Tirreno-Adriatico 2012 (07.03.-13.03.)

[Lupetto]

Nothing confirmed yet.

- Possible start with a team time trial around and in Donoratico.
- Stage 2: San Vincenzo - Orvieto.
- Mountain stage with stage finish in Prati di Tivo (14k @ 7%).
- Penultimate on the Offida circuit.

Teams

Acqua & Sapone (Di Luca, Garzelli)
AG2r (Nocentini)
Astana (Kreuziger)
BMC (Evans, Gilbert, Pinotti)
Coldeportes
Colnago (Modolo)
Euskaltel
Farnese (Pozzato)
FDJ (Pinot)
Garmin
Greenedge (Goss)
Katusha (Freire, Purito)
Lampre (Scarponi, Petacchi)
Liquigas (Nibali, Sagan)
Lotto
Movistar (Visconti, Costa)
Omega Pharma
Rabobank (Kruiswijk)
Radioshack (Cancellara, Bennati)
Saxo Bank (Contador)
Sky
Vacansoleil (Marcato, Poels)

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Looking forward to this. One of the best one week races last season.

 

[craig1985]

Prati di Tivo looks like an awesome MTF, although I've some picture on google images, but sadly no profile.

 

[Reuell]

Rabobank is sending Kruiswijk

 

[Eshnar]

Prati di Tivo looks like an awesome MTF, although I've some picture on google images, but sadly no profile.

 

[Panda Claws]

Will Valverde be riding this?

 

[Kvinto]

- Mountain stage with stage finish in Prati di Tivo (14k @ 7%).

I do not welcome this in Tirreno
The race was awesome in 2011 because of hills on the last kms, which made its dynamics similar to a hilly classic. 14km mtf can make the race less entertaining overall.

 

[theyoungest]

An uphill finish on an actual col? When's the last time that happened in Tirreno?

Shaping up to be a pretty strong field, BTW. Biggest stage race beside the Tour de France?

 

[roundabout]

an MTF?

2007 I think. Although there were seconds between favorites that day as that was a much easier climb

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/2007/mar07/tirreno07/?id=stages/tirreno076

 

[auscyclefan94]

I agree with Kvinto. Tirreno is a hilly style race which comes up with exciting stages. Keep it that way.

Also Leigh Howard for Greenedge.

Bring back Montelupone!!!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Pistolero will just have to change his tune from "Gilbert will crush everybody OMGILOVEPHIL and every other cyclist in the world sucks" to "Contador will crush everybody OMGILOVEBERTO and every other cyclist in the world sucks". That's all that changes with this.

 

[theyoungest]

Pistolero will just have to change his tune from "Gilbert will crush everybody OMGILOVEPHIL and every other cyclist in the world sucks" to "Contador will crush everybody OMGILOVEBERTO and every other cyclist in the world sucks". That's all that changes with this.

Oh dear, let's hope there aren't any sprint stages, where Libertine can fill half the thread with complaints about teams who try to win sprint stages...

 

[Panda Claws]

So no GC result for Gilbert?

 

[theyoungest]

So no GC result for Gilbert?

If the Montelupone were included (as rumoured) that would already be pretty much out of the question.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Will Valverde be riding this?

No, he won't.

 

[El Pistolero]

I don't mind a good climb in this race, but there better be some decent hilly stages as well! Scarponi or Contador for the win.

 

[will10]

If the Montelupone were included (as rumoured) that would already be pretty much out of the question.

We said that about Fleche, Gilbert 2011 on Montelupone vs. Purito could've been awesome.

 

[El Pistolero]

If the Montelupone were included (as rumoured) that would already be pretty much out of the question.

On a good day I can see Gilbert survive on that one, but I doubt he'll have a "good day" that soon in the season. And with a good day I mean like in Flèche Wallonne last year.

Plus, if there's any time trial in this race that would rule him out of contention for victory more than a climb like Montelupone. A TTT might work to his advantage now...

 

[theyoungest]

We said that about Fleche, Gilbert 2011 on Montelupone vs. Purito could've been awesome.

In the Tirreno last year he couldn't follow the best on the one 2 km wall they had to go up, which was hardly Montelupone. Gilbert can only handle those climbs in absolute top form (in fact, he only did great on such a climb once, and that was in Fleche last year)

 

[El Pistolero]

In the Tirreno last year he couldn't follow the best on the one 2 km wall they had to go up, which was hardly Montelupone. Gilbert can only handle those climbs in absolute top form (in fact, he only did great on such a climb once, and that was in Fleche last year)

He was fifth or something at Valdepenas de Jaen, successfully defending his leader jersey. There just aren't that many steep walls in races. thus you can't do great on them all that much.

 

[Panda Claws]

On a good day I can see Gilbert survive on that one, but I doubt he'll have a "good day" that soon in the season. And with a good day I mean like in Flèche Wallonne last year.

Plus, if there's any time trial in this race that would rule him out of contention for victory more than a climb like Montelupone. A TTT might work to his advantage now...

Gilbert is actually not all that bad in a TT. He is obviously no Evans but still better than Schleck, Basso, Scarponi, ...

He said that he sucked so bad in that TT last year because he had trained to hard before the start and was already tired from the start.

 

[will10]

In the Tirreno last year he couldn't follow the best on the one 2 km wall they had to go up, which was hardly Montelupone. Gilbert can only handle those climbs in absolute top form (in fact, he only did great on such a climb once, and that was in Fleche last year)

Yeah but Tirreno is 4 weeks before Amstel which was the target. If Gilbert is peaking earlier this year as we're led to believe (for MSR & RVV), then I'd expect him to be in much better shape in Tirreno than in 2011.

 

[Vicelard]

Any rumour on a ITT?
I hope not, this race is fun with time bonus.

 

[The Hitch]

Will Valverde be riding this?

Do you know what country tirreno takes place in

I don't mind a good climb in this race, but there better be some decent hilly stages as well! Scarponi or Contador for the win.

I really really hope for a Cadel vs Contador early season showdown.

Well find out next week if we get that.

 

[Panda Claws]

Do you know what country tirreno takes place in



I really really hope for a Cadel vs Contador early season showdown.

Well find out next week if we get that.

Right, Valverde can't ride in Italy yet. My bad