Giro stage 15

drheaton wrote:

Alan Tullett wrote:

Rujano has been a disaster for me. I meant to change him for Purito and swap Golas for a cheap rider but went with two breakaway riders instead. One was in the break but couldn't stay out, the other was 3rd from last. So close but not quite. Should have played safe. I would have made up a bit of ground. Have to bring in Purito now (who I like - don't know why I ever left him out) but won't change the other stars and maybe change one DS. Keep 2 transfers spare for later.

Yeah Rujano has to go, Sella too, but I don't know who to bring in to help me move up. I think at this point I run the risk of having exactly the same team as those above me and not going anywhere.

Basso will be popular this window, Henao too, anyone whoever didn't have Rodriguez will get him if they can so I'm just faffing around the edges really, the core of my team (Rodriguez, Henao, Hesjedal, Tiralongo, Pozzovivo, Golas) is probably the same as most other teams and won't change now until the TT. I either take huge risks or just hope I get lucky with a breakaway or on the remaining sprint and TT stages.

Once you start chasing breaks you know you're finished! If they come by chance while you play sensibly that's great, like Rubiano and Golas did for me. It was stage 5, I think, that lost it for me when I had Farrar and Hushovd and some other sprinters who all went out the back. Lost about 80-100 points on that one stage.

By the end of a Tour everyone's team is pretty similar but you still have a small chance. I, however, have none and even if I had played a bit safer I'd still be too far behind.

At least I still have my top place in East Anglia and amazingly I'm still top 20 on GC and above TERatcliffe26.

Could go for a stage win. Maybe the TT

Been a good couple of days racing though and I've enjoyed watching it. Fun having Carrara in the break as well even if he scored only 2 points.

darren13366 wrote:

Thanks Gkam. I thought I'd read that Goss and Renshaw didn't start on Saturday. I shall be patient...

Sorry you are correct, Those two didn't start stage 14

stumps wrote:

drheaton, spot on, Basso merely follows which makes him a v good allrounder whereas the likes of Wiggo, Evans and Bertie have that extra bit in their armoury and can put the hammer down and drill it or destroy a field on the tt.

Basso is still a brilliant rider he just gets things done differently.

Exactly, although if any of the really top draw GC contenders were at this year's Giro I doubt Basso could win it. The fact that Basso is still favourite is probably a reflection of the quality of the field more than anything else. It's a shame that the Giro is run so close to the start of the TdF because it really thins out the people hoping to compete for the win. If they ran the Giro even a week or two earlier in the season (or pushed the tour back a bit) you may get people racing both of them to win rather than using the Giro as a warm-up for the tour.

ray silvester wrote:

Grand Tour's tend to have the toughest stages towards the end and Basso tends to linger lower down the GC Order until he reaches these and so picks up less GC top 10 pts per stage than perhaps a Cuddles or Wiggo who can take advantage of an early TT.

Agreed, and with this year's Giro being more TdF like in having more sprint stages clustered at the start of the race it means Basso won't be a high scorer until the back end of the race, although I don't really expect him to win any stages, just be close enough to the winners so that he can take it in the TT. From a fantasy point of view he's consistently mediocre whereas Rodriguez and Hesjedal have provided more points earlier in the race but I suspect they'll fall away a bit in the next few stages (maybe not J-Rod but definitely Hesjedal).