No time bonuses in the Giro 2012 MTFs!!!

[Bavarianrider]

It doesn't really work like that though does it?

Euskaltel don't really have any guys who are good TTers besides Samu. The only good Basque TTers in the last few years have been Castroviejo, Intxausti (both gone to Movistar) and Herrero (burnt his bridges at Euskaltel).

They spent a lot of time training for the TTT at the Circuito de Navarra in the 2010-11 offseason... but still came last in the Tour. Why? Because the teams like Sky and Garmin, who are naturally better than them at the TTT... they practised it too.

The TTT doesn't solve any problems that an ITT doesn't solve just as well without having as many obvious drawbacks as the TTT; the trade-off for much fairer, more balanced racing is that the TTT is a better visual spectacle than an ITT. The TTT is OK as an occasional change of pace, but it seems like every GT has to have one these days, which is both overkill and formulaic.

As to your spiel about southern Europeans not working and sucking at the TTT, I point to Liquigas:

2nd, 2011 Vuelta a España stage 1 (TTT) +4"
3rd, 2011 Giro d'Italia stage 1 (TTT) +22"
5th, 2011 Tirreno-Adriatico stage 1 (TTT) +22"
2nd, 2010 Vuelta a España stage 1 (TTT) +10"
1st, 2010 Settimana Coppi e Bartali stage 1b (TTT)
4th, 2009 Tour de France stage 4 (TTT) +58"
8th, 2009 Giro d'Italia stage 1 (TTT) +40"
4th, 2009 Tour de Romandie stage 4 (TTT) +24" (also note Caisse d'Epargne were 2nd in this event)
2nd, 2008 Tour de Pologne stage 1 (TTT) +3" (also note Caisse d'Epargne were 3rd one second further back)
1st, 2008 Vuelta a España stage 1 (TTT) (note Caisse d'Epargne were 3rd here, and Euskaltel 2nd)
4th, 2008 Giro d'Italia stage 1 (TTT) +9"

My point is that Euskatel riders would loose more time in a ITT than they lose in a TTT. Hence i don't think that a TTT is really that bad for them. And if they work on a good formationect. They could even compensate a little bit of their natural waekness.

Well Liquigas is stationed in Northern Italy. Northern Italy surely isn't your topical southern europe. I Think even northern Italainas seperate themself from the south, don't they?

 

[jens_attacks]

some southerners for bavarianrider.

and again i have to say these 15-20 km ttts shouldn't take place.there are just like a 7 km prologue.just like i always said,from time to time(once in 4-5 years) a grand tour should have a 70-80 km TTT,a real one.those were just pure art,these are extremely short

 

[Bavarianrider]

some southerners for bavarianrider.

and again i have to say these 15-20 km ttts shouldn't take place.there are just like a 7 km prologue.just like i always said,from time to time(once in 4-5 years) a grand tour should have a 70-80 km TTT,a real one.those were just pure art,these are extremely short

I totally agree with that. But you get slaughtered in here for such a claim.

 

[mb2612]

My point is that Euskatel riders would loose more time in a ITT than they lose in a TTT. Hence i don't think that a TTT is really that bad for them. And if they work on a good formationect. They could even compensate a little bit of their natural waekness.

Well Liquigas is stationed in Northern Italy. Northern Italy surely isn't your topical southern europe. I Think even northern Italainas seperate themself from the south, don't they?

The thing is, Sanchez wouldn't, and as he is their leader, it feels stupid for him to be ruled out because his team mates can't TT.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The thing is, Sanchez wouldn't, and as he is their leader, it feels stupid for him to be ruled out because his team mates can't TT.

Michele Scarponi lost more time in 30km of TTT in the 2010 Giro than he lost in the other 3000km combined.

Do we really think Scarponi loses 2 minutes to Basso (the 2010 version, not Robobasso) in a mid-length ITT? No. Scarponi loses 2 minutes because he's reliant on the ITT skills of Jackson Rodríguez and Cameron Wurf there.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

The thing is, Sanchez wouldn't, and as he is their leader, it feels stupid for him to be ruled out because his team mates can't TT.

well then he should join another team if it's such a fuss.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Michele Scarponi lost more time in 30km of TTT in the 2010 Giro than he lost in the other 3000km combined.

Do we really think Scarponi loses 2 minutes to Basso (the 2010 version, not Robobasso) in a mid-length ITT? No. Scarponi loses 2 minutes because he's reliant on the ITT skills of Jackson Rodríguez and Cameron Wurf there.

wurf is actually very good itt rider

 

[Leopejo]

Well Liquigas is stationed in Northern Italy. Northern Italy surely isn't your topical southern europe. I Think even northern Italainas seperate themself from the south, don't they?

Well then you should not consider Italy at all, as the traditional cycling centers of Italy are Tuscany, Lombardy and Veneto, though Acqua & Sapone is a bit souther.

While Italy, as much as Germany, is quite a varied country, there's no such separation in cycling cultures. Most southern cyclist emigrate to Tuscany or Norther anyway.

BTW, the history of Italian 100 km TTT is not bad at all.