Giro d'Italia Stage 16 - Pinzolo - Aprica **contains unmasked spoilers*

dastardly00

Stage 16 - Pinzolo - Aprica (174km) - The Queen Stage

So, Contador may have the GC wrapped up .....
But today is the Queen stage of the 2015 Giro, so let's enjoy the 4,500 metres of climbing and 5 categorised climbs

A detailed preview of the stage can be found here.

Live TV coverage on Eurosport1 from 1.30pm.

godtabh

I'd struggle to get over that in a car!

ZiabR

godtabh wrote: »

I'd struggle to get over that in a car!

My exact thoughts... I am wincing in pain just looking at that stage...

ThisRegard

So will we see the full Astana team drag Aru right to the end with an isolated Contador toying with them ?

Inquitus

Shame the race isn't much of a race by the time this came round.

Sandwell

Yeah, it's a shame that Astana don't have a rider capable of really challenging Contador. Nibali's presence would have made things much more interesting.

Brian?

I'll be watching today's stage wearing my Castelli Mortirolo jacket and a pink baseball hat I bought in Belfast last year.

I dare any of you to judge me!

MPFG

I wonder if putting all the hard stages in the final week is a good idea

And today is so hard that it might be too daunting and riders may not ride it all out

Just some thoughts from the side line

pelevin

I was going to say, apart from a successful breakaway, it's between Contador, Landa & the motorhome but it sounds like the gradients are too steep for the motorhome even without the weight of anybody in it. Landa has with the exception of the ITT maybe been along with Contador the most impressive rider in the race, besides his stage win for instance driving along the little group of Aru, Contador & Porte to gain time on the likes of Uran what seems a very long time ago.

pelevin

Noticed last night Reichenbach was imo at oddly low odds of 25/1 for the stage . . . whatever's happened he's abandoned already today. Hesjedal who's put in huge brave efforts all Giro for little tangible rewards is in the break today.

MPFG

LOve if Ryder won stage as he is such a fighter and never gives up

Darkglasses

Was it my imagination or did I read that Betancur was in the break earlier?

dastardly00

Darkglasses wrote: »

Was it my imagination or did I read that Betancur was in the break earlier?

I think he attacked near the summit of the first climb.
But he's in the peloton now.

ThisRegard

Just realising they do Aprica twice, the mountain they're currently climbing ?

Someone just getting their jacket wrapped around their mech.

pelevin

Hesjedal gone on his own with 80 kms or so left. Maybe he's lost his marbles. Not be surprised if he says in interview afterwards, "I'm Eddy Merckx. I can do whatever I want."

ThisRegard

LOL. There's not a chance he'll last is there.

el tel

Contador will win, by a huuuge, explosive margin. He could go conservative and just maintain his GC lead, but he'll do an Armstrong and smash it simply to demonstrate his super-human superiority and to send out the signal "beef or no beef, I am the man, don't even bother turning up to Le Tour". He'll attack on the Mortirolo, will mop up any breakaways and will win by so much, 30-40% of the peleton will be outside the time limit.

retalivity

stuck 57 of my hard-earned cents on Geniez each way at 150/1 and hes not even listed in the poll!!

ThisRegard

Peleton split all over the place on the descent. Aru has 43 seconds on Contador.

edit, in the less than 2 minutes since I posted that it went up to 1:05, dropping like a stone again.

dastardly00

retalivity wrote: »

stuck 57 of my hard-earned cents on Geniez each way at 150/1 and hes not even listed in the poll!!

I didn't add Geniez to the poll due to his poor descending skills he exhibited last week!

pelevin

Seems very iffy to me seeing as looked like twas a mechanical that caused the Contador gap to open up. And looks like it's a pretty serious situation to have to remedy.

ThisRegard

Puncture apparently. Just one team mate left and he's running himself into the road.

retalivity

dastardly00 wrote: »

I didn't add Geniez to the poll due to his poor descending skills he exhibited last week!

Good thing the finish is uphill so!
If contador cant get back in the aru group. id expect to see an astana winner of the stage

REBELSAFC

This is getting interesting!

godtabh

Did Aru attack when Contador had a mechanical?

ThisRegard

godtabh wrote: »

Did Aru attack when Contador had a mechanical?

Not really. The peleton split and it took them a while I thought to make hay before they put the effort in. I think he was in the second or third group after the descent.

REBELSAFC

Landa looks immense

godtabh

The chase by Contador is unreal!

oconnpad

savage by contador, catching aru that quick

godtabh

Aru has gone bang

Brian?

Fecking time gaps. Thought Contador was losing time right up coming around a bend to see Aru!

He's a beast. An absolute beast.

Darkglasses

Aru doesn't really deserve anything better than a distant second. Contador is phenomenal

godtabh

crap. I know seem to be watching tennis!

pelevin

Aru has been a millstone for Landa most of this race really, even when Aru was still going well.

retalivity

I FCUKING HATE WORKING DURINGS GTs WITH NO ACCESS TO TV/STREAMS!!!!

ThisRegard

REBELSAFC wrote: »

Landa looks immense

He's off after Contador, his leash is off.

xxyyzz

He's only gone and fecking attacked

Darkglasses

retalivity wrote: »

I FCUKING HATE WORKING DURINGS GTs WITH NO ACCESS TO TV/STREAMS!!!!

Darkglasses

Such a long way to go to the top of the Mortirolo yet, feckin hell.

xxyyzz

Is the sound cutting on anyone else's stream?

pelevin

xxyyzz wrote: »

Is the sound cutting on anyone else's stream?

Is hiccupping a bit on mine all right but no big deal.

manwithaplan

I really shouldn't be looking at this thread as I'm planning to watch the highlights later but I can't resist. Keep it coming folks.

pelevin

Best 3 riders of the race imo now out on their own.

REBELSAFC

Aru going backwards

Darkglasses

A minute to Aru!? That was quick

retalivity

Darkglasses wrote: »

Twitter is blocked too!

wanderer 22

Darkglasses wrote: »

Such a long way to go to the top of the Mortirolo yet, feckin hell.

Let me know if they beat my time of 90 minutes :pac:

lennymc

sounds savage! Cant wait for the highlights tonight

Eamonnator

Aru is cooked.

godtabh

What speed would they be going up at?

godtabh

https://twitter.com/richardmoore73/status/603192961132851200