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
You say that now but my guess is that after two minutes you'd be a bitter dissapointment to yourself!
@paolo You are most probably right - however if i could fuck myself I could probaby also kid myself into thinking that i was really good.
I wonder if Amoebas tell each other to go fuck themselves?
@paolo valid points indeed. for me di2 is new, shiny and good. Like the first time I got carbon clinchers, a carbon frame or sti. It adds to the ride not detracts. Doesn't mean non-users are Luddites, just different perspectives on what makes a ride quality.
@mouse he's back!
@scaler911
This.
I am a fan of both - but given the choice today it's mech because I prefer the sensations - I prefer the look of mech set up; I prefer the feel of mech shifting - the visceral tactility and connectedness of a confident mech shift; and as important the sound : I find the high pitched whine of elec front derailleur disconcerting - much prefer the satisfying thunk engagement of mech shift.
Its all about personal preference and we are splitting 1st world hairs over this - but elec does de-sensitise the bike another degree like carbon over steel anaethetises the road just that little bit more than I like.
But really - what a problem to have. Poor us.
@paolo
Woh! You just blew my mind!
@the Engine
I dont think I am doing anything 'terribly wrong' at all. I just ride the bike at a decent pace and check the chain stretch. When it hits '1' I change the damn thing, otherwise I woill wear out all the other more expensive bits. 1500km seems to be the average figure before I need to really monitor things and think about swapping it out. As @The Engine says, our roads are shite and our weather is generally shitier, and we have a lot of hills. PM is the way to go.
@paolo
Where do you suppose we get it?
@paolo csr11 shouldnt take but a few minutes to tune. once the cables are stretched, you're golden. if you have internal routing it takes a few rides, but if it is external put on some leather gloves and pull baby pull.
put in big ring, small cog. attach cable to rear mech with tension and screw. run up and down the cassette and make tension adjustment for 6th cog. like buttah