Giro d'Italia 2023

lawrencesummers

There was a time cavendish would have won that with a wheel to spare.

With so much attrition at the top of the leaderboard i think we will see a few days of the breakaway being left alone. Teams will look to consolidate and keep it close for a while making it an ideal time for a strong rider from a team with little to play for getting up the road abd staying away, i wouldnt rule out Ben healy going again or Barguil

dastardly00

I just realised I'm wearing the maglia rosa in the Boards Velogames League 😁

Remco, Ben Healy, Michael Matthews, Magnus Cort, Mads Pedersen have all won stages for me. And Eddie, Jay Vine and Pinot are earning some decent points too. Mollema is my only dud so far.

People with Roglic and Thomas will surely overtake me at some stage though!

eagle eye

Stage 12.....

The profile suggests nothing too wicked but too tough for sprinters. Max gradient on the day is 8.3% and it's only for about 5km.

A stage where absolutely anything could happen.

Ben Healy has to be seriously considered but he'd have to go solo again and that might be hard done. The reason is that Jay Vine will have the freedom to be in the breakaway having lost so much time. McNulty will be there as well.

Now Michael Matthews could do this if he gets help from his team and with a flat finish he'd be unstoppable if he was in the front group at the end. I don't think that'll happen because I'd imagine the team will be told to have an easy day so they are fresh to work for Eddie tomorrow.

Breakaway riders you'd expect would be looking to be involved should include Ben, Vine, McNulty, Buitrago, Bouwman, Magnus Cort, Bais, Konrad, Gee, Zana, Verona, Barguil(if healthy).

Now let's say the break doesn't get away early and then Jumbo and/or Ineos try to control things, there's a distinct possibility that Roglic could make a late move and take the stage but I think that's unlikely.

I've left out one potential breakaway candidate and that's Ilan Van Wilder. He's a fast climber with a good sprint and with Remco out he's got nothing to lose. I think the breakaway takes the day and Van Wilder takes the stage.

Brian?

is it going to be awful weather again?

retalivity

Think its a break day, most of the rest of the peloton probably want an easy run after yesterday.

A random Joe Dombrowkski for the win.

Macy0161

Small correction, it isn’t summer in Italy yet. It’s spring. May being summer is only in Ireland, and possibly the UK.

It's not metrological summer until June in Ireland either.

For today, will UAE really send Vine and McNulty with Almeidi 3rd, and a decent shot at winning the thing?

Mefistofelino

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120610916#Comment_120610916

I think maybe some showers at the start but dry and overcast otherwise. Tomorrow looks like it could be shyte, though

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611114#Comment_120611114

”It's not metrological summer until June in Ireland either”

I know, but most Irish people call it summer in May.

Id be shocked if Vine is in another break from now. He needs to stay close to Almeida and ride 100% for him. I think Almeida is in with a very serious chance.

retalivity

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611209#Comment_120611209

Vine and/or McNulty needs to stick with Almeida tomorrow. Today should be handy enough for one of them to go up the road, Formolo, Ulissi, Covi should be more than enough cover.

cunavalos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611265#Comment_120611265

Covi is a DNS, unable to recover from yesterdays crash.

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120609097#Comment_120609097

Oh yeah, I know that. But time's have changed. Back in Eddy's day they raced through the snow. These days, with more focus on riders' safety and wellbeing, there's more chance of those kind of stages being shortened/ altered which kind of defeats the purpose. I suppose my point was more, how does the traditional idea of the Giro continue to maintain its status as the second most prestigious Grand Tour in the face of changing expectations from riders, organisers, sponsors and viewers. The Vuelta - previously the clear also-ran of Grand Tours - is shaping up to overtake the Giro in terms of attractiveness/ prestige.

I love Italy. Have lounged on the beach in Rimini in May on more than a few occasions. Then again, coming from Ireland anything over 18 degrees is a heatwave so I'm easily impressed!

Dodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611209#Comment_120611209

You’ve been away too long 😀

Most people don’t call May summer. In fact in school they teach June, July & August as summer now

Anyway, back to cycling

Mefistofelino

The start town, Bra, looks nice though I hear it has it's knockers.

Large bottle small glass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611671#Comment_120611671

That place is full of tits

retalivity

Vine out the back already, so not one for him today!

mewso

I must admit I enjoyed seeing Ackermann win yesterday. Always happy no matter what. Likeable guy. I agree with the Almeida talk. I think he is Roglic's main rival in that third week and his style suits those long climbs but if he has no protection it could all be for nought.

Dodge

Love seeing the break formation on days like today. So many trying to get away and the peleton all over the place. Ben very active but he’s a marked man

greendom

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611209#Comment_120611209

But that means Spring starts in Feb. Never got my head round that!

CrowdedHouse

Kaden Groves Abandon

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611893#Comment_120611893

I know. I’m used to St Brigid’s day being the first day of spring. It’s always be thus in my mind.

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611265#Comment_120611265

No way would I let one of my key domestiques waste energy in a break, before the final week.

eagle eye

I'd imagine Pederson is just there for the intermediate sprint points.

Matthews is in it for the win but it'll be very hard for him with the likes of Kuss, Mollema, Fortunato, Van Wilder etc. He'll struggle to stay with them on the final climb with no teammates to help him.

Here's the full break..

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611522#Comment_120611522

You leave Ireland for a few years and the whole place goes to pot.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120612113#Comment_120612113

Is that not the peloton at this stage 🤣

CrowdedHouse

Hannah Walker annoys me

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120612772#Comment_120612772

I like her

Brian?

Kelly giving out yards about Formolo working in the break. This is exactly what I was saying about Vine etc earlier. You can’t waste energy stage hunting when your team mate is in with a chance of winning the Giro

mewso

Berwick - "I'm not doing sh1t". He is going to spend most of his career peed off with riders if he doesn't like being dropped by attacks.

CantGetNoSleep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120612851#Comment_120612851

Baffling that they were more than 3 mins behind anyway and he was pulling on the front like a mad thing. Would be a different story if he might have gotten a stage win but no idea what he was going for at that stage

Mefistofelino

Dunbar safe home in the Maglia Rosa group.

If Eddie has the form to aim for, say, a top 5 finish overall is the Jayco squad really up to supporting him? I get the feeling they they would prefer to spend time and effort trying for another stage win instead.