2014 Giro d'Italia

[clackers]

Sanchez said before it started he would be Cadel's last man. Haven't seen any help from him yet. Wondering if he's saving himself for later, or if he's just not up to it?

Fair go, Gav, he's had two crashes!

[cyclotaur]

Sanchez can still be a good help for Evans in week 2 and 3 if he recovers ok from the prangs. Morabito could well be cooked by then, and Sanchez can take over protecting Evans on the really big climbs.


Sent from my iPhinger ...

[GAV!N]

True. But he's had no breaks, just a bit of road rash :p Man up!

Hopefully he's resting up and will be right in a few days time.

[cyclotaur]

Hah! I see your point ....

Seriously though, I had a fall 12 months ago - no breaks or road rash - and still feel the effects on every ride. I give him the benefit of the doubt.

Tonight looks like a fast stage coming up.


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[clackers]

A great deal of effort is done by the riders to prevent their bodies going into 'repair damage' mode.

The rest day after a gruelling couple of days in the Pyrenees will in fact contain a couple of hours of riding to tell the body to postpone its efforts.

This can go out the window if there's illness or injury. Steroids can do wonders, but ...

The climbing stages of a Grand Tour will expose those not at 100%, such as Wiggo last year.

[clackers]

Go, Mick ... that's what Chinese beef can do for you!

[find_bruce]

Shame about durbridge. TT should be interesting tonight, Evans will be keen to make time, the climbers, esp Quintana will be working hard to limit any losses. Wildcard might be Kelderman if he can recapture the form that saw him beat Froome & Evans in the TT in the 2012 Dauphine

[toolonglegs]

Just wow... Didn't see that coming!. Cadel did an ok TT but Uran was a world above!.

[find_bruce]

Just wow... Didn't see that coming!. Cadel did an ok TT but Uran was a world above!.

You have the gift of the understatement - a minute between 2nd and 10th but Uran wins by 1:17

[gabrielle260]

Just wow... Didn't see that coming!. Cadel did an ok TT but Uran was a world above!.

You have the gift of the understatement - a minute between 2nd and 10th but Uran wins by 1:17

I hate to say it but "extraterrestrial"??

[spacehopper]

Just wow... Didn't see that coming!. Cadel did an ok TT but Uran was a world above!.

Described multiple times by Tomolaris as 'incredible'. Hard to disagree, hoping it is not just ugly patriotic sour grapes on my part.

[Xplora]

In fairness to Uran, the highlights reel shows Cadel almost crashing badly twice during the TT, and he's still very close to Uran's time. I don't think it would be unreasonable to think that he could have been 15-20 seconds faster without those errors (or more importantly, the shagged legs that accompany the brain freeze).

Does make you realise just how powerful the top GC guys are... even with errors, they are still quicker than the bunch.

This has been the first major stage race that I've been able to watch a lot of and actually understand what is happening in the peloton. If you don't know 75% of the teams, it's hard to work out the tactics and the changes. Very pleased to see Michael Rogers take out the stage with my preferred tactics - jump the group, hang on for dear life

[toolonglegs]

1m34s isn't very close in my book at all ... in regards to Cadel's off road incidents, probably down to exhaustion induced brain fade .

[Xplora]

Close on his GC time... 90 seconds back isn't much chop.

Bodes well for Uran though, I recall Nibali slaughtering his opponents?

[AUbicycles]

So when a race leader loses their jersey, how often do they get it back.
The pattern is that when you lose it you are out, but I hope that Cadel is in good form and can show this in the mountains.

[DavidS]

Although disappointed for Cadel, it certainly wasn't his best time trial, he came third and put time into the rest of the contenders . . . except Uran. That was a hell of a performance by Uran.

Evans is still in a very good position, closer than the rest of the contenders. But, I am having trouble wondering where Evans can make up the time. We'll see next week and we'll also see if Uran spent too much in that time trial. Rest day (effectively) today for the GC contenders so Uran will get the chance to recuperate.

DS

[Xplora]

I think it depends on "why" it gets lost.... it would help Cadel and more importantly BMC if he gets to hide in the peloton for a week, because the team doesn't seem to have the legs to last. OPQS will have to help Uran for a week straight and I don't think they have a Moribito to back him up. The hard bits haven't started yet

[Joel Bohorquez]

I hope tonight stage to be very interesting. GC riders will be nervous watching each other's move or attacks. If Quintana is feeling better he should make a move to close the gap. Maybe Kederlman or Majka will surprise the others. I expect Pierre Rolland or Diego Ulissi having less to lose to make a good attack on this stage. We'll see!
I don't see Uran wanting to kill the giro in this stage but who knows, he is Colombia (kind of passionate rather than calculating riders) and has a strong team.

[Joel Bohorquez]

Last night's stage (14) didn't dissapointed! Pozzovivo is looking strong, aggressive and motivated to take time off from the leaders, he will attack today again. I think Quintana might wait untill stage 16 to make a serious attack. I think he trained in Colombia for that stage (max altitude of this Giro: 2758 m). Cadel is smart riding and today he should close the gap again because stages 16, 18, and 20 are for the pro - climbers, and he will defend during those stages and try not to lose much time.
Uran did the right thing yesterday, he need to save himself for last week stages.

I think today's stage will be about positioning and closing/opening gaps for the last and hardest week of the Giro.
Should be another interesting but more strategic stage.

[find_bruce]

Good thing talk of Santaromita as a GC contender turned out to be just talk - Mitchell Docker withdrew today & so Orica Green Edge are down to just 3 riders Santaromita, Tuft & Hepburn.

[clackers]

Cadel is smart riding and today he should close the gap again because stages 16, 18, and 20 are for the pro - climbers, and he will defend during those stages and try not to lose much time.

Still got fingers crossed after he lost time last night, but the mountains are now very big and his opponents very young!

[DavidS]

Hard to see how Cadel can make up the time now. But, that last time trial, being in the third week of a Grand Tour, will throw up something. You need to be a good time trialer and have the energy left to get a good time on that one. The big mountains will challenge him in the next few days though.

He's a champion and will fight to the end but winning this Giro looks to be a big ask.

Great to see an exciting Grand Tour too. Hopefully the TdF won't just be another procession for UK Postal. The TdF is often the least interesting of the Grand Tours for me, at least the last 2 years where it has just been one team out front for the whole race, strangling the rest of the riders and making sure there is as little actual racing as possible. This Giro is shaping up to be very exciting over this last week.

Great to see every stage, now, how about every stage of the Vuelta?

DS

[Joel Bohorquez]

Last TT is all the way uphill, so I am not sure that it will suit best to Cadel.
Yes, this Giro is very exciting, it is very hard to predict who will win it. I think we will have to wait till stage 20.
I'd like to see Cadel to win this Giro but I don't know how he can make it.
I am not gonna miss tonight's stage though.

[DavidS]

Lovely weather tonight. In a word: brutal.

DS

[toolonglegs]

Yeah not nice weather...but a bit of a stretch comparing it with Stage 14 of the 88 Giro though.
Interesting stage... except just as they hit the final climb I will have to get the kids from school .