Giro d'Italia

[alibat]

I've found a really useful site for those of us looking for coverage on the web.

http://www.cyclingfans.com

It lists what is availiable each day. Yesterday after I'd found it I managed to get coverage from rai before eurosport kicked in. Also, the site below shows highlights from each stage so far. I managed to get to see the prologue highlights from earlier in the day, including JUs'. Looked ok to me, didn't look as if he was really pushing himself though at times.

http://www.raiclicktv.it

 

[lwedge]

I've found a really useful site for those of us looking for coverage on the web.

http://www.cyclingfans.com

It lists what is availiable each day. Yesterday after I'd found it I managed to get coverage from rai before eurosport kicked in. Also, the site below shows highlights from each stage so far. I managed to get to see the prologue highlights from earlier in the day, including JUs'. Looked ok to me, didn't look as if he was really pushing himself though at times.

http://www.raiclicktv.it

Grazi, Grazi...

I'm sitting up all night at work babysitting a raid 5 that went bad on one of our file servers.

I need a good cup of coffee and some cycling to watch. In another hour I will be able to see the start of stage 3.

zzzzzzzzzz

 

[limerickman]

I predict that Cancellara will develope into a great Overall GC rider in the coming years!

Agreed.

Fabian Cancellara is a great talent and I think you're correct to tip him for great things in the future.

World Champion at U21, if I remember correctly.

 

[Bjorn P.Dal]

JU didn't even wear his timetrail suit during the prologue of the Giro... Tested his heartrates on the small climb - no more, no less..

The TTT shold be more telling with T-mobile aiming for the win.

 

[musette]

The TTT shold be more telling with T-mobile aiming for the win.

I don't believe TM is capable of the TTT win, esp given JU's ITT condition at this point. I think it's a case of two teams that will significantly distance themselves from the others -- CSC and DC, with the winner as between those two uncertain.

TM would be happy, I think, staying within a reasonable distance of CSC and DC so that Honchar minimizes his time losses. I think overall Giro goals for TM that would be realistic would be: one stage win for O Pollack (difficult, given the competition and the limited number of pure sprinter stages) and top seven for Honchar. Most important goal is to get JU's form to improve and for his weight to go down.

 

[cyclingheroes]

I don't believe TM is capable of the TTT win, esp given JU's ITT condition at this point.

Since you know all about JU's condition ? Can you tell me how is condition is?

 

[Virenque]

If his heart goes above 160 BPM, his bottom bracket locks. That`s new HRM system because alarms didn`t help.

I really don`t know why so much talk about JU now. He came here for a training! I really doubt that we`ll see anything about him.

 

[musette]

I can only watch Stage 3 later today, but, from the written reports, DC used good tactics in having Chechu attack towards the end today:

1) Took up one of the spots for the stage win/placement bonus, which increased the possibility that Il Falco could keep the maglia rosa (although that did not happen).

2) Reduced possibility that a GC contender such as Cunego or DiLuca might get the bonus points (Achieved)

DiLuca had publicly suggested he intended to win the stage.

3) To the extent relevant to the Giro teams classification that determines the TTT start order (?), reduced the chance that another team would beat DC out of the final position in the TTT.

4) Created the possibility of a Chechu stage win, given the slight uphill, although that didn't materialize.

 

[musette]

Teams classification after Stage 3:

1 Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 30.43.42
2 Gerolsteiner 0.15
3 Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 0.20
4 T-Mobile Team 0.31
5 Team CSC 0.38

Now, only Gerolsteiner could possibly start later than DC in the TTT (Stage 5), with, say, another stage win tomorrow (unlikely).

Another added benefit to Chechu's going on the attack at the end of Stage 3 is that DC reduces the chance of CSC moving up in the teams classification, so that the strategic advantage of DC knowing more information about CSC from CSC being fifth-to-last is preserved.

 

[barnstorm]

once again, you absolutely MUST credit the Giro for putting such exciting stages on the menu in the earlygoing. In the Tour, you wouldn't have a clue how the favorites looked other that a flat prologue and whether broke any important bones in the mass pileups at 40 miles an hour during the mass sprint that is always won by one of the same 5 guys.

Great challenging prologue course with real time splits. Hectic day one sprint. LBL, basically for the second road stage. Real time splits, lots to speculate about among the favorites, and no mass pileups with 50 guys on the way to the hospital. Could the TDF organizers pay some attention??

 

[musette]

I think the rain contributed to the opportunity for time gaps. That, you cannot credit the organizers for.

Also, I think DC is being as opportunistic as it can. In a way, Il Falco's having a weakness in the high mountains makes DC arguably have to be more opportunistic in the Giro than in the Tour previously with LA, in the sense that disrupting the status quo in a non-mountain stage carries some risks, but also the opportunity for time gains. In LA's case, Bruyneel may not have taken some risks that Bruyneel/Yates might for Savoldelli, because (a) they know LA is as strong (or stronger) than his rivals in the mountains, and (b) they know that they have to build up more cushion before key climbs later in the race for Savoldelli. So, I think in the Giro, in some non-mountain or even mountain situations where DC would not have tried to be a catalyst for changes to the status quo in a race for LA in the Tour, DC might take a gamble and try to go for the upside (as well as risk a small downside).

 

[whiteboytrash]

Big news today on EuroSport was that Bettini is going to T-Mobile next year.... he wants more chances and cannot get them with Boonen in the team.... Kristy Anderson confirmed today.

 

[whiteboytrash]

I agree.... with 3km the was a hairpin bend in which 80% of the field at to stop and wait for the other riders to get through..... the peleton was doing 70km per hour with 10km to go ! Amazing riding ! Then they throw in a 2km 5% climb with cobbles ! Sure beats the old lead out sprint routine of the first 8 stages of the Tour de France...... I agree they should take note... its very exciting viewing.....

once again, you absolutely MUST credit the Giro for putting such exciting stages on the menu in the earlygoing. In the Tour, you wouldn't have a clue how the favorites looked other that a flat prologue and whether broke any important bones in the mass pileups at 40 miles an hour during the mass sprint that is always won by one of the same 5 guys.

Great challenging prologue course with real time splits. Hectic day one sprint. LBL, basically for the second road stage. Real time splits, lots to speculate about among the favorites, and no mass pileups with 50 guys on the way to the hospital. Could the TDF organizers pay some attention??

 

[Eldrack]

Good interesting stage, though due to the heavy rain the run in was very dangerous, especially considering they were going so fast. And at that speed you can't really move through the pack so if anyone was badly placed when CSC put the hammer down they where going to be badly placed for the final climb.

I was listening to live audio on Euro sport, they mentioned the Kessler crash but not much more, apparently there where problems with the video coverage due to the rain? How badly did that crash split the pack up, that could be the reason some of the main favorites lost a few seconds.

 

[musette]

http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=9358

See photo of Gerolsteiner win, and Chechu looking behind to see who was coming next. I think, if he saw Il Falco among the next few and no Il Falco GC rivals within the same group, he would have let Il Falco have a shot at the time bonus for second or third place.

 

[whiteboytrash]

Cyclingnews has now said that an Euskaltel rider crashed on the bend which held everyone up and split the field in half (and brought Kessler down)..... you cannot see Rujano or Simoni in the footage but like I said the footage was bad all day....The Euskaltel boys were bring themselves and other riders down all day !

Good interesting stage, though due to the heavy rain the run in was very dangerous, especially considering they were going so fast. And at that speed you can't really move through the pack so if anyone was badly placed when CSC put the hammer down they where going to be badly placed for the final climb.

I was listening to live audio on Euro sport, they mentioned the Kessler crash but not much more, apparently there where problems with the video coverage due to the rain? How badly did that crash split the pack up, that could be the reason some of the main favorites lost a few seconds.

 

[JRMDC]

Interesting that Il Falco picked up some seconds today. He lost 39 seconds in stage 4 last year, can't remember why. If he had kept that time, Siestriere would have been a lot less stressful for him!

 

[lazysegall]

I can only watch Stage 3 later today, but, from the written reports, DC used good tactics in having Chechu attack towards the end today:

1) Took up one of the spots for the stage win/placement bonus, which increased the possibility that Il Falco could keep the maglia rosa (although that did not happen).

2) Reduced possibility that a GC contender such as Cunego or DiLuca might get the bonus points (Achieved)

DiLuca had publicly suggested he intended to win the stage.

3) To the extent relevant to the Giro teams classification that determines the TTT start order (?), reduced the chance that another team would beat DC out of the final position in the TTT.

4) Created the possibility of a Chechu stage win, given the slight uphill, although that didn't materialize.

Decent analysis, but I think discovery is happy to lose the jersey.
Also improving the gc position of Rubiera might be important. Disco is keeping him under the radar, but he has good form and he has the climbing ability to win this race. They will at least use him to put other teams into stress with Danielson and Salvodelli threatening.

 

[musette]

I've made the "lose the jersey/Gerolsteiner works" argument, in another thread. I also made the "best form of defense against CSC aggression is DC aggression" argument.

I don't disagree with your observation that they want Chechu up there in GC at later stages in the race, because having people who have credibility in the mountains be high on GC is going to increase DC's mountains strategy options later on. Recall this was used by Bruyneel in the 2003 Tour even without very high GC placements for mountain domestiques Chechu and Beltran. However, it was clear Chechu was not going to gain enough time today (byt the time the Citadel area was reached) to affect those strategic options much later in the race. That's why I didn't make your second argument.

 

[mitosis]

once again, you absolutely MUST credit the Giro for putting such exciting stages on the menu in the earlygoing. In the Tour, you wouldn't have a clue how the favorites looked other that a flat prologue and whether broke any important bones in the mass pileups at 40 miles an hour during the mass sprint that is always won by one of the same 5 guys.

Great challenging prologue course with real time splits. Hectic day one sprint. LBL, basically for the second road stage. Real time splits, lots to speculate about among the favorites, and no mass pileups with 50 guys on the way to the hospital. Could the TDF organizers pay some attention??

I agree. For the last few years it has been a much more exciting race than letour. Testing hills early on in stages 3 and 4, enough to filter out the sprinters and see some well-earned stage wins like Schumachers yesterday.

And to add to the excitement a team time trial in stage 5