Giro 2019 Pre Race Chat 'n Stuff

mididoctors

Edwards triggers my inner cyclist snob.

m.r.m.

Blazing Saddles wrote:

M.R.M. wrote:

My point isn't that there are better riders riding this time. It's that the race ought to be more suspenseful and fun to watch simply because the big hitters are missing! Quite unlike the Froome or Contador or Armstrong days when you're quite sure who will win when they ride. I'm really not sure among the big 4 favourites this Giro.

Froome most certainly didn't make last year's Giro less suspenseful, despite his his presence, last year.
Neither did Sky spend three weeks on the front controlling things, either.
Despite the Israel debacle, last year's race was, in most people's eyes, a much more exciting race than the previous year.
Last year's race will be remembered for multiple reasons, but especially the Colle delle Finestre attack.
Meanwhile back at the 2017 edition and it's probably one thing: Toiletgate.

Sure last year. What about the Contador wins in the Giro? Or, Froome's Tour wins when looking at all GT's. Those seemed mostly inevitable. Still enjoyable, but inevitable. Would you not put your money on Froome if he were riding this Giro as his sole goal this year?
As it stands I think 4 riders have pretty much an equal shot at winning this race. Can't think of a GT in recent years where that was the case.

m.r.m.

Rick Chasey wrote:

Blazing Saddles wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

Something not mentioned anywhere else, although it's fairly old news is that Eurosport have replaced Jonathan Edwards with Orla Chennouai as lead presenter for the GTs, with Bradley Wiggins alongside as the main pundit

I'm ashamed to say that I had to look her up, as I don't go in much for the pseudo expert journo chat.
'Tis the way things are these days: all men's sports must sport a female link, interviewer or, the one I struggle with, 'expert pundit'.
Not much going in the other direction however, which is a great pity, as I think John Inverdale might be more suited to fronting the netball analysis.

She knows more than we do.

That is really rare among cycling podcasters. Says more about them than us sadly. :roll:

blazing_saddles

Eurosport's on demand replay of just the team presentation in Bologna, last night.

https://www.pscp.tv/w/1ypKdveogQYJW

dabber

I always have an affection for the Giro as we made and ran their first website....must have been around 1992(ish) from memory. We had someone email in the results at the end of each day so they could be published as quickly as possible.
All very crude when you look at it from today's perspective but quite a new thing back then.

inseine

M.R.M. wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Blazing Saddles wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

Something not mentioned anywhere else, although it's fairly old news is that Eurosport have replaced Jonathan Edwards with Orla Chennouai as lead presenter for the GTs, with Bradley Wiggins alongside as the main pundit

I'm ashamed to say that I had to look her up, as I don't go in much for the pseudo expert journo chat.
'Tis the way things are these days: all men's sports must sport a female link, interviewer or, the one I struggle with, 'expert pundit'.
Not much going in the other direction however, which is a great pity, as I think John Inverdale might be more suited to fronting the netball analysis.

She knows more than we do.

That is really rare among cycling podcasters. Says more about them than us sadly. :roll:

I think she comes across very well on the cycling podcast, which is more than many more knowledge riders and brings out good stuff in rider interviews. I listened to Danni Rowe the other day and although she was a great rider I didn't find she had much to offer in race analysis. It's a tough gig.

lucan2

Any live feeds available for the Giro this year?

blazing_saddles

So, Bahrain are taking the Sky Jag thing to a ridiculous new level.



Still, Nibali can now look cool, if not comfortable, when he abandons....

blazing_saddles

Lucan2 wrote:

Any live feeds available for the Giro this year?

Try watching S4C on the BBC iPlayer. They have live coverage this year.

ridgerider

They are nice looking (eco-destroying) cars!

rick_chasey

Anyone hear Bruyneel suggesting Dumoulin is *not* happy at Sunweb, especially around team selection over which he has no say?

blazing_saddles

Rick Chasey wrote:

Anyone hear Bruyneel suggesting Dumoulin is *not* happy at Sunweb, especially around team selection over which he has no say?

He's got just about every available climber supporting him, so who can he be unhappy about not having?
I can't see any Dutch mate who would be a lot of use, so S Kragh?

ridgerider

I still don't understand why ten Dam left him for CCC, especially in sporting terms.

ridgerider

And kelderman keeps falling off his bike, which doesn't help either...

ddraver

His decision is between staying at "Team Holland" or going to a big budget team that builds an international team around him...

I think he's probably happier at Sunweb, but we can't pretend that it might limit his opportunities a little...

blazing_saddles

ddraver wrote:

His decision is between staying at "Team Holland" or going to a big budget team that builds an international team around him...

I think he's probably happier at Sunweb, but we can't pretend that it might limit his opportunities a little...

Not in terms of this Giro, surely?
Nobody has a super strong team.

ddraver

Imagine Tommy with a Sky/USPS style team now...

RichN95.

I hope the media manage to uncover a second fact about Roglic or it’ll be a long three weeks.

rick_chasey

Blazing Saddles wrote:

ddraver wrote:

His decision is between staying at "Team Holland" or going to a big budget team that builds an international team around him...

I think he's probably happier at Sunweb, but we can't pretend that it might limit his opportunities a little...

Not in terms of this Giro, surely?
Nobody has a super strong team.

Astana looks pretty good

ocdupalais

Landa’s a funny one. I keep thinking he’s on the verge of something major; a world class climber who on his day can put everyone into trouble... then he goes all fragile. Bit like Porte. And Bardet. And Pinot.
But then, as Kittel has shown: a natural gift is one thing - being able to capitalise on it in professional cycling, is another.

inseine

OCDuPalais wrote:

Landa’s a funny one. I keep thinking he’s on the verge of something major; a world class climber who on his day can put everyone into trouble... then he goes all fragile. Bit like Porte. And Bardet. And Pinot.
But then, as Kittel has shown: a natural gift is one thing - being able to capitalise on it in professional cycling, is another.

But all these team changes, and he’s off again apparently, maybe show he’s missing something that he thinks the team can offer but really it’s him.

inseine

RichN95 wrote:

I hope the media manage to uncover a second fact about Roglic or it’ll be a long three weeks.

Well we can still talk about Adam Hansen’s home made shoes

Pross

OCDuPalais wrote:

Landa’s a funny one. I keep thinking he’s on the verge of something major; a world class climber who on his day can put everyone into trouble... then he goes all fragile. Bit like Porte. And Bardet. And Pinot.
But then, as Kittel has shown: a natural gift is one thing - being able to capitalise on it in professional cycling, is another.

It seems a common theme among ex-Sky riders. They move on to get their own gig and then realise it was the strength and organisation in that team plus the luxury of not being the main man that enabled them to get the results.

knedlicky

RichN95 wrote:

I hope the media manage to uncover a second fact about Roglic or it’ll be a long three weeks.

I'm guessing you mean something other than he was once a skijumper, a junior champion at that? And broke his nose on the jump which ended his skijumping career (though the more serious injury then was the severe concussion he suffered)?

So what about (I hope for your sake that the media are reading this too):

- that he never owned a bike until he was 21, so as from when recovering from his skijump crash? His first bike was a mountain bike with horns which he bought off a neighbour for 100-200 € and with it he entered a local mountain time trial (on asphalt), wearing a FDJ shirt which he bought specially for the race, together with the required helmet.
- that he then tried duathlons? As he didn't pursue that sport, presumably he turned out not to be a runner.
- that when he applied to join the Slovenian team Adria Mobil, in his interview he was honest enough to admit he'd only ridden about 3000 kms in all his life (although he did mention his other sport activities)? This 3000 figure was his total for a couple of years before being taken on - it should give many of us hope!
- that joining a team fairly late in years meant he never rode/was able to ride a U-23 race?
- that his girlfriend (if she still is) is called Lora Klinc and once when he dislocated his shoulder during a race crash, it was she who shoved it back into place, rather than a race doctor or physiotherapist? She followed advice down a phone line from a doctor Roglic knew and called about his dilemma.
- that Lora sometimes, at Roglic's wish, isn't at the finish, rather at some vital point beforehand where he hopes to attack and might want a new bottle?

m.r.m.

Blazing Saddles wrote:

So, Bahrain are taking the Sky Jag thing to a ridiculous new level.



Still, Nibali can now look cool, if not comfortable, when he abandons....

Just imagine Nibali's sticky bottle now! Lo squalo becomes il razza.

m.r.m.

RichN95 wrote:

I hope the media manage to uncover a second fact about Roglic or it’ll be a long three weeks.

I think he was a ski jumper, but I can't be sure!