Giro Stage 10 - spoilers

ddraver

I'm out for this race guys, only thing we can do is stop watching such a farce

See you for the Dolphin

LeePaton

Yeah how does this work when one car is servicing they breakaway? They have to drop to the bunch for mechanicals?

Ridiculous ruling from a ridiculous organisation.

Anonymous

That's the race over for me. Ruined. Farce. This sport is nonsense.

above_the_cows

Pross wrote:

It's inconsistency like this that makes the sport a farce at times and leads to conspiracy theories. Add in the convoy being stopped and preventing Porte making full use of it and it's no wonder eyebrows get raised.

Yes. I hate myself for it because I'm not normally one for conspiracy theories as you know, but I found myself just now saying to my husband over dinner: "I hope someone does some proper forensic accounting on certain people's bank accounts over the next few months."

And then you add in the lack of consistency such as the lack of punishment at Paris Roubaix for example as Iain pointed out, or the numerous infractions in this Giro alone, and that the jury only new about it because of a picture posted by amongst others the Giro organisers themselves and well...

It's time to revive a hashtag:

#FreePorte

Pross

frenchfighter wrote:

Funny how the reaction is so vociferous for an English speaking rider. If it was a rider from the continent for sure there would be no support.

Do you really think that? Can you imagine the reaction in Italy if Aru had been punished like this or in Spain had Contador been DQd for temporarily removing his helmet the other day (which strict interpretation of the rules requires stupid as it would be)? I suspect this forum would be equally annoyed had that happened. I doubt Contador will be pleased with the decision, I wonder if he'll comment?

Crampeur

The Giro has to have at least one polemica every year.

Macaloon

This is a catastrophic fustercluck of cosmic proportions. The short window of a handful of genuine challengers to Contador thwarted by team selections (Quintana to Giro), weather (Nibali's Giro), crashes, and now some faceless bureaucrat decides to bring Sky to environmental justice?!?!\?

dabber

There's really no point in watching this crap anymore. I thought the credibility of the sport was pretty low but this takes it to another level.
Meanwhile Astana...........

above_the_cows

sjmclean wrote:

That's the race over for me. Ruined. Farce. This sport is nonsense.

ddraver wrote:

I'm out for this race guys, only thing we can do is stop watching such a farce

See you for the Dolphin

I feel that way too. And yes I know that Porte is MY MAN, but I'd be as p'eed off if it had been a decision against Contador or Aru because it ruins the racing and I want to watch the racing. It's why doping is rubbish, any result that is decided in rule books and jury decisions and whatnot goes against the spirit of sport for me.

#FreePorte

milton50

I honestly can't believe they've done that. A GC favourite gets a 2 minute penalty for accepting a wheel from another rider? People of the same nationality have been helping each other out for donkey's years.

Just imagine what Porte is feeling right now. He's been training like he's never done before for 6 months, got himself in the best shape of his career, built his whole season around this, finally found himself as leader of a GT with a genuine chance and it's all been taken away from him in an instant.

mechanism

I remembered reading something from the Tour de Yorkshire here:

A few minutes later, there is a tap on the window from a passing TV motorcycle, who shouts over the wind: “Marcel is behind. He wants you to wait for him.”

Reef asks the Lotto.NL-Jumbo car to cover his other riders in case of a puncture and obliges.

Sounds routine to get assistance from another team.

joelsim

The UCI and the Giro will also be big losers if nothing is done.

In fact cycling will be a big loser full stop.

Macaloon

It can't be beyond the peloton to restore the 2 mins if they're so minded. If all of the top 40 riders 'swapped wheels' at the start, I'm sure someone would cover the fines and the GC would be restored. There may be pther ways. Time for the team owners to look after their sport.

RichN95.

Good sportsmanship between competitors is all very nice but rules must be obeyed or the sports integrity would be damaged.

We can now look forward to a fair and honest fight between a rider supported by a team that should have been banned last month against a rider supported by a teammate who will be banned next month.

above_the_cows

Milton50 wrote:

I honestly can't believe they've done that. A GC favourite gets a 2 minute penalty for accepting a wheel from another rider? People of the same nationality have been helping each other out for donkey's years.

Just imagine what Porte is feeling right now. He's been training like he's never done before for 6 months, got himself in the best shape of his career, built his whole season around this, finally found himself as leader of a GT with a genuine chance and it's all been taken away from him in an instant.

It's enough of a mental blow to end a career.

I'm not being funny, but look what happened to Pantani when he got screwed over by the Mafia on the road to Madonna di Campiglio...

shinyhelmut

Milton50 wrote:

I honestly can't believe they've done that. A GC favourite gets a 2 minute penalty for accepting a wheel from another rider? People of the same nationality have been helping each other out for donkey's years.

Just imagine what Porte is feeling right now. He's been training like he's never done before for 6 months, got himself in the best shape of his career, built his whole season around this, finally found himself as leader of a GT with a genuine chance and it's all been taken away from him in an instant.

Imagine how Clarke is feeling now. Helps a mate and costs him his shot at GC.

milton50

ShinyHelmut wrote:

Milton50 wrote:

I honestly can't believe they've done that. A GC favourite gets a 2 minute penalty for accepting a wheel from another rider? People of the same nationality have been helping each other out for donkey's years.

Just imagine what Porte is feeling right now. He's been training like he's never done before for 6 months, got himself in the best shape of his career, built his whole season around this, finally found himself as leader of a GT with a genuine chance and it's all been taken away from him in an instant.

Imagine how Clarke is feeling now. Helps a mate and costs him his shot at GC.

True. Not good.

above_the_cows

Macaloon wrote:

It can't be beyond the peloton to restore the 2 mins if they're so minded. If all of the top 40 riders 'swapped wheels' at the start, I'm sure someone would cover the fines and the GC would be restored. There may be pther ways. Time for the team owners to look after their sport.

I was also working through scenarios at dinner were this could be achieved.

frenchfighter

Seriously, to the many of you, it is annoying but you can't pick and choose your rules.

Otherwise, you will have to agree with me, majority of non-English speaking riders and majority of real cycling fans that Contador won the Giro 2011 and Tour 2010.

frenchfighter

sjmclean wrote:

That's the race over for me. Ruined. Farce. This sport is nonsense.

Didn't have you down as a Porte, Sky, Brits fan in this sort of way.

The_Boy

Milton50 wrote:

Just imagine what Porte is feeling right now.

Couldn't we just ask his roommate?

frenchfighter

Q: How do you see tomorrow's Stage?
AC: To tell the truth, I haven't seen it yet. They tell me that it has a hard section. I have a room-mate in Ivan Basso who is a master at explaining things, so tonight, after dinner, we'll look at it calmly.

Shame Porte has no teammate to ask advice or shoulder to cry on in that huge camper van of his.

Anonymous

frenchfighter wrote:

Seriously, to the many of you, it is annoying but you can't pick and choose your rules.

Otherwise, you will have to agree with me, majority of non-English speaking riders and majority of real cycling fans that Contador won the Giro 2011 and Tour 2010.

I assume you want Bert Dq'd for taking his helmet off?

ic.

Cycling finally had its chance to shine

A chance to show all over the Internet and the media that it has changed, that omerta has been replaced by class, good sportsmanship and fairness

One image to show why people should watch this sport. An image to show potential sponsors that cycling is a good and fair sport

And what does the UCI do when this once in a lifetime chance drops in its lap?

It's fines the pair involved and ruins at least one's chance to realise a grand tour ambition

Idiots

Macaloon

frenchfighter wrote:

Seriously, to the many of you, it is annoying but you can't pick and choose your rules.

Staggering absence of panache. If Contador and Aru don't at least try to organise some restitution any victory will be tainted.

slim_boy_fat

frenchfighter wrote:

Seriously, to the many of you, it is annoying but you can't pick and choose your rules.

Otherwise, you will have to agree with me, majority of non-English speaking riders and majority of real cycling fans that Contador won the Giro 2011 and Tour 2010.

In that case we have to DQ Contador for removing his helmet the other day, right?

above_the_cows

The_Boy wrote:

Milton50 wrote:

Just imagine what Porte is feeling right now.

Couldn't we just ask his roommate?

OK, but which Imperial Storm Trooper do you want to ask...

Anonymous

https://twitter.com/blainedeutsch/statu ... 9714095105

It's a fix. I have no doubt about it. 100% this is a crooked decision.

RichN95.

sjmclean wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Seriously, to the many of you, it is annoying but you can't pick and choose your rules.

Otherwise, you will have to agree with me, majority of non-English speaking riders and majority of real cycling fans that Contador won the Giro 2011 and Tour 2010.

I assume you want Bert Dq'd for taking his helmet off?

Or his 2012 Vuelta taken away because his friend Tiralongo worked his butt off for him?

gsk82

Macaloon wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Seriously, to the many of you, it is annoying but you can't pick and choose your rules.

Staggering absence of panache. If Contador and Aru don't at least try to organise some restitution any victory will be tainted.

If Contador does win i'm sure he'll engineering it so it's by exactly 2 minutes, just like in 2010.

Hopefully Porte will destroy the other contenders in the TT and be right back in it. Can't see it. I can see Aru winning the TT though, after which we'll be told he's been concentrating on TT'ing by his entourage.