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

[The Sheep]

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.

seconded

...

 

[benpounder]

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)

And the Schlecklet fanboys, and the Gesink fanboys, and the Valverde fanboys, and the Cav fanboys and....

Then there are all the anti-fanboys as well.

 

[dgodave]

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

I didnt see a Basso attack. I saw all but 2 others fail to keep his pace.
.
Is the Gavia profile such that an actual attack is necessary to shed riders?
.

 

[Barrus]

I didnt see a Basso attack. I saw all but 2 others fail to keep his pace.
.
Is the Gavia profile such that an actual attack is necessary to shed riders?
.

Oh, you know what I mean

 

[dgodave]

Oh, you know what I mean

I'm just trying out my race-chat... Seeing if I can talk about anything besides basilcas and hilltowns.
.

 

[jens_attacks]

if we'll have snow on passo di gavia,vino will get the maglia rosa.
now seriously,vino showed us he's in good form so he'll attack.who will follow him?

please zomegnan don't take away gavia,please.

 

[HL2037]

And the Schlecklet fanboys, and the Gesink fanboys, and the Valverde fanboys, and the Cav fanboys and....

Then there are all the anti-fanboys as well.

Watch for the Schleck fangirls, they are the worst of them all.

The commentators on DK Eurosport mentioned today, that rain was expected for tomorrow. So maybe things can still change, Basso descending like he wore a parachute.

 

[luckyboy]

I can see a similar result to today, though obviously not in groups.

 

[Moondance]

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

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.

seconded

...

Thank you guys

 

[Mellow Velo]

Watch for the Schleck fangirls, they are the worst of them all.

The commentators on DK Eurosport mentioned today, that rain was expected for tomorrow. So maybe things can still change, Basso descending like he wore a parachute.

Mis-judge a corner at speed and it's 20 seconds to the bottom, without one!

I'd like to add a big thank you, too, Moondance, although I was waiting for Sunday, cos I'm trying to avoid a case of S.A.D.

 

[twelvetowns]

giro landis armstrong et al

Isnt what I,ve seen over the last three weeks proof positive that this sport ,at its highest level, is just too brutal and inhuman for anyone to truly comprehend unless you have to do it? No other sportsmen in the world have to display such courage. Arroyo was risking his life on the last descent. Any wonder then that these forums are filled with conjecture regarding doping and cheating. What would we do, what would we have to do, just to finish today. Oh I forgot, tomorrow We have to do the same. We want a clean sport ,we want a spectacle. We want it all.

 

[HL2037]

Mis-judge a corner at speed and it's 20 seconds to the bottom, without one!

I'd like to add a big thank you, too, Moondance, although I was waiting for Sunday, cos I'm trying to avoid a case of S.A.D.

I know, and believe me I prefer that they descend a little too slow to a little too fast. But today Arroyo took a minute on the way down Mortirolo...

I also thank Moondance for setting the discussions up. Nobody in my surroundings understands my interest in cycling, so it is nice to come in here.

 

[issoisso]

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

Same here, of course

 

[Wallace]

Me too. Thanks Moondance.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Tomorrow's route plans outlined:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/giro-set-to-climb-the-gavia-on-saturday

 

[B.Rasmussen]

Thanks Moondance, your threads throughout the giro has been very helpful.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I don't remember exactly, but I think i thought Evans would win ahead of Pellizotti and Vino, and I thought Pozzovivo was a sure top 5. Also expected Garzelli in the top 10. Since Pellizotti didn't race I didn't really think Basso could win, more likely top 5.
Oh well. Cycling remains unpredictable
The only thing I was close with was I thought Mollema could do top 15. So he lived up to that.

 

[Francois the Postman]

Tomorrow's route plans outlined:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/giro-set-to-climb-the-gavia-on-saturday

You gotta love this bit:

"But in case the weather gets worse and for the safety of the race caravan, we've got a plan b that includes a plan b1, b2, b3: We could have a stage without the Forcola and with the Gavia, with the Forcola and without the Gavia or without both of them. The plan b also includes the Mortirolo from the other side used today plus the climb of Trivigno and Santa Cristina, so that the stage still includes 4200 metres of climbing.

Nevermind who will win this stage, we can start the other discussion first: what route will they take!

First dips on B2.

 

[trompe le monde]

….

How are people's predictions holding up?

Quite well, since I didn't really have any. I had expectations, but I never did manage to actually say anything definitive. I wanted Sastre to win and if not him, then Nibali.

I hope tomorrow that Arroyo can somehow manage to scale back a bit of time and Basso has un jour sans. I've become a fan of Arroyo this last week as he really has squeezed every gram of effort from within his soul to hang on to the Maglia Rosa. Shame Caisse lost Jeannesson today - he was a good sherpa for Arroyo on part of the Zoncolan.

edit: And again, many thanks Moondance for being the de facto thread starter.

 

[hfer07]

I'd love to see a match in descending skills between Arroyo & Nibali-insane!!!!
apart from that, I guess the stage could be won by anyone from the top 10

 

[ludwig]

Re. predictions, my gut told me Basso, but Evans seemed to have everything going his way so I picked him. It turns out Basso was indeed playing mind games when he said he was coming in under-form and under-raced. Plus the odds-makers had Evans by a healthy margin over Basso and who am I to know better than them?

When you consider the odds were something like 6-1 for a Basso victory, some lucky gamblers are going to see a big windfall.

 

[maltiv]

Personally, my predictions for the giro were mostly awesome. On my Feltet.dk manager team (riders costs different amounts of virtual money, buy all before race and no changes) I've got Matthew Lloyd, Richie Porte, Marco Pinotti, Bauke Mollema, John Gadret, Pozzato, Henderson and, sadly, Sastre. All of which have performed amazingly in the giro, except from the guy I spent more than half my money on, Sastre. If I had Basso on my team instead of Sastre I would've most likely have been 1. and won a solid pair of Zipp wheels!

 

[Inner Peace]

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

............

How are people's predictions holding up?

After Evans won Fleche, Vino won Liege, Pellizotti was axed, I re-predicted as:

1. Evans
2. Sastre
3. Basso
4. Vino
5. Scarponi

Basso has blown my mind in this race. I thought he would crack when the mountains got steep. I thought Nibali would fade in the third week. And I thought Sastre would shine in the third week, whilst I tipped Evans for the Plan de Corones TT win....

Not perfect predictions, but this race has been atrocious to pick winners in. It's been an amazing race really. Basso and Evans are going to be hurting come July for the Tour.

Does anyone feel that Evans is just going to hang on for a top 5 now, and then reboot for a crack at 3rd in the Tour?

That would be a great season for anyone, but unless he decides to skip the Tour and go the Vuelta, I think the frustrated Australian may well be missing that GT trophy in his trophy cabinet by careers end... Giro 2011 needs a longer time trial (a la 2009 Menchov) for this fella to win a GT

....


EDIT (for stage predictions)

Nibali
Basso
Scarponi

GAP ( 1-2 minutes)

Evans
Vino
Sastre

GAP (1-2 minutes)

Arroyo
Porte
Cunego

If Scarponi wants that podium, he well be the attacker, and his form suggests that Vino, Sastre and Evans won't hang on (is Evans sick? what's this, 'I'll explain in Verona crap' - is in Landis/Lelangue related??). Basso and Nibali can bide them time, and then overtake Scarponi for the win - i suspect Basso would let his young absolutely-super-domestic have another stage win.

 

[LukeSchmid]

Well done Moondance on your thread starting efforts, really enjoyed them and having them up so promptly so consistently was brilliant.

As for my thoughts, I was predicting/ desperately hoping for Evans and thought Sastre would be his main danger. Had dismissed Basso a bit.

 

[Steampunk]

I've become a fan of Arroyo this last week as he really has squeezed every gram of effort from within his soul to hang on to the Maglia Rosa.

Yes: Arroyo has ridden very well and impressed in his defense of the Maglia Rosa. His descending today was very convincing.

I picked Sastre to win, wrote him off after the first week, and then bought in again after L'Aquila, then wrote him off again after the Plan de Corones. But he looked very comfortable today and well within his limits, and if someone is going to make a break for it tomorrow, I suspect it will be him. Evans and Vino both look beaten. Scarponi will fight very hard to make it on the podium, but it will be interesting to see if Sastre can find his legs for tomorrow.