Giro d'Italia Stage 20: Bormio - Passa del Tonale (178km)

[Moondance]

Ok folks. Last road stage of the Giro. Looks tough, Gavia is big. Basso FTW.

 

[ludwig]

I like the Italian trio from today to make another go on the Gavia and then fight amongst themselves for the podium placings on the Tonale.

Arroyo and Evans will have to hope one of Scarponi, Basso, or Nibali have a bad day.

Overall it looks good for Basso but anything can happen on a stage like this.

 

[Jamsque]

Insane stage. A test of endurance more than climbing ability, I think.

 

[saganftw]

i hope it will be snowy and rainy and half of the field wont make it to the finish

 

[dgodave]

i hope it will be snowy and rainy and half of the field wont make it to the finish

and maybe some lightning and a landslide!
.

 

[nickel999]

Insane stage. A test of endurance more than climbing ability, I think.

Agreed, this reminds me of those ultramarathons that people run right in the middle of a grand tour.

 

[Wallace]

It'll be worse than Iwo Jima and the Somme combined.

 

[Cobblestones]

A lot of climbing in the thin air above 2000 m. Very very hard. How's the weather forecast? Snow? rain?

 

[aarnold517]

Moondance where's the literary flourish in your stage description?

I can see cunego finally taking a win though, wouldn't be surprised if he took it a little easy today to allow himself to go for the stage tomorrow

 

[dgodave]

A lot of climbing in the thin air above 2000 m. Very very hard. How's the weather forecast? Snow? rain?

Oh bosh. I was just up there riding a couple days ago. Plenty of air....
.

 

[issoisso]

Hoping someone like Sastre or Vino will try a kamikaze long range attack.

By the way, it's "Passo", not "Passa"
Don't copy from CN.com, they have it wrong.

 

[Moondance]

Hoping someone like Sastre or Vino will try a kamikaze long range attack.

By the way, it's "Passo", not "Passa"
Don't copy from CN.com, they have it wrong.

Well I did copy....

Couldn't be fucked to put in the effort.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

After seeing Basso descent today, you gotta assume they will tear it up on the gavia again.
I can't wait to watch a doping accusation frenzy tomorrow

Go Sastre !

 

[WLVStudios]

Keep up to date as we head into the last weekend of the Giro. Who do you think will be first when Stage 21 is complete in Verona?



Catch all the highlights at Giro Central: http://www.universalsports.com/cycling/event/giro-d-italia.html.

 

[oronet commander]

Arroyo will attack on the wet descent of the Gavia and will recover the maglia by 5", leaving everything for the TT in Verona

That's the finale such a wonderful Giro deserves

 

[issoisso]

Couldn't be fucked

Well, at least you tried

 

[Moondance]

Well, at least you tried

I am so not doing this for the Tour

 

[issoisso]

I am so not doing this for the Tour

If you're an intelligent person like I think you are, you won't set foot in this forum for the entirety of July

The fanboys will be beyond the impossible. And I don't just mean the Armstrong ones. (At least in my experience the Contador fanboys managed to be far less rational last year)

 

[Francois the Postman]

So after the last 3 weeks they decide to top it off with this stage just for kicks and giggles. Crazy.

I think what we are starting to see is just how hard it is for everyone to keep it together for a full 3 weeks anno 2010. Which means that this ain't over yet, as they all looked spent yesterday, towards the end.

Penultimate stage and everyone in the top still has their work cut out to secure their placing or improve upon it.

Though it might be nice to revisit my pre-giro predictions and to see how they had survived:

1. Sastre
2. Evans
3. Garzelli
4. Pozzovivo
5. Vino

Only Evans and Vino are riding the Giro as I had pictured it. Sastre not there, Garzelli was my dark horse entry, he needed to ride exceptionally well to be there, and he hasn't - miles off the pace. I figured a good early breakaway might let him cling onto this spot - seems Arroyo is filling those boots now. Pozzovivo did 10 stages with a fracture and dropped out. **** happens.

Both Basso and Nibali are riding well above where I had them. Vino had shown he still had it to be almost there. Maybe I should have figured out that Basso too would then have what it takes. I thought Nibali would do very well, but would be too young for 3 weeks even if he had prepared to be here in peak form, which he hadn't. The kid has grown up it seems if this is what he can do as a call-up.

From a personal interest pov, not sure who has impressed me more, Kruijswijk or Mollema. Rabo has a lot to look forward to if this is the Dutch generation coming through (if they remain on their team). As a unit, for a young leaderless team (with 2 riders that were not supposed to be here), they have done good. Just 19 minutes off the pace from Liquigas in the team rankings, that is impressive, all the more if you see where the rest ranks. Shame the team here was indeed too weak to make one single attempt count, but I'd still be pretty chuffed with how the riders came through these 3 weeks, if I was Rabo.

How are people's predictions holding up?

 

[Francois the Postman]

At me to the list of folk who say "thank you" for the thread starters Moondance. Appreciated.

 

[icefire]

Let's just hope there's not a single off-road descent. The South side of the Gavia is a really fearful road to ride downhill.

 

[taiwan]

Moondance where's the literary flourish in your stage description?

I can see cunego finally taking a win though, wouldn't be surprised if he took it a little easy today to allow himself to go for the stage tomorrow

Would like to see that, but don't think he would have been saving energy for a stage win tomorrow when he arrived at about 5 minutes today. if he'd rolled in at 20 minutes, I might suspect that, but I think he's just doing what he can to retain his GC placing.

 

[Barrus]

Moondance realy appreciated your work all throughout the Giro, I'm stating it now because I don't know if I'll be in the forum when you put on the next topic.

For tomorrow, I think Liqui will try to ensure everything stays together and let Basso attack again on the Gavia, mainly because he needs at least 1'30" going into that descent if he wants to keep the pink jersey

 

[Mellow Velo]

Eat your heart out, Poor de France. Got any climbs like this along the Paris Périphérique?

Now der bad news. Just checked out the Passo di Gavia Meteo and yup, snow forecast for the am, heavy rain in the pm.

Let's just hope there's not a single off-road descent. The South side of the Gavia is a really fearful road to ride downhill.

Basso? Brown shorts, never mind pink jersey, IMO. He'll be terrified of the Gavia Descent from this side.

 

[markene2]

If it is rain tomorrow then Vino will have good shot at this. I thin Basso will be up there. Scarponi, Nibali and Evans will crack. Evans will lose much.