2011 Giro D'Italia

Stage 1
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Stage 2
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Stage 3
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Stage 4
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Stage 5
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The end of Stage 13 to the Zoncolan looks like a flat landers worst nightmare. Even Contador has reservations about the new climb on that stage, the Crostis. Apparently very steep and even by the Giro's standards, very very narrow. Bad road surface and no barriers with some very spectacular drops into oblivion...

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Bertie reckons a bike change for the descent may be in order...

But the stage before that ends with a very tough climb to Grossglockner that has extended sections over 10% during the 14km climb. This one has Contador written all over it.

But Stage 1 the Team Time Trial should be fun. Garmin Vs HTC. HTC have two track ex-World Champions (Renshaw and Cav) and Pinotti heading up their charge on this stage - my money is on them for the stage win.

Uh, no thanks - not getting paid enough. Better hope things change a GREAT deal in three weeks - probably still not enough for this kid...always easy for someone not in the race to make a comment like the end one above - I'm sure these Geox guys were thinking the same thing...[IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif[/IMG]

It's not just the "snow" in the mountains that adds weather fun. Climbs like the Finestre feature lots of dirt roads, as you can see, so on the hot days you get the dust which makes it harder to breathe and really slippy on the descents, in the rain it turns into a mudfest and a war of attrition - just like on the big stage on last years Giro and then you have the snow which really brings the epic - epic like Andy Hampsten and the Gavia in 1988 that will be spoken about with due reverence for decades to come, epic.

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Sure, the Tour de France has become more hyped, ridden faster, has more spectators, more media coverage yada yada yada but year after year the organizers of the Giro always seem to make their race tougher and more spectacular. The climbs tend to be narrower and steeper - no mini freeways gracefully hairpining up the side of the mountains like in the French Alps, the Italian climbs are often just wide enough for two little Fiats to pass each other with gradients seemingly mostly in double digits and roads in similar condition to those ridden by Eugene Christophe (he of toeclip fame)in the Tour... in 1913 when he broke his forks on the Tourmalet and had to re-braze them himself.

Why do I like the Giro so much? All of the above plus it's everything that the Tour was but is no longer. The favorites in the Giro are prepared to have a go in the mountains from a long way off and make a race of it - something that may well be Contadors undoing. Rather than wait for the last 5km, a big hitter will have a go from 3 mountains out. You almost have to go back to the 80's for rides like that from the top guys in the Tour.

Ducati, Ferrari and the Giro... Italy > France.

Fantastic win by HTC and a great gesture by the team to put Pinotti, the current Italian TT champ in the pink jersey. When you've got guys as fast over short distances as Renshaw, Cav and Pinotti they were always going to be hard to beat.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by swampy1970 [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

The end of Stage 13 to the Zoncolan looks like a flat landers worst nightmare. Even Contador has reservations about the new climb on that stage, the Crostis. Apparently very steep and even by the Giro's standards, very very narrow. Bad road surface and no barriers with some very spectacular drops into oblivion...

[IMG]cyclingforums.com500Open ↗[/IMG]

Bertie reckons a bike change for the descent may be in order...

But the stage before that ends with a very tough climb to Grossglockner that has extended sections over 10% during the 14km climb. This one has Contador written all over it.

But Stage 1 the Team Time Trial should be fun. Garmin Vs HTC. HTC have two track ex-World Champions (Renshaw and Cav) and Pinotti heading up their charge on this stage - my money is on them for the stage win.

The tilt in this pic is definitely skewed, but regardless definitely some potential for pucker factor at speed, or in a large group of riders.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by swampy1970 [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Fantastic win by HTC and a great gesture by the team to put Pinotti, the current Italian TT champ in the pink jersey.

When you've got guys as fast over short distances as Renshaw, Cav and Pinotti they were always going to be hard to beat.

Definitely a nice move by HTC, wish I could watch it (no Universal Sports for me). Maybe Versus will get the Giro next year.

Radio Shack surprised a bit as well.

i wouldn't hold my breath hoping for versus to pick up the gdi. too much competition for their premier event, the tour of california.

and although this year's course should be right up bertie's alley, i'm still going with liqui to pull another giro/vuelta double. nibali and that team come to the line ready to strike. i don't imagine bertie and bjarney can anticipate or control the attacks with what they have on the road. figuring that they will have to hang on, keep close and maybe pocket this gt with a flourish on the final stage.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by slovakguy [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

i wouldn't hold my breath hoping for versus to pick up the gdi. too much competition for their premier event, the tour of california.

True, at least I will get to see that one soon. They are also televising the Tour of Colorado in August which will be cool. I hope I am moved out there by then and able to attend some of it live.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by slovakguy [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

i wouldn't hold my breath hoping for versus to pick up the gdi. too much competition for their premier event, the tour of california.

and although this year's course should be right up bertie's alley, i'm still going with liqui to pull another giro/vuelta double. nibali and that team come to the line ready to strike. i don't imagine bertie and bjarney can anticipate or control the attacks with what they have on the road. figuring that they will have to hang on, keep close and maybe pocket this gt with a flourish on the final stage.

I'd love to see El Rata beaten, but even with the Tour on his mind he looks stronger than Nibali.
Regarding teams' firepower, Liqui doesn't look much stronger than Saxo (at least on climbs)... Couple of strong climbers, but far from attackers.
I hope Italian squads will find mutual interest and put Contador under serious pressure. Acqua & Sapone, Androni Giocattoli and Colnago maybe don't have guys for the podium, but top 10 placings and racing for the jerseys could provide nice support to Italian teams with podium aspirations.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by pearl-drum-man [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Definitely a nice move by HTC, wish I could watch it (no Universal Sports for me). Maybe Versus will get the Giro next year.

Radio Shack surprised a bit as well.

There's no chance that Versus will broadcast the Giro given they have the Tour of California which is now held at the same time. Youtube is your friend.

Interesting sprint today. "Alijet" had an interesting interpretation of "a straight line" and got the win. Cav seemed a little [censored] at the finish... Petacchi only change direction 3 times to cut Cav off - that's a clean sprint in the Giro for an Italian 😉

Cav in pink and given that after that finish he missed the win by a tyre he'll be up for it tommorrow.

steephill.tvgiro d italiaOpen ↗

The spot to catch-up on the action...

A terrible crash involving Wouter Weylandt. CPR at the scene and airlifted to hospital. Best wishes to the lad but it looks really bad...

Millar in pink. It seems that the organizers may have cancelled the podium for today. Hopefully there's not going to be an onimous announcement regarding Weylandt soon.

R.I.P. Wouter.

Horrible accident.
I was really shaken when I saw him on the ground... And still am.

R.I.P.

R.I.P. Wouter Weylandts.

This is a dreadful tragedy for the riders family and his expectant girlfriend. I can't post any more words today.

RIP WW.
Damn! You just never know when your time is gonna come...Hopefully I'm doing something that I enjoy doing - like WW. This news really sucks big time though...

my condolences to his family and friends. such a sad sight and day for the weylandts family.

I just watched the stage footage, not nice, certainly a sad day for cycling [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/frown.gif[/IMG]

When the camera panned back, it looks like he may have fallen from the road above, does anyone know if this is the case?