Stage 18: Belluno - Rifugio Panarotta (Valsugana) 171 km

[postmanhat]

Hurt his ribs due to crash in the first week. He was never able to recover well, and if you can't recover, you're dead in a GT.

Cheers mate

Sky's last chance to salvage something from the race so hopefully they'll go all out to support Cataldo

 

[ILovecycling]

Cheers mate

Sky's last chance to salvage something from the race so hopefully they'll go all out to support Cataldo

Maybe Henao Marin can do something here for Sky,but Im not sure if he is prepared to race in a breakaway.

Cataldo looked great yesterday.Chapeau.

 

[manafana]

I like Aru here, Duarte likely turns up for this party its such a pity he doesn't do it more often in the mountains and lets himself fade when he could contest.

 

[del1962]

Cheers mate

Sky's last chance to salvage something from the race so hopefully they'll go all out to support Cataldo

Sky should try and get Cataldo and Seb Henao in the break.

 

[MatParker117]

Sky should try and get Cataldo and Seb Henao in the break.

SHould be Cataldo if crosses enough Cat 1 and 2 climbs first he can still take the blue jersey.

 

[Afrank]

You're right guy's i'm lazy, but I need to do something to satisfy my study-avoinding disorder

Credit all goes to Eshnar


I predict a breakaway to take it, if not that then Quintana will win to shut everyone up and prove he would've won anyway. Uran to maybe lose his podium spot. Aru to show his awesomeness again.

You created a thread instead of me having to do it again, you are no longer one of the lazy *****.

Lots of possible winners, either Quintana, Pozzovivo, Aru, Arredondo, or Rolland to take it. Or a climber from a break, Duarte maybe.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Sky should try and get Cataldo and Seb Henao in the break.

Cataldo will surely be there, winning the mountain jersey would save Sky's Giro, although I use that term loosely due to most of their focus being already on the Tour. Even tonight they were plugging Froome's new Sky sports interview instead of their Giro report.

 

[lenric]

I don't think there will be too much fireworks from the GC contenders, since we'll have a ITT in the next day, so they'll look at preserve their energies...

However, maybe Rolland's going to do something, which may bring some party hard from the rest of the gang!

 

[cineteq]

Diego Ulissi (LAM) => DNS

 

[DenisMenchov]

Break to take this one too?

I don't think Rolland can do 'his' attacks anymore since Movistar is countless times better and more organized team than OPQS when it comes to saving a jersey.

 

[SafeBet]

The more I look at it the more I think thus stage has Delfino written all over it.

Plenty of strong riders should try to be in the break: Cataldo, Roche, Moreno, Preidler, Morabito.
And who knows? Maybe even an ally of various teams against Movistar.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Break to take this one too?

I don't think Rolland can do 'his' attacks anymore since Movistar is countless times better and more organized team than OPQS when it comes to saving a jersey.

Not just the team difference. Uran's jersey defense will go down in history as one of the poorest of all time. Zero leadership, panache or willpower.

And then all the whining. lol.

I can only see 2-3 kms of GC action on this stage. Deep into the race, tiredness everywhere and more difficult tasks coming up.

Thats my expectations, but lets hope for surprises.

 

[Sciatic]

Dream on Froome puts a minute plus into Quintana yesterday. If Froome was atthis Giro he would win by 8 minutes if he went all out every stage attacking with about 4-5 kms to go it would not happen though.

Uh, what? Skinny Froome would have frozen to death yesterday!

 

[Angliru]

Yes, but at that Tour he PROVED to be the best climber. Quintana didnt prove that so far. I am not saying he cant become one or prove to be such already but he didnt. And discounting yesterdays farce, it was Aru who had better combined time on mountain stages than Quintana and won a stage in much more impressive way. Yet you dont see people claiming he is the best

You aren't that new to the forum to not know how inaccurate your last sentence is.

 

[Red Rick]

Uh, what? Skinny Froome would have frozen to death yesterday!

He would've frozen on the descent, crashed, and in 3500 years his mummified body would've been found and he'd be the new Ötzi, Scientists would then conclude that in the 21st century there was a gigantic food crisis, and people had crazy machines with 2 wheels to ride up and down roads for absolutely no ****ing reason

He would've have won the tt though

 

[Piz Buin]

Scientists would then conclude that in the 21st century there was a gigantic food crisis, and people had crazy machines with 2 wheels to ride up and down roads for absolutely no ****ing reason

****in lol

 

[gmedina]

ok, I want Team Colombia to get a win already....let's say Pantano/Duarte will win from the break hahaha

 

[Fight.The.Power]

Because of Zoncolan and MTT to come and because of Quintana being in front now, My gut is telling me the stage could be a dissapointment.

Will tune in a 1.30pm all the same and hope that my gut is a lying bstrd!

 

[VeloHuman]

I don't think there will be too much fireworks from the GC contenders, since we'll have a ITT in the next day, so they'll look at preserve their energies...

However, maybe Rolland's going to do something, which may bring some party hard from the rest of the gang!

Wonder what Rolland can do now that he's not at the back of the line for GC. I'm thinking his rivals are also not really loving him for the Stelvio descent either.

 

[petiagos]

Arredondo vs Cataldo battle for KOM.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Dream on Froome puts a minute plus into Quintana yesterday. If Froome was atthis Giro he would win by 8 minutes if he went all out every stage attacking with about 4-5 kms to go it would not happen though.

I hope that you are not serious or on drugs

 

[The Hitch]

He cant sustain consecutive mountain stages as Nairo (see end of Tour)
These are/were just my personal opinions,dont read much into that please

You mean like when he finished with the elite group on la farrapona, (Despite domestiquing) again on Angliru the day after (despite domestiquing and being held back) and then won on Pena cabarga 2 days later.

Or maybe you mean like the alpes in the 2012 tour when he won 1stage, led home tiny groups of heads of state in the next 2 then had the energy to podium the tt (despite aerodynamic handicapped).

Or you mean like the dauphine last year when be dropped everyone 2 mountain stages in a row?

Oh, all that doesn't count, because after being beaten stage after stage by froome for 2 and a half weeks of the 2013 tour Quintana put together 2 results- 2 results, over 3 days when froome was already counting his prize money cos he had a 7 min gap, and that proves Quintana can ride multiple stages and froome can't and therefore Quintana is the best climber?

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

He would've frozen on the descent, crashed, and in 3500 years his mummified body would've been found and he'd be the new Ötzi, Scientists would then conclude that in the 21st century there was a gigantic food crisis, and people had crazy machines with 2 wheels to ride up and down roads for absolutely no ****ing reason

He would've have won the tt though

Great post!

The time difference between third and ninth is very narrow. Uran also isn't in a safe distance. So If anyone has a go early on the way up there might even be some spectacle. But the TT and Zoncolan are coming up, and to waste to much energy before them could prove fatal.

 

[senatorrick]

Yes, but at that Tour he PROVED to be the best climber. Quintana didnt prove that so far. I am not saying he cant become one or prove to be such already but he didnt. And discounting yesterdays farce, it was Aru who had better combined time on mountain stages than Quintana and won a stage in much more impressive way. Yet you dont see people claiming he is the best

While dude you should be quiet you're saying that Quintanas stage when wasn't impressive??!!! Lol

 

[Pippo_San]

I have the feeling this is gonna be a very boring stage.
I bet the GC guys are going hand to hand up until the last kms of the last climb.

Tomorrow is the real, super epic stage of this Giro 2014.