Stage 19: Bassano Del Grappa - Cima Grappa 26.8 km MTT

[Pricey_sky]

Easy prediction:

1. Quintana
2. Ulissi
3. Uranus
4. Majka (if he solved his stomach problems)
5. Kelderman
6. Professor Pozzo
7. Rolland

Ulissi will not be there as he's quit and I think Pozzo will be closer to the top 3.

 

[Winnen]

I have been looking forward to this stage! Should be epic. I expect (as does everyone else...) that Quintana will take this. Uran third. Aru 2nd. Kelderman, Majka, Pozz 1 minute behind the nr 3 (not sure in which order). Poels should also be capable of a top 10 performance.

Could de Gendt finish top 10 here? If I remember correctly he is capable of a very decent MTT. Evans around 15th place.

 

[Butterhead]

Ulissi has quit the race

Damn...

 

[Butterhead]

Ulissi will not be there as he's quit and I think Pozzo will be closer to the top 3.

Now he will be 5

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

A mountain top tt measures who the best climber in the race is. A mountain tt over one of the legendary climbs in the sport absolutely measures who the best climber in the race is. No one but the best climber in the race is winning this (or someone who is almost the best climber in the race who has deliberately been saving themselves for this tt)

TT and pacing ability is going to be minimal, and no one of the GC contenders has the tt ability to overcome what Quintana can take on Grappa.

The only way Quintana doesn't win this is if he goes pink jersey defense mode and tries to save some energy for Zoncolan.

The only threats I see to Quintana on the stage are climbers who have taken it easy last few days ala Garzelli 2010. But the ones that spring to mind were in the break today.

I don't know, maybe Scarponi, Niemiec? Even then Garzeli 2010 was probably more of a once in a generation event. No one is going to be close to Quintana unless he takes it easy. I think even a 2 minute gap on the field is possible.

grzelli won after a restday. duarte could do ti here, but5 he already wasted a lot of energy yesterday

 

[Ruby United]

Quintana to smash it of course.
Uran to lose two minutes
If either Rolland finishes in top 10 OR evans finishes in top 20 (and its almost impossible neither will happen) I win an avatar bet.

 

[wirral]

How do they calculate who gets the GPM points? Is it :-

A) time from the start to finish (i.e. the order of the stage)

or

B) time from the start of the climb (7.55 km, Semonzo del Grappa) to the top of the climb (the finish) (in which case somebody could take it easy on the first flat 7 km and go for the mountain points.)

 

[Piz Buin]

How do they calculate who gets the GPM points? Is it :-

A) time from the start to finish (i.e. the order of the stage)

or

B) time from the start of the climb (7.55 km, Semonzo del Grappa) to the top of the climb (the finish) (in which case somebody could take it easy on the first flat 7 km and go for the mountain points.)

No, B wouldn't really make sense. I think it's just like in any other stage: the first one (fastest) at the summit gets the points so A

 

[icefire]

How do they calculate who gets the GPM points? Is it :-

A) time from the start to finish (i.e. the order of the stage)

or

B) time from the start of the climb (7.55 km, Semonzo del Grappa) to the top of the climb (the finish) (in which case somebody could take it easy on the first flat 7 km and go for the mountain points.)

Always from the start. If you take it easy during the flat early kms, the breakway wins

 

[FellOff]

How do they calculate who gets the GPM points? Is it :-

A) time from the start to finish (i.e. the order of the stage)

or

B) time from the start of the climb (7.55 km, Semonzo del Grappa) to the top of the climb (the finish) (in which case somebody could take it easy on the first flat 7 km and go for the mountain points.)

Time only relevant for GC. GPM is based on position:

http://www.gazzetta.it/Giroditalia/...ts-from-revised-regulations-80406755022.shtml

"For the first category, points are awarded to the top 8 riders: 32 points (for first place), 20, 14, 10, 7, 4, 2, and 1 point for 8th place."

 

[Bavarianrider]

Time only relevant for GC. GPM is based on position:

http://www.gazzetta.it/Giroditalia/...ts-from-revised-regulations-80406755022.shtml

"For the first category, points are awarded to the top 8 riders: 32 points (for first place), 20, 14, 10, 7, 4, 2, and 1 point for 8th place."

That's silly in my opionion. In the Tour they take the actual climbing times. Much better , imo.

 

[Eclipse]

What's the thought on bike swaps for today?

 

[Bavarianrider]

What's the thought on bike swaps for today?

Doesn't make any sense i guess.
I mean changing bikes surely loses you 20 seconds and i don't think a TT bike would gain you much more than 20 seconds in the first 7km compared to using TT handlebars on a normal bike.

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

I'd guess most riders will ride usual road bikes + tribars. I can't imagine anyone seriously going all out on the flat which isn't that long, and changing bikes also takes away some time. Personally I don't think breaking the rhythm for that would be worth it.

 

[Ruby United]

Doesn't make any sense i guess.
I mean changing bikes surely loses you 20 seconds and i don't think a TT bike would gain you much more than 20 seconds in the first 7km compared to using TT handlebars on a normal bike.

Agreed. It's not worth the time, stick to a normal bike the whole way through.

 

[ILovecycling]

Monte Grappa is a brutal climb, with over 1500 vertical meters of 8% climbing it's a caliber of Mt Ventoux or Madeleine. This TT will be an epic battle. It's all about climbers: who has better legs, who has more W/kg. If Rolland has a good day he can do very well and the same can be said of any other contender. Quintana looks like a favourite after his "ITT" to Val Martello. I hope Majka will be well (my compatriot ) after his stomach problems.

Any news on your boy Majka in local news? (about that stomach problems)

 

[tomazo]

Any news on your boy Majka in local news? (about that stomach problems)

Majka said that it was some kind of bacterial infection, which should last no more than two days ( he caught it on Stelvio stage, so today he shuold be fine)

 

[ILovecycling]

Majka said that it was some kind of bacterial infection, which should last no more than two days ( he caught it on Stelvio stage, so today he shuold be fine)

Thank you a lot,Im considering a bet

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I'd guess most riders will ride usual road bikes + tribars. I can't imagine anyone seriously going all out on the flat which isn't that long, and changing bikes also takes away some time. Personally I don't think breaking the rhythm for that would be worth it.

Kelderman says he starts with a road bike and probably even without tribars, because he doesn't see the use of them for only the first flat kilometers. They are only extra weight according to him

 

[The Hitch]

Monte Grappa is a brutal climb, with over 1500 vertical meters of 8% climbing it's a caliber of Mt Ventoux or Madeleine. This TT will be an epic battle. It's all about climbers: who has better legs, who has more W/kg. If Rolland has a good day he can do very well and the same can be said of any other contender. Quintana looks like a favourite after his "ITT" to Val Martello. I hope Majka will be well (my compatriot ) after his stomach problems.

Exactly.

Delfino and Garzelli aren't tt specialists. Contador is but rujano came 4th and that was an easier climb..Nibali isn't s tt specialist (though not that bad) and he won by a mile last year as jn the climbs and the top 10 was laden with climbers. And that was an easier climb too.

 

[cycladianpirate]

What's the thought on bike swaps for today?

You might be interested in this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDeTYKZd6ek&feature=em-uploademail

 

[luckyboy]

Rolland will have to crack one of these days

 

[FellOff]

That's silly in my opionion. In the Tour they take the actual climbing times. Much better , imo.

Don't know where you got that from. King of the Mountains in the TDF is decided in the same way: on points, not time:

"Points for the best climber classification are awarded at the top of any classified slope."

http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2014/us/sporting-stakes-rules.html#IMG

 

[Ruby United]

Don't know where you got that from. King of the Mountains in the TDF is decided in the same way: on points, not time:

"Points for the best climber classification are awarded at the top of any classified slope."

http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2014/us/sporting-stakes-rules.html#IMG

No, he means from the bottom of the climb till the top whoever gets the best time In The tdf (I haven't checked if that's true, but...) in this stage it's over the whole stage Including the original 7k (in the tour according to him it wouldn't include the first 7k)

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

I doubt any rider will start with handlebars, considering no use an extra weight. quintana has never used them incloduing in much flatter mountain itt's like col d'eze