It’s Grand Tour Season! Giro d’Italia thread

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.

How could Pog do that to my sweet, sweet boy, Ganna?

I would never forgive him if his helmet-defying hair wasn’t so adorable.

helmet-defying hair

I couldn’t help noticing the when he removed his helmet there wasn’t a bead of sweat on his head.  🤷‍♂️

I couldn’t help noticing the when he removed his helmet there wasn’t a bead of sweat on his head.

He probably sweats rubbing alcohol, as it’s a more efficient coolant.

An incredible talent and amazing to watch. Hoping he’s at peak human capability and it’s all natural as he’s slaughtering everything in front of 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 was reading an article recently that said there had been some advancements in getting lots and lots carbs carbs into elite cyclists bodies during races and this is leading to the performance increases we’ve been seeing recently.

I have to say it felt very much like when they were saying Lance Armstrong’s high cadence was allowing him to clear lactic acid better and that was leading to performance increases.

Saying that, if it is the case that they have figured out new ways to deliver carbs then it would make sense that some people might have a physiology that responds better to these methods.  Team directors and coaches will be on the lookout for people with this type of physiology so over the years the peleton might fill up with more and more of these types.

Or maybe there’s an as yet not illegal/not detectable substance that they are taking that allows them to take in more carbs and some riders are super-responders.

I try not to overthink it (but I often fail) and just enjoy the racing.

https://escapecollective.com/the-pros-are-eating-more-carbs-on-the-bike-than-ever-should-you/

The Carb thing seems to be true today they are loading about double the quantity per hour as what was deemed possible ten years ago. Which means the riders energy tank stays closer to full all race improving lots on the capacities on multiple climb rides and recovering reloding for the next day. Only a couple of years ago a 7watt kg rider might only get to 6 on the third climb of the day nowadays he will probably be at 6.8 on the last one.

When done properly bonking should be history although you can still see it in hectic races and bad weather as combined more burning but even more forgetting to eat drink or not be able to get more from cars in time can still give you a shortage.

See it as a car that automaticlaly refuels for almost free when the reservoir gets to 75% you wouldn’t be bothered about fuel economy and just go full gas everywhere you can.

Talking of full gas, it’s another frantic start, groups all over the road. Good to see Julian Alaphilippe up the front, he’s always classy.

Some weird ebike sportive thing just went through….

They should make Pog ride it on a singlespeed

Oh come on Pog, have a day off!

He’s going to find himself without any friends in the peloton fairly quickly if he keeps doing what he is. He had no need to win today, could have rolled in at the back and let the “lesser” riders (for whom a chance at a stage win does not come around every other day) have a go.

It’s pretty poor form to be honest at this stage.

You here to win or watch?

Good luck to him!

Nothing to say about the actual cycling. The Discovery presenters are beyond annoying now (possibly Robbie McEwen excepted. ). Orla has jumped the shark in terms of the “rummaging in the dressing up box” vibe and Dan Lloyd must have got a good deal on wrongly sized children’s clothes.

Judgemental? Moi??

Dan Lloyd must have got a good deal on wrongly sized children’s clothes.

GCN recently did an article about him and weight gain / loss, pictured topless.  He looks awful to the point of being ill, massive head on an ill defined childs body.

Ineos were using the Classified rear hub system.

Ah, I did wonder. I recall Victor Campanaerts gave it a go last year.

He’s going to find himself without any friends in the peloton fairly quickly if he keeps doing what he is.

Other riders have won 5 out of the 8 stages so far. It seems quite logical to me for Pog to target the uphill finishes as that is where he can make the biggest difference. In the time trial, if are a GC contender, you have to go as hard as you can anyway. If that results in a win, so be it.

I’d love to see the Ineos tech data on the Classified system, considering I’ve not seen anything that doesn’t suggest quite a few watts lost,

It’s pretty poor form to be honest at this stage.

Agreed, it used too be considered poor form for the jersey holder to contest the stage, even Armstrong tried to avoid it BITD

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/after-latest-victory-giro-ditalia-leader-tadej-pogacar-defends-strategy-of-winning-as-many-stages-as-possible/

I’d love to see the Ineos tech data on the Classified system, considering I’ve not seen anything that doesn’t suggest quite a few watts lost,

Wasn’t aware Ineos were trying that although I know a few teams have used it.

Have a look at Peak Torque on YouTube. He’s done a couple of videos on the Classified Powershift – actual proper engineering and test videos. Even he reckoned the efficiency was only very fractionally below the 99% that Classified claim.

Hambini reckons it’s lower efficiency than that, but he hasn’t seen one! Par for the course for him. There are reportedly other gains from using the Classified, e.g. better aerodynamics from using 1x and mechanical gains from  larger chainring, straighter chainline.

Hambini reckons it’s lower efficiency than that, but he hasn’t seen one! Par for the course for him.

I can’t stand the obnoxious little shit but I did force myself to sit through his video where he gave it a “roasting”, slagging it off and then he later admitted he’d only seen their website and had no idea of its internals, he’d never seen or used one in real life and he was really just upset that Classified had – after initially being fairly positive – refused to respond to him.

Probably because they’d seen his videos…

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 totally agree that I so wish Pog (and the other top riders) are clean but I am really struggling with it.

What disturbs me the most is the relative freshness that the top riders finish the races / stages.  MVDP in Paris Roubaix looked as fresh as a daisy.  Pog looks reasonably unpertubed having ridden the rest of the peleton off his back wheel or giving everything to beat time trial specialist by a reasonable margin.

At least Armstrong looked like he’d worked hard, albeit with a large dose of unnatural assistance.

Oh look, G’s crashed. How unusual… 🙄

He’s OK and back on his bike.

Heartbreaking.

in true Italian style revenge is a dish best served cold