Most Underwhelming Giro d'Italia Performance

[JosephK]

Re:

Yates by far. After his performances in the Giro and Vuelta last year and his pre-race statements I expected him to obliterate the field or atleast make the podium, especially after Dumoulin and Bernal didn't participate.


Otherwise Jungels or O'Connor, probably O'Connor.

Yep. I picked "Other" as Yates would have been my pick. Jungels is there, too -- but no one really expected a top-five GC from him. He was off not only on climbing, but also not so good in the TTs, so maybe something was up with his preparation, or maybe he was battling illness. I wouldn't be surprised if Sepp Kuss had some illness as well . . . teammate of de Plus.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Re: Re:

Yep. I picked "Other" as Yates would have been my pick. Jungels is there, too -- but no one really expected a top-five GC from him. He was off not only on climbing, but also not so good in the TTs, so maybe something was up with his preparation, or maybe he was battling illness. I wouldn't be surprised if Sepp Kuss had some illness as well . . . teammate of de Plus.

https://www.lequotidien.lu/sports/giro-bob-jungels-revient-sur-son-tour-decevant/

He doesn't say anything about illness.

 

[Pantani_lives]

I knew Bob Jungels was going to win something one of these days.

 

[The Barb]

Re: Re:

Good mentions. I'd pick Sosa - I know, its his first GT, but before Bernal crashed I had expected him to deliver Porte 2013 performances based on his high mountain climbing. For sure had him as a better climber than Sivakov.

Does he get a pass since he was a replacement and hence maybe not at the right point in his training cycle for his first GT?

I agree. Also showed really good legs at times and might have been able to win a stage if he'd been allowed into a break rather than having to stay with Sivakov.

Also pretty unfair to include Sepp Kuss in this poll. He was a late call up and clearly underdone. Yes, he did basically nothing, but he could scarcely have been expected to do much. He still has potential to be (at least) a super domestique in the mountains in future.

For me Simon Yates is the standout winner of this.

 

[Koronin]

I voted for Izagirre although thought about Kuss as well. Yes both in support roles however I expected a little more from both of them.

 

[HelloDolly]

Very disappointed with Simon Yates ...strange how he was flying and then nothing

Zakarin ? I mean can someone please help him to descend ....
Pinot improved greatly so Zakarin surely can

Ben O Connor reminds me of so many young riders who do a good GT early on and then chase GC riding forever without too much improvement or success
Like Meinjes and the disappointing Jungles and Formolo ..all of which should try another tack
When you come from no where and finish 8th it seems so good, the press praise you, everyone sings your praises ,on here you are tipped for greatness ....when you finish 8th a few times not so great and on here that initial praise turns to ridicule

 

[jaylew]

If we're just talking surprising/disappointing, I'd say Viviani/Quickstep. They've been bossing bunch sprints for years and it was likely Viviani's main goal of the season after maybe MSR. And when's the last time QS didn't win a stage in a GT?

But if we're going with the op's intention for this thread, I'd say Jungels. I mean, who'd have guessed a full cobbled classics campaign and Giro GC wouldn't mix?

Agree with Logic on Sosa. I expected zero from him in this Giro. First GT, peaked for Colombia, hadn't showed a ton of form recently, Ineos didn't mention him at all in the run up, and he's not a Bernal/Schleck level talent.

Thought about O'Connor but he's still such an unknown quantity. Agree with everyone on Formolo - I'd like to see him try to peak for the later season one day races.

 

[Tigerion]

Was going to say Gallopin but only just released he was a DNF
I can see why people are saying Yates but he just didn't have the form. For me at least he had a crack and pushed on, when he was dropped he pushed on and multiple times managed to rejoin the favourites.

After tour of the Alps I was expecting more fromTao Geoghegan Hart

 

[DanielSong39]

I voted for Simon Yates, very surprised he wasn't on the list.

 

[gregrowlerson]

No Yates? Got to be trolling.

I would also include Lopez. I thought that his performances at Catalunya meant that he'd be a strong contender here, and this looked even more so after stage 1. But after that he never really got going. Having said all of that, he still won the white jersey.

 

[jaylew]

Re:

I voted for Simon Yates, very surprised he wasn't on the list.

No Yates? Got to be trolling.

I would also include Lopez. I thought that his performances at Catalunya meant that he'd be a strong contender here, and this looked even more so after stage 1. But after that he never really got going. Having said all of that, he still won the white jersey.

Those guys weren't on the list because the OP's intention was about guys who may have underperformed but also were invisible-ish. Like those guys you hardly noticed were there and/or rarely did anything meaningful who you thought would have performed better. Lopez attacked far too much and Yates podiumed 3 stages and was far too visible so they wouldn't make the list.

 

[SafeBet]

Re:

Was going to say Gallopin but only just released he was a DNF
I can see why people are saying Yates but he just didn't have the form. For me at least he had a crack and pushed on, when he was dropped he pushed on and multiple times managed to rejoin the favourites.

After tour of the Alps I was expecting more fromTao Geoghegan Hart

Tao crashed out on stage 13 though.

 

[Tigerion]

Re: Re:

Was going to say Gallopin but only just released he was a DNF
I can see why people are saying Yates but he just didn't have the form. For me at least he had a crack and pushed on, when he was dropped he pushed on and multiple times managed to rejoin the favourites.

After tour of the Alps I was expecting more from Tao Geoghegan Hart

Tao crashed out on stage 13 though.

Every rider who has an underwhelming giro comes up with some sort of excuse don't they :redface:

 

[search]

Re: Re:

Was going to say Gallopin but only just released he was a DNF
I can see why people are saying Yates but he just didn't have the form. For me at least he had a crack and pushed on, when he was dropped he pushed on and multiple times managed to rejoin the favourites.

After tour of the Alps I was expecting more from Tao Geoghegan Hart

Tao crashed out on stage 13 though.

Every rider who has an underwhelming giro comes up with some sort of excuse don't they :redface:

not sure about O'Connor, the way I understood it, he said he was in way better shape than last year (regarding the numbers at least)

 

[Carols]

Simon 'Big Mouth' Yates

EDIT:Ion Izagirre near invisible.

 

[MADRAZO]

1. Simon Yates, very underwhelming performance for someone ecpecting to be dominating

2. Ivan Sosa, sure he is young, but he is the same age as Sivakov and was seen as a Bernal-like talent before this season. Decent performance for a rider his age but still very very underwhelming given his expected talent.

3. Bob Jungels, we all new his GC obcession was a bad idea and that he should have focussed on riding more classics and maybe being a strong allrounder helper/stagehunter in the TDF afterwards, but him being so bad after his strong springform was still extremely underwhelming.

Also of course very underwhelming performances from riders like Izagirre and O'COnnor (I think both were due to setbacks earlier in the year) and Gallopin and Vuillermoz (changing their schedules to aim for the Giro and doing nothing)

 

[Davesta]

I can forgive the young guys like Kuss, Tolhoek & O'Connor a bit of anonymity, given their age & relative lack of experience...

I genuinely didn't realise that Ion Izagirre was in the race! Perhaps understandable given he was on domestique duties, but still surprising for such a big name to be so unseen.

But I think I'll give a joint award to Jungels & Vuillermoz - both were supposedly mounting GC challenges and disappeared at the first hurdle. Jungels did at least make a break on one day, so perhaps Vuillermoz edges it...

 

[shalgo]

Viviani, with Simon Yates a close second. I had no significant expectations for any of the named riders.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re: Re:

I voted for Simon Yates, very surprised he wasn't on the list.

No Yates? Got to be trolling.

I would also include Lopez. I thought that his performances at Catalunya meant that he'd be a strong contender here, and this looked even more so after stage 1. But after that he never really got going. Having said all of that, he still won the white jersey.

Those guys weren't on the list because the OP's intention was about guys who may have underperformed but also were invisible-ish. Like those guys you hardly noticed were there and/or rarely did anything meaningful who you thought would have performed better. Lopez attacked far too much and Yates podiumed 3 stages and was far too visible so they wouldn't make the list.

Then I misunderstood the question, because DropBob Jungels was very visible... we saw daily pictures of him getting dropped.

Modolo and Battaglin are two names that also deserve to be mentioned. Usually always good in their home race, but just no where to be seen this time.

 

[Oliver]

After his form in the 1-day races I expected Bob to be bad.
Ion in my eyes isn’t a grand tour rider.
Ben O’Connor for me the biggest disappointment but after his beginning of the season you could expect this.
Disappointing team = lotto jumbo
Sosa: I could be wrong but I don’t expect him to be a really big rider.

 

[RedheadDane]

I dunno… the guys I'm most underwhelmed by, are the guys I forgot were there.
But if I forgot they were there, I can't really be underwhelmed by them.

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

I dunno… the guys I'm most underwhelmed by, are the guys I forgot were there.
But if I forgot they were there, I can't really be underwhelmed by them.

Maybe Hiroki Nishimura was the most underwhelming rider of the Giro.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re: Re:

I dunno… the guys I'm most underwhelmed by, are the guys I forgot were there.
But if I forgot they were there, I can't really be underwhelmed by them.

Maybe Hiroki Nishimura was the most underwhelming rider of the Giro.

Mostly I remember the fact that he pretty early wasn't there!

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

I dunno… the guys I'm most underwhelmed by, are the guys I forgot were there.
But if I forgot they were there, I can't really be underwhelmed by them.

Maybe Hiroki Nishimura was the most underwhelming rider of the Giro.

Mostly I remember the fact that he pretty early wasn't there!

I saw that PCS had somehow made a list of the most anonymous riders in the race (I don't really know what their criteria were). The most anonymous was - according to them - Andrea Garosio (and I don't remember the rest, so perhaps the real most anonymous would be number 2 on the list, since number 1 de-anonymouses himself by being too spectacularly anonymous).

 

[Valv.Piti]

Never heard of him. Turns out he was one of Nibali's helpers......