[Ghedebrav]

160 miles of rolling terrain before a cat 2 climb to finish. Tough one to call, like yesterday!

No changes from me (I fancy Battaglin & EBH but can’t fit them in, and saving the transfers), but what about YOU!?

Bit of historic resonance for me too; my grandad fought at Montecassino in WWII and was also a passionate cyclist & clubman (had his own shop, in fact). If he was still around I’m sure he’d be satisfied to see the battle’s 70th anniversary commemorated with a great bike race.

Topic

[VVV73]

VVV73 wrote:Gkam84 wrote:I

VVV73 wrote:

Gkam84 wrote:

I hope after today, Evans to have a few offs and no-one to wait for him, punctures, mechanicals….anything

To wish a rider to come off, is one of the most unsportsman like and sicking quotes I have read….
You ever been a professional sports person. You don’t wish that on your worst enemy.
BTW.
Do you remember the BASQUE tacking Cadel’s tyres and rest of peleton a few years ago when in lead?
Sanchez had taken off already ( won Stage ) and some very nice bets no doubt.
Cuddles had his fair share of bad luck and Hi jinx.

!

[VVV73]

Gkam84 wrote:I hope after

Gkam84 wrote:

I hope after today, Evans to have a few offs and no-one to wait for him, punctures, mechanicals….anything

FUCKING DISGRACEFUL

[Colin Peyresourde]

I doubt cuddles can take this
I doubt cuddles can take this all the way. Though this isn’t the strongest or deepest field I’ve seen in the Giro for a while. J Rod and Martin will be missed. One wonders if the Giro can continue to be held in May if they have this sort of weather and carnage. All the best riders will steer clear in favour of the other monuments.

[Gkam84]

You obviously don’t watch a
You obviously don’t watch a lot of cycling then….

Sportsmanship plays a big role, Sprints is different to climbing, if your rivals are taken out, you play fair and win it fair. But this is the only way Evans can win because he’s passed it, over the hill and just a FUD

[NigelSign]

Would the race wait for Cav
Would the race wait for Cav and the sprinters if they are involved in a crash in the run to the line? Of course not……

[NigelSign]

Evans is not my favourite
Evans is not my favourite rider, however it’s a race and being paid professionals the finer etiquette of fair play have gone out the window. If the riders down were all lower placed and not overall contenders would anyone be questioning the tactics?

[VVV73]

DID ANYONE HEAR WHAT PURITO
DID ANYONE HEAR WHAT PURITO SAID!

No ones fault that’s racing, that’s why you stay at front 🙂

[enrique]

Joelsim wrote:Talk on Polish

Joelsim wrote:

Talk on Polish TV…

You watch Polish TV?…. Wow!…

[VVV73]

On watching the replay again.
On watching the replay again. It looks like the power was already on , they were strung out like browns cows, those blokes at the back could have been playing catch up, which meant they hit that tricky roundabout faster then the leaders :B

I am just glad no one was seriously injured, tho I haven’t heard about Caruso report yet and Purito got 2 broken ribs , thumb and toe I think. I hate seeing riders get hurt.

Even watching Peter Serry last year on Greater Palm Springs stage at Cali, passing out hallway up the hill wasn’t pleasant to watch. He did not look good, I reckon that sort of exhaustion would take you months to get over IF EVER. I know it’s happen to a few racehorse that had Gut Buster.

I sill haven’t heard any complaints from any teams or riders yet ?

[Theinvisiblecyclist]

dp24 wrote:Gkam84 wrote:
The

dp24 wrote:

Gkam84 wrote:

The problem is…they attacked AFTER the crash, they had only just reeled in the break. They were not on the attack until after the crash had happened, that is my problem with the two teams going off the front.

That’s how I saw it too – when the camera cut back to them, they seemed to be really hammering it.

Well just caught up on it all ……i’n my eyes the break was being caught and BMC orica and OPQS were on the front driving hard , the first crash happened mid pack and looked like the bike just filed under the europcar rider , camber on the road + new tarmac+ standing water ….don’t think he had a chance tbh ….the main crash happened ahead if that out of shot but I think it was due to braking for the roundabout on the same conditions and at that point it looked like skittles :O

Cuddles and Matthews were at the front pushing on as it happened behind them ….it’s a tough one but i’n my eyes racing incident …… The team DS could have made the call over race radio but neither obviously did ….as a rider in that situation you ride on and don’t look round when u hear a crash ….

My 2p on that

As for transfers…..swifty not tweeted he’s out just that the only thing he put in the wash was his vest

[dp24]

Gkam84 wrote:
The problem

Gkam84 wrote:

The problem is…they attacked AFTER the crash, they had only just reeled in the break. They were not on the attack until after the crash had happened, that is my problem with the two teams going off the front.

That’s how I saw it too – when the camera cut back to them, they seemed to be really hammering it.

[VVV73]

The only people that seem to
The only people that seem to be unhappy with what happen are in here.
Fall happen at 6.5km to go at base of climb they were all going to attack on and supposedly drop Matthews ( so I am sure he was carrying some pace). What if Cav was in the PINK and he fell at base of big final climb taking about 20 riders down, do the GC riders wait? considering he was no chance of getting over it.

This is from the Official TEAM SKY website.
http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290,17553_9312916,00.html
No sooner had the catch occurred, however, when the wet, slippery roads played their part once again and descended the race into chaos. Kanstantsin Siutsou was one of several riders downed on a slick patch of asphalt, and most of the field hit the deck seconds later as they tried to circumnavigate a seemingly innocuous roundabout.

Unaware of what had happened behind, BMC Racing and Orica-GreenEdge continued to push the pace as they hit the final climb, and Matthews and Evans emerged as the day’s big winners as many floundered behind them

For others concerned about Swifty and Co.
After the stage, Sports Director Dario Cioni admitted it had been a tough day for everyone involved but was pleased to report no Team Sky riders had been seriously affected by their falls.

“Tomorrow looks like it could be a sprint stage so we should be riding for Ben [Swift] and Edvald [Boasson Hagen]. We’ll see how they’re feeling in the morning and then make a call. It’s going to be a special day for Salvatore because the race finishes near his home town. His local knowledge will help us a lot so we’re hoping for better news tomorrow.”

[Joelsim]

I’ve got 4 transfers stored
I’ve got 4 transfers stored but no idea what to do with them. Tempted to sit tight tomorrow unless there’s a withdrawal

[Ghedebrav]

True. I’ve made three (had 5
True. I’ve made three (had 5 free) and have saved two that, if I find out early doors Swift is gone, I can make on my phone (no wi-fi at my work, plus can’t access .cc domains, which means complicated budget balancing is hard to do – but an in/out swap will be fine).

[Philip Unwin]

Whenever you make your
Whenever you make your transfers it’s going to be a bit of a punt. Lots of rumours and lots of battered bodies coming home. I don’t think we will know for sure until the start. Pirazzi looked a bit out of sorts at the end, as did a lot of others not yet mentioned.

[Author]

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