Giro Stage 7 *spoiler*

Le Commentateur

Regarding the GC, Basso & Nibali aren't quite out of contention yet. Both are less than 2 minutes down on the GC. Their efforts at chasing today may yet prove crucial.

Today Evan's repaired most of the damage from stage 3 — apart from Vino's regaining the pink — so things are back on track for him. Started the day 16th and ended it 2nd on GC.

Millar in 3rd!

Apart from Vino, there seems to be less than a minute separating the rest of the top 10 riders, so plenty of scope for further heroic efforts and disasters in tomorrow's mountain stage.

DaveyL

Gutsy stuff from Ivan and Nibs to fight to the end, still in it.

Great ride from Millar too, up to 3rd on GC.

luckao

greasedscotsman wrote:

Think Cadel needs to liven up his victory "pose" for when he crosses the finish line. Maybe he needs a word with Cavendish?

He gives everything to put the tired stereotypes about his style to rest. No energy for celebrations

Abdoujaparov

Awesome stage! Makes you wonder why they don't have more like that in grand tours. Classics specialists have the monuments to focus on, but throwing lumpy courses wth rough surfaces into GTs definitely spices things up. Why should GC in GTs be for climbers and TTers?

StefanP

I didn't have internet/Eurosport! Great stage it looked like to, good win for Cadel

Le Commentateur

http://www.bettiniphoto.net/image/2_005 ... thumb2.jpg

luckao

StefanP wrote:

I didn't have internet/Eurosport! Great stage it looked like to, good win for Cadel

You wouldn't have seen much anyway

blazing_saddles

An epic stage. Great respect for all the riders, grinding their way over the strada sludge and up some of those inclines.
Every one of them was a winner today.
It will be remembered on forums for many years.

StefanP

Excellent show for MIllar aswell What happened to Wiggins? 4:30 back, puncture?

Neil McC

Amazing! Really enjoyed that. Well done Dave Millar too.

iainf72

Richie Porte 10'th at 2 minutes.

He can TT, he can climb. I wonder how he'll go over the 3 weeks?

I reckon the Liquigas boys did well today, considering. Keeping them together was sensible and they're certainly within striking distance.

But Evans is simply superb.

emadden

An absolutely amazing stage... havent seen as exciting a stage in a GT in a very long time...
Evans is superb and really showing that he is the best World Champ in many many years...

Verdict: Evans - incredible, Vino the dark threat is still present... Nibali was unlucky and ended up losing more time by trying to keep that oaf Basso in touch... Nibali could probably have saved another 30 seconds or more without Basso.

Sastre - the big loser - what the hell was he doing?

Overrated: Basso, Wiggans, Sastre

afx237vi

iainf72 wrote:

Richie Porte 10'th at 2 minutes.

He can TT, he can climb. I wonder how he'll go over the 3 weeks?

I reckon the Liquigas boys did well today, considering. Keeping them together was sensible and they're certainly within striking distance.

But Evans is simply superb.

Yeah but how well can he climb? He did OK, but not great, over the tiddlers in Romandie, but lost 11 minutes on the stage Contador won in Paris-Nice. The Giro climbs are a different beast altogether.

timoid.

Dagnammit. Sorry I missed that stage. Legendary ride by Evans. I really hope he wins the thing. Surely Vino can't match him in the really steep mountains?

timoid.

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Evans isn't hanging about. I wonder if Timoid will have anything to say about bad form attacking the leader? :P

Gonna have to see it. Although I realised I was wrong about Basso. It was Vino I should have been boo hissing at.

shockedsoshocked

Any highlights?

rick_chasey

Ah, a GT at its best when it's closest to a classic .

It's stages like this the Tour is missing - days for the flatlanders to give the climbers a good kicking. It's not like the climbers never get a chance.

Good job they shoved some cobbles in.

You want your GT winner to be an all rounder - stages like this are the best way to do it.

calvjones

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

Any highlights?

They're gonna be about 2hrs long!

luckao

CyclingTorrents have Stage 7 available. Eurosport's hour of highlights won't do it justice.

dougzz

It was awesome today, just fantatstic stuff. Evans is proper tough.

iainf72

afx237vi wrote:

Yeah but how well can he climb? He did OK, but not great, over the tiddlers in Romandie, but lost 11 minutes on the stage Contador won in Paris-Nice. The Giro climbs are a different beast altogether.

Very well. Jullich said in the most recent cyclingnews podcast he was 2nd only to Frank at the Saxo training camp uphill. And he's lost 6kg's between Paris-Nice and now.

Former winner of the baby Giro I think.

frenchfighter

I was very pleased to come in from my race and be able to watch the last 20km in the HQ.

It did take me several minutes to realise it was this Giro - I honestly thought it was some replay of a Classic.

From what I saw it looked challenging, messy and interesting. Amazingly there were no DNF, so chapeau to all.

This is why no other sport comes close to cycling.

Surprised Evans got the win given he had been on the front for the last 1km and no one came round him. They really must have been cooked. Well done Evans and well done Vino for Pink and going on the offensive.

There are some leightweights though, notably Wiggins and sadly Sastre. For the former, is his idea of tough training to prepare him for the more challenging Contador and Schlecks, rolling in 5mins down? Or maybe he simply does not have the necessary top end which wouldn't surprise me. Sastre - I hope he can make time in the final week when others falter. Not sure why he could come in sooo far down.

I am relishing the photos to be produced from such a stage.

Here are the last 50mins I think:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... age+7&aq=f

iainf72

emadden wrote:

Verdict: Evans - incredible, Vino the dark threat is still present... Nibali was unlucky and ended up losing more time by trying to keep that oaf Basso in touch... Nibali could probably have saved another 30 seconds or more without Basso.

Mmm - He could've probably got a bit of time but it wouldn't make sense tactically. Liquigas have 2 guys in touch for the GC now, with hard stages to come. If the other only need to watch Nibali it would make their lives easier.

Considering both Basso and Nibs had been on the deck, they limited their loses well. AND I think Basso was climbing better than Nibs. But he clearly didn't cope with the conditions and that's why he looked rubbish.

rick_chasey

iainf72 wrote:

AND I think Basso was climbing better than Nibs. But he clearly didn't cope with the conditions and that's why he looked rubbish.

Ja, Basso's hardly a good bike handler eh?

Reminds me of this 2006 Giro stage Where Basso did a good ride up the final climb, only to properly pansy his way down to the finish.

Didn't Simoni once say he decended like a bag of bricks or something?

mroli

Turned on my tv and my laptop to watch the highlights on Eurosport. Promptly put the laptop down to watch what was as good a highlight package as I have seen - despite the fact that I couldn't actually see much of the race/riders!!!!

Awesome stuff and chapeau Evans - "he's an Aussie, he's a wheelsucker, he's a curmudgeon, he's ungracious, he's after only himself", but this year, he really is proving himself to be a great champion and a great rider.

Really,really, really deserved the glory of winning a truly awful stage....

frenchfighter

These time bonuses are pretty ridiculous. 20,12, 8 for top three.

iainf72

Rick Chasey wrote:

Ja, Basso's hardly a good bike handler eh?

Not for this kind of stuff, no. I thought his confidence was up after the Dutch stages managing to remain in the front in the wind and stuff.

It was quite interesting to see how many of the front guys were cross or mountain bike guys. BMC also switched Cadel's bike during the stage.

frenchfighter

Gilberto Simoni finished 24minutes down......makes you wonder why he is here. Maybe to try and win on the Zonoclan.

rick_chasey

iainf72 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Ja, Basso's hardly a good bike handler eh?

Not for this kind of stuff, no. I thought his confidence was up after the Dutch stages managing to remain in the front in the wind and stuff.

It was quite interesting to see how many of the front guys were cross or mountain bike guys. BMC also switched Cadel's bike during the stage.

True. But Basso's size surely lends him to him having an easier time on the flat, than say, Simoni, or Sastre since he has more raw power. That always makes managing wind and the like a little easier.

iainf72

Anyone who speaks Italian care to translate?

http://video.gazzetta.it/?vxSiteId=bf99 ... itrate=300