Off season. We need some Giro 2011 discussion.

[Ferminal]

The Ricco news has tempered my excitement for the Giro... I just need to remind myself that Anton v Purito v South Americans will be amazing anyway.

 

[taiwan]

Geox really is a team of climbers. They must get a Giro invite, simply must. I'd rather see them in the race than Colnago, Farnese Vini, Acqua e Sapone or even Androni.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

androni have the best climbing quad by far in the giro with lampre being close 2nd and then geox in my estimation

 

[roundabout]

Contador to announce that he's doing the Giro in 10...9....

 

[Ferminal]

Contador to announce that he's doing the Giro in 10...9....

I thought about that too, race everything whilst he can, Valverde style. You never know when he could get banned by CAS (admittedly he would lose his results anyway...) or maybe even blocked by the ASO. Would be a good year to go for the Giro-Vuelta again.

 

[The Hitch]

Contador to announce that he's doing the Giro in 10...9....

Id rather he did Tour Vuelta. The Giro is just too greatly poised. He would be favourite.

Having said that, it could make the Giro the blue ribbon of 2011.

 

[Jamsque]

If by 'blue ribbon of 2011' you mean 'most boring, pre-determined result of 2011 and a mockery of the sport' then I agree.

 

[The Hitch]

If by 'blue ribbon of 2011' you mean 'most boring, pre-determined result of 2011 and a mockery of the sport' then I agree.

mmm lets look at the Tour 2011.

Andrew Schleck, a man with huge ties to doping himself, is built up by the UCi as the ambassador of cycling, and has several opponents removed from the Tour. Moreover he is given a super team to help him, has announced he will skip the rest of the season to focus on the Tour, and the parcors has been made specifically for him.

Moreover very few stages look exciting and the vast majority of tv time will be wasted on boring tv stages

So "most boring" check
"pre determined result" check
"mockery of the sport" check.

A far more worthy descritpion of le grand boucle than the epic, unpredictable 3 weeks of awesomness that will be the Giro 2011

 

[taiwan]

androni have the best climbing quad by far in the giro with lampre being close 2nd and then geox in my estimation

Well, I'm not good enough on my climbing domestiques or my South Americans to have that argument, and I really just meant that they're very much geared towards the climbs, rather than meaning that they would be the strongest in the mountains.

However,

For the Giro specifically I quite like Lampre. Not so sure what Sella and Rujano are capable of, but in terms of putting someone high in the GC, Lampre and Geox look more convincing. Geox are pretty deep too (quality support). Androni were outgunned in the mountains by Liquigas at last year's Giro. What Serpa and Ochoa were able to do was pretty limited vs Nibali, Szmyd, Kiserlovski...

 

[Jamsque]

mmm lets look at the Tour 2011.

Andrew Schleck, a man with huge ties to doping himself, is built up by the UCi as the ambassador of cycling, and has several opponents removed from the Tour. Moreover he is given a super team to help him, has announced he will skip the rest of the season to focus on the Tour, and the parcors has been made specifically for him.

Moreover very few stages look exciting and the vast majority of tv time will be wasted on boring tv stages

So "most boring" check
"pre determined result" check
"mockery of the sport" check.

A far more worthy descritpion of le grand boucle than the epic, unpredictable 3 weeks of awesomness that will be the Giro 2011

Naaaaah, regardless of what you think of the Schlecklet's cleanliness he is FAR from a foregone conclusion to win in July. He's inconsistent, he has bad days, he falls off. He doesn't even approach the levels of consistent dominance in stage races that Contador has shown for years.

 

[The Hitch]

You said it was going to be the "most boring".

Are you seriously suggesting the race which gives Cavendish his own stages, and about 40-50% of them per Tour at that, is going to be less boring than the race with 8 mtfs, a stage over mud, several medium mountain stages, a Mountain tt, finestre, and Monte Zoncolan?

Also care to explain how with Contador the Giro would be predetermined.

 

[roundabout]

Contador would squash all those puny Italian dopers who have to store their blood at home. Simples.

 

[taiwan]

Is everyone assuming Bert would ride the Giro and the Tour? Had he said he would or something?

 

[roundabout]

In one of his last TV appearances he mentioned that he might ride the Giro.

 

[Barrus]

allright please stop with the Bertie doping talk we have quite enough of that in the clinic. Off course you dan discuss whether he will ride the giro, just leave doping talk out of it

 

[The Hitch]

Is everyone assuming Bert rides the Giro and the Tour if he's cleared? Had he said he would or something?

No. We are just talking about "if he were to ride the Giro"

Though mcquack did say that its unlikely Contador will be at the Tour.

 

[Jamsque]

Also care to explain how with Contador the Giro would be predetermined.

The 'boring' thing is subjective, so I'll leave that aside, except to say that I think it's childish to call every sprint stage a 'gift to Cavendish', sprinting is an integral part of Grand Tours and there have been 5-10 bunch sprint stages in every Tour de France going back decades and decades.

As to your main point, if Contador rides the Giro, Contador will win the Giro. Since 2007 his Grand tour record is raced five, won five, and he has cleaned up 90% of the smaller stage races he entered in that period. He is a spectacular climber, excellent in the TT, does not crack, and has had one 'jour sans' in the entire time I can remember watching him (huger knock in Paris-Nice).

The guy is unstoppable.

 

[The Hitch]

Would be very interesting to see what team Saxo would send to Giro if Contador was doing that. Would they just say "screw the Tour" and throw Richie Porte there to maybe get a top 5 in a stage somewhere, and put the cavalry behind Contador in the Giro.

 

[Kwibus]

Because that highlights video was out of this world amazing.

Even better than this epic one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cNi6HoSpYA

Hitch,

I think I actually watched that highlights vid about 2 weeks ago on youtube. I'm trying to find it again, but so far no luck. I'm pretty confident it's somewhere on youtube though.

This one looks pretty ok so far allthough it's just some random clips of the giro. Nice footage though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95I8kyNsg2Y&feature=related

edit:
I think I found it again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlZbsmRzMqA&feature=related

Note I didn't see the 2011 presentation so I'm not sure this is THE 2010 highlights vid they showed at the 2011 presentation.

 

[The Hitch]

Hitch,

I think I actually watched that highlights vid about 2 weeks ago on youtube. I'm trying to find it again, but so far no luck. I'm pretty confident it's somewhere on youtube though.

This one looks pretty ok so far allthough it's just some random clips of the giro. Nice footage though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95I8kyNsg2Y&feature=related

edit:
I think I found it again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlZbsmRzMqA&feature=related

Note I didn't see the 2011 presentation so I'm not sure this is THE 2010 highlights vid they showed at the 2011 presentation.

Well as i recall the Giro presentation was Saturday October 23rd kind of thing. And this video is from October 23rd. and from rai 3 which is where that was shown.

I think its the one. Epic video.

Thanks a lot Kwibus.

Edit: positive match. This is indeed the one.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Well, I'm not good enough on my climbing domestiques or my South Americans to have that argument, and I really just meant that they're very much geared towards the climbs, rather than meaning that they would be the strongest in the mountains.

However,

For the Giro specifically I quite like Lampre. Not so sure what Sella and Rujano are capable of, but in terms of putting someone high in the GC, Lampre and Geox look more convincing. Geox are pretty deep too (quality support). Androni were outgunned in the mountains by Liquigas at last year's Giro. What Serpa and Ochoa were able to do was pretty limited vs Nibali, Szmyd, Kiserlovski...

serpa ochoa were crashed aidn injured in the zeeland stages. jackson rode a very weak giro too. but under normal cicumstances those 3 plus a top rujano, sella and monsalve seem to me the best mountain team by far this giro

 

[Ryaguas]

If by 'blue ribbon of 2011' you mean 'most boring, pre-determined result of 2011 and a mockery of the sport' then I agree.

I guess you are talking about Le Tour 2011 right?

Contador said in the interview in Veo7 that He wanted to ride Giro - Tour and He prepared his calendar for that goal...

And If Contador goes to Il Giro that is going to be anything less boring, Rujano, Sella, Scarponi, Kashechkin, Riccó (yes Im still dreaming), Nibali, Kreuziger, Anton, etc... There we have a list of riders who will want to beat the best climber... Do you think that Rujano or Sella will be just checking Contador?? NOT, those guys know just 1 word "Attack"... I can see a great Giro incoming if everything goes well for Alberto! =D

 

[Ryaguas]

Hey at 5:12 in the Epic Video... was that Evans "fighting" with a Lampre guy? Why? What did happen?

 

[Kwibus]

Well as i recall the Giro presentation was Saturday October 23rd kind of thing. And this video is from October 23rd. and from rai 3 which is where that was shown.

I think its the one. Epic video.

Thanks a lot Kwibus.

Edit: positive match. This is indeed the one.

Awesome. So after looking for the vid since October we finally officially found it while it was there all the time since October!

 

[Barrus]

Hey at 5:12 in the Epic Video... was that Evans "fighting" with a Lampre guy? Why? What did happen?

It is quite some time ago, but I believe Evans was annoyed that Lampre did not chase hard enough or that Evans wanted to be in the front and the Lampre guy did not give him any space. I believe both of them received fines for that incident