Giro s'Italia - Stage 2 - Utrecht - SPOILER

mididoctors

iainf72 wrote:

You've gotta love Cuddles

"We will not look at keeping the jersey at any cost tomorrow. Farrar is only one second behind me. I'm not going to look for bonus seconds on the road tomorrow against him. But I'll drop him off on the Zoncolan if he’s still there!"

garmin could carry the jersey for a good while with a good TTT and with it the responsibility of the race... could be good for evans if Garmin step up here

oldwelshman

Birillo wrote:

I'm still not sure how the Sky boys got caught up in two pile ups as they never left the front of the bunch while I was watching and rode a tactically very good race,

What, exactly, was so good about Sky's tactics today? Why do all that work from 40km out when there was nothing to be gained? They got caught up in the final pile-up because they had nothing left for the crucial final kilometers. Contrast with Garmin, who reserved their efforts for when it mattered.

Do you know anything about racing?
They rode right, keeping steady pace at front, wiggo close to front. Thay had no intention of closing break down too early and had no plans to to a lead out for train as they would not have ridden on the front if that was the case.
The first time wiggo came off was when there was a crash right at the front.
They got back on from that.
Then wehn sprinters teams came to front the were back a few more places and involved in the second crash.
They were letting the sprinters teams take up last few km as it was a ropey finish and were unlucky to be involved in 2nd crash.
As for GArmin, why would they have been on the fron earlier as they had nothing to defend so they can comfortably sit in until the lead out.
The sprint was crap with respect to leadouts, Goss was pissed off with Greipel as he kept looking for him and he was not in right place or was fooked!!
Farar did well really as he had to get back on after his crash.

blazing_saddles

micron wrote:

Could you have found a more unflattering photo BS?

Ummm, OK.
BMC management arrange an overnight transfer stop in Freiburg, after Giro flights are cancelled

DaveyL wrote:

" 'i' before 'e', except after 'r'...."

I blame that pesky "c". :oops:

hockinsk

I can't remember a team with the leaders jersey that didn't ride on the front like Sky did today? The GC leaders team always rides on the front.

DaveyL

" 'i' before 'e', except after 'r'...."

rick_chasey

hockinsk wrote:

The GC leaders team always rides on the front.

Not if you're phonak and that unknown rider called Oscar Pereiro is in the break....

afx237vi

Well the GC leader's team doesn't always ride on the front, but in a stage like today it's the safest place to be, so it made sense.

DaveyL

It's SOP on a flat stage like this, surely? Leader's team rides om the front and keeps the break at a manageable gap, then the sprinters teams take over with 30-40 km to go. Seen it many many times.

afx237vi

DaveyL wrote:

It's SOP on a flat stage like this, surely? Leader's team rides om the front and keeps the break at a manageable gap, then the sprinters teams take over with 30-40 km to go. Seen it many many times.

There are some exceptions, I guess. Armstrong giving the jersey away to Voeckler in 2004... Kivilev in 01...

Although I guess it must actually be fairly hard for a team to deliberately lose a jersey. You have to be in a situation where no team at all is interested in chasing. Doesn't happen very often.

DaveyL

Yes, I think Armstrong usually tried to lose the jersey deliberately, but I got the feeling Sky wanted to hang onto it for a day or two. In that case, the team usually operates as above.

hockinsk

Common, no team and their sponsors holding the pink jersey has ever 'not' ridden on the front on the very first stage. It might happen a few days in for tactical reasons, but not on the very first flat day. Especially with the nervousness today. Wiggins said he was never less then in the first 20 today. So basically his team were either crashing , chasing, leading or second team down in the peleton.

iainf72

DaveyL wrote:

Yes, I think Armstrong usually tried to lose the jersey deliberately, but I got the feeling Sky wanted to hang onto it for a day or two. In that case, the team usually operates as above.

I'd agree. The original plan was to get close in Stage 1, and then grab pink in the TTT and hold it for a few days.

Today they looked like they were going to try and defend it. Even if they weren't, it was their responsibility to keep the break at a reasonable distance.

hevipedal

Do you know anything about racing?
They rode right, keeping steady pace at front, wiggo close to front. Thay had no intention of closing break down too early and had no plans to to a lead out for train as they would not have ridden on the front if that was the case.
The first time wiggo came off was when there was a crash right at the front.
They got back on from that.
Then wehn sprinters teams came to front the were back a few more places and involved in the second crash.
They were letting the sprinters teams take up last few km as it was a ropey finish and were unlucky to be involved in 2nd crash.
As for GArmin, why would they have been on the fron earlier as they had nothing to defend so they can comfortably sit in until the lead out.
The sprint was crap with respect to leadouts, Goss was pissed off with Greipel as he kept looking for him and he was not in right place or was fooked!!
Farar did well really as he had to get back on after his crash

Good comment

Pross

Birillo wrote:

I'm still not sure how the Sky boys got caught up in two pile ups as they never left the front of the bunch while I was watching and rode a tactically very good race,

What, exactly, was so good about Sky's tactics today? Why do all that work from 40km out when there was nothing to be gained? They got caught up in the final pile-up because they had nothing left for the crucial final kilometers. Contrast with Garmin, who reserved their efforts for when it mattered.

If you are defending the jersey you ride near the front to keep your man out of trouble and to ensure that any breaks are kept under control. Strangely Sky were getting condemned by internet experts and other teams in Oman for not controlling the race when they had the leaders jersey - damned if they do, damned if they don't? It's generally accepted that the overall leader's team is responsible for controlling the race until the latter stages (assuming they want to hold onto the jersey) and that the sprinters teams take it on in the last few kilometres. That's why Garmin didn't work until late on, it wasn't their responsibility. New to bike racing?

FransJacques

I can't find a video of the finish - did Farrar beat Griepel in a straight up side by side sprint? Or was it a lot messier than that?

I can bet what MC is thinking, I don't think he's (2009 version anyway) ever lost to Farrar in a side by side situation. But then they said Griepel had a stomach bug and a fever so who knows how he was feeling in the finale.

Pross

It was a pretty straight forward sprint. Goss was looking behind trying to get Greipel on his wheel and Greipel for some reason couldn't get on it, in the end Goss gave up and went for it himself. HTC didn't exactly get a train going as they usually do for Cav though. Whether this is because their A team is off the Cali, because they lost a few key lead out men or due to team politics and they are siding with Cav who knows. Greipel was starting to come through in the end but it was a mess to be honest. Farrar did really well as he'd been on the deck and then had to change a shoe on the go (obviously not gaining any advantage by holding onto the team car for a few minutes as this happened ).