Ilnur Zakarin Discussion thread

[LaFlorecita]

Great aggressive racing from him
A shame he probably won't be rewarded for it still, a top-5 is really nice

 

[jaylew]

He's got to really regret the time he lost in the descent on stage 16. Could have 34, 22, or 10 more seconds depending on who of Nibs, Nairo, or Pozzo he'd have been able to stay with. Could easily cost him the podium.

 

[Katabatic]

Giving his history with descents, I'm not surprised that he lost time to Nibali on Umbrail.

But the 20 seconds he lost on the second stage should not have happened.

 

[lenric]

Re:

Great aggressive racing from him
A shame he probably won't be rewarded for it still, a top-5 is really nice

He will. Sky's the limit.

 

[jaylew]

Re:

Giving his history with descents, I'm not surprised that he lost time to Nibali on Umbrail.

But the 20 seconds he lost on the second stage should not have happened.

Yeah, but he also lost time to Nairo and Pozzovivo on that descent.

 

[SafeBet]

I actually think he limited his losses pretty well on the Stelvio descent. Last year he crashed out in a similar situation.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Too bad that they ascended the easiest side of Grappa and Kiserlovski punctured literally in the bottom of Foza, then things could have looked a bit different. I think he will win the Giro some day, he has very good recuperation and I still think he has a little more room to grow, he is still 'new' on the big scene.

 

[python]

His growth must be a 'downhil'...lots of room there to grow

 

[Dazed and Confused]

The guy looks awful on a bike.
Him and Pozzo - what a circus.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

"My favourite is Dumoulin, and I hope he wins," Zakarin said. "I hope to get on the podium too."

A bet with Konyshev

When Dumoulin paused for his now-famous toilet stop at the base of the Umbrailpass on Tuesday afternoon, Zakarin was the first to break the confused and uncertain détente that followed by launching a stinging attack. Almost immediately, his earpiece crackled into action with blunt orders to desist from Katusha-Alpecin directeur sportif Dmitry Konyshev, a point stressed in a team press release that evening.

Less publicised was Zakarin's own act of contrition. At the following morning's start in Tirano, Zakarin made it his business to arrive early at the signing-on, and then waited discreetly for more than quarter of an hour until Dumoulin, then in the maglia rosa, had gone through his round of television interviews in the mixed zone. A less patient rider might have interrupted. A more publicity-hungry one might have sought a photo opportunity. Zakarin bided his time for a quiet moment before offering his hand in apology.

And a nice guy as well. I like him. I already did but yeah

 

[Red Rick]

Nice anecdote

 

[Tonton]

I didn't know that. Respect.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Yeah Zaka is a nice boy. People are criticising him for his bad style, but I actually think he look good when he climbs. Theres something cool about that. Certainly a lot better than Pinot and Pozzovivo, those knees man.

 

[LaFlorecita]

"My favourite is Dumoulin, and I hope he wins," Zakarin said. "I hope to get on the podium too."

A bet with Konyshev

When Dumoulin paused for his now-famous toilet stop at the base of the Umbrailpass on Tuesday afternoon, Zakarin was the first to break the confused and uncertain détente that followed by launching a stinging attack. Almost immediately, his earpiece crackled into action with blunt orders to desist from Katusha-Alpecin directeur sportif Dmitry Konyshev, a point stressed in a team press release that evening.

Less publicised was Zakarin's own act of contrition. At the following morning's start in Tirano, Zakarin made it his business to arrive early at the signing-on, and then waited discreetly for more than quarter of an hour until Dumoulin, then in the maglia rosa, had gone through his round of television interviews in the mixed zone. A less patient rider might have interrupted. A more publicity-hungry one might have sought a photo opportunity. Zakarin bided his time for a quiet moment before offering his hand in apology.

And a nice guy as well. I like him. I already did but yeah

Love Zaka <3

 

[johnymax]

I'm on the Dumoulin, Pinot, Zakarin podium bandwagon. It will be difficult for Zakarin but even a top5 spot is a success after his terrible crash last year. He has shown he has the ability to battle with the best in a GT for the second straight year. I think he can win one in the future.

 

[Tonton]

Re:

Yeah Zaka is a nice boy. People are criticising him for his bad style, but I actually think he look good when he climbs. Theres something cool about that. Certainly a lot better than Pinot and Pozzovivo, those knees man.

You're a closeted Contador fan Valv.Piti
.

 

[KGB]

That will be great if he finish at podium.Great to watch him attack but the worst to watch him descent I don't know how come he is so bad on descent .Even watching him from TV is scary.

 

[IndianCyclist]

Re:

That will be great if he finish at podium.Great to watch him attack but the worst to watch him descent I don't know how come he is so bad on descent .Even watching him from TV is scary.

Even Pozzovivo was so scared of it that in the downhill he took the lead and asked Zak to fall back.

 

[RedheadDane]

I quite like his... errm... unorthodox riding style.
Sure, it might not be pretty, but wouldn't it be boring if they were all just the pictures of stylistic elegance?

 

[perico]

That's a classy gesture.

 

[jens_attacks]

go for the podium zakaaa!

 

[gregrowlerson]

Re:

go for the podium zakaaa!

Looking pretty good for it!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Not quite, but he gets back the 5th place he was in before the crash last year. Now, does he go to the Tour like last year or do they rest him up and set him to work on La Vuelta? After all - not many descents that can hurt him there and we know he can be good on the medium mountain and steep stuff from his breakthrough at País Vasco in 2015, and he has been good on mid-to-steep mountains before - Finhaut-Emosson, Champex - but how is he on the really brutal stuff?

 

[DBotero]

Not good enough today unfortunately.I was confident he can podium this with a good TT

 

[Tonton]

I think that Ilnur paid for his efforts over the past few days: he raced really hard week-3. The same goes for Pinot. Still, it's a great Giro for him. He mixed it up at the highest level and held his own. That's very encouraging for the future.