Giro D'Italia 2019 - General Thread

neris

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KnfmkIXmv8

The first Grand Tour of the year is nearly upon us staring on Saturday with an ITT in Bologna and finishing with an ITT in Verona on June 2nd. Over 3000km of racing and 6 mountain top finishes. Irish interest is limited with only 2 riders in Eddie Dunbar & Conor Dunne competing. Stages 12, 13 & 14 look like 3 days of fun. For those of us watching on TV



Open field for this one with no Froome there and INEOS racing with no individual dedicated leader. Simon Yates is back for another crack at it after last years blow up. Past winner Vincenzo NIabbli & Tom Dumoulin will be on the start line

The route includes legendary climbs such as the Passo Gavia, the Passo del Mortirolo and the Passo Manghen, and other lesser-known climbs that are as equally tough. Stage 13 ends with the stunning Colle del Nivolet up to Lake Serru', while stage 14 is short at 131km with four steep climbs, including the Colle San Carlo – a twisting 10.5km climb at 9.8 per cent. Stage 15 to Como is a replica of the Il Lombardia finale with the Ghisallo Colma di Sormano and Civiglio.

ODDS from Betfair

15/8 Primoz Roglic
9/4 Tom Dumoulin
3/1 Simon Yates
8/1 Vincenzo Nibali 9/1
Miguel Angel Lopez Moreno
18/1 Mikel Landa Meana
40/1 Pavel Sivakov
66/1 Ivan Ramiro Sosa
66/1 Rafal Majka
66/1 Bob Jungels
70/1 Ilnur Zakarin
70/1 Richard Carapazm
80/1 Tao Geoghan Harte

Eddies in at 500/1

I,ll try stick up some daily stage previews but if any one else wants to do a few I wont complain.

Lumen

Nibbles looks good at those odds.

Love to see Nibali attack the way he did in the Alps recently even though it didn't pay off. Of the GC guys he's the one who looks to be in shape and has been talking up his numbers but we'll see.

Dumoulin has not looked good this year and he was talking himself down last week. I think it'll be Nibali, Yates, Roglic top 3 at the end but not necessarily in the that order.

Mikel Landa is one I'm not sure about where he is at the minute, he's had rotten luck with injury since last year but is a guy I'd like to see do well.

Melodeon

Here's the latest version of the Garibaldi (78Mb):
https://static2.giroditalia.it/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Giro_italia_2019_low_res_3.pdf

...and the TV Roadbook (46Mb):
https://static2.giroditalia.it/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/GIRO_DITALIA_TV_ROADBOOK_2019_INGL_low_res.pdf
Now you can get true information on points of interest along the route, and see how much it differs from what CK pulls out of his ar5e gets creative about.

brocbrocach

Thought Dunne wasn't taking part but mixed myself up with California. Nothing to see here...

mr spuckler

Home sick today and browsing the channels I see Giro 2018 highlights on Eurosport for the next 4 hours
1st stage that I switched over for is the Imola stage which iirc Bennett won

edit: little did I cop on that it was an hour highlights per stage!

dastardly00

Thanks neris for creating the thread

I ordered a Maglia Rosa for the eldest last week and it arrived today size 8 years was as small as I could get. So she should get 3 years out of it. She is going to freak when I give it to her on Saturday.

Little so and so even I don't have a Castelli anything

retalivity

Lopez at 9/1 looks long, is he not in form?

Team presentation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2q4ondTkO4 Saw Pearl Jam here once.

Eddie Dunbar @ 1:33

For the time trial tomorrow most the big hitters are off first due to the bad weather forecast for later in the evening.

Dumoulin is off first at 15:50.

BIGT4464

Go Eddie GO

dastardly00

Deleted User wrote: »

For the time trial tomorrow most the big hitters are off first due to the bad weather forecast for later in the evening.

Dumoulin is off first at 15:50.

All of the favouites are starting really early EXCEPT Simon Yates. It could turn out to be a really poor decision from Michelin-Scott. I'm not sure what they were thinking

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/giro-ditalia-favourites-to-start-tt-early-to-avoid-thunderstorms/

cunavalos

retalivity wrote: »

Lopez at 9/1 looks long, is he not in form?

Its a tough one to call but Lopez has a tendency to lose small amounts of time early on due to poor positioning and put himself on the back foot and his TT is horrific even when battling for GC

neris

https://twitter.com/procycletrumps/status/1126898381819977728?s=19

coco0981

retalivity wrote: »

Lopez at 9/1 looks long, is he not in form?

Looking through the teams and you'd think Astana and Mitchelton Scott are a good bit stronger than Lotto and Sunweb. I'd expect Dumoulin to be on his own for the mountains again.
Yates could do it I think

neris

Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) threw the hammer down with a vengeance in his pre-Giro d'Italiapress conference, stating categorically that he is in top condition to win his second consecutive Grand Tour. If he was in his rivals' position, he said, "I would be scared, I’d be ****ting myself."

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/simon-yates-im-the-number-one-favourite-for-the-giro-ditalia/

MPFGLB

coco0981 wrote: »

Looking through the teams and you'd think Astana and Mitchelton Scott are a good bit stronger than Lotto and Sunweb. I'd expect Dumoulin to be on his own for the mountains again.
Yates could do it I think

Dumoulin has Sam Oomen in the mountains

Most GC teams are not super strong except Astana and Movistar on paper

Sunweb, Bahrain & even MS are not that strong in the mountains with only Chaves. Jumbo with de Plus & Toleck (coming back from sickness) are not very strong. I would think Oomen will out climb those two boys

Best thing about this Giro is no team with the possible exception of Astana or Movistar can control the race imo ...and these 2 teams have GC men that are pure climbers so they wont be in the lead until near the end if at all

Its quite a wide open race

Has the potential to be as good as 2017 without the need for a motor bike to change the race. Could be a nail biter for sure between the TT's and Mountain stages. I'd like to see Fausto Masnada go well here. He gave a real good account of himself in the alps recently.

I was all in for Yates last year but I've cooled towards him this year for some reason.

neris

be interesting to see how Chaves goes. He was a disaster last year and was the great hope previously for MS to win their 1st GT.

coco0981

MPFGLB wrote: »

Dumoulin has Sam Oomen in the mountains

Most GC teams are not super strong except Astana and Movistar on paper

Sunweb, Bahrain & even MS are not that strong in the mountains with only Chaves. Jumbo with de Plus & Toleck (coming back from sickness) are not very strong. I would think Oomen will out climb those two boys

Best thing about this Giro is no team with the possible exception of Astana or Movistar can control the race imo ...and these 2 teams have GC men that are pure climbers so they wont be in the lead until near the end if at all

Its quite a wide open race

MS have Nieve as well as Chaves, true no one has the strength of a Sky train but could still be a factor for the high mountains

Adamcp898

What’s the best way to watch this on TV? Is it only on Eurosport or does anyone else have highlights?

Adamcp898

Adamcp898 wrote: »

What’s the best way to watch this on TV? Is it only on Eurosport or does anyone else have highlights?

I could be wrong here but I had it in my head that it was exclusive to eurosport.

6.99 I think for a month of Eurosport player.

Watching on the player here at the minute and they keep leaving the mics open or cameras on in the studio now and again when on an ad

at1withmyself

And there off 😊

Dumoulin off first and on the road

neris

are they in a studio in the uk or Italy? No Carlton, thats a good start

at1withmyself

Dumoulin on a tt bike with disc's which I thought might be too heavy for the climb? Wonder will he change bikes before the climb?

neris

ah here the fans can really **** someone up on that climb

Is it worth a bike change for 2km like Demare did there???

neris

Adamcp898

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I could be wrong here but I had it in my head that it was exclusive to eurosport.

6.99 I think for a month of Eurosport player.

Watching on the player here at the minute and they keep leaving the mics open or cameras on in the studio now and again when on an ad

Just paid for the player. I did notice that Quest have highlights in the evening on Sky.

at1withmyself

Wow

at1withmyself

Big time gaps opening already, super ride by roglic

funnights74

bloody hell Roglic:eek: mighty

neris

Ive done another thread for the stage with spoilers just in case some get upset by telling whats happening

at1withmyself

Eddie at 17.17

Conor at 18.00

Wonder is this to be the format for the week? Cut back to studio to give Hatch and Kelly a rest and not swap in Kirby and Smith half way through.

velo.2010

That Orla Chennaoui's voice is irritating to listen to. Its an even heavier Team Ineos/British rider slant Eurosport are taking this year with the English language version. I don't remember it being as such last year with Edwards presenting.

neris

Kirby is doing English language feed for rest of world today. Hatch and Kelly are doing uk & Ireland

Deleted User wrote: »

Wonder is this to be the format for the week? Cut back to studio to give Hatch and Kelly a rest and not swap in Kirby and Smith half way through.

neris

velo.2010 wrote: »

That Orla Chennaoui's voice is irritating to listen to. Its an even heavier Team Ineos/British rider slant Eurosport are taking this year with the English language version. I don't remember it being as such last year with Edwards presenting.

I can't stand her voice it grates my ears. Real ****ed up accent for a Nordy

MPFGLB

velo.2010 wrote: »

That Orla Chennaoui's voice is irritating to listen to. Its an even heavier Team Ineos/British rider slant Eurosport are taking this year with the English language version. I don't remember it being as such last year with Edwards presenting.

I agree ...too British orientated

And also Oral Chennaoui's voice is irritating

I would love to see an Italian rep in the studio and/or a winner like Andy Hampstead or Ryder Hesjedal or Ivan Basso someone with a different view

wirelessdude01

MPFGLB wrote:

I would love to see an Italian rep in the studio and/or a winner like Andy Hampstead or Ryder Hesjedal or Ivan Basso someone with a different view

Also someone with recent experience and knowledge of the peleton.

neris

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Also someone with recent experience and knowledge of the peleton.

Wiggins??

You can still hear Orla on the player while they are on break talking to producers and the others

TheBlaaMan

Eddies ride today was pretty impressive, mid 40s on GC and third Sky Ineos rider behind THG and Sivakov. I very much doubt that he was giving it socks today, I'm sure he was told to keep things in check. Nice

neris

The "little" fella has an indo column

https://twitter.com/IndoSport/status/1127315954948554752?s=19

dxhound2005

Adamcp898 wrote: »

What’s the best way to watch this on TV? Is it only on Eurosport or does anyone else have highlights?

Highlights on Quest TV with Sean Kelly.

Ah I didn't know he had a new baby

marvin80

neris wrote: »

The "little" fella has an indo column

https://twitter.com/IndoSport/status/1127315954948554752?s=19

He always comes across as a really nice guy. I like his writing style - very easy to read that column - looking forward to reading it for the next few weeks.

dxhound2005

dxhound2005 wrote: »

Highlights on Quest TV with Sean Kelly.

Actually this isn't region locked as I expected so can be viewed via browser https://www.questod.co.uk/channel/quest not sure if they have a player app? Could do.

EDIT: Obviously available if you have satellite.

MPFGLB

Deleted User wrote: »

Ah I didn't know he had a new baby

Sean Kellys grandson

His first grandson I wonder ?...definitely a cyclist I'd say

MPFGLB

MPFGLB wrote: »

Sean Kellys grandson

His first grandson I wonder ?...definitely a cyclist I'd say

Not a chance with that DNA :P