Cavendish and Ewan might call that karma for MVdP.
Caught only the last 12k but definitely some technical corners in the final 5k.
I would agree generally, but look at last year’s Tour when Ineos pulled the peloton along for no reason. It just feels like when Ineos doesn’t know what to do, they go to the front and pull. But they no longer have a rider like Froome when he was winning who can attack off of the train and make it worthwhile
Seems Girmay is chomping to uncork one. He’s been blocked in the last two sprint chances and would be interesting to see what that kid could do if he had some daylight. Gaviria is also looking good. Nice to see him recovering after his collar bone break. He’s had some difficult years at UAE due to some health issues. I’d love to see him come up with a win at this year’s Giro.
He’s had covid 3 times I think
I think you are right. I think twice he even caught it within the bubble of some big races. Seems like the kid can’t catch a break. He got a big contract at UAE but has underperformed. Great talent though. It was interesting to see how much more cadence he uses relative to Demare in todays sprint. He comes from the track so he seems to like that high cadence.
Another day for the sprinters to feast…and no pesky hills to worry about. Expect a long, boring stage with the usual no-hopers going out early, getting reeled in ~20-30k to go and a final bunch gallop.
Everyone is gonna be up for this one…gotta think this is Cav’s for the taking with Morkov to lead him home, but Ewan had gotta be champing at the bit by now (assuming he is full recovered from the Stage 1 crash). Or maybe Girmay gets his positioning right and makes history…
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He said afterwards that his rear mech wouldn’t shift into the gear he wanted - explains his frustration at the finish.
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Interesting. That makes more sense then. The difference in cadence was so striking in the head-on shots at the line that it immediately caught my eye .
My god this stage is taking forever…I know you need transition stages occasionally, but stages like this are just ridiculous. make them shorter and just put the riders in team buses to get to the next day’s stage.
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WOW what a finish… really great job by Demare to barely beat Caleb and Mark
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Girmay is just so isolated in these sprints…gonna be hard for him to win a flat-out sprint stage like this. He needs a bit of an uphill drag so he can overcome his lack of team support.
definitely a lot of people were boxed in at the end and some good lead outs for the top 3. the power they have must be off the charts…
Super messy and interesting to watch. Very
impressed with how the 3 fast men managed the chaos. They could have all been out of it at some point or the other.
Yesterday was the gear, today he got tangled in the wrong lane.
Boxed in as well - just before he managed to get himself into position to launch his attack. Really had to thread himself between riders to get in position. Masterful.
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Yeah, Gaviria looked a bit flustered and desperate after Caleb nudged over him to keep on Cavs wheel. That was a silly and risky move he pulled on those DSM boys. I’m glad they all stayed upright. Saw the results and it seems he got relegated down the standings, no? Probably cost him some points for the sprinter’s jersey. Caleb’s original plan was to cut this Giro short and prep for the Tour. Wondering if he’ll still do that given he has no wins.
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I totally spaced posting today’s profile yesterday….my bad.
Tomorrow’s stage is tailor-made for MVP……it could still come down to a field sprint, but the constant uo and down will likely blunt the speed of the pure sprinters. Girmay could also be in with a shout……this could be the type of profile that limits the advantage of the strong leadout teams.
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Crocodile Teeth.
Last 3 stages have been nail biters, great entertainment.
Haven’t watched today’s stage yet, and probably can’t for a bit, so wanted to get tomorrow’s profile posted in case I can’t get to it later.
The Giro starts in earnest tomorrow….the climb to Blockhaus is a MF’er….the finale is double-digit gradients with hairpins to break things up. A decent chance a break will go away and the GC teams let it go, preferring to save energy for later in the race (and the stage).
But once the GC guys get on the climb, there will be no hiding….Carapaz and Yates are gonna have to go face each other. I expect some of the other “favorites” to lose time (Almaida, I’m looking at you 
) and the overall could be down to just the two big hitters after tomorrow.
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How the hell did I not pick de Gendt for today’s stage? Jeez….
Also did not foresee MVP and Girmay getting in the break from so far out. That was pretty impressive.
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