FanPost

PG - Giro d'Italia 2022 Stage 1


FD53RGnXsAQ6hc_.0.jpeg

Welcome to the first GT PG game of 2022. Hopefully not the last.

The Course

giro-d-italia-2022-stage-1-profile-n2-b7f8c09bab.0.jpg

Not too much to get excited about until the end. It's classed as a flat stage of 195 kilometres from Budapest to the finish at the castle of Viségrad. The final climb as given as 5.6k at 4.2% but most of the first two k's are nothing much over 2.5% and at the speed they'll hit it, even the heavier sprints will be fine. The under average first part of the climb though means the last 3.6k is around 5% and fairly steady.

The Weather

The forecast is for a temperature in the mid 20's (it's Celsius tyvm) with the chance of rain growing as they get closer to the finish. 50/50 according to the latest predictions. The wind though will be light and it will be crosswinds for most of the day with the final 500 metres a headwind.

The Favourites

The consensus already seems to be that this is one for the punchy guys but when there’s a GT leaders jersey up for grabs, you never know. As I said, the first part of the climb seems okay for the heavier sprinters but the second half will be too much. The likes of Caleb, Nizz and Demare would have to be on top form you’d imagine and they’d also need the pace controlled. Ewan doesn’t mind an uphill sprint but he’ll need his Poggio/Hatta Dam form to win. Guys like Bini and MCN are in the next group. Not as quick but more capable on a longer climb. Then there’s the GC riders. Does anyone want the lead this early? Shell and SPY are the types that could attack and hold on if the pace isn’t too high but again, that seems unlikely. Bardet will be hoping for rain and a chance to carry on from his Alpes form. So really it’s down to the usual suspects on this type of finish. I had had high hopes for Bagioli but like most of my VDS team, they might be on early start lists but rarely actually race and when they do, there’s a bingle that takes out guys like Zingle. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, the usual suspects. Keyser Söze of the day is of course MvdP. If you remember, Söze supposedly murdered his own family and the Hungarian mobsters that were holding them hostage. What better place than a citadel on top of a hill for that to occur. Spooky. Thing is that Kevin Spacey look-a-likey of the day would sit better with Valverde and as someone is likely to pull out with Covid pre-race, a Covi win would go viral. Albanese is in with a shout and is also currently trying to lead the Labor Party back in to government here in Australia. Busy guy. Outsiders include Dancers, Ulysses, Joe Wow and hometown lad Attila ‘Hi Hun I’m Home’ Valter.

Take away from all that is it’s MvdP’s to lose but I never take favourites and anyway, what do I know! Have a look at the startlist and make your own minds up.

The Rules

In this game, only the race results matter. You're not committed to keeping the same riders throughout the series, you make fresh picks before every race. Our overall competition is just the sum of individual race scores. You're eligible for the overall even if you miss some races.

Pick 4 riders for the upcoming race. The order of your picks doesn't matter. All of your riders can score.

Riders score points down to 10th place. Less popular riders score more points than heavily-picked favourites. See below for scoring details.

The strict entry deadline is the official start time of the race, the neutralized roll-out or Départ Fictif. Be warned - if your post is timestamped one minute late your entry won't count! So do remember that there's no disadvantage to getting an entry in early, even the day before, because you may always change your picks up until the deadline. Feel free to rethink your picks when it emerges which riders are more or less popular with other players. If you make changes, post your revised 4 picks in a reply to your original post.

The Scoring


dAN9ROe.0.0.png

The last 3 races will be secret entry between the top contenders… To avoid defensive picking.

When we say top contenders we leave the number open because who knows how many will be within striking distance...

We will notify you by email if we need you to do a secret entry.

The Results

Head over to msbee's spreadsheet to check how you fared. Any issues, please email us on... LeeVus@alone.com