Giro Stage 9: Benevento – S.Giorgio del Sannio 215 kms

[Dazed and Confused]

Very promising stage design, but I can't see any of the current big GC stars being able to take advantage.

Break ftw probably.

 

[nepetalactone]

Re:

I fear that we might be left disappointed after this stage. We won't get live coverage from the start so by the time we get pictures, the winning break in all likelyhood will already have been formed. From here on, I expect a lot of rather quiet riding until Passo Serra. The last 20 kilometres should be fun, but the rest of the stage probably not so much.

A stage like this should be the penultimate stage of the Giro.

Yes! +10000

 

[Netserk]

I'm thinking this is the perfect stage for an early race Porte breakdown

I think Contador will be more worried about this stage. A good stage for Astana to exploit their strength in numbers. These are the stages that are always hard to control for the leader. Astana also realize they missed a good opportunity yesterday.

Astana did NOT miss an oppportunity by not trying, Aru was simply not strong enough to drop Contador. To me Aru does not look super strong at all, none of the top three do. I am not sure that Aru is really much better than Landa.

Ofc it was a missed opportunity. Sky's fault as much as Astana's. Yesterday Contador was at the weakest he'll probably be in this Giro and not only did he gain time on them (Aru and Porte), he didn't have to work for it. Not once after he was isolated, was he forced to take the front and pull. He was in the slipstream of someone else the whole time.

 

[TheGreenMonkey]

Aru attacked, if he was strong enough to drop Contador he would have done so then, but he was not strong enough to make a real gap. Contador, Porte and Uran made it far too easily. If that is the best Aru has got he has no chance.

 

[Lexman]

Re:

Aru attacked, if he was strong enough to drop Contador he would have done so then, but he was not strong enough to make a real gap. Contador, Porte and Uran made it far too easily. If that is the best Aru has got he has no chance.

That was the best he had yesterday indeed, maybe he wasn't at his best either and they decided to let Landa go for the stagewin...

Another day he might be better

 

[Netserk]

Re:

Aru attacked, if he was strong enough to drop Contador he would have done so then, but he was not strong enough to make a real gap. Contador, Porte and Uran made it far too easily. If that is the best Aru has got he has no chance.

I'm talking about Aru having to drop Contador. I'm talking about forcing Contador to pull when he was isolated. It was a missed opportunity.

 

[TheGreenMonkey]

Re: Re:

Aru attacked, if he was strong enough to drop Contador he would have done so then, but he was not strong enough to make a real gap. Contador, Porte and Uran made it far too easily. If that is the best Aru has got he has no chance.

I'm talking about Aru having to drop Contador. I'm talking about forcing Contador to pull when he was isolated. It was a missed opportunity.

How?
The only way Contador was going to be in the wind is if Aru and/or Porte forced him to chase them. Aru tried twice, got a tiny gap but could not go on with it. Porte put in a more sustained effort but he never even got a gap. Contador probably would have let even Uran get some seconds rather than chase.

 

[Netserk]

Re: Re:

Aru attacked, if he was strong enough to drop Contador he would have done so then, but he was not strong enough to make a real gap. Contador, Porte and Uran made it far too easily. If that is the best Aru has got he has no chance.

I'm talking about Aru having to drop Contador. I'm talking about forcing Contador to pull when he was isolated. It was a missed opportunity.

How?
The only way Contador was going to be in the wind is if Aru and/or Porte forced him to chase them. Aru tried twice, got a tiny gap but could not go on with it. Porte put in a more sustained effort but he never even got a gap. Contador probably would have let even Uran get some seconds rather than chase.

First and foremost by not pulling/getting their teams to pull. Contador is in pink (and the big race favourite) so it is his responsibility to take control. If no one pulls, then the pace will drop so others can attack. Eventually Contador will either end up pulling himself or wait for a weak Kreuziger to pull. Neither Sky nor Astana were forced to pull after Contador was isolated, but they did. Wasted opportunity.

If they really were all about the win and tiring out Contador as much as possible before the Tour, they would have done so, but at the end they chose to protect their own standing. They must truly value a podium place.

 

[TheGreenMonkey]

Re: Re:

Aru attacked, if he was strong enough to drop Contador he would have done so then, but he was not strong enough to make a real gap. Contador, Porte and Uran made it far too easily. If that is the best Aru has got he has no chance.

I'm talking about Aru having to drop Contador. I'm talking about forcing Contador to pull when he was isolated. It was a missed opportunity.

How?
The only way Contador was going to be in the wind is if Aru and/or Porte forced him to chase them. Aru tried twice, got a tiny gap but could not go on with it. Porte put in a more sustained effort but he never even got a gap. Contador probably would have let even Uran get some seconds rather than chase.

First and foremost by not pulling/getting their teams to pull. Contador is in pink (and the big race favourite) so it is his responsibility to take control. If no one pulls, then the pace will drop so others can attack. Eventually Contador will either end up pulling himself or wait for a weak Kreuziger to pull. Neither Sky nor Astana were forced to pull after Contador was isolated, but they did. Wasted opportunity.

Contador is not worried about anyone apart from Aru and Porte, why should he be?
If they want to ride slowly let them, it just means Contador gets to ride slowly as well and not put any pressure on the shoulder. Riding slowly achieves nothing but giving Contador an easy ride.
If Landa had gained an extra minute it means nothing in the scheme of things.
If Cunego or Caruso or anyone else gains time it means nothing in scheme of things.

 

[Lexman]

they started

 

[Netserk]

If they ride slowly, Aru and Porte will attack. Over and over again until they are clear. If they are not clear, they sit on the wheel of Contador. Repeat ad infinitum until either is away, there's no more road or Contador has counter-attacked.

 

[Lexman]

50 riders succeeded to ride away with a handful of seconds

11 km so far done

 

[TheGreenMonkey]

Re:

If they ride slowly, Aru and Porte will attack. Over and over again until they are clear. If they are not clear, they sit on the wheel of Contador. Repeat ad infinitum until either is away, there's no more road or Contador has counter-attacked.

Aru and Porte did attack it did not work. No reason to think riding slower before attacking was going to be any more successful.
It was a missed opportunity, not because they did not try to attack, but because they were not strong enough to attack successfully. Contador will get stronger, will they?

 

[Lexman]

Contador was in the 2nd peloton but the two pelotons merged again..

 

[TheGreenMonkey]

Intxausti seems to be trying to get in the break again

 

[Netserk]

Re: Re:

If they ride slowly, Aru and Porte will attack. Over and over again until they are clear. If they are not clear, they sit on the wheel of Contador. Repeat ad infinitum until either is away, there's no more road or Contador has counter-attacked.

Aru and Porte did attack it did not work. No reason to think riding slower before attacking was going to be any more successful.
It was a missed opportunity, not because they did not try to attack, but because they were not strong enough to attack successfully. Contador will get stronger, will they?

They attacked once each...

It's not about either they get away and are successful or they fail. It's about tiring Contador as much as possible. Responding to multiple attacks (where Contador responds and not Porte and Aru as yesterday) is much harder than riding a more constant high tempo as yesterday.

The slower they go the easier it is to attack. The easier it is, the more often they can do it.

 

[TheGreenMonkey]

Re: Re:

If they ride slowly, Aru and Porte will attack. Over and over again until they are clear. If they are not clear, they sit on the wheel of Contador. Repeat ad infinitum until either is away, there's no more road or Contador has counter-attacked.

Aru and Porte did attack it did not work. No reason to think riding slower before attacking was going to be any more successful.
It was a missed opportunity, not because they did not try to attack, but because they were not strong enough to attack successfully. Contador will get stronger, will they?

They attacked once each...

It's not about either they get away and are successful or they fail. It's about tiring Contador as much as possible. Responding to multiple attacks (where Contador responds and not Porte and Aru as yesterday) is much harder than riding a more constant high tempo as yesterday.

Aru attacked at least twice. Once with Landa in his wheel and then when Konig was leading the group after Cunego went.
What makes you think Aru would have been able to attack more without blowing up?
He and Astana and Sky and everybody else out there would have known that it was good opportunity.

 

[Netserk]

Re: Re:

If they ride slowly, Aru and Porte will attack. Over and over again until they are clear. If they are not clear, they sit on the wheel of Contador. Repeat ad infinitum until either is away, there's no more road or Contador has counter-attacked.

Aru and Porte did attack it did not work. No reason to think riding slower before attacking was going to be any more successful.
It was a missed opportunity, not because they did not try to attack, but because they were not strong enough to attack successfully. Contador will get stronger, will they?

They attacked once each...

It's not about either they get away and are successful or they fail. It's about tiring Contador as much as possible. Responding to multiple attacks (where Contador responds and not Porte and Aru as yesterday) is much harder than riding a more constant high tempo as yesterday.

Aru attacked at least twice. Once with Landa in his wheel and then when Konig was leading the group after Cunego went.
What makes you think Aru would have been able to attack more without blowing up?
He and Astana and Sky and everybody else out there would have known that it was good opportunity.

If you can sprint the whole last km without getting passed, you can do a little dig as well before that. They played safe yesterday, instead of gambling for the win.

 

[TheGreenMonkey]

And the pace Konig was setting was not really quick anyway, Intxausti was going faster than Konig if the GPS can be believed.

 

[Netserk]

Re:

And the pace Konig was setting was not really quick anyway, Intxausti was going faster than Konig if the GPS can be believed.

So? It doesn't matter what his pace was. No one but the pink jersey should have pulled. It was Contador's responsibility and he was weak. It's 101 to put as much pressure on him as you then can.

 

[TheGreenMonkey]

Enough about yesterday

Hesjedal, Kruijswijk, Rosa, Clarke, Ulissi, Kochetkov, Mourey, Herrada, Hanson, Slagter, Gretsch, Bookwalter, Courteille have a small gap.

 

[TheGreenMonkey]

And it is back together.

 

[Arredondo]

Perhaps too much 'easy' kms between Molella and Serra. But who knows.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Contador was in the 2nd peloton but the two pelotons merged again..

Again?

 

[Arredondo]

Bole and Chava going