Stage 19: Friday, May 25: Treviso-Alpe di Pampeago. 198km

[SafeBet]

And if we compare it to the 2010 Giro you can only weep.

Giro 2010 was a rarity. If it wasn't for L'Aquila it would've been exactly the same as this, with Liquigas controlling the tempo on every goddam mountain of the race.
Only differences being they had a stronger team (Nibali as a dom) and Basso being as close to Robo as ever seen after OP.



On a side note: people complainig about the way Basso's riding really puzzle me.
He's been riding this way for his whole career. He's gonna win if he's the best of the field. Otherwise there's no way he can drop anybody.
It's very simple: he's weaker than his competitors. He's past his peak, he's almost 35 actually. Can't recall many GT winners at that age.

Also, stop using the word pathetic. There's nothing pathetic in riding a stage like this, at whatever pace.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

gadret, kruijswijk and rujano attacked several times in last years giro. igor anton and nibali also did. no way that giro would've been boring without contador.

as i said before. if tommorow won't happen anything exciting even the toc have been more thrilling because of it's mount baldy stage than this whole giro.

shame on aquarone!

Speaking of loveboat, is he doing the tour this year? Gesink and Mollema as well i suppose?

 

[Dutchsmurf]

Why doesn't Basso up the pace and see who can stay with him instead of hitting the front with 3km to go? If he stays with one guy or two they can work together and distance the other 3, then try it next day and so on...

Because he can't go any faster than he already is. He did do exactly what you are asking for a couple times this Giro. Every time he looked back afterwards he still saw 10 faces. He just can't do it.

 

[DenisMenchov]

Because he can't go any faster than he already is. He did do exactly what you are asking for a couple times this Giro. Every time he looked back afterwards he still saw 10 faces. He just can't do it.

And every time in last 3km

 

[Carols]

This has nothing to do with how they race, but all with what they are capable of. Hesjedal is the only one who gave it a go, because he was the only one strong enough to do so. You can call all the others disgraceful, but I doubt they could have gone any faster than they did. Actually, in my opinion you calling them disgraceful shows a great lack of respect towards athletes riding at the best of their capabilities.

This +1000

IMO calling guys who tore their guts out, giving all that had to give 'disgraceful' is a disgrace.

While it didn't live up to expectations they all put everything they had out on the road for our enjoyment. And I enjoyed every pedal rev!

Bravo to all the brave men and Go Ryder (and JRod, Ivan and Michele)!!!

 

[Ripper]

This has nothing to do with how they race, but all with what they are capable of. Hesjedal is the only one who gave it a go, because he was the only one strong enough to do so. You can call all the others disgraceful, but I doubt they could have gone any faster than they did. Actually, in my opinion you calling them disgraceful shows a great lack of respect towards athletes riding at the best of their capabilities.

I agree.

Tomorrow is a long day at altitude. Looking forward to it

 

[Caruut]

Certainly yesterday wasn't "pathetic". If I even made it to the top of yesterday's stage, I wouldn't stop going on about it to anyone who'd listen, most likely. These guys aren't me though.

Remember that there is only a 1/6 chance that you are the weakest in the group. Hesjedal and Rodriguez are the only ones really racing properly, I think. Pozzovivo is not quite the calibre of rider that the others are perhaps - without that stage win, he might be getting praise for pluckily hanging in. Urán is in the same boat - too high up to be let go early, and too exhausted late on to try anything. Hesjedal is the race leader, and the premier TTer of the favourites - as such is is doubly absolved from attacking. Not only has he got the best current time, he also has an even better current time + widely predicted TT time. Rodriguez is a guy who is incredible anaerobically - he isn't going to take time on longer attacks, he'll take time by chipping away at his opponents on every hill, as he has done.

 

[Category 6]

pathetic. An average canadian is going to win the giro.

Better an "average" Canadian than a doper

 

[Ripper]

pathetic. An average canadian is going to win the giro.

The use of the word "average" here suggests you're a touch new.

 

[woodburn]

Hejsdal incredible.
the biggest gt breakout performance since god.knows when, better even than froome. i know he did some great performances in le tour but to ride riders like basso purito scarponi off his wheel like that on such a brutal stage, wow

Ryder was sixth in 2010 TDF and finished fourth on the Tourmalet that year. Also won a stage of the Vuelta. Froome had nowhere near that pedigree.

 

[greenedge]

Amazing by Hesjedal. It was good to see him ride like that and barring anything ( unexpected ) i think he shall be the Giro winner. He also attacked/ looked at ease o a stage that would apparently not suit him.

It was nice to see Scarponi come out swinging after his performance on stage 17.
I am upset about Basso but he could still get 2nd. It seems like his trend ( last 2 GT's ) is be underprepared ( not through his fault ), look good and indicate that he will go well in the last week and then not go so well. I still think if tomorrow is raced hard enough and Ryder somehow fails Basso could win but that depends on Basso being good.

Nice to see RK bounce back from his earlier performance and go FTW. Rujano could learn a lot from him and Nieve.

 

[greenedge]

Are you serious? He started the last climb with a 2 minute advantage and only barely won it. If he was still a GC contender he would have finished 2 minutes behind. He didn't have the strength 2 days ago and he still didn't today. Sure he could have tried winning a stage earlier, but someone would have reacted to his attack then. After losing so much time, nobody cared anymore, so he got a free ride.

Ignore the bold part.

He was still stronger than quite a few good riders and his team executed that move well.
If he failed on stage 17 no one would really expect him to come back on stage 19 and get a stage win ( except for Floyd ).
I have to say i admire that he even made the effort, it must be hard when your DS is saying stuff about you/ he had something affecting him stage 17.

 

[greenedge]

Purito, haha. Urán following wheels for three weeks now. Pozzovivo with no ambition.

Hesjedal, the only one we could reasonably say didn't need to take time, was the only one who gave it a serious go. Hesjedal, the one who's never been in this situation before. Says all about how disgraceful everyone else is. He's the only one racing to win, and by god, I hope he wins.

I agree with you about the bottom part.

JROD has been leader for a while and will podium, being his best result in a GT. It's good to see that his team kept him out of trouble, helped him gain time in the TTT and has placed him well to get 2 stage wins. He just did not have the legs Pozzovivo was pacing him up that climb after a while. He has also been on quite a long peak ( Ardennes ) and competes all year round ( T-A/ Vuelta Pais Vasco ).

Uran has had his bad days and is still the white jersey, a significant achievement. He has time to grow as well.

Pozzovivo just probably did not have the legs to go great- he is inconsistent. I think he had ambition but even getting a stage win and placing in the top 10 is good.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

I think it's also finally over that people say uran can't do a gt or that he fades in the 3rd week

 

[will10]

Hejsdal incredible.
the biggest gt breakout performance since god.knows when, better even than froome. i know he did some great performances in le tour but to ride riders like basso purito scarponi off his wheel like that on such a brutal stage, wow

No chance is this a bigger breakout that Froome.

 

[hrotha]

About the word "pathetic": it's their job. Of course they can do things on a bike I can't do. If I half-**** a translation it's pathetic too.

 

[ultimobici]

This tells me you never watched or read about racing in the pre-EPO days.

Watching since 1983, reading too! Kennedy Brothers published a great Tour/Giro book every year with detailed analysis of every move made. While there were big escapes on mountain stages it was seldom the main favourites for the overall but rather the contenders for the Mountains Classification or stage victories. The rare occasions that a GC rider pulled this off are memorable due to them being the exception to the rule.