Giro d'Italia Stage 3: Amsterdam-Middelburg (209km)

[zapata]

Evans in front of the chase. Has he no teammates anywhere?

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Did anybody recognize the Rabo's in group 1? Those 2? I have no idea

Mollema should be one...

 

[davis_123]

the front group is spread all over, 2nd is in a line so you would expect the gap to shrink

 

[Kender]

he should panic. noone gonig to help him get back except cervelo

 

[theyoungest]

Mollema should be one...

No, Mollema is with Evans.

 

[python]

now all we need is vino to take the 20 second bonus. whatta stage

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Evans is bringing them back!

 

[Cobblestones]

Evans completely isolated from his team on a flat stage. Great success.

SSTDD same shitty team different day.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Another crash!! Modolo and Pinotti down.

 

[ak-zaaf]

Mollema on the ground. Not his day.

Or is it Modolo? Should be Modolo, nm.

 

[davis_123]

down from 25 to 18

 

[Jamsque]

The front group is getting plenty of help from the camera moto.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

31 seconds, half a minute, good news for Vino, Basso and Garzelli

 

[Mellow Velo]

Another crash. Gap going out.........

 

[zapata]

greipel is in the front group, yes?

 

[Hugo Koblet]

No, Mollema is with Evans.

Oh my bad then. Definately thought I saw him.

 

[ak-zaaf]

SSTDD same shitty team different day.

His old teammate Lang is there. Says it all.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Wigans has stopped at a hair salon. Oh the humanity!

 

[Kender]

No, Mollema is with Evans.

then why is he not helping pull? evans having to do it himself

 

[davis_123]

nevermind back to 31....

 

[Highlander]

I think that this has to be setting some type of a record for the most crashes in the first few stages of a GT. I've seen plenty of early crashes in other races, but I can't ever remember one like this where the riders appear to go down every few minutes. Oh well, it does at least make these flat days much more interesting.

 

[Cobblestones]

nevermind back to 31....

He's limiting his loss now.

 

[Mongol_Waaijer]

The roads in Holland are simply too small and furnished to cope with a 180 man peloton, especially nearer the towns. It is just too built up and pedestrianised.

Having raced in Holland as an elite amateur I can tell you that the elites have a great way of making it safer. The problem is that there are too many riders, and everyone wants to be near the front. Thus thye best guys hit the front in Kilometer 1, and string everyone out in single file at 60km/h. The crosswinds then break the peloton into more manageable small groups, separated by whole minutes.

Everyone rides like they're on the run all day, and if the front group gets too big, the strongest teams repeat the process until they are happy with the composition of the group.

The pros (esp in stage racing) tend to ride collectively with more consideration for each other, and you don't blow a 3 week race open in the first 2 days....plus there are not many weaker riders in the pro ranks who will get dropped if the speed goes up.

 

[Eyjafjallajokull]

What happened to Griepel?

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Weylandts!