U23 races and talents

[Mayomaniac]

Atm Ayuso is clearly in a league of his own, but Garofoli is doing rather well for a first year u23 rider. He wasn't even supposed to ride the u23 Giro, but when Leo Hayther got sick the changed plans one week before the Giro.
He's there as a domestique for Vandenabeele, but until now he manged to get 3 top 15 results and he finished 11th on the gc in the Giro di Romagna.

 

[Samamba]

Ayuso as expected destroying everyone again.

Pena the only one thats somewhat close, but he's at like 18 minutes in GC.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Verre 6th on the stage, 42 sec behind the Vandenabeele group, that's a surprise.
Hellemose only 10th, I expected more from him, until now he was one of the strongest on the climbs and he's better on +20min climbs.

 

[SafeBet]

Can't find the gaps anywhere. Care to help me?

 

[Mayomaniac]

Can't find the gaps anywhere. Care to help me?

Only the top 10, on the Tuttobiciweb recap:

1. 21 10041514162 AYUSO PESQUERA JUAN (ESP) G 2002 CPK TEAM COLPACK BALLAN 03:28:01 10

2. 204 10035261504 PEÑA JIMENEZ JESUS DAVID 2000 COLOMBIA TIERRA DE ATLETAS GW BICIC 03:28:53 00:52 6

3. 154 10016484930 VANDENABEELE HENRI (BEL) 2000 DDS DEVELOPMENT TEAM DSM 03:29:15 01:14 4

4. 1 10023894518 GLOAG THOMAS (GBR) G 2001 TRI TRINITY RACING 03:29:15 -

5. 332 10079890392 JOHANNESSEN TOBIAS 1999 UDT UNO-X DARE DEVELOPMENT TEAM 03:29:15 -

6. 25 10029109377 VERRE ALESSANDRO (ITA) G 2001 CPK TEAM COLPACK BALLAN 03:29:56 01:55

7. 284 10029885478 MIGNOLLI GIANLUCA (ITA) 2000 GEF GENERAL STORE -ESSEGIBI-F.LLI CURIA 03:29:57 01:56

8. 34 10029787367 CIUCCARELLI RICCARDO (ITA) 2000 BIESSE ARVEDI ASD 03:30:19 02:18

9. 54 10029210926 PIGANZOLI DAVIDE (ITA) G 2002 EOLO KOMETA 03:30:21 02:20

10. 62 10015549383 HELLEMOSE ASBJORN (DEN) 1999 VC MENDRISIO 03:30:21

https://www.tuttobiciweb.it/article...talia-u23-2021-vittoria-ayuso-lago-campo-moro

 

[SafeBet]

Pena is a great climber. I remember him being close to his teammates (Ardila, Rubio, Alba) two years ago in the Baby Giro, and they were older than him. Unfortunately it looks like he's another pure climber with little else to offer. He was terrible in the TT and lost more than 15 minutes in the hilly stages so far.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Pena is a great climber. I remember him being close to his teammates (Ardila, Rubio, Alba) two years ago in the Baby Giro, and they were older than him. Unfortunately it looks like he's another pure climber with little else to offer. He was terrible in the TT and lost more than 15 minutes in the hilly stages so far.

Yes, he seems to be a pure climber.
Kinda surprised to see so many Italians in the top 10 and not those who I'd have expected to be the best.

 

[WKA311]

Looks like the really long (and high) stuff is the limit for Healy. Was to be expected but he could try to shake up the race with some long-range attacks now if he is not too far behind.

Hellemose is indeed a bit of a negative surprise here, while Verre continues to impress. Gloag is riding himself into a Pro-contract here, he already had inquiries last year after his rides in the Giro in support of Pidcock but decided to stay U23 to develop further and get to ride GC for himself.

 

[SafeBet]

Looks like the really long (and high) stuff is the limit for Healy. Was to be expected but he could try to shake up the race with some long-range attacks now if he is not too far behind.

Hellemose is indeed a bit of a negative surprise here, while Verre continues to impress. Gloag is riding himself into a Pro-contract here, he already had inquiries last year after his rides in the Giro in support of Pidcock but decided to stay U23 to develop further and get to ride GC for himself.

Gloag is impressive.

Piganzoli is another rider to keep an eye on. First year u23, already close to the top10 in GC. A good sign for Kometa.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Always love to see the big spanish talents on Movistar. He prolly got infinite € at UAE, unlucky.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Gloag is impressive.

Piganzoli is another rider to keep an eye on. First year u23, already close to the top10 in GC. A good sign for Kometa.

He was on the same team as Milesi last year and the 2nd or 3rd best Italian TTer in the junior ranks.

Milesi didn't do a great TT, but he crashed twice in the Coppa della Pace a few days before the Giro started (one of his elbows is all bandaged up, hard to do a good TT like that), but he's improving. He was 15th yesterday when he tried to attack on the 2nd part of the descent and with 3km to go (the stage finished in his hometown) and he finished 24th today.

Garofoli finished 16th today (also a first year u23 rider) while working for Vandenabeele earlier on the final climb and riding tempo at the front of the bunch.

Speakin of the Italians, I expected a bit more from Frigo and Zambanini.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Also, the Campo Moro climb with those short, cobbled tunnels is stunning, can we get that one in the proper Giro d'Italia?

 

[WKA311]

He was on the same team as Milesi last year and the 2nd or 3rd best Italian TTer in the junior ranks.

Milesi didn't do a great TT, but he crashed twice in the Coppa della Pace a few days before the Giro started (one of his elbows is all bandaged up, hard to do a good TT like that), but he's improving. He was 15th yesterday when he tried to attack on the 2nd part of the descent and with 3km to go (the stage finished in his hometown) and he finished 24th today.

Garofoli finished 16th today (also a first year u23 rider) while working for Vandenabeele earlier on the final climb and riding tempo at the front of the bunch.

Speakin of the Italians, I expected a bit more from Frigo and Zambanini.

Tbf, Frigo had an less than ideal build-up with crashing out of Rhodes and out injured a few weeks. But I also don't really see him as a GC rider, think he is similar to Conca or Aleotti. In that he is maybe able to ride GCs at this level but isn't necessarily a good enough climber at this very serious stuff.

Garofoli is impressive indeed. Really hit the ground running at DSM.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Today Ciuccarelli won from a big breakaway that formed on the Tonale. Pena with a teammate, Healy and Turner, Hellemose with nearly all of his team, Voisard, the other Johannessen twin,Frigo, El Gouzi and Zambanini where all in the breakaway. Healy attacked before the final climb but cracked on the climb, Ciuccarelli dropped the others (he was already in the stage top 10 yesterday).

Stage results:

1. Riccardo Ciuccarelli (Biesse Arvedi) 2h58'30"
2. Anders Halland Johannessen (Uno-X) +26"
3. Didier Merchan (Colombia Tierra de Atletas) +40"
4. Omar El Gouzi (Iseo Rime Carnovali) s.t.
5. Marco Frigo (SEG Racing Academy) s.t.
6. Yannis Voisard (Swiss Racing) s.t.
7. Alessio Nieri (Mastromarco Sensi Nibali) s.t.
8. Asbjorn Hellemose (VC Mendrisio) +46"
9. Asier Etxeberria (Laboral Kutxa) +49"
10. Unai Iribar (Laboral Kutxa) +1'17"

The gc:

1. Juan Ayuso (Colpack Ballan) 24h17'26"
2. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X) +2'53"
3. Henri Vandenabeele (Team DSM) +3'42"
4. Tom Gloag (Trinity Racing) +3'47"
5. Asbjorn Hellemose (VC Mendrisio) +4'26"
6. Alessandro Verre (Colpack Ballan) +4'43"
7. Yannis Voisard (Swiss Racing) +6'48"
8. Anders Halland Johannessen (Uno-X) +7'28"
9. Omar El Gouzi (Iseo Rime Carnovali) +8'02"
10. Davide Piganzoli (Eolo-Kometa) +8'26"

The Italian Moroccan Omar El Gouzi is surprising me, he's really constant and until now he never really had a bad day.

 

[RedheadDane]

And for once Anders won the Battle of the Johannesens.

 

[Mayomaniac]

And for once Anders won the Battle of the Johannesens.

If only one of them started the race they could use the twin magic trick that the Yates brothers have been using for years. That would give them a better chance against Ayuso.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

If only one of them started the race they could use the twin magic trick that the Yates brothers have been using for years. That would give them a better chance against Ayuso.

Well, there could be more than just two of them.

Unfortunately for Uno-X they lost Charmig today. Michael Garrison didn't finish the stage either.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Well, there could be more than just two of them.

Unfortunately for Uno-X they lost Charmig today. Michael Garrison didn't finish the stage either.

What happened to Charmig on the Sestola stage, did he crash?
He looked good until that stage, then he lost almost 11min to Ayuso on a single stage.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

What happened to Charmig on the Sestola stage, did he crash?
He looked good until that stage, then he lost almost 11min to Ayuso on a single stage.

He wrote on twitter that it wasn't his day, but whether he simply had bad legs or if something happened to him, I don't know.

 

[RedheadDane]

He (Ayuso) is trying to win all the jerseys, isn't he?

 

[Mayomaniac]

Milesi keeps getting better during the race, today he finished 25th without being in the breakaway, less than 30 seconds behind the Ayuso group with the top 4 on the gc + Wood and Garzon. Not bad for a first year u23 rider who crashed a few days before the race started.

 

[Mayomaniac]

He (Ayuso) is trying to win all the jerseys, isn't he?

Attitude wise he reminds me a lot of Remco, no idea if that's a good thing. That said, one can get a bit mad in the heat of the moment, I doubt that there's any malice involved.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Today Yannis Voisard won on the Nevegal, he attacked from the gc group on the final climb and was able to hold on.
The stage results: https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/giro-ciclistico-d-italia/2021/stage-9
No changes inside the top 10 of the gc before the final sprint stage.
Omar El Gouzi once again inside the stage top 10 (the guy clearly deserves to be signed by an Italian PCT team).
Also, besides Ayuso there where 2 more first year U23 riders inside the stage top 10, the former teammates Piganzoli and Milesi. The former is still sitting 10th on the gc and the later got better and better during the race, if he didn't crash out of a one day race a few days before the Giro started and came into the race all bandaged up he might have been able to get a good gc result for himself.
Ayuso had a bit of a scary moment when he crashed on the urban cobbles in Belluno in the middle of the stage, but the gc group pretty much waited for him. No breakaway was able to get away, Pira attacked on both Passo Valles and Pieve d'Alpago, but both times they caught him afterwards.

I didn't know that Verre was mainly a MTBer when he was younger (he was a MTB and a CX NC in his age class in 2017), that might explain why he has improved so much on the road compared to his results as a junior.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Healy won the last stage, more or less completing his U23 palmares as a 20 year old - stages of Avenir, Baby Giro, Isarde, national RR and TT. He isn’t a child super climbing prodigy like Ayuso, but that set of palmares shows both talent and a winners mentality. It will be interesting to see where he lands next year. I don’t think he particularly benefits from another year in the espoir ranks.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

Healy won the last stage, more or less completing his U23 palmares as a 20 year old - stages of Avenir, Baby Giro, Isarde, national RR and TT. He isn’t a child super climbing prodigy like Ayuso, but that set of palmares shows both talent and a winners mentality. It will be interesting to see where he lands next year. I don’t think he particularly benefits from another year in the espoir ranks.

Interesting that he and teammate and fellow Ben (Ben Turner) both beat Evenpoel in the same TT at the Junior Tour of the Basque Country several years ago.

In my opinion he at least deserves to be a stagiaire for a WT team this year.