Twiggo is dreaming of a Giro-Tour double. He has sent out mixed messages about his Tour ambitions. Will he use the Giro as the ultimate Tour preparation or will be burn all his matches in May and hope he can find another pack for July? He has abandoned his successful 2012 Tour run-up strategy of winning every stage race he entered the previous spring. Now it’s the seclusion of Mount Doom of Tenerife, his coach and his watt meter his only competition. Team Sky is supporting Wig with a very strong squad, including superman, Kanstantsin Siutsou and with Cav no longer a teammate, it’s all the knights of the round table for Sir Twig.
Will the curse of the god-awful Astana kit continue to haunt non-Kazahk riders? Can Vincenzo’s Italian mojo overpower its powerful pale blue and yellow aura? Roman Kreuziger was finally able to win a big race once he shed that kit and pulled on one of Bjarne’s Saxo jerseys. Maybe it was more Bjarne and less jersey that made the difference.
Ryder gets no respect as the defending champion. His little dance at the end of Liége-Bastogne-Liége showed he is fit and ready for a fight. He can time trial, he can climb. Personally I have to back the local boy. And I always hate the overpowered, overwhelming favorite (read Team Sky here) in any race, unless that racer is Fabian Cancellara. No one can say Fabs has won a race this year surrounded with a team as strong as Sky’s. The Shack is just the Shack or a shack. Once Cancellara leaves for the Swiss “I AM” team, it’s lights out in the shack. Frandy, don’t forget to turn out ’em out when you leave.
If Cavendish wins the first day’s sprinter’s stage he will be in pink. He may be out of it after stage two, a team time trial.
But this is the Giro: crazy, unexpected, beautiful things can happen. The spinning wheels of fortuna are less predictable in Italy as they are in France in July. The betting window is now open. The complete start list is not yet available, an incomplete one is here and shall be updated soon. So sleep on your picks, wait for all the teams to make it official, unless you want to go with the obvious all Sky podium. The race begins Saturday so don’t Delgado away a Grand Tour opportunity.
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@Marcus
Indeed, that's why I think this year's Giro could be the opportunity for Nibali to really go for it, as Wiggo is never that happy on the downhill chases, especially when he gets gapped and can't see where he's going next, and the TTs aren't so heavily favouring Wiggo like they did in the Big Lap last year
VSP PICKS:
1. Wiggins
2. Nibali
3. Scarponi
4. Hesjedal
5. Henao
@motor city
The Giro is such a different animal from last year's Tour that it really can't be called into play. With an uphill TT and numerous nasty grades, look for Nibali to ride away from Wiggins the way Froome did in the tour last year, except he won't sit up and wait. Plus Wiggins doesn't have Froome to pace him up the climb when he loses contact, so...unless he can put a lot of time into Nibali on the one TT where he has a real advantage, I don't see how Wiggins pulls it out. We can only hope it is still contentious come the Galibier, because watching Nibali tear into that thing will be fun. The only thing more fun to watch would be a Schleck style desperation gasp by Wiggo on stage 19 or 20 with a start to finish ITT to bring back Nibali.
Wiggins at the Giro Press Conference today:
Here he is illustrating the chance that he will support Froome in the Tour
And here he is showing 1) what large cahunas he has (especially compared to COTHO), or 2) the size of his TT big ring, or 3) how big of a pussy Froome is for having his girlfriend to the talking last year. I'm just not sure which.
VSP PICKS:
1. Sir Wiggins
2. Nibbles
3. Ryder
4. Henao
5. Betancur
VSP PICKS:
1. Wiggo
2. Nibbles
3. Scrapsonly
4. Gesink
5. Ryder
No mop of hair to overheat the brain, no sidies to slow him down in the TT's, wiggo in pink... suits you sir!
@Tartan1749 Jesus, I thought it was the COTHO there on first glance. A little too close for my comfort.
@Buck Rogers Yes, I noticed the uncany similarities as well, right down to the cockring (which in black and white, yellow vs white would look identical).
You brits are cute with your love for Wiggins.
And those of you putting Minnie Finnie in there for a podium are equally demented.
Can't wait for three solid weeks of bike racing every day! I loves me some grand tours.
And hopefully we'll finally have some fucking shit weather. MSR went all in on Rule #9 for the Spring; now its time to double down. (I hope I got that gambling context right but I don't really understand black jack so there's a distinct possibility I got that wrong...)
VSP PICKS:
1. Nibbles
2. Ryder on the Storm
3. Kitchen Gesink
4. Twiggins
5. Scarples