Giro Stage 21 'spoiler'

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  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    FAB_4540.jpg
    Partenz-Cav.jpg
    Top left: Claudio Chiappucci (3 times podium on the TdF, winner of Milan San Remo, etc in the early 90′s) Top right: Marco Velo (now retired 3 time Italian National TT champ)Bottom: Mario Cipollini
    cippoTT.jpg
    Contador is the Greatest
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Finishers:
    12: 157
    11: 159
    10: 139
    09: 169
    08: 141
    Contador is the Greatest
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    He refused to consider where and why he lost the Giro. "It's destiny," he said. "Mistakes have been made, but if we had worked on dropping Hesjedal during the first week Ivan Basso might have won the Giro. I could have won the overall classification if time bonuses were allocated on all the stages, including the top mountain finishes, but I prefer to leave with no regret."

    "Purito" leaves the Giro with the status of World's number 1 as the new leader of the WorldTour with 404 points ahead of previous leader Tom Boonen who has 366. Rodriguez won that ranking in 2010.

    He'll have more chances to score UCI points next week when he starts the Dauphiné next Sunday with a 5.7km stage in Grenoble. He confirmed his participation at the end of the Giro after, having previously been on "standby" for the event.

    "I'll try to do something there as well," he said. "Cycling is my passion, I love talking cycling. If one day I can't go on my bike, I don't feel good." He discovered the Dauphiné one year ago and won two mountain stages and finished fifth on his first attempt.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    Domenico Pozzovivo looks like a thunderbird puppet
    "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: 18,908
    the ryder
    "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
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    tumblr_m4ox1kjhwJ1qacyk6o1_500.jpg
    Contador is the Greatest
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    UCI WorldTour rankings, 27 May:

    Riders:

    1 (6) RODRIGUEZ OLIVER Joaquin, KATUSHA TEAM (KAT) 404
    2 (1) BOONEN Tom, OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP (OPQ) 366
    3 (2) NIBALI Vincenzo, LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE (LIQ) 272
    4 (3) SANCHEZ GONZALEZ Samuel, EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI (EUS) 252
    5 (4) SAGAN Peter, LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE (LIQ) 229
    6 (5) WIGGINS Bradley, SKY PROCYCLING (SKY) 224
    7 (7) GERRANS Simon, ORICA GREENEDGE (OGE) 210
    8 (68) HESJEDAL Ryder, GARMIN - BARRACUDA (GRM) 197
    9 (17) CUNEGO Damiano, LAMPRE - ISD (LAM) 184
    10 (8) FREIRE GOMEZ Oscar, KATUSHA TEAM (KAT) 180
    11 (32) SCARPONI Michele, LAMPRE - ISD (LAM) 174
    12 (9) ALBASINI Michael, ORICA GREENEDGE (OGE) 172
    13 (10) VALVERDE BELMONTE Alejandro, MOVISTAR TEAM (MOV) 167
    14 (11) BALLAN Alessandro, BMC RACING TEAM (BMC) 166
    15 (12) GASPAROTTO Enrico, ASTANA PRO TEAM (AST) 150
    16 (15) KREUZIGER Roman, ASTANA PRO TEAM (AST) 149
    17 (13) MOLLEMA Bauke, RABOBANK CYCLING TEAM (RAB) 132
    18 (14) MARTIN Daniel, GARMIN - BARRACUDA (GRM) 132
    19 (76) DE GENDT Thomas, VACANSOLEIL-DCM PRO CYCLING TEAM (VCD) 126
    20 (34) URAN URAN Rigoberto, SKY PROCYCLING (SKY) 125
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    Only eliminate the TTT if you also eliminate all team work. Is it fair that Rodriguez had virtually no team support in the mountains, while Basso was able to have his whole team on the front for 3 weeks?
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,695
    Turfle wrote:
    Only eliminate the TTT if you also eliminate all team work. Is it fair that Rodriguez had virtually no team support in the mountains, while Basso was able to have his whole team on the front for 3 weeks?

    It's massively less significant though is nt it, J-Rod can just sit behind LG in the mountains - he can't do that in a TTT
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    ddraver wrote:
    Turfle wrote:
    Only eliminate the TTT if you also eliminate all team work. Is it fair that Rodriguez had virtually no team support in the mountains, while Basso was able to have his whole team on the front for 3 weeks?

    It's massively less significant though is nt it, J-Rod can just sit behind LG in the mountains - he can't do that in a TTT

    The outcome of the final stage road stage would have been very different if CVV hadn't been hanging about.
    _
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,695
    I think I covered the uniqueness of cycling in my first post.

    There are ways of riding a road stage that reduce the significance of having a strong team (although J-Rod chose not to use them, De Gent did though...) - there is nothing that can be done in a TTT
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    Not sure about Katusha's TT bikes, it's no wonder Rodriguez lost.

    1338172108908-ywap5w0uw0is-360-70.jpg
  • FransJacques
    FransJacques Posts: 2,148
    I think the folks who don't appreciate Ryder as a person don't have a great understanding for the diverse characters you get across North America. It's a big continent ranging from A-type Wall Streeters in NY, to drawling southerners, to irish-sounding maritimers in Newfoundland to laconic types from the West Coast.

    Let's not forget that Ryder's from B.C., is a former MTBer, and spends a lot of time in Hawaii surfing and training which guarantees you he is not going to come across as a brash Texan like Lance.

    I was please he didn't play the role Europeans want North Americans to play : an over-awed, starry eyed "I can't believe little old me can come here and ride, I'm just honoured to be among these awesome champions". Screw that.

    From reading all the interviews I think we can conclude with hindsight that he knew he was strong, that he had at least 2 team-mates to help him, he could rely on the TT for some time claw-back, and he wasn't scared or awed by Pozzovivo, J Rod, Basso, nor Scarponi. Being laid-back, he just doesn't see the need to talk for talking's sake, plus most of the questions, when translated from Italian or French into English became inane.

    So the Giro didn't feature the hottest GT rivals out there true, but I can only think of Andy S, Contador, and Wiggin's who were missing. Riis thought Frank was a softy for going home. And Scarponi was second last year and was in better shape this year.
    When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    I think Sporza has written more articles about de Gendt in the space of two days than the wrote about Boonen for his whole classics campaign.

    Belgium has gone mad.
    _
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    http://www.cyclingtips.com.au/2012/05/r ... o-the-top/
    Contador is the Greatest
  • FransJacques
    FransJacques Posts: 2,148
    Good article FF.

    To answer my own question I forgot Nibali, Gesink, and Evans (duh, how could I) were not at the Giro. But Kreuzinger wasn't up to much for the overall. He was ok most of the time but lost it on 1 fateful day. And Levi. Would he have been in the mix?

    I'm interested to see who a lot of teams will field for the Tour GC - BMC, Quick Step, Lampre, Lotto spring to mind.
    When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,695
    Would Levi have been in the mix?

    erm...No. ;)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • finchy
    finchy Posts: 6,686
    FransJacques wrote:
    Good article FF.

    To answer my own question I forgot Nibali, Gesink, and Evans (duh, how could I) were not at the Giro. But Kreuzinger wasn't up to much for the overall. He was ok most of the time but lost it on 1 fateful day. And Levi. Would he have been in the mix?

    I'm interested to see who a lot of teams will field for the Tour GC - BMC, Quick Step, Lampre, Lotto spring to mind.

    You also forgot Samu, Menchov, Anton, Cobo, Voeckler (?), VDB (?), of which I would say at least 4 could mount a serious Giro challenge if they wanted to.
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    johnfinch wrote:
    FransJacques wrote:
    Good article FF.

    To answer my own question I forgot Nibali, Gesink, and Evans (duh, how could I) were not at the Giro. But Kreuzinger wasn't up to much for the overall. He was ok most of the time but lost it on 1 fateful day. And Levi. Would he have been in the mix?

    I'm interested to see who a lot of teams will field for the Tour GC - BMC, Quick Step, Lampre, Lotto spring to mind.

    You also forgot Samu, Menchov, Anton, Cobo, Voeckler (?), VDB (?), of which I would say at least 4 could mount a serious Giro challenge if they wanted to.

    Yeah and I could have won it if I really wanted to. :wink:
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    frenchfighter wrote:
    tumblr_m4ox1kjhwJ1qacyk6o1_500.jpg


    Please tell me that's not the actual skinsuit he wore!
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    The caption said it was...!
    Contador is the Greatest
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    iainf72 wrote:
    Just had a look. I think J-Rod has 28s worth of time bonuses.

    Ryder had none

    But them's the rules when you start the race. Rodriguez is better at grabbing bonus seconds, Ryder's a better TTer and Rodriguez is marginally faster in the mountains.

    Overall Ryder wins, fair and square.
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    frenchfighter wrote:
    The caption said it was...!


    Holy carp. he's tiny. What the hell did Pozzovizo's look like???
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,462
    Timoid. wrote:
    frenchfighter wrote:
    The caption said it was...!


    Holy carp. he's tiny. What the hell did Pozzovizo's look like???

    A mate of mine who coaches the Canadian team auctioned a load of pro kit off for charity just before Christmas. It included a skin suit (think it was Svein Tuft's) and it looked ridiculously small. We also had some genuine Team GB skin suits as raffle prizes at our club dinner than looked like they were for a 5 year old (it was a small adult size). It's actually amazing how much they stretch though, the top quality suits just look way smaller than they actually are once in use.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    All photos Kei Tsuji
    GIRO20122154.jpg
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    GIRO20122101.jpg
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    GIRO20122105.jpg
    GIRO20122133.jpg
    Contador is the Greatest

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