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Montepaschi Strade Bianche, Saturday

Map of the course for Saturday's Montepaschi Strade Bianche around Siena.

http://www.gazzetta.it/Ciclismo/01-03-2010/4a-montepaschi-strade-bianche-603164915739.shtml

Reigning: Thomas Lofkvist
Challengers: Evans, Cavendish, Pozzato, Cancellara, Fletcha, Ballan
riportato al:
http://www.gazzetta.it/Ciclismo/01-03-2010/evans-cavendish-pozzato-603165571032.shtml

4a-montepaschi-strade-bianche-603164915739.shtml
 
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Anonymous

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Swingtop said:
Please tell me there's a live stream somewhere. This race is way too beautiful to miss every year.

There are feeds, but likely they wont be known till saturday morning.
 
Jun 26, 2009
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Info from Astana's Tenerife camp - Vino will ride T-A for sure, but he still doubts about Eroica.
Astana for Eroica - Davis-brothers, Bazza, Maxim Iglinskiy, Andrey Grivko, Gasparotto...
 
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Mellow Velo said:
Raitre have an hour penciled in for tv:16-25 - 17-25CET.
That will be a recording.
We have 4 races for this week, that somebody needs to "sticky".

Live coverage 1300h - 1545 cet, just dont know where yet.. not any of the Rai channels anyway..
 
Nov 24, 2009
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blaxland said:
was this race called Monte pasci Eroica last year?....................I think Evans will win this.............lots of hills and gravel=mtb skills.......

What kind of tyres will they run? Those small stones look like hundreds of punctures waiting to happen on 23mm's
 
Aug 18, 2009
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What's the profile like, actually? It's been won by Lofkvist, Cancellara, Kolobnev. Can't infer much from that. If it's good for a rider like Cancellara, it can't be that hilly, right? I was thinking Pozzato, or Ballan.
 
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Beautiful race, one of the few races beyond the cobbles I love to watch in the early part of the season.

Ryder Hesjedal is my prediction to win. 10th two years running, he's proven he can handle the gravel roads and I hope Garmin will give him the chance to go for it himself.
 
Big GMaC said:
What kind of tyres will they run? Those small stones look like hundreds of punctures waiting to happen on 23mm's

I live (and have lived) in several places with a lot of limestone country roads. Not that I'm an expert, but I have no problem with regular road tires. I run 23's and 25's. The problem is not on the roads themselves, but the transitions. If you come off a main road onto the gravel or vice versa, there are large dips which can cause a pinch flat.
 
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Willy_Voet said:
I live (and have lived) in several places with a lot of limestone country roads. Not that I'm an expert, but I have no problem with regular road tires. I run 23's and 25's. The problem is not on the roads themselves, but the transitions. If you come off a main road onto the gravel or vice versa, there are large dips which can cause a pinch flat.

And braking one assumes?
 
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Bala Verde said:
Any decent Italian proxies? RAI is also geo-restricted...

I wouldnt worry to much though, there are going to be feeds of this one, and i have italian proxies ready if they are needed, and Ive got a RaiSport feed.
 
Jun 16, 2009
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taiwan said:
What's the profile like, actually? It's been won by Lofkvist, Cancellara, Kolobnev. Can't infer much from that. If it's good for a rider like Cancellara, it can't be that hilly, right? I was thinking Pozzato, or Ballan.
i was going to ask the same question, is it hilly enough someone like evans to win or can someone like ballan who is more of a cobbled classics rider win on it?
 
auscyclefan94 said:
i was going to ask the same question, is it hilly enough someone like evans to win or can someone like ballan who is more of a cobbled classics rider win on it?

Cancellera won the first pro version, so a powerful rider with P-R skills like Ballan has a good chance.

I love this race. This old school stuff, like gravel stages in the Giro and the Eroica, are where the sport should go. Antiseptic racing like the TdF is formulaic and boring.
 
auscyclefan94 said:
i was going to ask the same question, is it hilly enough someone like evans to win or can someone like ballan who is more of a cobbled classics rider win on it?

I believe the course itself is not very hilly but rather it's the gravel roads that are decisive before the end. Then it finishes on a short steep climb in the last 900-1100 meters or something like that which would probably make it possible for climbers like Evans to do good as well. It's like a mini Fleche in the end almost.

Here is a 4 part set of videos that show last years race:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx0w-cvAWiM&feature=related
 
Jun 16, 2009
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ingsve said:
I believe the course itself is not very hilly but rather it's the gravel roads that are decisive before the end. Then it finishes on a short steep climb in the last 900-1100 meters or something like that which would probably make it possible for climbers like Evans to do good as well. It's like a mini Fleche in the end almost.

Here is a 4 part set of videos that show last years race:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx0w-cvAWiM&feature=related

Thanks for the vid...

The last 4km's looks like a gradual uphill and the final km looks hard as well. It looks like more of an Evans, Valverde :D or Kolobnev finish than a ballan or cancellara finish.
 
Aug 18, 2009
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ingsve said:
Here is a 4 part set of videos that show last years race:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx0w-cvAWiM&feature=related

Mellow Velo said:
Undulating, across those rolling Tuscan expanses.....

CerveloFan said:
Ryder Hesjedal is my prediction to win. 10th two years running, he's proven he can handle the gravel roads and I hope Garmin will give him the chance to go for it himself.

Thanks

Thanks

Sounds like a good pick. I'll maybe tone down the uninformed predictions for now.