Cadel to the Giro!
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 10, 2008 2:44 PM EST
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PrintGirbecco isn't the only bizarre animal-like thingy to grace the Centenary Giro d'Italia next May. Make room now (or else!) for Molly, official canine mascot of Team Cadel. Australia's greatest-ever stage racer is headed to the Corsa Rosa to take on Basso, Armstrong and DiLuca as the Giro looks to turn 100 in some style.
Whether Evans is there to win remains to be seen, though he will undoubtedly say the right things, and will mount a credible threat even if he's got an eye on July. Also, whether the course suits him will be revealed on Saturday. It probably won't, if only because his strengths are the same as Lance's and Basso's, but if the highest climbs are early in the race, as appears to be the case, then it may limit his weakness, which is holding himself and his team together for three whole weeks. I am betting he'll be a serious contender to win, and reclaim the jersey he held ever so briefly in 2002.
And the Centenary Giro looks ever more intriguing...
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61.5km ITT with two climbs sounds found
add the team trial to start, and the 15km ITT to finish in rome
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
ITT
I love how CN is breathlessly reporting that this endless time trial favors Lance. Ahem… he hasn’t raced in over three years. Are we sure this favors him? Can we give it a race or two before deciding that he’s going to beat guys like Evans who have been blistering all the recent grand tour ITTs?
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 10, 2008 5:53 PM EST up reply actions
We shall see if it favors him
but it diffidently makes it incredibly difficult for Gibo, Cunego, or the Killer to win the Giro. There might be some tough climbs in the TT but there will surely be lots of flat. I could see them losing 2-4 minutes over Basso, Evans, Lance, if they are all in good shape.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
ah, yesss
The long crono rumor. This one’s been making the rounds for a while, at least since early this fall.
I’m not convinced this one’s for real. Eh, we find out Saturday anyway.
it's in cn and steephill
seems fairly confirmed. But yes we will find out soon
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
yep
It came out of the Italian press.
But I never believe such things until the presentations. Crafty, that Zomegnan.
He's a sneaky little bastard isn't he?
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Ok, he's a sneaky average sized bastard isn't he?
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Ok, let me try again
he’s a sneaky middle-sized pudgy very low hottitudish bastard isn’t he?
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Kaching! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
money in the bank yo!
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
I'm glad someone has mentioned the most important aspect of all this.
I mean, I know there’s some kind of bike race involved, but it’s really all about the fashion, no?
Yep, I'm still holding out some hope
that the 60+k crono rumor will turn out to be false. Talk about a buzzkill halfway through the race!
If the other course rumors are also true, the two Dolomiti stages will be fairly easy (by Dolomiti standards), and the single Alps stage won’t have a mountain-top finish. That makes it likely that a close field will go into the Ligure crono, and I would not like to then see contenders like Cunego, Simoni, and Sastre instantly marginalized by a 60+k crono.
Meh, I’m not a fan of grand tours being decided by long, flat time trials.
by Susie Hartigan on Dec 11, 2008 1:20 PM EST up reply actions
It's not supposed to be too flat, fairly hilly actually
but I would have to disagree. To me a GT rider needs to be a complete rider, someone who can climb and TT. Simoni, Di Luca, and Cunego have won Giro’s were not too many top riders participated in. Now we have a great list of riders attending, and those guys won’t get away with their lousy TT skills. To me it’s their fault for not training to be being better TTists and so now they have to pay the consequences for it. But I can see were you’re coming from, but I would aslo say that there are still three mountain top finishes left after the long TT, probably the three toughest mountain finishes, so I still think the TT won’t win or lose the Giro completely.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Well,
although it looks like the first half of the course would have some moderate climbing, this would still function as a long, flat crono. At a distance of 60+k, this would be one for the crono specialists.
I’m not saying I don’t think the Giro should have any cronos, just that I don’t like the idea of one so ridiculously long, especially before there have been any really difficult mountain stages.
Also, I think it’s a bit unfair to attribute the inability of little climber types like Simoni, Di Luca, and Cunego to compete with guys like Armstrong and Evans in a 60k time trial to a lack of training. No amount of training would make Simoni into the crono-man that Armstrong was (is?).
by Susie Hartigan on Dec 11, 2008 2:09 PM EST up reply actions
I'm not saying they would be as good
but at the moment they could lose up to 4-5 minutes. Look at Basso and Sastre. These guys couldn’t ride a TT to save their lives a couple of years ago, but they worked hard to improve. Basso was far better when he got his suspension, and Sastre has now won a Tour, were you have to be able to ride a TT. They still aren’t as good as Evans or Lance, but they now limit their loses, so they can make up that time in the mountains. I don’t blame them, but they just shouldn’t expect to win a GT again then. Gibo is too old to worry about TT training, and Cunego and Di Luca should focus on the classics, so again I don’t blame them for not training more on their TT skills. Also 61 km isn’t that absurdly long, the longest Giro TT of all time was 81 km’s long, now that’s a TT eh.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
me too.
The last time they threw a crono that long, it really did kill the suspense. I like shorter cronos, in general.
I'm guessing you mean 2006?
but who could beat Basso that year anyway(doped or not)? I wouldn’t want this type of TT in there if the usual Giro riders would have shown up and no one else. But this year I find it more acceptable, because this year the top favorites are all Tour type riders. The gaps won’t be that big between Lance, Basso, Menchov, Evans, and maybe even Sastre, so the suspense should still be there. It might eliminate Gibo, Cunego, and Di Luca, but IMO they don’t have that much of chance of winning next year anyway.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Well, at least it will be pretty.
The scenery, that is, not the decimation of the Giro field halfway through the race.
I do remember seeing something on the cicloweb forum a while ago saying that Sestri Levante was not going to host the crono start, so there’s still a possibility that this thing will turn out not to be quite so silly long.
Bring on Saturday, already!
by Susie Hartigan on Dec 11, 2008 3:14 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, no kidding
I can’t wait for the announcement. We will see how the 61km TT effects things in May, but we both agree that the Giro will be beautiful as always.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Yes, and I'm very excited about it!
No amount of bad economic news, loss of retirement funds, etc., can keep me from getting my Giro fix.
Next year, I’m planning to use my entire three weeks of annual vacation (yep, that’s all we get in this uncivilized country) to see the Giro from start to finish. I’ve only ever seen the last half of the Giro before, and It will be such a different race next year than the others I’ve seen — starting in Venice, visiting so many of the big cities, and then finishing in Rome — that I think it will be like seeing the Giro for the first time, again.
by Susie Hartigan on Dec 11, 2008 3:41 PM EST up reply actions
Are you going to every stage?
here’s a map btw, some of the transfers look pretty long, but nothing over the top.(tutto claims that map is 99% accurate)
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Not every stage
That would be too hectic for me, and way too much time spent driving.
For the first ten days or so, my goddaughter, who will be finishing up a semester abroad in Geneva, will be traveling with me. Our tentative plan is to see the Venice ttt and the stage start in Jesolo, hang out in Venice for another day or two, head to the Dolomites for the two stages there, and then go to Bergamo and spend a few days there. For the second half of the race, I’ll probably go with a tour group, which is what I’ve done on previous trips. With the tour groups, you generally see about two-thirds of the stages, since they don’t want to be changing hotels every night.
You’re right, that map makes the route look pretty reasonable in terms of transfers. Nothing too crazy, like they’ve had in the last few years.
by Susie Hartigan on Dec 11, 2008 4:00 PM EST up reply actions
Cool, sounds like fun
enjoy it, I guess going to all 21 stages would be very stressful, just shows you how tough it is to be part of a pro-cycling team
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
ooooh, i so can't wait to see the photos
That is going to be so crazy cool. Yay! Can’t wait to hear all about it.
I for one can't wait for the teaser thread again.
You know the one where she drops a title and disappears. ha ha! So can’t wait!
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
Three weeks of Basso, Benna, Petacchi, Di Luca...
That’s a whole lot of hottitude shots!
Hmm, maybe I’d better pick up a few more memory cards.
by Susie Hartigan on Dec 11, 2008 9:34 PM EST up reply actions
But it's probably Gibo's last Giro!
Surely, this poignant yet photogenic event must be memorialized in (hundreds of) photographs, no?
Note to self: cross out “two new memory cards” on shopping list, and replace with “four new memory cards.”
by Susie Hartigan on Dec 11, 2008 10:17 PM EST up reply actions
i saw that also
The article on Sestri Levante looked pretty credible to me, which is why I’m skeptical about the current reports about the crono. The current rumors come out a newspaper report in Treviso. I’m not sure they really have any new evidence to support their report – the idea that the crono was going to be uber-long has been making the rounds at least since the trace of the course from La Figero – wait, that’s not the right paper, what paper was it, who made the graphic? – and was based on guesses as to start and finish towns. I’ve never seen any hard confirmation of the start-finish for that crono – where there has been stories from Trentino, for ex., detailing local arrangements.
Eh, we’ll see.
Unless they change the route
to 21 stages in the industrial suburbs of Turin, this is going to be a humdinger of a race.
Let’s hope Cadel, Sastre and others come to race, this thing will be insane.
Carlos Sastre - Tour de France winner - Born From Jets
The Giro di Bad Turin Suburbs
Or whatever the Italian is for that… That would not be a delicious moment
So there should be 5 mountain top finishes
plus one stage that includes five tough climbs that finishes in Pinerolo, a 61km and 15km ITT, the TTT, and the finish on the San Luca hill. Plus other stages that could be hilly throughout the event, and probably only 5-6 sprint stages. Just how I like it, make it is a brutal as possible! Oh this should be so fun, plus the amount of talent at next years Giro will be better than ever. Can’t wait for the presentation on Saturday.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Yep
There will be some huge names in the Giro – can’t wait! Although I imagine most won’t be peaking for this but using it as Tour preparation.
Fearless prediction: 4th or 5th for Cadel here, behind Basso, Contador, and some B-Grade Italian guys juiced up on CERA’s newest incarnation.
Serious threat
Yeah I’m in the Cadel-is-a-serious-threat here category.
- He should be the fave for that monster ITT. He and Bruseghin and Menchov at least.
- He could have a real live partner in Van Den Broeck. Honest!
- And he might be able to squeeze between two big teams (Liquigas and Astana) so he won’t necessarily be the focus of one team like last year’s Tour. Let the elephants stomp all over each other while he skips away with the prize.
The other thing though is that I expected him in the Vuelta so… I wonder who will actually be there other than Zeke of course. Bert is not sure, Bobo Gesink again? A chance for Valverde to win a Grand Tour? Levi? Eye-gor- if he doesn’t Schleck? Vino making a return?
"All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it."- H. L. Mencken
Maybe
Andy for the Vuelta? It’s a tad early for him to win the Tour, but if he mounts a credible challenge, and gets enough of a break before the Vuelta, Riis has no reason (e.g. Sastre) not to unleash Andy in Spain.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 10, 2008 6:10 PM EST up reply actions
just read over on Pez
that Basso wants to do the Giro/Vuelta double, so there’s one big name.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Yeah he knows better than to test ASO.
I think we’ll see Basso Tour bound in 2010.
"All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it."- H. L. Mencken
Or
Thomas Dekker? He’s riding shotgun at the Tour. Could sneak in under the radar in Spain.
Does anyone else think he looks a bit too much like Chief Marge Gunderson?
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 10, 2008 6:17 PM EST up reply actions
I defer
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 10, 2008 7:18 PM EST up reply actions
Although
seriously, who wouldn’t look good from that angle after 15,000 miles a year?
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 10, 2008 8:00 PM EST up reply actions
Oh i love this shot...
I just want to bite :-) or squeeze, touch……
We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.
George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950
I don't think Bruse is cutout for a super long TT like this
Especially not with the people that are probably going to be there. Is VdV, Millar, or Zabriskie going? I think there will be to many big TT riders there for this to favor any of the 2nd tier TT guys, of which I believe Bruse belongs to. He’s good, but not as good as the other big riders that are gonna be there. Either way, this next Giro is going to rock.
If I just had one more gear, I...
Uh oh
Must… resist… analyzing stage that doesn’t exist yet…
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 10, 2008 8:23 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah
well, the only saving grace is that it’s still hard to predict who’ll be there, besides Bruse, Pinotti, Lance, Cadel, DiLuca, the Kid, Basso… OK, I’m on it.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 10, 2008 8:25 PM EST up reply actions
you forgot
Sastre and Menchov, oh what a Giro this will be!
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
And C. He mentioned it on his plans as well.
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
Just the other day I remember it being mentioned
Otherwise- why is Chris wimping out in analyzing to death a stage that might not exist? I don’t get it! ;)
"All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it."- H. L. Mencken
Maybe you need to eat? Have you decided on dinner yet?
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
Well if you mention him than you can't forget Danielson
he’s Garmin’s team leader at the the Giro and Tour for God’s sake.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
\van Goolen is CSC's team leader..
So they don’t expectto much of Sastre or it’s only for the outside world?
Some say the best things in life, are one the inside.
Andy and Thomas
Good possibilities. They should consider it.
As to the other thing and talking Frances McDormand, how about our own Jennifer Grey after some really rough a long night?
I think I better go back to work before this gets out of hand. ;)
"All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it."- H. L. Mencken
Show of hands
Besides SlowK who has already put in a daring, but misquided guess, let’s see a show of hands from all the PC’eans on who you think comes out ahead in GC between just Cadel and Lance since Chris announced Cadel for the Giro here, and many of you just love to pull against Lance. You know where I stand, and I’ll be happy to take your jabs after the Giro, or dish them out to you cycling nerds, specially the ELPMO’s in the group, of which gavia is a proud member of wityh ursula.
What does believing Evans will win have to do with pulling against Lance?
do you believe everyone who doesn’t think Lance can win hate him? That’s just no true, some people believe he won’t win because they think someone else is better or he won’t be able to be at his same level at 38. That has nothing to do with pulling against him. Sure there are people who are just pulling against him here, but I think most people just don’t believe he is the best anymore and won’t win, but aren’t pulling against him. I personally think Basso will win, but I wouldn’t be sad to see lance win at all.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Oh, why then why don't you point them out to me
I’d like to know were I’m so terribly wrong there
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Lance ahead of Cadel is my vote
Don’t know who is going, but Lance will take a dream team. Lance will have scoped out the course better as well, if that is indeed his focus.
Conversely, the long time trial and the super-steep summit finishes may not suit his years of absence from the peloton.
Cadel over Lance
until we see LA on the bike again, we know nothing. But prior to the Giro we’ll still only sorta know what shape he’s in w/r/t 3-wk races. As I’ve said other times, Lance wasn’t exactly dominant in 2005, while Cadel is at the height of his powers, both biking and whining. Hard to speak definitively though. We’re in completely uncharted territory with unretiring 38-y.o. 7-time Tour winners.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 10, 2008 8:52 PM EST reply actions
Reply here if you agree
And reply to the next one if you’re picking Lance over Cadel.
Or start a new discussion. This blog isn’t about me, it’s about you.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 10, 2008 8:54 PM EST up reply actions
+1
Cadel. Good thing Levi isn’t going, or is he? If he were and in good shape, he would HAVE to be the odds on favorite to absolutely crush the long TT and maybe even have LA work for him. Wouldn’t that be funny? Probably not going to happen but if Levi is in da house, the TT is his for the taking.
If I just had one more gear, I...
Because I am the fan that I am.....
I do believe that folks shouldn’t overlook C in the TT’s. At the Tour he beat the 5 guys ahead of him on GC. And if I recall, he beat Cadel by a full minute? Does that sound right or am I smoking something?
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
Not smoking
but it’s hard to have these debates until we know what everyone’s objectives are. Still, while CVV is an elite time trialist, Lance and Cadel have much longer records.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 11, 2008 10:09 AM EST up reply actions
Lance over Cadel
I’ll put this post up as a place to start the conversation about why Lance will win. Reply here to add to the case.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 10, 2008 8:53 PM EST reply actions
yeah yeah
30 replies or so from now you’ll see my vision take shape.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 10, 2008 9:11 PM EST up reply actions
Hey
if you don’t ask…
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 10, 2008 9:10 PM EST up reply actions
Lance over Cadel
Don’t know who is going, but Lance will take a dream team. Lance will have scoped out the course better as well, if that is indeed his focus.
Conversely, the long time trial and the super-steep summit finishes may not suit his years of absence from the peloton.
Lance over Cadel
If he’s still racing come the Giro time, he will go for it and it’s hard to bet against him as Jimbo said
by Bruce Suomi on Dec 11, 2008 11:55 AM EST up reply actions
peer pressure? to race the most beautiful race in the world? I doubt it was peer pressure
he’s done it before, and he’s been pink before
http://www.bike-zone.com/photos/2002/may02/giro02/stage16/FSevansspray2.jpg
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
I meant that Cadel's usually an outsider who does his own thing...
Rather than follow all the latest trends in the peloton. Obviously, my sense of humor on this failed.
Cadel's never won a grand tour, so why not start with the Giro.
It might serve him well to put his eggs in the Giro basket because with the TdF basically ending on top of Mt. Ventoux instead of with a time trial, he might have better luck. And Contador might be looking unbeatable the way the tour route is stacking up. Besides he lives in Italy, he’s bound to enjoy a little more home cooking this way.
Speed on the descent can easily be lost when you slam into a tree.
Giro sounds more and more exciting ...
this baby had better not come early (or else they’ll learn really quickly that they should really nap while mom watches bikey racing ;-) )
However...
mom will actually be able to watch the Giro live as mom will most likely be awake when they start broadcasting at 5am!!
by Patrick B. Penguin on Dec 11, 2008 1:02 AM EST up reply actions
You're having a baby?!
Congratulations!
by NE Observer on Dec 11, 2008 12:59 PM EST up reply actions
+ mazel tov
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 11, 2008 8:32 PM EST up reply actions
The Giro
could only be made more exciting by including US TV coverage!
by australopithecine on Dec 11, 2008 12:02 PM EST reply actions
side note
I was wondering about this Giro announcement with regards to other aspects of Evans’ racing schedule, given the signing of Gilbert who supposedly will not be riding the Tour – Marc Sargeant of *Lotto told sporza that Evans will not be riding the Ardennes classics this year. I’m kinda wondering which came first or how it came about, ie Evans wants to ride the Giro and so decided against the hilly classics, versus Evans being told by the team “you’re not going to be team leader in F-W and LBL” so Evans then deciding to ride the Giro instead…
Well
That could have more to do with Dekker or Gilbert, or at least having Dekker and Gilbert is a convenient excuse for Cadel to really focus on the Giro.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 11, 2008 8:33 PM EST up reply actions
No Cadel to the Giro
according to Cyclingnews, and Cadel said the organizers falsely used his name to promote the event
Good ole Cadel
The master of the graceless public statement.
by Susie Hartigan on Dec 11, 2008 10:22 PM EST up reply actions
Compare to the Andy Schleck quote from the CN article:
“The Giro is not an easier race, maybe it is even harder than the Tour, but the Tour is the Tour. It is great for Carlos and the rest, but for me it is too much to focus on both of the races.”
A gentle snub and a modest, clearheaded appraisal of his own limitations all in one. A PR persons dream as opposed to the disaster that Cadel is.
Carlos Sastre - Tour de France winner - Born From Jets
Oh, it gets better
Lotto is saying “WTF?”
Lotto DS Roberto Damiani speaks:
Damiani told Reuters the Giro had been included in Evans’s programme for the 2009 season following team discussions earlier this year. “We need to have a discussion with Cadel because when we talked about this season’s programme for him, the Giro was in it. I think the Giro would be a good preparation for the Tour for him.”
Plus, Mr. Sunshine has totally pissed of Zomegnan
"While we want to maintain a good relationship, I can’t avoid saying that the accusations of acting in bad faith are unacceptable. During its 100 year history the Giro d’Italia has never needed to use Evans’ name to get publicity and doesn’t need to do at the present."
—CW
Oh what fun!
I must say the accusation of using Evans for publicity does seem a little bizarre, I mean, as if Lance and Basso aren’t courting enough of the media and public interest!
beautiful :-)
I’ll add this to the story I just wrote above about this fandango.
Good stuff from Signor Z right there.
I love the CN news order today
First:
Evans a ‘no go’ for Giro
then
Andy Schleck says ‘no’ to Giro, focuses on Tour
and finally
Sastre targets Giro as first 2009 goal
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
It was all a marketing ploy? I feel so used
If you can’t trust the internet, who can you trust? Next you’re going to tell me I can’t trust the stuff I read on Wiki.
Carlos Sastre - Tour de France winner - Born From Jets
[Evans] will undoubtedly say the right things
Hahahahahahahahaha [gasp] stop it, Chris, you’re killing me!
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