Giro V Tour

[enrecul]

Surely the racers who go for GC results at the Giro are ruling out their TdF chances if some of their main rivals are doing other things during the Giro??

Contador, not that he needs help, is surely assisted by the fact that some of him main rivals for GC at the Tour have just punished themselves for 3 weeks in one of the hardest Giros to date.

If i had someone of Contadors level as my main rival for the main event of the year I wouldnt do a GT right before the big prize. Or have these guys given up on honours at the Tour because of him and gone for other GT's instead, knowing they cant win the Boucle??

 

[Libertine Seguros]

not every single rider in the péloton considers the Tour to be their peak. If you consider yourself a top 10 talent, but there are 25 top 10-capable talents in the race, then you could easily ride 'til you burst and fail to get anywhere. You could get a top 10 at the Giro or Vuelta and that would be much better remembered than riding your guts out for 22nd at the Tour.

So several other riders target other races.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

not every single rider in the péloton considers the Tour to be their peak. If you consider yourself a top 10 talent, but there are 25 top 10-capable talents in the race, then you could easily ride 'til you burst and fail to get anywhere. You could get a top 10 at the Giro or Vuelta and that would be much better remembered than riding your guts out for 22nd at the Tour.

So several other riders target other races.

And then several don't. Too many prioritize the tour imo.
But I guess, the prestige and 'big names' at the tour, is basically what the tour has going for itself these days (cause it certainly aint the course, and initiative by the organizers). Despite this year's giro course and epic performance, for sure the winner of the tour outshines basso.

 

[issoisso]

And then several don't. Too many prioritize the tour imo.
But I guess, the prestige and 'big names' at the tour, is basically what the tour has going for itself these days (cause it certainly aint the course, and initiative by the organizers). Despite this year's giro course and epic performance, for sure the winner of the tour outshines basso.

Heh. Flashback to the late sixties/early seventies. Poor organization and the riders start preferring the Giro/Vuelta. The Tour decreased in importance and the Giro and classics became the most important races. A lot of riders preferred to do Giro+Vuelta than show up at the Tour.

I bet Merckx (among others) wishes he hadn't done that in retrospective (Given how important a sixth Tour win could've been)

 

[taiwan]

Probably Liquigas, BMC, Cervélo prioritised the Giro. Maybe other teams would have been smart to, not just because they would be unlikely to ba a match (on paper) for Contador and Andy Schleck. With the Giro route llight on TT miles, it could have favoured say, Joaquin Rodriguez or Robert Gesink. It's just the importance of the Tour making it irresistible. Sort of surprising that BMC or Cervélo could afford to target the Giro (in termsof sponsors' exposure) when they aren't actully Italian. It's sort of interesting: could there be a diference in these teams' style of descision making?

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

The last person to win the Giro/Tour double was Marco Pantini in 1998. Before that, Miguel Indurain did it twice in 92 & 93, though some argued at the time the Giro was becoming a race for Italians and "easier" to win. When Mig himself lost the following year, even he said that the competition was lighter the years he won it. Before that, the great Hinault did the double in 1985.

In 2003 Gilberto Simoni won the Giro convincingly and said he'd go for it in the Tour. While he did win a mountain stage there, he was never a threat, suffering on several climbs, TT's, and melting in the heat. Later saying to double peak like that was impossible.

In 2006 Ivan Basso won the Giro convincingly and looked like a solid Tour favorite, but he never got there, due to Operation Puerto.

I think it is possible that someone may come along again and do it, but not likely anytime soon. We're more likely to see what we did with Menchov in lat year's Giro. A good win, followed by finishing an hour back at the Tour.

*Please discuss doping and "how" and "why" any of these results are what they are in The Clinic, not here.

 

[JA.Tri]

Probably Liquigas, BMC, Cervélo prioritised the Giro. Maybe other teams would have been smart to, not just because they would be unlikely to ba a match (on paper) for Contador and Andy Schleck. With the Giro route llight on TT miles, it could have favoured say, Joaquin Rodriguez or Robert Gesink. It's just the importance of the Tour making it irresistible. Sort of surprising that BMC or Cervélo could afford to target the Giro (in termsof sponsors' exposure) when they aren't actully Italian. It's sort of interesting: could there be a diference in these teams' style of descision making?

BMC certainly demonstrated a "different" style of decision making. They were so addle brained they split a developing roster in half and did a half assed job of both the Giro and the ToC. IMO BMC felt committed to ToC (for sponsor/USA exposure) and Giro as GT invite (and TDF invite not yet to hand).