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Giro d’Italia

Thought i’d try an early post for some pre race thoughts...so i’ll Start..

https://www.cyclingstage.com/giro-2019-route/

Loving the last stage....for some of us  old timers it’s like Laurent Fignon all over again. Do we approve?..or do we like the procession and sprint?

 

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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261 comments

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Dr Winston | 4 years ago
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Roglic

Yates

Carapaz

Sosa

Nibali

Cicconne

Carthy

Lopez

Just enough left to do Carapaz>Landa if and when he becomes the better pick of the two.

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MinardiM189 | 4 years ago
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Crazy crazy break -

2 Andrey Amador (MOV) 4 Hector Carretero (MOV) 7 JJ Rojas (MOV)
11 Tony Gallopin (ALM) 18 Alexis Vuillermoz (ALM)
23 Mattia Cattaneo (ANS) 26 Fausto Masnada (ANS)
34 Dario Cataldo (AST) 36 Ion Izagirre (AST) 38 Andrey Zeits (AST)
47 Antonio Nibali (TMB) 48 Domenico Pozzovivo (TBM)
64 Davide Fromolo (BOH)
73 Victor De La Parte (CCC)
97 Joe Dombrowski (EF1)
115 Krists Neilands (ICA) 116 Ruben Plaza (ICA)
124 Thoms de Gendt (LTS)
137 Chris Juul Jensen (MTS) 138 Mikel Nieve (MTS)
162 Eddie Dunbar (INS) 163 Tao Geoghegan Hart (INS)
177 Antwan Tolhoek (TJV)
181 Ilnur Zakarin (TKA)
201 Bauke Mollema (TFS) 202 Gianluca Brambilla (TFS) 203 Giulio Ciccone (TFS) 205 Nicola Conci (TFS)

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MinardiM189 | 4 years ago
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A few surprises in that stage, glad I have some transfers left.

One transfer down the drain with Vervake pulling out.

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stevemarks | 4 years ago
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Used up another couple of transfers, should run out by Tuesday night at this rate.....

Gave yates the push

 

Watch out for a miraculous come back

 

 

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Dr Winston | 4 years ago
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You got your wish Steve....sheesh....I don't suppose we were the only ones to ditch him.

Hugh Carthy from my home town riding up a storm....good stuff. I'm trying to organise a ticker tape parade for him but I can't seem to get many folk interested....too busy worshiping Tom Finney.

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archieboy | 4 years ago
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I see stg 16 has had to be redesigned, the Gavia has been removed from the stage due to avalanche risk.

The Cima Coppi will now be the Passo Manghen on stg 20.

Stg 16 is still a brute with 4800 MTS of climbing but is now 194 km in length.

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Dr Winston | 4 years ago
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Dunno what to think about today. Blew two transfers on nothingness but kinda called a part of it right. Got sit of Zakarin because I thought he's crack and that downhill wouldn't be his cup of tea....and also that it might have been too much for Sivakov. Both kinda worked....however....I brought Majka in....doh...

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Aragonite | 4 years ago
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Good to see some life on this thread. Used to be virtually none. Could be tempted at giving this game another go next season.

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Gecko-cyclist | 4 years ago
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Hello again all. Out of touch recently as I've been on a fjords cruise with Mrs Gecko. Great holiday but 50p a minute internet access, no eurosport and having to dress for dinner every night is a heavy price to fulfil romantic duties!

Catching up with events now though ~ Glad the tours all still to play for and looking forward to the final week but even more clueless than usual. First job yesterday with sufficient time to study form was to drop masnada in favour of majka. It looks like I haven't lost my touch....

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Condor Andy | 4 years ago
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Can I just say how entertaining the Italians Only comp is! Loads of similar teams, but the two who are owning are 1 point apart and the difference is Formolo v Caruso, Ciccone-Masnada-Nibali-Cattaneo are shared.

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Dr Winston | 4 years ago
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Not entirely convinced tomorrow ends in a sprint. Gonna go with three sprinters but plenty of others from the break will see this as a last chance saloon.  Any thoughts?

I can see a 50/50 chance of one of those stupidly big breaks...

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Sniffer | 4 years ago
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Just the three riders up the road.  Sprint looks more likely.

Just as well - I brought in four sprinters.

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Dr Winston | 4 years ago
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This is gonna be close....

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MinardiM189 | 4 years ago
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Demare blew it.

What a total screw up from Groupama FDJ, serves then right.

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Gecko-cyclist | 4 years ago
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I had 4 sprinters too but given FDJs antics I was still rooting for the break - Great win for a local team. If FDJ didn't want a sprint to protect the jersey, coming to the front in the last 2km made no sense. Horrible as it was to watch they should have stuck with their original plan and they might have kept it. They got what they deserved!

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MinardiM189 | 4 years ago
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I suspect most players will have very similar teams to mine for the next 2 stages -

ROGLIC
NIBALI
LANDA
CARAPAZ
LOPEZ
CICCONE
CARTHY
MASNADA

5 transfers remaining

 

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Dr Winston | 4 years ago
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Neither of Masnada or Ciccone in the break. HasCiccone won the KOM competition yet?

Also...Yes identical to above but decided against Masnada and kept Sosa....although he’s done nowt so far. 

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MinardiM189 | 4 years ago
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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Dr Winston | 4 years ago
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Stunning pictures today...absolutely beautiful.

Good job this descent is dry....it’s a bit mad....

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MinardiM189 | 4 years ago
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Empty victory for Chaves imo.

His and other GC teams blocking riders chasing the break handed it to him.

What a shame Vendrame had the mechanical, I would have loved to se him beat Chaves.

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jonscottclark | 4 years ago
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Hey all, are there points awarded at the end of the tour for the eventual Maglia Rosa winner and final GC places?

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MinardiM189 | 4 years ago
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I think I need a miracle to sneak into the top 10.

Last 4 transfers used

Landa, Lopez, Ciccone & Masnada out.

Mollema, Campanaerts, Van Emden & Haga in.

Van Emden finished 14th on a very similar Verona ITT in 2010 and I'm hoping he has improved since then.

Another disaster Purist Team - Dumoulin crashed out, Yates didn't turn up, Jungels (why did I pick him?) and Zakarin being Zakarin.

Last time I go all in GC. Although if I had picked a sprinter would have gone Viviani.

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MinardiM189 replied to Dr Winston | 4 years ago
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Dr Winston wrote:

You got your wish Steve....sheesh....I don't suppose we were the only ones to ditch him.

Hugh Carthy from my home town riding up a storm....good stuff. I'm trying to organise a ticker tape parade for him but I can't seem to get many folk interested....too busy worshiping Tom Finney.

I never had Yates to ditch him but did drop Hugh.

I have a thread on Hugh Carthy on a PNE forum which doesn't attract a great deal of interest.

The LEP doesn't want to know he exists either, amazing.

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Dr Winston replied to archieboy | 4 years ago
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archieboy wrote:

I see stg 16 has had to be redesigned, the Gavia has been removed from the stage due to avalanche risk.

The Cima Coppi will now be the Passo Manghen on stg 20.

Stg 16 is still a brute with 4800 MTS of climbing but is now 194 km in length.

Aye. My plan was to ditch Sivakov because I thought he may get found wanting on that climb...not sure now...What do you think Archie?

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jollygoodvelo replied to Gecko-cyclist | 4 years ago
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I seem to have been chasing the right team all this Giro, often having a team that looked great on paper but not in reality.  I stuck with Yates for too long, I've often had the 'wrong' Androni rider, and dropping Carthy and Masnada before yesterday was a particular stroke of anti-genius.  Now I've got almost everyone I want... so I predict a big win for Yates today while Ciccone comes down with pneumonia after yesterday's exertions.

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MinardiM189 replied to Dr Winston | 4 years ago
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Dr Winston wrote:

Dunno what to think about today. Blew two transfers on nothingness but kinda called a part of it right. Got sit of Zakarin because I thought he's crack and that downhill wouldn't be his cup of tea....and also that it might have been too much for Sivakov. Both kinda worked....however....I brought Majka in....doh...

I've been blowing transfers and making my team worse at the same time too.

After the first 2 weeks I expected the break to score more points and GC to take a back seat.

When I did get a good pick inthe break they called him back to help Yates. angry

No changes for today then 4 sprinters in for stage 18.

Not sure whether to save many transfers for the last ITT because there aren't many sure ITT picks left.

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Sniffer replied to Dr Winston | 4 years ago
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Dr Winston wrote:

Not entirely convinced tomorrow ends in a sprint. Gonna go with three sprinters but plenty of others from the break will see this as a last chance saloon.  Any thoughts?

I can see a 50/50 chance of one of those stupidly big breaks...

Sprint is certainly not a stick on.  Picking the breakers will be a challenge though.

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Dr Winston replied to Aragonite | 4 years ago
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Aragonite wrote:

Good to see some life on this thread. Used to be virtually none. Could be tempted at giving this game another go next season.

Brill. Why not play this season as well....and join us posting.

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Dr Winston replied to Sniffer | 4 years ago
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Sniffer wrote:

Just the three riders up the road.  Sprint looks more likely.

Just as well - I brought in four sprinters.

Just three for me. Leaves me with seven transfers left.

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Dr Winston replied to MinardiM189 | 4 years ago
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MinardiM189 wrote:

Demare blew it.

What a total screw up from Groupama FDJ, serves then right.

Badly. They were never committed to today...further interview this morning confirmed it. Is there an intermediate left that they can try for?

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