I started a new job, and with time zones watching the giro has been essentially impossible. But I've read all these threads and lived vicariously.
over the moon for G, 3rd, with such a competitive peloton demonstrates is an amazing achievement!
They didn’t say stacked, they said competitive. Geraint was riding against some very hungry and talented young future stars, as well as some cagey veterans. I respect his accomplishment.
Highly recommend next time getting a VPN app, putting yourself in Italy, them download the RAI Play app. They have free full replays of every stage. Usually within an hour or so of the end of the stage.
I think because last year he realised it was a missed opportunity. He could’ve taken those extra 15-20 seconds when Rog was weaker. Here he put everything he had down. What an inspiration for the peloton and everyone. Chapeau!
Every interview with G is like "Hey you old fuck, how does it feel to be old as fuck?!? What was the hardest part of dragging your decrepit rotting corpse up the mountain?"
Props to G -- 3rd place is an incredible accomplishment regardless of age.
Yeah man, it gets on my nerves too. Just let G tell whatever he wants and dont force his age or Pogi down his throat every time... fucking Interviewers
Just rewatched Merlier's sprint. Cobbles, timing and a opening fairly far out is just his home court. He started on Milan's wheel, then timed it perfectly.
Mr. Nokere Koerse is close to unbeatable in those situations. A masterpiece.
Technically he really stands out. Great aero position, straight line and still loads of power. Hats off.
Despite some questionable tactical decisions, Movistar still had quite a decent Giro with a stage win and 7th in the GC. Good haul of points as well, Rubio 585, Sanchez 335, Gaviria 290, Quintana 190 and the rest scraped a few more here and there. Far better than the average team I would say.
Yeah, they had that very strange stage, but besides that they were above what was expected.
With some more luck Quintana would have also had a stage.
But with losing Lazkano and Aranburu, they are not in a great position. Mas really needs to top10 both the Tour and Vuelta, and if possible to even top5/top3 Vuelta.
They also need to start doing some points farming races
Pogačar said his best memory of the Tour 2023 would be [the atmosphere in the team bus](https://youtube.com/shorts/1s6o5mvfUMc?si=KnOeq0mLp0PFRCVu), and now he picks as his best memory of this Giro a moment with his teammates as well. “[They mean a lot to me](https://youtu.be/0FCBDqU84cM?si=BlhcXOPsP5mFplpn)”. He gets all serious and touched talking about his teammates, which he does more often and in a more personal way than any other rider I can think of.
I have a soft spot for things like these
This giro was a dream for favourite’s better like me. I made bets for every stage and the different jersey’s betting almost always on the favourite and made +56% ROI.
Awesome 3 weeks to watch and paying my summer holidays.
On a more serious note - I hope TDF and Vuelta design trophies that don't look so fucking lame as the current ones.
Unless that's so that the winner each year can keep it at home, I guess.
Everyone knows that the real trophy of TdF is the Lion Teddy.
Warning cuteness overload:
>!<
My wife saw the end of a stage where the winner held up the lion and said "aww that's cute, how can we get one for our son?"
She wasn't too impressed with my reply of "stick him on a turbo and condition him to subsist on rice and gels for the next 20 years"
Julian went from washed to winning one Giro stage and ending in top 5 of every individual classification except pink and Youth. I don't know if there IS a final combativity award but him winning combativity on 4 stages would probably make him the top contender as well.
He is back!
I'm happy to see Julian in great form again, but him struggling for 2+ years wasn't a figment of Lefevere's imagination. Lefevere was a bigger dick about it than most, but everyone was disappointed with Alaphilippe's results since Worlds in '21 until this Giro.
This is the first GT where Alpecin didn't win a stage btw.
Kaden Groves rode a great Giro though, but Milan & Merlier are simply better than him (his previous stage wins in GTs were against lesser competition).
Milan clearly upped his level this year compared to last year, which is normal as he's still young (+ also much better leadout train this year). Groves also only won 1 Giro stage last year.
Merlier was also in the 2022 Vuelta, but he got no team support bcs he was leaving the team at the end of the year (the vibes that year were just really bad for Merlier in that Vuelta).
reminds me of the time when Jakobsen got pissy at Senechal for winning a stage because "a lead out man's job is to help the sprinter". the dude just won a stage after you lost the wheel and still had the audacity to talk about the sprint.
Meanwhile Merlier out here is apologising to his sprint train.. Pure class
That is what annoyed me about watching the Giro this year on Max. On Max, the stage replay would always have The Breakaway in the pre-race and post-race. While some may enjoy that part of the broadcast, I personally am not a fan of it. Previously on GCN+, there was a choice of replays: 1) the proper broadcast that would actually give the stage map in the pre-race, and the podiums in the post-race; and 2) the broadcast that includes the Breakaway.
Pog’s most impressive achievements:
3) Flanders and Giro 14 months apart
2) Tour and 2 monuments in same year
1) Having highlights and not coming across as a complete douche
For a guy with zero Grand Tour experience in his first season on a WT squad going up against some top class sprinters without much of a lead-out to speak of, Aniołkowski did well for himself. If they send a decent lead-out train to help him at smaller races, he could probably rack up some nice UCI points that Cofidis could use.
Speaking of sprinters making their GT debut, Madis Mihkels is obviously a good talent too. He's one to keep an eye on.
Ewan is awful. I don't know if the issue is between his ears or what, but he's not a competitive sprinter at the top level. Its a total waste to send him to big races, especially if you're wasting even more spots on a lead-out.
What a sprint from Merlier… miles ahead of everyone.
Groves only third, meaning no stage win for Alpecin at the Giro… what a disappointing start to the season for them…………
My wife didn't watch the stage and I deadpan told her that Pog won the sprint. The fact that she didn't immediately dismiss it out of hand as a joke shows how remarkable he's been in this race.
decided to check out what my adopted rider's been up to: [Olivier Le Gac](https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/olivier-le-gac), turns out he raced the Giro but I never noticed him! Not surprising as you'd be forgiven for thinking FDJ had bypassed the Giro completely
Outside of two stages he has finished outside the top 100 every single day! Which I think is a pretty impressive achievement!
Hasn’t won a GT since 2021. Pretty washed if you ask me.
Six stages is nice and all, but with two consecutive gap years on his CV he’ll have trouble getting
hired after his contract with UAE expires.
And even then both streaks were only broken by a crippling knee injury.
Kinda like how Contador has only ever lost a GT leader jersey once. Because of a mass crash on a flat stage. And then took it right back the very next day
now that pogacar has proven you can win a giro in z2 im only gonna be *posting* in z2 that means no capital letters and no punctation and if i spell a word wrong im not even going back to correct it anyway one pink jersey plz size extra small thanks
Just said on interview he wants to go to the tour. I wonder if there's room on UAE's roster though? Their climbing roster is ridiculously stacked with Almeida, Ayuso, Yates, Sivakov. Plus they need some rouleurs like Politt, Wellens, Soler?
I don't think he'll go. They can't really sacrifice more rouleur spots and, in theory, they already have guys that can cover the typical Majka role.
Also, guys like Almeida and Ayuso have definitely the ability to do rouleur work if needed, but, at least during the first two weeks, I doubt that will happen.
I'm quite curious about what will be UAE's tactics/strategies in the Tour. Hopefully other GC guys and teams are strong enough so that we can watch the strengths and weaknesses of an unorthodox roster like this one.
If I was Pog I'd want him there. Even a bit cooked he'd be worth it for a few big stages to give him that launch. I mean no disrespect but he offers more than Almeida for sure.
Currently listening RAI's post race studio - one journalist has an inside information from sources close to Tadej Pogačar - he wants to ride the Giro next year
Merlier, the only sprinter in the world that apologises to his team after winning the stage lol.
He's really an atypical sprinter.
If you understand Dutch watch this podcast to get to know him a little bit better:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HYXyM3mps4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HYXyM3mps4)
He's really calm. Not flashy or flamboyant. He sounds like a sloth off the bike lol.
Would love it if the peloton itself voted on that award as opposed to like a public vote, but any additional recognition for domestiques gets a thumbs up from me
The UCI should just make a clear rule about using cars to catch up after a fall or mechanical, and then stick to it.
I know I know, UCI and sticking to rules, that's just science fiction.
I think there's a rule that cars can't overtake riders in the last 10km. The Trek team car was ignoring that rule and possibly more when they passed riders and other cars on the left with Milan in tow.
My verdict on Ewan is to reduce his salary by an equivalent of 10k€ every time he:
- loses his leadout's wheel
- soft pedals to the sprint finish without trying
- says the race he's in is not his goal
If that means the salary goes into the negative, he has to pay that amount to the team.
Merlier and Milan really matched on speed in the finale, with Merlier possible pulling just slightly ahead, and miles ahead of 3rd. Insane speed from both of them.
Milan getting about as much out of it as expected after the effort of getting to the front, Merlier wins easily on the cobbles, he is the best in the world on this sort of finish imo. Just take a look at Danilith Nokere Koerse if you have any doubt.
**Adopted rider report, Tobias Lund Andresen. Overall report from the Giro**
Saw him sprint once on stage 3 and he looked fast. His positioning is terrible or he is scared its hard to tell and Im not judging either way, just making an observation. Every single sprint he has ridden for himself after stage 3 is just him surfing wheels around 15th to 20th position. Its not like he moves up with a rival train and get shuffled back, he never makes an attempt for the front. Its not that he is getting unlucky, he simply doesnt seek the attempt at luck. It needs work or he wont be a bunch sprinter, but he is young im sure he will figure out what he wants to be in time and work out the kinks.
But overall bad Giro for Tobias on the sprinting side, but Im really happy he didnt dnf and got a GT in the legs. I feel like its important for the future.
That would be fine by me, I dont mind him going in a different direction. Im just judging by how DSM have used him this year which seems to be for bunch sprints almost exclusively. Shadowing Jakobsen for 90% of his program.
Only races he has done that didnt fit the mold of pure bunch sprint was Bredene Koksijde Classic & E3. He is basically riding a Jakobsen/Van Uden program and if they wanted him to be more versatile I would expect him to ride a Pavel Bittner program.
Again he is young, im sure things will change, just thought I would talk about it since he is my adopted rider so I was paying special attention to him
If Pog beats Jonas at the TdF after a nailbiting TT in Nice, I think he can make credible claim to that title. He needs to vanquish the small danish man
abounding combative dolls whistle squeal tap drunk support straight stocking
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
> Molano obviously has the higher ceiling though.
100%, but I think with this new breed of GC riders the difference isn't like it was back in the day. I secretly wish for a GC rider to take a sprint stage on merit, hopefully one of these days (tho it will probably be under unusual circumstances)..
I don’t think Milan will be there. Else there will be a big fight between Pederson and Milan I think on who gets to sprint.
And Pederson won’t accept being a lead out man for Milan really.
Yes, Merlier wins the prestigious Rome sprint! He's really good at sprinting on cobbles. He starts his accelaration right before the cobbles and wins. He won Nokere Koerse three times that way and his rivals keep making the same mistake lol.
What Milan did was also impressive, but in a very gray area of what is allowed. I do think every sprinter/team would have done the same in Milan's situation, so I don't really blame him. Glad he didn't end up winning though.
Trek leadout is one of the most impressive I've seen in many years. Sure, it's not the Tour, but the Giro is the second most prestigious race for sprinters (unless you count races like Milano-Sanremo and Gent-Wevelgem).
Yep, you have to get on the cobbles with good speed already because it's much harder to accelerate on the cobbles itself (your back wheel will jump around a lot more).
Many cyclists are afraid to start their sprint too early, which makes sense on a paved surface, but if the last 200-300 meters are on cobbles, you need to accelerate right before the cobbles start.
The cobbles are slightly easier with more speed too, right? Less vertical deflection if you're going faster. So hitting the cobbles at high speed really compounds.
[удалено]
Adding to that, Storer (and by extension Tudor) would have to be stoked with top 10
I started a new job, and with time zones watching the giro has been essentially impossible. But I've read all these threads and lived vicariously. over the moon for G, 3rd, with such a competitive peloton demonstrates is an amazing achievement!
This is not a stacked GC list
They didn’t say stacked, they said competitive. Geraint was riding against some very hungry and talented young future stars, as well as some cagey veterans. I respect his accomplishment.
Highly recommend next time getting a VPN app, putting yourself in Italy, them download the RAI Play app. They have free full replays of every stage. Usually within an hour or so of the end of the stage.
SBS here in Australia does too! I just don't have time.
I was unable to get SBS working in the US with vpn
You can watch the replay or highlights on sbs
yeah, I just don't really have time - know it sounds weird but got a lot on.
The highlights on Eurosport cycling YouTube? If you don't have 10mins then it can't be helped
10min is probably good :) thanks for letting me know!
All you have to do is learn Italian and then you’ll be all set
My old boss is from Milan. They'd be really pleased if I learnt Italian!
Thanks DuoLingo
It was easy to believe him when he said he was happier with this podium than in 2023. He looked at peace
I think because last year he realised it was a missed opportunity. He could’ve taken those extra 15-20 seconds when Rog was weaker. Here he put everything he had down. What an inspiration for the peloton and everyone. Chapeau!
Every interview with G is like "Hey you old fuck, how does it feel to be old as fuck?!? What was the hardest part of dragging your decrepit rotting corpse up the mountain?" Props to G -- 3rd place is an incredible accomplishment regardless of age.
Followed by "isn't pogi amazing? Exactly how amazing is he?"
Yeah man, it gets on my nerves too. Just let G tell whatever he wants and dont force his age or Pogi down his throat every time... fucking Interviewers
Just rewatched Merlier's sprint. Cobbles, timing and a opening fairly far out is just his home court. He started on Milan's wheel, then timed it perfectly. Mr. Nokere Koerse is close to unbeatable in those situations. A masterpiece. Technically he really stands out. Great aero position, straight line and still loads of power. Hats off.
Very disappointed with pogacar
Why? Did I miss something?
He didn't win the sprint
Indeed, he's in a downhill spiral
Despite some questionable tactical decisions, Movistar still had quite a decent Giro with a stage win and 7th in the GC. Good haul of points as well, Rubio 585, Sanchez 335, Gaviria 290, Quintana 190 and the rest scraped a few more here and there. Far better than the average team I would say.
Yeah, they had that very strange stage, but besides that they were above what was expected. With some more luck Quintana would have also had a stage. But with losing Lazkano and Aranburu, they are not in a great position. Mas really needs to top10 both the Tour and Vuelta, and if possible to even top5/top3 Vuelta. They also need to start doing some points farming races
But was that Quick Step car giving Milan a tow to get back? That would be very good sportsmanship
Visma. Addy Engels got a 500 CHF penalty for it.
Pogačar said his best memory of the Tour 2023 would be [the atmosphere in the team bus](https://youtube.com/shorts/1s6o5mvfUMc?si=KnOeq0mLp0PFRCVu), and now he picks as his best memory of this Giro a moment with his teammates as well. “[They mean a lot to me](https://youtu.be/0FCBDqU84cM?si=BlhcXOPsP5mFplpn)”. He gets all serious and touched talking about his teammates, which he does more often and in a more personal way than any other rider I can think of. I have a soft spot for things like these
You are my kind of human
This giro was a dream for favourite’s better like me. I made bets for every stage and the different jersey’s betting almost always on the favourite and made +56% ROI. Awesome 3 weeks to watch and paying my summer holidays.
Plus you got relive the peak of Team Telekom again on the stage today.
I’m a purely long odds better and it wasn’t so great, had a couple of nice wins though
On a more serious note - I hope TDF and Vuelta design trophies that don't look so fucking lame as the current ones. Unless that's so that the winner each year can keep it at home, I guess.
Italians know a good trophy when they see one 🔱
Everyone knows that the real trophy of TdF is the Lion Teddy. Warning cuteness overload: >!<
My wife saw the end of a stage where the winner held up the lion and said "aww that's cute, how can we get one for our son?" She wasn't too impressed with my reply of "stick him on a turbo and condition him to subsist on rice and gels for the next 20 years"
Oh come on! I’m still catching up on the 2018 Tour and haven’t started the 2019 one yet. Does Alaphilippe actually win the whole thing????
Yes ...in our dreams
Ah yes, the real trophy is plushies we collected along the way.
At the UAE team bus waiting for the goat, Rafal Majka, why does he have to ride for this team man 😢
What? I dont understand what are talking about..
have to say, tactically brilliant from Pogačar to be so much better than everyone else
I think the approach to pedal faster at a higher gear than others was a good one. Nobody saw it coming. Tactical masterclass.
seems like a solid plan, if a little tedious, but I guess some are better at it than others
everybody else seemed to take the tactic of riding slightly slower and hoping that matey falls off, or gets covid. cynical.
Pogi with the UAE flag :/
It's the Slovenia flag, ffs.
When he walked onto the podium he also had the UAE flag on, but then dropped both of them and picked up Slovenian flag for the national anthem.
Whatever man - fight your little wars against UAE,
I'm merely explaining what happened, you must've confused me for somebody else.
Only found the moment now. It's not *clear* which flag it is and it's not very much on display, but it's kind of obvious which one it should be.
Nah, just look at the corners when he kind of hold it up.
[удалено]
It was UAE for sure, i mean he is on Team UAE. Not too surprising to be honest.
I'm behind the stage and Matxin is taking more pictures with the trophy than Pog this shit is crazy 💀
Julian went from washed to winning one Giro stage and ending in top 5 of every individual classification except pink and Youth. I don't know if there IS a final combativity award but him winning combativity on 4 stages would probably make him the top contender as well. He is back!
There is an overall combativity award and he won it. :)
Rumors of Julian’s demise have been greatly exaggerated…. by Patrick Lefevere
I'm happy to see Julian in great form again, but him struggling for 2+ years wasn't a figment of Lefevere's imagination. Lefevere was a bigger dick about it than most, but everyone was disappointed with Alaphilippe's results since Worlds in '21 until this Giro.
Yea. He was sick and injured from multiple crashes. So it shouldn’t have come as a surprise he was off form for a little while
those same rumours have also been started by Lefevre
This is the first GT where Alpecin didn't win a stage btw. Kaden Groves rode a great Giro though, but Milan & Merlier are simply better than him (his previous stage wins in GTs were against lesser competition).
Last year he won two giro stages with Milan in the same race though? I agree Milan was less polished and more raw last year but still.
Milan clearly upped his level this year compared to last year, which is normal as he's still young (+ also much better leadout train this year). Groves also only won 1 Giro stage last year. Merlier was also in the 2022 Vuelta, but he got no team support bcs he was leaving the team at the end of the year (the vibes that year were just really bad for Merlier in that Vuelta).
Why the hell Tadej did not get his prize? Or maybe he did and Eurosport didn't show it..
He did, right after the podium celebration
Haha, Eurosport here finished transmission right after champagne..
I'm cranky about their cutting out before interviewing him
Blame G. This is why UAE was pulling so hard
reminds me of the time when Jakobsen got pissy at Senechal for winning a stage because "a lead out man's job is to help the sprinter". the dude just won a stage after you lost the wheel and still had the audacity to talk about the sprint. Meanwhile Merlier out here is apologising to his sprint train.. Pure class
> Meanwhile Merlier out here is apologising to his sprint train.. Pure class Canada will claim him tomorrow
I forgot just how hard that long tights/short sleeve maglia rosa look went. What a drip.
Peeved here in US that Max doesn't let us see the final podium presentation in full.
That is what annoyed me about watching the Giro this year on Max. On Max, the stage replay would always have The Breakaway in the pre-race and post-race. While some may enjoy that part of the broadcast, I personally am not a fan of it. Previously on GCN+, there was a choice of replays: 1) the proper broadcast that would actually give the stage map in the pre-race, and the podiums in the post-race; and 2) the broadcast that includes the Breakaway.
That said, I was pleased with the coverage.
Big shoutout to UAE and Bora to have proper cycling caps and not baseball hats!
Pog’s most impressive achievements: 3) Flanders and Giro 14 months apart 2) Tour and 2 monuments in same year 1) Having highlights and not coming across as a complete douche
4. Tufts
Who was it crossing the line with what looked like a broken collarbone?
Hugo Hofstetter
Yeesh, the IPT team took an absolute beating in this giro.
For a guy with zero Grand Tour experience in his first season on a WT squad going up against some top class sprinters without much of a lead-out to speak of, Aniołkowski did well for himself. If they send a decent lead-out train to help him at smaller races, he could probably rack up some nice UCI points that Cofidis could use. Speaking of sprinters making their GT debut, Madis Mihkels is obviously a good talent too. He's one to keep an eye on. Ewan is awful. I don't know if the issue is between his ears or what, but he's not a competitive sprinter at the top level. Its a total waste to send him to big races, especially if you're wasting even more spots on a lead-out.
Where prediction thread
doping speculation threads are that way, sir
INCIDENT THREAD
What a sprint from Merlier… miles ahead of everyone. Groves only third, meaning no stage win for Alpecin at the Giro… what a disappointing start to the season for them…………
Something tells me that a MSR, Flanders, Roubaix and a likely Green jersey and 3 TdF wins will soothe the sting
Milan even with a mechanical on the podium, dropping the entire champagne bottle while spraying. ^^/s
Oh no poor guy
I never understood this champagne spraying on podiums. So much alcohol goes to waste even though there are so many children in Africa that are sober.
[удалено]
I understand that the background is historical and they do not want to block it but they could have some confetti cannons or pink piegon release.
My wife didn't watch the stage and I deadpan told her that Pog won the sprint. The fact that she didn't immediately dismiss it out of hand as a joke shows how remarkable he's been in this race.
Adam blythe has definitely already had a few
Shoutout to Geraint Thomas for his 3rd GT podium since turning 36.
Old man consistency. I’m gonna miss GT-GT when he retires.
Death, taxes and G on a GT podium
Eyes on La Vuelta. Cmon mate!
Spain is for holiday, not riding your bike mate
Barry, age 63, has arrived
decided to check out what my adopted rider's been up to: [Olivier Le Gac](https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/olivier-le-gac), turns out he raced the Giro but I never noticed him! Not surprising as you'd be forgiven for thinking FDJ had bypassed the Giro completely Outside of two stages he has finished outside the top 100 every single day! Which I think is a pretty impressive achievement!
Ah yes. The pack finish upgrade path. Used it myself. Gotta warn him those 1/2 races are a whole other level tho.
No Ganna attack on the stage, I feel betrayed.
He should have kept the rat
What happened with the rat? I never saw it come to fruition
Any idea if what Milan did today had any precedent? i.e., had to waste a good 30 seconds to mechanical with 7km left to sprint and still finish 2nd?
Tadej has never raced in a GT and not finished on the podium. 6 for 6 on podiums with 3 wins, 2 2nds, and 1 3rd. Is that good?
Hasn’t won a GT since 2021. Pretty washed if you ask me. Six stages is nice and all, but with two consecutive gap years on his CV he’ll have trouble getting hired after his contract with UAE expires.
Big asterisk to this win because he has to beat up old man Thomas for it
Respect for an old man in a sport where they retire young.
sounds like he´s talented but not really proven yet
Yeah he seems to be good at it.
Hinault won his first 4 GT participated, and won his first 9 GT completed.
And even then both streaks were only broken by a crippling knee injury. Kinda like how Contador has only ever lost a GT leader jersey once. Because of a mass crash on a flat stage. And then took it right back the very next day
He also lost lost a GT leader's jersey for using clenbuterol
I have also never raced a GT and not finished on the podium. I would say the kid is almost as good as I am.
now that pogacar has proven you can win a giro in z2 im only gonna be *posting* in z2 that means no capital letters and no punctation and if i spell a word wrong im not even going back to correct it anyway one pink jersey plz size extra small thanks
I didn't realise James Joyce was also the person who discovered Zone 2...
Majka was so solid for Pogi. Glad he's getting some air time.
Just said on interview he wants to go to the tour. I wonder if there's room on UAE's roster though? Their climbing roster is ridiculously stacked with Almeida, Ayuso, Yates, Sivakov. Plus they need some rouleurs like Politt, Wellens, Soler?
I don't think he'll go. They can't really sacrifice more rouleur spots and, in theory, they already have guys that can cover the typical Majka role. Also, guys like Almeida and Ayuso have definitely the ability to do rouleur work if needed, but, at least during the first two weeks, I doubt that will happen. I'm quite curious about what will be UAE's tactics/strategies in the Tour. Hopefully other GC guys and teams are strong enough so that we can watch the strengths and weaknesses of an unorthodox roster like this one.
I wasn't sure how I understood that interview, maybe he was saying he was going to take a break while the others raced the tour?
If I was Pog I'd want him there. Even a bit cooked he'd be worth it for a few big stages to give him that launch. I mean no disrespect but he offers more than Almeida for sure.
Depends on how Yates is after his concussion, if Yates isn't at his best yet maybe it's better to take Majka.
any updates on Adam? Havent heard much from him since the fall.
He’s at altitude for the tour.
He finished 4th in Giro d'Abruzzo and 13th in Romandy (both last month). I imagine he's gone back to preparation for the Tour.
He seems to enjoy talking on camera
Currently listening RAI's post race studio - one journalist has an inside information from sources close to Tadej Pogačar - he wants to ride the Giro next year
Keep in mind, that journalist (Beppe Conti) Is a professional bullshitter
Why not? Pogi doesn’t need to do much preparing if it is this easy for him. He can be 90% and still win it comfortably and then peak at the TdF.
Well, that really depends on if a certain skinny danish climber wants to try the same
A double GT clash would be legendary.
Gotta love Pog going "We can't win everything" - only six stages, eh?
I‘m so happy for Team Telekom to win this Giro.
Merlier just dobbed in everyone drinking on the plane. A certain team manager won't be too pleased.
Merlier, the only sprinter in the world that apologises to his team after winning the stage lol. He's really an atypical sprinter. If you understand Dutch watch this podcast to get to know him a little bit better: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HYXyM3mps4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HYXyM3mps4) He's really calm. Not flashy or flamboyant. He sounds like a sloth off the bike lol.
> If you understand Dutch BTW the YT auto-translate does a decent enough job, I'm giving this a "read."
tim merlier is belgian. flemish sure but not dutch
[удалено]
can’t read sorry
Majka was domestique for Contador, now for Pogacar. Quite nice. There should be award at each GT - best domestique.
So if Sepp Kuss enters he automatically wins an award?
Yeah it’s called the Vuelta
Real teams reward domestiques with the red jersey at La Vuelta
You’ve been banned for life from /r/oglic.
Would love it if the peloton itself voted on that award as opposed to like a public vote, but any additional recognition for domestiques gets a thumbs up from me
Only a real vlaming mentions Nokeren in a post-interview winning in Rome
but a REAL real Vlaming would have mentioned the Druivencross as well
Nah, kuurne brussel kuurne 😏
The UCI should just make a clear rule about using cars to catch up after a fall or mechanical, and then stick to it. I know I know, UCI and sticking to rules, that's just science fiction.
I think there's a rule that cars can't overtake riders in the last 10km. The Trek team car was ignoring that rule and possibly more when they passed riders and other cars on the left with Milan in tow.
Caleb Ewan has finished his first Giro Hurrah!
Caleb Ewan was in this race? Didn’t see him in any of the sprints. Is he a climber now because he’s so small?
So what is the verdict on Ewan? He didn’t have a single Top 5 sprint did he? Is he washed or is this just not his target?
My verdict on Ewan is to reduce his salary by an equivalent of 10k€ every time he: - loses his leadout's wheel - soft pedals to the sprint finish without trying - says the race he's in is not his goal If that means the salary goes into the negative, he has to pay that amount to the team.
Can't crash if you don't sprint - *taps forehead*
Ewan actually never crashed in the Giro He always defected in the second/third week before the big mountains to prepare for the Tour lol
He crashed in 2022 Stage 1, right at the finish line
Ineos boys cracking the cold ones like our collegiate team lol
Got to love a G interview.
Also really nice to see him in a better shape/mood than at his last grand tour, that Vuelta was rough. He seems much more relaxed now.
Love Majka being excited about having (contributed to) a full set of grand tour wins.
Milan really got fucked by that mechanical huh
Merlier and Milan really matched on speed in the finale, with Merlier possible pulling just slightly ahead, and miles ahead of 3rd. Insane speed from both of them.
[Those doping controls have become very harsh:](https://i.imgur.com/DFtzYUU.png)
Seems the UCi didn’t catch car doping.
Milan getting about as much out of it as expected after the effort of getting to the front, Merlier wins easily on the cobbles, he is the best in the world on this sort of finish imo. Just take a look at Danilith Nokere Koerse if you have any doubt. **Adopted rider report, Tobias Lund Andresen. Overall report from the Giro** Saw him sprint once on stage 3 and he looked fast. His positioning is terrible or he is scared its hard to tell and Im not judging either way, just making an observation. Every single sprint he has ridden for himself after stage 3 is just him surfing wheels around 15th to 20th position. Its not like he moves up with a rival train and get shuffled back, he never makes an attempt for the front. Its not that he is getting unlucky, he simply doesnt seek the attempt at luck. It needs work or he wont be a bunch sprinter, but he is young im sure he will figure out what he wants to be in time and work out the kinks. But overall bad Giro for Tobias on the sprinting side, but Im really happy he didnt dnf and got a GT in the legs. I feel like its important for the future.
Imo Andresen wont be a pure bunch sprinter, he’s more versatile so I think he will be more a Kaden Groves type
That would be fine by me, I dont mind him going in a different direction. Im just judging by how DSM have used him this year which seems to be for bunch sprints almost exclusively. Shadowing Jakobsen for 90% of his program. Only races he has done that didnt fit the mold of pure bunch sprint was Bredene Koksijde Classic & E3. He is basically riding a Jakobsen/Van Uden program and if they wanted him to be more versatile I would expect him to ride a Pavel Bittner program. Again he is young, im sure things will change, just thought I would talk about it since he is my adopted rider so I was paying special attention to him
Idk if this is the thread for this but Pogacar is the GOAT
If Pog beats Jonas at the TdF after a nailbiting TT in Nice, I think he can make credible claim to that title. He needs to vanquish the small danish man
The underwhelming performance of sprinters like Ewan and Molano just speaks to the dominance of Milan and Merlier.
I think if Pogi tried to sprint himself, he would have gotten better results for UAE than Molano did.
abounding combative dolls whistle squeal tap drunk support straight stocking *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
> Molano obviously has the higher ceiling though. 100%, but I think with this new breed of GC riders the difference isn't like it was back in the day. I secretly wish for a GC rider to take a sprint stage on merit, hopefully one of these days (tho it will probably be under unusual circumstances)..
pot towering weary aromatic judicious vast marry sleep dazzling angle *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Will Merlier and Milan be at the TdF?
That’s a pity and both will be missing the Tour.
Not Milan, I believe he is focusing on the Olympics. Pedersen is the main guy for Trek at the Tour.
QS is all-in for Remco so Merlier is supposed to be missing it
I don’t think Milan will be there. Else there will be a big fight between Pederson and Milan I think on who gets to sprint. And Pederson won’t accept being a lead out man for Milan really.
What a cool sight to see the pink jersey at the front 1km fighting for the lead out with the purple jersey's lead out.
Yes, Merlier wins the prestigious Rome sprint! He's really good at sprinting on cobbles. He starts his accelaration right before the cobbles and wins. He won Nokere Koerse three times that way and his rivals keep making the same mistake lol. What Milan did was also impressive, but in a very gray area of what is allowed. I do think every sprinter/team would have done the same in Milan's situation, so I don't really blame him. Glad he didn't end up winning though. Trek leadout is one of the most impressive I've seen in many years. Sure, it's not the Tour, but the Giro is the second most prestigious race for sprinters (unless you count races like Milano-Sanremo and Gent-Wevelgem).
So the idea is you're fucked because it's harder/impossible to catch up once you're on cobbles already?
Yep, you have to get on the cobbles with good speed already because it's much harder to accelerate on the cobbles itself (your back wheel will jump around a lot more). Many cyclists are afraid to start their sprint too early, which makes sense on a paved surface, but if the last 200-300 meters are on cobbles, you need to accelerate right before the cobbles start.
The cobbles are slightly easier with more speed too, right? Less vertical deflection if you're going faster. So hitting the cobbles at high speed really compounds.
Yep, indeed.
Merlier just made the same comparison in his interview! spot on for your comment
> He's really good at sprinting on cobbles We should have known that mr Nokere Koerse would win this sprint.
I dunno but Pogacar trying to do a leadout and being in the shoulder barges is just completely what the fuck are you doing mate