2012 Cycling Thread

[Adam]

It could be a tasty end to the Giro d'Italia this weekend, a 14-mile ascent up Passo dello Stelvio tomorrow before the finale in Milan with Joaquin Rodriguez still in the lead, now just 17 seconds ahead of Ryder Hesjedal. Michele Scarponi and Ivan Basso are not too far behind either.

Cavendish currently maintains a 13 point lead on Rodriguez in his hunt for the red jersey points classification. Be a terrific achievement to add to his maillot vert from the Tour de France last year.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Amazingly, Ryder Hesjedal should win it now as long as he doesn't capitulate today in the last mountains stage. He's a good couple of minutes faster than Rodriguez over a flat 30km time trial and has even more of an advantage over Basso and Scarponi 9both of whom can't time trial) so he should win the Giro which will be amazing. He's Canadian for a start and I don't think a Canadian has ever won a grand tour.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

What a great stage in the Giro today. Amazing stuff. De Gendt attacked the lead group (he was in the top ten anyway) and soloed to the victory with Cunego a minute back and then a couple more minutes to Rodriguez (race leader) and Scarponi and Hesjedal. No-one wanted to help Hesjedal chase De Gendt down though which was a bit cowardly. Hesjedal pulled hard all by himself in the end, shredded the group with all the main guys in and clawed back enough time that should mean he should finish ahead of De Gendt tomorrow (who's a good time trialist too). Rodriguez and Scarponi got a free ride behind Hesjedal up the climb then attacked past him in the last 500m or so and picked time up on him. Don't like to see the race leader leaving it up to other riders to chase down dangerous breaks though, even if Hesjedal was favourite to win tomorrow.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

....but personally I'm happy for Cunego who pulled himself up to sixth with that attack though. Good on him.

Going into the final time trial....

1) Rodriguez

2) Hesjedal (with 30 seconds which he'll make up in the TT)

3) Scarponi

4) De Gendt

5) Basso

6) Cunego

7) Uran

The final one-two now will probably be Hesjedal and then De Gendt.

[Adam]

Hesjedal wins it, a Canadian is the Giro d'Italia champion for the first time, and the first to win any of the Grand Tours. Big achievement, well done to him.

Rodriguez pipped Cavendish by a single point for the red jersey though

Edited May 27, 2012 by AdamDRFC

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I'm very pleased for Hesjedal, very pleased for De Gendt (podium) and very pleased for Pinotti who won the stage.

Also very pleased that Cunego took sixth despite not being the team leader.

[Guest mr. potato head]

CANADA CANADA

Though I'm pretty sure nobody in this country had heard of the Giro d'Italia before like yesterday

[Hornswoggle4PM]

Also very pleased that Cunego took sixth despite not being the team leader.

Who's team leader of Lampre? I thought it was him.

[bolleje]

Who's team leader of Lampre? I thought it was him.

Scarponi.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

It was Scarponi for the Giro. They're joint leaders in the team itself though with Petacchi.

Cunego will probably be leader for the Tour but he's got no chance of placing top ten because there are too many time trial kilometres.

However there are a number of punchier hill stages and he's got a good attack on him and an excellent, excellent sprint for a climber.

[Lineker]

Washington Post: U.S. anti-doping agency brings formal doping charges against cyclist Lance Armstrong

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Good. I refuse to believe that a cyclist, who was so dominant in a time where every other of the cyclists who COULD challenge him were doping, was not doping. He's dragging the sport through the dirt and the fact that this has come up AGAIN makes it more and more suspicious.

[Adam]

Why has he never failed a test if that is the case though?

The whole thing has for a very long time been odd and it continues to be, I'd love to see what this alleged evidence they have is, especially with Armstrong flat denying he has ever doped and labelling these latest claims as baseless.

[Hagen]

So the prolouge kicks of in about an hour and it seems that the favourite (at least for the announcers here) is Bradley Wiggins, with Fabian Cancellara and Tony Martin rounding out the top three of potential winners. I don't really know since I haven't watched any cycling this year whatsoever and everybody seems to basing it on the fact that Wiggins has apparently done fantastically earlier this year.

[mikevandam]

Good. I refuse to believe that a cyclist, who was so dominant in a time where every other of the cyclists who COULD challenge him were doping, was not doping.

Even if he beats the charges, again. He will always have to answer to those questions regardless. Your point in particular (Y)

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

To repeat my TdF wishlist that I posted on Facebook....

+ David Millar to win a stage (either time trial, craft break in the final few kms, or an epic all-day foray off the front of the peloton).

+ George Hincapie, riding his final TdF before retiring to get a moment of glory.

+ Nicolas Roche to either win a stage or sneak into the top ten (which'll be hard with all the time trialling)

+ Team Garmin to win best team and get whoever ends up as their main competitor right up in the overall finishing positions.

+ A couple of EPIC mountain stages with attacks, riders cracking big time and general heart-pounding brilliance.

+ Samuel Sanchez getting a podium position.

+ No horrible crashes.

+ Johnny Hoogerland getting a stage win.

+ More stage wins for Cavendish, despite riding for Sky.

+ Andre Greipel, Sagan and Rojas to win nothing.

+ Scarponi and Valverde to fail dismally in the mountains.

+ It HUUUUUUURTS me (as I hate Team Sky so much) but.....go on then, a first British Tour winner in Bradley Wiggins.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I THINK the top five will probably include at least four of....

Cadel Evans

Bradley Wiggins

Samuel Sanchez

Denis Menchov

A Garmin rider (either Hesjedal or Danielson)

Those top four are all brilliant time triallists and climbers, although maybe not the BEST climbers - this tour will be decided in the time trials though so they just make sense. Garmin always place a rider crazily high and have a brilliant team.

[Hagen]

Wow bad luck for Tony Martin. Even though it was a quick change, it might have just cost him the stage.

[Hagen]

With the tour staying in Belgium today I'm kinda expecting Gilbert to go on the attack for the yellow jersey allthough he's not in the best position. Also with one category 4 climb Cancellara will have to work to keep the yellow jersey, I'm halfly expecting him to drop it.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Cancellera can work over those kind of climbs. He IS a tough classics rider after all. I think he'll hold onto the jersey. Graham Watson, the main Tour photographer, is reckoning it could be between Gilbert, Sagan and Valverde for the win. Personally I'm hoping Valverde falls off his bike.

It could be very similar to the first couple of stages last year where, into the last 1km/500m the peloton starts stretching and snaps as the best hill climbers string out and gain a few seconds on the field and a few GC guys like Evans and Wiggins try to steal a couple of seconds by going along with them.

Gilbert may screw up as he wants the win on his home soil so much - recently he's got a bad habit of attacking too far out.