The professional cycling thread
Discussion
NRS said:
llewop said:
mcelliott said:
Froome is finished as a gt rider, yesterdays win was like a final burp some people give before dying. Epic rides from Yates,also Tommy D he just may of saved his Giro with that effort.
Yates has more chances with the lumpy stages after the TT, even if he does slip behind Dumoulin. Having said that - the effort Dumoulin has had to make to limit his losses over the last couple of days could have an impact on his time-trial so Yates doesn't end up losing as much as everyone expects.Not sure you're right about Froome - his year is (and probably always has been) focused on TDF, going well here would have been a bonus. Clearly we'll see how that plays out later in the summer!
HurryUpAndWait said:
What a brilliant stage. This Giro keeps delivering, and to see Yates drop the other GC riders like a hammer was ace!
And yet Yates himself is saying that all of the hard work to date to take out a lead of over 2 minutes on Dumoulin may not be enough, as Dumoulin could well take all of that back and more in the remaining ITT. Less than 1% of the total race distance, yet potentially enough to wipe out a lead secured over the thousands of kilometres to date.Kermit power said:
And yet Yates himself is saying that all of the hard work to date to take out a lead of over 2 minutes on Dumoulin may not be enough, as Dumoulin could well take all of that back and more in the remaining ITT. Less than 1% of the total race distance, yet potentially enough to wipe out a lead secured over the thousands of kilometres to date.
That's not really how to look at it. TD may be 2 minutes behind Yates going into tomorrows ITT and you say that all of that hard work by Yates' could be wiped out, but you need to understand just how impressive it is for a rider 10-12kg heavier to 'only' be 2 minutes behind. What TD has done over the last few stages is arguably more impressive that what Yates' has done IMO. Having said that, I still think that Yates has enough time in the bag to make it his Giro to lose.
Sway said:
Also worth bearing in mind the staggering amount of miles that have zero input on the GC. Apart from the absolute longest/steepest climbs and the TTs, virtually every other mile is irrelevant as it's team vs team at best.
Not wanting to start an argument, but I kind of disagree with this. We might not see the first 200km of a 230km stage with an HC summit finish, but there is a lot being done in those 200kms. Each stage is a game of chess. Teams will burn riders to tire others, set up people in breakaways to provide bridges in the final stages, and loads of other things I'm probably not clever enough to understand.Even on the flat stages or shorter stages GC teams need to be attentive for cross winds or epic attacking off the front. GCs have been lost in the last couple of years from these...
ChrisMCoupe said:
Kermit power said:
And yet Yates himself is saying that all of the hard work to date to take out a lead of over 2 minutes on Dumoulin may not be enough, as Dumoulin could well take all of that back and more in the remaining ITT. Less than 1% of the total race distance, yet potentially enough to wipe out a lead secured over the thousands of kilometres to date.
That's not really how to look at it. TD may be 2 minutes behind Yates going into tomorrows ITT and you say that all of that hard work by Yates' could be wiped out, but you need to understand just how impressive it is for a rider 10-12kg heavier to 'only' be 2 minutes behind. What TD has done over the last few stages is arguably more impressive that what Yates' has done IMO. Having said that, I still think that Yates has enough time in the bag to make it his Giro to lose.
Both have raced a very good race so far, the ITT could be pivotal but there is also a number of stages left that suit Yates. He knew the course going into the race, let's hope he's been working on his ITT if that's where his concerns are.
louiebaby said:
Sway said:
Also worth bearing in mind the staggering amount of miles that have zero input on the GC. Apart from the absolute longest/steepest climbs and the TTs, virtually every other mile is irrelevant as it's team vs team at best.
Not wanting to start an argument, but I kind of disagree with this. We might not see the first 200km of a 230km stage with an HC summit finish, but there is a lot being done in those 200kms. Each stage is a game of chess. Teams will burn riders to tire others, set up people in breakaways to provide bridges in the final stages, and loads of other things I'm probably not clever enough to understand.Even on the flat stages or shorter stages GC teams need to be attentive for cross winds or epic attacking off the front. GCs have been lost in the last couple of years from these...
jesusbuiltmycar said:
He hates time trials - guess that's why he decided to risk a sneaky tow... 
To only drop 37 seconds to Dennis even with a cheeky tow (20 second penalty for that applied) after suffering so hard in the stages before hand, is a little bit, well suspicious.Of the 7 riders ahead of him, 5 are TT specialists with Froome and Haga being able to put in a decent TT too, hmm.
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