2024 Giro D'Italia

[eth-dog]

Hasn't looked like getting close in any of the races I've seen this year. Isn't he still recovering from some injury?

Not sure, but he never starts the year well either tbf

 

[Orange Agent]

Bardet looks in good form but it's just a case of how much time he loses in the TT's, which is likely to be a lot. Uijtdebroeks is the same, his complaints about Bora and their TT gear has been unfounded as his TT's at Jumbo have been horrible. Did not expect Mezgec to be racing here, can read a lot of things into it. Either the team wants stage wins and won't risk somebody like Plapp being in a sprint train, which is good. If he rides well at Romadie he should be going for GC at Giro. And I think Benno can podium here, his TT is good enough and the Paret-Pientre brothers are in super form this year.

 

[yaco55]

Plapp will be nowhere near the sprint train for Jayco - The sprint train will be Ewan, Stewart, Walscheid with some help from De Marchi.

 

[eth-dog]

Bardet looks in good form but it's just a case of how much time he loses in the TT's, which is likely to be a lot. Uijtdebroeks is the same, his complaints about Bora and their TT gear has been unfounded as his TT's at Jumbo have been horrible. Did not expect Mezgec to be racing here, can read a lot of things into it. Either the team wants stage wins and won't risk somebody like Plapp being in a sprint train, which is good. If he rides well at Romadie he should be going for GC at Giro. And I think Benno can podium here, his TT is good enough and the Paret-Pientre brothers are in super form this year.

It's a bizarre team. Walscheid, Stewart and Mezgec.as a lead out train when Mezgec and Ewan don't work well together, Stewart is better suited to being the final lead out rider and Walscheid better as second last. No genuine workhorses on the flat like Hepburn, Durbridge, Craddock, CJJ, AGJ, Maas etc and then three sort of GC riders (Zana and Dunbar not in form for GC, with Plapp as the likely leader with only one 3 week race ever) and an opportunist who doesn't really fit either side of the equation.

They'd be better off dropping Mezgec for Grondahl Jansen, and maybe De Marchi for Kell O'Brien

 

[Orange Agent]

Good timed attack from Plapp last night.