Giro D'Italia 2008 : Stage 2 - Sunday, May 11: Cefalù - Agrigento, 207km

limerickman

Stage 2.

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.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets" - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

thunder

after stage 1

before stage 3

limerickman

I've got to insert some text to create the thread !
Stage 2 was a bit obvious, I have to concede

__________________
.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets" - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

jonjungel

Obvious or not... It looks like a real fun stage for the fans. Almost like a hilly classic. Looking at the profiles, I see that there are quite a few stages with many short climbs. RCS must have felt sorry for Bettini last year, since they have adapted so many stages to his qualities ...

I think these stages will make for a good Giro to watch, also when not in the high mountains. Stages made for sprinters are usually boring.

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Danger is my life.
-- Flyer's.Finale!

Drongo

The CN profile has this little summary:


I like this kind of stage; not a pure sprinter's stage. It might be perfect for the classics-type rider to pinch a Giro stage win.

I don't see a break winning, unless it's a nobody on GC, since the GC won't have played out yet and no-one knows who will be a threat. So if someone like di Luca wins, it will be from a larger pack.

Bettini should be well suited (remember that stage when he barrelled over Baden Cooke and then spat the dummy?) or some other bloke that can get over a hill. Astarloa? Hondo? O'Grady? Ignatiev?

edit: I see I've repeated what you've said, JJ. Apologies all, got distracted in drafting this.

thunder

Mcgee? Bettini. Bennati. Ogrady. Di Luca. Nocentini. Gusev, Iglinsky

Roriguez, Rebellin, Ricco, Ardilla, Astarloa

Drongo

Aw hell, Zabel too. Don't want to miss anyone.

thunder

is he sick tho?

I dont see anyone beating Bennati tho.

Drongo

Yeah, he should clean up this year.

thunder

he has no real helpers tho.

Cav has the best help, Greipel, Wiggins, Hansen, and riders like Possoni and Pinotti will pull.

Mcewen will enjoy Cav being able to pull the sprint with his team. Be interesting to see if Mcewen can come around him on a one and one clean sprint. If Cav is launched at 200. I am sure Bennati could. I don't think Mcewen can beat Cav if Cav is launched frm near terminal velocity at 200 metres. Above 200 metres, Mcewen can just wait in his wheel for Cav to slow.

limerickman

I cycled that very same route three years ago when I was on holiday in Sicily!


I agree with Drongo - it has all the hallmarks of a stage similar to the classics.

Kiss of death : Jens Voigt.

__________________
.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets" - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

Rolfrae

Ricardo Ricco

Eldrack

Bettini, Nibali, Ricco, Di Luca in that order. I think the hill at the end is too long for a true sprinter to make it through. Should be some small time gaps at the finish.

Crockett

Any reason to suspect that already mentioned names like Ardila, Astarloa, and McGee will be performing well enough to hang with the likes of the many Italians that seem to excel at these types of finishes? These three have all struggled for various reasons the last few years. Wondering if there have been indicators to support such optomism.