Stage 16: Pinzolo – Aprica 177 kms:Where legends are made

[Metabolol]

I don't think Contador will do anything stupid but surely he wants to stick it to Landa if he gets an opportunity.

 

[willbick]

I wonder if the same people who criticized Wiggins for winning a GT with time-trialling superiority despite not being the strongest climber will now turn their guns on Contador lol

 

[Irondan]

Re: Re:

ay ay ay ... cringe worthy.

“It was a really beautiful day for me, maybe even more than the last one,” Landa said. “We saw that Contador had a problem and Katusha rode the group full gas and we collaborated with them.

Jeez, this guy has no soul!

Respect for the leaders jersey is gone forever, never mind that Contador did the same thing to Schleck. This is now the status quo.

 

[shalgo]

So what are the rules on getting bottles from the team car in the last 20 km? I can't find this year's rules, but in the 2014 rules, that was forbidden. Landa took a bottle from the team car on the last climb.

 

[bill1109]

Re:

I wonder if the same people who criticized Wiggins for winning a GT with time-trialling superiority despite not being the strongest climber will now turn their guns on Contador lol

Wiggins would wilt on a day like this that Contador had. He rode alone on much of the chase today. Wiggins without Froome??? LOL

 

[gunara]

Re:

I wonder if the same people who criticized Wiggins for winning a GT with time-trialling superiority despite not being the strongest climber will now turn their guns on Contador lol

Contador need to ride for Astana in this Giro to merit this comparison, instead of being alone in the end of every mountain stage.

 

[sunnyIce]

“It was a very hard day, an incredible stage,” Contador said. “Cycling isn’t mathematics. I had a puncture on the descent [before the Mortirolo]; Ivan Basso gave me a wheel, but ahead they were going at full speed, and it was impossible to close the gap immediately. It was hard for me, but I’m very happy with the time gaps now.”

Lol.

“To Mikel Landa, I can only say: chapeau. These are the stages that people remember,” Contador said.

 

[TommyGun]

Re:

I wonder if the same people who criticized Wiggins for winning a GT with time-trialling superiority despite not being the strongest climber will now turn their guns on Contador lol

What annoyed people the most in 2012 was Sky's domination and their ability to ruin the TDF (people in France were absolutely gutted to witness this poor show). On the contrary, Contador is always fighting alone on the climbs, no horrible black-and-blue train to drive him, and he launches magnificent attacks.
Both situations are not even remotely comparable.

 

[Bernie's eyesore]

Re:

I wonder if the same people who criticized Wiggins for winning a GT with time-trialling superiority despite not being the strongest climber will now turn their guns on Contador lol

Are you being serious?

 

[Irondan]

Re:

So what are the rules on getting bottles from the team car in the last 20 km? I can't find this year's rules, but in the 2014 rules, that was forbidden. Landa took a bottle from the team car on the last climb.

You can look for the rules on the UCI website, in the same place as 2014

 

[PhiberAwptik]

Re:

I wonder if the same people who criticized Wiggins for winning a GT with time-trialling superiority despite not being the strongest climber will now turn their guns on Contador lol

You mean Contador who crashed hard and lost time. Contador who was 40 seconds down at the start of the Motirolo? COntafor who has taken every opportunity to take seconds. Little different story. Don't be so obtuse.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Re:

So what are the rules on getting bottles from the team car in the last 20 km? I can't find this year's rules, but in the 2014 rules, that was forbidden. Landa took a bottle from the team car on the last climb.

You get a fine, probably 200 CHF.
Happened to Froome in the tour.
Landa was denied feed for 40kms - so it was only right to give him food when they eventually got to him.

 

[carton]

Re:

I wonder if the same people who criticized Wiggins for winning a GT with time-trialling superiority despite not being the strongest climber will now turn their guns on Contador lol

I've said this before, but Contador is a very good time trialist who when he's going well rockets up to the very best. Treviso was not a surprise to those who say him shatter the field at Annecy in 2009 and Urbino in 2008.

 

[Bushman]

Re: Re:

So sad Kruijswijk did not win. Man of the stage.

True, what a ride! I hope he has enough power to finish it.

With this climbing shape he should "easily" win the mountains jersey on Finestre! Even if he's losing it on the way to Cervina.

The upcoming mountains stages normally favor a climber who could stay with the big guns over an escapee like Intxausti.

Kruijswijk might as well go in the offense on Finestre, tough. Contador won't chase him and Astana may be happy with the current standings as well.

Katusha, BMC and Movistar will probably not let Kruijswijk go. Unless a very big break goes with other riders close on GC, he should save his energy and try to take as many points as possible on the climbs.

 

[lejarreta]

Re:

Stop saying landa was the strongest in this giro. He lost more than 4 min in the ITT.

And he wheelsucked a contador who was 50 sec behind on mortirolo in this stage.

Up Montirolo Landa was pulling Aru and all the rest up front, and he could have done more but Aru was not at his finest. It was a cronoescalada Landa vs Contador. He did wheelsucking AFTER Aru let him go, cause Contador already left them behind.

It seems you have only watched the stage highlights.

 

[blackmamba]

Re:

I wonder if the same people who criticized Wiggins for winning a GT with time-trialling superiority despite not being the strongest climber will now turn their guns on Contador lol

If you compare wiggins climbing to Contadors (which is one of the best climbers of all time, if not the best) if you compare Wiggins climbing to his well then I just wish you all the best man

 

[Sasquatch]

Re: Re:

So sad Kruijswijk did not win. Man of the stage.

True, what a ride! I hope he has enough power to finish it.

With this climbing shape he should "easily" win the mountains jersey on Finestre! Even if he's losing it on the way to Cervina.

The upcoming mountains stages normally favor a climber who could stay with the big guns over an escapee like Intxausti.

Kruijswijk might as well go in the offense on Finestre, tough. Contador won't chase him and Astana may be happy with the current standings as well.

The difference between these stages is that Finestre doesn't have climbs before it so the break will get a handy margin because Astana won't drill it and Saxo won't be riding a high tempo so Contador can keep his troops fresh for the climb. Therefore the break could have 10 minutes at the base of the climb. I don't think Kruijswijk cares about the jersey. He cares more about finishing high up. So unless his team drills it on that stage and keeps the break within a couple of minutes, he's going to find it hard to reel in Intxausti or Betancur whom will both be in the break and everyone will want a rider up the road on that stage so the break could feature 20 odd riders.

 

[etymology]

Re: Re:

LOL Landa looks like he just went out for an easy 1 hour spin.

He could have won the Giro today. So sad when the strongest man in a GT doesn't win the GC.

among the many things i love about pro cycling: the *physically* strongest man does not always win the race.

side note: to "fairly" decide who is the physically strongest this giro, i propose the leaders call a truce until friday. on friday's stage, landa will spot contador one minute on the pantaleon, the penultimate climb. landa will have no team mates to help him make up the minute granted to contador - he will have to make up the minute all by his lonesome self.

if landa can catch contador and either win the stage OR finish stage 39 seconds or less behind contador...then landa will be acknowledged to be the strongest man in this giro.

deal???

 

[Bushman]

Re: Re:

So sad Kruijswijk did not win. Man of the stage.

True, what a ride! I hope he has enough power to finish it.

With this climbing shape he should "easily" win the mountains jersey on Finestre! Even if he's losing it on the way to Cervina.

The upcoming mountains stages normally favor a climber who could stay with the big guns over an escapee like Intxausti.

Kruijswijk might as well go in the offense on Finestre, tough. Contador won't chase him and Astana may be happy with the current standings as well.

The difference between these stages is that Finestre doesn't have climbs before it so the break will get a handy margin because Astana won't drill it and Saxo won't be riding a high tempo so Contador can keep his troops fresh for the climb. Therefore the break could have 10 minutes at the base of the climb. I don't think Kruijswijk cares about the jersey. He cares more about finishing high up. So unless his team drills it on that stage and keeps the break within a couple of minutes, he's going to find it hard to reel in Intxausti or Betancur whom will both be in the break and everyone will want a rider up the road on that stage so the break could feature 20 odd riders.

Since the stage is dead flat, his team should actually be able to keep the break in check fairly well. Maybe they could set up a deal with Tinkoff-Saxo: Lotto-Jumbo to lead the peloton on the flat and keep the break in check and Tinkoff-Saxo to take over once they reach Finestre.

 

[Bushman]

Will be interesting to see if Aru can recover for tuesday. If not, he should start worrying for his third place on gc, Amador doesn't look to be fading at all.

Amador paced himself really well on Mortirolo. He was dropped from the front group quite quickly and rode with Caruso, König and Geniez for a long time. In the second part of the climb he increased his paced and caught Hesjedal right at the top. On Aprica he also was the one who had the most left between him, Trofimov and Hesjedal.

 

[Carols]

Re:

ay ay ay ... cringe worthy.

“It was a really beautiful day for me, maybe even more than the last one,” Landa said. “We saw that Contador had a problem and Katusha rode the group full gas and we collaborated with them.

LOL at least he's not hiding behind excuses! I've always said it's a bike race not a tea party. It simply made the Champ show them what he has and he's the Boss of this race. They may take stage wins but Pink will not be theirs.

Contador started the stage 2:35 ahead, now he is 4:02. Astana Fail no matter how you look at it.

 

[Singer01]

my sky box failed to record, anybody know where i can catch the full stage up?

 

[Electress]

Re: Re:

ay ay ay ... cringe worthy.

“It was a really beautiful day for me, maybe even more than the last one,” Landa said. “We saw that Contador had a problem and Katusha rode the group full gas and we collaborated with them.

LOL at least he's not hiding behind excuses! I've always said it's a bike race not a tea party. It simply made the Champ show them what he has and he's the Boss of this race. They may take stage wins but Pink will not be theirs.

Contador started the stage 2:35 ahead, now he is 4:02. Astana Fail no matter how you look at it.

sorry to be a pain but - did Astana / Katusha actually exploit a mechanical ? Haven't seen it and not sure how much is pro-Contador on twitter…?

 

[No_Balls]

Re:

This is how you look when you are smoked.

 

[Carols]

Re:

I wonder if the same people who criticized Wiggins for winning a GT with time-trialling superiority despite not being the strongest climber will now turn their guns on Contador lol

Heck if Wiggins could turn around a 50" deficit on the Mortirollo I imagine folks would give him Kudos. I certainly would!