Twiggo is dreaming of a Giro-Tour double. He has sent out mixed messages about his Tour ambitions. Will he use the Giro as the ultimate Tour preparation or will be burn all his matches in May and hope he can find another pack for July? He has abandoned his successful 2012 Tour run-up strategy of winning every stage race he entered the previous spring. Now it’s the seclusion of Mount Doom of Tenerife, his coach and his watt meter his only competition. Team Sky is supporting Wig with a very strong squad, including superman, Kanstantsin Siutsou and with Cav no longer a teammate, it’s all the knights of the round table for Sir Twig.
Will the curse of the god-awful Astana kit continue to haunt non-Kazahk riders? Can Vincenzo’s Italian mojo overpower its powerful pale blue and yellow aura? Roman Kreuziger was finally able to win a big race once he shed that kit and pulled on one of Bjarne’s Saxo jerseys. Maybe it was more Bjarne and less jersey that made the difference.
Ryder gets no respect as the defending champion. His little dance at the end of Liége-Bastogne-Liége showed he is fit and ready for a fight. He can time trial, he can climb. Personally I have to back the local boy. And I always hate the overpowered, overwhelming favorite (read Team Sky here) in any race, unless that racer is Fabian Cancellara. No one can say Fabs has won a race this year surrounded with a team as strong as Sky’s. The Shack is just the Shack or a shack. Once Cancellara leaves for the Swiss “I AM” team, it’s lights out in the shack. Frandy, don’t forget to turn out ’em out when you leave.
If Cavendish wins the first day’s sprinter’s stage he will be in pink. He may be out of it after stage two, a team time trial.
But this is the Giro: crazy, unexpected, beautiful things can happen. The spinning wheels of fortuna are less predictable in Italy as they are in France in July. The betting window is now open. The complete start list is not yet available, an incomplete one is here and shall be updated soon. So sleep on your picks, wait for all the teams to make it official, unless you want to go with the obvious all Sky podium. The race begins Saturday so don’t Delgado away a Grand Tour opportunity.
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@Ron
Commissaires are usually pretty quick to sanction, but maybe Cav's getting a break this year. The boy dug deep today as he had no help at the end. He pretty much collapsed after crossing the line. He's gotta be dreading the next few mountain stages though. Alas, the Giro gives red jersey points on mountain finishes. I'd love to see him win red this year - he should have won it last year - and would have - had he not been taken out by Italian riders. I'm looking at you Ferrari - who has been pretty much nowhere this year.
@Ron Wasn't it DNS for Ryder and Brad, did not start?
@scaler911
@Buck Rogers
@ped
That's an interesting personal observation, @ scaler911. What is your BMI at that tipping point, if you don't mind such a personal question?
And there is some mysterious interplay between caloric and micro-nutrient deficit for which overly-simplified therapeutic supplements (zinc! Vitamin C!) are of only modest, if any, benefit. And proof that nutrient-rich food added to standard care for serious infections like TB and HIV improves outcomes is dodgy at best.
@Deakus
If Wiggins is going to the TdF as a contender he needs to man up soon and actually win some races, or at least participate fully, he did SFA in the lead up to the Giro. As for the Vuelta, not so sure, is it not a bit too hilly for him ? (as in steep as fuck ?) Froome has the form so far, be a strange decsion for Sky to ignore that.
This was posted on FB today by Vittoria and Fizik. Passo Stelvio today...
@RedRanger According to this report the Galibier stage is to be altered to NOT include the col summit, due to snow forecast and avalanche risk, ffs...
@xyxax
The problem with BMI is it can be inaccurate regarding body fat %. Putting my height and weight into a BMI calculator, I average ~21.5, and ~20.5 would be where I get sick. But, what I do know (personally) is that I'm 180cm- and 72.5Kg normally. If I get down to 67/68Kg (like I do when "peaking" for a big hilly event), I'm way more prone to things like bronchitis, and pneumonia.
@San Tonio Nothing mainstream about this media Champ!
Cant see Sky backing Wiggans now, last years TDF was almost designed for him, he has shown he cant compete on these types of parcours, so that rules out the Vuelta as well, if he had won the Giro then I could see Sky backing him for the "Double" but I think they "owe" Froome a shot and he seems to be in better shape and better suited to what lies ahead.
@scaler911
Who the hell came up with BMI, anyway? Some tall skinny bastard, that's who. When I was at my overall most fit, single-digit body fat and bench pressing waaaaay over my body weight and running 8-minute miles for 20+ miles, my BMI was stupid high--like higher than the US Army's recruitment standard. So I'm short and prone to bulk up. It's just how I was born. BMI = bullshit.
And no, I actually don't want to discuss the women's ITT at the Tour of California.