Giro 2018 stage18: Abbiategrasso – Prato Nevoso 196 km

Inquitus

STAGE 18: Abbiategrasso – Prato Nevoso 196 km

May 24th




Technical Overview:
The final mountain block opens with quite a disappointing stage, although probably it's justifiable due to what's coming next. The first 160 km of this stage have very little to offer: only the climb of Novello (GPM4, 5.4 km at 4.6%) stands out. After this long stroll in the Po Valley, however, the road will begin to head uphill into the Alps. The mountain top finish of Prato Nevoso (GPM1, 13.9 km at 6.9%) it's quite a good climb, consistently tough and regular, without particularly steep ramps.

Final km


The Climbs:
Novello (GPM4, 5.4 km at 4.6%)
No profile. Just your typical GPM4.

Prato Nevoso (GPM1, 13.9 km at 6.9%)
Very consistent, tough but without going crazy. Last time a GT finished here, it was actually the Tour, in 2008. For some reason the profile is not on the website. I had to take it from the Garibaldi, which has an abysmal resolution.


What to Expect:
Well, this is a one-climb MTF, so just expect the favourites to attack within 5 km to go. If we are lucky, that is.


Prato Nevoso

Bookies Odds

Simon Yates 5
Chris Froome 13/2
Fabio Aru 9
Miguel Angel Lopez 9
Thibaut Pinot 14
Tom Dumoulin 16
Domenico Pozzovivo 18
Giulio Ciccone 18
Michael Woods 20
Wouter Poels 20
Robert Gesink 28
Davide Formolo 40
Diego Ulissi 28
Ben Hermans 40
Alessandro De Marchi 50
Davide Atapuma 50
Fausto Masnada 50
George Bennett 40
Richard Carapaz 40
Giovanni Visconti 40
Jarlinson Pantano 40
Koen Bouwman 66
Luis Leon Sanchez Gil 50
Valerio Conti 50
Alexandre Geniez 80
Hugh Carthy 50
Jan Polanc 66
Jose Goncalves 50
Sebastien Reichenbach 33
Sergio Luis Henao 66
Alexey Lutsenko 80
David de la Cruz 50
Gianluca Brambilla 66
Jan Hirt 66
Krists Neilands 100
Nico Denz 50
Pello Bilbao 66
Carlos Betancur 100
George Priedler 125
Elia Viviani 150
Enrico Battaglin 150
Joseph Lloyd Dombrowski 100
Manuele Boaro 150
Markel Irizar 150
Matej Mohoric 100
Matteo Montaguti 100
Mattia Cattaneo 80
Maximilian Schachmann 100
Mikael Cherel 80
Sam Bennett 150
Steve Morabito 150
Vasil Kiryienka 150
Vegard Stake Laengen 150
Zdenek Stybar 150
Davide Villella 125
Johan Esteban Chaves 100
Kenny Elissonde 125
Patrick Konrad 100
Ben OConnor 125
Mikel Nieve 125
Rodolfo Torres 100
Rohan Dennis 125
Niklas Eg 150
Ruben Fernandez 150
Sam Oomen 125
Felix Grossschartner 150
Hubert Dupont 100
Mads Pedersen 150
Tony Martin 125
Davide Ballerini 150
Adam Hansen 150
Dayer Quintana 150
Enrico Barbin 150
Jack Haig 125
Eduardo Sepulveda 150
Eros Capecchi 150
Roman Kreuziger 150

Inquitus

Not the most exciting stage design being a _________/ so unlikely much will happen GC wise until the final climb unless we are blessed with bad weather or crosswinds. The breaks have had a bad run this Giro and with the harder days to come tomorrow and Saturday maybe this is their chance.

LCD

Wonder if Froome fancies his chances of winning the Giro outright? Seems a long shot but not completely out of the question. Yates' form has been outstanding but 3mins on a bad day is nothing. If Froome & his team all hit form these next 3 stages it could happen.

Also will Dumoulin ride to 2nd or risk a podium place with an attack? If he got a gap could he TT his way to victory. While going well he doesn't seem as good as last year

Inquitus

LCD wrote: »

Wonder if Froome fancies his chances of winning the Giro outright? Seems a long shot but not completely out of the question. Yates' form has been outstanding but 3mins on a bad day is nothing. If Froome & his team all hit form these next 3 stages it could happen.

Also will Dumoulin ride to 2nd or risk a podium place with an attack? If he got a gap could he TT his way to victory. While going well he doesn't seem as good as last year

This stage isn't one where you could get 3 minutes back, but Friday and Saturday if Yates got caught out or had a bad day could turn things upside down. The Colle Della Finestre is a monster climb with the last KM's on gravel. Perhaps Froome can take a handful of seconds today, but he doesn't want to go too deep again and be found wanting on tomorrow's stage which is really one you need to be at your best for.

Friday



Saturday

neris

Froome has nothing to loose and alot to gain by trying an attack before sunday but today isnt the day, he may not get the jersey but a podium place and a bit of kudos for lighting things up will look better for sky going into the tdf.

MPFGLB

Expect the unexpected ....that is this giro

dastardly00

Will be interesting to see what team tries to control the pace on the lower slopes of the Prato Nevoso... MS, Sunweb, Sky?

dastardly00

The breakaway have a lead of 12' 36" with 123 km to go

Michael Morkov, Maximilian Schachmann (Quick-Step Floors), Davide Ballerini, Mattia Cattaneo (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec), Christoph Pfingsten (Bora-Hansgrohe), Ruben Plaza (Israel Cycling Academy), Vyacheslav Kuznetsov (Katusha-Alpecin), Jos van Emden, Boy van Poppel (Trek-Segafredo), Marco Marcato (UAE Emirates), Giuseppe Fonzi and Alex Turrin (Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia).

Macy0161

I think this climb could suit Tommy D or Froome to go on the attack. Consistentish gradient, just time trial up it and see can they put Yates under pressure. Even if it is just a softening up exercise. But I'd more be expecting the GC group to come in together.

I was surprised to see sky mountain domestiques so active yesterday though - it didn't really seem to make sense if Froome is feeling good, unless it was a bluff.

RIGOLO

Before I put a few quid on Froomey to make a move in the last few days of the Giro does anyone here work for DHL and know if any jiffy packages have made their way from the UK to Abbiategrasso.... or maybe the pollen count is unseasonably low ...Viva la dolce vita... 

If Yates goes on to win this Giro, it will mean the Wicklow boy Chris JJ been on 2 Giro winning squads (2015 with Alberto) , thats some achievement .

neris

Breakaway may do this

dastardly00

14'39" gap with 33 km remaining.
The winner will be from the breakaway.

neris

2 irish lads by the side of the road with silly wigs

irishrover99

The speed that the breakaway are going up this climb, i'd be suprised if their is any GC action.
Scott should control the pace, with it been very high.

neris

this is getting interesting 1km to go 3 breakaways left

neris

was kinda hoping the QS rider wouldnt win that

11214

I was full sure Froome would attack.

neris

dumoulin looks like hes breaking his nuts as yates cruises along behind him

neris

yates been gapped n froomes pissed off

irishrover99

Yates in trouble. Go on TD

irishrover99

Jesus, i wasn't expecting this

retalivity

Well well well...

irishrover99

Can't wait for tomorrow

neris

about 20-30 seconds lost

neris

lucky for froome he watches his stem and not his team mates wheels

Kaisr Sose

That’s a surprise. About 24/25 secs gap.

lissard

He properly cracked there - 25 seconds lost in 800m. Tomorrow could be very interesting!

Inquitus

If Yates cracks tomorrow on one of the earlier mountains he could lose bucket loads of time, any of Froome, Dumoulin or Pozzivivo could potentially win this race.

RIGOLO

Interesting conversation on the Mitchelton Scott bus this evening between Yates and Chavez.. can I have my bonus seconds back.
Stage 6 Yeats gifted teh victory on Mount Etna and the time bonuses to his team mate Chavez. 
I bet he is regretting that.. imagine if he loses the Giro by 4 secs , 4 secs he gave to his team mate...

dastardly00

RIGOLO wrote: »

Interesting conversation on the Mitchelton Scott bus this evening between Yates and Chavez.. can I have my bonus seconds back.
Stage 6 Yeats gifted teh victory on Mount Etna and the time bonuses to his team mate Chavez. 
I bet he is regretting that.. imagine if he loses the Giro by 8 secs , 8 secs he gave to his team mate...

4 seconds

Inquitus

RIGOLO wrote: »

Interesting conversation on the Mitchelton Scott bus this evening between Yates and Chavez.. can I have my bonus seconds back.
Stage 6 Yeats gifted teh victory on Mount Etna and the time bonuses to his team mate Chavez. 
I bet he is regretting that.. imagine if he loses the Giro by 8 secs , 8 secs he gave to his team mate...

It was 10,6,4 so only 4 seconds lost not 8.

Kaisr Sose

RIGOLO wrote: »

Interesting conversation on the Mitchelton Scott bus this evening between Yates and Chavez.. can I have my bonus seconds back.
Stage 6 Yeats gifted teh victory on Mount Etna and the time bonuses to his team mate Chavez. 
I bet he is regretting that.. imagine if he loses the Giro by 8 secs , 8 secs he gave to his team mate...

That’s not really a fair or correct assessment of that stage. Chavez deserved to win that stage and nobody was to know what was to follow. It’s only 4secs as Yeats got bonus seconds too.

REBELSAFC

MPFGLB wrote: »

Expect the unexpected ....that is this giro

Oh wise oracle of boards

circler

A little piece of me is glad Yates cracked, if someone coasts through a GT without a bad day, it's suspicious IMO. I still think he did the right thing with Chavez and the stage. I don't think the GC will come down to 4 seconds. We'll see, but I doubt it.

AND, it makes tomorrow more interesting already, that's a good thing regardless (unless you are SY).

DDC1990

I will be devastated if Yeats loses the Giro.

MPFGLB

REBELSAFC wrote: »

Oh wise oracle of boards

Yes I am

Plus the winner may not be one of the current top 2

retalivity

MPFGLB wrote: »

Yes I am

Plus the winner may not be one of the current top 2

All 6 sky lads (except poels and froome) to go up the road on the first climb, froome and poels to attack on the 2nd. Froome to win by about 15mins. Poels to jump up to 2nd.

Mark my words!

dastardly00

retalivity wrote: »

All 6 sky lads (except poels and froome) to go up the road on the first climb, froome and poels to attack on the 2nd. Froome to win by about 15mins. Poels to jump up to 2nd.

Mark my words!

Nah, you're off your rocker there retalivity.

UAE Team Emirates are going to TTT their way to victory tomorrow. Fabio Aru will win the stage by 50 minutes and will get the pink jersey!

dastardly00

I am hoping though that either Pozzovivo, Froome or Pinot does an Alberto Contador kamikaze style attack early on tomorrow

MPFGLB

dastardly00 wrote: »

I am hoping though that either Pozzovivo, Froome or Pinot does an Alberto Contador kamikaze style attack early on tomorrow

Pinot was NOT looking it today though

velo.2010

Mitchelton-Scott will be kicking themselves that Chavez has been sub par since the first rest day and lost so much time. If he was still up there, they could have played the one-two with Dumoulin and have him and his team do more work and potentially give Yates more recovery.

It was telling when Yates spoke of how hard the final 10km of his TT was. The race could be catching up on him with the strength of his team delaying any bad day(s) until late in the race.

Dumoulin hasn't had any bad days really so we'll see how he gets on over the next two. Hard to envisage Froome coming from that far back but it has been done with Nibali a couple of years ago.

fishfoodie

MPFGLB wrote: »

Pinot was NOT looking it today though

Just lulling everyone into a false sense of security.

No-one expects an attack from the guy who looks about to barf up a lung !!

gmacww

velo.2010 wrote: »

Dumoulin hasn't had any bad days really so we'll see how he gets on over the next two. Hard to envisage Froome coming from that far back but it has been done with Nibali a couple of years ago.

Remember this is exactly how TD won last year. Not spectacular just constant. Bar his bathroom issue he was solid all tour.

As for Mitcheldean Scott they've been here before. Chaves in pink looking good before Nibali picked his pocket. You'd hope they learnt from that.

irishrover99

I hadn't seen that interview with mathie whyte earlier but it's something I was thinking. He said before the stage that they expected the climb to suit TD and that's they way it turned out.
Could Yates have let him him go knowing tomorrow could suit him more?.
Hopefully not but I think Tom has to attack before the last climb tomorrow.

flatty

Td is 15kg heavier than Yates. It makes no sense that he can pummel him uphill.

sy

"gmacww wrote: »

Bar his bathroom issue "HE WAS SOLID ALL TOUR"

........

LMFAO

By the way I'm sy....junior

Dr. Bre

With Yates struggling today expect sky or sun web to put the hurt on early tomorrow

Inquitus

After that stage, the bookies have a new favourite....

Tom Dumoulin 1
Simon Yates 5/4
Chris Froome 10
Domenico Pozzovivo 14
Miguel Angel Lopez 33

Inquitus

Good article and some pictures on the state of the Finestre tomorrow.

https://twitter.com/lafiammarossa/status/999684875794960384

retalivity

Dont know what pinot was at, had reichenbach on the front to set the pace and then just followed him to the line, couldn't follow any attacks

gmacww

sy wrote: »

LMFAO

By the way I'm sy....junior

One person found the intentional pun