Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 7: San Benedetto del Tronto (ITT) 9.3km

[Kwibus]

Since nobody started it yet.....

Who will win it and what about the GC? 9.3km isn't much, but it could shuffle the top10!

 

[Kwibus]

Stage win: Cancellara should be a safe bet, but I wonder how Boom will do on this straight flat course. It's just 9.3km so it's between a prologue and a short ITT and Boom allready showed he's good at very short ITT's.

Still my bet is on Cancellara.

GC:
1 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 27:26:33
2 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:00:09
3 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:12
4 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:00:15
5 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:21
6 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:00:24
7 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 0:00:33
8 Tiago Machado (Por) Team RadioShack 0:00:42
9 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Sky Procycling 0:00:46
10 Marco Pinotti (Ita) HTC-Highroad 0:00:46

Machado and Lovkvist are pretty decent TT guys and what will Gesink do on a pancake flat short TT?

There might be quite a few changes in the top10, but I doubt the nr.1 will change. If Evans let's this slip he has good reason to be very dissapointed.

 

[maltiv]

1. Cancellara
2. Cadel Evans
3. Thor Hushovd (ok, 9.3 km might be a bit too long for him)

 

[hrotha]

I can't believe so many people are talking up Lövkist and so few are mentioning Pinotti.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Pinotti, too.
I think he'll probably jump Lövkvist in the GC.
No one should be able to take 30 seconds on anyone else, unless there's a really off day awaiting someone, so maybe they changes will be minimal.

I'll suggest Lars Boom, just to keep me Dutch mates happy.

 

[theyoungest]

An out-and-back course is not very good for Boom, he needs corners to accelerate from. That's where his strength lies.

There's no way Evans will lose this. The only guy who could possibly threaten him is Nibali, but 21 seconds is a bit much.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

I can't believe so many people are talking up Lövkist and so few are mentioning Pinotti.

so many being... one??

 

[hrotha]

so many being... one??

One in this thread, others in the thread for the previous stage. I'd swear I didn't dream it up!

 

[jens_attacks]

i'll go for something interesting:

1.machado
2.pinotti
4.cancellara
5.basso(!!!)
6.scarponi
7.evans

cadel will keep the jersey by a margin of 2-3 seconds just for the tension.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I'm tempted to say Gilbert will surprise. He was top 10 in the pancake flat 45km in the Vuelta, a short out-and-back won't be anything he can't handle.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

This is Cance's for sure, truly suited for his abilities.
I'm hoping Boonen will go flat out on this one, he's not to bad on panflat short ITT's

 

[will10]

This is Cance's for sure, truly suited for his abilities.
I'm hoping Boonen will go flat out on this one, he's not to bad on panflat short ITT's

I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of the sprinters etc. DNS tomorrow, they've nothing to gain having a thrash on the TT bike 5 days before San Remo.

 

[rghysens]

I'm hoping Boonen will go flat out on this one, he's not to bad on panflat short ITT's

it wouldn't surprise me if he won't even start. Boonen in excellent form can have a top-5 in this kind of race, but he isn't (due to ilness or not)

 

[Ryaguas]

I'll go with an outsider and I'm pretty sure that no one has even think about him...

Ignatas Konovalovas... He will win... you heard it here first

 

[El Pistolero]

it wouldn't surprise me if he won't even start. Boonen in excellent form can have a top-5 in this kind of race, but he isn't (due to ilness or not)

No way Boonen can come top 5 in this edition of T-A, unless you mean the stage.

1: The Canc
2: Cuddles
3: Nibali
4: Scarponi
5: Gilbert

 

[rghysens]

No way Boonen can come top 5 in this edition of T-A, unless you mean the stage.

of course I meant the stage.

 

[la.margna]

No way ever Boonen can make Top 15 in such a course guys, sorry! NEVER!
Maybe in a 2 to 3km ITT/prologue he can make Top 10, but nothing over 4km.

Evans +++
Cance +++
Boom +++
Larsson ++
Machado ++
Pinotti ++
Velits ++
DZ ?
Flecha ?
Gilbert ?
Hincapie ??
Konovalovas ??

ok, most of the GC guys missing in here apart from Cadel... I think for them, we should be >10km... but probably I will be proved wrong tomorrow...

 

[Squire]

No way ever Boonen can make Top 15 in such a course guys, sorry! NEVER!
Maybe in a 2 to 3km ITT/prologue he can make Top 10, but nothing over 4km.

So you are totally neglecting the fact that he placed 12th in the 42km ITT in the 2008 Vuelta? Boonen can do great TTs if he wants to/needs to.

 

[Moondance]

Stage:

1. The Canc
2. Boom
3. Pinotti

Final GC:

1. Evans
2. Nibali
3. Basso
4. Gesink
5. Scarponi

 

[Mambo95]

Cancellara to win
Evans to hang on to GC
Basso, Gesink and Nibali to move above Scarponi on GC
Pinotti and maybe Lofqvist to move up a few places.

 

[Havetts]

Gesink for 3rd spot on the podium!

 

[la.margna]

So you are totally neglecting the fact that he placed 12th in the 42km ITT in the 2008 Vuelta? Boonen can do great TTs if he wants to/needs to.

now you got my by the balls!!!!

well, wasn't he 13th?

no, honestly, this comes definitely as a surprise to me, but maybe there were wind or weather issues (grasping for excuses) or he did just cut a corner?

well, c'mon 1 out of 30 or 40 tt's? that's statistically not relevant...

ok, I change my original post from Top 15 to Top 13 to comply with historic results!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Gesink for 3rd spot on the podium!

The born optimist hopes that.
But it might as well end in a bad way and outside the top 5

 

[Michielveedeebee]

So you are totally neglecting the fact that he placed 12th in the 42km ITT in the 2008 Vuelta? Boonen can do great TTs if he wants to/needs to.

after falling and losing about 30 secs and he's always good in flat prologues

 

[Mambo95]

So you are totally neglecting the fact that he placed 12th in the 42km ITT in the 2008 Vuelta? Boonen can do great TTs if he wants to/needs to.

The problem with sprinters is that most of them can TT fairly well, but it's all about whether they can be bothered or not.