Giro d'Italia

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pjclinch
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Re: Giro d'Italia

Post by pjclinch »

Not the result I'd wanted, but credit where it's due: yesterday's stage winning performance was amazing, and it also got around my usual issue of a Skye platoon of expensive domestiques riding on the front like robots for 3 weeks.

Tom won last year and was second this year mainly down to the TT balance, I think: he's a TT-er than can climb, and CF is a climber who can TT, and it was more of a climber's course this year. We'll be seeing more of Mnr. Dumoulin in the future, I'm quite sure (and looking forwards to it). And I wonder if it was overdoing the TT that finished off SY? That's something he's getting better at, as well as measuring a 3 week effort, and we'll be enjoying more work from him too.

As seems often the case, the Giro lays down the gauntlet to the other GTs, and suggests they'll have their work cut out to be a better race.

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landsurfer
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Re: Giro d'Italia

Post by landsurfer »

reohn2 wrote:Froome a giant bigger than a giant sitting on a Giant :wink:
Superb racing from THE Campionissimo!


Bella Bella Froome ... 8)
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reohn2
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Re: Giro d'Italia

Post by reohn2 »

pjclinch wrote:........As seems often the case, the Giro lays down the gauntlet to the other GTs, and suggests they'll have their work cut out to be a better race.

Pete.

I've thought the Giro to be best Grand Tour for a long time now.The TdeF has too much razzamatazz about it plus too many flat boring stages.
The Vuelta is boring mostly with the tour Of the Basque country a better race.

What spoiled this year's Giro was Israel IMO :( ,thankfully it was only for the first three boring days,but the rest f the race more than made up for it :D

EDITED for typos
Last edited by reohn2 on 27 May 2018, 10:14am, edited 1 time in total.
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pjclinch
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Re: Giro d'Italia

Post by pjclinch »

reohn2 wrote:I've thought the Giro to be best Grand Tour for a long time now.The TdeF has too much razzamatazz about plus too man flat boring stages an


Being the Big One tends to mean people are less prepared to take risks with teams or tactics, I think. Though hopefully the cobbles will liven things up again this year... the 2014 cobbles stage which Lars Boom took was an amazing race (shame Froome never made it t the pavé though).

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reohn2
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Re: Giro d'Italia

Post by reohn2 »

pjclinch wrote:
reohn2 wrote:I've thought the Giro to be best Grand Tour for a long time now.The TdeF has too much razzamatazz about plus too man flat boring stages an


Being the Big One tends to mean people are less prepared to take risks with teams or tactics, I think. Though hopefully the cobbles will liven things up again this year... the 2014 cobbles stage which Lars Boom took was an amazing race (shame Froome never made it t the pavé though).

Pete.

Yes the weather didfor those who weren't used to such surfaces,certainly did for Froome.
I dislike watching racing on wide roads and smooth tarmac,the televised US stage races are aweful to watch.There should be more pavé and dirt/gravel road sections in GT's IMO.
Strada Bianche raced in the hills around Siena,is great race and a great palce to ride for pleasure too.
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thirdcrank
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Re: Giro d'Italia

Post by thirdcrank »

I enjoyed Juan Antonio Flecha interviewing Froome. Not so much interviews, as comparing notes on the shared experience of top-level pro bike racing. JAF seems full of joy, which seems to have CF dropping a bit of his stiff upper lip. I did notice in two interviews that CF addressed JAF as Flecha. I don't know if that's his normal peloton moniker or CF's public school background. I could have listened to a much longer interview.
toontra
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Re: Giro d'Italia

Post by toontra »

thirdcrank wrote:I enjoyed Juan Antonio Flecha interviewing Froome. Not so much interviews, as comparing notes on the shared experience of top-level pro bike racing. JAF seems full of joy, which seems to have CF dropping a bit of his stiff upper lip. I did notice in two interviews that CF addressed JAF as Flecha. I don't know if that's his normal peloton moniker or CF's public school background. I could have listened to a much longer interview.


Interesting. I have the polar opposite view of his interviews. Even taking into account the language issue, I find his gushing style to be garbled, muddled, often inappropriate, rarely insightful and generally extremely irritating. Sort of a cyclist's Robert Peston (who I also can't abide).

I think you might be mistaking Froome's extreme politeness for Flecha's technique!
reohn2
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Re: Giro d'Italia

Post by reohn2 »

toontra wrote:........ Sort of a cyclist's Robert Peston (who I also can't abide)........


C'mon Flacha' s not that bad...... .......in fact I don't think anyone's that bad :? :wink:
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Giro d'Italia

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
Israel was probably political tomfoolery

If you ever stood on the side of a road watching a peloton you know that a good view is hard to find, spectators get a shallow version of what you see on the box..
I agree that terrain makes racing better for us spectators and the politics and sponsors want their cut of publicity with the dignitaries.

Wide tarmac..............ugh..............

The program makers and their sponsors must also be influenced by getting publicity for selected riders, also the towns want to be seen in patronising the race for publicity for mayors etc.

I would like to see more technical detail of bikes and performance, but this does not always interest most.
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reohn2
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Re: Giro d'Italia

Post by reohn2 »

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Hi,
Israel was probably political tomfoolery

And bad viewing for the public who watch it on TV.
I'm not getting into the politricks,it would only sully the thread but there couldn't have been a worse time to take the Giro to Israel,I know these things are planned a couple of years in advance but still not a good choice from a political POV.
If you ever stood on the side of a road watching a peloton you know that a good view is hard to find, spectators get a shallow version of what you see on the box..

Certainly have,the onĺy road racing worth watching live in the flesh are Crits and TT's but I don't like crowds anyway so......

I agree that terrain makes racing better for us spectators and the politics and sponsors want their cut of publicity with the dignitaries.

Wide tarmac..............ugh..............

The program makers and their sponsors must also be influenced by getting publicity for selected riders, also the towns want to be seen in patronising the race for publicity for mayors etc.

The whole idea for me is to watch racing at it's best,by the best,a real test of man on a bike against his rivals on small roads with interesting anomalies such as different road surfaces,wind and climbs,the rest is just jazz though good scenery and picturesque towns and villages,castles etc make for great viewing.
Spare me the local dignitaries,fluffy toys and pseudo ejeculation of the bubbly :?

I would like to see more technical detail of bikes and performance, but this does not always interest most.

I agree,rider performance,watts/speed are interesting,but you only get a brief glance on the TV screen,though understand why.
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rjb
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Re: Giro d'Italia

Post by rjb »

they trialled on bike cameras a few years ago to give a riders pepspective. Whats become of them? Maybe drones in the future now they are all wearing hard hats. :lol:
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reohn2
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Re: Giro d'Italia

Post by reohn2 »

rjb wrote:.....they trialled on bike cameras a few years ago to give a riders pepspective.......


They made me feel seasick,not good viewing when the rider was out of the saddle :? :shock:
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Si
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Re: Giro d'Italia

Post by Si »

I did notice in two interviews that CF addressed JAF as Flecha.


Juan Antonio Flecha, you have pleaded guilty to the charges brought by this court and it is now my duty to pass sentence. You are an habitual interviewer who....
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Re: Giro d'Italia

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Cycle sport is all about money, that is why it went to Israel
Does politricks have anything to do with money? :?
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Giro d'Italia

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
On viewing racing cyclist-
I once had a mad idea (plenty really) that I would attempt to cycle to three points on the map as a race went in a circular route, I made two missing the 2nd by minutes, probably of made it on a different bike.
The experience was quite fantastic as the terrain Dartmoor has plenty steep slopes, both views were on bends you could see easily with dips, so the view was that of a long peloton snaking over the land in perfect silence apart from the whir of the finely tuned machines and a whiff of what they apply to their skin :? And an artificial breeze. They made no other sounds at all, no speech or breathing hard.

I will probably never experience that again unless they pass by on the same route, which will be likely as they do come to Devon often and Dartmoor despite very poor TV coverage should of made a good backdrop.

Previously TDF in and around Bournemouth where we cycled to parts of course, was so bland in comparison.
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