Giro d'Italia: Stage 2: Alba - Parma 244km

[insideout leadout]

At 50kms in, Lang has 18 minutes.
That means the peloton have covered less than 40km.

He much does he need to win the giro?

 

[auscyclefan94]

Glad I'm not staying up for this...

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

What a way to start what is likely to be the hardest Grand Tour in recent history: More than 200 km on your own. Omega Pharma Lotto certainly can't complain about Lang's appetite for work.

 

[Ferminal]

If it's going to be like this I might use the time for a couple of hours shut eye...

 

[rhubroma]

That is just Cav talking....when he's 100% for MSR he's only 50%.

Bah...he's talking in light of the Tour, when he's absolutely got to be at 100%.

If he were Italian, then I think we could agree he's "just talking" (making excuses).

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

He much does he need to win the giro?

About 18 hours.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

It's already better than most stages when HTC control the péloton. They normally give him 2-3 minutes then just sit there letting them hang out there all day.

edit: David Harmon just tweeted the race position, followed by "time to eat, I can see it unfolding already".

Not quite as sarcastic as Boardman's "I just had a nap for a couple of hours, woke up and found that everything was exactly as I left it" from the Tour last year, but still quite damning.

 

[spalco]

That is just Cav talking....when he's 100% for MSR he's only 50%.

Yeah, sounds like he's just downplaying expectations.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

18 mins already, shame he hasn't got any breakaway companions; it would get interesting. Not now though

 

[auscyclefan94]

It's already better than most stages when HTC control the péloton. They normally give him 2-3 minutes then just sit there letting them hang out there all day.

edit: David Harmon just tweeted the race position, followed by "time to eat, I can see it unfolding already".

Not quite as sarcastic as Boardman's "I just had a nap for a couple of hours, woke up and found that everything was exactly as I left it" from the Tour last year, but still quite damning.

You're predictable! nice to open with a sarcastic comment about HTC. I am liking you're idea about having a prologue up that Surmano climb

 

[insideout leadout]

Bah...he's talking in light of the Tour, when he's absolutely got to be at 100%.

If he were Italian, then I think we could agree he's "just talking" (making excuses).

Well he lives in Italy so he learnt the way. He doesn't want that kind of pressure at the giro. I still think he's in better form than he suggests and he will prove it today.

 

[spalco]

A prologue down the Surmano climb could be entertaining too.

 

[rhubroma]

Well he lives in Italy so he learnt the way. He doesn't want that kind of pressure at the giro. I still think he's in better form than he suggests and he will prove it today.

Well he aparently went really well in the TTT, so you could be right.

But I doubt he's at 95-100%

 

[auscyclefan94]

Hmmm, tommorow should be interesting. Quite a few undulations but the way Petacchi is riding, he'll make it over the climbs and take the win. I think Visconti and Hoogerland will have a go tommorow (or at least that would be smarter).

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Well he lives in Italy so he learnt the way. He doesn't want that kind of pressure at the giro. I still think he's in better form than he suggests and he will prove it today.

my thoughts exactly Cav loves Italy

 

[insideout leadout]

Well he aparently went really well in the TTT, so you could be right.

But I doubt he's at 95-100%

94,9% really

 

[auscyclefan94]

Well he lives in Italy so he learnt the way. He doesn't want that kind of pressure at the giro. I still think he's in better form than he suggests and he will prove it today.

You don't necessarily have to have top form to sprint well. Cav will be fine but I hope asthma-jet opens the account for this years giro

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

A prologue down the Surmano climb could be entertaining too.

They did a downhill time trial in 1987, down the Poggio.

Stephen Roche won it and then accused the organisers of trying to get riders killed!

 

[rhubroma]

94,9% really

Or 94,9 %. (yours backwards).

 

[El Pistolero]

Or 94,9 %. (yours backwards).

Can't believe I had to think 5 seconds over that.

 

[meandmygitane]

Gazzetta-liveticker saying they are doing 596,7 km/h with 167km to go, or something like that
....
Ah, back to 46 km/h, Lang is a beast! 2h averaging over 40km/h, a real workout...

 

[theswordsman]

I wonder how much a guy like Lang could give physically if he treated this like a one day classic and was willing to take a stage win and the pink jersey and fly home tomorrow? I mean, leave nothing in the tank, and have to get carried off his bike at the finish?

 

[El Pistolero]

I wonder how much a guy like Lang could give physically if he treated this like a one day classic and was willing to take a stage win and the pink jersey and fly home tomorrow? I mean, leave nothing in the tank, and have to get carried off his bike at the finish?

He'd still lose, he's not the most gifted one day rider in the world. Let alone do a 240km solo.

 

[insideout leadout]

I wonder how much a guy like Lang could give physically if he treated this like a one day classic and was willing to take a stage win and the pink jersey and fly home tomorrow? I mean, leave nothing in the tank, and have to get carried off his bike at the finish?

I think he could give it all. But really what he should do is try to trick the peloton and speed up the tempo with 10k to go if he still got a minute.

 

[meandmygitane]

I think he would need 15mins or something absurd to win, when he hits the climb (~36km to go), over a chasing peloton.

But if absolutely no-one in the peloton wants to work, sure


It was +19.18 with 161km to go, now only 147km.