[Closed] the Giro Thread

doesn't look like it at the moment, I recon the race director think theres no point splitting the peloton as it will all come back together when they turn back into the wind for the last 20k

So far the pace is pretty brutal, being driven along by that tailwind. Wonder what it'll be like when they turn right along the southern edge of the coast? Possibly a bit more sheltered, possibly one hell of an offshore wind.

for the ccc rider in the break

Are there any live online streams?

steephill.tv will likely have a stream or 2. Can be a bit ropey though, I gave up last time and just ponied up for Eurosport Player for the year (£29)

you get the feeling the teams are saving themselves for Etna 🙁 lotto have the peloton ripping along at the moment !

This is getting messy...
No-one has the power or presence to carry this one, the head/crosswind is making it incredibly sketchy.

Can hear the yells in the peloton, everyone wants to be at the front. I'd be amazed if this comes out without a pile-up...

a big gust a the wrong time could cause chaos 🙂

Look at the power numbers, they're all over the place as they surge and push, ease off, slip into a gap, power on again.

Messy as hell this one, that's a brutal wind!

this is mental, a sprint from 20 km out !

That's done it!
#echelon

Quick-Step are experts at this sort of thing.
Greipel out of pink for sure.

G might be OK, he's up on most of the rest of the GC contenders but not in the lead group.

QUickstep - LOL

this is tense for gc contenders, getting spat out the back is brutal

mental

go g-man, tuck in behind the gorrilla and go again when theres more shelter

Hmm, that second group has come back together...
Front group is disorganised but QS have the numbers so I doubt they'll be too bothered.

Where is Quintana??
Nibali and Thomas are in group 2.

Looks like it's back to headwind now or at least a bit sheltered from the crosswind.

do love a team full gas attack

this is brutal !

brilliant wind riding from quick step

I know it's way, way harder than it looks but it's like nobody noticed the whole of quickstep at the front there.

It had the feel of watching a breakaway with Steve Cummings in it - wait for it, wait for it. Boom

that was impressive stuff to spit andre out the back (on the flat)!

that was impressive stuff to spit andre out the back (on the flat)!

Early Hiatus After the QuickStep Masterclass!

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More on the power and the surges as the selection was made:
http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/giro-ditalia/strava-stats-show-just-hard-final-10km-giro-ditalia-stage-three-329257

some custom paint jobs in the race

Looks like there may be a NW wind tomorrow. Hopefully that doesn't result in a stalemate up Etna.

Looked like he was pretty much back on, then was almost like a mechanical

it did look like he was constantly looking at his drivetrain and he seemed to soft pedal a few times too as he did it. Cracking stage though, crosswinds seldom disappoint.

Says his foot came out of the pedal and that was enough to lose the wheel.

Just read that Rohan Dennis crashed in the echelons and lost 5 mins. Briefly saw a BMC rider down but didn't know who it was at the time. Bit of a shame that in his first real crack at GC.

So predictions for tomorrow on Etna? Some of the GC guys are predicting a big day. Italians desperate to see Nibali in pink as the next stage finishes in his home town, though he tends to come good later on in grand tours.

Not sure how QS might play it. Gaviria most likely won't be in pink. But they don't want a breakaway to take pink as Bo Jangles is most likely to inherit the jersey from a group coming to the line together. The only potential fly in the ointment is that he's 10s ahead of most of the GC guys, so one of them getting a 10s bonus could see someone else take the jersey.

Having a think about tomorrow's stage on the train home, I'm going to pick Rohan Dennis for the win.

Could suit Rohan Dennis but he's injured and about 5 mins down on GC so I'd expect him to be on duty for Tejay now. I'd not be surprised to see Tejay win this one, he's often good in the first week before his usual bad day in the 3rd week.

Sky or movistar to set a hard pace from the bottom of the final climb, we'll see who is a real contender and we'll see a few GC hopefuls lose time already, but a largish (8-10) group of favourites coming to the line together.

Didn't realise he was injured from the crash. I was just going on the fact he lost 5 minutes yesterday so would be someone that the bunch might let go if he attacked - and also being capable of sustaining an attack if he did get away.

I wonder if Sky are going to play it dull, sorry, safe until the final week, or if the might try sending Landa off early. That would certainly spice things up.

I wonder if Sky are going to play it dull, sorry, safe until the final week,

Sky not averse to smashing things up on the first big mountain stage. Just look at Froome in the 2013, 2015 and to a lesser extent, the 2016 Tour. Does become difficult to do with two leaders though (has that ever proven to be a good idea?) Need someone to bury themselves to set it up, like Porte use to do.

Indeed. But in that case they had a) the strongest rider b) the strongest team c) the entire team behind one rider. In this case, they have stated they have 2 leaders, and in interviews they are suggesting that they will "see how it pans out later in the race". I was taking that to mean that they would follow, not attack each other, and then fall-in behind whoever was leading in the final Dolomite stages.

I'll go for... not sure. Nibali hasn't looked great and took a while to get going last year. Quintana often gets stronger/doesn't fade as much towards the end. Don't see Landa or Thomas winning.

Hmmm....

OK, Quintana.

The "official" line is that there'll be a headwind on the final climb reducing the likelihood of much attacking be unless/until it starts to thin right out as nobody will want to put their nose into the wind.

I've seen reports that a couple of riders inc Landa might try and test Quintana as he might not be on top form if he's hoping to ride into form and hold it for the tour. Personally I reckon this will backfire!

I don't think the gaps between the top few will be massive but some GC hopefulls will go out the back door never to be seen again.

Can't wait, got a hard road ride planned first thing then back in time for live coverage...

Having a think about tomorrow's stage on the train home, I'm going to pick Rohan Dennis for the win.

Send him off up the hill, see if other teams chase and TvG gets either an easier day or somebody to break away to

I was taking that to mean that they would follow, not attack each other, and then fall-in behind whoever was leading in the final Dolomite stages.

It's a silly approach. I'd be surprised if Sky don't have a better unpublicised one and just want to keep rival teams guessing. Say a big stage one of the main GC rivals goes up the road and Thomas and Landa are isolated, who sacrifices their chances to chase him down?

Can see Quintana and Nibali marking themselves tomorrow and someone else nipping off the front for the win. Depends how badly Nibali wants to ride into Messina in pink. Sod it, I'll say Tejay ftw tomorrow.

Stage Four. Cefalu ot Etna - Fire and Fire

The first summit finish awaits the peloton after a medium mountain stage. The route follows the mild undulations of the road for 55 km, and then tackles a long and steady climb up Portella Femmina Morta. A very long and manageable descent then leads to the feed zone and to the intermediate sprint in Bronte. The route hits the foot of Mount Etna and runs across a number of villages, heading towards the finish, all the way to Nicolosi, where the closing climb begins. The final part of the route runs through urban areas, on narrowed and often stone-paved roads. The final climb, on wide and tarmacked road, has an average gradient of approx. 6%, with no punchy bits. The road winds its way along wide hairpins for nearly 20 km. There is a mild counterslope with 500 m to go. The home stretch (200 m, 3% uphill grade) leads to the finish line, on 7-m wide asphalt road.

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