Giro D'Italia thread

Fredo

Eurosports can't show the live coverage because of the bad weather
Found an italian TV station here but it breaks up a lot. better than nothing
Vinokurov got fined and deducted 20 sec off the GC yesterday for taking a bottle from the team car within 8km of the arrival

ednwireland

watching the no commentary feed on eurosport player, now cos theyve dropped it off the channel they wont put it back even though the pics are back pretty pathetic

jay.i.am

back on eurosport now.

Murph100

WOW !!

Evans has the star of the Giro from the very start, what grit and effort, pure animal !!

Chips Lovell

I was surprised that Evans wasn't able to hang with Basso in the last week, but he's hinted that he's either been sick or injured in the past week:

"Ivan has been consistent and a little bit better than me in the second half of the Giro," he said. "I had a few problems, which I'll speak about in Verona. It seems I'm not at the same level as I was at the start. But there's still another day tomorrow. We'll see."

Interestingly, they both have the same coach, Aldo Sassi:

"I don’t think people should doubt Ivan's performance. He's changed a lot. I totally trust him, like I totally trust Cadel," Sassi told Cyclingnews.

"The power the lead riders put out on the Mortirolo yesterday was about 420 watts. That's about six watt/kg, at the limit of natural physical possibilities."

"The data people should reflect on were the times the riders set during the Plan de Corones time trial. The data showed that the strength to weight ratio of the best riders was somewhere between 5.1w/kg and 5.3w/kg. That's low. It's as if they all rode the 100 metre final in the Olympics in 13 seconds. I think that is enough to confirm that cycling has changed."

I've no idea whether Basso really is clean or not, but I don't see any smoking gun at the moment. As I said earlier in the thread, he won his last Giro by over nine and a half minutes. This time around he's had to work hard to take the jersey off a second rate Spaniard.

There is one rider in this race who I'd be very suspicious about though.

Chips Lovell

Gilberto Simoni finishes his career in style:



Yes, he's wearing a tie. He raced in it too.

sy

el tonto wrote: »

There is one rider in this race who I'd be very suspicious about though.

He finished on the podium

Thanks tonto, hadn't seen what Evans had said after Aprica. Seems to make more sense as couldn't understand why he wasn't able to stay with Basso.

Will make my mind up on Basso when I see him at the TDF.

Junior

sy wrote: »

He finished on the podium

Thanks tonto, hadn't seen what Evans had said after Aprica. Seems to make more sense as couldn't understand why he wasn't able to stay with Basso.

Will make my mind up on Basso when I see him at the TDF.

I've been following Basso with a while on Twitter, and he's really been putting the hours and training on the bike, I know I saw tweet there where he was out for 7 hours, with a couple of hours motorpacing. The other thing people have overlooked for Basso this time as well is that he has a team around him, and they've been allowed to do the donkey work, he's been well protected and well looked after. Leakygas will be a serious team at TdF with Basso, Nibali, Sagan, Krueziger all together you've got to watch them all.

Evans I think has been a ray of sunshine, however BMC haven't, they've been non-existant as a team and they seem to have sent the better part of the team to that pr stunt that is the Tour of California.

bcmf

Why wasnt Evans wearing his Rainbow jersey in the last few stages? I know the TT but I thought during the road stages he had to wear it.

Junior

bcmf wrote: »

Why wasnt Evans wearing his Rainbow jersey in the last few stages? I know the TT but I thought during the road stages he had to wear it.

He was wearing the points jersey !

bcmf

I thought he was wearing his team jersey!! never mind!!

Junior

bcmf wrote: »

I thought he was wearing his team jersey!! never mind!!

I would have looked like it alright, it was red !

Murph100

+1

It was like 1 man against the Liquigas team. Vino, as much as I dont trust him, also had a fairly solo effort. Himself and Evans slugging it out were definitely the high points.

Junior wrote: »

Evans I think has been a ray of sunshine, however BMC haven't, they've been non-existant as a team and they seem to have sent the better part of the team to that pr stunt that is the Tour of California.

sy

Junior wrote: »

Evans I think has been a ray of sunshine, however BMC haven't, they've been non-existant as a team and they seem to have sent the better part of the team to that pr stunt that is the Tour of California.

I have never seen a major Tour condender looking so isolated since Lemond won the TDF in 1989.(also Kelly in some of his TDF bids) Cadel was as you say a "ray of sunshine"

My reference to the podium was a mistake and was not intended at Basso. I I was referring to a top 4 finisher! Keep forgetting about Arryo being second.

RobFowl

sy wrote: »

I have never seen a major Tour condender looking so isolated since Lemond won the TDF in 1989.(also Kelly in some of his TDF bids) Cadel was as you say a "ray of sunshine"

My reference to the podium was a mistake and was not intended at Basso. I I was referring to a top 4 finisher! Keep forgetting about Arryo being second.

Wish Basso had been more honest after being caught but the consensus does seem that his was a "clean" win this year.

Re the rest, Vino et al can go fcuk themselves as far as I'm concerned

Junior

Now the question is will vino show the same 'class' he demonstrated with ullrich at this years tour. He could be the biggest pain in the hole for contador. As I said to someone on Twitter epo is temporary class permanent.