Giro d'Italia Stage 9: Frosinone - Cava de' Tirreni (187km)

[Moondance]

After several days of suffering the poor Giro riders are rewarded with a an 'easy' stage, a 187km affair from Frosinone in the south of Lazio to Cava de' Tirreni, a popular tourist location just south of Naples, situated less than 5km from the Amalfi coast and surrounded by mountains and lush forests. Campania is all it's beaty.

While the stage is largely flat, the finish does slope somewhat upwards. Doesn't look to be steep enough for a puncheur to have a serious go, but it'll take a strong team to pilot a rider sucessfully to the line. Therefore (against my better judgment, since he never wins when I pick him) I'll go with the surprisingly still win-less Columbia to pilot Andre Greipel to the victory. A break probably has a serious shot at staying away, since I doubt Astana will be looking to chase hard, and the other 'big' teams will want to 'have a day off' after all the efforts of the last two days.

 

[Cobblestones]

Last year's stage along the Amalfi coast made for spectacular TV.

Who'll win it? No idea. Depends whether the sprinter's teams have the legs.

 

[Delicato]

That uphill finish is too hard for Greipel IMO. Hoping for another breakaway win.

 

[Zaschrona]

For sprint of the peloton Hondo is my tip. But I'm seeing the winner of some breakaway now..

 

[zapata]

the finish is not that hard, is it? I hope pozzato if it's not a sprint with the full peloton, but afraid it's greipel or farrar.

 

[joy118118]

That uphill finish is too hard for Greipel IMO. Hoping for another breakaway win.

If AG find his form, the finish does nothing to him. But......

 

[BroDeal]

I think we will see a break get a huge gap as the field rests for most of the day. Garmin will want to pull it back to keep Farrar in contention for the points jersey. The GC teams will want to take it easy. Good chance the break will succeed. Farrar wins if it does not.

 

[The Sheep]

We haven't really seen a mass sprint since Utrecht

 

[theswordsman]

I'll be cheering for the break to stay away (I think it's a residual effect of an old addiction to PacMan ), but my prediction is that Farrar will win a bunch sprint and knock Radio Shack down to 15th place in the UCI Team Rankings. Quick Step knocked RS down to 14th last week with a stage win.

 

[joy118118]

I'll be cheering for the break to stay away (I think it's a residual effect of an old addiction to PacMan ), but my prediction is that Farrar will win a bunch sprint and knock Radio Shack down to 15th place in the UCI Team Rankings. Quick Step knocked RS down to 14th last week with a stage win.

RS will beat all other teams after TOC.

Oh wait, why this 'Second Biggest Race in the world' is not even on the UCI world calendar? Something must go wrong.

 

[trompe le monde]

The DNFs/DNSs are piling up after just eight days.

Here is who will not be starting tomorrow:

DNF BONNAFOND Guillaume FRA/ALM
DNS BRUSEGHIN Marzio ITA/GCE
DNS CAPECCHI Eros ITA/FOT
DNF CHARTEAU Anthony FRA/BTL
DNF KOHLER Martin SUI/BMC
DNF KOZONTCHUK Dmitry RUS/RAB
DNF MASCIARELLI Andrea ITA/ASA
DNF MASCIARELLI Francesco ITA/ASA
DNF MERLO Michele ITA/FOT
DNF MODOLO Sacha ITA/COG
DNF MURPHY John USA/BMC
DNF PETACCHI Alessandro ITA/LAM
DNF TIRALONGO Paolo ITA/AST
DNF VANDEVELDE Christian USA/GRM
DNF WEGMANN Fabian GER/MRM

 

[issoisso]

Uhh guys, it's an uphill sprint. Seems to be the Cunego/Garzelli type of thing. Garzelli mostly.

 

[Francois the Postman]

You'd think that after this weekend and with what's to come, if the Giro doesn't give them a rest day, the riders will take one.

The sprint teams are facing fewer and fewer opportunities, but I guess that they would prefer to get some legs back too.

Seems to anticipate a breakaway day is the popular choice so far. Given how upside down this Giro is turning out to be, it will probably turn out to be the only bunch sprint on pink Italian soil this year.

 

[jaylew]

Uhh guys, it's an uphill sprint. Seems to be the Cunego/Garzelli type of thing. Garzelli mostly.

Doesn't appear that steep to me. Anyone know the % at the finish?

 

[Francois the Postman]

Uhh guys, it's an uphill sprint. Seems to be the Cunego/Garzelli type of thing. Garzelli mostly.

I would like to see either one get it, but I can't see them win it if the group is together, and I would be amazed if they were able to slip away.

 

[issoisso]

Doesn't appear that steep to me. Anyone know the % at the finish?

Beats me. Also, Astana's dead last in the fair play classification. I wonder if that means something

I would like to see either one get it, but I can't see them win it if the group is together, and I would be amazed if they were able to slip away.

I didn't mean slip away, I meant actually win the sprint. It's uphill, supposedly.

Then again, the sprint yesterday was supposed to be flat, so the officials can't really be trusted, I suppose.

 

[theyoungest]

Uhh guys, it's an uphill sprint. Seems to be the Cunego/Garzelli type of thing. Garzelli mostly.

It's a few kms with a 3% incline, and the final km is 1,7%. Not exactly Cunego material, I think.

 

[Francois the Postman]

last km:

http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2010/pdf/ultimikm/ukm_09.pdf

this page is a good bookmark for that kinda stuff:

http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2010/it/tappe.shtml

 

[Jamsque]

I'd call that a sprint on a false flat, not an uphill sprint. It means speeds won't be super high, not sure who that helps (if anyone).

I think Columbia and Garmin will chase down the break, most of them were chilling out in the Autobus today and won't have expended that much energy.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

If any of the sprinters really wants to have a run at the points jersey then these next two stages have to be bunch sprints. Too many teams with a motivation to chase for a break to succeed I think

 

[maltiv]

I'd call that a sprint on a false flat, not an uphill sprint. It means speeds won't be super high, not sure who that helps (if anyone).

I think Columbia and Garmin will chase down the break, most of them were chilling out in the Autobus today and won't have expended that much energy.

I think it suits Greipel perfectly. It basically means that it will be more of a "power-sprint" instead of just pure speed.

 

[jaylew]

Yeah, Greipel said he prefers a slightly uphill sprint.

 

[Sasquatch]

If today isn't a bunch sprint, a sprinter won't win the points jersey.

Farrar is close to leading the competition. This has to be a bunch sprint for him or he can kiss goodbye to it.

 

[Hotbrakes]

Who ever wins will be Italian.

The home town boys need to pull their finger out or have a change of luck (yes they did win the TTT but they need a solo).

 

[Galic Ho]

RS will beat all other teams after TOC.

Oh wait, why this 'Second Biggest Race in the world' is not even on the UCI world calendar? Something must go wrong.

I could take that declaration as your belief that RS don't have ToC in the bag.

Frankly the ToC is all RS have a chance of winning. Hopefully Rogers/HTC and Saxo with Cancellara, Voigt and Schleck ruin that for RS.