Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia 2017
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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@LeoTea
Oh boy, you got that right. It was a magnificent sight to see – all those EQS boys giving it laldy off the front with Bob Jungels at the head of things. I couldn’t help but think of the situation in the Tour a few years back where Hincapie missed out on yellow because other riders wouldn’t help him. Jungels was asking for no help beyond his own power. Pink was a possibility and he went for it.
You could feel how stoked the team were! Top marks to EQS for reading the race and winds correctly to their advantage.
So far, I’m loving this Giro. Great to see Postlberger getting a moment in the pink, then super-class act Greipel getting a stage win and pink too. (Is it just me, or am I the only one who hates him being called “The Gorilla”? It has such negative connotations IMHO). Then EQS kick ass. And still Etna to come this week!
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@wiscot
This is all what makes the Giro the most beautiful GT of the year. The entire bunch fucks up the opening sprint. Terrific sprint in day two. And then a Belgian team puts on a clinic on echelons. Nobody, but nobody, can control the Giro. Not team can put their stamp on it.
@frank
No problem – my comment wasn’t a WTF are we having rest day swaps, it was WTF is the Giro having a rest day at all when they’ve only been going three days.
I can understand the logistics but it’s still wrong. In fact I thought there was a UCI regulation that you can’t have a rest day within the first 5 days or something of a grand tour.
I guess like all UCI rules it’s hard and fast until someone tells them to stuff it.
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OK ladling my choixes into the rest day swaps bit. Fingers crossed.
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Oh ffs, forgot a u in Kruijswijk. Fixed now.
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@frank
We all love you, no need to apologise.
However, it now says my rest day swaps closes in 7 days! Error?
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@Teocalli
I’m hoping @frank resets everyone back to their original picks and slaps the five point penalty per rider onto anyone who made a swap.
Anti-Fucking-V.
And as a Keeper, @Bretto should be told to take his team home and have his racing license revoked.
Team @chris is DNS at all Grand Tours in protest of the Rest Day Swap System.
Not sure if my original picks “took”, so here we go again, no changes, I promise.
@frank thanks for sorting out
One more try….
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Love it! When was the last time, if ever, a Grand Tour was led by a guy called “Bob”?
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Another cracking stage that!
@Joe
Yup, loved that Polanc won after his epic effort. I’m sure any/every rider watching was rooting for him to hang on. Fortunately, the GC contenders were all too busy watching each other. (Well, Nibbles had a half-hearted crack, but that was about it.)
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Yup – I did wonder if Sky might try and smash it for Geraint Thomas today. Big climbs but nothing too steep by the looks….Proper ride by Polanc though!
According to Cycling News:
Team Sky arranged for a new Pinarello to be flown out to Monaco on Tuesday night, and Froome returned to the roads of south east France on Wednesday to resume his training block.
Not reported: when asked what was in the bike box, the courier said he had no idea, he was just asked to deliver a large box to Monaco as apparently no other bikes in Froome’s size were available there.
@Frank – I’m confused. Swaps are now open another 5+days? Not sure how this is all supposed to work.
You’s gotta love Laurens VV Dam: He crashed yesterday and got his arm out of his socket. Popped it back himself and today back on the bike not feeling too bad.
I read somewhere else that Froome had another bike picked up from his house and continued the training ride after his bike got Froomed.
This is a shame for Alaphilippe as I had him pencilled in as a TdF pick
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/knee-surgery-knocks-alaphilippe-out-of-tour-de-france/
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Good job holding on from what seemed like a fair way out. Caleb, you bloody little ripper!
Can anyone explain Landa’s attack? The only reason that I could think of was to soften up the other GC contenders for Thomas tomorrow. Thinking maybe there are not co leaders after all.
@Rick
Maybe not. Co-leaders is not something that works out very well – or very often. Maybe just a tactic to see which of the main contenders was going to take the bait?
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@wiscot
That is what I thought. A few second gain would likely have been paid for in tomorrow’s important GC stage.
So much for missing today’s run up Blockhaus. I’m just not up for subscribing to fubo right now and not finding other live feeds. I’ll follow along on cyclingnews I suppose while I maybe poke around in garage and work on bikes. BUT… I prefer the ToC anyways ! And that’s because it’ll be broadcast live here in states starting today. Cheers all
Clucking bell. Looks like Sky are destined to never win the Giro.
Police motorbike takes out half of Sky Landa and Thomas down as was Yates. Idiot pulled over and stopped and no room for Peloton. Riders back on but massive time loss.
Jungels dropped from the leading group at 9 Km to go….
Zakarin and TJvG dropped at 7.6 Km to go…..
Thomas at 2’43”. Landa way back.
6Km Pinot, Quintana and Nibbles clear….
@Teocalli
I loved Nibali closing the gap while resting his forearms on the tops. Just cruised back up to Quintana.
@LeoTea
Yeah – gamesmanship at play there!
Nibbles has popped. Dumoulin just cruised past him. NQ out front, then Pinot, the Dumoulin with Mollema
Yates loses 4:30, Thomas loses over 5 minutes.
One Police motorcyclist looking for a new job……..
Better late than never!
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@LeoTea
And Landa out. From a beautiful stage to a GC blowout through stupidity alone. Makes the blood boil.
Latest from Sky is that Thomas dislocated his shoulder in the crash and waited for the race doctor to pop it back in before setting off after the leaders.
He may never win a grand tour but his hardman status is assured.
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Yates a bbBye
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Swapped out Landa for Pozzovivo. Don’t think Domenico will quite make the podium, but don’t wanna make multiple swaps. I’m out of the running anyway, having missed 3 races. Feel bad for Landa, and, of course, for Thomas and Yates, but they can still push for top ten.
Impressive ride by Dumoulin yesterday. He’ll be up near the top of the table into week 3. Formolo was good, too. Was surprised Zakarin lost so much, and for Mollema to be up 19 seconds on Nibali. What a stage…
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@chris
Hardman, indeed! He was pretty casual about it post race, too. It’s gonna be sore for a while. Apparently Yates’ frame, that he finished on, was cracked down its length and the rear brake was rubbing on the rim. They both did well to limit their losses. Fingers crossed they stay out of crashes for the remainder.
@chris
He is fucking nails.
@Quadzilla
@stooge
I DO hope no-one is taking advantage of Frank’s error with the selection window to make sneaky free swaps…
It’s a bit like riding hard on the front of the peloton when one of your GC rivals has been caught in a crash. I dub it ‘doing a Movistar’…
@wiscot
Well done ?
@RobSandy
Pretty sure today IS a “rest day” given that they aren’t racing today, so the swap would be penalised 5 points as per usual! Isn’t that how it normally works?
I would think you are entitiled to swaps as well… a 5 points a swap.
Merckx knows Sky bring a lot of criticism upon themselves for doing stupid shit, but that was awful what happened to Landa and Thomas. Sucked for Yates too.
Freak accident I know, but the moto was 100% in the wrong.
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