Giro 2017, Stage 12: Forli – Reggio Emilia 229km

cunavalos

Stage 12 sees the sprinters taking centre stage again for what is the longest stage in this years Giro at 229km and it appears the town officials from Bologna must have really upset the organisers as they do everything to avoid the city



"The stage starts from Forlì, town stage for the nineteenth time, and is mostly flat, although it features two uncomplicated climbs in the first part (Colla di Casaglia and Valico Appenninico, both awarding KOM points). After the feed zone at Lago di Bilancino, the route takes the A1 motorway (and passes through a series of well-lit tunnels, both up- and downwards). After leaving the motorway and clearing the intermediate sprint in Sasso Marconi, the route flattens out on wide and straight roads with series of roundabouts, and cuts across a number of densely inhabited areas (especially Modena). The final kilometres to Reggio Emilia (for six times starting town at the Giro and 5 times arrival) are on wide and well-surfaced roads, with roundabouts, traffic dividers, pedestrian islands and speed being the main obstacles. The home straight is 350-m long, on 7-m wide asphalt road"


Unusually for this years Giro, the organisers have picked a relatively safe approach to the line with only one roundabout and 3 gentle turns in the final 5km, so expect the sprinters trains to dominate the finale.



This is likely to be a stage where a break will be given a long leash only to be reeled in between 5-10km to go and i identified both this stage and tomorrows before the start as Sams best chance and the indifferent form of the "big" springters has done little to change my view. So while I envisage this thread to be fairly quiet tomorrow with little to talk about I hope there will be a flurry of excitement here from 16.30 onwards. The bookies find it hard to separate the sprinters and Sams form has not gone unnoticed.


So in summary a day off for the GC contenders as long as they stay out of trouble, the only way i can't see it coming down to a sprint finish is if there are riders from each of the sprinters teams in the breakaway (Orica, Quickstep, Lotto and Bora)

neris

Hope it's Sams day he's been so close and has it in him to win a stage

pelevin

Good for Sam you could say that his odds are so short but in truth imo they're not very enticing odds for someone yet to win a grand tour stage. Think they should be a bit more generous & PP has him even shorter at 9/2.

Outside of that though, it'd be fantastic if he did do it. How excited would Sean get? Excited enough that the viewer might notice it?!

dastardly00

I've had a look at the GC to see how the teams are faring out. Instead of looking at the team classification, which can be a bit misleading and inadequate in terms of how well are team are actually performing, I've taken the 'highest placed' rider from each team and ranked them accordingly.

Yes I am bored

GC Position of Best Rider | Team
1 | Sunweb
2 | Movistar
3 | Trek-Segafredo
4 | FDJ
5 | Bahrain Merida
7 | Quick-Step
8 | Astana
9 | AG2R
10 | Katusha-Alpecin
12 | LottoNL-Jumbo
13 | Cannondale-Drapac
14 | Sky
15 | UAE
16 | Orica-Scott
17 | Lotto Soudal
19 | BMC
22 | CCC Sprandi Polkowice
26 | Wilier Triestina - Selle Italia
28 | Bora - Hansgrohe
39 | Dimension Data
49 | Gazprom-Rusvelo
134 | Bardiani - CSF

It's not good news for BMC. Their highest ranked rider in GC is Ben Hermans in 19th place.
Bora - Hansgrohe and Dimension Data do have worse 'highest ranked' riders, but both WT teams didn't really come into the Giro with GC aspirations in my opinion. All four of the Pro-Conti teams (CCC, Bardiani, Gazprom and Wilier) are below BMC, but that is to be expected.

It's been pretty crap so far for BMC in terms of the overall classification, however they do have a stage win thanks to Silvan Dillier.
It could be worse though. Poor Cannondale-Drapac don't have a WT stage win to their name since the 2015 Giro

pelevin

BMC I think are one of the biggest budget teams. That they can at this stage be going into the Giro with TVG as their team leader speaks of alot of incompetence. They have GVA who's come very good the last year or so, they don't I believe have a sprinter of any note & they have Richie Porte who is a fine rider but even still yet to have a big grand tour result. They're very good in TTTs I suppose!

MPFGLB

So for those of you who are missing Carlton Kirby's commentary at this Giro....definitley not me ....Hatch is so much better in my book

Knew Kirby would nearly blow a gasgette ...Fraile is one of his 'riders'

https://twitter.com/LungaKupiso/status/865142127289872385

dastardly00

What TV station is Kirby commentating for?

dastardly00

dastardly00 wrote: »

What TV station is Kirby commentating for?

To answer my own query, Kirby is doing the English commentary for RCS, who organise the Giro. RCS are the Italian equivalent of the ASO, who organise the TdF. TV stations can buy the rights to show the Giro along with the RCS commentary.

pelevin

We should arrange a Boards members tug-of-war between those for & against having Carlton Kirby doing the main Eurosport commentary. That would decide things once & for all.

robyntmorton

pelevin wrote: »

We should arrange a Boards members tug-of-war between those for & against having Carlton Kirby doing the main Eurosport commentary. That would decide things once & for all.

... on bikes.

pelevin

robyntmorton wrote: »

... on bikes.

And try to get hold of Rob Hatch & Carlton to give rival commentaries.

edit: To add, that's where Calrton might have the edge in getting caught up in the raw excitement of the whole thing, while Rob would probably be aiming to make up ground by focusing more on exotic pronunciations of the Irish surnames.

dastardly00

The rider with the greatest beard in the pro peloton got left behind this morning after the Team Sunweb bus left without him

https://twitter.com/simongeschke/status/865105269528944640

Ha I heard them have a chuckle about it on eurosport earlier

Waitsian

Sam Bennett is 'Anglo-Saxon' apparently. Good grief. Made me chuckle. In the 80s and 90s it was 'English speaking riders'. <Rolls eyes>

On the subject of commentators , I've actually really warmed to Sean Kelly this year. On previous events I wasn't mad about him.

Who is commentating with Quigley on the California Tour? He gave a fascinating break down of the numbers in terms of watts he'd do as a lead out or hard chasing group the other night.

dastardly00

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Who is commentating with Quigley on the California Tour? He gave a fascinating break down of the numbers in terms of watts he'd do as a lead out or hard chasing group the other night.

I haven't seen any of the ToC coverage but I do believe that it's Magnus Backstedt

dastardly00

Less than 5 km to go folks.
Fingers crossed for Sam!

De Bhál

Bora looking good here

Come on Sam

neris

Deleted User wrote: »

On the subject of commentators , I've actually really warmed to Sean Kelly this year. On previous events I wasn't mad about him.

Who is commentating with Quigley on the California Tour? He gave a fascinating break down of the numbers in terms of watts he'd do as a lead out or hard chasing group the other night.

Magnus bacstedt on the tour of california


Bora really going for this good bit out

Cho Cho Sam train has left the station :pac:

neris

Feck off orica

neris

Ffs wilier going it alone

neris

Fup sake bennett got buried there

De Bhál

Bennett 3rd

Gavaria 1st

Bora probably started that a bit early, didn't help having to close down lads popping off the front

Loved to have had Sam take that but not unhappy for Gaviria take it. Quick Step haven't been work shy.

dastardly00

Anyone else think that Richeze (Gaviria's final lead-out man) could have finished second if not first if he had kept pedaling? He finished 5th but eased up in the last 50 metres.

I usually have the app open for the sprints and forgot all about it today I'm sure I'd have been breaking a sweat sitting looking at Richeze' numbers for that.

Kaisr Sose

Hardly exciting stuff...I see A Yates got 6 sec back on most of those ahead of him by making the front group of 15-20 that got a gap in the sprint.