Giro Stage 9: Milano

[Biciclette Bianchi]

As if cycling needs another black eye. I'm really disapointed by this development (i.e., the rider's protest). I'll never get off my bike, but I wonder just how many times pro cycling can kick me before I stop coming back.



Dave

 

[53x11 in DC]

Wow - this blows. What an embarrassment. The fact that the organizers and riders couldn't sort this out WELL in advance is horrendous. Certainly an overly ambitious course, but aren't these guys the best bike handlers in the world?!?!

 

[Big_Blue_Dave]

Wow - this blows. What an embarrassment. The fact that the organizers and riders couldn't sort this out WELL in advance is horrendous. Certainly an overly ambitious course, but aren't these guys the best bike handlers in the world?!?!

I come back with Juan Mauricio Soler. Crash test dummy would be a better name for him.

 

[Biciclette Bianchi]

Certainly an overly ambitious course, but aren't these guys the best bike handlers in the world?!?!

(Quoted from Velonews' live coverage): Dave Zabriskie said about the dangerous circuits: "Sure, the finishes are always dangerous. Not just at the Giro. It's the riders who make the race dangerous."

I like Zabriski more and more! Of course there are unnecessarily or inexcusably dangerous finishes, but the peloton could also police it's own ranks of dangerous riders (McEwan, etc) rather than insisting that all races be held on a 50 meter wide dead straight superhighway.


Dave

 

[Bala Verde]

Wow - this blows. What an embarrassment. The fact that the organizers and riders couldn't sort this out WELL in advance is horrendous. Certainly an overly ambitious course, but aren't these guys the best bike handlers in the world?!?!

Ha, just like Blockhaus. The organizers didn't even take the weather conditions on top of the mountain and/or the width of the roads leading up to the top into consideration... Let's say it's the Italian way of doing it

I bet the rider's frustration built up over the days, and today's stage, together with the last two stages, some tumbles and of course Horillo's crash. This stage is possibly the stage where they put their foot down (pun intended) and show the organizers that they are taking no more.

Or, LA has told di Luca to express his grieveances...

 

[53x11 in DC]

I come back with Juan Mauricio Soler. Crash test dummy would be a better name for him.

Or John-Lee Augustyn. At least Theo Bos isn't in the bunch!

Seriously, if I were an Italian mid-packer (ISD, etc.), i'd be pi$$ed. The GC all-star mafia killing it for the fans and the lower-tier riders.

 

[LugHugger]

Pathetic isn't it? I really don't get what the problem is here. If the climbers can't handle racing on a street circuit then hang off the back and accept the loss of the time bonuses. Do they want the entire race to go their way? It's not even wet.

As Dave Z said, it's riders which make racing dangerous.

Tell you what, let's not race Gent-Wegelem or Amstel Gold.

What a bunch of prima donna's.

 

[Big_Blue_Dave]

Or John-Lee Augustyn. At least Theo Bos isn't in the bunch!

Seriously, if I were an Italian mid-packer (ISD, etc.), i'd be pi$$ed. The GC all-star mafia killing it for the fans and the lower-tier riders.

If I was riding today, I think i'd take a stand and attack with a couple of laps to go just to say how unhappy I am at the whole situation. In fact I would seriously enjoy it if a rider or two do indeed attack.

Talking of John-Lee though he was nowhere near as bad as Ullrich, remember his over the handlebars crash at the TdF, or any of the Colombians when they initially came over to Europe.

 

[ingsve]

Speaking of dangerous finishes. What were they thinking with the finish of stage 4 of last years Tour of Britain that EBH won. A hairpin turn 50 meters from the line?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMSEdaaWPLM&feature=related

 

[Mellow Velo]

Astana coach has been "receiving visitors", this morning.
Members of other teams.
Around the various forums, the general opinion is one of disgust.
Looks as safe as any other city circuit.

What's next for the chop?

Turning into the centanary farce.....

 

[clydesdale]

So say some none sprinter basically wants a day off; since there will be no time gaps, could he just cruise around the course at 15 or 20kph? If I were a climber, that is what I would do. It's total BS but why not take advantage of it?

Is there a cutoff in the Giro and would it still apply?

 

[Snake8]

Was it DiLuca that pulled this crap? I hope this comes back to bite him.

 

[ingsve]

Was it DiLuca that pulled this crap? I hope this comes back to bite him.

It doesn't have to be and if he is part of it he most certainly is not alone. He may have just been the guy to talk because of the MR.

 

[ingsve]

So say some none sprinter basically wants a day off; since there will be no time gaps, could he just cruise around the course at 15 or 20kph? If I were a climber, that is what I would do. It's total BS but why not take advantage of it?

Is there a cutoff in the Giro and would it still apply?

With the tempo the peloton is going they wouldn't gain much by dropping off the back and going at their own pace. They still need to finish the stage and if they drop back they would have to do the work themselves without the same benefit of drag and it would also take more time.

 

[Parrot23]

"Bad" stage today with nothing counting might make for better stages to follow, if riders rest. Just a thought.

 

[clydesdale]

Ah, that makes sense, ingsve. thanks!

 

[180mmCrank]

I am not surprised this has happened...the circuit always looked dangerous.

There is a big difference between a regular one off city crit and running an entire stage mid GT around twisty city streets - and especially in Milan (cars all over the place - not enough barriers!)

Even a shorter crit might have made more sense? This wasn't thought through by the organisers (a bit like the time they organised a mountain descent time trial as part of the Giro!)

It's disappointing but not a big surprise

 

[Big_Blue_Dave]

Speaking of dangerous finishes. What were they thinking with the finish of stage 4 of last years Tour of Britain that EBH won. A hairpin turn 50 meters from the line?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMSEdaaWPLM&feature=related

I'm not sure if you were there or remember but it was a sharp incline to that last 100m which is why it was not a bunch finish.

 

[Parrot23]

Not entirely relevant to today but here is Chris Horner's descript. of the dangers of stage 7.

Gives new meaning to Horillo's 60-80 metre fall yesterday, equival. to 30 stories down a boulder strewn cliff:

"As we approached the descent the field was in full-gas mode. By now it was raining and 45 degrees. With every bit of road being used up, we were handle bar to handle bar fighting for position at 35 mph on wet, scary roads....

...On the descent we were up to 50 mph, and almost curb to curb, 10 to 12 guys across the road going all out in the rain....

As we hit the tricky parts of the descent, the first hairpin started coming up quickly. I hit the brakes to set up for the corner, and NOTHING HAPPENED! Within seconds I was rubbing the rear tire of the rider directly in front of me at incredible speeds.

At this point, I was really wishing that I made out my will before I left home. Time slowed down, and I knew that in the next second only two things could happen. One, I'm on the ground with something broken, or, two, the brakes would kick in and pull me back out of trouble. Luckily for me the brakes dried the rim enough that the pads could grab and start slowing me down.

Now the only problem was that I still needed to survive 40 or 50 more hairpin turns in the next 30 miles before I would be safely at the finish. From this point on staying at the front and as safe as possible was the only thing on my mind.

As we hit the second turn the field was yelling PIANO (Italian or bike language for SLOW DOWN), but one rider had other plans. As he shot off of the front I thought for sure we would see him down in the next turn, but if he survived we may have to wait until after the finish line to see him again.

The next dangerous thing was the tunnel, which we hit at almost 60 mph. With very little light, dark sunglasses, and dirt covering my face and glasses, it took all of the nerve I could muster not to retire from bike racing right on the spot.

As we entered I backed way off from the rider in front of me to give myself a little room, but then I realized that at 60 mph, no matter how much room I gave the rider in front of me I was doomed! Even if the first rider crashed and I was a ways back, we were all going down. But we survived that challenge and moved onto the next.

As we came out of the tunnel we weren't done yet. Now we were in a small town with even smaller roads. With obstacles throughout the road, riders were going in every direction to avoid the center islands. It was a cycle of hitting the brakes and sprinting like a mad man just to keep contact with the rider in front of you."

 

[ingsve]

I'm not sure if you were there or remember but it was a sharp incline to that last 100m which is why it was not a bunch finish.

No, I wasn't there I've only watched the slightly longer video of the last few kilometers and it looked fairly flat on the video.

 

[LugHugger]

I am not surprised this has happened...the circuit always looked dangerous.

It's disappointing but not a big surprise

BS! The course is no more dangerous than any other crit course. The problem is that the Milanese Police and Municipal authorities have not done their jobs and made sure that the riders could RACE.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Must be my imagination, all those parked cars in Flanders, Gent-Wevelgem, Amstel.......
....I look forward to seeing most of next year's classics getting neutralised.

 

[mr. tibbs]

Lol commentator just said that Pettachi is "not the quickest cat." Pettachi. No tthe quickest cat. And he doesn't seem aware that Pettachi's in fifth or sixth wheel right now, and has been for kilometers.

 

[marinoni]

As if cycling needs another black eye. I'm really disapointed by this development (i.e., the rider's protest). I'll never get off my bike, but I wonder just how many times pro cycling can kick me before I stop coming back.



Dave

My thoughts exactly. I just tuned in for the last few k's and wish I hadn't. This race, and increasingly pro cycling, is becoming a bad joke. The Uni commentator isn't helping. In the space of a couple minutes he described Cancellara as Olympic RR Champ, and talked about David Millar and DaveZ as possible stage winners without mentioning Farrar. Time for a long Sunday ride, the only thing these clowns can't ruin.

 

[180mmCrank]

BS! The course is no more dangerous than any other crit course. The problem is that the Milanese Police and Municipal authorities have not done their jobs and made sure that the riders could RACE.

Agreed if the course had been cleared it would have been a lot safer.

And I am not sure it's quite the same thing to compare a normal city crit race to a GT stage, raced around city streets. You fall off in one and it's just a crit... you fall off today and it could be your Giro down the pan. Not something the main contenders are ever going to see as a risk they are keen to embrace.

And this is not a black and white thing I am sure some of the peleton would have been happy to duke it out round Milan - but clearly many were not.