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

[Ferminal]

I wonder what the current state of affairs is in the peloton w/ regards to race fixing? And before you Australians get all worked up and sanctimonious about integrity, just remember that your own Allan Peiper was the biggest race fixer of all! LOL

Peiper told cyclingnews.com:

"Looking back you might say romantic but it was a life struggle in those days you know and I sold races to win races.

"I made deals with two or three riders in the same race that they'd pay me if they won, but I still sprinted for first prize; if I won I took the money for first prize and if they beat me I took the money they paid me and my second prize."

What a scoundrel!

 

[BroDeal]

Which Giro was it that Simoni did not allow Pantani to win a stage? It must have been 2000 or 2001 when Pantani came into the Giro not in great shape, rode himself into form, and challenged for a win in the last week. There was the same uproar about Simoni being ungenerous to Pantani. It is not like Simoni is unfamiliar with this type of situation. At his peak he was not exactly the sort who would have gifted a win.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I believe it was 2003, the stage to Alpe di Pampeago. Marco was out solo and Simoni lead a select group that basically ignored him, caught him and went right past him. Marco wouldn't have won the stage anyway, but people were wondering why Simoni, who was already in the Maglia Rosa, would bother chasing Marco down when he was no threat on GC.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Because it doesn't nessercarily help strong riders on weak teams. If it wasn't the giro it would ofclosed the gc right up.

lol you missed my point completely.
I wasn't asking 'why should we take the TTT out of the giro?"
I get the TTT can be unfair.

I was talking about someone discussing what the race would have been without the TTT, and I suggested it was a hypothetical situation.

 

[Mellow Velo]

I believe it was 2003, the stage to Alpe di Pampeago. Marco was out solo and Simoni lead a select group that basically ignored him, caught him and went right past him. Marco wouldn't have won the stage anyway, but people were wondering why Simoni, who was already in the Maglia Rosa, would bother chasing Marco down when he was no threat on GC.

Close, but no cigar.
It was 2003, but the Cascata del Toce stage, the day after Garzelli and Pantani crashed in that snowy, slushy descent, ruining Marco's handy GC position..
Pantani attacked a number of times, but each time he was caught. Finally, when he made an attack that looked like it would stick, Simoni chose to put the hammer down, eventually taking a narrow win from Dario Frigo.

Simoni said later, he regretted the decision to go after Pantani.
It turned out to be Marco's last dance in the mountains.

Funnily enough, I was think along the same lines as Bro.
What goes around comes around, I guess.

 

[craig1985]

I would have an issue with Tschopp contesting the Cima, if he hadn't clearly been after the stage win.
He set his stall out on the descent, having first had the gall to first drop Simoni, then, demanded that he came straight through to work on the front, when Gibo got back to his wheel.
Simoni daftly obliged and did most of the graft to the summit, only for the Swiss cheese to come off his wheel and pinch his last hurrah.
Tosseur Tschopp.

Mate, it's a ****ing bike race, not a ****ing charity race. Get over yourself.