The Giro

Chips Lovell

The Giro d’Italia starts tomorrow and I’m wondering if anyone is planning on watching it and if they want to tip a winner.

I think it's wide open this year and it’s hard to pin down a likely winner. You’d have to look at Di Luca of course, given that he’s the defending champion. Then again, he was out with his doping suspension, is now riding for a much smaller team and isn’t being invited to the big races. Any time I have seen him race this year though he’s showed well, but I think this year’s course may be just a bit too mountainous for him. I said that about him last year as well though.

The course is perfect for Simoni though, but he’s getting on a bit now and you have to wonder whether he’s got one more Giro in him. Then you’ve got his understudy from last year Riccardo Ricco who’s certainly got the chops to win it sometime soon, but judging by the temper tantrums we saw earlier this year he mightn’t have matured enough just yet.

The last minute inclusion of the Astana boys is certainly going to put the cat amongst the pigeons. Kloeden’s their man on form after winning the Tour of Romandie. It’s a perfect race for Contador, but he mightn’t be able to ride himself into form in time. Then again, he’s a man with a point to prove this year.

titan18

I think it'll be one of the Astana boys to win it.Kloden is a threat in the time trials as well as the mountains so I'll pick him to win it.

Ricco would be a good shout as he has Piepoli riding for him but I dont think he'll be able to keep with Kloden,Contador and a few others in the big mountains.

Simoni is too old to beat the younger guys I think and doesnt have a great side around him.

Di Luca has a good chance again,and although hes witha a small team,Savoldelli is with that team aswell,so having a rider of that calibre to help you is a big benefit.

Of the others,Nibali and Menchov to challenge but are not strong enough in the end.

Karpets,Soler and Rujano to battle it out for the mountains jersey and Zabel and Cavendish to battle it out for the sprinters jersey.

My main fear for the Giro is that Astana will dominate with Leipheimer,Kloden and Contador having good placings and one of the last 2 to win it.I can see Colom,Ignatiev and Gusev all either winning a stage or battling it out for one.

Beached

Keep an eye on Philip Deignan from Donegel riding for AG2R. He had some great results last year on the mountains in the vuelta, but eurosport never picked up on it.
Dunno what sort of form he is in currently. Pity Nicholas Roche couldnt enter this yeat Credit Agricole were not invited.
I see Andres Kloden is the favourite to win, followed by Contador. Its a long while since a non italian won. Personally i'd love to see Dennis Menchov do well. He worked like a dog in last years Tour de France for Rasmussen. I cant imagine what he felt like when he realised all his hard work was for nothing.
Its a wide open race

Chips Lovell

Not sure how serious Menchov is about it. I heard he was building up to the Tour.

Looking forward to seeing Rujano again. Hopefully he's back to his best. He had a weird few years.

Karpets never struck me as a KOM contender. Think the links of Rujano and co would skin him alive on some of those climbs.

Chips Lovell

Speaking of Irish lads, did anyone see Nicolas Roche in the Rund um den Henninger-Turm last week. Looks like he's going really well at the moment. Got into the winning break with some serious players like Kroon, Rebellin and Wegmann and grabbed sixth.

TinyExplosions

Not really knowledgeable about the riders, but I think Contador could do well -Astana have a lot to prove, and this would be the perfect stage, but they've not had the longest time to prepare....

Planet X

D. Cunego again.

zzzzzzzz

I reckon cuntador will do alright but kloden is obviously on the good gear at the moment - i reckon he'll take the overall.

zzzzzzzz

el tonto wrote: »

Speaking of Irish lads, did anyone see Nicolas Roche in the Rund um den Henninger-Turm last week. Looks like he's going really well at the moment. Got into the winning break with some serious players like Kroon, Rebellin and Wegmann and grabbed sixth.

Saw that - hopefully he'll be selected for his first tour this year!

Chips Lovell

Planet X wrote: »

D. Cunego again.

He's not riding. Doing the Tour this year instead.

sy

Contador and Astana out to prove a point. Kloden will do well in the time trials. Di Luca will hold the pink until the last week when they hit the big climbs..... His team is no match for Astana. Contador to win

Funkyzeit

Well I hope Di Luca wins as I've thrown a few quid on him... I felt only him and Simoni were the good value bets.

Planet X

el tonto wrote: »

He's not riding. Doing the Tour this year instead.

Jasus, I'm slipping badly here.........again!
:eek::eek:

Beached

One week down and very little sorted in the Giro, except for the climbers green jersey, Sella seems to be going all out for it. LPR are the stand out team so far, Di Luca is well positioned at the moment in 4th. Very little seen from Astana in the first week, but Kloden and Contador were towards the front in yesterdays first hilly stage. At the moment it looks like Di Luca and Ricco seem to be in the best form. How long will contador last, considering the late call up for the race.
Phillip Deignan is staying out of the limelight, avoiding all the crashes so far, but 49th is a great position and i still expect something out of him in one of the mountain stages. Currently its like AG2R were not even in the race. I guess not every team can be like Tinkoff , and getting someone in every breakaway.
I felt soooo sorry for David Millar, he looked so strong in the final K's of the stage when his chain snapped, very unlucky. Anyway roll on the mountain stages and let the real action begin

Beached

Can anyone tell me whe Team LPR are registered as an Irish cycling team. The eurosport text commentary refer to them as an Irish Italian team.
What is the reason there???

zzzzzzzz

Beached wrote: »

Can anyone tell me whe Team LPR are registered as an Irish cycling team. The eurosport text commentary refer to them as an Irish Italian team.
What is the reason there???

That's a strange one alright...

apparently CERAMICA FLAMINIA BOSSINI DOCCE and CSF GROUP NAVIGARE are also Irish teams..

http://www.ucieuropetour.com/templates/UCI/UCI2/layout.asp?MenuId=MjA2Nw

titan18

On their webpage,which is in italian,they give a contact address and number for a place in Bray.

CSF have one in Wicklow aswell

Ceramica... have one in Rathgar

Maybe its for tax reasons

Pherekydes

Did anyone see the end of Saturday's stage? There was a lone breakaway (Hansen) over 30 secs up inside the last 10k, but the peloton caught him about 3k from the end. The poor fecker finished 2 minutes down on the stage winner. 2 minutes! :eek:

titan18

he probably just gave up,i would anyway,why would u bother,he looked recked aswell

niceonetom

has anyone else noticed that sean kelly uses the word 'certainly' in every single sentence?

Beached

Certainley,
It is very noticable the way he uses the word,
but the man knows so much about cycling, I think it was stage 3. and Sean picked the spanish rider Rodriguez to have a go in the last 2K's.
And sure enough, Rodriguez has a go. Then David Harmon gets exicted and says they there is no way Rodriguez will get caught. Kelly isn't sure though, and Rodriguez gets caught.
The man is an absolute legend

TinyExplosions

I just love his thick culchie accent on British TV

justfortherecor

They pass through the Gavia this year on Stage 20. Any chance we'll see a repeat of these classic scenes?!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5wPEymv-oQ

fish-head

TinyExplosions wrote: »

I just love his thick culchie accent on British TV

I wonder if people actually have trouble understanding him.. I love the way he pronounced 'Italians'. 'Eye-tallons'!

Pherekydes

niceonetom wrote: »

has anyone else noticed that sean kelly uses the word 'certainly' in every single sentence?

He also uses classement instead of classification and bonifications instead of bonuses. It's gas listening to him.

Hermy

Slow coach wrote: »

He also uses classement instead of classification and bonifications instead of bonuses. It's gas listening to him.

Sean is refering to the French when he uses the terms Classement and Bonification. I always enjoy Sean's informed comments and I desperately miss the wonderful David Duffield. David Harmon, on the other hand, has the innate ability to spoil even the most thrilling race with his inability to identify riders.

By the way justfortherecord that's some awesome footage from the '88 Giro!!!

WicklowRacer

I think Kelly brings something unique to cycling commentry - his depth and breath of knowledge is unsurpassed and the deadpan small farmer delivery is a welcome antidote to the usual blandness and vapidity of TV sports commentry everywhere. Add in the fact that he is the hardest Irishman ever to turn a pair of cranks...

bunnygreen

Kellys just a legend,his knowledge is huge and according to a couple of the riders on An Post team hes very shrewd about the running of a team,its great to hear his big Tipp accent,sucking in air between sentences on Eurosport,i rode behind him at the Kelly Challenge thinking f*** im behind Sean Kellys wheel,then the pace increased a little and i wasnt there for long.
If he was French he would be feted for the great great cyclist he really is.In Belgium hes like a king anyway everyone knows who he is.

bunnygreen

Whats going on with Robbie McKewan,he really looks out of sorts,not featuring in the sprints at all.Did anyone see the shennanigans between Mark Cavendish and another rider at the end of yesterdays finish,lots of finger pointing and shoulders at dawn.That bunch sprint is no place for the faint hearted.

Raam

bunnygreen wrote: »

Did anyone see the shennanigans between Mark Cavendish and another rider at the end of yesterdays finish,lots of finger pointing and shoulders at dawn.That bunch sprint is no place for the faint hearted.

The stage winner gave some other lad in a green kit (not his own team) a dig afterwards, but the camera panned away so I didn't see the aftermath. I wonder was that the same guy Cavendish was shouting at?

bunnygreen

Thats right himself and Bettini were patting each other on the backs,the other guy comes up besides and bang the pushing starts,those italians what.

Decuc500

I must say it's nice to actually read a thread about the sport of cycling in the cycling sport forum for once!

Philip Deignan seems to be going along nicely in the Giro. I'm impressed. Hopefully he can really show in a mountain stage.

I reckon we've got three good young pros in Deignan, Nicholas Roche and Daniel Martin.

Beached

Anyone know what happened to Phillip Deignan yesterday. He finished in the last bunch 21 min back from the stage winner.. Is it just the long week of racing catching up on him??
I didnt see much of the stage. Just poor picture quality due to the weather and what seemed like a lot of crashes.

Chips Lovell

It's probably that. He's still quite a young rider and is really only making his comeback this year.

Yesterday's stage looked vicious. The relentless attacks from the Di Luca and Ricco would have left a lot of guys shattered. Still not entirely sure what they're up to. I think both may feel that the Astana boys form isn't there yet and they're trying to rattle them early on before they peak. Not working so far. Contador's TT the other day was scarily good. It's almost unbelievable how such a slight guy can put out so much power.

Raam

Baliani was a bit unlucky last night hitting that one cobblestone that happened to be sticking up.

TinyExplosions

Raam wrote: »

Baliani was a bit unlucky last night hitting that one cobblestone that happened to be sticking up.

Yeah, that was heart breaking for him alright, the poor guy.

Contador's TT was a thing of beauty, and I still think he can pull off a win

Chips Lovell

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Contador's TT was a thing of beauty, and I still think he can pull off a win

I'm waiting for Simoni to call him an extraterrestrial

bunnygreen

Baliani was unlucky for sure,but Bertolini was like a bull,the agression in his riding,fantastic,his face said i will not be beaten,he did most of the work and timed his finish brilliantly,lets hear it for the old boys

sy

Here here!

Funkyzeit

Just watched today's stage. Cav is looking better and better and it's a scary thought to think he's only 23 and already consistantly beating some of the top sprinters

Funkyzeit

And Sella is unreal...after yesterdays win he attacked after 10k with 5 climbs to go....and he's just attacked again on the final climb....unreal....

Beached

Sella is fantastic to watch at the moment,
i thought he was gonna go all out for the mountain points jersey and be nowhere to be seen towards the finsh of a stage. Yesterday the chasing pack didnt even eat into his lead. Outstanding cycling.
And somehow Contador is in pink, without doing anything of note yet.
today will tell a lot in the TT

Chips Lovell

Contador's in pink because of the time he put into everyone else at the first ITT. He's not as strong a rider as he was in the Tour last year, but he's been able to limit is losses well against the other favourites. Yesterday was their chance to really break him and no one could. He's vulernable, but its hard to see him losing a ton of time today, or on the final TT.

EDIT: By the way, what's really interesting about today's TT is that the last section of road is unpaved. I'd be curious to see who copes best with it. Simoni's been racing mountain bikes for the past few years as well, so it might hand him a bit of an advantage.

toombah

Just looked at the profile for todays time trial:

http://velonews.com/graphics/maps/giro_2008/giro_profiles/T16_alt.jpg

Pretty sick.

Beached

Good Time Trial by Deignan today. Finished 30th, 3 and a half min behind the winner

Planet X

Wow.

On the 12.85k TT up to the Plan De Corones today, apparently, Ricco and probably a few others, but Ricco anyway "spun his rear wheel on the gravel a couple of times"
40:56 for 12.85K.........good pics on Cycling News.
:eek::eek::eek:

Planet X

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2008/giro08/giro0816/bettiniphoto_0027751_1_full.jpg

Chips Lovell

Contador said he was using a 34/30 as his lowest gear. A lot of guys looked like they had compacts on today and Bruseghin looked like he was on a triple.

sy

el tonto wrote: »

Contador said he was using a 34/30 as his lowest gear. A lot of guys looked like they had compacts on today and Bruseghin looked like he was on a triple.

Would't we all if we had to ride up a 24% gradient!:eek: Maybe a 30/34 for me!!

bunnygreen

i see the coverage of the bleedin giro has been moved to the evening on eurosport,i was about to settle down with a nice cup of rosey,whats the story?,poxy tennis.

penexpers

Rest day innit?