[Closed] the Giro Thread

Yes Ronan Dennis was in my team. 🙁
Confused this year with all the team colour changes and also the usual team name changes.

Man, all I could think watching Polanc struggle up that climb was [i]'Jesus, that looks insanely painful'[/I]. Kudos for managing to hold off the bunch.

Aaannnd guess what?
Correct.
CCC and Rusvelo out front with 3mins on the bunch.
Quite why the organisers just don't let them have a 4hr slot on TV in front of a rolling background is beyond me, be cheaper too.
Dull.
Stage win?
A sprinter, no change in GC.

I reckon barring accidents, Bob is keeping that jersey until Sunday. The last 13km for the Blockhaus climb has 1100m of elevation change more or less, it should shake up the GC into something more like the final result although who knows if this is Geraint's stage to blow up on.

more pre race guff from orica 🙂

That was a bit embarrassing for the Slovenian rider.

😆

I think he'll be riding a the back of the peleton for a while

Pretty convincing sprint from Gaviria.

S[url= http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/giro-ditalia/diego-rosa-also-disqualified-giro-ditalia-appearing-punch-javier-moreno-329849 ]ky rider Diego Rosa might be in hot water[/url], though doesn't look conclusive.

my wife punched me harder than that last night for straying onto her side of the bed.

I did not throw her out into the curtains (I thought it though, and then rethought it)

Revenge shall be mine later, courtesy of some cauliflower curry.

my wife punched me harder than that last night for straying onto her side of the bed.

to be fair most women are more muscular from the waist up than your average pro cyclist 😀

Stage 6 Reggio Calabria > Terme Luigiane [b]Cavalcata Piede[/b]

The route is basically flat, with just a few climbs and undulations in the first part, and finishes at the top of the short Terme Luigiane uphill stretch. The stage starts from Reggio Calabria (prologue town in 2005 and stage town in nine occasions) and the first 190 km are on a wide trunk road, at points a fast-flow road, with no grade-level intersections. The route clears the Barritteri categorised climb, and heads for an intermediate sprint in Mileto. Next comes a short, steep climb after Marina di Fuscaldo, followed by a technical descent leading to the final 15 kilometres. Note that the route takes a 600-m stretch on dual carriageway, and descends on hairpin bends 4 km before the finish that takes place in Terme Luigiane (already stage town five times). The final climb totals 2 km at an average 5.3% gradient, on wide, well-surfaced roadway, with no sharp changes of direction. The final km has a 5 to 10% gradient. The home stretch, running entirely uphill, is 500 m long, on 6-m wide asphalt road.

[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]
the finish ramp
[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

CCC and Rusvelo in the break, say with 20k to go. 4hrs of chat about Orange and Russian Gas money.

Could be a Dutchman today, that little kick at the end might just blow a few people up.

That 'finish' was utterly cringeworthy. The little one appeared downstairs when I was watching the recording last night and I was saying to him as they approached the bell "He thinks he's going to win here. He's going to stick his arms up and celebrate".

Radio or not, it shows what an amateur setup half the teams must be. Mostly just expecting to rock up to the start-line every day and doodle around. No idea what the stage actually entails.

I have to agree, it can't be that hard to say "Remember, it's a finishing circuit, you're going through the finish twice". That said, I even knew it after having a quick look at the road book before I started watching the stage in the afternoon.

Have a heart, the piss taking in the peloton will be remorseless 🙂

Pozza's still dining out on his "indiscretion"

Blimey, a heavyweight breakaway has 7'48 on the Pink...

Properly rolling out too, not pansying around... this might just be it.

Properly rolling out too, not pansying around

who you callin' a pansy ? 😉

oooooo those cross winds look nasty

Watching c'dale on the front and thinking that I'm a tall skinny bugger, but Hugh Carthy is something else. I'm 189 and 73Kg, he's listed at 189 and 63Kg - that's insane! Wiggo at Tour weight was supposedly ~68Kg (190cm)

... and the gap is not coming down that quickly given the way cannondale are riding. It needs to start coming down on this first little ramp to keep the peloton interested.

this is going to the wire, breakaway jumped with 100m to go ? !

wow fab descent 🙂

breakaway has it! though it's getting cagey.

Wow, break held all the way !

Good lads !!!

Stage 7 Castrovillari > Alberobello [b]Over the Arch[/b]

Over the first 140 km, the route is essentially flat (with just a short descent after the start), mainly on straight and wide roads, and only becomes more elaborate when crossing urban areas. After cresting the Bosco delle Pianelle KOM summit, the final part of the stage is more complicated, as the route passes through several urban areas, with roundabouts, traffic dividers, pedestrian islands, setts paving and speed bumps being the main obstacles. The final 40 km are undulating, and going slightly up, with arrival in Alberobello, stage town for the first time. The final kilometres are fairly complex, as the route runs partly on wide and straight roads, and partly on city roads marked by series of bends and partial narrowings. From 5 to 1.5 km to the finish, the route runs mostly uphill, with a short descent that ends 700 m before the finish. The route climbs slightly in the stage finale, with a few mild bends. The finish line sits on a 100-m long and 7.5-m wide asphalt straight.

[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]

Exertion
[img] [/img]
Frustration Elation
[img] ?itok=3cgfAtXV[/img]

Epic screw up by Cannondale yesterday, Woods actually won the sprint for the minor places, he's got to be raging, and for good reason.

Anyone got a link to a live video?

http://www.granfondoguide.com/LiveStream/GirodItalia

very strung out with a hint of echelon at the moment, will anyone take advantage ? looks like they've had a chat and the peloton slowed down back to a bunch.

Sprinter to win.

Nice to see Rusvelo out front for a change.

Adam Yates saddle looked very low.

Have Sky been squeezed out ? Don't see their train 😕

Good sprint finish !!

Have Sky been squeezed out ? Don't see their train

They don't have a sprinter so don't have a train. They were up the front to keep Thomas and Landa out of trouble.

It wasn't the usual number of riders, single rider took G to the front then left him and dropped back. Perhaps they had taken on board complaints from the sprinters teams. though moviestar didn't seem to 🙂

Everyone on TV gets such a hard-on about Caleb Ewan's super-low sprint position. But in reality he's no lower than anyone else in terms of actual body position. It's just that he's so tiny that he has practically zero saddle to bar drop - because he can't actually get a smaller bike - so his bars are up under his chin.

happy orica

Must admit, i'm craving a bit of GC excitement now really. Especially considering there's a lack of Sagan/Cav excitement.

Greipel must be spitting feathers after yesterday, just got totally boxed in and left himself in an impossible position to try for the sprint. Good sprint though for the win from Caleb.

Stage 8 Molfetta > Peschici

The stage starts from Molfetta, for the first time in the history of Giro. The route is on flat and straight roads in the first 90 km, while the following 100 km are constantly undulating, with several curves and changes of direction. Past Manfredonia, the stage clears the Monte Sant’Angelo categorised climb, and then takes the entire scenic route, all the way to Peschici (with a KOM climb in Coppa Santa Tecla and an intermediate sprint in Vieste) which has already been stage town for other four times (one starting and three arrival). The stage finale is fairly complex, with a fast-running descent from 5 to 3 km to the finish, followed by a short flat stretch, up to 1,500 m from the finish. Here begins the closing climb, which grows increasingly steeper as the finish draws nearer (with peaks reaching 12%), and with several sharp bends. The home straight (200 m), on 7-m wide stone-paved road, has a 9-10% uphill gradient.

Greipel must be spitting feathers after yesterday, just got totally boxed in and left himself in an impossible position to try for the sprint. Good sprint though for the win from Caleb.

*your cynic might say that the lead-out man was careful not to be too careful when he dropped off too

Good breakaway here, last 30k will be interesting

Landa Attack!

Like trails on a 29er, will today's stage see the GC battle come alive? Looking forward to it 🙂

Stage 9 Motenero di Bisaccia > BlockHaus

Unprecedented stage start from Montenero di Bisaccia. Then the first part of the stage runs along the Statale Adriatica (ss. 16), on wide roads, along the coast, following a wavy profile. The route heads inland past Francavilla a Mare, and reaches Chieti (a short climb with a few punchy bits) where the intermediate sprint is set. When leaving the ss. 5 to reach Manoppello and Lettomanoppello, the roads become narrower, and the surface is worn out at points. The final climb (13 km) begins past Roccamorice. Arrival at Blockhaus (last KOM in 2009 Franco Pellizotti). The last 13 km go up steadily on narrow road, with several hairpins. Gradients are over 9% for almost 10 km, with peaks reaching as high as 14%. There is a very short counterslope 500 m before the finish. The home straight (200 m long, on 6-m wide asphalt road) has an uphill gradient of approx. 8%.

[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]

more from the jokers

will today's stage see the GC battle come alive?

light (9kph) headwind on the climb with the slight risk of thunderstorms. Another breakaway win due to the GC contenders playing silly buggers ?

2 questions

1) why does a southern Italian town have a German name?
2) what do the little "TV" symbols mean on the stage maps?

GPM – Gran Premio della Montagna – categorised climb for King of the Mountains
TV – Traguardo Volante – Intermediate Sprint
R = Rifornimento – Feed Zone

Grazie 🙂

I really want to punch the smug **** from CA technologies

still no joy with hugh for the orica lads 🙂

break caught really racing into the climb! movistar out front but I fancy an attack from nibali

why does a southern Italian town have a German name?

The Name: blockhaus doesn’t sound very Italian but remember that Italy has only recently started speaking Italian. Back in the 1860s it was common for many military officers to have links to the Hapsburgs and the Austro-Hungarian. The block house was a small garrison designed to allow the army to control the Abruzzo hills for military and economic reasons, a strategic point to monitor the land and any smugglers. One visit to the top and you can see the view for yourself and why the government wanted to control the terrain from this point. The Giro says Blockhaus but the roadsigns in the region say Block Haus.

hark at beej swallowed an encyclopedia 😉

They seem to climb faster than I descend 😥

Cut and paste from Inner Ring!

nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

ffs

Motorbikes 😯 🙁

jeez, how the hell can that happen when the people there to keep them safe are messing up their seasons and even careers.

That's the entire giro over for sky

Not looking good for Yates either

...is it a bit off for the leaders to by pushing on? Clearly no fault accident

2.22 for g

sky will remember this

You think Sky would wait if Movistar got taken out? Very, very unfortunate but they were racing already.

Landa looks borked

G would have gone well to hang in there if he hadn't crashed, that's brutal from movistar