Giro d'Italia Stage 6 – Sassano - Montecassino 247 May 15th, km **Unmasked Spoilers**

dastardly00

Stage 6 – Thursday May 15th, Sassano - Montecassino 247km (**)

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Weather - Sassano: Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High around 16C. Winds NW at 15 to 30 kph. Montecassino: Generally sunny despite a few afternoon clouds. High 21C. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 kph.

Stage Betting: Diego Ulissi 3/1; Michael Matthews 6/1; Cadel Evans 7/1; Edvald Boassen Hagen 11/1.


Live TV coverage on Eurosport1 from 1.30pm. Highlights on Sky Sports 3 at 10.30pm and Eurosport1 at midnight.

Live text ticker here.

MPFG

They have added another 10km to the stage due to road damage

Beautiful part of the world ....made poignant by the world war 2 battle

Imagine GC guys will be going for stage win tomorrow

(this stage would have suited Dan Martin IMO)...hope for a little surprise

Bukman13

I reckon Ulissi will get another win here. Matthews impressed me today, and if he wasn't forced to close that gap he may have challenged for the win, so he should be in the mix again.

Unlikely we will see any splits affecting the GC. It will be interesting to see who controls the peloton up the final climb. Lampre should try and make it as hard as possible, to tire Matthews out for the sprint.

Dermot Illogical

I cycled up Montecassino last year. It's a lovely climb and I'm looking forward to seeing these guys monstering it.

Darkglasses

Hope to see Saxoff-Tinko absolutely bombing down the road to Montecassino, to try to create some splits. Weaker teams like Lampre could potentially be caught out in a split.

MPFG

Darkglasses wrote: »

Hope to see Saxoff-Tinko absolutely bombing down the road to Montecassino, to try to create some splits. Weaker teams like Lampre could potentially be caught out in a split.

I like your style but don't think Lampre wt Ulissi, Niemiec & Cunego are necessarily the weaker team

antogz1979

I don't think Ulissi will win tomorrow, the finish won't suit as it flattens out at the end. My money is on Evans and Boasson Hagen.

Darkglasses

MPFG wrote: »

I like your style but don't think Lampre wt Ulissi, Niemiec & Cunego are necessarily the weaker team

For years now they've struck me as a disorganized bunch, and those three guys aren't really the engine you need to tear up a peloton going down a long, flat, straight road. They're individually talented but I don't believe they can do a train like Tinkoff, OPQS, Katusha or Movistar.

Bukman13

Darkglasses wrote: »

Hope to see Saxoff-Tinko absolutely bombing down the road to Montecassino, to try to create some splits. Weaker teams like Lampre could potentially be caught out in a split.

I would love to see something like this, just to mix it up a bit, its a long stage so if it is ridden hard from early on it will suit the bigger riders like Roche or Cadel.

MPFG wrote: »

I like your style but don't think Lampre wt Ulissi, Niemiec & Cunego are necessarily the weaker team

Agree, I don't necessarily think they are weak. The thing is Niemiec is their GC guy so he will not be used to chase any attacks on the final climb.

With Matthews in the leaders jersey, Orica may be in for a tough day, 250Kms on the front won't be easy, especially if they want the stage win.

I would like to see them "bluff it", that they aren't interested in the stage win, and force Lampre or someone else to work on the front to close the break down before the climb. It would give Matthews some extra support on the final climb and also tire Lampre's domestiques earlier.

dastardly00

Given the profile of the final climb, I think the tempo will have to be immense for any of the GC guys to get into trouble. Ulissi has a great chance to win two stages in a row. Also, Team Katusha should be able to make a better go of trying to set up Purito for the win. All in all, I think we'll see a similar finish to Stage 5.

MPFG

Maybe Danny Moreno will get to ride for himself and win it ???

Purito didn't have his usual giz today

Bukman13

MPFG wrote: »

Maybe Danny Moreno will get to ride for himself and win it ???

Purito didn't have his usual giz today

Yea, it was Roche's attack that cooked Moreno. Paolini had just pulled off and Purito was left at the front before Moreno reacted, it was well timed attack in that sense, there easily could have been a lull in the action that allowed Roche to get a gap. But the fact Katusha seemed set on winning bonus seconds and a strong headwind made it look like a poor attack.

The fact Purito faded so badly is a good sign from a Roche perspective, of the main GC guys only him and Roche rode into that headwind. Roche's attack was a early on, and he managed to hang onto the group. I don't think anyone came around him in the final 200 meters.

happytramp

Roche should watch Evans today. If he bides his time, doesn't attack and follows Evan's sprint he should get a top 5 today.

rckfld

I have a strong feeling about Evans today, looked strong yesterday may want to stamp his mark today, protect tomorrow before Saturday!

Bukman13

rckfld wrote: »

I have a strong feeling about Evans today, looked strong yesterday may want to stamp his mark today, protect tomorrow before Saturday!

Good shout on Evans, I think he should be up there. But the last thing BMC want is for Matthews to drop. Evans won't turn down the bonus seconds but I don't think they'll fancy having to defend the jersey so early on.

Bukman13

Sky helping Orica-GreenEDGE with the chase, which means they think EBH has a good chance today. Finish isn't hard to to make a selection going by that info.

MPFG

happytramp wrote: »

Roche should watch Evans today. If he bides his time, doesn't attack and follows Evan's sprint he should get a top 5 today.

I sent Nico a tweet this morning and said the exact same thing

Great minds and all that ....not that he will pay a blind bit of notice to me

Said in his diary that the DS told to attack at 1km,,,,,if he had waited he could have had a top 3 and the bonus points which as Cadel knows are very important

Love Kelly just said Nico should have pulled out his ear piece

Tinkoff Saxo have just said Majka is riding for pink today

rckfld

Brilliant from Sean Kelly about the ear piece had a laugh at that myself!

Bukman13

MPFG wrote: »

Tinkoff Saxo have just said Majka is riding for pink today

Link?

MPFG

Bukman13 wrote: »

Link?

Look at there twitter feed .....confused as Majka said he will wait to win stage in final week to Danish TV today

Darkglasses

Roads are shocking wherever they are now. Pothole country

Bukman13

MPFG wrote: »

Look at there twitter feed .....confused as Majka said he will wait to win stage in final week to Danish TV today

"DS Bruno and Lars discuss strategies before stage 6 of #giro. Majka 26 sec away from #pinkjersey #getready"

Ah right I wouldn't read too much into that. I thought you meant that they came out today and said "Rafa is riding for pink" in a general sense.

As you said Majka knows this stage isn't for him. "I feel good today. The climb today is not for me so I wait for the final week to win a stage"

MPFG

Do you think Bjarne Riis is there

happytramp

All the crappy weather in Italy is kind of excusing the crappy weather over here.

MPFG

I don't like these long stages in Grand Tour ....don't make good racing

Prefer shorter stages as riders more likely to go for it

Bukman13

MPFG wrote: »

Do you think Bjarne Riis is there

I would imagine he is there in some capacity. Not sure though.

DDC1990

6'34 the gap with under 60 km to go.

Breakaway looks like it has a decent chance to stay out.

Bukman13

DDC1990 wrote: »

6'34 the gap with under 60 km to go.

Breakaway looks like it has a decent chance to stay out.

Such a long stage though, I reckon the peloton will be able to close it down pretty quickly, last 8Km's uphill too, so they will need a large gap to stay away to the end more than 2mins at least.

MPFG

Chipo and Aye-tal-in bikes

MPFG

Speaking of which.....wonder how there is room enough in the photo for the 2 egos

Bukman13

Trek have been on the front for quite some time now too, I wonder who they are in for today? Arredondo? Surely its too hard for Nizzolo?

MPFG

Bukman13 wrote: »

Trek have been on the front for quite some time now too, I wonder who they are in for today? Arredondo? Surely its too hard for Nizzolo?

Arredondo

Bukman13

Pozzovivo is always hanging around the back, he almost got caught out yesterday doing the same, dangerous game.

MPFG

Maybe Stefano Pirazzi today ?

Evans, Ullisi, Uran & EBH, J-Rod, Moreno

Darkglasses

Break is caught, now the race can actually start just as the rain starts falling.

BMC and OPQS are pushing hard on the front, 11 km to go.

Darkglasses

Oooooh sh!t, dramatic crash. Riders all over the road

blobbie

A couple of bad looking injuries

Pudsy33

That wasn't Nico on the deck was it?

Nah don't think so

blobbie

Caruso in a heap - does't look good at all

Dcully

Suddenly the racing means little at a time like this.

Darkglasses

Pudsy33 wrote: »

That wasn't Nico on the deck was it?

Nah don't think so

Don't think so either. Not in the lead group though I think.

Bukman13

Pudsy33 wrote: »

That wasn't Nico on the deck was it?

Nah don't think so

Roche is in the 2nd group I think.

DDC1990

Awful Awful crash.

Caruso isn't moving at all

Pudsy33

That big group need to catch up or a lot of the favorites are in a bit of trouble

Bukman13

Pudsy33 wrote: »

That big group need to catch up or a lot of the favorites are in a bit of trouble

Only Evans of the main GC guys made the 1st group by the looks of things.

Darkglasses

Pudsy33 wrote: »

That big group need to catch up or a lot of the favorites are in a bit of trouble

Gap is growing, Cadel and Matthews going to capitalize.

godtabh

sounds serious

Dcully

Evans habbit of staying near the front could help him big-time here

happytramp

Huge attack from BMC when they heard about the crash. Scumbags. Wiggins waited for Evans when he punctured in the 2012 tour.

Pudsy33

Bukman13 wrote: »

Only Evans of the main GC guys made the 1st group by the looks of things.

Aye but you wouldn't want to give away 40secs plus bonuses to someone like him.

Darkglasses

happytramp wrote: »

Huge attack from BMC when they heard about the crash. Scumbags. Wiggins waited for Evans when he punctured in the 2012 tour.

No, they were pressing on before the crash, you can see in the order of my posts. I think it's acceptable to keep going at the pace you were at before the crash, bad form if you attack when the crash happens.