Giro predictions:

[Angliru]

But, wishful thinking, have to fancy Sastre. Then a Liquigas. If they can make their minds up. Soler for 3rd.

I like your thinking seeing that I'm also rooting for Soler to return to the rider he was at the Tour in 2007, am rooting for Liquigas (minus Basso) and am hoping Sastre adds the Giro to his 2008 Tour win.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Both Arroyo and Bruseghin will ride the Giro. I will be happy if Soler, Uran and Rui Costa are among participants. They can hope for top-5 or even top-3.

I went with a similar approach before but was informed that this year Arroyo is doing Tour-Vuelta as opposed to his normal Giro-Tour double, and Urán is co-leader with Bruseghin.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Sastre will be extremely fresh, he has just had 8 months off.
Unlike someone like evans he doesn't feel pressure to get results for his team and can have a lighter lead up to the race, and could peak really well in may.
Pellizotti will be awesome in may too, call it a hunch.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Sastre will be extremely fresh, he has just had 8 months off.
Unlike someone like evans he doesn't feel pressure to get results for his team and can have a lighter lead up to the race, and could peak really well in may.
Pellizotti will be awesome in may too, call it a hunch.

Well maybe some could say that having that extra racing is going to put evans at advantage with better form going in. You have to look at BOTH sides of the coin.

 

[Lucky1]

My only predictions:

1. Pellizotti to win
2. Sastre, Basso and Evans following relatively closely behind.
3. A much more exciting route than the TdeF 2009 and 2010.

 

[staubsauger]

lets think about the teams and there man's for the giro

rabobank: mollema for the maglia verde, while automaticly joining the top 10
aqua&sapone: garzelli and masciarelli for the top5/podium. or garzelli for the maglia verde again.
AG2R : Valjavec for top 10, guess efimkim will do the tour
androni: Serpa as the man for the classment or for the maglia verde. or scarponi for the least
astana: vinoukourov and tirralongo as double for the overall
bbox:
bmc: evans for the overall
caisse d' epagne : bruseghin for the overall? or bruseghin as dubble force with cobo or uran?? arroyo as super-domestique or soler, or both? damn if they have one strong climber as leader (i would prefer cobo) that's a perfect team to win the giro!!!
cervelo: sastre for the overall
csf: pozzovivo for the classment and maybe as a dark horse for the overall/podium
cofidis: taramae or el faris trying to get their first top 10 position in a gt?
footon: kessiakoff and capecchi. but normally not for the top10 or the maglia verde....
garmin: puuuuh farrar for the sprints that's clear. but for the classement? can't see anybody. zab prefer the toc, tommy d. might prefer vuelta, vdv just to train. martin hmhhh don't think so
lampre: no simoni no man for the overall. if cunego wants to win the vuelta he maybe could, but i don't see him be competitive any more in the italian alps or dolomites. tirranlongo is gone...
liquigas: pellizotti for the overall. basso for top 5 / podium and super-domestique.
lotto: can't see anybody for the classment or the maglia verde
quick step: seeldrayers for white, but for top 10??? noooo
sky: löv for white yearsey and top 5, if he didn't break
columbia: might be focussed on the sprints only. rogers at the toc and i don't eypect to see martin there too. siutsou isn't competitive...
katoesja: rodriguez for the podium? maybe he will try it.
milram: rohregger, but with him it's the same as with siotsou
saxo bank: i expect no man for the classment. or will fränk realize that it's the only gt he maybe could win?

the sprinters would be the typical candidates:
bennati, cav, greipel, freire, van avermaet, förster, haedo, mc ewen, napolitano, pettachi, hondo, farrar, keukeleire, ballan, bazayev and so on....


my pediction

maglia rosa:
1. pellizotti
2. sastre
3. evans
4. rodriguez

maglia verde:
mollema

maglia ciclamino:
farrar or greipel

maglia bianca:
masciarelli

 

[jonjungel]

saxo bank: i expect no man for the classment. or will fränk realize that it's the only gt he maybe could win?

They have stated long ago that Chris Anker Sørensen is their man for the overall. I think he could break into the top 10 if everything goes his way.

 

[reyan12]

Sastre will win the Giro this year.. no doubt!

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

my pediction

maglia rosa:
1. pellizotti
2. sastre
3. evans
4. rodriguez

maglia verde:
mollema

maglia ciclamino:
farrar or greipel

I agree with your top 3. Is JR actually riding the giro? I didn't think he was.

Mollema is a bit of an unknown quantity coming into the giro. He has shown some real talent in smaller stage races though. Had a rough season or two, but could really do something here I feel. The Giro always packs a surprise, maybe mollema can be that breakthrough at this years edition.

pettachi will dominate the sprints.

 

[Von Mises]

lets think about the teams and there man's for the giro

cofidis: taramae or el faris trying to get their first top 10 position in a gt?

Taaramae is not going to Giro. Afaik, Cofidis decided for Giro, because Moncutie wants to ride Giro. Maybe for Kom?

 

[staubsauger]

if katoesja even not bring rodrieguez and cofidis even not taarame or el faris why they are there and vacansoleil not?

i understand in the tdf wildcard thread that katoesja had a great team for the ardennes and the tor, but without rodrieguez and kirchen i see no reason to choice them instead of vacansoleil for the giro......vaca would have done everything to show a great perfomance and with the locomotive or even brice there would have been interesting guys for attacks .....


mouncoutie is the reason for cofidis to do the giro? i don't know: on one hand that's a bad news for me cause i'm hoping for mollema in the maglia verde on the other hand: he totally breaked in last years tdf while he wanted to win the polka-dots jerseay (and his form at the dauphin was very well). how the **** he wants to be competetive in that brutal giro ramps?

but okay, the only squad nobody needs in the giro is bbox. they are just blockade a potencial start place for vacansoleil or isd.

why are they unable to have the character to just say no, if they have nothing to show like fdj or cofidis did last year?

edith says: hmmm sörensen? wouldn't expect more from him than from siotsou or rohregger.

and at sky i totally forget dario cioni! he won't be the first one who suddenly resurrect at a new strong team. just remember il falco 2005 or mayo at saunier. but how likely might that be?

 

[karlboss]

if katoesja even not bring rodrieguez and cofidis even not taarame or el faris why they are there and vacansoleil not?

i understand in the tdf wildcard thread that katoesja had a great team for the ardennes and the tor, but without rodrieguez and kirchen i see no reason to choice them instead of vacansoleil for the giro......vaca would have done everything to show a great perfomance and with the locomotive or even brice there would have been interesting guys for attacks .....


mouncoutie is the reason for cofidis to do the giro? i don't know: on one hand that's a bad news for me cause i'm hoping for mollema in the maglia verde on the other hand: he totally breaked in last years tdf while he wanted to win the polka-dots jerseay (and his form at the dauphin was very well). how the **** he wants to be competetive in that brutal giro ramps?

but okay, the only squad nobody needs in the giro is bbox. they are just blockade a potencial start place for vacansoleil or isd.

why are they unable to have the character to just say no, if they have nothing to show like fdj or cofidis did last year?

edith says: hmmm sörensen? wouldn't expect more from him than from siotsou or rohregger.

and at sky i totally forget dario cioni! he won't be the first one who suddenly resurrect at a new strong team. just remember il falco 2005 or mayo at saunier. but how likely might that be?

cofidis and bbox are protected by an earlier agreement, I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong. I haven't seen katusha proposed start list, but i know they have more to offer than kirchen or rodriguez, they have a number of potential stage winners. Form the start of the season I think vacansoleil are getting a raw deal also. For me its not only about results, but animating races. Sure you could claim another boring breakaway and I normally do, but these guys are in long breakaways and actually trying to make them stick, rather than seeing the time come down and giving up.

 

[lucybears]

shortlisted riders
http://www.gazzetta.it/Media/pdf/riders_lists.pdf
.

 

[Boeing]

Not Cadel Evans