Stage 16: Ponte Di Legno-Val Martello/Martelltal (139 km)

[DJ Sprtsch]

Passo dello Stelvio webcam
Looks cold.

 

[Netserk]

Imo the only (or just the best) argument to have such a short mountain stage would be to have coverage from km 0 (okay and perhaps for the sake of variety). Seems like that isn't the case though...

 

[Eclipse]

With a strong team you can do it.

Send 2 team-mates to a breakaway and ensure they're where they need to be to help you on that flat section.

Then use other team-mates to make a high pace at some point of the Stelvio, to ensure other contenders don't have too much domestiques for that flat section. Attack and join your team-mates on the descend.

Movistar has a good team to do so. Imagine Quintana having someone like Amador and Castroviejo to help him on the flat. Could work.

Paging Europcar.

Again.

I really hope Rolland continues to go for it in a big way. Who cares about playing for 10th, challenge the top 5 and make the others fight too!

 

[Eshnar]

90% they'll do the plan B of last year.
This is a ****ing curse

 

[pastronef]

90% they'll do the plan B of last year.
This is a ****ing curse

which parcours is the plan B?

 

[ILovecycling]

Passo dello Stelvio webcam
Looks cold.

Looks like we won't have a coverage.

90% they'll do the plan B of last year.
This is a ****ing curse

How do you know?
Source please

 

[Eshnar]

which parcours is the plan B?

Tonale and Castrin before Valmartello. Check the stage thread of last year.

Looks like we won't have a coverage.


How do you know?
Source please

No official source, just a rumour. But a reliable one.

EDIT: around 5 PM it'll be official.

 

[Flamin]

And btw it is well known that stage lenght is very important. Even if they just stuck on 50k of flat at the beginning it would make this a totally different stage. Eg Mont Ventoux which had no climbs but was 200k before the climb and that crushed people.

Gardeccia was only slightly harder than this, but almost 100km longer and as a result gc riders were attacking 50k out.

When this stage first came out in 2012 (for 2013) the sole criticism (otherwise, its a great stage) was that its way too short. Which greatly increases the likelyhood that they really do just soft pedal up the Gavia and Stelvio.

I'd say climbing Gavia almost straight from the start might hurt the legs more than an extra 50k of flat before, especially after a rest day.

Also, those +200k of flat before Ventoux were raced at 45km/h, which will never happen in a multiple mountain stage of course, so the effects of 50k extra flat are far from the same. Imo, a short, multiple mountain stage in the 3rd week of a GT is perfectly fine.

 

[jens_attacks]

well that's really unlucky. hopefully at least we'll have that version

 

[murali]

i actually want to see a GC rider sending 3-4 riders up front; 1-2 in early break, 1-2 attacking at the base of second climb; and the GC rider himself attacking at the top of the penultimate climb. I havent seen that kind of tactic for a long time now.

btw, who descents best among the top-10 GC?

 

[SafeBet]

90% they'll do the plan B of last year.
This is a ****ing curse

This makes me so sad

 

[DJ Sprtsch]

Don't konw, but Aru looked really miserable going downhill on the wet roads in the ITT.

 

[meat puppet]

out of interest, what's the plan b option? or is there one already?

 

[Eshnar]

out of interest, what's the plan b option? or is there one already?

 

[CycloAndy]

If you are trying to suggest that long stages cause clinic, then I will give you the most common rebuttal.

- is the 100m clean?

No?

Then why does it make a difference how tough the stage is?

It doesn't.

Athletes aim to win. The severity of the event does not make any difference, at the professional level, on the willingness or propensity to go beyond the rules.


And btw it is well known that stage lenght is very important. Even if they just stuck on 50k of flat at the beginning it would make this a totally different stage. Eg Mont Ventoux which had no climbs but was 200k before the climb and that crushed people.

Gardeccia was only slightly harder than this, but almost 100km longer and as a result gc riders were attacking 50k out.

When this stage first came out in 2012 (for 2013) the sole criticism (otherwise, its a great stage) was that its way too short. Which greatly increases the likelyhood that they really do just soft pedal up the Gavia and Stelvio.

An interesting rebuttal and whilst I agree short stages alone would do little to combat clinic stuff, long stages seem almost a command to dope. Who wants to suffer for 7 hours and finish 50th.

On the non-doping side, long stages are useful in moderation as they test a different attribute that a GC rider should have but personally they do little for the excitement as it becomes a steady war of attrition rather than short explosive attacks. Explosiveness should not be ignored completely.

 

[murali]

Whats the point in a GT if there are no long stages?

We dont want to see a rider doing massively well in a ITT,then ride defensively in a team tempo for the rest of 20 stages.

I hope that the race designers bring in one or two long stages in the GTs.

Also, whether stages are long or short, if a rider does something unbelievable, then the forum will crash. last yr's tdf crash was in a small stage.

 

[Parrulo]

Wait, the stage will be changed?

The least they could do is have a proper stage design as plan B

 

[The Hitch]

So that will by the time of the next Giro it will be 3 years since the Giro last had a proper giro mountain stage

And those were raced horribly with a poor GC situation. This year has a perfect GC situation for long attacks, adn they don't have a single stage suited for it

 

[Eshnar]

So that will by the time of the next Giro it will be 3 years since the Giro last had a proper giro mountain stage

And those were raced horribly with a poor GC situation. This year has a perfect GC situation for long attacks, adn they don't have a single stage suited for it

nah, they had one. Stage 8

EDIT: luckily the rumours for next year are very good in that regard. You'll see once I start my rumours thread

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

nah, they had one. Stage 8

Overrated medium mountain stage with too much false flat on the last climb. IMO

 

[Eshnar]

Overrated medium mountain stage with too much false flat on the last climb. IMO

Where did you see the false flat? Unless you consider 5% a false flat. Which is very Giro-like, but still...

 

[PeterB]

Wait, the stage will be changed?

The least they could do is have a proper stage design as plan B

What did you expect? You think there are usable roads crossing the Alps behind every corner and that you can design whatever you wish just like that? I think this is acceptable plan B, considering the circumstances.

 

[The Hitch]

nah, they had one. Stage 8

Please tell me you're joking

 

[fauniera]

luckily the rumours for next year are very good in that regard. You'll see once I start my rumours thread

And when is that? How about now, please?

 

[Eshnar]

Please tell me you're joking

It's not funny, you know. Put that stage on the dolomites, same profile, and in the last week, and people would be screaming of the best design ever.