Road Bike Racing - Stage 8: Lamporecchio- Firenze ITT, 45 km

ITT, 45 KM

http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2005/upload/alt/alt08.jpg

It's going to be 55 minutes of all out suffering. That hill is going to hurt!

I'm picking Gonchar to win the stage...and take the Maglia Rosa

I think Savoldelli will do VERY well in this. Cunego too. Gonchar is a great time trialist though.. we'll see.

This is where Thomas Dekker shows his stuff.

SPOILER***************

I was going to say Zabriskie, I swear! Congrats to David on the win! Nice ride by Basso puts him in good position. CSC goes 1-2.

I don't think any lead is safe. 2 to 3 minutes back is ok. The mountains are soooo tough ahead that there will be some huge time gaps to come. So all the GC guys are still in with a chance. No one was eliminated today. Basso got his time back which he lost yesterday. Good ride by Basso!! Excellent ride by Zabriskie! CSC finished 1-2. Beloki was over 7 miutes down. Keep suffering Joseba!...it's the only way to get back. I remember after Richard Virenque's doping suspension a few years ago...he came back and did the Vuelta. He suffered like a dog and stuck it out and finished the three week race. Later in the year he won Paris-Tours after a long inspiring breakaway with Jacky Durand. Virenque was almost caught at the finish by the chasing peloton. It rejuvinated his career. I wish the same for Beloki!

Cunego is only 1'15 back. He made up 2'30" last year on the final climb in Stage 16. I agree with oneradtec, with the mountains they have this year, ESPECIALLY in Stage 19, it's okay to be a few minutes back if you're a great climber.

The organizers seem to have set this Giro up to the advantage of the climbers, perhaps Cunego in particular. Even the two TTs have enough climbing in them to keep the TT specialists like Honchar from gaining any large advantage. This looks even more like it's shaping up to be a battle between Basso and Cunego, and it could be a walk for Cunego if Basso doesn't regain his climbing legs quickly. This has to be frustrating for Simoni - last year he could at least expect to put some time into his young teammate on the time trials.

I think it will mainly be a battle between Savoldelli, Cunego, and Basso - with Damiano coming out on top. But who knows, it's only stage 8...

Simoni looked strong yesterday while climbing. I still think he'll be in the mix, and he and Cunego will be formidable allies when the road pitches up. When it suits them to work together they will. And when an opportunity presents itself to attack each other, we're going to be watching a classic Giro.

This is a friggin' great race!

Salvodelli looks awfully good! Lest we forget he won this race last time his form was this good. Plus he can climb with the best...and time trial better than the other climbers. His descending skills are legendary...which is why they call him 'The Falcon'.

Salvodelli looks awfully good! Lest we forget he won this race last time his form was this good. Plus he can climb with the best...and time trial better than the other climbers. His descending skills are legendary...which is why they call him 'The Falcon'.

To be a faster descender you have to take more risks. I hope his descending doesn't end up taking him out of the race.

That was the best I have ever seen Basso look in a TT! He looked a lot stronger than at the TDF last year, but if Cunego and Simoni work together they can do damage in the mountains to the other GC guys.
A buddy of mine told me that Danielsons knee is hurting pretty bad, if he has to drop out that would hurt Salvodelli in the mountains IMHO.

Yes Danielson may have to drop out. Both his knee and his back are killing him. The stresses of a grand tour do not allow any opportunities for these aches and pains to heal....they only continue to get worse. If Danielson has to drop out...then Discovery could reconsider him for the Tour team because he could go home from here and rest and recover.

Are these injuries of Danielson's chronic, or crash-related?

Basso impressed the hell out of me. Looked like a time trial
specialist, absolutely dead still on the bike. Salvodelli also was
impressive but I think his Giro chances went down the tubes
with Danielson abandoning.
I don't think Cuenego and Simoni are going to work together.
I think there is very bad blood between em and we are seeing
a replay of Lemond and Hinault.

Marty

Danielson dropped out today(tendonitis???). I also hear that Simoni is having discussions with Fassa about a contract for next year. Beloki says he is starting to get those good sensations back in his legs in recent days and wants to show some form in the rest of the Giro. I'm pulling for ya Joseba!!!

Simoni talking with Fassa? I read Domina Vacanze. Fassa would be an interesting move.

No...it was Domina. My mistake. Fassa may fold after this season.

I'm really dissapointed that Basso is doing the Giro/Tour double. Not because it think it's a bad thing to do but because LA and JU are focusing on the Tour only. Ivan has improved his TT skills 10 fold which now makes him a true Tour contender. Unfortunately he'll be spent in July from the effort to win the Giro. It's sad that more of the "heads of state" don't attempt to do two of the three big tours. I understand that to LA's sponsors the Tour is the only race that matters but this approach has turned the Tour into the only goal for many of the top riders.

Ivan is my stage race favorite rider right now with Boonen being my favorite 'spring' rider. It would be great to see Ivan really pushing Lance and Jan this July but I really think Riis has asked too much of him this year.

many riders have done the Giro-Tour double. Pantani, Roche, Indurain. Even Bugno won the Giro and then proceeded to do well in the Tour a few months later.

Lemond finished the Giro just a few months before winning the '89 Tour.

Basso will be fine. Look for him to give Lance a fit in July. Perhaps Basso will skip races like the Dauphine and Tour de Suisse...which will help keep him fresh for the Tour.

many riders have done the Giro-Tour double. Pantani, Roche, Indurain. Even Bugno won the Giro and then proceeded to do well in the Tour a few months later.

Lemond finished the Giro just a few months before winning the '89 Tour.

Basso will be fine. Look for him to give Lance a fit in July. Perhaps Basso will skip races like the Dauphine and Tour de Suisse...which will help keep him fresh for the Tour.


These riders did it in a different era, which was my point, things have changed too riders are 'Tour' specialists these days. I wish we could go back to the days that the big riders did the Giro or Vuelta and the Tour.

Lemond and Indurain were Tour specialists.

If you look at both of their palmares and compare them to LA's you'll see that, especailly Indurain, did a whole lot more racing. Indurain did many classics, the Giro and Veulta during his Tour dominance. I'm not dissing Lance here just pointing out that his whole year is geared toward the Tour and success in other events is secondary. I know Lance has won and competed in many of the other races durring his long career but since he started his tour run this his race schedule is nothing compared to other multi tour winners.


My point about Basso isn't that a rider isn't capable of doing a Giro/Tour double and doing well in both. It's just that in today's era he's going up against riders who are just focusing on the Tour.

doing well in both. It's just that in today's era he's going up against riders who are just focusing on the Tour.
So was Pantani...