Sunday May 8: stage 3 – Nijmegen to Arnhem 190km

MPFGLB

So here we go again...flat flat stage into Arnhem followed by 2 circuits in the city

Hard to see past Kittel unless there is some mishap...but as this stage travels along the banks of the Rhine the German will have considerable incentive ...not that he needs any




There is a climb at 53 KM to go at Posbank which i 2.2 km at 2.9%, with the final 500m at 7.2%, maxing at 12%


I guess the option could be who will come 2nd ?

So Demare , Viviani, Greipel , Nizzolo or Amador ??

Arnhem always reminds me of Operation Market Garden ...a major setback by the Allies lead by Montgomery during the second world war that had almost 40% casualties. The film A Bridge Too Far depicts the event very well

MPFGLB

And here are the Irish entrants looking relaxed

Inquitus

Likely a repeat of todays stage, yawn, yawn, sprint for a handful of Mountain points, followed by Kittel crushing everyone in the sprint.

pelevin

Funny how quick it's gone from people/the media talking about what a wonderful sprint lineup is in the race . . . to barring mishap the sprints are a total foregone conclusion!

Inquitus

pelevin wrote: »

Funny how quick it's gone from people/the media talking about what a wonderful sprint lineup is in the race . . . to barring mishap the sprints are a total foregone conclusion!

I think the main driver of that was the unknowns around Kittel's form, an unknown that was answered very emphatically today...

pelevin

Inquitus wrote: »

I think the main driver of that was the unknowns around Kittel's form, an unknown that was answered very emphatically today...

True. I suppose if Greipel had his form of last year he might be expected to provide some kind of competition too. Though presumably some of the other sprints coming up will be somewhat less obviously purely about power as today's.

TheBlaaMan

I know that there is limited options when it comes to stages in north Holland and that politics around stage locations are always there, and that they want stages for sprinters but this is a really unimagitive stage to follow on from today's. Was this really the best they can do....? Wind might have made a difference, but that seems very unlikely.

pelevin

Only saw that as a consequence of BlaaMan's post - that first they went Arnhem to Nijmegen, and now they're going back again! How the hell did that get ok'd all the way along the Giro organisational line?

Though actually perhaps it could have been the greatest Giro ever: alternate days of Arnhem to Nijmegen, followed by Nijmegen to Arnhem for 3 weeks.

pajor

TheBlaaMan wrote: »

I know that there is limited options when it comes to stages in north Holland and that politics around stage locations are always there, and that they want stages for sprinters but this is a really unimagitive stage to follow on from today's. Was this really the best they can do....? Wood might have made a difference, but that seems very unlikely.

The start of the Giro was more of a thing between the race organisers and the Province of Gelderland. Gelderland is the biggest of the 12 provinces here but as said above, there's limited options for where the race can go then.

I was surprised they could even squeeze out a Cat 4 climb for both stages. :pac:

dastardly00

https://twitter.com/Laura_Meseguer/status/729229961081430017

Eurosport reporter Laura Meseguer and Didi Senft.
The horny devil! :pac:

MPFGLB

See Ashley House talking about a Bridge too Far as well ...really great film (wonder if he reads Boards.ie)

Very tragic point for Allies ...they dropped thousands of British Airborne into Arnhem and they were gunned down before they touched the ground

Put the war back best part of a year and one consequence was the number of US deaths in the froze Ardennes forests the following winter

(All depicted very well in Band of Brothers btw)

MPFGLB

Peraud down again and its not looking good

That poor man has had so many crashes and some of them very bad crashes

dastardly00

MPFGLB wrote: »

Peraud down again and its not looking good

That poor man has had so many crashes and some of them very bad crashes

Absolutely sickening for JC Peraud. He's now abandoned. And it was his debut in the Giro

AG2R were leading the peloton on a roundabout.
Patrick Gretsch was in front and he lost grip (somehow) and fell.
Peraud was behind Gretsch, and tried to avoid him but he couldn't.
He fell on his face and has some nasty cuts.

MPFGLB

Really sad for Peraud as he now will never get to ride the Giro as retiring at the end of the year

I can only hope he recovers well and rides the Tour and gets a stage or 2 as his farewell

Pudsy33

Poor Pozzovivo is gonna have a lot of alone time in the mountains now

bazermc

Incredible how much more chatty Kelly is with rob hatch than Kirby.

MPFGLB

Echelons Echelons ??????

MPFGLB

Amador in wrong group

Pudsy33

Wow, didn't not expect this today! Amador and Firsanov among those caught out it appears.

MPFGLB

Very narrow road there in the forest

Pudsy33

Lads I'm writing my preview for tomorrow and I'm unsure how it's going to go: sprinters or punchers?

pelevin

I quite like that jersey with 'Willier' prominent on it, Southeast – Venezuela the team from a quick check. Bit retro & colourful without being tacky or lacking in style as so many pro-cycling jerseys tend to be.

MPFGLB

Neither ...there is no stage tomorrow

You are writing Tuesday & Wednesday stages

And I would say there will be strong men in late attacks but cover all bases

Pudsy33

MPFGLB wrote: »

Neither ...there is no stage tomorrow

You are writing Tuesday & Wednesday stages

And I would say there will be strong men in late attacks but cover all bases

Ah yes, I mean Tuesday. Thanks

MPFGLB

Loads of riders down

dastardly00

Two Giant-Alpecin riders crash now.

dastardly00

That was even easier than yesterday for Kittel!

MPFGLB

Easy again for Kittel ...no one anyway near him

Guess the nearest rival to him in the future will be Garvina as in top form others look left behind

dragratchet

MPFGLB wrote: »

Easy again for Kittel ...no one anyway near him

Guess the nearest rival to him in the future will be Garvina as in top form others look left behind

were any other sprinters teams even trying to tee it up for their men? looked like a foregone conclusion from ages out.

pelevin

dragratchet wrote: »

were any other sprinters teams even trying to tee it up for their men? looked like a foregone conclusion from ages out.

There seemed a fair bit of wrestling to get on Kittel's wheel but he's obviously a total different level in that kind of sprint.

dragratchet

pelevin wrote: »

There seemed a fair bit of wrestling to get on Kittel's wheel but he's obviously a total different level in that kind of sprint.

true, so really the logical way of dealing with him to to try and crowd the front and not give him a handy ride to the line like today. didnt seem to be any other teams present trying to set their own man up at the front at all.

MPFGLB

dragratchet wrote: »

true, so really the logical way of dealing with him to to try and crowd the front and not give him a handy ride to the line like today. didnt seem to be any other teams present trying to set their own man up at the front at all.

Has to be Lotto Soudal, FDJ and Trek as other teams are on GC rider protection

dragratchet

surely Orica would deploy a man or two to get Ewan in position too

MPFGLB

dragratchet wrote: »

surely Orica would deploy a man or two to get Ewan in position too

Needs more than one or 2 men though
Nico Roche trying to position Viviani is where SKY are at

MPFGLB

MPFGLB wrote: »

Neither ...there is no stage tomorrow

You are writing Tuesday & Wednesday stages

And I would say there will be strong men in late attacks but cover all bases

I am hoping that Tuesdays stage has the cross winds as evident in that part of the world. However judging by today the team most likely to get caught out are SKY

Wednesday's stage has a an uphill drag with cobble stones ...could be Valverde comes out to play if sprintes dropped

MPFGLB

Paul Kimmage srill having a go at Cycling and laying it at the door of Nicolas Roche

Guess he is not a fan of Nico's diary

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/cycling/paul-kimmage-in-disturbing-times-for-nicolas-roche-and-cycling-has-the-landscape-after-lance-armstrong-really-changed-34694720.html

dastardly00

MPFGLB wrote: »

Paul Kimmage srill having a go at Cycling and laying it at the door of Nicolas Roche

Guess he is not a fan of Nico's diary

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/cycling/paul-kimmage-in-disturbing-times-for-nicolas-roche-and-cycling-has-the-landscape-after-lance-armstrong-really-changed-34694720.html

The article is interesting and asks questions that most journalists are afraid to ask.....

but I don't think mentioning Nico in article title adds anything of worth, other than making Kimmage look like he has a bee in his bonnet with Nico.

dastardly00

Just looking down through the stage classification to see if any GC-ish guys lost time today....

Alexandre Geniez lost 1'37". Nightmare day for him and FDJ.
Igor Anton (Dimension Data) also lost 1'37".
Damiano Cunego lost 6'02".

MPFGLB

Yes especially when Philip Deignan is in SKY also and never gets a word
or any of the other Irish pros

Plus he say Nico isn't the only one to ' have a patent on ****e' .pretty insulting
And Dan di Luca is linked to Roche by cheating his way to a win in Nico' first GT?

iTs a very poor attack on one rider and besmirching them by tenuous association

He as good as says Roche si up to no good cos some in the sport are ??

Let him ask questions but to use an article to whip one rider above others is at the very least unfair

MPFGLB

dastardly00 wrote: »

Just looking down through the stage classification to see if any GC-ish guys lost time today....

Alexandre Geniez lost 1'37". Nightmare day for him and FDJ.
Igor Anton (Dimension Data) also lost 1'37".
Damiano Cunego lost 6'02".

And don't forget Roglic who everyone is raving about as the new everyone..even Brian Canty
He lost about 7 minutes

MPFGLB

https://twitter.com/CyclingHubTV/status/729429011395424256

Geniez not happy at losing 1 mins 37 secs

pelevin

Don't take it wrong MPFGLB but I'd rather you hadn't linked to that article & so I'd have avoided reading Kimmage's unpleasant usual whine at the world that he gets to mask to himself as a pure, truthful concern with the Good. Don't take that seriously as of course twas good to link to it & fully up to me whether to read it or not. As said though, anyone actually with decency at a deep level on their side wouldn't be so free & easy in their wholly unprovoked personal insults - as ye've already mentioned, saying Nico Roche doesn't have a patent on sh.te. Again, Kimmage gets to delude himself this is fine behaviour as in fact he's pushing Nico Roche towards the truth - the truth which of course Kimmage is personally at one with.
I seriously imagined a few short years ago my psyche to be firmly aligned with Kimmage's, but I've found that to be very far from the case now. A cyclone of negativity & immature self-righteousness unfortunately spoiling the good he should be achieving.

MPFGLB

Th thing about that article is many people in Ireland read it and its all they possibly have read about cycling this month/year. If this is allowed to be published then I think its up for discussion ...its painting the sport to the larger world

pelevin

Of course I've no problem you linking to it & it's certainly worthy of discussion . . . it was just the immediate aftermath of my emotional distaste to reading the piece & as I said above in the next sentence, "Don't take that seriously as of course twas good to link to it & fully up to me whether to read it or not." I really find Kimmage off-putting though. Someone apparently so up himself he pulled out of the 'autobiography' with Brian O Driscoll very late in the day cos O Driscoll wouldn't withdraw from an interview he'd agreed to do with a journalist from another paper. And then went on in his explanation about their "loving relationship" . . . Oh yeah, sounds like twas deep love all right, Paul, & it took something really huge to end the relationship.

As dastardly says, the issues in teh piece are of course worthy of being taken seriously, but there's just such a hotchpotch of things thrown in together whose common thread is perhaps as much or more about Kimmage's psyche as the wrongs of sport he's supposedly out to redress.