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Giro d'Italia 2013
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30-04-2013 4:00pm#1
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Preamble
The first Grand Tour of the year, and for some the highlight of the racing year. Il Giro is soaked in the history and legacy of epic battles on the most consistently demanding terrain. But it not just the huge climbs of the Dolomites, Alps and Apennines that define this special race, it is the relentless punchy nature of the Giro that makes it so demanding, with even the nominally flat stages riddled with short, steep climbs or finishes on the narrow roads of hillside towns. Whereas Le Tour with it’s massive caravan uses only the accessible ski stations and open passes of the Alps and Pyrenees in the main (the Massif central is hardly ever used and Puy de Dome was last climbed in 1988), the Giro utilises the countless hills and mountains that run the length of Italy, and they traditionally feature on most days.
The weather is usually a lot less clement than France in July and often plays a big part in the outcome, and when the corsa and elements combine it can produce days of the most epic racing imaginable. The 2010 edition saw the entire GC Top 10 change hands after torrential rain on the road to L’Aquila, and this only four days after a truly memorable stage on the sodden strade bianche. Andy Hampsten’s victory in the 1988 edition was heroically fashioned in a snowstorm on the Gavia Pass, and Merckx announced himself with a famous win at Tre Cimi de Lavaredo in 1968 in rain, snow and freezing conditions. The Tour de France has the spectacle, the chateaux and the fields of sunflowers but when the weather takes command the Giro d’Italia offers days that simply shake the soul.
The cycling press voted the three greatest Giro moments as Coppi's epic escape over five mountain passes on his way to the first ever double in 1949, Pantini's crazed chase on Oropa in 1999 after shipping a chain at the bottom of the climb, and 22 year old Merckx taking six and a half minutes from Gimondi in the snow in 1968.
Giro d’Italia 2013
So what do you give the race that has everything except excessive time trials? The answer this year of course - is excessive time trials. The brutal Giro routes that were a feature of the race directorship under Angelo Zomegnan have been tempered under the stewardship of Michele Acquarone, who is intent on presenting a ‘rounded’ grand tour that appeals to a globalised cycling base. For globalised read Sky - that’s both Team Sky and Sky TV. So this rounded version is even more insipid than last year (Acquarone’s first), with an even less demanding route, and most importantly, laden with TT’s. Time trials have never figured prominently in Italian domestic racing, and with the exception of the Moser years the Giro has never embraced the chronometro to the extent that Le Tour has a means of deciding the final outcome. This year’s edition then makes fundamental changes to the traditions that make this race so great, and sets up a clash of styles and cultures as Acquarone continues in his stated efforts to make the famed Giro/Tour double more achievable. So through powermeters and sanitized routes we may see the likes of Wiggins, Froome or Porte eventually join the names of the legendary double winners - Coppi, Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault, Indurain, Pantani and our own Stephen.
Think about that.
Fortunately, there is still enough of a sting in the corsa to counter some of the advantage that Wiggins will undoubtedly gain in the time trials and Sky will have to work hard contain Nibali and what looks to be a very aggressive Astana team. The tifosi will be as passionate as ever, and there will be attacking racing for sure, but for the race to run really close we may have to rely on some of that unpredictable Giro weather.
The Contenders
Only three can be seriously considered, with all the media hype centering on the rivalry between Wiggins and Nibali. There isn’t any love lost between them and the contrast between the main protagonists and their respective teams is striking. The scientific approach by Sky and Wiggins’ TT diesel pits perfectly against Nibali’s panache and an attacking team moulded by Comrade Vino, and throw in the passionate home support of the tifosi (especially in the South - Nibali is Sicilian) and the stage is set nicely for a showdown. Incidentally, this is what Cath Wiggins said about panache:“All this panache business – they can kiss my arse, these people. Who’s got panache? These people that go on stupid pointless attacks? I don’t like panache.“
However, it would be short-sighted to think that last year’s champion Ryder Hesjedal won’t be in the mix at the finish, as he stands to benefit the most if Sky and Astana go at it full tilt from the off. Most of the other contenders have huge experience but are all approaching the twilight of their careers. Evans, Basso, Samuel Sanchez, Menchov and Scarponi simply have their best days behind them and the best they can hope for is a podium spot. Others like Pozzovivo, Betancur and Pellizotti will climb well but will be blown away in the TT’s, and Gesink has been talked up for far too long now as a big GC chance.
Wiggins
He could have picked the TDF route himself last year and with Acquarone gifting this route to Sky, Wiggins will never have a better chance to win a Giro. Yet there is enough difficulties in the route for to be nothing like the same foregone conclusion that last July’s race was. It looks as if both Porte and Kiryienka are not racing this and I wonder will it leave Sky a bit light on the road, especially as both have done well in the Giro previously and surely outweigh Knees and Pate in experience. Nonetheless, to beat Wiggins his rivals will have to look for at least three minutes on the road so he has a huge advantage going in to this. The shenanigans that he is stirring up over a crack at the double are unnecessary on the eve of this and might prove damaging.
Nibali
Nibali has team backup arguably as strong as Sky and will not want for support along the roads. The clash of styles will whip up the tifosi and Nibali will feed off that. He has intimate knowledge of the route and will seize any opportunity to take time out of Wiggins. Ninali's TT is decent but not in the class of Wiggins, or for that matter Hesjedal, but he left Froome on the road at Tirreno-Adriatico and despatched Wiggins at Trentino so he won’t be intimidated by the Sky train. If he is to win it, he will do so in the Dolomites on the climbs that Giro legends made their reputations. And he knows it. I would have him as a very slight slight favourite to overturn the TT handicap.
Hesjedal
A worthy winner last year who benefitted the most from Liquigas’ strange insistence on pulling the race around Italy for nobody in particular. Hesjedal might get another handy enough armchair ride from Sky this time and he can compete for time bonuses at stage finishes as Rodriguez found out last year. Garmin look to have an experienced, balanced team and if Wiggins or Nibali slip up Hesjedal could take advantage.
I will post stage threads from Friday. As you can see I get a little bit excited about the Giro...:)0 -
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Hard to see Wiggens losing this. The amount of TT KMs on this years Giro was alledgedly put on to attract him to enter. The org committee will get what they asked for. Apparently he has spent most of last few months in Majorca doing agreesive climbing training.
Only chance is if he has a bad day on Galibier but I doubt it.
I'm hoping he wins so that the TDF turns VERY interesting. Imagine Froome and Wiggens eyeballing each other.....with Conti rolling in the grenades.
:D:D 0 -
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Darkglasses wrote: »Well at least he'll get me some assist points on Velogames.
Geddit? Geddit? Ass-cyst?
Get your ultra light waterproof coat and get out! :pac:0 -
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A present from La Gazzetta...
http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2013/download/Garibaldi_2013.pdf
The full 380 page official road book.
:) 0 -
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