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Well this one kind of snuck up on me as I've been rather busy, but the Giro d'Italia starts tomorrow.
Inrng have a guid to the Giro
https://inrng.com/2023/05/giro-italia-2023-guide/
and you can find a guide ot the starter at ProCyclingStats
https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/giro-d-italia/2023/startlist
TBH it's hard to see it as anything more than a race for the third podium spot behind Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic - though that may of course change as we've already seen multiple last minute changes due to covid withdrawals, let's hope that there aren't more.
This time there are three time trial stages totalling over 70km with the opening stage being a TT that might see Fillipo Ganna take the opening maglia rosa, and the closing stage being the the third TT with a tough climb. Let's hope it's as exciting as the LAST time the giro finished with a TT!
I've set up a minileague on velogames which we can use for all three grand tours, so get over there and start picking your team
League Name: STW Grand Tours League 2023
League Code: 727626827
I've got a team together, but I will be be making changes later....
Ooh nice one @nbt! 🙂
I'm away this weekend so I'll miss the opening stages.
Official Giro website is here:
https://www.giroditalia.it/en/the-route/
There were some pictures on a Twitter thread the other day showing some of the passes still under a lot of snow.
I've already updated my velogames team twice
Completely by accident we are in Rome for a (senior) lads weekend at the finish. I'm the only cyclist so my mates are groaning about the city centre being full of "cyclists" but no doubt I'll be able to watch a couple of laps with beers.
Nice!
crazy-legs
Full Member
Ooh nice one @nbt! 🙂
I’m away this weekend so I’ll miss the opening stages.Official Giro website is here:
https://www.giroditalia.it/en/the-route/There were some pictures on a Twitter thread the other day showing some of the passes still under a lot of snow.
This is how you tell what time of year it is.
Images of passes with snow, Giro coming up
Cyclists in sunflower fields, time for the tour
No need for calendars or that fancy rubbish
Here's what I wrote on the thread I started at the same time as this:
Of course, inrng has a really detailed course/contender preview here: https://inrng.com/2023/05/giro-italia-2023-contenders/ or you can listen to one of 10 billion giro preview podcasts.
Of course, the headliners are Roglič and Evenepoel who are both looking in *quite* good form. If they both say upright and well for the whole race it should be a good battle. The second-string of riders should provide some good racing as well. Ineos have 9 leaders, UAE have Vine and dropped-not-dropped Almeida, Bahrain and EF have dome some good racing and Thibaut Pinot will be there with his emotional baggage.
Was just pondering to myself about how the Giro winner is often not the favourite, or if a fave wins it's on the back of some significant jeopardy along the way. So lets hope for a Carapaz-style sneak-attack winner or a Froome-style win from the back of the pack. Maybe not a Dumoulin-style drama though.
Right, time of the year when I need to adjust my work schedule to account for background Grand Tour TV....
Have, as usual,picked a team based on my hopes and dreams rather than my expectations!!
here for stages 7,13,16,19 and the utterly ridiculous ITT on stage 20
we all know the drama happens on the random flat sprint days though
So lets hope for a Carapaz-style sneak-attack winner or a Froome-style win from the back of the pack.
I'm really hopeful that Tao will put in a top performance. He won in the (very Covid disrupted) 2020 Giro going from 126th to 1st with the stage only really won on the final day. There were also situations within Ineos like Thomas crashing out and Carapaz being shifted to the Tour which sort of opened the door for him but he won Tour of the Alps the other week and is obviously on good form.
Fingers crossed for him.
Tao is exactly who I had in mind when I thought of a sneaky winner. He's been good this year but not as eye catching as the two favourites. Ineos have a really good team this year as well.
Tao? no chance, zero, be nowhere near remco/roglic in the TT's, 2020 Tao was 58s down on Ganna in the final TT over 15.7km, stage 1 is 19.6km and stage 9 is 35km, so he's going to lose upwards of 3 minutes between them, and Jumbo & Quikstep aren't just going to let him ride away on stages
and the closing stage being the the third TT with a tough climb.
Understatement of the year! 😀
It's a 19km ITT, with an 8km final climb gaining 900m, taken after 3 weeks of terrain mainly described as hilly/mountainous and followed by a 700km transfer to the final stage in Rome. I'll bet the domestiques are so looking forward to that. I am! 😀
https://twitter.com/JumboVismaRoad/status/1654488366304354305
Jumbo visma not having a good start, they've swapped two ridersd due to covid already now Jan Tratnik is injured. I know I had him in my team at one point but I've made so many changes I'll have to go and check if that's still the case...
Evening bump for this, entries must be submitted to velogames by 12.45 UK time, though as long as your team is in by that time you can join the STW mini league at any point. Have a beverage and a read of the articles above and get your teams entered
I'm currently on version 8 of my team, I think. I keep having second thoughts and changing...
Team 'No Gnocchi' is in.
Jan Tratnik is not riding, has been replaced by Tom Gloag
the utterly ridiculous ITT on stage 20
I thought it's not happening now on that road, as they "only just" realised that it's too narrow to get cars up it.
25 minutes or so left for last minute changes
I like Orla's socks!
😂 Jesus
Jesus
That's one way to describe Remco! 😱
Tao? no chance, zero, be nowhere near remco/roglic in the TT’s,
How's that prediction panning out for you...?
😉
Go Tao!!
No highlights on ITV 4 this year then? Shame I was looking forward to it!
No highlights on ITV 4 this year then? Shame I was looking forward to it!
It's on DMAX at 19:00
I like Orla’s socks
In their own way Orla’s legs are as impressive as Remco’s
It’s on DMAX at 19:00
DMAX is Discovery, so it's the Eurosport coverage, but often in super low resolution, weirdly. I like switching to ITV for a little bit of calm for a change!
Looks like ITV won't be covering the Vuelta, unless it's announced later in the season:
https://www.itv.com/itvcycling/articles/2023-cycling-on-itv4
How’s that prediction panning out for you…?
fine, ganna underperformed, i assumed he might beat remco by around 10 seconds, roglic not at the races, and remco still ahead of Tao by 40 seconds, will still ship more time on stage 9
One of my favourite things about cycling is that it can look at a generational talent like Remco, see his impeccable position on a bike, his beautiful pedalling style, his efficiency and say: Here you go, here's a fruit bowl and a snood to wear, lad.
There’s a highlights hour on S4C as well. You might not speak Welsh but there’s always the universal language of the road!
One of my favourite things about cycling is that it can look at a generational talent like Remco, see his impeccable position on a bike, his beautiful pedalling style, his efficiency and say: Here you go, here’s a fruit bowl and a snood to wear, lad.
🤣🤣🤣👏👏👏
In their own way Orla’s legs are as impressive as Remco’s
She had to try really hard not to give us a Basic Instinct moment today.
Here you go, here’s a fruit bowl and a snood to wear, lad.
Should be banned as an affront to elegance.
Looks like a sprinty day today.
https://inrng.com/2023/05/giro-stage-2-preview-san-salvo/
I think a win from cav is unlikely as he’s got no leadout, but it will be interesting to see how he fares.
we all know the drama happens on the random flat sprint days though
quite
How’s that prediction panning out for you…?
anyone hazard a guess why Ineos didn't get Ganna to pace Tao back? shipped 19 seconds?
good win by Kittel Milan
I know this is the Giro thread, and I couldn't find a women's Vuelta thread, but blimey, what a finish to that race on a foggy summit!! AVV's 99th victory at 40 years old!
@fazzini I was just coming on here to say just that. That was an incredible bike race - I was rooting for Vollering all the way up. I think she's the moral victor here cos she didn't have to attack AVV while she was pissing to make time.
Yes the Vuelta was brilliant.
I’ve watched and re-watched the crash and I can’t help thinking that it was largely down to Jumbo Visma sweeping across to the right, and yet it’s Ackerman who got the abuse from Evenepoel and the GCN presenters. Am I missing something?
I think she’s the moral victor here cos she didn’t have to attack AVV while she was pissing to make time.
”Hilarious ”
I think there was an element of karma as apparently DV has previous in attacking AVV when she had a mechanical on TdF
Aaaand - crossover from the Crap Design thread, but how do women take a pee break during a race? It’s difficult enough when you have an integral tune-shaped appendage.
I’ve watched and re-watched the crash and I can’t help thinking that it was largely down to Jumbo Visma sweeping across to the right, and yet it’s Ackerman who got the abuse from Evenepoel and the GCN presenters. Am I missing something?
I thought so to, but I think they are saying it was Ackermann who caused them to sweep across the road like that after touching wheels.
It looked like at least one spectator took a very nasty direct hit in the crash, presumably survived without serious injury or we would have heard about it? Those gaps in the hedges should have been barriered at that point in the stage. Giro innit.