Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia 2017

Vincenzo Nibali won the Giro going downhill.

I spy with my little eye a certain Michele Scarponi, who sadly lost his life while out training near his home two weeks ago, in there amongst his teammates after his captain, Nibbles, won the race. I’m torn about a death like Michele’s – we subject ourselves to similar risks every time we climb aboard our bikes and we accept it as part and parcel of our craft. Yet, while every day members of our tribe lose their lives to their trade, it takes a high profile rider to remind us how real that risk is.

But onto lighter topics, Nibali won the Giro last year going downhill, and it happened on the one stage I managed to sleep through which is another way of saying I missed it. But I love waking up to a that WTF feeling only a reshuffled GS can give you.

The race starts Friday morning, which is sooner than I expected, so I’ll stop typing so you can start picking. Get them in by the time the clock goes to zero, and remember that our Grand Tour scoring rules are a little different than the smaller events. So jump on that start list and get prognosticating!

Good luck!

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frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

Rick says:

May 26 2017 at 9:10 am

@wiscot

@John Irvine

Top six within 90 seconds going into the last two days. I don’t think Dumoulin was being snarky when he told Q and N to watch out: Pinot, Zakarin or even Pozzovivo could sneak onto the podium. This is anyone’s Giro.

For now, I will enjoy my temporarily fabulous VSP: 4 of 5, with 1,2,4 ITRO.

Yes indeed. If Q wants to win overall, he’s going to need more than 38 seconds going into the TT. The whole podium is up for grabs.

What a great race! I am conflicted as my heart says to root for Tom D but a Quintana win would save my VSP picks. Tomorrow is going to be a cracker!
Joe says:

May 26 2017 at 10:57 am

Damn that's tight! I'd hazard Quintana is not in a strong position there. Stage 20 - Monte Grappa is a long climb but doesn't seem super hard....the climb up from Valstagna has one steep little ramp towards the top but there's a 15km run in to the finish from the summit. It's going to be an nail-biter TT!
Teocalli says:

May 26 2017 at 11:15 am

@chuckp

And even though I’m not a big Sky fan, chapeau today to Landa for a well deserved win … especially after getting pipped twice in previous stages. Plus appropriate for him to win a climbing stage wearing KoM jersey.

.......and a propper casquette for the presentation. Really happy for him. If Q has only a handful of seconds at the TT I do hope he does not turn out in and on a pink monstrosity and get trashed.
ChrisO says:

May 26 2017 at 12:28 pm

Winning is winning I guess but I can't help but note that barely a single second of Quintana and Nibali's recovered time today came from them as individuals.

It was all as a result of their combined team attack early and then sitting behind domestiques on the way up. Nibali made a micro attack about a mile from the finish which can't have lasted long because he crossed a few seconds down in a group. At least Nibali did something to take the stage the other day - Quntana has just been attached to other wheels the whole time.

If Dumoulin doesn't take it then this will have to be one of the most anti-V grand tour wins in recent history... and I'm inluding A Schleck and every Sky victory in there.
Teocalli says:

May 26 2017 at 1:02 pm

@ChrisO

Winning is winning I guess but I can’t help but note that barely a single second of Quintana and Nibali’s recovered time today came from them as individuals.

It was all as a result of their combined team attack early and then sitting behind domestiques on the way up. Nibali made a micro attack about a mile from the finish which can’t have lasted long because he crossed a few seconds down in a group. At least Nibali did something to take the stage the other day – Quntana has just been attached to other wheels the whole time.

If Dumoulin doesn’t take it then this will have to be one of the most anti-V grand tour wins in recent history… and I’m inluding A Schleck and every Sky victory in there.

In fact both N and Q seemed to get dropped by their domestiques when they tried to up the pace.
Teocalli says:

May 27 2017 at 8:39 am

Going to be interesting in the TT
ChrisO says:

May 27 2017 at 9:26 am

Yep... right down to the wire.

If Nibali had a few more seconds I wouldn't rule him out but I think it could be Dumoulin, Nibali, Quntana on the podium with very few seconds between them. Zakarin might push close for third.
stooge says:

May 27 2017 at 12:11 pm

The Giro delivers again. What a week. The vertical meters covered is staggering. I agree, @ChrisO, those three on the podium with little between them. I reckon Dumoulin will do enough to take it.

Dumoulin made a point of thanking Yates, Jungles, and Mellema for pulling with him today, in at least two interviews. Just as odd as having a go at Nibali and Quintana the other day for not doing so. He said their GC placings were pretty much fixed, and so they had no reason to pull other than helping him. Maybe. Yates and Jungles were still fighting it out for the White Jersey, just as Nibali and Quintana were not interested in lower step podium places. Blame and praise where they don't belong. Hard to know if it's nativity or something more calculated.

In some ways he's been fortunate to have such a big and hotly contested GC field around him - even when without team mates during this brutal week, he's had plenty of wheels to follow; wheels that just happen to have a mutual objective at a given time.

Drama aside, this race will change him as a rider for years to come, and I look forward to seeing the result. Long live the Giro!
Rick says:

May 27 2017 at 12:41 pm

@stooge

The Giro delivers again. What a week. The vertical meters covered is staggering. I agree, @ChrisO, those three on the podium with little between them. I reckon Dumoulin will do enough to take it.

Dumoulin made a point of thanking Yates, Jungles, and Mellema for pulling with him today, in at least two interviews. Just as odd as having a go at Nibali and Quintana the other day for not doing so. He said their GC placings were pretty much fixed, and so they had no reason to pull other than helping him. Maybe. Yates and Jungles were still fighting it out for the White Jersey, just as Nibali and Quintana were not interested in lower step podium places. Blame and praise where they don’t belong. Hard to know if it’s nativity or something more calculated.

In some ways he’s been fortunate to have such a big and hotly contested GC field around him – even when without team mates during this brutal week, he’s had plenty of wheels to follow; wheels that just happen to have a mutual objective at a given time.

Drama aside, this race will change him as a rider for years to come, and I look forward to seeing the result. Long live the Giro!

There were prestage rumors in the French media that other Velon teams would help Dumoulon. Yates, Jungels, and Mollema all ride for Velon teams, as does Tom D.
stooge says:

May 27 2017 at 1:36 pm

@Rick

@stooge

The Giro delivers again. What a week. The vertical meters covered is staggering. I agree, @ChrisO, those three on the podium with little between them. I reckon Dumoulin will do enough to take it.

Dumoulin made a point of thanking Yates, Jungles, and Mellema for pulling with him today, in at least two interviews. Just as odd as having a go at Nibali and Quintana the other day for not doing so. He said their GC placings were pretty much fixed, and so they had no reason to pull other than helping him. Maybe. Yates and Jungles were still fighting it out for the White Jersey, just as Nibali and Quintana were not interested in lower step podium places. Blame and praise where they don’t belong. Hard to know if it’s nativity or something more calculated.

In some ways he’s been fortunate to have such a big and hotly contested GC field around him – even when without team mates during this brutal week, he’s had plenty of wheels to follow; wheels that just happen to have a mutual objective at a given time.

Drama aside, this race will change him as a rider for years to come, and I look forward to seeing the result. Long live the Giro!

There were prestage rumors in the French media that other Velon teams would help Dumoulon. Yates, Jungels, and Mollema all ride for Velon teams, as does Tom D.

Interesting. Still, I find it hard to believe that Yates and Jungles wouldn't have liked to put time into the other, given how close they are in the white jersey running. Neither wanting to give anything to the other happened to be exactly what was good for Tom. But, maybe they did have an arrangement.