Giro d'Italia 2013, 4th-26th May - [Spoilers]

[Radchenister]

...But certainly the big factor is the weather: as soon as it rains, he struggles.This wet weather isn't over and it could get worse as we head into the mountains. I haven't just copied and pasted that honest!

Didn't think you did, just trying to point out you need the wet and the descending to fall together for it to be a real issue - admittedly mountain weather is even more changeable than the coastal stuff but so far the weather forecasts I've been scanning have been pretty accurate.

 

[Strathlubnaig]

Eddy Merckx has said (in translation from the Flemish in Het Nieuwsblad):

"It is incomprehensible how Wiggins descends... I never saw it before and have never experienced that myself. I do not know why he suddenly descends so bad. He's ridden the past few days like a novice on the downhills. I think there is something wrong with his material, he has no confidence."

I read that too, what a cracking headline "Merckx: Wiggins descends like a novice" Can the Cannibal be wrong ?

 

[Peter Armstrong]

He looked crap decending on the TT tho aswell when it was dry dont you think?

 

[thom]

As Wiggins is highly unlikely to be able to attack/drop Nibali on a big climb, I assume Sky will have to try and use the Columbian duo to attack and try to crack him, as he obviously can't afford to let either of them go three or four minutes up the road. I don't really understand how this will benefit Wiggins much though? Plus, is there a danger that they end up dragging Nibali into a tour winning position?

Stage 17, TdF last year - Froome and Wiggins dropped Nibali.
If the Columbiana get a minute advantage over Nibali on a climb, their time deficit can be less than a minute or even become a virtual pink time surplus. Nibali will have to use his team to defend against this, making Nibali more isolated and vulnerable to attacks from the likes of Gesink and Cadel Evans in addition to Wiggins.
The point is to put him under pressure. If you do it enough, he or his team will slip up.
Henao or Uran Uran are unlikely to attack in a way that takes Nibali with them but leads Wiggins not able to just follow Nibali's wheel.

 

[Crackle]

Fighting talk from Brailsford :

“Today was interesting to see that when Bradley was coming back on they were riding hard but then they isolated Vincenzo in the end and I think they’ll have to have a look at that because it could leave the opportunities open to attack, which is what we’re going to do.”​

Fingers crossed for some more fireworks tomorrow : ​

The first stage classified as mountainous, with an interesting uphill finish : 1200 m gained over 22km gives an OK average overall but it looks to average a meaty 8 or 9% consistently for the second half which may suit a SKY train to ride hard in the latter parts.​

Might they alternatively consider forcing Astana to chase one of Henao or Uran Uran ? ​

We shall see something different in the racing for sure, in particular if the descent from Cason di Lanza is dry.​

​

Edit : we might also see an improvement from Wiggins if as Wegelius is reported to have surmised, he's had something of the bug that Cataldo had in his system.

All depends on that descent doesn't it. If he's still there and not chasing to get back on for the final climb then we could see some fireworks. If you noticed yesterday, Nibbles yelled at his last lieutenant on the final climb (who was it?), to back off the pace a bit.

We've then got a week of variable stages, so it really does depend on whether Wiggins has got his head back in this race.

 

[Radchenister]

He looked crap decending on the TT tho as well when it was dry dont you think?

Perhaps but he was never down as a descender and still got second after a bike change; he has had a few rattling days and was not quite with it but it wasn't terrible.

The descending is not the only variable and those roads the other day were not just wet, they were soapy / greasy, beyond controllable, almost like black ice, as the clip of the pedestrian slipping over and the good descenders also crashing demonstrated IMO.

Admittedly I am speaking as a hopeful fan-boy here but also aiming to see the positive possibilities; I'm not ready to write our man off yet .... or is that not the British way!?

 

[Strathlubnaig]

Poor old Wiggins getting no respect right now. Read on Twitter that "suggestion going round that Wiggo was late down for the team dinner because the hotel stairs had just been washed" Hope he keeps his sense of humour.

 

[ayceejay]

Not sure what is the "British Way" but it is certainly the way of the media to create Messiah's so that they become an easy target when it comes to crucifixion time. Wiggins is expected to win every time he pulls on his black socks and if he doesn't win he becomes a loser not 2nd or 4th a LOSER, no wonder he has a bristling attitude towards journo's.

 

[smutchin]

The point is to put him under pressure. If you do it enough, he or his team will slip up.

Indeed. We've yet to see how strong Nibali's new team really are. On paper, at least, it looks a hell of a lot stronger than the Liquigas team he took to the TdF last year, but it remains to be seen if they can match the might of the Team Sky Mountain Express when it gets up a head of steam.

Definitely advantage Nibali at the moment, but the real race has barely started yet - there's still the best part of two weeks to go...

It'll only take one day of everything falling into place for Sky for the whole complexion of the race to change dramatically.

 

[jowwy]

I can see total sky domination in the mountains - Christian Knees and Sitsou on the front turning on the power and dropping the astana team like hot cakes out the back of the peleton, leaving old nibs to fend for himself - he certainly didnt have many of his team left with him yesterday at the finish line

were as team sky had 3 guys still there with wiggo - time to put some coal on that there train and see the steam train go

 

[Peter Armstrong]

Perhaps but he was never down as a descender and still got second after a bike change; he has had a few rattling days and was not quite with it but it wasn't terrible.

The descending is not the only variable and those roads the other day were not just wet, they were soapy / greasy, beyond controllable, almost like black ice, as the clip of the pedestrian slipping over and the good descenders also crashing demonstrated IMO.

Admittedly I am speaking as a hopeful fan-boy here but also aiming to see the positive possibilities; I'm not ready to write our man off yet .... or is that not the British way!?

Even i can decend better than that!

 

[Radchenister]

That we aren't able to judge - I think many a critic would be nursing cuts and bruises and likely wouldn't have finished.

 

[The Couch]

If you noticed yesterday, Nibbles yelled at his last lieutenant on the final climb (who was it?), to back off the pace a bit.

It was Kangert (who also has a heck of TT the day before), he should actually be able to hold out pretty far in the mountains as well (but of course he's no Sky-Colombian duo)

 

[The Couch]

Eddy Merckx has said (in translation from the Flemish in Het Nieuwsblad) ...

Nice to see you reading some Flemish journals

 

[Peter Armstrong]

This is how I decend ha ha http://app.strava.com/segments/3996894