some giro flavor from orica
I think it'll be a break today that makes it. All the top boys will ghost each other too much to notice someone out of CCC or DD has popped off the front.
Change of Pink until the tomorrow when Greipel will have snatched it back for the next few days.
You really think Greipel will be close enough to the leaders on GC at the end of todays stage to take back pink tomorrow? I'll be amazed if he's not minutes back.
Looking at the final climb on mywindsock, there is currently a headwind for over 3/4 of the way up - 18-20kph WNW.
I think that may point to a breakaway win. (On the basis that they will have a tailwind for most of the day, then the favourites will be worried about attacking)
EDIT: Data here - https://mywindsock.com/segment/6453559/
watching the euro preview that's a grim ol' climb 🙂
Just remembered I needed to set the box to record. Disaster narrowly averted! 😯 😯
Having a think about tomorrow's stage on the train home, I'm going to pick Rohan Dennis for the win.
reporting he's withdrawn from the race.
[quote=Klunk ]
reporting he's withdrawn from the race.
Ah bugger
https://twitter.com/BMCProTeam/status/861917149278896128
Mrs NBT has him in her fantasy giro team, I think
About 20k till they hit the climb proper. Looks a lumpy run in with the GC teams already hitting the front.
they have got the hammer down now ! splits in the peloton
autobus is forming and they haven't hit the climb proper yet ! 🙂
shirt pulling in the peloton ! chaos
Decent crash, same corner as the Emirates guy who overshot in the break.
Tiralongo going longo. Not a bad bet being a local. (Now back in the bunch. Now out the back.)
Tejay right at the back of the bunch, not sure what's going on there.
Bike swap for Landa. Bad timing.
none of the gc guys want to be on the front 🙂
Nice ride by Polanc. Jungles in pink?
It was very much pass the [s]parcel[/s] hot potato towards the end there, don't think any of the teams wanted to have to defend the pink jersey this early in race. 🙂 Well done by the polish lad, he was wobbling a bit half way up but dug deep and held on.
Well hasn't today's stage got everyone talking 😉
Moreno kicked out:
[url= http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/javier-moreno-kicked-off-giro-ditalia-for-pushing-incident/ ]http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/javier-moreno-kicked-off-giro-ditalia-for-pushing-incident/[/url]
That Polish lad is Slovenian, but well done indeed.
oops don't know where that came from 🙂
more orica high jinks
and some piccies
[img] 
[/img]
smoking
[img] 
?itok=tdAIjBBY[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
Stage - 5 Pedara > Messina [b]On the Cosa Nostra Trail[/b]
This is a half-wavy, half-flat, stage, with a closing circuit. The stage starts from Pedara, new stage town as far as the Giro is concerned. The first 40 km are fairly complex, as the route passes through several urban areas, with roundabouts, traffic dividers, pedestrian islands, setts paving and speed bumps being the main obstacles. Then comes an uphill stretch (Fornazzo KOM summit), followed by a fast-running and technical descent. The roadway narrows at points in Castiglione di Sicilia. Next, the route climbs up Taormina and descends to the feed zone along partly narrowed roads. Here the roadway becomes wider and mostly straight, leading to the final circuit in Messina (which already saw a final circuit in 1972). The final 6.3-km circuit shall be covered once, on wide and straight avenues alternating with 90-degree bends. The route takes a U-turn with 1,500 m to go, then a long home straight (descending slightly in the first part) leads all the way to the finish. The home stretch is 1,500 m long, on 7.5-m wide, flat and asphalt road.
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
finish looks a bit mental with the 180 1.5k out
[img] 
[/img]
Good photo on inrng that sums up yesterday's stage...
[img] 
[/img]
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"
