Giro 2024:- Stage 5: Genova – Lucca, 178.0k​m ***Spoilers***

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Comments

  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 17,611

    Cav could criticise the team by including himself in it . He didn't coat them off

    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 17,611

    It was interesting.... Holding the break. CLose has dangers doesn't it . Your open to whims of other teams and counter attacks . You could actually use this dynamic to attack sprinter teams by creating early soft breaks that ride too hard then deliberately get caught near some mid stage attack point and launch a pre pared attack

    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 41,184

    The Breakaway team have made an interesting point the last couple of days that it is almost like a return to the days before km0 TV coverage when they wouldn’t start racing until later in the stage.

  • jimmyjams
    jimmyjams Posts: 751

    Although he (Geschke) didn't admit it in his inteview, I suspect this may be a tactic of Confidis - someone in an earlier break (as he was) then later (if first break is caught), another Confidis in a subsequent break.

    In week 2-3, it might be, that Geschke becomes the member of a subseqent break, as he hopes to achive KOM points (even if unlikely he will win KOM overall)

  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,104

    Interesting. 3 of the 4 teams in the subsequent break had riders in the earlier break. It could of course be simply that those teams were the most desperate to be in a break having neither a top sprinter nor a GC contender to protect.

    Team My Man 2022:

    Antwan Tolhoek, Sam Oomen, Tom Dumoulin, Thymen Arensman, Remco Evenepoel, Benoît Cosnefroy, Tom Pidcock, Mark Cavendish, Romain Bardet
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 73,302

    I always want the guy doing no work to win. Dunno why. I like that they're riding with their head.

  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 41,184
    edited May 9

    Not sure he was in this case - by dropping out of working he risked losing a guaranteed minimum 4th place which would be a big result for Polti and even after sitting in then attacking only managed third. The ones playing poker in chasing him down used their heads as the top 4 finish was pretty much sealed by then.

  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,466

    Valgren said that after the first break came back Thomas (I think) asked him if he wanted to join a new break after the first sprint, said he had 6 or 7 riders. Valgren said no as he hurt his knee the day before, but went anyway in the end.

    Ironically, it was probably the fairly low 3.5 man firepower of the new break that helped keep it away. Add a couple more riders and the pelton would have got its act together a lot earlier.

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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 41,184

    I've never really thought of riders going around the bunch drumming up support for a break. Always felt like someone either attacked to a plan or because it felt like a good moment and others would be told to try to follow.

  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,466

    I guess it makes sense if e.g. you're forming a new break and aren't sure there'll be random attackers ready to ride with you - especially when so many teams are unlikely to join as they've got a sprinter

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