tombeej

Wiggins probably isn't here because he wouldn't have been in the mix in the final week of the Giro. The Zoncolan, the Motirolo.... He'd lose bags of time on those mountains. Folks, remember the racing still has to start. The first week was just a warm up.

Agreed. It's certainly a good sign. Go into full depletion / bonk and don't expect to go out and do it all again the next day. I remember thinking the same thing on stage 6. After 120km of racing the peloton was averaging only 37km/h on relatively flat ground. I mean, really I could keep up with them at that pace and I'm a one-legged plonker compared to the worst rider there. It hadn't really started bucketing down by that point, so weather wasn't the issue. They were cruising along, measuring their efforts carefully. Very different to the '90s and early 2000s when the entire peloton would beat the fastest expected time for the stage by 15 to 20 min every day.

Ja, but to limp in over 20min down with the sprinters in the autobus, on a stage that's not rated too difficult, and the day before a rest day. Not a good sign I reckon. Michael Matthews' luck eventually ran out today. Had a bad crash with large areas of road rash on his right side, and limped in 3rd last today.

Young Arredondo must have had a 'mare. He came home 22 min down today, almost at the back of the field.

Go back a few pages

10-day forecasts are predicting favourable weather conditions between now and the big stage on Tuesday 27th that goes over the Gavia and the Stelvio. Crews have been cut the usual deep tunnels through the snow and are keeping the roads open, so 'fingers crossed' for a great spectacle that day. MONTECOPIOLO, Italy (VN) — The Giro d’Italia should be able to reach its high point, Lo Passo dello Stelvio, assuming the weather holds. Race director Mauro Vegni says road crews are cleaning snow off the Stelvio and the Gavia passes for Tuesday’s stage to Val Martello. “We will race the Gavia and the Stelvio, for sure,” Vegni told VeloNews in the early morning sunshine on Saturday. “The forecast is showing an improvement over the next two weeks for Italy. We shouldn’t have any problems.” Vegni sent a photograph to Italy’s RAI television on Friday that made its way around the world via Twitter. Other photographs show the paths lined with snow walls that workers have already cut to reach the passes. The workers are able to cut paths and plow snow quicker than one year ago, when cold weather and rain continued well into spring. The bad weather last year forced organizer RCS Sport to cut short the Galibier stage and cancel the stage over the Gavia and Stelvio to Val Martello. For this coming Tuesday, RCS Sport planned the same route to Val Martello, west of Bolzano. But this time, Vegni said, time and the weather are on their side. “We still have 10 days. The road crews are already working on the roads. If the weather doesn’t change radically, we’re fine,” said Vegni. “The temperature is supposed to rise. We hope that the 10 days of warm weather will help the work they’re doing. The photo I sent to RAI yesterday showed the passage for the cars through the tunnel near the top of Gavia. That’s already cut and ready for the cars and riders to pass. “They just need to continue to work and we need to hope that the weather doesn’t turn for the worse. Already today, though, the road is cleared all the way to the top. We’ve got to remember, these guys are experts at working the roads and cleaning the snow.” Article here.

Who was crying the other day about how bad his team is?

They both might just get caught

Arredondo has blown. Rolland will take it.

Tiralongo would have been the natural choice to take over for Astana, but he also lost big time in the mayhem on stage 6. GO ARRADONDO!!

I'm sure he wasn't being literal, but was referring to a certain German sprinter who's klapping all his competition at the moment and who in a past life gave Balboa a bit of a klap too. Easily recognised by the hairstyle...

Ultimate Dream Teams is a SA-based Fantasy League site. I've played their TDF fantasy league over the past couple of years, and it's a good one. Lots of prizes to be won too. Best thing about it is that you have a budget of 15 player transfers during the tour, which means you can choose a team of sprinters for the first week, then transfer them out for climbers and GC riders for the last 2 weeks. Also, if a rider crashes out, you have a chance to replace them. Much better system. Their 2014 TDF league hasn't opened yet, but I reckon this is the one to go with, come July.

IF the other riders feel the same as all those pundits in the social media who've been claiming Evans should have waited that day, then I won't be surprised to see other GC contenders seemingly combining their team efforts to isolate and break him in the big mountains. And if that is the case then BMC will need to bring their A-game every day when the road starts heading to the skies. That is where Mr. Golden Shoes will need to earn his salary to protect his leader.

The fantasy league adds a whole spin on being a spectator/supporter, because we soon find ourselves pretty emotionally attached to the ups and downs of riders we might normally not pay that much attention to. I feel a lot more invested in the Giro because of it. Bags of fun But: I'm going to try and find another fantasy league for the TDF. One that allows you to swop players during the tour. Otherwise it becomes more of a lottery than a game of strategy.

Then it means Evans has a short memory. Remember this day in the 2012 TDF: http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/07/16/tour-de-france-diary-stage-14-saboteurs-cause-chaos-for-evans-field/

Well, we'll, well. What looked like a pretty innocuous stage on paper has just torpedoed the plans and aspirations of a whole bunch of hopefuls. What a difference a day makes. Advantage Evans.

Agreed, this stage is more suited for Evans than Purito. Also, BMC are also a strong team and I think that's going to play a role on Montecassino. If the A-team for the Skyborgs were here, this would be their ideal stage: put everyone on the front at the bottom of the climb and ride a crushing tempo to stop any attacks. So I won't be surprised to see similar tactics from Movistar/BMC/OGE. It's going to be a hard day for the domestiques in the big teams, I'm sure.

The finishing climb to Montecassino doesn't look hard/steep enough for someone like Rodriguez to do damage. It's 8.5km long at an average of 5.2%. If the inevetable breakaway doesn't stay away then I think it might come down to another mass sprint to the line.

Ah yes, my boytjie is coming of age. Third! They grow up so fast, don't they.

7 points to me, woop woop

Luca Scinto, manager of YellowFluo had made this prediction of the stage. The maglia rosa contenders will hope that the break goes early, that it's got decent riders in it, and that there are enough of them for it to stay away. It's good for them if it does – albeit not by too much – because they don't want to race unless there absolutely forced to. At this point they're concerned with spending as little energy as they can, and about looking after their gregari as much as possible. So far, it's playing out as he said it might.

Eish, I'm sure you are more clued up than me, but I'll give it a go. I think your pick of Tiralongo might be a very good one. Depends how Scarponi performs in the mountains (esp. after his crash) whether Tiralongo will be given freer reign in the hilly stuff. He loves the Giro climbs and always does well. After all, it was Contador who specifically asked for him to join him at Astana in 2010 from Lampre - he seems to be highly rated by other riders. Like you, I've got Majka in my team. I'm expecting him to be minimum Top 5. Top rider! Roche - with 5th overall in the Vuelta last year, a good pick too. I reckon he's fully developed as a GC rider now, and at his peak at 29 years old. Basso - should give you points for GC and overall mountain points. Hesjedal - eish. Would have been a good GC points pick. But might get you some stage points if the other GC guys reckon he's not a threat anymore and let him go for some individual glory here and there, so definitely not a dud. Gorka Izagirre - saved from the Euskaltel-Euskadi collapse by Movistar. 26 years old and been a domestique for Sammy for the past few years, but now has a chance to make his mark in a big team with lots of support. I'll be interested to see what he does this year. How was that?

I've checked your team and I think it's a good one. Still lots of opportunity for your riders to make up time. The way they've done the points system, the fantasy league mirrors the real thing in that the sprint stages are hectic, lots of fun, but really just a side show for the big stages to come. The GC rider selections is where the league will be won or lost. As soon as we hit the mountains our Hub league is going to get properly shaken up .

The lighty was ripped a new a~hole in all the social and mainstream media for doing that. He had no idea the storm he was going to bring down on himself, which is what happened. Even Nicholas Roche had to get involved to vouch for the kids character (because he rides in a Roche development team). Had to post apology messages to Kittel, who eventually responded on Twitter with: “Guess you learned your lesson. So did I when my Grandma found me playing with fireworks next to our barn full with dry hay. Oh and remember: social media can be mean… ”

Fair point, Ben: Ben Swift described as “bull****” the decision to hold a sprint finish even though the rest of the fourth stage of the Giro d’Italia had been neutralised owing to unsafe conditions. The Team Sky rider, Great Britain’s sole representative in the race, was furious that the sprinters were exposed while the peloton did not race the vast majority of the 112-kilometre route from Giovinazzo to Bari after torrential rain left the roads slippery. “That’s bull****!!!” the 26-year-old wrote on Twitter. “Why do all the sprinters have to risk it and not the GC guys. Thanks.”