Day 5 of the Six Days of the Giro continues with an impromptu VSP event.
Lets have a look at where we are in the 2013 Giro. Wiggins must have spent time training in Luxembourg because he’s been descending like a Schleck when things get dodgy before disappearing into the team van to have a cry about it. Hesjedal has put in some good moves and then proceeded to get creamed in the time trial before getting shelled on the last climb in yesterday’s stage. Evans seems to be riding like he did when he won the Tour though he’s sure to get sick before very much longer, as appears to be his usual approach to racing. Perhaps the biggest shock is that Gesink has managed to both stay in contention and on his bike. And Nibbles is killing it, proving once again that moving to a team with a long history of doping is usually all anyone needs to convert from contender to winner.
We’ve also had climbs, rain, rain, climbs, turns, descents, twists, rain, climbs, and more rain. The Giro is proving once again why it is the best Grand Tour of the year.
In honor of the first big climbing stage and with the time gaps already big enough to suggest some bigger, gutsier moves from some of those riders who have already lost time, this could be a zinger. Most likely some wild cards will escape and stay away, which makes naming your picks even harder than usual, but surely the favorites who are already behind will lay down massive helpings of the V to try to claw time back. The irony is not lost on me that the climb has the word piano in it, when you know the last thing that would ever happen is that they would ride up there at an easy tempo.
Get your picks in by the time the clock goes to zero. There isn’t much time, so get to it.
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VSP PICKS:
1. Pozzovivo
2. Santambrogio
3. Pellizotti
4. Pirazzi
5. Atapuma
VSP PICKS:
1. Sanchez
2. Betancour
3. Nibbles
4. Evans
5. Uran
Very nice video on today's stage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG3pr_O342k
The Tour of California is awesome this year with the Dubai weather they are having what beasting they had yesterday. Imagine being 500m from the finish line but being to exhausted to finish it.
@huffalotpuffalot
I watched the end of that stage yesterday and all the riders were totally fried. At the base of the climb it was 44 deg C (111F) and when they crawled over the finish line they were toppling off of their bikes unable to pedal any further.
A Schleck who had looked in ok form the day before but finished 9 minutes down on a stage that should have suited him. Philip Deignan from Ireland rode well, I'm sure he'll end up on a world tour team next year.
@huffalotpuffalot
I was absolutely glued to it! The commissaires were struggling to provide enough people to hold the riders upright as they crossed the line. I mean a 6km climb at 9% in 44degC of heat as a finish to spice things up would have been great if it had not looked so devastating...it was like a warzone.
Great to see Phil Gil cross the line without need of help though and continue pedalling, I think his next stop was somewhere near Hawaii!
@motor city @Deakus
Couldn't agree more, i think also that as the stage was so brutal, you could really see the difference in those who were able to measure their efforts and maintain a constant effort versus those who shot their load too early and got caught short. Did anyone catch what the humidity was like? Here in istanbul you have 30-40 degrees but with 80-90 percent humidity. The humidity is the real killer for me.
@napolinige
Jaysus, can't imagine trying that in the wet. Anyone who attacks down that has stones the size of cannonballs.
Well damn, I let the legs get heavy with the rest day and forgot to get my picks in for this stage. Shite.
Yup, definitely liking Betancur on this one, maybe he can actually celebrate a win, not a second place...
Crap, bloody time difference. Delgado'd