Giro d'Italia Stage 11: Lucera - L'Aquila (262km)

[theyoungest]

From the front page:

Bobridge is not going to complete the three weeks of racing. He has probably two more days to go until he pulls out. “Jesus, this race is very hard!” the 20 year old from Goolwa in South Australia said in Avellino at the start of stage 10. “It’s a lot different than other ProTour races. It’s very different from the Tour Down Under!”

Classic.

 

[Moondance]

From the front page:

Classic.

Awwww... Cute.

Either way, i've said it before: putting a 20-year neo-pro in the Giro after he's spent the majority of the pre-season training for the track is tantamount to child abuse.

 

[kurtinsc]

Watching three consecutive stages of Evans shadowing Alexandre like he's domestique of his, i don't really see how you can isolate Evans unless you start to push him away.

Didn't Evans get caught behind at least one crash that Vino made it through today?

 

[Jamsque]

Awwww... Cute.

Either way, i've said it before: putting a 20-year neo-pro in the Giro after he's spent the majority of the pre-season training for the track is tantamount to child abuse.

Oh, stuff and nonsense. He is doing well, and learning a lot I am sure. He is going to pull out before the mountain craziness in the third week, then he'll probably take some time off the bike to recover and come back stronger. Child abuse my ***.

 

[Moondance]

Oh, stuff and nonsense. He is doing well, and learning a lot I am sure. He is going to pull out before the mountain craziness in the third week, then he'll probably take some time off the bike to recover and come back stronger. Child abuse my ***.

Hmmm... I don't know how you define doing well:

1 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana 38:59:00
2 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:01:12
3 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo 0:01:33
[...]
178 Martin Pedersen (Den) Footon-Servetto 1:30:58
179 Guillaume Blot (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit en Ligne 1:33:22
180 Marco Corti (Ita) Footon-Servetto 1:35:47
181 Jack Bobridge (Aus) Garmin - Transitions 1:39:41
182 Damien Gaudin (Fra) Bbox Bouygues Telecom 1:43:41

But this to me does not say "doing well." He's been in the final bus (or the one before that) on almost every stage.... I don't know how that constitutes a learning experience. The kid is 20 and has barely ridden 5 races with the pros and then gets thrown into the toughest race of the year.... To me that's a completely useless move.

 

[kjetilraknerud]

This should be a great stage. My bet will be strong guys like Albasini, Nicki Sørensen, Pozzovivo and Gustav Larsson in the break that could perhaps survive, could be a difficult stage to control if the break is strong. If a big group is together over the last climb, Cunego, Scarponi and Garzelli will have a go. Dark horse: Pinotti..

 

[auscyclefan94]

Pinotti said that if he wins this tage he will dedicate it to the killer (as the stage goes through his region).

 

[python]

damn it, i wont be able to watch it live (1st time this year) but having seen the gc guys contesting an uphill sprint just a day ago, i predict them doing the same in this stage as it's obvious they are hunting for bonuses because of the insecurity of the current gaps between them.

 

[Moondance]

Pinotti said that if he wins this tage he will dedicate it to the killer (as the stage goes through his region).

Nice move Marco... Dedicate your win to a twice convicted dope fiend and not the 300 people who died in L'Aquila?

Seems like a bad PR move.

 

[search]

Pinotti said that if he wins this tage he will dedicate it to the killer (as the stage goes through his region).

he made this statement before the Giro. I think he could have won it from a breakaway but they won't let him go tomorrow. Possibly he did not even expect himself to be that well placed in the overall classification at this stage of the giro.

 

[spanky wanderlust]

i like cunego for this. this stage is tailor made for him. he will outsprint cadel this time.

i look for htc to try to get pinotti in the final selection.

whether a break survives depends on who gets riders in there. a large break with htc, saxo, lg, rabo riders is likely to stay off. a small break will get gobbled up in the last 50k. i'm hoping for the latter. will be fun to see an elite selection fighting for bonuses and stage win glory. i also hope it rains!

pippo could win, but i think his form is questionable.

what is bmc's strategy here? i see cadel isolated most of the stage. hopefully they can someone in a break to take some heat off. but who would that be? they pretty much suck.

 

[hfer07]

I better come up with something clever @ work tomorrow, to be able to watch the stage "in peace"
my favorites are Pozzatto,Gasparotto (if Vino permits)Voeckler,Pineau if eaither one of them are in a breakaway.
If somehow the race is under control until the last 50 Km, I foresee Vino trying to ambush Evans & create an split-if not succeed-we may witness the top 10 sprinting to the finish line once again

 

[Ferminal]

Astana aren't going to kill themselves today, there's too many more important stages left.

Let the other teams do the work (or simply let the break go), since when did Vino need a team to setup his ATTACK.

 

[blaxland]

i like cunego for this. this stage is tailor made for him. he will outsprint cadel this time.

i look for htc to try to get pinotti in the final selection.

whether a break survives depends on who gets riders in there. a large break with htc, saxo, lg, rabo riders is likely to stay off. a small break will get gobbled up in the last 50k. i'm hoping for the latter. will be fun to see an elite selection fighting for bonuses and stage win glory. i also hope it rains!

pippo could win, but i think his form is questionable.

what is bmc's strategy here? i see cadel isolated most of the stage. hopefully they can someone in a break to take some heat off. but who would that be? they pretty much suck.

The main contenders wont let anyone survive of the front and Bmc strategy will be to make sure Cadel is near the front with 14kms to go..The rest will be left to him...and my predictions are;
1st=Evans(2xstages giro)
2nd=Cunego(Little prince/drug free)
3rd=Scarponi/Vino

Would like to see an Italian win this stage...but not very likely.....
Aussies to win another stage...

 

[Wallace]

Pinotti said that if he wins this tage he will dedicate it to the killer (as the stage goes through his region).

What a wuss. Why not just straight up dedicate this stage to Keith Richards, William Burroughs and the Medelin Cartel?

 

[Roland Rat]

Yeah, Cuddles, Vino or Cunego seem the best bets.

Or my old favourite, Oscuro Italiano from a break.

And today's twist: rabid wolves to be released at the bottom of the final climb to chase the front group up.

 

[search]

It's a joke by Pinotti

complete quotation from RIDE Magazine:

Marco Pinotti (with a hint of irony): "This stage is definately the missed oportunity for 'The Killer'! We can expect a nice breakaway with the good riders who won't be ranked too high on GC after the Terminillo. I really like the course: it's up and down all the way with three Grand Prix Montanas (GPM) to be contested. This is propably my preferred stage. Look, if I happen to win it, I'll dedicate the victory to The Killer!"

some pages earlier he even claims about stage 5 being dedicated to Fausto Coppo because he was taking drugs that days. So he surely wouldn't dedicate his win to di Luca...

 

[dsut4392]

It's a joke by Pinotti

complete quotation from RIDE Magazine:

Marco Pinotti (with a hint of irony): "This stage is definately the missed oportunity for 'The Killer'! We can expect a nice breakaway with the good riders who won't be ranked too high on GC after the Terminillo. I really like the course: it's up and down all the way with three Grand Prix Montanas (GPM) to be contested. This is propably my preferred stage. Look, if I happen to win it, I'll dedicate the victory to The Killer!"

some pages earlier he even claims about stage 5 being dedicated to Fausto Coppo because he was taking drugs that days. So he surely wouldn't dedicate his win to di Luca...

Correct. The tone of the article, and Pinotti's general anti-doping stance definitely suggests it's an "up-yours!" to Di Luca. I wonder if hell go so far as to copy Chav's Romandie salute?

 

[auscyclefan94]

Correct. The tone of the article, and Pinotti's general anti-doping stance definitely suggests it's an "up-yours!" to Di Luca. I wonder if hell go so far as to copy Chav's Romandie salute?

Not saying you are, but I hate when posters say that if a doper wins that if clean riders don't make a big scene of it that they are doping too.

 

[Inner Peace]

cunego to win this one.

-- evans and vino to watch each other like a hawk.

I didn't need to go past post no. 2 to find the correct one haaha

If it's raining tho (more taxing) i reckon Evans might nudge them out again. The dude is on high confidence trying to outsprint the sprinters the other day.. crazy move

Vino hasn't reconned the course, has Evans or Cunego?

I too would like to see the Italian champ take it, but i also suspect its a bit hilly and taxing

 

[theyoungest]

Nice move Marco... Dedicate your win to a twice convicted dope fiend and not the 300 people who died in L'Aquila?

Seems like a bad PR move.

I'm sure you knew that Pinotti is not very likely to be Di Luca's friend?

BTW, auscyclefan, way to take a joke out of context.

 

[auscyclefan94]

I'm sure you knew that Pinotti is not very likely to be Di Luca's friend?

BTW, auscyclefan, way to take a joke out of context.

way to completely take my post out of context. i read it from the exact same article as "search". I thought people could realise using there brains that with pinotti's anti doping stance he would not litterally do that.

 

[Jamsque]

Yeah, Cuddles, Vino or Cunego seem the best bets.

Or my old favourite, Oscuro Italiano from a break.

And today's twist: rabid wolves to be released at the bottom of the final climb to chase the front group up.

You've been tipping Oscuro for success nearly every day this Giro, but he has yet to show himself at the front of the race. I really don't think he's in the kind of form fans like you were hoping to see from him.

 

[auscyclefan94]

You've been tipping Oscuro for success nearly every day this Giro, but he has yet to show himself at the front of the race. I really don't think he's in the kind of form fans like you were hoping to see from him.

this may be a dumb question but who is oscuro?

 

[Roland Rat]

You've been tipping Oscuro for success nearly every day this Giro, but he has yet to show himself at the front of the race. I really don't think he's in the kind of form fans like you were hoping to see from him.

Yeah, you're probably right. Oh well, I'm going to keep tipping him in these interim stages and eventually he'll come through for me. I can then claim to be a genius a la ACF and Cuddles.