Giro Stage 6, Orvieto - Fiuggi (216km)

Inquitus

Rolling stage today, 5km 4.4% climb starts at 10km out before a flat 5km stretch to the finish. One for a breakaway perhaps.

corkchef

robbie McEwen on today...

“This is hardly a flat stage. It says in the book that it is one of the flatter stages, but there is quite a lot of climbing to be done..... I think a group could possibly stay away if there aren’t guys who are dangerous for the GC.”

“I don’t even know if Lampre will ride for Petacchi today because of the mountain stage tomorrow. It really favours a break.”

“I’m honestly not too optimistic about my chances today…there is too much uphill.”



http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/8421/Giro-dItalia-McEwen-expects-break-to-contest-stage-six.aspx

TheBlaaMan

corkchef wrote: »

robbie McEwen on today...

“This is hardly a flat stage. I’m honestly not too optimistic about my chances today…there is too much uphill.”

The profile doesn't look that hilly, but it obviously is.......... None of the sites I use seems to ever show the total vertical meters climbing per stage, anyone know of somewhere that does?

corkchef

TheBlaaMan wrote: »

The profile doesn't look that hilly, but it obviously is.......... None of the sites I use seems to ever show the total vertical meters climbing per stage, anyone know of somewhere that does?

Total vertical climb: ca. 8234 ft

http://www.bikemap.net/route/967003

C3PO

Really annoying when you skive off work, rush home, and Eurosport are still showing the tennis which was supposed to finish at 1pm!

Inquitus

Peleton going to reel in the breakway with 20-30km to go by the looks of it. Good man Popovych for working hard for me today and picking up some Velogames points!

GetWithIt

Now that's how you finish a stage:

Petacchi looked to have that in the bag, but he couldn't turn the pedals in the final metres and let Ventoso in for the win. The Movistar rider gets off his bike, is sick over the tarmac, then falls to the ground. He's shattered! As is the Italian. That must have been a brutal finish.

CianRyan

I wonder what happen at the end, even If you're that wrecked you still push for the last few meters, surely?

Great finish though, really exciting stuff.

furiousox

Very strange, didn't look like a problem with the bike.

CianRyan

I guess something will come out in the next few hours.
Cramp maybe?
Anyone's guess really.

corkchef

furiousox wrote: »

Very strange, didn't look like a problem with the bike.

looked like he wanted to come second

manwithaplan

corkchef wrote: »

looked like he wanted to come second

Quite unusual in an Italian, I've heard.

furiousox

hahaha LOL

kennyb3

Another great stage yesterday, some serious attacking in the last few km. I wonder if they ll be looking into the betting patterns around Pettachi's 2nd - very suspicious looking.

happytramp

kennyb3 wrote: »

I wonder if they ll be looking into the betting patterns around Pettachi's 2nd - very suspicious looking.

Thought that for a second, but if he wanted to come second he wouldn't have bothered to contest it at all! I would expect someone attempting something like that to show a bit of subtlety whereas, he couldn't actually have done any more to make it look as though he was trying to come second.

kennyb3

happytramp wrote: »

Thought that for a second, but if he wanted to come second he wouldn't have bothered to contest it at all! I would expect someone attempting something like that to show a bit of subtlety whereas, he couldn't actually have done any more to make it look as though he was trying to come second.

I thought that myself too, but still even the europsort commentators where a bit mistified trying to explain it even though they were doing their best to come up with something.

manwithaplan

happytramp wrote: »

Thought that for a second, but if he wanted to come second he wouldn't have bothered to contest it at all! I would expect someone attempting something like that to show a bit of subtlety whereas, he couldn't actually have done any more to make it look as though he was trying to come second.

Maybe that's what he wanted you to think.

corkchef

corkchef wrote: »

looked like he wanted to come second

kennyb3 wrote: »

Another great stage yesterday, some serious attacking in the last few km. I wonder if they ll be looking into the betting patterns around Pettachi's 2nd - very suspicious looking.

i didn't want to come out and say it. now it is done.

happytramp wrote: »

Thought that for a second, but if he wanted to come second he wouldn't have bothered to contest it at all! I would expect someone attempting something like that to show a bit of subtlety whereas, he couldn't actually have done any more to make it look as though he was trying to come second.

italians were never subtle about diving in football either. should be interesting. hope someone picks up the ball here and clears the air one way or the other.

it would be a shame that a former doper has found a new way to cheat. be terrible for our sport.

Inquitus

kennyb3 wrote: »

Another great stage yesterday, some serious attacking in the last few km. I wonder if they ll be looking into the betting patterns around Pettachi's 2nd - very suspicious looking.

Cycling isn't big in the traditional dodgy betting countries. You can bet on nearly anything in cricket and football, but spot betting and the like are not from my experience very widespread in cycling.

Top 3 finish markets exist for each stage, and I suppose you could try laying Pettachi in running on betfair or betdaq and make a few quid if he was clear favourite to win the stage as he was yesterday, but looking at todays stage betting only 7k euro is matched at this point, and that's spread across a metric ton of riders. To cut a long story short, I am unsure betting markets exist that offer sufficient risk/reward ratios to make a fix like throwing a sprint and finishing second worthwhile.

corkchef

Inquitus wrote: »

I am unsure betting markets exist that offer sufficient risk/reward ratios to make a fix like throwing a sprint and finishing second worthwhile.

i really hope this is true. good insight. thanks for that!

i just does look darn suspicious:rolleyes:

corkchef

from cycling news

"When I chased Ventoso down, I was hoping that he would slow down, but in the last 30-40 metres, I understood that I wouldn't be able to catch him.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/petacchi-proud-of-second-place-finish-in-fiuggi

looks like maybe he was unaware of how close he was to winning. seems like he thought he was 30 metres out. could he have whited out? no good vision?

kennyb3

Inquitus wrote: »

Cycling isn't big in the traditional dodgy betting countries. You can bet on nearly anything in cricket and football, but spot betting and the like are not from my experience very widespread in cycling.

Top 3 finish markets exist for each stage, and I suppose you could try laying Pettachi in running on betfair or betdaq and make a few quid if he was clear favourite to win the stage as he was yesterday, but looking at todays stage betting only 7k euro is matched at this point, and that's spread across a metric ton of riders. To cut a long story short, I am unsure betting markets exist that offer sufficient risk/reward ratios to make a fix like throwing a sprint and finishing second worthwhile.

You're looking at betfair and betdaq which largely cater for the british isles and ireland markets.

I know betting on the IPL in India (alone) amounts to around 30m so im sure betting on cycling in Italy is big business. Also betting in the asian markets is huge business. There are also the spread firms.

And im not sure he would be doing it for a princely sum. A few carefully placed lays when he goes 1/50 on as he is level in the sprint and you d be in clover.

And as for in the last 30-40m i wouldnt catch him - he was ever so sligthly ahead on the overhead view and had the momentum.

Im not saying he is guilty, just saying it doesnt add up

Inquitus

kennyb3 wrote: »

You're looking at betfair and betdaq which largely cater for the british isles and ireland markets.

I know betting on the IPL in India (alone) amounts to around 30m so im sure betting on cycling in Italy is big business. Also betting in the asian markets is huge business. There are also the spread firms.

And im not sure he would be doing it for a princely sum. A few carefully placed lays when he goes 1/50 on as he is level in the sprint and you d be in clover.

And as for in the last 30-40m i wouldnt catch him - he was ever so sligthly ahead on the overhead view and had the momentum.

Im not saying he is guilty, just saying it doesnt add up

The biggest markets are Asia and India indeed where bookies provide markets open to abuse, but they are areas cycling doesn't feature in. IPL or Soccer there are millions to be made from spot fixing etc.

Cycling may be massive in Europe, but european bookies don't tend to offer the markets that lend themselves best to fixing. I am not ruling it out, it's just I don't think the money or markets exist to make such a thing worthwhile in cycling.

happytramp

Anyhow, after cutting off Cav in stage 2 and now this, he's defo one to watch controversy wise. Not bad for a 37 year old sprinter.