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Bond.ShaneBond

Bond.ShaneBond

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It is May which means one thing- GIRO!

Here are some early odds:
Basso 2.5
Levi 5.5
Cunego 9
Menchov 11
Armstrong 12

What are we thinking, looking forward to, hot tips, stages to watch etc.
 
Basso or Leipheimer should win.

The other podium position is up for grabs. Armstrong, Menchov, Sastre, Cunego and Di Luca are the other favourites.
 

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Armstrong wont be in top10.

Leipheimer will win. Cunego wont be in top5. Di Luca wont be in top5. Basso will struggle for the podium.

Soler will get on the podium. Menchov or Sastre will probably round out the podium.

Valjavec and Efemkin (AG2R) are darkhorses.

Nibali and Pellizotti for top 5. Scarponi for top 10. Lovqvist for top 10 if he rides GC. Rohregger top 15. Van Goolen top 15. Petrov top 15. Bruseghin top 10.

The field is very deep when you have a look at it. Just as deep as the Tour. That is with Armstrong not peaking. Based on Basso, Scarponi riding GC, and the other Italians looking at this race as their objective.
 
Agree on Cunego + Di Luca. They are too inconsistent to podium or probably even make top 5.

Leipheimer should be the favorite with his time-trialling, the likes of Basso and Sastre and Efimkin and Bruseghin (if he doesn't stop to help Cunego every damn time he cracks) and Menchov (not so much) will need to crack him in the mountains or get away from him on a punchy stage in order to take some time out him.
 
rodda said:
Agree on Cunego + Di Luca. They are too inconsistent to podium or probably even make top 5.

Leipheimer should be the favorite with his time-trialling, the likes of Basso and Sastre and Efimkin and Bruseghin (if he doesn't stop to help Cunego every damn time he cracks) and Menchov (not so much) will need to crack him in the mountains or get away from him on a punchy stage in order to take some time out him.
Click to expand...


Leipheimer's tting is the best when he has the USPS/Discovery/Astana recovery doping docs, plus the blood transfusions.

Not THE best, just relative, his best.

This tt is 60 kms long, has a long technical descent that Basso will probably lose atleast a minute on.

The bikes they ride may be road bikes, not tt bikes, and they will just use clip-on aero bars. And semi dished rims, not deep dish, and not rear discs.

Think in 2005, in the final tt, most riders used deep dish wheels and not discs on the rear wheel, at the Tour. This will be further, no chrono bikes probably. Cervelo may have a bit of an advantage with their narrow profile road frames, unless the other manufacturers have some other frames, or good handling chrono frames.

Sure there will be a few guys I am forgetting.

Look for Thomas Rohregger and Thomas Lovqist of Columbia. Specifically in my case, Rohregger, the Austrian. He is clean, and will probably be the first clean rider on GC imo. Lovqvist might be if he tackles GC.

Look for Adam Hansen, not a GC rider, but he is being wasted on Columbia used as a workhorse. I dont think he will ride the Tour this year.
 
just wanted to add, this tt is not a traditional tt, it can be won or lost, then the lead just defended in the high mtns. So, if you get some of the "nus gas" the good tt doping concoction, and fly this stage then you may win.

So who are good rouleurs on the flat on road bikes, who can handle bergs. This is the type of stage Devolder would eat for breakfast, Vino too, who else... Voigt (big doper), Cancellara would kill it, Larsen would, Hincapie...

it is less about tt threshold, so it is a more well rounded rider, than someone like Leipheimer who dials in his position in the aero position in the wind tunnel, dials in the doping parameters, and works in those tt threshold to bust a chrono.

Here the tt riders will not be able to get that zone going, there will be no time to leverage their advantage in watts at threshold and aero profile.

I reckon Hansen could come top 10, if Columbia told him to ride for a result, but I assume they will tell him to save himself, and just conserve energy.

Boasson Hagen should kill this. Perhaps even win it.
 
Menchov might lose a lot of time on the TT descent, he is a woeful descender.
Basso, Pelizotti, Leipheimer, Menchov, Sastre will all be up there. From an Australian point of view Rogers doing his first GT since crash in 07 tour I think, and also Cameron Meyer making his GT debut, one to watch in the future. A lot of classics like stages, could see someone like Cunego winning quite a few stages, particuarly if he is out of the running for overall early. Not too many class sprinters at the Giro, but then again not that many totally flat stages either.
 
They will be testing for CERA this year, and Italian police are going to test last year's samples for it too. Considering the riders who were caught with it at the TdF, 08 Giro samples should turn out some positives if the police's testing is competent.
 

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blackcat said:
Italian police? How do they get the samples. CONI or whatever org is testing will have 08. They will not be retesting them as far as I know.

Is this right ShaneBond
Click to expand...

Giro d'Italia news round-up
Home » CW News » Giro d'Italia news round-up
Friday 8th May 2009 - Stephen Farrand in Venice

TESTS FOR CERA AT GIRO D'ITALIA
Giro d'Italia race director Angelo Zomegnan has announced that tests to detect the new blood boosting drug CERA and for insulin will be carried out during this year's race.

Zomegnan also revealed that Italian police have seized samples taken during the 2008 Giro to test them for CERA. With a worried look on his face, Zomegnan accepted that there could be other positives.

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/Giro_dItalia_news_roundup_article_282205.html
 
Garmin will be shattered about that, they seem to have a bit of a rivalry going with Columbia. As expected, the times were all close on a short TTT course.

In other news, Boonen has tested positive for cocaine again.

With the CERA retro testing from last year, I was wondering if there is any chance Contador was on it? Or would he have used blood transfusions?
 
Bond.ShaneBond said:
Garmin will be shattered about that, they seem to have a bit of a rivalry going with Columbia. As expected, the times were all close on a short TTT course.

In other news, Boonen has tested positive for cocaine again.
With the CERA retro testing from last year, I was wondering if there is any chance Contador was on it? Or would he have used blood transfusions?
Click to expand...

Cop that Tommeke :D
 
Stage 4

1722 CEST MAURICIO SOLER attacks. A strong solo move by the Colombian. Strong enough to earn him stage honours?

Soler put 50 about meters as he starts the last kilometre.

Armstrong dropped by the field as Soler is in the last 500 metres. Will he hold on?

Vintage Soler....
 
Di Luca and Garzelli come back though ... and catch him.

Di Luca, Di Luca, Di Lucaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Danilo Di Luca is the stage winner. Garzelli second. Pelizotti third. Soler fourth. Simoni fifth.

Lance Armstrong lost about fifteen seconds today.

courtesy of www.dailypeloton.com
 

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Just realised this thread existed.....I've been trying to get work colleagues to talk about the Giro all month.... I feel like I just let out big sigh of relief..... There really are people who care about Europe's second biggest sport in this country! (I have no reference for this call....I just made it up....Sounds fair at this time of year though!)

Its a shame Rogers couldn't get into pink last night. I doubt we'll see him this close again this year! 6 seconds...

And how much do you feel for big Jens Voigt? It was a ridiculous effort. Not dissimilar to the couple of times he tried it in the TDF last year.

For mine I can't see anyone coming within cooee of Levi. If Lance goes top 10 then that would be a monster win. Basso and Menchov for minor placings.

How does everyone here keep abreast of the Giro? Watch it online? I watch cyclingnews.com updates on my phone. Its as good as it gets....About ever 2 or 3 minutes they update. They were spot on last night with predictions also. Lance on Twitter yesterday predicted Rogers would be in Pink after the stage... If only. When was the last time an Aussie wore the Maglia Rosa?
 
the peloton is alot cleaner imo. Attacks are not sticking. Those blood passports are working. I still think the top 10 will be on transfusions and some micro-dosing or some blood booster that does not show up.

Watch Rohregger for a baseline. The guy is talented and clean. Lovqvist's performance is also encouraging. But he will not be there in the queen stage, he still needs to improve his endurance in the high mountains.
 
Paddy Agnew on the SBS morning update show is shocking to listen to, not only does he describe the race poorly but his accent gets stronger and quicker the more excited he gets. At times I have absolutely no idea what he is saying.

Surely SBS can source Phil and Paul commentary highlights from somewhere.
 
blackcat said:
the peloton is alot cleaner imo. Attacks are not sticking. Those blood passports are working. I still think the top 10 will be on transfusions and some micro-dosing or some blood booster that does not show up.

Watch Rohregger for a baseline. The guy is talented and clean. Lovqvist's performance is also encouraging. But he will not be there in the queen stage, he still needs to improve his endurance in the high mountains.
Click to expand...

Do you believe the passport are the best way to stop doping? Surely targeted testing before a stage begins would be more effective?
 

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