Giro d'Italia: Stage 17 (stage specific no spoilers req'd)

ednwireland

Stage Seventeen - Wednesday 23 May

Falzes-Cortina d’Ampezzo

187 kilometres, high mountain stage

Morrisseeee

You'd imagine Basso is looking at this stage and going "oh fcuk!" :pac:

Passo Duran looks nasty:



but not as nasty as the Passo Giau:



Last 4km:

manwithaplan

The Passo Giau looks so evil that the long downhill run to the finish mightn't make much difference (except for the likes of Pozzavivo who can't descend to save his life*).

*Possibly poor choice of words!

manafana

yes tommorow should kill off a view, it will be a very select group at the top of final climb, and either someone digs in alot to get line clear or we see 5or6 go the line together.

It will be hard for any one good on downhill to catch people in front unless they got dropped on final km of the climb, otherwise likely wont catch anyone, especially as energy is likely be sapped at this stage.

tell you one things the boards evil 200 sounds alright compared to todays stage.

Morrisseeee

Cav's tweet:

The stage profile for tomorrow. Oh ****.

Hopefully we'll some some attacking/racing today, and early, not most of the favs waiting until the last few km's of the last climb !

Chips Lovell

Morrisseeee wrote: »

You'd imagine Basso is looking at this stage and going "oh fcuk!" :pac:

I don't know. Basso can climb very well. He just doesn't do changes of pace well. They need to attack him and with the other favourites, it'll play on their minds that maybe their's is the attack that won't stick. With more mountains to come, there may be some conservatism there.

Also Basso has a strong team and expect them to be controlling the pace. Smyzd in particular can ride hard on the front for ages, which makes it hard to attack. I saw a few guys being interviewed, including Rodriguez, after some of the earlier stages saying that Liguigas were making the race very hard when they wanted to.

Rovi

Don't forget that today's stage goes live on Eurosport at 12:30!

Early 'long lunch' today

manafana

almost 4hours of cycling not overkill with the climbs on offer today and the great weather lots to be discussed to, i could listen to the sweet whisperings of Kelly all day.

Hard day in break in these conditions, great see rabottini out of pack again.

Darkglasses

Starting to look like the Boards Evil200km out there...They suspect Kreuziger and Hesjedal might not make it

EDIT: Kreuziger just gone

Hermy

Harmon making a balls of it as usual!

Darkglasses

Liquigas and Lampre both have a rider dropped, great viewing now!

Darkglasses

Passo giaou claiming more and more victims!

Hermy

Didi makes an appearance.

Hermy

Nice stuff from Hejedal

manafana

i can hesjedal doing well or uran on this finish downhill then slight up.

dastardly00

Basso must have thought for a few seconds that it was his lucky day and he was going to win a sprint! :pac:

Morrisseeee

Fair play to Basso, he ascended & descended well today and almost won the stage, he's surely fav for the overall now.

Lusk Doyle

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Fair play to Basso, he ascended & descended well today and almost won the stage, he's surely fav for the overall now.

No way! He won't get that time back. He just doesn't have the killer kick needed to destroy the others that went with him today.

RJM85

Lusk Doyle wrote: »

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Fair play to Basso, he ascended & descended well today and almost won the stage, he's surely fav for the overall now.

No way! He won't get that time back. He just doesn't have the killer kick needed to destroy the others that went with him today.

If things stay as they are Ryder has to be the favourite. He'll make 30 seconds in the ITT.

happytramp

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Fair play to Basso, he ascended & descended well today and almost won the stage, he's surely fav for the overall now.

This. It's possible neither Basso nor Pozzovivo bothered putting the hammer down because of the 17k decent/straight at the end. Reckon Friday and Saturday are much more suited to the pure climbers. In fact I think Pozzovivo's attacks will help Basso win. He'll probably be able to follow them whereas I'm not sure Hesjedal will. Anything's possible though.

drogdub

I think Smydz mechanical will be a blessing in disguise, he could save energy today, and really set Basso up on Friday and Saturday.

I thought Scarponi was going to start crying at one stage.

Sammo13

Scarponi did well to get back in it, still much to play for and very hard to predict, Ryder is doing great, but I wonder how he'll do on the 2 summit finishes, Stelvio will be brutal.. Basso looks stronger then Scarponi.. J Rod has yet to see out a 3 week tour strong.... Great finish in store, beats contador being 5 mins ahead..