Rate the Giro

2

Comments

  • imatfaal
    imatfaal Posts: 2,716
    + my preferred rider won, new winner GT GC, new winner GT Points, new winner GT Mountains, tight till end, drama
    - More than average number of dull stages, only attacks seemed pointless or half-hearted, crash

    Overall I was very excited by bits - but not many stages held the attention. It does seem a bit of a let down that Nibali and Quintana couldn't get enough time on mountains even with dumpster Tom delayed by naivety and a dodgy tummy. Hopefully, they will get some form in time for the TdF otherwise that will be very dull

    7
  • Bo Duke
    Bo Duke Posts: 1,058
    Happy to go with a 7 as it was good to see new faces near the front and Big Tom made it a spicy last few stages.
    'Performance analysis and Froome not being clean was a media driven story. I haven’t heard one guy in the peloton say a negative thing about Froome, and I haven’t heard a single person in the peloton suggest Froome isn’t clean.' TSP
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,786
    DeVlaeminck wrote:
    inseine wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    Given G was the only rider within 1 minute of Tom in the TT and had been climbing well I think he could have been up there. Disappointing that we weren't able to find out how he could do.

    We have no idea how well he was climbing since he got taken out just before the first real climb, and as ever, week 3 is a different proposition.
    a climb where he was a fast as the winner, apparently. Not conclusive but sufficient to let us imagine he could have challenged;

    Did he climb it as fast as the winner, I seem to remember some confusion over the time gaps as at one point he was showing as a couple of minutes down and it was assumed he was holding the leaders but in the end he lost over 5 minutes.
    Eurosport later said they'd timed his stop at the 5 minutes he lost, though I know what you mean about the time gaps. I think thye might have been to Jungels or something like that.
    http://cyclinganddesign.blogspot.fr/
  • kleinstroker
    kleinstroker Posts: 2,133
    one of the better editions of the Giro, it often seems a bit boring early on, but final week was best I can remember, so a solid 7.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,738
    Rather than calling it poo-gate, can we just call it what it is: doing a Paula.
    _
  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 5,006
    kleinstroker wrote:
    one of the better editions of the Giro, it often seems a bit boring early on, but final week was best I can remember, so a solid 7.

    I'm a bit disappointed no-one picked up on my Bristol scale reference - 7 is most definitely not solid.
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,941
    The poolemic did add to the drama
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,342
    8 for me. Liked it a lot. Stoked for the Tour! Hope Cav can make it in form.
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • The_Boy
    The_Boy Posts: 3,099
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Memories are so short.
    Could the race be ridden in reverse, everyone would be scoring it a 2.

    Virtually zero drama or incident in the first week and a half.
    No GC action, with no contender losing more than the smallest handful of seconds and that included the climb to Etna, which completely failed to erupt.
    The second week ended with some of the dullest parcour and racing to match. The points competition took centre stage then, but was as one sided as the Tour's with Sagan.
    We had a good ITT, a bit of a surprise at Oropa, Policegate and Poogate, plus the final pair of mountain stages delivering some nice action, but little in the way of GC gaps.

    If this race was an 8, how does one score 2010, or 2005?

    A right in the middle of the road 5 from me.

    Says pretty much I was going to say, so I will just quote rather than wasting too much time typing.
    Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
  • The_Boy
    The_Boy Posts: 3,099
    M.R.M. wrote:
    8 for me. Liked it a lot. Stoked for the Tour! Hope Cav can make it in form.

    Has mono, so highly unlikely.
    Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,342
    I know. It's not ruled out yet. Agree on it being unlikely.
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    inseine wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    Given G was the only rider within 1 minute of Tom in the TT and had been climbing well I think he could have been up there. Disappointing that we weren't able to find out how he could do.

    We have no idea how well he was climbing since he got taken out just before the first real climb, and as ever, week 3 is a different proposition.
    a climb where he was a fast as the winner, apparently. Not conclusive but sufficient to let us imagine he could have challenged;

    He climbed well in the race he did before, was it tour of the alps?
  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 11,592
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    inseine wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    Given G was the only rider within 1 minute of Tom in the TT and had been climbing well I think he could have been up there. Disappointing that we weren't able to find out how he could do.

    We have no idea how well he was climbing since he got taken out just before the first real climb, and as ever, week 3 is a different proposition.
    a climb where he was a fast as the winner, apparently. Not conclusive but sufficient to let us imagine he could have challenged;

    He climbed well in the race he did before, was it tour of the alps?

    He did indeed, so much so that he won it.
    Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
    Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
    Scott CR1 SL 12
    Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
    Scott Foil 18
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Daniel B wrote:
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    inseine wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    Given G was the only rider within 1 minute of Tom in the TT and had been climbing well I think he could have been up there. Disappointing that we weren't able to find out how he could do.

    We have no idea how well he was climbing since he got taken out just before the first real climb, and as ever, week 3 is a different proposition.
    a climb where he was a fast as the winner, apparently. Not conclusive but sufficient to let us imagine he could have challenged;

    He climbed well in the race he did before, was it tour of the alps?

    He did indeed, so much so that he won it.

    That's the one ;)
  • Crozza
    Crozza Posts: 991
    The_Boy wrote:
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Memories are so short.
    Could the race be ridden in reverse, everyone would be scoring it a 2.

    Virtually zero drama or incident in the first week and a half.
    No GC action, with no contender losing more than the smallest handful of seconds and that included the climb to Etna, which completely failed to erupt.
    The second week ended with some of the dullest parcour and racing to match. The points competition took centre stage then, but was as one sided as the Tour's with Sagan.
    We had a good ITT, a bit of a surprise at Oropa, Policegate and Poogate, plus the final pair of mountain stages delivering some nice action, but little in the way of GC gaps.

    If this race was an 8, how does one score 2010, or 2005?

    A right in the middle of the road 5 from me.

    Says pretty much I was going to say, so I will just quote rather than wasting too much time typing.

    me three (or "meh", for short :wink: )
  • confused@BR
    confused@BR Posts: 295
    All that fuss about reducing the Vuelta to a two week race and we get a two week Giro. Not very engaged until about half way; by then the loss of two GC challengers thinned out a thin field. So 6, because I like the winner.

    I do miss Iain and his magisterial Summing Up.
    'fool'
  • FoldingJoe
    FoldingJoe Posts: 1,327
    I'm going to go somewhere between a 6 and 7, so I guess that's a 6.5.

    Some decent stages. Glad Tom won.

    Disappointed that G and Landa went down in that crash in week 1 (and ultimately G dropping out), not that I particularly wanted either to win, but would have added another dimension to the race in the last week or so.

    Kept waiting on that big attack from Nairo, to no avail.
    Little boy to Obama: "My Dad says that you read all our emails"
    Obama to little boy: "He's not your real Dad"

    Kona Honky Tonk for sale: http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40090&t=13000807
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,738
    On a subject close to my heart - stage distances - I thought the Giro did a great job mixing it up.

    Great effort. The see saw Dumolin saw in his fortunes between Blockhaus and Oropa vs the final week demonstrates the advantage (to fans) of variety.
    _
  • supermurph09
    supermurph09 Posts: 2,471
    A solid 7 from me. It's a grand tour and often they don't live up to the billing but the fact the result went to the last stage was a big plus. It took a while to warm up though, I guess this is natural though given the efforts going to be required in the final week. I thought Nibali did what he could but Quintana didn't create the excitement that Contador would have done if in the same position.

    I think it's fair to say that both Quintana and Nibali didn't like having a new kid on the block either, Yates for me is still progressing nicely, if he can improve his TT then in 3-4 years he'll surely be in with a chance.
    Trainer Road Blog: https://hitthesweetspot.home.blog/

    Cycling blog: https://harderfasterlonger.wordpress.com/

    Blog: https://supermurphtt2015.wordpress.com/

    TCTP: https://supermurph.wordpress.com/
  • carbonclem
    carbonclem Posts: 1,605
    7.5 here. The build up towards the end is how it should be, reaching its crescendo on the last day, which was a 'real' stage, worked well for me.
    Some losses incurred due to the hits to the GC game being bought about by the police bike and maybe a stage or two needed some harsh weather, but overall I enjoyed it.
    2020/2021/2022 Metric Century Challenge Winner
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    On a subject close to my heart - stage distances - I thought the Giro did a great job mixing it up.

    Absolutely agree. Not just distances either, but the type of finish.
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    Out of interest why do so many people like Dumoulin?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,158
    Milton50 wrote:
    Out of interest why do so many people like Dumoulin?
    I was wondering that too. He comes across as quite arrogant to me.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,738
    RichN95 wrote:
    Milton50 wrote:
    Out of interest why do so many people like Dumoulin?
    I was wondering that too. He comes across as quite arrogant to me.

    You confuse not being English with being arrogant. :wink:

    He's just Dutch. He knew he was pretty good, and he was.
    _
  • davep1
    davep1 Posts: 836
    imatfaal wrote:
    + my preferred rider won, new winner GT GC, new winner GT Points, new winner GT Mountains, tight till end, drama
    - More than average number of dull stages, only attacks seemed pointless or half-hearted, crash

    Overall I was very excited by bits - but not many stages held the attention. It does seem a bit of a let down that Nibali and Quintana couldn't get enough time on mountains even with dumpster Tom delayed by naivety and a dodgy tummy. Hopefully, they will get some form in time for the TdF otherwise that will be very dull

    7

    Sums it up for me, although I rode up the Blockhaus with a mate on the Sunday morning, and I would give the event an 8.5. Quintana came round the final bend at Blockhaus looking like he'd only just got on the bike; me and my mate nearly collapsed with heat exhaustion (and climbing exhaustion) a couple of hours before. God knows how those guys raced up there, a week in, and with another two weeks to go, staggering. In fact, Quintana seemed to have so much in reserve why he didn't go harder earlier in the day seems strange now.
    (If anyone is trying to think of somewhere different to go on a cycling holiday, Abruzzo has it all. And it is a lot cheaper than anywhere in northern Italy too)
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    Milton50 wrote:
    Out of interest why do so many people like Dumoulin?

    I might not be best qualified to answer, as I pretty much don't not like anyone. But I like him because he's obviously a talented rider and he's making the most of it, he's shown a lot of guts in the mountains when it's not his favourite terrain and without a decent team around him, and he comes across as basically honest. I don't really see the arrogance.
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • Crozza
    Crozza Posts: 991
    Salsiccia1 wrote:
    Milton50 wrote:
    Out of interest why do so many people like Dumoulin?

    I might not be best qualified to answer, as I pretty much don't not like anyone. But I like him because he's obviously a talented rider and he's making the most of it, he's shown a lot of guts in the mountains when it's not his favourite terrain and without a decent team around him, and he comes across as basically honest. I don't really see the arrogance.

    I do like that he's clearly made a lot of effort to improve his climbing. I wish some of the climbers would make as much effort to improve their TTing given the time that can be won/lost. Andy Schleck was notoriously lazy at this. I can imagine some of the modern crop to be the same
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,470
    RichN95 wrote:
    Milton50 wrote:
    Out of interest why do so many people like Dumoulin?
    I was wondering that too. He comes across as quite arrogant to me.

    I've thought the same. But we Brits like an underdog. I'm sure we won't like him if he wins a couple more GTs.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Milton50 wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    On a subject close to my heart - stage distances - I thought the Giro did a great job mixing it up.

    Absolutely agree. Not just distances either, but the type of finish.
    Yeah same, was good to mix it up I think.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    gsk82 wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    Milton50 wrote:
    Out of interest why do so many people like Dumoulin?
    I was wondering that too. He comes across as quite arrogant to me.

    I've thought the same. But we Brits like an underdog. I'm sure we won't like him if he wins a couple more GTs.
    I'd echo what Sausage said but also I just thought it was funny how he wound up Nibs and Quintana...

Categories