Gettinthere lad. Finally got his first GT win. He looked very comfortable on the climb too. He should push on next week.
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Best climbing performance in his whole career, by far.
Can he try to win the Giro?
Can he try to win the Giro?
He will try, but I think he will need a couple of the others to come good in the final week to help put some pressure on Sunweb. That’s if Wilco avoids a bad day of course.
He's got an amazing team for an ambush though. Imagine having two of Ganna, Dennis and Castroviejo after the descent of Monte Bondone in stage 17...
Sunweb has the best climbing team, but Ineos is the best overall.
They probably won't ( and I don't know how good Tao is in descents ), but they should seriously test Kelderman in the descents. Kelderman has not shown to be a great bike handler.
Tao has arrived today (Giro Stage 15). A final podium spot on GC looks very possible, even probable.
The interesting thing about Tao is that he's clearly looked good for most of the race at this point, he's regularly been looking to get up the road and animate things.
It could be really fun if Ineos think he's good enough that they want to try steal the win but I suspect everyone involved would be pretty chuffed if he podium'd having come here to dom so I won't be surprised if they take a fairly conservative approach and hope to cement that + nab another stage win along the way.
It could be really fun if Ineos think he's good enough that they want to try steal the win but I suspect everyone involved would be pretty chuffed if he podium'd having come here to dom so I won't be surprised if they take a fairly conservative approach and hope to cement that + nab another stage win along the way.
I see that he doesn't seem to have a contract in place for next year as far as I can see. It probably won't have an effect on the level of support he is going to have, but it's still a bit of surprise for me.
Yeah he was on the main group and got dropped from it, which makes his performance today all the more weird.
He lost so much time there and I’ve not heard why. If he just sat up once he lost contact he may live to regret it.
He crashed out on the descent of Colle del Lys last year.
So not good I suppose, unless it was a one off. So he needs to do it on the climbs, should be very hard with the team of Sunweb.
He was terrible in the opening ITT as well and didn't do much before the Giro.
Perhaps he came in undercooked and he's hitting top shape at the best possible time.
Might Cobo it while Kelderman and Hindley Wiggins and Froome it respectively
Yeah, I guess I need to reflect a bit more on Tao's performance and keep it in perspective. Hindley was right there, after all--not knocking Hindley, but he's no Pogi (yet).
The question is, does he even want to go for the GC?
Just because Carlton Kirby is acting like an excited schoolgirl over the prospect doesn't mean Hart himself is even going to make an attempt.
Edit: Rob Hatch, not Kirby *facepalm *
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He's been climbing the GC ladder pretty steadily ever since the start (which is easy enough when you finish 126th in the opening TT, I suppose). They could nurse him safely through the final week to a top 10, which you'd have to say he looks comfortably set for, or they could try and set him up for a proper crack on one of the upcoming stages at getting onto the podium or better. Ineos have won 5 stages, they're pretty much locked in for a 6th on stage 21, so this race has already been a qualified success for them; at this point, a solid top 10 finish really doesn't add much value to this Giro for them, or for TGH.
From Tao's side of things, it's likely he'll never get a better chance to win a GT than this. I'd question the hunger of a pro cyclist, of any cyclist, who was in his current position, not thinking, "I can take this, y'know."
Kirby isn’t even commentating on the race is he? He did Flanders and is doing the Vuelta.
I think if the legs continue to feel good, he should go for it. It’s a long shot and Sunday’s form might not be repeated, but given this strange year and most of the top-tier riders not being here, it may be his only shot.
It'd be crazy not to give it a shot.
He's 4th in GC, climbing as good as anyone and supported by possibly the strongest team in the race.
He's 4th in GC, climbing as good as anyone and supported by possibly the strongest team in the race.
He was dragged up Piancavallo by the domestique of the guy he has to beat. Who's also ahead of him in GC.
As I said earlier, Sunweb has the best train for mountains but I take the Ineos rouleurs any day of the week if I'm planning an attack from afar.
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