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 ‘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 🙂

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZYmkH__4dw[/video]

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.

Sky rider Diego Rosa might be in hot water, 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 😀

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfT2OLDAIqM[/video]

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPqQc2LmNTY[/video]

Stage 6 Reggio Calabria > Terme Luigiane Cavalcata Piede

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.

the finish ramp

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”

Blimey, a heavyweight breakaway has 7’48 on the Pink…

Properly rolling out too, not pansying around… this might just be it.

Properly rolling out too, not pansying around

who you callin’ a pansy ? 😉

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eIfykaxQTs[/video]

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqPeg9cJvaw[/video]

oooooo those cross winds look nasty

Watching c’dale on the front and thinking that I’m a tall skinny bugger, but Hugh Carthy is something else. I’m 189 and 73Kg, he’s listed at 189 and 63Kg – that’s insane! Wiggo at Tour weight was supposedly ~68Kg (190cm)

… and the gap is not coming down that quickly given the way cannondale are riding. It needs to start coming down on this first little ramp to keep the peloton interested.

this is going to the wire, breakaway jumped with 100m to go ? !

wow fab descent 🙂

breakaway has it! though it’s getting cagey.

Wow, break held all the way !

Good lads !!!

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLBIIZMw5-s[/video]

Stage 7 Castrovillari > Alberobello Over the Arch

Over the first 140 km, the route is essentially flat (with just a short descent after the start), mainly on straight and wide roads, and only becomes more elaborate when crossing urban areas. After cresting the Bosco delle Pianelle KOM summit, the final part of the stage is more complicated, as the route passes through several urban areas, with roundabouts, traffic dividers, pedestrian islands, setts paving and speed bumps being the main obstacles. The final 40 km are undulating, and going slightly up, with arrival in Alberobello, stage town for the first time. The final kilometres are fairly complex, as the route runs partly on wide and straight roads, and partly on city roads marked by series of bends and partial narrowings. From 5 to 1.5 km to the finish, the route runs mostly uphill, with a short descent that ends 700 m before the finish. The route climbs slightly in the stage finale, with a few mild bends. The finish line sits on a 100-m long and 7.5-m wide asphalt straight.

Exertion

Frustration Elation

Epic screw up by Cannondale yesterday, Woods actually won the sprint for the minor places, he’s got to be raging, and for good reason.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNaxuKSvYlI[/video]

Anyone got a link to a live video?

http://www.granfondoguide.com/LiveStream/GirodItalia

very strung out with a hint of echelon at the moment, will anyone take advantage ? looks like they’ve had a chat and the peloton slowed down back to a bunch.

Sprinter to win.

Nice to see Rusvelo out front for a change.

Adam Yates saddle looked very low.