yaco said:
Valv.Piti said:
I don't know what to make of him, but then again, I don't know what to make out of anything in this Giro.
Seems like the most open race I can remember right now, but on the other hand, we haven't got into real mountains yet. Valverde, Nibali, Dumoulin, Landa, Zakarin, heck even Fuglsang and Uran can win and I wouldn't be seriously surprised.
Landa will put on a show in 1 or 2 stages. Thats all he needs.
This edition of the Giro is hardly overflowing with mountains with only 2 MT finishes - Even if GC contenders get dropped on the last climb or two, they can get time back on the descents if they have team support.
That is true, but if last year Giro Landa acelerates alone at the begining of mortirolo, he would have got in aprica, with a descent and some false flat 2 or 3 minutes over the second.
In stages like Giau, and the last two ones, Risoul and Lombarda, a pure climber can do lot of damage to everybody, it is possible, I mean possible, I dont ay it i easy, we have lot of examples in the past... to recover 10 minutes in those 3 stages even without a great team. But it is not always easy to have strenth at the end of the Giro...
Dumoulin is a big rider, but Giro ha the hardest mountains stages.. with no big team and if everybody go againts him, he can lose a lot of time in those 3 stages..., no 10 minutes, much more if there is a great climber inspired.
In a TdF similar to the one Wiggo won, and with a good team, Domoulin will be in the future the favourite. He is going to improve...he need experience and more GT in his legs...but he has the engine to be a Tour winner.
This is not the edition of the Giro with more mountain, but those 3 stages are enough, and there is a climb ITT. In that Dumoulin could be better than Landa, but I am not sure...something to discover...