Giro d'Italia Stage 2 – May 10th, Belfast - Belfast 219km, **Unmasked Spoilers**

dastardly00

Stage 2 – Saturday May 10th, Belfast - Belfast 219km (**)

It's the first proper stage of the race, and all the sprinters will be aiming for victory. There are too many teams in the race that are purely based around their sprinters for a breakaway to survive.
If the weather was dry, it'd be very hard to look past Marcel Kittel of the Giant-Shimano team for the win. He is definitely the best pure sprinter in the 2014 Giro. However, if the streets of Belfast are wet, then it becomes a bit of a lottery. I still think Kittel will take the honours. Hopefully we won't see any nasty crashes.

Map:



Profile:



Last kilometres:



Weather: Periods of rain. A few rumbles of thunder possible late. High near 13C. Winds SW at 15 to 25 kph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near 6mm.

Betting odds: Marcel Kittel 4/5; Nacer Bouhanni 6/1; Elia Viviani 7/1; Michael Matthews 16/1.

Live TV coverage on Eurosport1 from 1.30pm and on BBC2 from 2pm. Highlights on Sky Sports 3 at 8pm and Eurosport1 at 11pm.

Live text ticker here.

MPFG

After yesterdays stage

“The real trick was that the wind was never coming from one way, always blustering, it made for a difficult time, a dangerous parcours on narrow roads,” said pink jersey Svein Tuft, who led Orica across the line on his 37th birthday. “You can never overlap the wheels out there, as you saw with Garmin. One mistake and you pay. We do drill to be ready for that.”
Read more at http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/05/giro-ditalia/rodriguez-garmin-duo-bleed-time-giro-opening-team-time-trial_327040#XGuM7JK7vzLgupAb.99

Also I am wondering abit about the two captains for Tinkoff Saxo...Polish fans are not too happy on social media as believe Majka should be sole captain...but if he was that ahead of Roche surely Riis would have made him sole captain...his interiew for Polish Eurosport would suggest he feels he is...saying the team rode well for him ...praising Rodgers & Pawel Poljanski ,,,,,,,

Darkglasses

Think I'll be watching this from my home today, and maybe just go out for the finish. Don't think I have the energy to go up to the paddock again, I'm shattered


Svein Tuft's bike

The tax man

Up in Ballymena atm. People already getting their spots on the corners.
Oh and here comes the rain.....yay.

Lumen

Which street is it finishing on?

The tax man

Finishing in Donegall Square in Belfast.

Darkglasses

Lumen wrote: »

Which street is it finishing on?

Donegall Square North, in front of Belfast City Hall.

Morrisseeee

We'll hardly have a fairytale Irish victory, but you never know, a crash (vis wind/rain) could stir things up.
Mathews @ 16/1 is worth a nibble.

Darkglasses

Maarten Tjallingii (BEL), Matteo Fedi (NRI), Sander Armee (LTB) and Jeffrey Romero (COL) have made a breakaway.

ayapatrick

Will this be live on tv?

martin.mcevoy

ayapatrick wrote: »

Will this be live on tv?

1.30pm on Eurosport and 2pm on BBC2

Darkglasses

ayapatrick wrote: »

Will this be live on tv?

Yes, Eurosport from 13.30

TheBlaaMan

Darkglasses wrote: »

Yes, Eurosport from 13.30

After yesterdays faffing around by the BBC - showing kids on trampolines etc etc while the race was ongoing - I'll be sticking to Eurosport today, thanks very much.

funkey_monkey

raining heavily on the coast at the minute. It might stop by the time they get here, but roads will still be wet.

funkey_monkey

Anywhere online to get live progress updates until Eurosport kicks in?

MPFG

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Anywhere online to get live progress updates until Eurosport kicks in?

http://www.cyclingfans.com/giro-d-italia/live

Darkglasses

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Anywhere online to get live progress updates until Eurosport kicks in?

http://live.cyclingnews.com/

detones

Really Looking forward to seeing this today. Did the route last Sunday on the Big Italian Bike Ride ( boast boast ). I hope the weather does clear later, the first half is not that spectacular and just on national roads however the second half is beautiful along the Antrim Coast. Would look great on the aerial shots. The climb after Ballycastle should be a natural point for teams to attack and form a breakaway. The run in to belfast is pan flat and should be a super quick finish.

funkey_monkey

detones wrote: »

The climb after Ballycastle should be a natural point for teams to attack and form a breakaway. The run in to belfast is pan flat and should be a super quick finish.

Unfortunately as Eurosport coverage starts at 13:30 they will be past there by that time

retalivity

I cant recommend the cyclingnews tourrracker app enough...had the updates buolt into it, as well as a live map showing where everyone is on the road

funkey_monkey

retalivity wrote: »

I cant recommend the cyclingnews tourrracker app enough...had the updates buolt into it, as well as a live map showing where everyone is on the road

can you get this online on their site?

funkey_monkey

Just checked again, they are apparently 60km in so will be somewhere around Ballymoney at present, so hopefully we will see them coming up the pull out of Ballycastle over Loughareema and round the coast.

Rain has eased on coast too.

retalivity

funkey_monkey wrote: »

can you get this online on their site?

dont think they have the live map on the site anywhere

Bukman13

MPFG wrote: »

After yesterdays stage




Also I am wondering abit about the two captains for Tinkoff Saxo...Polish fans are not too happy on social media as believe Majka should be sole captain...but if he was that ahead of Roche surely Riis would have made him sole captain...his interiew for Polish Eurosport would suggest he feels he is...saying the team rode well for him ...praising Rodgers & Pawel Poljanski ,,,,,,,

I do think that Majka will end up being the sole captain, he seems to be going a better than Roche at the moment, Roche still has another week or so to get his form up before the first real test so he still has a chance to be competitive.

There is no point in Tinkoff coming out and saying Majka is the sole leader, 1) it gives them an extra card to play, if Roche is not on form they can bluff and let Majka attack. Like Uran/Wiggins last year. 2) The fact it starts in Ireland means its a great marketing opportunity to include Roche in all the pre-race favourite presentations etc.

EB_2013

retalivity wrote: »

I cant recommend the cyclingnews tourrracker app enough...had the updates buolt into it, as well as a live map showing where everyone is on the road

Cheers, just downloaded now. Love the map feature, should come I'm handy tomorrow when waiting for the riders to pass.

Dr. Bre

whats the actual latest on the road?

Bukman13

Dr. Bre wrote: »

whats the actual latest on the road?

Maarten Tjallingii (Belkin), Jeffry Romero (Colombia), Sander Armee (Lotto), Andrea Fedi (Neri Sottoli)

5:05 ahead of the Pelotón

Edit: Wet, slippery roads + nervous peloton = a couple of crashes already. Caruso (Katusha) stayed down for a long time but is back up now.

Dr. Bre

found it here http://live.cyclingnews.com/

MPFG

Bukman13 wrote: »

I do think that Majka will end up being the sole captain, he seems to be going a better than Roche at the moment, Roche still has another week or so to get his form up before the first real test so he still has a chance to be competitive.

There is no point in Tinkoff coming out and saying Majka is the sole leader, 1) it gives them an extra card to play, if Roche is not on form they can bluff and let Majka attack. Like Uran/Wiggins last year. 2) The fact it starts in Ireland means its a great marketing opportunity to include Roche in all the pre-race favourite presentations etc.

I don't think you can read much into Tour of Romandie as that was after a very hard altitude training camp....Also as Dan Martin says he get his ass whipped in training camps but it is a very different story in the race

Bukman13

MPFG wrote: »

I don't think you can read much into Tour of Romandie as that was after a very hard altitude training camp....Also as Dan Martin says he get his ass whipped in training camps but it is a very different story in the race

Oh I know, Uran and Basso etc were pretty poor at TdR too, but Roche had early season knee problems and hasn't really shown any form yet, he may come good week 2 or 3, but Majka seems to be the better of them at the moment, so I can understand polish fans being upset.

Look at the Vuelta last year, Roman, Majka, and Roche all went into it as joint leaders, and once the strongest was established they became the leader. I can see the same happening here.

ednwireland

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Anywhere online to get live progress updates until Eurosport kicks in?

im in the titanic centre using the cycling news android app to keep up to date it's pretty good .live map plus the live feed

happytramp

That pink horse was gas.

ccmp

In carnlough after watching start in Belfast. Great atmosphere .all the way up the coast.out lug All locals out in force.

Bukman13

ccmp wrote: »

In carnlough after watching start in Belfast. Great atmosphere .all the way up the coast.out lug All locals out in force.

Is there much wind?

Darkglasses

Live coverage has just started a few minutes ago on Eurosport. Absolutely pelting down on the peloton, but still dry here in Belfast.

postitnote

Hmm, adverts every 7 seconds on Eurosport or patchy coverage on BBC showing anything but cycling. I'm genuinely torn!

Waitsian

Darkglasses wrote: »

Live coverage has just started a few minutes ago on Eurosport. Absolutely pelting down on the peloton, but still dry here in Belfast.

It's an atrocious day but the helicopter shots look great, really showing off the countryside. I know people abroad who are watching this for the scenery shots alone; they've no interest in cycling!

Darkglasses

postitnote wrote: »

Hmm, adverts every 7 seconds on Eurosport or patchy coverage on BBC showing anything but cycling. I'm genuinely torn!

Definitely stick with Eurosport, at least you know they'll stop running ads when the important racing begins. You never know what BBC will do at the business end of the race.

ThisRegard

The guys out changing their winter gloves and stuff. Sure it's only a soft day in May.

Edit, diving gloves! HTFU lads.

MPFG

mod9maple wrote: »

It's an atrocious day but the helicopter shots look great, really showing off the countryside. I know people abroad who are watching this for the scenery shots alone; they've no interest in cycling!

Look beautiful...pity bout the rain ...but still lovely

happytramp

Honestly I'm more excited about the scenery than the stage. The rain doesn't effect the dramatic nature of the landscape at all. Still looks great. (Can't wait to see Kittel take the stage though....... he'll probably balls it up )

Dr. Bre

cant rely on the weather here disappointing

ThisRegard

That barrier looks to be in a stupid place there, not tapered at all, just plonked there.

Pudsy33

Has the break been caught?

ThisRegard

Pudsy33 wrote: »

Has the break been caught?

Just over 5 minutes ahead I think.

A_Sober_Paddy

Can anyone recommend a good app that will allow me track the race, an android app of course cheers

Pudsy33

A_Sober_Paddy wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a good app that will allow me track the race, an android app of course cheers

Cyclingnews tour tracker, can't recommend it enough. Live time splits, maps, text commentary and everything.

Daroxtar

Pudsy33 wrote: »

Has the break been caught?

4:31 ahead

Captain Havoc

cock, I'm only wearing a t shirt and I feel a couple of drops of rain, I hope that rain on the telly doesn't come to Belfast.

68 lost souls

4min 25 between them now.

Darkglasses

North coast does look great on the telly