UKC

Don't know if it is too early to start this years Giro thread but what the heck !
Not sure why, but the field seems a little light this year but some of the usual suspects up for the big prize :-

Dumoulin (I'm not fit and there's not enough time trialing), Nibbles (not quite the rider he used to be), Yates (put the ghost to rest ?), Lopez (possibly), Roglic (maybe), Landa (meh!) ....

It's a pity that Bernal wont be there as it might show what he is really capable of. Any dark horses that might sneak up on the outside ?

Sprinters field looks pretty interesting too !
 

My money is on Roglic. He won all stage races he entered this year, most recently Romandie. Only doubt is whether he has enough quality support in his team.

CB

It seems appropriate at this point to doff our caps and remember Chris the Tall and his many entertaining and informative contributions to such threads.

Indeed,  Chapeau!

Yes good point!!

Hope his spirit is here amongst us.....I'm going with Yates, Dumoulin, Roglic....in that order!

Because you're underrating the main contenders? Also the lack of an all-powerful team (ala Sky at the Tour) may make things more open. 

Dumoulin - had a bad early season last year, whinged about poor form then came second in both the Giro and the Tour. Loads of TT kms despite his gripes.

Nibali - showed in the Tour of the Alps he's in great condition, still got a grand tour win in him IMO and in a contract year... Good team to support (Caruso and Pozzovivo)

Yates - has learned loads in winning the Vuelta, won a TT at Paris-Nice and has been mainly been supporting his brother this year

Lopez - who knows, climbing well (won Volta a Cataluyna  believe?) but TTs might undo him. Againk, good climbing support and Astana have been looking good this year.

Ex-ski jumper Roglic - won everything he's done so far

Landa - agreed, meh. Could be great, could be dull.

Some extras:

Bobby Jungles? No idea on his form but has shown ability to hang on in the mountains and has a good TT in him. Not much support though.

Esteban Chaves? No idea on form but must be Plan B for MS if Yates blows up.

Tao G-H/Sivakov? Both with an unusual opportunity to act as a GC leader, and going well in the Alps. Maybe one in the top 5, probably one in the top 10. 

+1

CB

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http://inrng.com

I was going to post that. His passing saddened me a great deal, for someone I didn’t actually know. To Chris. 

There's always Thomas Du Gendt's mad breakaways to look forward to as well.

Would love to see Chaves find some verve again, but unlikely. Think Jungels will target stage wins perhaps over the GC.

The young un's at Ineos might mix things up a bit, as there both in superb form coming into this.

Did Roglic used to be a ski jumper? I'm surprised they don't mention that more on commentary.

Just a quick mention for James Knox (Knoxy), a Cumbrian lad riding for Quickstep going in his first grand tour, so looking forward to watching him take this on, hes going to bag his first WorldTour win at some stage in the near future, be great if it was in the Giro !

Just his first name isn't it?

Wasn't aware of that website until now, cheers. But even if I was, I've got better ways to waste my time than to badly rewrite opinions on forums!

Can't see Chaves in anything but super domestique duties.

Spoiler alert !

A good start for the GC guys but too short to read anything in to the result,  perhaps a little below par for TD ....

Not that anyone on here can do much about it, but I'd like to take the opportunity to have a microrant about ITV not showing the Giro as well as the Tour and the Vuelta. Where's the harmony? It's got me seriously considering a Eurosport subscription

Big time gaps for such a short time trial. The excitement begins!

Top tip. Subscribe to Eurosport around December/January. Annual subs can go as low as £9.95. Don't forget to cancel it, or they will auto-renew it at the end of your sub.l

The highlights are on Quest channel for free. Its essentially the eurosport highlights & commentary. 

Online here https://www.questod.co.uk/show/giro-ditalia-highlights

Or freeview channel 37 at 10pm every night.

Anyone have money on that winner ? (With deference to spoilers )

7pm after the first day TT.

It's also being broadcast live on S4C. We don't have that channel at home but I was pleased to find that you can stream this through the BBC iPlayer app. The commentary is in Welsh but I'm ok with that!

Oops, yep

Not for money, but bragging rights at work, I got both winners so far correct.

For today, my pick is the runner up of yesterday's finish.

CB

It will be interesting if this is a sign of things to come or just a cock up by the more established sprinters (no-one wanting to commit too early and not looking in the right direction etc etc) Perhaps we will know more today.

Bit of a double edged sword for Sam Bennett, team mate wins but .....

Yes, bit of a shame for a multiple stage winner just one year ago to be left out completely, but you cannot argue with success. Anyway, that was the 22nd or so stage or race win for the team so far, and they also had several podium finishes during the spring season even though their main rider for these events is a bit out of form, so they must be doing something right this year.

CB

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/peter-sagan-adds-another-stage-win-to-his-t...

Maybe he's finding some form ...

Possibly, but he was definitely below par for the spring classics.

CB

Viviani relegated. I think the commisars got it right. If he'd kept a straight line as the regs stipulate do you think he'd have won?

Not a great day for Team Ineos.  Looks like their GC hopes are gone already. Chuckles. 

Yup, looking at the replay it does seem that Viviani veers across the road causing Moschetti to stop pedalling  and therefore halt his sprint. I don't believe it was deliberate but just one of those 'racing incidents' that will spilt opinions.

Yes, not a good day for TGH, unfortunate to be caught up in a couple of minor pile ups but not a cause for 'chuckles'.  He looks like a promising young rider, I'm sure we will see more of him before the end of the Giro.

Almost got it right again. Bastard comissaires! *

CB

* Distancing him was the correct decision.

He would not have won without pullig left. DeMaré?

You need to get some money down ! who have you got down for GC ? Roglic looks like the man to beat on pre-season form but does his team have the GC winning mentality and focus ?

Roglic was my bet after winning all three stage races he participated in in 2019.

CB

It's a pity that there aren't any mountain stages until nearly two thirds of the way through the race, it could make for a fairly dull spectacle in the GC category. I guess that the teams will have to try to keep their GC guys safe and just leave it to the sprinters and rouleurs / opportunists to fight it out for the first couple of weeks.   

Whoops ! Me and my big mouth !

Yes, stage 4 was eventful for the non sprinters, Dumoulin just abandoned!

CB

All I can say is I'm glad I'm nowhere near the 'sunny' Med coast today !

Exactly! 

CB

You can't have called that result yesterday ! Takes the pressure off Lotto for a bit.

I had 8 of the top 10 correct*

* not really.....

That was quite a surprise! I wonder if they left it a little too late, gap probably a bit too wide to close in the TT,

CB

It seems pretty obvious that this was the plan from the outset ( although the size of the lead may be more than the recognised GC teams had bargained for). Holding on to the maglia rosa is a massive pain in the arse (sic) for Roglic, with all that it encompasses in terms of press commitments, drug testing and constantly being under the media microscope.

There are some decent riders in the 'new' top ten with a healthy lead so it will be interesting to see just how long it takes the contenders to restore status quo (if indeed they can). For the time being I'm sure they will be happy to be back in the pack and bide their time until the mountains arrive. 

I wonder how far back in the pack they will now be - do their teams lose the "right" to be at the front and supposedly better placed to avoid crashes?

That will depend on the arrangements they have with the jury.

Shocked to see that TJVG is still in yellow over in California after crashing 10km before the finish, then catching up with the victims of a second crash 3.3km out....

CB

There is no 'right' to be at the front and the recognised GC teams are the de facto strongest teams and  will continue to keep their leaders safe at the front of the peleton regardless of who is holding the maglia rosa.

Never seen somebody on the podium looking so miserable.

Ackerman, poor bugger, after that crash.

Viviani has come up short hasn't he? According to the previews it was all going to be about him in the sprints.

And he's now sacked it.

Great stage today, those tiny cobbled streets are fantastic for the spectators and the spectacle 

Smart move by UAE team to keep the pink jersey but I don't understand why GC teams allowed that.

The one thing that surprised me most is how many technical problems are caused by failing electronic shifters. Miguel Angel Lopez in particular was hit on two consecutive days.

There were quite a few threads on here where people were raving about their DI2s, but these incidents seem to vindicate sticking with cable shifters. Do you really gain enough time to risk losing a couple of minutes?

CB

An amazing couple of stages in the mountains. Yates went from zero to near hero and has given himself a credible chance of a top 5 finish. Nibali held his own but doesn't seem to have the legs for a sustained breakaway on the hills. Carapaz rode amazingly.well to take the stage and the Pink jersey but how long can he keep it for I wonder? An exciting week coming up.

I wonder how the dynamic between Carapaz and Landa will work and what the team orders will be.

In the post race interview on Eurosport Landa said that Carapaz was now the leader, and that he would ride to protect the MR.

CB

I missed that. A rare moment of cohesion from Movistar !

A question relating to cycle racing in general, not just The Giro...

If a rider retires from a stage (through injury for example) but is able to race the following day, how does this affect his(her) time regarding the general classification?

Say, for example a rider is 20 mins behind the GC leader and crashes out and is unable to continue, where would that rider be time-wise behind the GC leader for the following stage?

I'm almost embarrassed to ask a question that no doubt has a very simple/logical answer, I just cant think what, google's no help either!

TIA

If they retire that's it, there's no next day.

really - if they retire from a stage then it's the end of their competition?

I was thinking maybe an average or something like that

"Yes well" as Sean Kelly might say several times. 

If you retire there is no comeback. You are out. Lots of rules and regs in cycling. Race finishes have a cut off. Some races rules mean if you finish more than so many minutes behind the stage winner you are eliminated although that's not always enforced.

https://www.active.com/cycling/articles/rules-to-ride-by-at-the-tour-de-fra...

If you crash in the last 3 km you can rejoin the race. I think they give you the same time as those around you at the time of the crash. 

If you don't  do the distance you are out. Just like you can't skip a lap in a 1600m race and rejoin the race.

well, it seems to make sense. thanks for the answers folks.

The race commisar (in the red car) has the power to make ANY decision necessary on the day.  This is for non-racing things that occur on the day. Never heard of it being applied to abandonment but has been applied to tear gas, collapsing advertising arch, bus stuck under advertising arch and road blocked by snow. 

You still have to make it to the finish line within the time limit, even if you crash in the protected area before a sprint finish (the 3km rule only applies to sprint stages so the GC teams can pull out once they are close enough to reduce traffic before the bunch sprint).

However, if your name is TJ van Garderen you can crash 10km out and get the same time if you manage to catch up with someone else who crashed inside the 3 km....

CB

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/comedy-of-errors-and-a-crash-cost-roglic-de...

Roglic is a brilliant rider but his Lotto Visma squad and team management just plain suck! I've never seen such incompetence from a team at world tour level.

Imagine what Roglic could achieve with a half decent squad built around him and the support to go with it. He needs to swap teams asap IMO.

As far as this year's Giro is concerned I'm rooting for Nibali, he's pure class is brilliant tactically and plays all the right 'mind games' plus he handles a bike like few other riders.  Its always a pleasure to see what he's going to do next!

Bit harsh I would say. Of the riders who could protect Roglic in the mountains Kruiswijk (?) was ill before the Giro and would not have been fit enough (plus he is probably aiming for the TdF anyway), Gesink the same, and then they lost DePlus due to illness during the race. 

Also, Roglic was not the only one with shifter problems, look at Lopez a couple days ago. I very much doubt that the slightly better shifting performance (if at all) is worth the reliability risk.

That his bike dies exactly when the DS takes a leak is just comically bad luck.

CB

All in all its remarkable Roglic managed to limit his losses as well as he did. Boiling up nicely from the neutral's perspective. 

Exactly. Roglic in a good place on the leader board and riding beautifully albeit with the odd mishap. I still think Nibali doesnt have the legs for a sustained breakaway but we will see. Yates is looking good for the last few days in the mountains and I expect will look for a stage win. My prediction for the podium, barring mishaps, is. 

1 Carapaz (Movie star looking strongest at the front of the peleton)

2 Roglic (should be confident after recovering from yesterday's potential disasters)

3  Nibali (Good support from Caruso)

The final TT is 17km long with a 4km 4% gradient hill so any gains or losses will be seconds rather than minutes for the GC contenders.

Im going to have to take back what i said about Movistars team work ! Seems Landa always hits his best form in super domestique mode awsy from the gc limelight.

Maybe, but its always a shame not to see a #freelanda

Good to see Chaves win today after his year of troubles.

Was there ever a happier winner than Esteban Chavez? Huge day in the mountains tomorrow. It will be interesting to see if Yates has got anything left in the tank. I still think Carapaz will win. He's looked unbeatable when it matters on the hills.

Lopez - do you get a time bonus or a time penalty for twatting a spectator?

He gets to wear the "Nuff Respect" jersey, black emblazoned with a skull and crossbones.

Just a couple of slaps......pro cyclists fighting always makes me laugh....!!!

Oh dear . He lost the plot and will probably be disqualified. It didn't show what actually caused him to come off his bike but I assume the idiot fan was running alongside or ran out in front causing him to swerve and come off.

Edit: I've just seen he will escape sanction. The race commisaires said it was a human reaction.

Happier winner, happier loser, just no happier person in the entire world than Chaves!

Carapaz has looked every inch the grand tour rider the last eight days or so. Closing down attacks yesterday with seeming ease.

An unusually lacklustre Giro IMO. Just hasn't held my attention like it often does.

No home interest doesnt help, i suppose. The sprints fizzled out, and its still hard to get excited about Astana stage wins.

Interesting to see whether Movistar can bring this level of cohesion to the tdf gc.

Eurosport only coverage doesn't help especially when the schedule for highlights is constantly messed around. tuned in last night for the highlights show at 8 (as scheduled) to find the show started at 7:20 and all i got was people crossing the finish line

Although its been nice for cycling that someone who isn't British has won a grand tour - the last was the 2017 Giro IIRC. 

They may, but the Ineos train will overpower them (and everyone). Interesting that Nibali has said today he's going for stages rather than GC.

Completely agree,  Chaves is a fabulous personality in the peleton, I think the whole of the cycling world were 'rooting' for him to win that stage, especially after the last year he has had.

As for Carapaz, he has ridden the perfect Giro and looks like the new great south american hope!  That wont please Quintana, maybe the 'great' three pronged Movistar attack will become the great' four' pronged Movistar attack !

Just a word for Roglic, he battled valiantly for the entire Giro despite being isolated for just about all of it, fully deserves the podium place. Just imagine what might have been in a stronger team.