OP
OP
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Nibali should have ridden an Italian bike like Kruijswijk 
Giro d'Italia 2016 ***spoilers***
- Thread starter mjr
- Start date
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Flying_Monkey
Recyclist
- Location
- Odawa
Foliforov did seem genuinely delighted at the end though, so I don't know...
Nibali just lost the Giro there - it's now Kruijswijk's unless Chaves can pull off another top performance in the final mountain stages.
Nibali just lost the Giro there - it's now Kruijswijk's unless Chaves can pull off another top performance in the final mountain stages.
Flying_Monkey
Recyclist
- Location
- Odawa
Well, that really sorted things out.
The situation now is really that there's only 12 riders within 8 1/2 minutes of the lead, and after that there's a huge gap down to over 17 minutes.
But really, its more like four groups:
The outright leader:
1 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo 60:41:22
Then 3 riders who could, given one superb rider on one of the final mountain stagees, get up to challenge for the lead, but otherwise are fighting for podium places:
2 Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-GreenEdge 0:02:12
3 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:02:51
4 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:03:29
Then, another 3 riders who could still get onto the podium with a particularly good day, but really are looking at topping the minor places:
5 Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff Team 0:04:38
6 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Team Katusha 0:04:40
7 Andrey Amador (CRc) Movistar Team 0:05:27
And finally, 5 riders fighting for the last three places in the Top 10:
8 Bob Jungels (Lux) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:07:14
9 Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Dimension Data 0:07:37
10 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team 0:07:55
11 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:08:12
12 Rigoberto Uran (Col) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:08:19
The situation now is really that there's only 12 riders within 8 1/2 minutes of the lead, and after that there's a huge gap down to over 17 minutes.
But really, its more like four groups:
The outright leader:
1 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo 60:41:22
Then 3 riders who could, given one superb rider on one of the final mountain stagees, get up to challenge for the lead, but otherwise are fighting for podium places:
2 Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-GreenEdge 0:02:12
3 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:02:51
4 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:03:29
Then, another 3 riders who could still get onto the podium with a particularly good day, but really are looking at topping the minor places:
5 Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff Team 0:04:38
6 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Team Katusha 0:04:40
7 Andrey Amador (CRc) Movistar Team 0:05:27
And finally, 5 riders fighting for the last three places in the Top 10:
8 Bob Jungels (Lux) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:07:14
9 Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Dimension Data 0:07:37
10 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team 0:07:55
11 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:08:12
12 Rigoberto Uran (Col) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:08:19
smutchin
Cat 6 Racer
- Location
- The Red Enclave
I expect they're loving today's result over at the Clinic.
Foliforov won an uphill TT at the Sochi GP last year, with Firsanov in 5th place, 1.28 down, but that was hardly the same calibre of competition. But I could believe that he's been keeping his powder dry and targeting this stage.
We'll see.
smutchin
Cat 6 Racer
- Location
- The Red Enclave
I think Kruijswijk has this in the bag now. He has enough of a lead that he can afford to ride defensively so Chaves will have to do something special to overhaul him.
Nibali doesn't look strong enough to beat either of those two in the mountains, and Valverde doesn't look as strong as Nibali.
But then again, it only takes Kruijswijk to have one bad day to blow this race wide open again, and there are some tough stages still to come...
The podium will surely be three of those four though.
Pro Tour Punditry
Guru
I'm looking forward to the final week, could be one of the best week's racing for a long while in a GT.
The lone Kruijswijk trying to fend off everyone biting at his heels.
The rest day can do funny things and there's at least three full on stages in the mtns to come, provided they've cleared one of the passes but it does look like Kruisjwijck, hajs gojt thijs mostljy in the bajg.
I'll reserve opinion on the two Gazprom riders but the Giro or the Vuelta wouldn't be complete without the odd 'surprise' winner.
I'll reserve opinion on the two Gazprom riders but the Giro or the Vuelta wouldn't be complete without the odd 'surprise' winner.
Pro Tour Punditry
Guru
I am now an expert at spelling his name without having to work it out after a rise in the number of pundit selections he has attracted.
I'm not but I'm getting closer now Nevehadadoofus on the other hand.....
Dayvo
just passin' through
- Location
- 59° 50′ 5.55″ N, 10° 47′ 41.89″ E
SWSteve
Guru
- Location
- Bristol...ish
I was of similar opinion, the gap at the end wasn't the widest it had been, and he was putting time into the Valverede group, so he can't have been too slow
HF2300
Insanity Prawn Boy
Although I did think he might have been saving it for today, but 24th and 2 mins down on Kruiswijk today probably says that was all he had yesterday.
It probably is Kruiswijk's to lose now, but with a bunch of tough stages this week and the chasing group only 2 - 3 minutes back, I can't help feeling 'in the bag' might still be overstating it.
It probably is Kruiswijk's to lose now, but with a bunch of tough stages this week and the chasing group only 2 - 3 minutes back, I can't help feeling 'in the bag' might still be overstating it.
They don't seem as insanely strong as last year though but Kruijswijk and Chavez do look fairly isolated.Don't forget the strength of Astana, especially in the mountains. They could still take this for Nibali.
Some idiot spectators about today
