Giro d'Italia 2019

[Shebeen]

The grand tours (and most cycling broadcasts) are certainly about more than just the racing.

The visuals even keep non-cyclists interested.

for me the missing link in the economics of cycling is the BILLIONS of free marketing revenue france tourism get each year from TdF visuals, with phil going on about this village, that ski hotel and chateua de blabla f'sh peiste. ASO needs to take it china for one year and they will stump up cash from then on.

[Shebeen]

Anyone hear the pre-race interview with Yates? What a royal @$$hole. Never liked him and now I think he is even more of a box.

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/giro-ditalia/simon-yates-backtracks-vincenzo-nibali-says-show-respect-423043

 

 

I like him.

and his boet (they are almost impossible to distinguish apart*).

 

the guy wore pink for 2 weeks by attacking the cr$p out of the field at every opportunity

then he eventually had an empty matchbox and blew HARD chunks all over tv in the maglia rosa whilst froome rewrote science. anything but boring.

 

came back a few months later to win his first grand tour, at age 25.

and he's just a climber from yorkshire...who all of a sardine can hold himself  in a TT too now. He has a better chance of winning this race than Nibbles, so i'm happy there's a bit of spice leading up to the race but no real drama here.

 

*obviously the easiest way to win the TdF is to do a motsoeneng, just get the watches right Whitey! 

[Shebeen]

“What a ridiculous decision by the jury...”

 

Patrick Lefererevere

 

 

https://twitter.com/wcsbike/status/1127969681212571648

 

"what a ridiculous statement by Lefevre"

 

Rational people

['Dale]

Some serious Spider-Man reaction speed from Moschetti there as Viviani went lateral at 67 km/h at 1472 watts

Geez ⚠️

['Dale]

Meanwhile, Marianne ‘Merckx’ Vos is 32 years of age today.

186 professional victories ????

[Gen]

https://twitter.com/wcsbike/status/1127969681212571648

 

"what a ridiculous statement by Lefevre"

 

Rational people

Sigh.. wonder if he will threaten to pull the team from the Giro too..[emoji849] he seems to think they are untouchable..

[Chris_]

rubbish decision

[Long Wheel Base]

I like Viviani and his passion. I also don't mind Gaviria. I feel sorry for EV and I don't think it was at all intentional but it's only fair. I saw Gaviria said he doesn't like winning like this and EV was the faster man yesterday. There is a lot of respect between those 2 great sprinters and all of the top sprinters know how rough it gets at the front during a sprint.

[SwissVan]

rubbish decision

I must have taken a long blink and missed it....

[Vetplant]

Final kilometer is more suitable to the strongmen, so I would be surprised if the outright sprinters make it to the line first today.

 

The stage as a whole does have Breakaway written all over it, imho.

 

Look out for Thomas De Gendt making a move up the road along with some suckers-for-pain and then dropping all of them before riding into the finish solo.... His season has been exceptional and he has been keeping his powder dry for a big move, which could be today.

 

[J Wakefield]

rubbish decision

 

Decision was actually correct. Look at top angle and then the front. EV nearly took him out and he had to stop pedaling, brace and go again. It was clear deviation and at 65kmh its not cool coming down at that speed.

[Chris_]

Decision was actually correct. Look at top angle and then the front. EV nearly took him out and he had to stop pedaling, brace and go again. It was clear deviation and at 65kmh its not cool coming down at that speed.

 

I agree he deviated, I just think this could set a 'difficult' precedent.

 

(easy for me to say from the couch) but sprinting is a contact sport and I can't picture a sprint without guys darting around. Violently.

 

Ackermann shot about 5 metres across the road in stage 2 to chop off EV's run-up, I don't want to see sprint finishes becoming petty fights between men behind TVs and not the cyclists themselves.

[Eldron]

I agree he deviated, I just think this could set a 'difficult' precedent.

 

(easy for me to say from the couch) but sprinting is a contact sport and I can't picture a sprint without guys darting around. Violently.

 

Ackermann shot about 5 metres across the road in stage 2 to chop off EV's run-up, I don't want to see sprint finishes becoming petty fights between men behind TVs and not the cyclists themselves.

The logic seems to be that meandering across the road is fine if you don't switch someone - good old blocking seems to be ok.

 

I'm ok with that blocking as it is semi tactical - switching is one of the dirtiest cycling tricks in my opinion.

[ScottCM]

Look out for Thomas De Gendt making a move up the road along with some suckers-for-pain and then dropping all of them before riding into the finish solo.... His season has been exceptional and he has been keeping his powder dry for a big move, which could be today.

 

Don't think its hard enough for him to make his move just yet. 

['Dale]

“After the jury’s decision, I really thought about going home but it’s one of those thoughts that goes away almost as soon as you think of it. I’ve decided to stay but now I’m curious to see if other riders will be punished in the next sprints.”

 

Viviani to local newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport

[Vetplant]

Final kilometer is more suitable to the strongmen, so I would be surprised if the outright sprinters make it to the line first today.

 

The stage as a whole does have Breakaway written all over it, imho.

 

Look out for Thomas De Gendt making a move up the road along with some suckers-for-pain and then dropping all of them before riding into the finish solo.... His season has been exceptional and he has been keeping his powder dry for a big move, which could be today.

 

 

Don't think its hard enough for him to make his move just yet. 

Funny switch in the narrative... De Gendt is tasked with controlling the gap to the break 

 

They clearly think Caleb Ewan is in with a shot on the uphill sprint to the line. He took two stages at Tour of Turkey recently where it also had some climbing close to the finish line.