"Carl Brewer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
On Mon, 23 May 2005 15:31:28 +1000, "Ben Travis" <[email hidden]>
Quoted message said:
Yeah the downhil part looked fassssssst, very fast, and fun.
To me it looks like the Giro is tougher than the Tour, am I correct ?
No.
This year the Giro is tougher than usual, as the protour has meant that more serious teams are there, not just the Italians and a bunch of division 2 teams. But it's not as hard as the Tour. A significant number of top riders aren't there, or if they are, they've gone by now to rest up for the Tour. It's not just the parcourse that makes a race hard, it's also (and much more significantly) the standard of the competition. Petacci can probably finish a Giro, he's yet to get past the first hill in the Tour.
It's interesting to read what some of the Aussies (I think it was Matt Wilson?) said about last year's Giro - Cipo could ride to the front and put his hand up and everyone would slow down for a rest - try that at the Tour and there'll be a 20 man break 500m up the road before he gets a chance to get his hand back on the bars. Maybe a little different in that respect this year, which may be why Petacci hasn't had it all his way on the flat stages.
Yes but the best rides so far this Giro have been by a 2nd divison 'Wild Card' team : S.I. Colombia , will be interesting if they get one of the Tour wildcards usually 'gifted' to a dodgy French team.
"Carl Brewer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
On Mon, 23 May 2005 15:31:28 +1000, "Ben Travis" <[email hidden]>
Quoted message said:
Yeah the downhil part looked fassssssst, very fast, and fun.
To me it looks like the Giro is tougher than the Tour, am I correct ?
No.
This year the Giro is tougher than usual, as the protour has meant that more serious teams are there, not just the Italians and a bunch of division 2 teams. But it's not as hard as the Tour. A significant number of top riders aren't there, or if they are, they've gone by now to rest up for the Tour. It's not just the parcourse that makes a race hard, it's also (and much more significantly) the standard of the competition. Petacci can probably finish a Giro, he's yet to get past the first hill in the Tour.
It's interesting to read what some of the Aussies (I think it was Matt Wilson?) said about last year's Giro - Cipo could ride to the front and put his hand up and everyone would slow down for a rest - try that at the Tour and there'll be a 20 man break 500m up the road before he gets a chance to get his hand back on the bars. Maybe a little different in that respect this year, which may be why Petacci hasn't had it all his way on the flat stages.
Yes but the best rides so far this Giro have been by a 2nd divison 'Wild Card' team : S.I. Colombia , will be interesting if they get one of the Tour wildcards usually 'gifted' to a dodgy French team.
no more wild cards spots available this year. Usually they have 22 teams, 20 protour and 2 wilds, but this year they are only having one wild; AGR-2.
