Giro d'Italia Stage 9 – May 12th, Sansepolcro - Firenze 170km, **Unmasked Spoilers**

dastardly00

It's the last stage before the rest day, but it could be a tough day for GC contenders, particularly Wiggo. There are a good few climbs and the weather is shocking again!!
There are 4 climbs today. First, there is a Cat. 2 climb, the Passo della Consum, at 81.8km. Next up is Vallombrosa, at 106.7km, followed by the Cat. 3 Montetrini and the Cat. 4 Pian di Mugnone. The Cat. 1 climb Vallombrosa starts at 97.7km and is 8.95km long. The gradient starts out at a gentle 2.6%, hits a stretch of 12% and then finishes up with 7.3%. Montetrini may be Cat. 3 and is only 4km in length, but it has an average gradient of 9.1%, and a maximum of 12%.
As for who might win the stage, well Giovanni Visconti is from this area, and he has the KOM jersey, so he'll be in the breakaway. Danilo Di Luca will surely go on the attack again.
Interestingly, today's stage is similar to the route for the 2013 World Championship Road Race.





GC after Stage 8:
1. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana 29:46:57
2. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC @29"
3. Robert Gesink (Ned) Blanco @1'15"
4. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky @1'16"
5. Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre-Merida @1'24"

Live TV coverage on Eurosport1 from 1.30pm. Highlights on Sky Sports 4 at 7pm and 12.30am.
Live ticker here.

MPFG

Thanks Dastardly00 .....I thought everyone had gone on holidays !

Dermot Illogical

Another wet day.

Beasty

Dermot Illogical wrote: »

Another wet day.

Good - don't see why we should keep it all to ourselves ...

Dermot Illogical

Beasty wrote: »

Good - don't see why we should keep it all to ourselves ...

Once it's gone from there by the time I get over later in the year I don't mind. They can have as much as they like at the moment

Zyzz

"Lets be honest I descended like a little girl the day before..



..no disrespect to girls..



..I have one at home"

Good man Wiggo :pac:

MPFG

When he is 'charming Bradley' ...there is no one more charming and wonderful to listen to than Wiggo......glad he still has his sense of humour...its not that I want him not to win...its more like i don't want it to be a fait accompli...(or with Nibali either )

Inquitus

Wiggins in trouble on the descents again, Sky in rescue mode.

retalivity

bloody hell...what is he up to?

IM0

retalivity wrote: »

bloody hell...what is he up to?

decending like a little girl again

luapenak

IM0 wrote: »

decending like a little girl again

It doesn't even look like they're pushing on that much, considering how big the gap to the break remains.

Esroh

David Walsh just tweeted Henao and Uran told not to wait for Wiggo

Inquitus

all back together

Inquitus

Inquitus wrote: »

all back together

Or not, fail by RAI

luapenak

Inquitus wrote: »

all back together

No they are not, still almost 30sec

IM0

Inquitus wrote: »

all back together

Inquitus

Wiggins was ahead for a moment there, fail gps and graphics! I think he's still about 20 secs down.

Dermot Illogical

RAI seem to have lost Wiggins.

unichall

Back on......





.....for now!

Inquitus

Its amazing that with helicopters, GPS and motorcycles aplenty you can have no clue wtf is going on in this race at times!

IM0

Inquitus wrote: »

Its amazing that with helicopters, GPS and motorcycles aplenty you can have no clue wtf is going on in this race at times!

in fairness its a miracle we get pictures in weather like this tbh

Dermot Illogical

Inquitus wrote: »

Its amazing that with helicopters, GPS and motorcycles aplenty you can have no clue wtf is going on in this race at times!

And that a pro cameraman can go out on a rainy day with nothing to wipe the lens with.

MPFG

Time for Henao to attack ???

dastardly00

Inquitus wrote: »

Its amazing that with helicopters, GPS and motorcycles aplenty you can have no clue wtf is going on in this race at times!

That's kinda all part of it.... the confusion, the unknown, the uncertainty .... all adds to it!

dastardly00

So who from Sky is in the lead peloton? Henao and Uran, and now Wiggins?

IM0

dastardly00 wrote: »

So who from Sky is in the lead peloton? Henao and Uran, and now Wiggins?

yeah they re alll there

for the moment till the next descent..

MPFG

dastardly00 wrote: »

That's kinda all part of it.... the confusion, the unknown, the uncertainty .... all adds to it!

Like before the use of radios and power meters ?

Dermot Illogical

He's out the back again!

Inquitus

Dermot Illogical wrote: »

He's out the back again!

Or is he?

Inquitus

3 Sky in the Nibali group, Wiggins stays in touch. Will astana, bmc and garmin regret not burying a half dead Wiggins today?*

* If he doesnt lose buckets on the final descent

dastardly00

MPFG wrote: »

Like before the use of radios and power meters ?

Radios are grand but power metres should be banned.

Inquitus

Ryder gone

DDC1990

Ryder dropping out the back.

Seemed to zone out.

IM0

dastardly00 wrote: »

Radios are grand but power metres should be banned.

they are already

retalivity

lol,,,did betancur think he won???

IM0

ha think betancor thinks he won it!

Dermot Illogical

Wiggins did very well to hang on in the end.

wpd

Why is Wiggo no longer able to ride down a rainy descent with the rest of the bunch

Is it possible his really target is the tour again and he is only using the Giro for training and afraid of breaking bones and miss the TdeF??

Inquitus

wpd wrote: »

Why is Wiggo no longer able to ride down a rainy descent with the rest of the bunch

Is it possible his really target is the tour again and he is only using the Giro for training and afraid of breaking bones and miss the TdeF??

The thought crossed my mind.

Brian?

wpd wrote: »

Why is Wiggo no longer able to ride down a rainy descent with the rest of the bunch

Is it possible his really target is the tour again and he is only using the Giro for training and afraid of breaking bones and miss the TdeF??

When was Wiggins able to descend well in the wet?

petethedrummer

Evans still looking good, he's going to win this quietly.

dastardly00

Pieter Weening had a really bad day in the saddle today..... He's gone from 10th overall @2'50" after the ITT to 38th place @10'29".

dastardly00

Also, Ryder could really have done with some help from Christian Vande Velde and Peter Stetina today. Both are good climbers, but the two of them arrived at the finish in the grupetto.