The Maglia Rosa.....pick em' - VeloNation - Cycling Forums, Bicycle Forums, Community Forums

Posts:568

05/03/2016 01:10 PM
with the Giro coming up, who are you looking to win? I think Nibali will be in the mix, Landa is looking good, but being a team leader will mean he can't hide, Valverde is on form, Dumoulin will be there, Ryder Hesjedal, Majka with Saxo, and Uran with a decent looking Cannondale team, and then we have some of the other up and coming younger guys, Ilnur Zakarin is looking good I think it is going to be fun to watch, and I imagine they are having crazy spring weather just like we are here in the U.S.

Posts:809

05/03/2016 01:15 PM
2 of those climbing days are totally crazy, like 18k ft or something like that, though the one in the alps has a good likelihood of being snowed in. Nibali has to win or face the wrath of Vino so I'm picking him.

Posts:4209

05/03/2016 01:52 PM
I'm gonna go with Majka for the breakthrough win......don't ask my why, just my guy reaction. Expect him and Nibali to go mano a mano in the last week. Guys like Zakarin will be up there early, but blow sometime in the second week. Too much climbing for Valverde, so he'll need to be crafty if he is gonna win...stage some sneak attack, etc and grab time to pad a lead. Don't rate Ryder or Dumoulin very highly....too much climbing for both and Dumoulin's big objective is the Rio TT.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:525

05/03/2016 02:59 PM
I need to know who will be mechanically doping, before I pick :-)

79pmooney

Posts:3180

05/03/2016 04:14 PM
My gut says Valverde. Not brain, just gut. I think he wants this. He has shown in recent years that he can race smart. There look to be a couple of non-hill finishes where perhaps he could pull something off. Ben

Posts:4499

05/03/2016 06:41 PM
Dumoulin is there specifically for time trial victories, nothing else. I'd like to pick Valverde but I'd tend to agree maybe a bit much climbing.

DonnaMobile

Posts:71

05/04/2016 09:58 AM
I think the battle will be between Nibali, Uran, and Landa. I like Nibali a lot but would like to see Uran do well. He has had a hard life. I like his personality and the way he expresses himself. Those things don’t don’t always come across in (foreign) tv race coverage or interviews by the press (and often get lost in translation). I hope for big things from Joe Dombrowski. I was elated and proud when he won the Baby Giro (beating Aru) and I rode up to Asiago to see the final stage and cheer for him on the podium. Larry Warbasse, who will also be riding the Giro, was on that USA team as well. Rai, the Italian network, streams all of its content on its website, on channels Rai 3 and Rai Sport 1, http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/dirette_tv.html. It is geo-blocked but if you have a VPN subscription, you can connect through a server in Italy and watch it. Rai 3 coverage usually begins about 3 pm, 9 am EST. I have an account with NordVPN and am very pleased with it. I watched all the spring classics on Rai and will be able to follow the Giro until I return to Italy next week. The parcours of stage 11, Modena-Asolo, was recently modified and the race will now pass through my little town! I will most likely spectate on the final little climb up into Asolo. Needless to say I am beside myself with excitement. I even created a large banner to string up. I intend to go to a number of stages, and am planning to be on the Pordoi pass and then the Falzarego pass (literally, head 'em off at the pass). Finally, you can download the race bible, known as the Garibali, here: http://static2.giroditalia.it/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Garibaldi-affiancate.pdf Enjoy the race!

Posts:809

05/04/2016 10:33 AM
That's super cool that the Giro is coming to your town! I had heard the same about Uran. Do you know why he DNF'd at Romandie? I didn't hear about any crashes and assumed he just had a little bug.

Posts:4499

05/04/2016 11:05 AM
Posted By ChinookPass . on 05/04/2016 10:33 AM That's super cool that the Giro is coming to your town! As long as its far enough into the stage. In days when Amstel Gold passed through the town I grew up in as a kid, it was typically the scene of a collective sanitary stop.

stronz

Posts:447

05/04/2016 12:26 PM
I want Nibali to and hope he is on form. Loved watching him fly away from the pack when he won the tdf - thing of beauty. If he lets the GC guys zoom away up the hill I will be sad.

stronz

Posts:447

05/04/2016 01:47 PM
I want Nibali to and hope he is on form. Loved watching him fly away from the pack when he won the tdf - thing of beauty. If he lets the GC guys zoom away up the hill I will be sad.

Posts:568

05/05/2016 10:50 AM
Any picks for the opening TT? I was pulling for Cancellara, but just read he has the flu, so I'm going with Dumoulin for the win. I like your pick of Majka Cosmic, would love to see hm shake it up, and he can fly under the radar for a bit, which could be to his advantage

Posts:4499

05/05/2016 02:19 PM
Posted By Kenny Gonzales on 05/05/2016 10:50 AM Any picks for the opening TT? I was pulling for Cancellara, but just read he has the flu, so I'm going with Dumoulin for the win. Jos van Emden, 5th in opening TT in TdF last year. Dumoulin, much to his chagrin, has consistently been beat by one person this year even though each time its someone else, so I am banking on that trend continuing.

Red Tornado

Posts:159

05/06/2016 09:30 AM
Top 3 (in no particular order): Valverde, Nibali & Landa Dark Horse: Zakarin Valverde's got a strong team (is it just me or does Betancur remind you of a young Eddie van Halen?) and he seems to be hungry for a new challenge. The other two have pretty decent support as well, so hoping for a good show. Yes, and Nibali will have Vino as additional "inspiration". Bad luck could be Valverde's issue, as he seems to run across it in grand tours outside of Spain IIRC.

Posts:568

05/06/2016 09:32 AM
here comes Jos VAn Emden OC,

Posts:568

05/06/2016 09:40 AM
Jos Van Emden just wnet down in that tight right hander, bummer.... Yep Red Tornado, Vino will be an inspiration, I'm thinking Nibali would love to win, and then shove it down Vino's throat, throw down the gauntlet, let them know he's the top rider at Astana, and not Aru

Posts:4209

05/06/2016 11:07 AM
WTH....since when does a GT start on a Friday? Totally missed today's stage. Damn....

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:809

05/06/2016 11:40 AM
since the giro starts in...Netherlands. Still waiting for the giro start in USA. I think that one's finally been put to bed. Sounds like an awful crash in Fleche du Sud. Hope everyone made it out ok.

Posts:4499

05/06/2016 12:32 PM
22 one thousands of a second! Roglic the runner up used to be a ski jumper?!?

Posts:525

05/06/2016 12:33 PM
Gonzo, Cancellarra put out a damn good time for feeling under the weather.

Posts:809

05/06/2016 03:16 PM
Giro knows how to do team presentations..

Posts:568

05/08/2016 12:34 PM
@Spud, yeah, Cancellara did have a good run, down by what, 8 seconds? Not bad after just having been getting over the flu the day before. Nice run run by Dumoulin, what was the margin, 0.01 of a second? Man, Kittel is a friggin' horse, dude is fast, and you just gotta love Lefevere, gets the win, and the jersey, but is still complaining? That was quite the scene eh Chinook? Very Cool!

Posts:4209

05/08/2016 09:48 PM
Kittel is making this look easy.....

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:525

05/10/2016 11:44 AM
Brambi with a top 5 finish today. Hope to see a stage win this year, in honor of his newborn daughter, a few weeks ago.

Posts:4499

05/10/2016 02:35 PM
If he can hang in there Thursday Dumoulin's looking good for a pretty long stint in pink, probably out to Stage 13 or 14.

Posts:4209

05/11/2016 01:26 PM
Dayum....went Griepel went, it was game over. No one else was even close!

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

05/11/2016 01:44 PM
Griepel? I am expecting better of you CK!

Posts:809

05/11/2016 03:06 PM
CN says he's won a stage of every GT he's raced since '08.

Posts:4209

05/11/2016 03:15 PM
Posted By Orange Crush on 05/11/2016 01:44 PM Griepel? I am expecting better of you CK! I'm gonna blame Steve Jobs and the auto-correct feature on my iPad.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:809

05/12/2016 11:17 AM
Lovin' the Giro. When riders are this excited to win, that's what the sport is all about and good for Wellens to get a win after an attacking spring. Back-to-back wins for red Lotto. Nibali slips a bit.

Posts:809

05/12/2016 11:18 AM
always reminds me of this:

Posts:4499

05/12/2016 01:21 PM
Another good day for Dumoulin, better than expected. Still no goals for overall but the specific target is to go after Dutch record for most days in Pink (8 for Erik Breukink). Should be very much doable. Saturday is tricky again but on Sunday he should be able to pad his lead with TT.

Posts:4499

05/15/2016 10:51 AM
OMFG - Zakarin may have tied the Chicken for worst executed TT ever.

Red Tornado

Posts:159

05/16/2016 11:14 AM
Posted By Orange Crush on 05/15/2016 10:51 AM OMFG - Zakarin may have tied the Chicken for worst executed TT ever. LOL. He's the first rider I thought of when I saw those crashes! In IZ's defense though, at least it was wet, but pretty bad line into those stripes right at the end.

Posts:4499

05/16/2016 03:51 PM
Agreed - pretty treacherous out there...check out this video of Landa missing a turn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUCYMPlNRaI

Posts:4209

05/18/2016 09:50 AM
Jungels riding a race leader today....grabs 10" on his main rivals. Now, whether that was a smart move or not remains to be seen....seemed like a lot of effort for very little time gain. But made it exciting to watch!!

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

05/18/2016 10:28 AM
Jungels ride was perfect on the notion that he won't be there come Stage 21 anyway. Can Amador go all the way or is he just paving the way for Valverde? Our Costa Rican club member, known as "the Flash" for his uphill riding style, is certainly very excited. Wonder what Kruijswijk can do. He was up there last year in final week but was already well behind on GC by the time they got there. Not a whole lot of guys standing from our page 1 Giro picks. LOL.

Posts:4209

05/18/2016 10:34 AM
Not a whole lot of guys standing from our page 1 Giro picks. LOL. There is a reason we have been relegated to a completely unknown slice of the interwebs.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Red Tornado

Posts:159

05/18/2016 03:35 PM
Posted By Cosmic Kid on 05/18/2016 10:34 AM Not a whole lot of guys standing from our page 1 Giro picks. LOL. There is a reason we have been relegated to a completely unknown slice of the interwebs. Speak for yourselves guys. 3 of my 4 are still in the top 10. For now. LOL

79pmooney

Posts:3180

05/18/2016 04:37 PM
My one is doing all that badly. Ben

Posts:568

05/20/2016 08:42 AM
still is shaking out, not a lot of our original picks out there for sure, Valverde is looking strong, Amador, and Jungels is a nice surprise in Pink!! Still some high mountains to come, not sure what to think of Nibali, he's not that far back, but he's giving up time, little by little Sky is cursed st this race, no love in Italy.......... Advice from Andy? Cause you know, he once was a uh..... Grand Tour Contender..... www.cyclingnews.com/news/andy-schleck-to-jungels-stay-calm-you-can-win-the-giro-ditalia/

Posts:4209

05/20/2016 09:00 AM
On the same page as getting advice from Andy, did you guys see in the ToC coverage the other day when they read a tweet from LA in praise of that new kid, Powless? Seriously, who the fook cares about what LA has to say about any new talent in cycling at this point? Even worse was when they directly asked Powless about the tweet....would have loved it if he had said "Why the hell do I care what an old doper has to say about me?"

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:568

05/20/2016 10:50 AM
Better Yet CK, "Lance Who?" ha ha ha exactly, who in the fook cares? it's like when Palin is interviewed about Politics, oh, now she's an expert adviser?

Posts:4499

05/20/2016 03:24 PM
Haha - yeah Andy definitely jinxed Jungels. Amador great to be first Costa Rica rider in pink but he was on the elastic. For now at least it looks like a Nibali-Valverde battle in the making.

Posts:4209

05/20/2016 03:45 PM
My boy Majka is sitting right there....don't count him out yet!

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

05/21/2016 10:15 AM
the pecking order is getting clearer. I like what I am seeing.

Posts:4209

05/21/2016 07:05 PM
Gee....I wonder why? Great stage today....lots of action and implications. Nibali is very consistent, but doesn't have that extra little bit to let him dominate. Instead, he is gonna have to rely on everyone else dropping around him and he keeps keeping on.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:809

05/23/2016 11:33 AM
A Dutchman is winning a GT? Now I've seen everything.

Posts:4499

05/23/2016 12:48 PM
Posted By ChinookPass . on 05/23/2016 11:33 AM A Dutchman is winning a GT? Now I've seen everything. Houston - we have a problem

Posts:809

05/23/2016 03:18 PM
feeling a little queasy here after looking at that.

Posts:809

05/23/2016 03:57 PM
I actually owned a purple bianchi for about 2 rides before I was left hooked by a car. Maybe it was karma because the only color a bianchi should be is celeste blue. Yellow lotto should change their kit to match the bike. The Ulrich/bianchi kit was supremo.

Dale

Posts:1767

05/23/2016 06:55 PM
That looks like a housing development in the Bahamas.... not that there's anything wrong with that, but for the Giro? Nyet!

Keith Richards

Posts:781

05/24/2016 10:12 AM
The broad shouldered Dutchman looks like he has what it takes!

----- It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong.

Posts:4499

05/24/2016 10:35 AM
Keith - today's stage sounded nuts. Attacks left right and centre. All of the leaders pretty much on their own. This is what makes the Giro every year the best GT by far. The racing is so uncontrolled. Not sure what happened to Chaves today; seemed fine in the chase but he had to chase. Perhaps the usual rest day challenge.

stronz

Posts:447

05/24/2016 11:34 AM
Nibali -- not sure what it is that he needs to win a GT nowadays. Cobbles and mechanical prioblems for his adversaries, maybe? Never seemed to be a dominant rider to me - cept maybe for that one July in 2014. Lately he seems very under prepared - as if he is riding the TDF after having won the Giro one month earlier. Not able to continue his attacks and make them stick - like Contador was last year at the Tour. Problem is he's supposed to be fresh for this race - doesnt seem so. Vino is probably happy he's done with him

Posts:4499

05/24/2016 02:59 PM
Posted By Keith Jackson on 05/24/2016 10:12 AM The broad shouldered Dutchman looks like he has what it takes! LOL - sounds like you're on to something Keith. Didn't realize Kruijswijk had a knickname but its "de kleerhanger" aka La Percha aka Le Cintre, or in English The human clothes hanger. https://www.instagram.com/p/_7kcs8h4sz/

Posts:525

05/26/2016 11:23 AM
I wonder if Brambi had any words for Ronvy today, just as he passed and dropped him in the last 2K today.

Posts:4499

05/26/2016 04:38 PM
With final two hard stages coming up anyone want to take a guess if we are going to have an addition to Janssen and Zoetemelk or whether we'll see a repeat of Dumoulin's final stage collapse in last year's Vuelta? So far the Force continues to be strong in 'Kruuz-wiek', ’Kru-is-wik’, eeehhr, ’Kroes-wiek’. Nibali at least mentally seems down and out but Chaves and Valverde may still have some tricks. Either way will be exciting not in least because Stage 20 covers terrain I rode as part of Haute Route Stage 2 albeit in reverse direction (they get to do easy side of Bonnette).

Posts:4209

05/27/2016 08:50 AM
Uh-oh.....Kruijswick just came off on a descent and crashed into the snow lining the side of the road. Bike went flying up about 5 feet in the air, and he lost some time fixing it, but is back up and riding. Does not seem to be hurt.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

05/27/2016 09:48 AM
That crash is one for the history books, LOL. Looks like it will cost him the Giro. Zakarin's crash looked bad but sounds he's OK except for collarbone.

Posts:4209

05/27/2016 09:55 AM
Yeah, it looks bad for Kruijswick right now....but if he can stay relatively close, maybe he can grab it back tomorrow. Not likley, but you never know. Nibali looks better today, but he needs to put more time into Chavez than 16" though!

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

05/27/2016 10:01 AM
This Giro is certainly not short on excitement. Looks like a bunch of guys will be relatively close on time which will make for more action tomorrow.

Posts:4209

05/27/2016 10:20 AM
Tomorrow is gonna be crazy....especially the last 2.3km. Sucks for Kruijswick.....he was looking good until the biffed into the snow.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:809

05/27/2016 10:45 AM
Big bummer. Hate to see a race decided that way but it is after all, a race. Descents count too.

SideBySide

Posts:444

05/27/2016 02:49 PM
That does suck, but it will be interesting tomorrow!

Posts:4499

05/27/2016 03:08 PM
I think Kruijswijk will go further backward tomorrow. Back and rib problems. Not the kind of stuff you recover from overnight. It is like Dutch soccer. The best team to never win. But he gave it a good whirl. Between that and Dumoulin earlier this Giro and in Vuelta at least we're in the mix.

longslowdistance

Posts:2881

05/27/2016 06:58 PM
That old snow isn't the fluffy new fallen stuff. It's more like gravel and concrete. OC is right- he will be very sore

zootracer

Posts:833

05/27/2016 11:25 PM
Now saying Kruijswijk has a broken rib. Unknow if he can start tomorrow. What a bummer.

Posts:4499

05/28/2016 11:03 AM
What a finale: Nibali against the wall on that final climb but still takes overall with Chaves falling apart. Kruijswijk fought bravely for podium spot against Valverde but just loses it.