Pre Giro d' Italia-thread!

[yaco]

Sam Bennett will be disappointed if he doesn't win a stage.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Re:

Only difference between the amount of km's of Dumoulin of last and this year is two relatively short Tirreno stages and a 10k ITT.

Yeah, but somehow people think he did like 50% of the races. Probably because the results were not prominent. Last year he was 3rd in Dubai, 5th in Strade, 6th in Tirreno.. Now no results because of bad luck, illness and a crash.

He did pretty similar in MSR and LBL compared to last year so I don't get the panic (even did slightly better in LBL)

 

[DNP-Old]

Re: Re:

Only difference between the amount of km's of Dumoulin of last and this year is two relatively short Tirreno stages and a 10k ITT.

Yeah, but somehow people think he did like 50% of the races. Probably because the results were not prominent. Last year he was 3rd in Dubai, 5th in Strade, 6th in Tirreno.. Now no results because of bad luck, illness and a crash.

He did pretty similar in MSR and LBL compared to last year so I don't get the panic (even did slightly better in LBL)

Indeed. I think Tom's biggest rival will be Tom himself. I really didn't like his attitude this season (maybe a sign of the pressure getting to him?). He's said he's fixed it, but that's something you prove with actions rather than words, and we're going to see that in a two weeks.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Only difference between the amount of km's of Dumoulin of last and this year is two relatively short Tirreno stages and a 10k ITT.

Yeah, but somehow people think he did like 50% of the races. Probably because the results were not prominent. Last year he was 3rd in Dubai, 5th in Strade, 6th in Tirreno.. Now no results because of bad luck, illness and a crash.

He did pretty similar in MSR and LBL compared to last year so I don't get the panic (even did slightly better in LBL)

Indeed. I think Tom's biggest rival will be Tom himself. I really didn't like his attitude this season (maybe a sign of the pressure getting to him?). He's said he's fixed it, but that's something you prove with actions rather than words, and we're going to see that in a two weeks.

I think his biggest rival will be Lopez and Astana who will be coming guns blazing. Suns out, guns out. Seriously tho, I think Froome and Sky will be more of an ally, at least early on - they want the same, a rather controlled watt/kg determined tempo. Chaves is the joker - I think we more or less know what to expect of Aru and Pinot. Very good, but probably lacking that top level you would need to have under normal circumstances.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

DNP I didn't like it either. But it turned out even Tom himself didn't like his own attitude at the start of the season. So that's something we all agree on haha

 

[DNP-Old]

Re: Re:

Only difference between the amount of km's of Dumoulin of last and this year is two relatively short Tirreno stages and a 10k ITT.

Yeah, but somehow people think he did like 50% of the races. Probably because the results were not prominent. Last year he was 3rd in Dubai, 5th in Strade, 6th in Tirreno.. Now no results because of bad luck, illness and a crash.

He did pretty similar in MSR and LBL compared to last year so I don't get the panic (even did slightly better in LBL)

Indeed. I think Tom's biggest rival will be Tom himself. I really didn't like his attitude this season (maybe a sign of the pressure getting to him?). He's said he's fixed it, but that's something you prove with actions rather than words, and we're going to see that in a two weeks.

I think his biggest rival will be Lopez and Astana who will be coming guns blazing. Suns out, guns out. Seriously tho, I think Froome and Sky will be more of an ally, at least early on - they want the same, a rather controlled watt/kg determined tempo. Chaves is the joker - I think we more or less know what to expect of Aru and Pinot. Very good, but probably lacking that top level you would need to have under normal circumstances.

I'm trying to not get too carried away with Superman. My starting point for him is a 2 to 3 minute disadvantage to Tom with the ITT's. From thereon, I'm looking at it stage by stage. Some fit him wonderfully (Cervinia, Bardonecchia, Zoncolan), some fit Tom wonderfully (Montevergine, Prato Nevoso). Only thing we're sure of right now is that Superman has a tremendous advantage over maybe everyone when it comes to team.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I don't think its getting too much carried away saying he will be the biggest thread to Froome/Dumoulin considering what we have seen from him in last year's Vuelta and this year climbing wise and considering his amazing team. He has some obvious weaknesses as time trialing, not being explosive on the hilly days and his tendency to fall. But if he is in good shape come Zoncolan....

 

[Red Rick]

I'm also very interested in what Oomen is gonna do. Well the what is clear. But I'm very interested in how well he's gonna do it.

 

[Chrispol]

Re:

I don't think its getting too much carried away saying he will be the biggest thread to Froome/Dumoulin considering what we have seen from him in last year's Vuelta and this year climbing wise and considering his amazing team. He has some obvious weaknesses as time trialing, not being explosive on the hilly days and his tendency to fall. But if he is in good shape come Zoncolan....

Stage 4,5 and 11 have very tricky final and end with a short, explosive ramp. He could lose a minute right there if he is badly positioned.

 

[RedheadDane]

Random observation.

By the looks of it there will be two Guys and one Boy in the giro this year.

 

[Koronin]

Re:

For those watching on British Eurosport, I know Matt Stephens has stopped on GCN and is doing a lot more commentating, including the Giro. A pair of him and Hatch could be great I think, the few times I have listened to Stephens commentating it has been very pleasant and he has a very nice personality.

From ca 180 riders in Giro, below we have "BIG-6" with the KMs this season:
...
87. MA Lopez - 3555 km
108. Aru - 3252 km
122. Chaves - 3042 km
161. Froome - 2408
166. Pinot - 2212 km
172. Dumuolin - 1956 km
Only MAL above mediana (3520 km). And amounts of KMs correspond with their TDF plans.

Nothing too out of the ordinary - Dumoulin probably doesn't have as many kilometres as he would have liked, but I doubt it matters. Froome with a very Froome-esque approach.

Is that why Matt is/was leaving GCN?

 

[Parker]

Re: Re:

Velonews:
Despite his strong ride for Froome at the recent Tour of the Alps, Kenny Elissonde does not appear on Sky’s lineup. An insider told VeloNews, however, that the team will officially announce its roster on Friday and that one of the names on its provisional start list is likely to change. It’s unclear who that would be.
I hope Kenny will replace e.g. Knees.

Kenny's in.

Froome, Poels, De La Cruz, Sergio Henao, Elissonde, Kiryienka, Knees, Puccio

If Froome completes the three GTs in a row (even if temporarily), Knees will have been there for all of them.

 

[Laplaz]

So no Rosa? I guess only Vuelta for him...

 

[Red Rick]

Fully expecting Elissonde to be a case of too good in prep race. And he's pretty weak on the flat.

 

[pastronef]

Re:

Fully expecting Elissonde to be a case of too good in prep race. And he's pretty weak on the flat.

he´ll be drafting behind Puccio Knees and Kiry on the flat, no worry

 

[rick james]

Re:

Fully expecting Elissonde to be a case of too good in prep race. And he's pretty weak on the flat.

Does half the Astana team now suffer from too good in the prep race?

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Fully expecting Elissonde to be a case of too good in prep race. And he's pretty weak on the flat.

he´ll be drafting behind Puccio Knees and Kiry on the flat, no worry

Ofcourse Kenny won't work too much on flat stages. But there's flat after big climbs too.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Fully expecting Elissonde to be a case of too good in prep race. And he's pretty weak on the flat.

he´ll be drafting behind Puccio Knees and Kiry on the flat, no worry

Unless he has got significantly better, he was in peak shape in Trentino Im afraid. And he has absolutely no use outside of the moutains

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Fully expecting Elissonde to be a case of too good in prep race. And he's pretty weak on the flat.

he´ll be drafting behind Puccio Knees and Kiry on the flat, no worry

Unless he has got significantly better, he was in peak shape in Trentino Im afraid. And he has absolutely no use outside of the moutains

He's the antithesis of Sky's preferred domestiques. The only pure climbers they usually bring are the likes of Poels and Landa.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Elissonde is insurance for Poels being weak in the first few mountain / hilly stages I think.

 

[May0maniac]

Bahrain-Merida:

A good team around Pozzovivo and Bonifazio for the sprints.

UAE:
201 ARU Fabio
202 ATAPUMA John Darwin
203 CONTI Valerio
204 LAENGEN Vegard Stake
205 MARCATO Marco
206 MORI Manuele
207 POLANC Jan
208 ULISSI Diego

Good squad, I would have prefered to have Durasek instead of Ulissi, but you can't have everything.
Laengen riding the Giro sucks a bit for Dan Martin, he would have been great in the TTT and he can work on all kinds of terrain, a bit like Kiry.
I guess most of the young Italians will get their chance at the Vuelta, that's probably the better option.

 

[Koronin]

The official Movistar line up as listed on their site:
Carlos Betancur
Richard Carapaz
Victor De La Parte
Ruben Fernandez
Antonio Pedrero
Dayer Quintana
Eduardo Sepulveda
Rafa Valls

I literally have no clue what they are thinking. I will be surprised if they are anything other than non existent in this race.

 

[fauniera]

Don't underestimate Carapaz.

 

[Koronin]

Where's his support? Betancur has no form. Fernandez hasn't raced since the Tour Down Under due to a stress fracture. Sepulveda and Valls have no experience.

 

[fauniera]

Sepulveda and Valls do have experience. Bigger problem is no support for flat terrain.