How will Scarponi do at the 2012 Tour?

[will10]

Over the years we've seen plenty of Italians who climb well on Giro climbs but just can't hack it at the Tour. The Tour isn't necessarily harder, just a different race, and one that doesn't suit some riders. I'm thinking in particular of Gibo Simoni & Stefano Garzelli and I can see Scarponi fitting into their mould unfortunately.

 

[Kvinto]

It's the first sign that Giro without Zomegnan will lose in the case of field. Edit: Saying the field I mean those who will ride Giro for result (not as a preparation for the Tour)

If Michele will build his season around the Tour i'm sure he can end up on podium even with these awful parcours.

 

[Eshnar]

Over the years we've seen plenty of Italians who climb well on Giro climbs but just can't hack it at the Tour. The Tour isn't necessarily harder, just a different race, and one that doesn't suit some riders. I'm thinking in particular of Gibo Simoni & Stefano Garzelli and I can see Scarponi fitting into their mould unfortunately.

You should consider that those guys always rode the tdf after riding the giro, and seeing the effect it had on AC no wonder they failed

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Could this be just a bluff?

Get everyone thinking he's left the Giro open to others, just to turn up
at the last moment and win (ala Contador off the beach)

Or maybe it is Cunego's turn to win the Giro again - so may be it is Lampre orders.

Tdf is bad for Scarponi - he won't even be able to go for the Vuelta afterwards.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Same goes for the Schleckies.

Agree, but that's probably not gonna happen. At least I hope that Scarponi is more clever than the Schlecks have showed themselves to be.

 

[jens_attacks]

Could this be just a bluff?

Get everyone thinking he's left the Giro open to others, just to turn up
at the last moment and win (ala Contador off the beach)

yep.same thing which will do andy schleck.only basso announced like a fool he will do il giro

 

[El Pistolero]

yep.same thing which will do andy schleck.only basso announced like a fool he will do il giro

Or Scarponi isn't bluffing and just counting on a Giro win this year?

 

[Angliru]

Over the years we've seen plenty of Italians who climb well on Giro climbs but just can't hack it at the Tour. The Tour isn't necessarily harder, just a different race, and one that doesn't suit some riders. I'm thinking in particular of Gibo Simoni & Stefano Garzelli and I can see Scarponi fitting into their mould unfortunately.

It's not that they couldn't climb on the Tour climbs it was that they were coming off giving their all at the Giro. Had they come into the Tour with a similar program to their Tour competition that had all chosen to skip the Giro, then we could draw this conclusion. Them being Italians riding for Italian teams it's only natural that their primary goal would be the Giro with the Tour only an afterthought. Simoni somewhat saved face with a stage win at the Tour after his stumble in his attempt to challenge Armstrong after his much publicized chest pounding about beating him in the mountains of France. I attribute it to him riding the high of his Giro victory, feeling invincible but not thinking all to clearly.

 

[Parrulo]

what i posted on the general news section

that's just very weird coming from an italian team, have none of their team leaders in giro? hmmm i smell something fishy.

there is no way in hell one of either scarponi or cunego aren't at the giro in top shape

i bet he will ride the giro. if he went to the tour tho his riding style would make a lot of people who were waiting for the itt suffer, scarponi is no schleck if he has to attack he does it big time so i could see him finishing ahead of the likes of wiggins, evans, menchov and so on, imo he would have a chance at the podium

 

[Gregory]

I attribute it to him riding the high of his Giro victory, feeling invincible but not thinking all to clearly.

Simoni's belief that he can compete with Armstrong in the mountains came mostly because of the 2001 Tour de Suisse. In this race Gibo outclimbed Armstrong, but Lance ultimately won the overall thanks to superior time trialing and Simoni came second in GC.

As to Scarponi in TdF, today we have news, that Petacchi is skipping the Giro and targeting the green jersey at TdF. He explains that in the Giro, the team will completely support Scarponi. I think that settles the case of Scarponi's next yer priorities.

 

[hfer07]

I just don't see the rational behind him going to the Tour when he can win Il Giro, since it seems to me that the only resistance he'll find is Basso...

 

[Parrulo]

if scarponi really goes to the tour it wouldn't surprise me to see nibali wanting to exchange places with basso one last time, it would be the perfect situation for him to win the giro.

 

[jens_attacks]

I just don't see the rational behind him going to the Tour when he can win Il Giro, since it seems to me that the only resistance he'll find is Basso...

no one said he will do le tour.everyone knows he will do il giro.
it was just a joke

 

[Nick C.]

Petacchi says he is targeting the green jersey and will skip the Giro b/c "if you have a guy that finished 2nd you should put all your resources behind him" or words to that effect. Unless he is lying or out of touch with team and teammate plans it sounds like Scarponi is doing the Giro.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

it will be like simoni. maybe he can win a stage but won't be any factor in gc. also I think he will ride the giro before ala simoni did in 2003 and come up short in both gt's

 

[airstream]

Scarponi will drop relatively early in the mountains and take 8-10th places if he doesn't ride the Giro. If he does... , okay, he'll try to win a stage.

 

[Michele]

During his interview on one of the latest Lampre's videos he was joking by saying "I have been thinking about doing the double (Giro&Tour), but that usually happen on November".

My bet is on him riding the Giro and then going to the Tour with a free role.
Im actually very happy if he chooses to go to Tour cause his riding style is much more fun than many other so-called GC riders.

 

[Angliru]

Simoni's belief that he can compete with Armstrong in the mountains came mostly because of the 2001 Tour de Suisse. In this race Gibo outclimbed Armstrong, but Lance ultimately won the overall thanks to superior time trialing and Simoni came second in GC.

As to Scarponi in TdF, today we have news, that Petacchi is skipping the Giro and targeting the green jersey at TdF. He explains that in the Giro, the team will completely support Scarponi. I think that settles the case of Scarponi's next yer priorities.

My point was that Simoni wasn't thinking rationally when he thought he had a chance in the Tour after winning the Giro. As I said, with no Giro in his legs he likely would've been a factor in the mountains of France throughout the the weeks of the Tour, but of course we'll never know since he fought for the gc in the Giro every year, without fail. I would've loved to see him head to head in the Tour with the best climbers since I'm such a big Gibo fan.

I would love to have a copy of that Tour de Suisse. I'm still searching for a video of Gibo's first Giro victory but my usual source World Cycling Productions no longer has it in stock once they converted their entire library to dvd.

 

[Angliru]

it will be like simoni. maybe he can win a stage but won't be any factor in gc. also I think he will ride the giro before ala simoni did in 2003 and come up short in both gt's

Simoni won the Giro in 2003.

 

[Parrulo]

Scarponi will drop relatively early in the mountains and take 8-10th places if he doesn't ride the Giro. If he does... , okay, he'll try to win a stage.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

sorry I meant 2004

 

[El Pistolero]

sorry I meant 2004

He came third in that Giro in an edition that was void of mountains(and won a stage). If there were more mountains he'd have won.

 

[Tank Engine]

I think Scarponi will ride the Giro to win (as suggested by Petacchi) and if he comes out of that in reasonably good shape, then in the Tour I would guess that he'd either be a contender for the mountains jersey or a stage win (he'd have at least one bad day so I predict he won't be that high on GC).

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

He came third in that Giro in an edition that was void of mountains(and won a stage). If there were more mountains he'd have won.

no. simoni was clearly not in shape in 2004 giro. the giro had incredible bad particpants field. mcgee 8th, cioni 4th, gonchar 2nd etc should say enough. simoni peaked that year to the tour but still went pretty deep in the giro and basically sucked in both

 

[airstream]

Parrulo, learn to take into account opinion, different from your own. Or you can sketch scenario of possible Scarponi's feats at the TdF? Refute if you dont agree.