Giro Stage 19 *** spoiler ***

13

Comments

  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    afx237vi wrote:
    Anton must have lost an absolute packet today.

    19.31 to be exact, either ill/injured or wants tomorrow's stage to sit alongside his win up the Zoncolan.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Navarro and Porte, 19th and 20th. Szymd and Hernandez, 31st and 32nd
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    Downing still going, finished 159th and probably last today, at +27.26, a minute behind the autobus. Tired legs after the break yesterday. Just one more tough day to go.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    RichN95 wrote:
    This Giro is a tennis fan's wet dream.

    The Giro is a six foot 17 year old Eastern European girl in a short skirt?

    That's everybody's wet dream. Well, almost everybody.:wink:
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Apparently that was Tiralongo's first victory after 12 years as a pro.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    afx237vi wrote:
    Apparently that was Tiralongo's first victory after 12 years as a pro.

    Wow, makes it all the more sweet. A great win to have too.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • derbygrimpeur
    derbygrimpeur Posts: 822
    I am a huge Contador fan. In fact, I believe that he is by far the best stage racer of his generation. However, this finish is disappointing. I hate to see riders "gifted" a stage. this is pro racing, not christmas! If Contador had the legs he should have used them. This, in my opinion, is why EM is still the best of all time. Eddy, the canibal, would have won this stage. Speaking of "gifts" this reminds me of HTC's b*tching and moaning at the tour last year when Garmin actually raced, and Hincapie was not "gifted" the yellow jersey. -1 for contador today.

    this shows you know nothing about pro-racing :roll:

    Contador had no need to win the stage and was letting a former teammate (who played his part in Contador's previous successes) take the win. It's a mark of respect and a way for champions to keep riders on-side in the peloton - friends in other teams can come in handy sometimes.

    As for the Garmin issue - what were they actually racing? They couldn't win the stage and had nothing to gain by reducing the gap to the breakaway?
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Getty
    bbcda0a28d252c53ade822b446a82db0-getty-cycling-ita-tour.jpg
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Tusher
    Tusher Posts: 2,762
    afx237vi wrote:
    Apparently that was Tiralongo's first victory after 12 years as a pro.

    Wow, makes it all the more sweet. A great win to have too.

    Aw, that's great- love to see a loyal domestique rewarded, all credit to Bertie.
  • IanLD
    IanLD Posts: 423
    this shows you know nothing about pro-racing :roll:

    I think we all gathered that a while ago :wink:

    Not a Contador fan, but actually found him gaining a bit of respect today (and in previous stages of this years Giro) for the way he has been gracious with other riders. Today was a very nice way of saying thank you to an ex team mate who has helped in the past.

    Wouldn't do any harm at all either to have an Italian winning a stage in front of him, so he'll get a better reception in Milan.
  • seven7faces
    seven7faces Posts: 360
    afx237vi wrote:
    Anton must have lost an absolute packet today.

    19.31 to be exact, either ill/injured or wants tomorrow's stage to sit alongside his win up the Zoncolan.

    I think it was more to do with being my PTP pick
  • B3rnieMac
    B3rnieMac Posts: 384
    AC might be supercharged or not, but things like that ensure he is well liked in the peloton. You wouldnt see a whole group of people not in his team happy to pace him up mountains if he needlessly crushed them at every opportunity.
  • Crankbrother
    Crankbrother Posts: 1,695
    At the start of this race I Was hoping that Bertie got had a shocker and then got banned ... But throughout the race he's the only one putting on a show, and a couple of deserving gifts along the way ... It would be a shame if this performance was not rwarded with the title of Giro winner so I'm now hoping that CAS leave him be ...

    I do think that if he is let off that he should be respectful to the Tour and not ride this year and go for he Vuelta again ... Would show that he doesn't want to drag the sport into the mud ... Sadly specialized will make him ride ...
  • Doobz
    Doobz Posts: 2,800
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  • Slimbods
    Slimbods Posts: 321
    Downing and Pinotti suffering following crashes on stage 19 according to twittar.

    Downings sounded bad:

    “I was pretty lucky really. There was a Rabobank rider immediately before me who overshot the corner, and that meant that I was catapulted sideways. I hit the barrier and then went straight over it and down about 20 metres into the woods. My bike went even further than me but fortunately I hit a tree, which stopped me falling even further."
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    1306290661984_1slmnp6e5zlm4_800_75_600.jpg
    Nibali's custom Insieme si può Antares saddle, which represents a charitable organization that fights hunger, poverty and underdevelopment in Africa. Photo: Matt Pacocha
    Contador is the Greatest
  • rockmount
    rockmount Posts: 761
    afx237vi wrote:
    Apparently that was Tiralongo's first victory after 12 years as a pro.
    How disappointing will it be for him to look back and think, it was not won but given ?
    .. who said that, internet forum people ?
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    rockmount wrote:
    afx237vi wrote:
    Apparently that was Tiralongo's first victory after 12 years as a pro.
    How disappointing will it be for him to look back and think, it was not won but given ?

    I think the same whenever anyone is gifted a stage. It must be a little unsatisfying - but in 10 years time most people will have forgotten about the gift and Tiralongo will still be able to say "let me tell you about the time I won a Giro mountain stage ahead of Alberto Contador..."
  • P_Tucker
    P_Tucker Posts: 1,878
    rockmount wrote:
    afx237vi wrote:
    Apparently that was Tiralongo's first victory after 12 years as a pro.
    How disappointing will it be for him to look back and think, it was not won but given ?

    Probably less disappointing than a second place, which is all his legs were good for.
  • cornoyemade
    cornoyemade Posts: 180
    I am a huge Contador fan. In fact, I believe that he is by far the best stage racer of his generation. However, this finish is disappointing. I hate to see riders "gifted" a stage. this is pro racing, not christmas! If Contador had the legs he should have used them. This, in my opinion, is why EM is still the best of all time. Eddy, the canibal, would have won this stage. Speaking of "gifts" this reminds me of HTC's b*tching and moaning at the tour last year when Garmin actually raced, and Hincapie was not "gifted" the yellow jersey. -1 for contador today.

    this shows you know nothing about pro-racing :roll:

    Contador had no need to win the stage and was letting a former teammate (who played his part in Contador's previous successes) take the win. It's a mark of respect and a way for champions to keep riders on-side in the peloton - friends in other teams can come in handy sometimes.

    As for the Garmin issue - what were they actually racing? They couldn't win the stage and had nothing to gain by reducing the gap to the breakaway?

    I have to respectfully disagree. First, i am going to assume that you are from the isle of man, and english is not your first language, so i will try to make this as simple as possible. If you read my statement carefully (or have someone translate it for you) you will see certain words or phrases. Most importantly, "I believe', "I hate" and "in my opinion." I fully acknowledge that there is usefulness in a "gifted" win i.e., a returned favor in the future, or repayment for a favor. Nonethelss, i still "hate" to see it. It still bothers me, as it should the giftee whose win is tainted by the appearance of a gift. Two riders who might agree with this (one of whom has passed away) . . . Marco Pantini who was "gifted" stage on Mont Ventoux in 2000, and Andre Gripel who was "gifted" stage 17 in the Giro in 2008. Both refused to acknowledge that their "win" was in fact a "gift". Most of us know how effective that "gift" to Griepel was to the Cavndishy-Griepel relationship, and to HTC. Same goes for the Armstrong/Pantini relationship. Good tactics . . . not in those cases.

    Even Lance Armstrong, whom i cant stand, was criticized for his conservative race tactics, specifically when he allowed Marco Pantani, the 1998 champion, to win on Mont Ventoux. Armstrong later stated: "Unfortunately, he has shown his true colors,'' Armstrong said of Pantani. "I felt like (the stage win) was a gift. I also feel now that it was a mistake to give the gift ... Pantani wasn't the best man on Ventoux."

    http://www.active.com/story.cfm?STORY_I ... CHECKSSO=0

    As a former pro, i never gifted a race, nor was i the recipient of a gift in a race. Of course, that was in the 80s and the peleton has gotten soft since then. I am reminded of a quote from Sastre that i find relevant. “I think we are turning cycling into a baby’s playpen.”

    http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/07/ ... s-against-‘polite’-peloton-at-tour-de-france_130862
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    As a former pro, i never gifted a race, nor was i the recipient of a gift in a race. Of course, that was in the 80s and the peloton has gotten soft since then.

    First up, I very much doubt you're a former pro. They all know about the value of a gift, particularly back in the 80s. It was more prevalent then than now. Even at the lower levels.

    Secondly, Contador has nothing left to prove at this Giro, so what's wrong with helping out a friend who gave so much to him last year. That's what friends do. They help each other out. I fail to see how anyone can see that - and I'm one of the least empathetic people around.

    Thirdly, Mark Cavendish is one of the greatest sprinters of all time, is a millionaire and goes out with an intelligent model.. How do you like those apples?
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • cornoyemade
    cornoyemade Posts: 180
    Although i am not one of the greatest sprinters of all times, I have the other two apples.

    by the way, I think cavendishy should start gifting more races, don't you?
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Although i am not one of the greatest sprinters of all times, I have the other two apples.

    by the way, I think cavendishy should start gifting more races, don't you?

    I dislike Cavendish, but I think he would gift races if he could. But it's hard to do in sprints, isn't it?
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    Respect to Conty for today, class act.

    And im not usually a fan of his.
    http://www.snookcycling.wordpress.com - Reports on Cingles du Mont Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez, Galibier, Izoard, Tourmalet, Paris-Roubaix Sportive & Tour of Flanders Sportive, Amstel Gold Xperience, Vosges, C2C, WOTR routes....
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    iainf72 wrote:
    I dislike Cavendish, but I think he would gift races if he could. But it's hard to do in sprints, isn't it?

    He's tried at the Vuelta, but Goss didn't really seem to know was going on.

    Before that, he gifted Greipel a stage of the Giro and that was the start of the real problems between them. So he may be reluctant.

    Sky are the masters of the 1-2 sprints. They've done it on a few occasions. Probably by accident though.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • knedlicky
    knedlicky Posts: 3,097
    Contador’s behaviour was exactly right, considering (like every true champion) he doesn’t need to win every stage to prove himself, as respect to a former team-mate (who helped him a lot in the 2010 Dauphine Libere), and since he allowed a ‘home’ rider to win (especially as counterbalance to the boo-ing he received the other day).

    Also, as far as I’m aware, Contador hasn’t gone into the magnanimous manner mode which LA did after supposedly allowing ‘gifts’, a manner which effectively negated the value of any true-or-not gesture from LA.

    In years to come, Tiralongo (and a few others) might remember Contador could have taken the stage, but I don’t imagine such thoughts will disappoint either men, because in the end, and for whatever reason, Contador didn’t try to win, so no one knows how it might have turned out had there been a real contest in the last 200 m.
    Probably Contador could have earlier sailed by Tiralongo to victory, but instead he took him on tow and in such circumstances, an underdog sometimes recuperates enough to draw on hidden reserves and then, if forced to, does pull it off against a supposedly stronger rider.

    My only disappointment about the outcome is that, had Contador not decided to show his strength, I suspect Rodriguez would have reached and passed Tiralongo. Rodriguez has been active in the later phases of most all the mountain stages, but always without much reward, so I was hoping (until Contador appeared) it might this time, pay off for him.
  • P_Tucker
    P_Tucker Posts: 1,878
    RichN95 wrote:
    How do you like them apples?

    Jesus.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    P_Tucker wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    How do you like them apples?

    Jesus.

    Not familiar?
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_do_you ... hem_apples
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • derbygrimpeur
    derbygrimpeur Posts: 822
    i am going to assume that you are from the isle of man, and english is not your first language, so i will try to make this as simple as possible.

    hahaha, sorry but whatever reasoned argument you try to construct after that opening is pointless.

    Mr "pro-racer", I realise people have differing opinions, but your opinions are generally wrong and as far as I can tell your simply a troll. Others have responed sufficiently well on the points you raise and I shall leave it at that. Enjoy thinking about your glorious victories in the 80s - or did you never gift/were gifted a win because you were never near enough to the front!
  • Doobz
    Doobz Posts: 2,800
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