Did BMC have the hammer down before the crash? Certainly they were riding on the front but it seemed tempo sort of pace at most. When they cut to them after the crash it was flat oot. Kelly says the race was on and normally that'll do me but this time I'm not so sure. It makes the last week even more interesting. Quintana could be 3 mins plus down by the TT, meaning he will need to distance Cadel more than once. Mt Zoncolan could well see the jersey change hands just like the organisers wanted.
Giro d'Italia **Spoilers**
- Thread starter thom
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Pro Tour Punditry
Guru
Go Cuddles, go cuddles <does a wee dance> go cuddles, go cuddles
smutchin
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thom
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Not just BMC - I wonder whether Matthews, the Pink jersey wearer thought he might play the patron, sit up and await the guys behind.
He also made the choice to continue and so pursue the stage win - if he had decided otherwise, it would have been hard for BMC to continue.
If Cadel does go on to win it (and I'd be happy if he does), I just hope it is by more than these 50 secs.
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Guru
It'll be a suitcase of pain for them all
I have re- watched the crash, and I can't tell if BMC were gunning it.........never mind. If Quintana is near top form then he should take minutes out of Cuddles on more than 2 stages, possibly 3 or 4. However he doesn't look to be on top form yet. If he is just building for the 3 rd week then he should win. If not then it will be down to Uran to pressure and I think Cadel is good enough for that.
What are you thoughts about BMC attacking after massive crash in the peloton..? I thought team radios exist to warn the riders about crash and tell them to lower the pace but probably it's the other way around to warn them about crash and tell them to go full gas because their opponents are in big trouble... Any way do you people accept Evans and Co. statements about that this is racing etc...?
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Guru
Yes, not a problem at all. Afterall this is racing. Not a tea party.
Kelly commentating thought the 'race was on' and a few of the reports mentioned that everyone was out the cars looking after riders who'd crashed, with no time to review the situation until later. Plus Orica didn't slow either. Let's see what else comes out.
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Guru
I have a good feeling about Evans, despite it being a long way to go. And a bad feeling for a few others...
Pedrosanchezo
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Some horrible crashes. Hope all are okay.
Evans wasn't in a position to neutralise the race as much as Mathews was. The wearer of the leaders jersey is very much a position of authority and respect, should Mathews have decided to inform Cadel of his intentions to call a temporary truce the Aussie would have had no choice but to comply. The alternative would be unthinkable in terms of etiquette, public opinion and reaction from the Peloton.
FWIW though, i think the race was on. I don't like Cuddles very much but i don't think he, or BMC, can be blamed.
Evans wasn't in a position to neutralise the race as much as Mathews was. The wearer of the leaders jersey is very much a position of authority and respect, should Mathews have decided to inform Cadel of his intentions to call a temporary truce the Aussie would have had no choice but to comply. The alternative would be unthinkable in terms of etiquette, public opinion and reaction from the Peloton.
FWIW though, i think the race was on. I don't like Cuddles very much but i don't think he, or BMC, can be blamed.
Both Evans and MM were in the position to call this off.
The pink jersey would indeed have been able to make the rest comply, however so would have had the best placed GC rider and 1 of the pre-race favourites.
However, MM quickly realized this was his stage for the taking and Evans realized this were his GC seconds/minutes for the taking.
It's a somewhat comparable situation with the Tour 2012 when Evans got a flat tire in a stage and Wiggo stopped the peloton so he could come back.
- For the record though - I prefer that they ride ahead, since it's part of sport/cycling and if you wait for 1 guy, do you then wait for another and another and another... and where does one draw the line then? (e.g. in that same Tour 2012 both Froome and Jurgen VdB got a flat tire in earlier stages and weren't waited for... although they both had a better GC ranking at the end of the Tour than Evans)
There's a good article in Velonews with previous examples of when a race has been affected in similar way.
http://velonews.competitor.com/2014...d-debate-reignited-massive-pileup-giro_328060
http://velonews.competitor.com/2014...d-debate-reignited-massive-pileup-giro_328060
