Giro rest day chat

frenchfighter

Does anyone think BMC will attempt to let a break go tomorrow or Wednesday with a rider that is not overly far away on GC so they can take the jersey, thus preventing them from being on the front foot for at least the first day in the mountains?

I think they may do but it is going to be pretty tricky. This GC guy could easily bottle it on the TT then it is back in BMC's hands and more importantly the sprinters teams are likely to pull back any break that goes tomorrow.

Does anyone know what the final climb is like on Wednesday? Could produce some interesting attacks to try and foil the sprinters.

slim_boy_fat

Locals not happy it's a rest day:

carltonkirby: Giro rest day. Laundry queue very long. Locals not happy. Line-jumping rife. Tempers fraying. I'm staying out of it. How English. I'm last!

I'm sure BMC would be happy to let the right break go away on any day for the next two weeks. The less stress for them the better. It's really down to the other GC guys to make it as tricky as possible for BMC.

dsoutar

frenchfighter wrote:

Does anyone know what the final climb is like on Wednesday? Could produce some interesting attacks to try and foil the sprinters.

Last 5km is a constant 8% so can't see any sticking with the GC guys. The descent might be a bit more important, i.e. how technical it is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXlwXx5nONs

Paulie W

frenchfighter wrote:

Does anyone think BMC will attempt to let a break go tomorrow or Wednesday with a rider that is not overly far away on GC so they can take the jersey, thus preventing them from being on the front foot for at least the first day in the mountains?

I think they may do but it is going to be pretty tricky. This GC guy could easily bottle it on the TT then it is back in BMC's hands and more importantly the sprinters teams are likely to pull back any break that goes tomorrow.

I know this is a time honoured tactic but can anyone recall the last time it actually happened?

blazing_saddles

Paulie W wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Does anyone think BMC will attempt to let a break go tomorrow or Wednesday with a rider that is not overly far away on GC so they can take the jersey, thus preventing them from being on the front foot for at least the first day in the mountains?

I think they may do but it is going to be pretty tricky. This GC guy could easily bottle it on the TT then it is back in BMC's hands and more importantly the sprinters teams are likely to pull back any break that goes tomorrow.

I know this is a time honoured tactic but can anyone recall the last time it actually happened?

Oscar Pereiro 2006 Tour. "Thank you Floyd, that went well." :P

graeme_s-2

Slim Boy Fat wrote:

Locals not happy it's a rest day:

carltonkirby: Giro rest day. Laundry queue very long. Locals not happy. Line-jumping rife. Tempers fraying. I'm staying out of it. How English. I'm last!

Is Carlton commentating for someone other than Eurosport? Otherwise why is he at the Giro?

slim_boy_fat

Graeme_S wrote:

Slim Boy Fat wrote:

Locals not happy it's a rest day:

carltonkirby: Giro rest day. Laundry queue very long. Locals not happy. Line-jumping rife. Tempers fraying. I'm staying out of it. How English. I'm last!

Is Carlton commentating for someone other than Eurosport? Otherwise why is he at the Giro?

Think he's doing the Sky highlights.

Party Weirdo

Paulie W wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Does anyone think BMC will attempt to let a break go tomorrow or Wednesday with a rider that is not overly far away on GC so they can take the jersey, thus preventing them from being on the front foot for at least the first day in the mountains?

I think they may do but it is going to be pretty tricky. This GC guy could easily bottle it on the TT then it is back in BMC's hands and more importantly the sprinters teams are likely to pull back any break that goes tomorrow.

I know this is a time honoured tactic but can anyone recall the last time it actually happened?

TdF 2004 worked out well for LA with Voeckler in yellow for 10 days. But those were different times.

Given the pattern of racing so far it looks like this Giro is going to be lost rather than won so several teams will hope to keep Evans/BMC under pressure rather than risk a brave strategy (except maybe AG2R who have at least looked keen).

Macaloon

No rest for some. But thanks all the same Marcel.

Mad_Malx

Macaloon wrote:

No rest for some. But thanks all the same Marcel.

That's very pretty, but can you help me a little with what it all means?

knedlicky

Slim Boy Fat wrote:

Graeme_S wrote:

Slim Boy Fat wrote:

carltonkirby: Giro rest day. Laundry queue very long. Locals not happy. Line-jumping rife. Tempers fraying. I'm staying out of it. How English. I'm last!

Is Carlton commentating for someone other than Eurosport? Otherwise why is he at the Giro?

Think he's doing the Sky highlights.

Don't know if he's doing Sky highlights as well, but Kirby is commentating the Giro live each afternoon for the American TV sports channel Bein Sport.

dolan_driver

Robert Millar's assessment of the story so far.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/robert ... ro-ditalia

DD.

knedlicky

dsoutar wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Does anyone know what the final climb is like on Wednesday? Could produce some interesting attacks to try and foil the sprinters.

Last 5km is a constant 8% so can't see any sticking with the GC guys. The descent might be a bit more important, i.e. how technical it is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXlwXx5nONs

Like dsoutar says, after gentle beginning and with the exception of a 12-13% stretch about halfway up, the 10 km Naso di Gatto climb is a steady 7-8% the whole way.

The descent is 10 km long with an average slope of just under 4%. After about 1 km, at the village of Montenotte Superiore, there is a sharp turn at a junction, then, after another 1.5 km, there are two hairpins 500 m apart.
There are also half-a-dozen 90-degree bends, not difficult in themselves, but the road is quite narrow and because in forest, there are no views around the bends, so misjudging them at speed is possible.
Thereafter they've still got another 10 km of over 3% descent, then 5 km fairly flat, but the roads, which I think they'll be using, are wide and relatively straight.

This sanctuary is at the bottom of the climb



The view from near the top



This, now totally closed, has-seen-better-days, bar is near the top.
Naso di Gatto, the name of the bar and also the name of the climb, means The Cat’s Nose.
(not my bike in photo)

frenchfighter

Thanks guys. That win of Vino's on a somewhat similar finish is one of my favourites of all time.

Macaloon

Mad_Malx wrote:

That's very pretty, but can you help me a little with what it all means?

We like to see consistent performances from our players. Sudden dips in form can signal sickness, skullduggery, sometimes stupidity.

salsiccia1

Dolan Driver wrote:

Robert Millar's assessment of the story so far.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/robert ... ro-ditalia

DD.

Nice summary that. I agree on the point of the big guns holding back until later in the race.

Give me more

I reckon BMC are going to absolutely hammer it over the top of that last climb. I think they smell weakness in the other GC boys when it comes to descending.

mulletmaster

Dolan Driver wrote:

Robert Millar's assessment of the story so far.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/robert ... ro-ditalia

DD.

Pretty negative outlook on the whole thing so far there. :?

Crampeur

mulletmaster wrote:

Dolan Driver wrote:

Robert Millar's assessment of the story so far.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/robert ... ro-ditalia

DD.

Pretty negative outlook on the whole thing so far there. :?

Agreed, but Millar's outlook is quite often like that.

milton50

frenchfighter wrote:

Does anyone think BMC will attempt to let a break go tomorrow or Wednesday with a rider that is not overly far away on GC so they can take the jersey, thus preventing them from being on the front foot for at least the first day in the mountains?

I think they may do but it is going to be pretty tricky. This GC guy could easily bottle it on the TT then it is back in BMC's hands and more importantly the sprinters teams are likely to pull back any break that goes tomorrow.

If tomorrow's stage was re-ridden a 100 times I can't see that situation playing out once. The main problem is, as you say, the sprinters teams will be all over it.

But even if that wasn't the case who can they let go in the break that a) would keep the jersey after the TT and b) is no danger to Evans for the overall?

Even if that perfect rider did exist (which I'm not sure he does) I don't see how BMC could persuade them to try and win this particular stage.

I think the stage into Savona on Wednesday is perfect for a breakaway. I can see a lot of strong guys attacking a couple of kms from the top.

Mad_Malx

Macaloon wrote:

Mad_Malx wrote:

That's very pretty, but can you help me a little with what it all means?

We like to see consistent performances from our players. Sudden dips in form can signal sickness, skullduggery, sometimes stupidity.

Oh - it's our biopassports then?
Consistently high - doping
variable - doping
low - doper but stopped to avoid suspicion

Pross

I've seen a few people now suggesting this BMC tactic of losing the lead. Surely it's too risky given that anyone who is within close enough contact to take the jersey has to be considered a threat overall? Who is there within 3 or 4 minutes that you would take the chance on giving the race lead to?

dsoutar

Given the style of rider Evans is I can't see in a million years BMC relinquishing the lead. Far better to have seconds in the bank rather than have to make them up, then they can decide on the day whether to chase down an attack or not

DeVlaeminck

I could see them relinquishing the lead but not to someone currently running at 2 minutes down in GC because they are by definition good enough to be a threat. If the right break goes away though I can't see why they'd ride to keep it within striking distance - and then it's up to the sprinters teams or whoever else thinks they might take a win - I could see everyone leaving it to everyone else and consequently a break coming in a long way clear.

salsiccia1

I think BMC are in a really delicate balancing act. They've obviously got the jersey much earlier than they wanted it, but as has been said if they do let it go it could end up on the back of someone threatening. I think they've got to try and defend it all the way, which from this far out will be no mean feat given the difficulty of the last week.

Richmond Racer

Salsiccia1 wrote:

I think BMC are in a really delicate balancing act. They've obviously got the jersey much earlier than they wanted it, but as has been said if they do let it go it could end up on the back of someone threatening. I think they've got to try and defend it all the way, which from this far out will be no mean feat given the difficulty of the last week.

Morabito's going to be on his hands and knees by midway through next week

RichN95.

Pross wrote:

I've seen a few people now suggesting this BMC tactic of losing the lead. Surely it's too risky given that anyone who is within close enough contact to take the jersey has to be considered a threat overall? Who is there within 3 or 4 minutes that you would take the chance on giving the race lead to?

Yeah, it's too late in the race for that now. It's usually done after taking the lead in a prologue or a TTT and faced with a week of mostly flat stages. Once there's been a significant suffling of the pack it's not really viable (or even achivable)

dsoutar

Richmond Racer wrote:

Morabito's going to be on his hands and knees by midway through next week

A lot depends on how much Evans' lead shrinks or grows as a result of the TT.

Seeing as it's the rest day, what's the general consensus looking at the GC now (and assuming there's no wild fluctuations between now and then) as to how it might look after the Barolo TT ?

tuneskyline

deejay

Evans to let someone borrow the Pink when in a couple of days he is due to be last man off in the TT.
A position as last man will give BMC time to record and let him know how much effort he can save for other days.
Crazy to think anything else.

frenchfighter

Last year Nibali beat Evans by 6mins and Uran beat Evans by a minute.

Uran got a minute on the uphill TT, 1 min on a mountain stage and 30secs on another mountain stage. Evans got 1min on him in the regular TT. I hope Uran has got his climbing legs on.