Giro 2018: Stage 2 HAIFA - TEL AVIV 5 May 2018/Saturday/167 km *Spoilers*

blazing_saddles
blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
edited May 2018 in Pro race
Stage 2
HAIFA - TEL AVIV 5 May 2018/Saturday/167 km


The stage is essentially flat, with a single and short categorised climb mid-course, with gradients exceeding 10%, in Zikron Ya’aqov. The route travels a long stretch on the motorway, on a wide roadway, and then enters the city along broad avenues, heading for the finish. Final kilometres: after leaving the motorway, the route runs on wide city avenues interspersed with 90-degree bends. The main obstacles along the course are the ones typically found in urban areas, such as roundabouts, traffic islands and sometimes speed bumps. The home straight (600 m) is on 8-m wide asphalt road.

Profile:-
G18_T02_TelAviv_alt_jpg.jpg

Map:-
G18_T02_Tel-Aviv_plan_jpg.jpg

Climb:-
G18_T02_S01_Zikron_alt_jpg.jpg

Finish:-
G18_T02_TelAviv_ukm_jpg.jpg
G18_T02_TelAviv_ARR_jpg.jpg

HAIFA

Haifa is the third largest city in Israel, an important commercial and passenger harbour and an active centre for Hi-tech industry. Haifa is built in a bay that forms a natural port and, laying at the foot of Mount Carmel, has expanded and reached the top of the hill, at an altitude of about 200 m, in its recent development.

99a53928e7fe430cdbcd664c41ee8876-haifa.jpg?sharp=10&vib=20&w=1200

TEL AVIV

Tel Aviv, located along the Mediterrenian coastline, is the centre of the largest and most populated metropolitan area in Israel, called Gush Dan (Dan’s Block). It is the main economic centre in Israel and a bustling city with its pleasure-seeking and entertainment flair, that celebrated its first century only in 2009.

Tel-Aviv-Beach.gif
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
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Comments

  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    Mostly cross headwind, with a tailwind for the final km.
    So, that equals a long zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz sound followed but a large crashing sound.
    Yorkshire beckons.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,823
    Is the claxon manned? Or is there no chance of echelons?
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    Possible, but unlikely. If only the breeze was a few points further West.

    Campenaerts clearly wants pink, but BMC are not letting him into the break.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    told to wait for local rider is my take
    "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: 18,912
    ridiculous...Israeli academy rider cant bridge despite everyone going piano
    "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
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    ridiculous...Israeli academy rider cant bridge despite everyone going piano

    Now we know why Niv has zero CQ points. :wink:
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    can someone on a moto just tow a israeli academy rider up while the cameras cut to the scenery... this is embarrassing.
    "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: 18,912
    bit of a shambles.
    "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: 18,912
    that was painful
    "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
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,823
    Hatch was in commentary the hot seat when I was watching the coverage before. Are they doing there full-day rotating shift pattern they did for the Tour?
  • yorkshireraw
    yorkshireraw Posts: 1,632
    Nice of the organisers to do their bit to ease ME tensions by providing a course that wouldn't look out of place in Dubai,Qatar or Abu Dhabi i.e. long, flat, dull along a motorway.

    At least there's a bit of a crowd and some trees.

    Really can't see how this is a good showcase for Israel, which is presumably the point of spending €10m
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,108
    wrong race !
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • Korhag
    Korhag Posts: 77
    Sketchy with all those fools running up the hill!
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    Israelis imitate Californians on the climb, where Bardiani took the Cima Pirazzi. :P
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,029
    Very strung out at the moment. 2km to the intermediate sprint.
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,029
    Dennis takes the sprint and 3 bonus seconds after a lead out of several kms
  • awavey
    awavey Posts: 2,368
    Nice of the organisers to do their bit to ease ME tensions by providing a course that wouldn't look out of place in Dubai,Qatar or Abu Dhabi i.e. long, flat, dull along a motorway.

    At least there's a bit of a crowd and some trees.

    Really can't see how this is a good showcase for Israel, which is presumably the point of spending €10m

    it will get better, from what I remember when I visited there are chunks of featureless motorways that link the main very modern looking towns/cities places, then interspersed with twisty turn roads and suddenly you find yourself in some setting thats goes back to antiquity, it gets quite weird like that for instance when they get to Tel Aviv looks like a modern city, but then they should point out Jaffa was the setting for the greek mythology of Andromeda/Perseus. They passed Megiddo earlier, which in the bible is called Armageddon, and the daggers of megiddo where what they used in the film the Omen.

    so maybe its just more of a theological/historical showcase with some chunks of niceish scenery. you could argue the bits that are really the best vistas, might not be the bits you want to ride a bike race through
  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    Screen_Shot_05_05_18_at_02_48_PM_2.png
  • yorkshireraw
    yorkshireraw Posts: 1,632
    awavey wrote:
    Nice of the organisers to do their bit to ease ME tensions by providing a course that wouldn't look out of place in Dubai,Qatar or Abu Dhabi i.e. long, flat, dull along a motorway.

    At least there's a bit of a crowd and some trees.

    Really can't see how this is a good showcase for Israel, which is presumably the point of spending €10m

    it will get better, from what I remember when I visited there are chunks of featureless motorways that link the main very modern looking towns/cities places, then interspersed with twisty turn roads and suddenly you find yourself in some setting thats goes back to antiquity, it gets quite weird like that for instance when they get to Tel Aviv looks like a modern city, but then they should point out Jaffa was the setting for the greek mythology of Andromeda/Perseus. They passed Megiddo earlier, which in the bible is called Armageddon, and the daggers of megiddo where what they used in the film the Omen.

    so maybe its just more of a theological/historical showcase with some chunks of niceish scenery. you could argue the bits that are really the best vistas, might not be the bits you want to ride a bike race through

    fair enough - shows the flaws in showing stages like this in full though.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    anything can happen in a stage including a bit of stage-managed host start garbage...so showing the entire stage is ok with me. (goes back to watching Yorkshire )
    "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
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,029
    Can't help thinking I'm watching the wrong race this afternoon.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    TheBigBean wrote:
    Can't help thinking I'm watching the wrong race this afternoon.

    Yorkshire The Giro d'Israel
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,029
    2.2km to go. All together.
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,029
    And someone attacks. Action!
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,029
    Viviani wins. Commentators overly excited by his previous position.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    not exactly the greatest Giro stage of all time.
    "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
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    not exactly the greatest Giro stage of all time.

    This.
    At least there wasn't a big crash taking out any of the GC boys.....
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,499
    anything can happen in a stage including a bit of stage-managed host start garbage...so showing the entire stage is ok with me. (goes back to watching Yorkshire )
    So, a rider promoting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv gets to go on a long break away in the Giro while in Turkey? Please excuse my cynicism.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    PBlakeney wrote:
    anything can happen in a stage including a bit of stage-managed host start garbage...so showing the entire stage is ok with me. (goes back to watching Yorkshire )
    So, a rider promoting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv gets to go on a long break away in the Giro while in Turkey? Please excuse my cynicism.

    I rest my case
    "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
  • mamil314
    mamil314 Posts: 1,103
    That bad, huh. During a tea stop at Destination Bike i got to stare in disbelief at Guy trying to bridge to a couple in front who kept flicking elbows at each other and picking noses in general.