The 100th Giro d'Italia

[Jaco-fiets]

So when does the real racing start?

['Dale]

So when does the real racing start?

Week 3 ????

[Frosty]

http://www.steephill.tv/2017/giro-d-italia/photos/stage-05/164520__FFF1683.jpg

Such a cool photo...

['Dale]

'This Giro is boring. The riders are boring and have no personalities. They depend too much on technology.'

 

Cippolini

['Dale]

reminder GC

 

1 Bob Jungels (Lux) Quick-Step Floors 33:56:07

2 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 0:00:06

3 Adam Yates (GBr) Orica-Scott 0:00:10

4 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida

5 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale

6 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Sunweb

7 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team

8 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo

9 Andrey Amador (CRc) Movistar Team

10 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team

11 Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ

12 Mikel Landa (Spa) Team Sky

13 Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale-Drapac

14 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin 0:00:14

15 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo 0:00:23

['Dale]

Kruiswijk is limping along after a few crashes ????

['Dale]

After a fast 1st hour, a break finally emerges

 

The 13 riders in the break

 

Jan Barta (Bora-Hansgrohe), Laurent Didier (Trek-Segafredo), Kristian Sbaragli (Dimension Data), Maciej Paterski (CCC Sprandi Polkowice), Branislau Samoilau (CCC), Jasper De Buyst (Lotto Soudal), Viacheslav Kuznetsov (Katusha-Alpecin), Roberto Ferrari (UAE Team Emirates), Mirco Maestri (Bardiani-CSF), Vincenzo Albanese (Bardiani-CSF), Iljo Keisse (Quick-Step), Chris Juul-Jensen (Orica-Scott), Alex Howes (Cannondale-Drapac)

['Dale]

Three riders are in between the break and the bunch - Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana), Lukas Postlberger (Bora) and Gregor Muhlberger (Bora).

['Dale]

Sanchez, Postlberger, and Muhlberger all grimace as they fight to make the bridge to the break. And they're going to do it.

['Dale]

So, that gives us 16 riders in the breakaway. And after such an intense start, and with such a demanding day tomorrow, the GC teams surely won't want to kill themselves for the remainder of the day, which gives those 16 a great chance of contesting stage honours.

['Dale]

Oh no. Wilier Triestina have missed out and they put five men on the front of the bunch. Too little, too late, surely, as the gap goes out to 2:25.

['Dale]

109km remaining from 189km

1:45 is the gap now. Gazprom are making inroads.

['Dale]

Lulu Sanchez leads the break group up the first climb of the day. With 97 km still to go, the gap is down to 1:12.

['Dale]

Sanchez sees the shrinking gap and seems to think the group is too big to be allowed to stay away. He tries to get away, followed by Samoilau.

['Dale]

Sanchez is now alone in the front. He has 29 seconds on the break group, with the field at only 56 seconds.

['Dale]

Very interesting race dynamics here

 

Somehow this sizeable break is seemingly being reeled in ????