Giro 2021:- Stage 6: Grotte di Frasassi – Ascoli Piceno (S.Giacomo) 160 km **Spoilers**

mididoctors

RichN95. said:

Some more details about the Serry car crash. It seems that new rules forbid riders from returning rainwear to the team car. But they can hand it to the commissaire's car. At the time of the crash the commissaire was hand the jacket back car to car and the driver was presumably looking at that.

What's the reason given for that rule?

pblakeney

mididoctors said:

gsk82 said:

Does Simon Yates have a history of struggling in cold/wet weather?

I am not convinced that lead group has the final contenders for the podium

I reckon you could go down to Lopez before discounting anyone.

RichN95.

mididoctors said:

RichN95. said:

Some more details about the Serry car crash. It seems that new rules forbid riders from returning rainwear to the team car. But they can hand it to the commissaire's car. At the time of the crash the commissaire was hand the jacket back car to car and the driver was presumably looking at that.

What's the reason given for that rule?

I'm not a commissaire. I do on the other hand work in car insurance so I can confirm that Bike Exchange was at fault

RichN95.

mididoctors said:

gsk82 said:

Does Simon Yates have a history of struggling in cold/wet weather?

I am not convinced that lead group has the final contenders for the podium

Agree as well. There's not a Cat 1 climb until stage 14 (Zoncolan) after that there are 10 in the last six stages. The penultimate stage is suitable for a Froome style H-bomb. At least one rider in contention will lose ten minutes there.

And as gsk82 says the cold and wet will play a part in future health

Lanterne_Rogue

RichN95. said:

mididoctors said:

RichN95. said:

Some more details about the Serry car crash. It seems that new rules forbid riders from returning rainwear to the team car. But they can hand it to the commissaire's car. At the time of the crash the commissaire was hand the jacket back car to car and the driver was presumably looking at that.

What's the reason given for that rule?

I'm not a commissaire. I do on the other hand work in car insurance so I can confirm that Bike Exchange was at fault

As someone who works for a claimant firm (admittedly as an Excel monkey), I don't think most people will realise quite how open and shut you're suggesting this case is...

ocdupalais

The elephant in the room is that this doesn't happen more often (or is filmed more often) - and that something really really bad hasn't happened in the 100 years that this has been a way of servicing the needs of the riders. I've been a racer, a team car driver, a race commissar car driver... and a punter - and it's always been a source of wonderment that there aren't more incidents like this. Especially with those fabulous vids inside the team cars of famous racing moments - driver and passenger punching the roof and cuddling... whilst still moving...
I'd imagine the UCI, RCS and particularly ASO will be anxious to play things down - If this way of working gets pulled apart now, they'll be fooked for the rest of the season.

ocdupalais

Any driver who claims they can be in full concentration on the road ahead of themselves - with not even a moment's lapse - for 4-6 hours, is a liar.

Lanterne_Rogue

ocdupalais said:

The elephant in the room is that this doesn't happen more often (or is filmed more often) - and that something really really bad hasn't happened in the 100 years that this has been a way of servicing the needs of the riders.

Mostly everyone's looking out for each other. Nobody sets out to hit a rider, and riders generally try not to place themselves where they're likely to be hit, but it happens - hence all the rules about which side of the road you stop by, which side you move up on etc. The Hoogerland one sticks in the mind, and wasn't someone hit last year by a car suddenly moving in and stopping (or rather, went into the back of it?)

The point from Dan Lloyd - how badly does somebody need the rain jacket back right now - is a good one though. Transferring it on the final climb, with riders starting to drift backwards, showed a startling lack of imagination.

Edit - not to mention Alaphillippe hitting the moto...

mididoctors

RichN95. said:

mididoctors said:

RichN95. said:

Some more details about the Serry car crash. It seems that new rules forbid riders from returning rainwear to the team car. But they can hand it to the commissaire's car. At the time of the crash the commissaire was hand the jacket back car to car and the driver was presumably looking at that.

What's the reason given for that rule?

I'm not a commissaire. I do on the other hand work in car insurance so I can confirm that Bike Exchange was at fault

No the UCI riders can't pass back rule .

andyp

mididoctors said:

andyp said:

Mitchelton's DS Gene Bates kicked off the race for driving into DQS' Pieter Serry today. The team are fined €2k too.

They losing the car or just the driver?

Just the DS. Relegated to last place in the convoy for today's stage.

larkim

I was just impressed how during his bike was; they didn't do a bike swap in the end did they?

kingstongraham

Ganna dropped his rain jacket at the feet of the Cofidis guy giving out drinks at the bottom of the final climb with a nod of "can you do the necessary?", so I guess they leave them with anyone other than a team car.

blazing_saddles

mididoctors said:

gsk82 said:

Does Simon Yates have a history of struggling in cold/wet weather?

I am not convinced that lead group has the final contenders for the podium

RichN95. said:

Agree as well. There's not a Cat 1 climb until stage 14 (Zoncolan) after that there are 10 in the last six stages. The penultimate stage is suitable for a Froome style H-bomb. At least one rider in contention will lose ten minutes there.

And as gsk82 says the cold and wet will play a part in future health

Interesting, we have gone from stage 4: "nobody from behind can win, " to stage 6 and "nobody in front can win."

Here's me thinking both observations are wrong.
Come the third week and some will rise and some will fall. It is the nature of the Grand Tours.

gsk82

blazing_saddles said:

mididoctors said:

gsk82 said:

Does Simon Yates have a history of struggling in cold/wet weather?

I am not convinced that lead group has the final contenders for the podium

RichN95. said:

Agree as well. There's not a Cat 1 climb until stage 14 (Zoncolan) after that there are 10 in the last six stages. The penultimate stage is suitable for a Froome style H-bomb. At least one rider in contention will lose ten minutes there.

And as gsk82 says the cold and wet will play a part in future health

Interesting, we have gone from stage 4: "nobody from behind can win, " to stage 6 and "nobody in front can win."

Here's me thinking both observations are wrong.
Come the third week and some will rise and some will fall. It is the nature of the Grand Tours.

So someone in the middle will win?

bobmcstuff

Yates has dropped back a bit but perhaps, perhaps, he is keeping his powder dry a bit after the 2018 Giro. I guess we will see in the next mountain stages.

Pross

bobmcstuff said:

Yates has dropped back a bit but perhaps, perhaps, he is keeping his powder dry a bit after the 2018 Giro. I guess we will see in the next mountain stages.

Yes, I was wondering if it is a bit of caution to avoid a repeat of 2018 but then he looked pretty knackered as he crossed the line yesterday, more so than those who had sprinted for the time bonuses.

commuterlegs

I'm thinking he's possibly a bit ill and just looking to survive in the hope that he can gain back time when he feels better later in the race. If he can stay within a couple of minutes then that last week can change everything.

photonic69

ocdupalais said:

Any driver who claims they can be in full concentration on the road ahead of themselves - with not even a moment's lapse - for 4-6 hours, is a liar.

Just like this?!!

https://twitter.com/i/status/1392757705299877888

bobmcstuff

Must happen all the time that - long convoy, close driving, high speeds, unpredictable stops (crashes in the peloton etc.)

blazing_saddles

Didn't one of the team cars crash during the Giro or Vuelta (can't recall which) recon of the opening TT, last season?

m.r.m.

It's a bike race. Find a way to do it entirely without cars.