all just ignore this man please? He and his compatriot did so much damage to our sport he shouldn't get any attention.

By his compatriot do you mean Lance? Bruyneel is Belgian.

 

[KZD]

Tarling is my pick for today despite the climb, the TT should have an almost perfect length for him and his cornering is also really good on a TT bike. Van Aert to take pink and Roglič best GC rider.

 

[Cycling111]

Tarling is my pick for today despite the climb, the TT should have an almost perfect length for him and his cornering is aleo really gokd on a TT bike. Van Aert to take pink and Roglič best GC rider.

I think it's the curves that are more detrimental to him than the climb. I counted 14 on the map, some of them very tight.

That's too many for 13.7 km. He'll have to make up for it with his power on the straights.

 

[YavorD]

My prediction is Ayuso to be the best of the GC riders.
I would say something like:
Ayuso
Roglic +5-10
Tiberi +10-15
Gee/Arensman +12-15
Yates x2 +20
Hindley +25
Bernal/Carapaz +30-35

 

[topcat]

If Tarling doesn't win today, then he will never again be hyped up on the forum.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

I think it's the curves that are more detrimental to him than the climb. I counted 14 on the map, some of them very tight.

That's too many for 13.7 km. He'll have to make up for it with his power on the straights.

Do you think he takes the corners slower than the likes of Roglic, Van Aert etc.? I'm not so sure, actually. Sure, it would be more adventageous for him it there weren't any corners at all, but I don't think they are are a disadvantage per se. He probably trains a lot more on his ITT bike than the other guys and should have better technique.

 

[Cycling111]

Do you think he takes the corners slower than the likes of Roglic, Van Aert etc.? I'm not so sure, actually. Sure, it would be more adventageous for him it there weren't any corners at all, but I don't think they are are a disadvantage per se. He probably trains a lot more on his ITT bike than the other guys and should have better technique.

Yes. Many flat time trial specialists are technically worse.

Remco was overtaken by several riders in the first ITT in Romandie.
It's not the best example because it was a very short prologue, but in a 4km prologue without many curves, Remco wouldn't have been overtaken by all those. The more curves, the more the gap between those specialists and others is compensated.

Van Aert and Ayuso are more technical than Tarling.
Another thing is that Tarling can make up for that disadvantage in 13km.

 

[SafeBet]

I think it's the curves that are more detrimental to him than the climb. I counted 14 on the map, some of them very tight.

That's too many for 13.7 km. He'll have to make up for it with his power on the straights.

According to Bahrein DS Franco Pellizotti, the TT is not particularly technical. Most of the turns are on very wide roads and even the u-turns shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Cycling111]

According to Bahrein DS Franco Pellizotti, the TT is not particularly technical. Most of the turns are on very wide roads and even the u-turns shouldn't be an issue.

You should have said it before so many messages

That means that map is misleading.

 

[SafeBet]

You should have said it before so many messages

That means that map is misleading.

I guess we'll understand a little more when the first rider is on the course.

 

[Cycling111]

I guess we'll understand a little more when the first rider is on the course.

Yes. I let myself be guided too much by the map.

 

[tobydawq]

Mielke reporting that he was at the Lidl-Trek camp where Vacek received his new TT suit where he said, "Anders, I'm going to win the second stage of the Giro in this suit". Apparently a big goal of the season for him.

Will Captain America break his heart again today as he did in the Vuelta?

 

[Tricycle Rider]

And Märkl is on the road, let the thrills and spills commence! (Well, maybe not the spills.)

Start times of favorites per PCS.

Start time	Rider
14:07:00	AFFINI Edoardo
14:56:00	VINE Jay
15:28:00	TARLING Joshua
15:58:00	AYUSO Juan
16:00:00	MCNULTY Brandon
16:05:00	VACEK Mathias
16:14:00	ROGLIČ Primož
16:23:00	TIBERI Antonio
16:53:00	VAN AERT Wout
16:56:00	PEDERSEN Mads

 

[Tim Cahill]

Turned on to see quasi-cyclist Ethan Hayter catching his minute man, or has he been overtaken, who knows.