Gilbert's analysis, it was all started from a forceful elbow from Groves.
Which is what they are saying on today's coverage and Grove's fessed up. He was getting closed into the barrier.
Some very dubious bike repair attempts by Sepp Kuss this afternoon.
AXS battery swap, it seems:
https://escapecollective.cc/what-on-earth-was-sepp-kuss-doing-to-his-rear-derailleur/
He didn't seem at all flusrered by it, which is impressive.
Good finish by Matthews today - he looked like he was having a lot of fun.
Preview of today's stages, early fireworks for the GC anyone?
https://inrng.com/2023/05/giro-stage-4-preview-lago-laceno/
AXS battery swap, it seems:
It’d probably take me about half an hour to do that with the bike on a stand 🙂
cracking stage in the tour of Wales.
Into the final 10km now, looking like a win for the breakaway unless it goes ballistic behind. Potentially the Maglia Rosa going to someone in the breakaway as well.
tour de wales looking well grim, can see this being called off.
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Can someone explain the logic behind wanting to "give away" the Maglia Rosa? If you think it gives your team an obligation to work hard to "defend" it, you can just pretend that someone else has it, and ride accordingly. Seems to me that a lot of pro cycling lore is absolute BS !!
You have all the hassle at the end of each stage ie interviews and doping controls. Also the Team of the pink jersey will be duty bound to try and control the race thereby saving your team from having to do too much work.
You have all the hassle at the end of each stage ie interviews and doping controls.
Fair point.
Also the Team of the pink jersey will be duty bound to try and control the race thereby saving your team from having to do too much work.
Or they could just decide not to bother !
Or they could just decide not to bother !
Well that's really what they did. THey controlled the peloton continaing those with a reasonable chance of GC over a 3 week race, and allowed a win from a breakaway continaing riders who they don't judge to be a threat to the overall. They now expect Leknessund to hold it for a while but eventually fall away. If they'd not bothered at all, then the win could have come from someone from whom they would s maybe struggle to take it back
Rotten weather today, already seen 2 of the riders in the early break go down on a corner. Thankfully both got straight back up, the slippiness mean they just slid. Thibaut Pinot in the break alongside Champion (Cofidis) and Zoccarato (Green Bardiani I think), looke like he's aiming for the Maglia Azzura
remco taken out by a dog
I'm about 20 minutes behind live coverage so just seen it. well that's crap. at least he's back on the bike and being paced back into the pelotno (whic is about to catch Pinot, who has droped out of the break having bagged the first KOM).
The first guy to go down in the dog incident must have slid over 100 metres on the wet road. really crappy.
https://twitter.com/writebikerepeat/status/1656263542008434695
Those roads are slippery - couldn't believe how far that guy slid!
bloody horrible descent ! arrrghhhh wheres the road oh **** a hairpin 🙁
that's one miserable looking peloton 🙂
peloton looks like an angry mob all desperate for a warm shower.
Remco down like a sack of spuds
Cav wiped out
For a boring stage lots of incidents even camera bike crashed.
Cav crosses the line on his arse! Looked like a horrible day.
Cav crosses the line on his arse!
5th position, has anyone ever finished higher while sliding across the line on their arse?
Nightmare stage
At least 4 mobile phones taken out in that finish . . .
WTAF was Cav doing in that sprint?!
crazy-legs
Full Member
WTAF was Cav doing in that sprint?!
Spun his back wheel so just pulled back in. Unfortunately Dainese (sp?) then pulled out across him and it all fell apart
WTAF was Cav doing in that sprint?!
Lost the back end on the white line, he was lucky not to go down due to that tbh
Yeah, I saw a second angle later - the first video I saw it looks like he's just swerving like a pillock but the other angle shows the wheel going.
He's not doing great so far, poor lad. 4 stages, 2 crashes. ☹️
I see the DSM rider has been relegated for his part in it.
That stage had more crashes than windows vista.
https://inrng.com/2023/05/giro-stage-6-preview-napoli/
Preview for today's stage, a relatively straightforward loop - same town for start and finish. Weather forecast is drier today at least so I can see this being a general recovery day after the chaos of yesterday.
Let a keen break go, have a steady day, then pull it back on the fast run in.
Maybe... 😉
Edit: posting glitch
Edit: posting glitch
NOT a criticism (obviously) but I still can't get my head around how fast and how often these guys go down in the wet.
It just shows the difference in a 90kg plodder on 75psi tyres doing 30km/h and these guys doing a bazillion km/h on (presumably) higher psi.
Looking forward to today, we had our honeymoon in Sorrento, might even get my wife interested in the stage, briefly at least 😆
Edit: another bad day for electric gears it seems after Kuss's heroics, frustrated break away rider kicking the rear mech and bashing his lever. Would love to know if the pro peleton really benefits from them.
Agree with post re Di2 gears. Why would you take the risk the with electric gears when non-electric are so good and reliable?
Because the purpose of the tours are to a) promote the area being ridden through; b) to give exposure to the teams & their sponsors; c) (crucial to this issue) to provide a shop-front for manufacturers to sell us lovely shiny new bikes and equipment, in a proven environment.
Replace the latest Dura-Ace groupo from the tour with a retrograde cable operated system? It'd be like going back to 23mm tyres and rim brakes. It's not progressive, therefore it's not justified by the price tag (and profit).
Personally, non-electric operated ftw.
Agree with post re Di2 gears. Why would you take the risk the with electric gears when non-electric are so good and reliable?
Because Di2 are mostly extremely reliable too.
Mechanical gears will also break if knocked or crashed, cables can break or get kinked, levers can be smashed... 🤷🏻♂️
Because Di2 are mostly extremely reliable too.
Mechanical gears will also break if knocked or crashed, cables can break or get kinked, levers can be smashed… 🤷🏻♂️
When have you ever managed to kink or break a gear cable during a ride? The only time I've ever managed it has been while performing cack-handed maintenance.
The derailleur can get bent. The lever can break. The pivots can start sticking. These are all things that can happen with Di2.
In addition, it can randomly stop working for no apparent reason.
Sorry, sorry, I shouldn't have kick started this old argument again, can never be 'settled' without having actual numbers of mechanicals to compare, as opposed to anecdotal/confirmation bias 😎
Ineos pushing on a bit at the front, a few riders starting to struggle on that climb. At least the weather has improved, that descent looks nice.
Roglic in trouble again - looks like he's had a small crash at some point and now a bike change forcing him to chase back on.
Napoli looks mental
Thomas caught out
Thomas caught out
Just back into the peloton but I reckon the team will cop a load of fines for that drafting.
This is tense, going to be a close finish. The breakaway should just barely get it by the skin of their teeth...
Edit: OK I was wrong!
That was really close.
