One to make you sad... How many teams are riding Campagnolo in this year's Giro? How many World Tour teams are riding Campagnolo this season?
Rode my fixed Campagnolo Record bling bike on last night's club ride. The gruppo ratio matched the Giro.
How many teams are riding Campagnolo in this year’s Giro? How many World Tour teams are rising Campagnolo this season?
Don't know.
None.
Which I assume from your first question means one of the Pro-Conti teams are riding Campag so either Team Polti Kometa or VF Group - Bardiani CSF - Faizanè.
I bet Neutral Service are thrilled with that - having to carry a load of Campag just for one team...
Campag is an irrelevance now. They've basically decided their market is uber-rich middle age blokes buying bikes based on Italian "flair" and heritage of the sport, not actual professionals.
Bardiani are indeed on Campagnolo. Sprocket spacing has been interchangeable since 11-speed Shimano, so I doubt Neutral Service have an issue. Of course when they bring out the new 2024 rim-braked Giant TCR for lighter weight on those hilly stages...
Campag is an irrelevance now
Try and buy a Ghibli in an Olympic year 😉 And only 7k euros a pair. Indoor use only.
Anyway, here's today's stage:
https://inrng.com/2024/05/giro-stage-5-preview-lucca/
Same sort of format as the previous 2 days - a lump midway through to string it all out then a smaller lump on the run in.
Should be a sprint finish. Watch Milan's front wheel during yesterday's sprint - aero? Nah, just power. Poor bike - utterly brutal! Jakobsen today for me, hoping he's recovered from whatever the team are going down with.
They’ve basically decided their market is uber-rich middle age blokes buying bikes based on Italian “flair” and heritage of the sport, not actual professionals.
Kind of like the Eurosport commentary team employing former professionals with no insight or contributions of value purely on the basis of "well they used to be a great cycle racer and everyone will know their name"
Naming no names of course...
Oh, Discovery+ now have the "timeline marker" functionality on the website player
Any one else getting adverts on Discovery + when watching the highlights programme, makes me wonder what i am paying £7.99 a month for!?
Any one else getting adverts on Discovery + when watching the highlights programme, makes me wonder what i am paying £7.99 a month for!?
Yes, the "highlights" is just a recording of whatever goes out on Eurosport and in a lot of cases that's "about 50 minutes coverage before the finish line" - at least with the Giro you do get Orla summarising the race so far / yesterday and prehaps vaguely previewing today's race, as opposed to the editor just finding a "natural break" in the commentary and starting there. It's crap isn't it. I recommend watching the full coverage and using the timeline markers to jump to key points
Peloton being absolutely shredded by the pace on that middle climb - they're riding it in the mid to high 20's mph, it's a full on TTT up there!
Riders at the back really struggling to hold the wheels.
Yeah it was full on wasn't it?! As the team are saying though with over 100km to go, it's not about dropping riders per se, it's about making them work so their legs are less fresh come the finaly. Expect more of the same on the climb with about 20km to go
Im watching with a slight delay and I will probalby just skip a large chunk, but there's a gap back to the group with Alan Philip and Merlier
Major cockup by Alpecin catching the first break and allowing a new stronger break to go.
One presumes a slight downhill and tailwind. That negates the benefits of the peleton. It’s how Pog won strada bianche. I spent 90 min watching the whole program on the rollers rising a Zwift Group C paced group ride. The ability to rapidly scan through the program by bookmarks means that the hi lights are largely irrelevant. No adverts either. Well worth the subscription.
The strada bianche stage today - three sectors of gravel road in the last half of the race followed by a technical and narrow run in with lots of short steep little climbs.
https://inrng.com/2024/05/giro-stage-6-preview-rapolano/
Should be another good day for the scenery!
A rapid start to the day - everyone keen to be in the break but that means it's really selective as to who is allowed to get there given that today has been advertised as "a day for the breakaway".
At some point it'll settle down cos they can't sustain this pace. They're averaging high 50's kph, the first 10km was ridden at 62kph!
they've just hit the first categorised climb and the speeds have been so high that there's already a grupetto of about 20 (including tim merlier) off the back. Alan philip off the front
I love the fact that are 5kph faster than the organisers estimated pace for the day!
I think there's going to be a few riders treating tomorrow's TT stage as a bit of a recovery ride!
Meanwhile over at Tour de Hongrie, Cav beat Dylan Groenewegen for the stage win. 💥
I think there's going to be a few riders treating tomorrow's TT stage as a bit of a recovery ride!
Meanwhile over at Tour de Hongrie, Cav beat Dylan Groenewegen for the stage win. 💥
It came past the office yesterday, was walking back from lunch, so hung around to watch them pass.
Bit of a sad day at the Giro today actually, it's 13 years to the day that Belgian pro Wouter Weylandt was killed in a crash.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wouter_Weylandt
He was teammates with Jens Voigt at the time, Jens was almost in tears on the moto at one point as he talked about it. And Robbie McEwan (commentating on EuroSport) was in the peloton that day too.
It's why there's no #108 in the race - Israel Premier Tech have 107 and 109 but 108 (Wouter Weylandt's number), has never been used since that day.
Cracking stage today.
Friday's stage seven is a 38.5km individual time trial from Foligno to Perugia which features a 6.6km climb at the end.
https://www.cyclingstage.com/giro-2024-route/stage-7-italy-2024/
https://inrng.com/2024/05/giro-stage-7-preview-perugia/
"What are those?"
Hopefully UCI legal...
Can't help but feel this is all just getting a bit silly
WOw, Geraint is running a 66 tooth single chainring
This tt neads more time checks
Oh come on Pog, have a day off!
He's put huge amounts of time into everyone!
2 mins on G who's now third on GC at 2'46"
The way he was saving energy yesterday was ominous. He had a very quiet day, just sat in the wheels.
Parked up now just below Pietracamela on the big climb up to Prati di Tivo. Going to go into "town"* and mooch around and get drunk.
*it's basically a ghost town perched on a mountain at 1000m up... Beautiful and yet tragic. Once a thriving village, now it's mostly empty. 😔
Thomas' TT ability seems to have dropped compared to his climbing in the last few years. He's still climbing pretty much as well as he ever has, just doesn't seem to have the TT form of his prime.
Could be a boring Tour if Vingegard isn't fit.
Anybody fancy a bet on the Grand Tour triple? With Vinegard out and his prep severely hindered I can’t see anybody touching him
I really really really really really want to believe he is doing this clean. He is just so far ahead of a field of pretty decent riders. We have been here before. I know it’s an easy target and the winners of all races are tainted by sins of the past. I don’t say it with any hint of accusation. I genuinely want to believe.
I'm just wondering how you pedal a bike uphill with a 66 chainring.
Oh and I know it's been passed by the UCI but that "cage" and "bottle" on the UAE TT bikes is sailing a bit close to the wind re. the regs.
Oh and I know it’s been passed by the UCI but that “cage” and “bottle” on the UAE TT bikes is sailing a bit close to the wind re. the regs.
I'd not noticed them. It's quite neat though, I think I want one. Although it looks a bit like an ebike. Maybe it is? Not sure how else you can explain the Pogster, it's mad that he can still genuinely surprise everyone with how good he is.
Thomas looked well miffed in the interview after. I doubt he expected to be 2 mins down.
Yeah well pog might blow in week 3 I guess
I'd be disappointed if only he wasn't so entertaining. Bastard.
I’d be disappointed if only he wasn’t so entertaining.
I know what you mean. Like Max Verstappen but likeable. I wonder if anyone will even bother to try racing him now.
Great Giro so far but can someone tell Eurosport to sort those shitty studio rendered backdrops out. Dreadful. 😂
I got a (fresh!) bottle from Soudal Quickstep!
Planning on getting blind drunk tomorrow.
Great Giro so far but can someone tell Eurosport to sort those shitty studio rendered backdrops out. Dreadful.
I agree. It was much better when The Breakaway was presented from the basement of GCN Towers. Mind you, I don't bother with The Breakaway now, Orla has finally got on my nerves and that awful green screen studio was the last straw.
*I’m just wondering how you pedal a bike uphill with a 66 chainring.*
Ineos were using the Classified rear hub system. It's like a 2x but the granny ring is inside your hub. Think it uses quantum tunneling or miniature tardis tech.
