Tirreno-Adriatico!!!

[The Couch]

A bit of a shame we don't see Valverde in this Tireno, so we could have a sense if he is close to the level of Contador
(which - looking at yesterday - I don't think he is)

Nibali obviously isn't in this shape now (but I am sure he knows what he's doing) and even Froome hasn't shown this kind of strength yet this season.

Kreuzinger looking like he could turn out to be "the best of the rest" in the Tour (not that Contador will need him if he is in this shape)


Got to give it up for Hansen, doing that when you are supposed to be a guy in the sprint train of Greipel is pretty impressive.
A name I didn't expect to see in yesterday's top 20, was Geniez...
Then again, I am a bit underwhelmed by Ulissi, Talansky, Pirazzi, Kangert and Mollema... and isn't Uran supposed to be top of his game by the Giro? (and he was really struggling yesterday, he wasn't just "helping" Kwiatek)

 

[thom]

Kittel dropped on the climb with 40 km to the finish - his team are with him so he should have a chance to get back on.
Otherwise it looks flat as a pancake from here on in.

 

[raindog]

no picture

 

[thom]

OPQS get it right finally - Cav by a mile but somewhat aided by some fallen riders fracturing a strung out line
OPQS had 6 riders with 2.5 km to go : Tony Martin, Kwiatkowski, Trentin, Renshaw, Petacchi & Cavendish
Looked a little like HTC but without having done the heavy lifting to bring the break back.

 

[raindog]

At last, Quickstep get the job done properly, but not much competition in the end. Fabulous riding though.

 

[Crackle]

Petachi looked a bit surprised to still be in 2nd when he looked up.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Petachi looked a bit surprised to still be in 2nd when he looked up.

Maybe someone told him that I hadn't called him an unrepentant dope cheat on this thread - until now

 

[rich p]

If Cav hadn't won that from a kilo out he might as well have packed it in!
But he did win, so carry onward and upward Cav.

 

[thom]

 

[Spartak]

If Cav hadn't won that from a kilo out he might as well have packed it in!
But he did win, so carry onward and upward Cav.

Renshaw, Petacchi then Cav ............. if they get that right they should win plenty more this season

 

[smutchin]

OPQS get it right finally - Cav by a mile but somewhat aided by some fallen riders fracturing a strung out line

Can't help feeling OPQS getting it right was partly responsible for the crash that took out the Lotto riders - in that they were fighting so hard to keep up, they completely overlooked the corner.

 

[Strathlubnaig]

Looks like OPQS benefited a wee bitty from the fast pace set by Cannondale in the final 30 odd km.

 

[thom]

Can't help feeling OPQS getting it right was partly responsible for the crash that took out the Lotto riders - in that they were fighting so hard to keep up, they completely overlooked the corner.

yes that is true
much as I'm glad to see Cav back winning, it will be good to see a straight Cav-Greipel-Kittel drag race

Cav spoke afterwards about how MSR training had helped him over the bump with 40 km to go. Must be Kittel is not harbouring much ambition there.
Anyway, speaking of MSR, have we got a thread yet ?

 

[Monsieur Remings]

It's been a cracking race; so sad that such a brilliant rider is also a (past) cheat. He truly is magnificent when on form but like others, whilst I appreciate his brilliance it will always be with a sense of suspicion. I also would have loved Quintana to have done a bit better but there's plenty of time for him.

Glad for Cav today; awesome work too on the front from Cannondale and just a shame about the picture for that 8 or so km down to the last 3-4.

I can't help thinking that Cav's working on other aspects of his sport may have helped here; Kittel was lacking and in that sense Cav truly deserved the win. As I may have suggested at the end of the TDF last year, to work on other attributes; hill-climbing and his already well-seasoned tactical know-how, could, and will I believe, reap but more rewards for the Manxman. Necessity is, after all, the mother of all invention.

Looking forward to the MSR and I fancy Martin for the TT tomorrow.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

This stage was like a mini-MSR and, I think, planned that way by the organisers. It certainly shows that Cav might well be there at the end of the MSR this year and if he is, he stands a chance of repeating his win. There's a limit to what you can say about it given that it ended up being like a training run on clear roads for OPQS, but successful sprinting is not all about the last km, as Inner Ring wrote the other day - a sprint should really be considered as a 40km affair, and Cav won because OPQS got their preparation totally right today from a long way out in a way that they didn't on the previous sprint stage. The fact that fortune also favoured them at the end really just made it easier.