"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Bruyneel on Giro course

In case you did not see it, at cyclingnews.com he said, "In terms of the parcours, Bruyneel isn't too happy with organisers' attempts at igniting even more interest in the race. "This course is really very, very hard and you have to ask yourself - why?" he said. "The interest in the Giro was higher than ever last year; it's always an intense race right up to the second-to-last stage.

"So as a director I would prefer it to be less hard - I think the makers of this course have lost their minds a bit," he continued. "Paolo and Tom went and previewed a lot of the course recently, including Stage 17 - there's no road at the end: it's 5.5 km up a ski slope!" exclaimed Bruyneel.

"We'll be using 34x28/29 gearing - that's not cycling. We have struggled more with making sure we have the right components and equipment than at any other race in our team's history; even at the Tour de France we know that as long as you have a 39x25 you're good, but this race..."

:eek: :D

34x29? That's mountian bike territory!

In case you did not see it, at cyclingnews.com he said, "In terms of the parcours, Bruyneel isn't too happy with organisers' attempts at igniting even more interest in the race. "This course is really very, very hard and you have to ask yourself - why?" he said. "The interest in the Giro was higher than ever last year; it's always an intense race right up to the second-to-last stage.

"So as a director I would prefer it to be less hard - I think the makers of this course have lost their minds a bit," he continued. "Paolo and Tom went and previewed a lot of the course recently, including Stage 17 - there's no road at the end: it's 5.5 km up a ski slope!" exclaimed Bruyneel.

"We'll be using 34x28/29 gearing - that's not cycling. We have struggled more with making sure we have the right components and equipment than at any other race in our team's history; even at the Tour de France we know that as long as you have a 39x25 you're good, but this race..."

:eek: :D

If a pro cyclist is in need of a 34x29 then that is one steep climb. I have to ask both the Giro and Tour organizers why such extreme courses this year? The Tour is nearly devoid of any mountain top finishes and the Giro is just over the top with them. Perhaps they should combine the two and even them both out!

If a pro cyclist is in need of a 34x29 then that is one steep climb. I have to ask both the Giro and Tour organizers why such extreme courses this year? The Tour is nearly devoid of any mountain top finishes and the Giro is just over the top with them. Perhaps they should combine the two and even them both out!


Tour de Fritaly!

6000 km 2 month long race. I'd watch it!

for some reason I read that as tour de fritolay.

for some reason I read that as tour de fritolay.


You need to ride more!

Tour de Fritaly!

6000 km 2 month long race. I'd watch it!
And for that coment you get :D :D :D Three Toothy Grins!

Holy crap....34x28/29 gearing....for pros??? How steep are these climbs? That's insane.

I guess Tom Danielson won't be breezing up these at 17 mph.

In Cycle Sport America (Jan. 2006) There was an interview with Gilberto Simoi, and he was talking about how he previewed the last part of stage 17(last 5.5km 24.4% UNPAVEd GRAVEL dirt road). For the final kilometer of his scouting ride he switched to his Mt. Bike! This should be an awesome stage to watch, and if the peloton gets bogged down.... expect to see a lot of Pros walking!

(last 5.5km 24.4% UNPAVEd GRAVEL dirt road)


Jebus! I took my TCR up a gravel walking trail that was about 20% and had HUGE problems keeping traction.

This could be interesting...

How are the cars gonna get up it?

How are the cars gonna get up it?


That would be bloody marvelous. The cars are all stalled out on the road as the rest of the peloton crams up behind them.

Methinks this won't be a very wide road.

They better have this **** on OLN....

Anybody got pics?

for some reason I read that as tour de fritolay.

That's how Bobke would say it too <giggle>

http://www.dolomitisuperski.com/crontour/map.asp?L=3 Here is a topo of the top of the mountain. Thre is a better one at http://www.plandecorones.net/impianticima.htm. but I couldn't get it to post as a link. Notice that there is no ROAD shown to the top.

for some reason I read that as tour de fritolay.

For those of us old enough to remember, the Tour de Fritolay's mascott would be the Frito Bandito!

This came up in another thread. There was a photo of a rider – and you could tell that it was a fairly recent picture – on an unpaved road. I couldn’t believe that it was actually the Giro, but someone confirmed that it actually was a recent Giro. They evidently do run the course over unpaved sections from time to time.

The TdF doesn’t go over unpaved roads, does it? I’m talking about modern times – 1970s or later.

It's good to see that people are starting to realize that the TDF is not the toughest bike race, but just the best marketed Grand Tour.
There are unpaved sections of the Giro, there are stages so high they are up in the snow and ice , many rider use triples, and the fans are even more nuts than at the TDF.

It's good to see that people are starting to realize that the TDF is not the toughest bike race, but just the best marketed Grand Tour.
There are unpaved sections of the Giro, there are stages so high they are up in the snow and ice , many rider use triples, and the fans are even more nuts than at the TDF.

Yeah, but it's like the Indy 500. Certainly not the most interesting race, but nothing comes close in terms of history and driver's desire to win it. I'm reletively new to cycling but I think this is a logical parallel.

Yeah, but it's like the Indy 500. Certainly not the most interesting race, but nothing comes close in terms of history and driver's desire to win it. I'm reletively new to cycling but I think this is a logical parallel.


Except for the fact that the Indy 500 has become joke since Tony George forced the split between ChampCar and the IRL. It's like having nothing but Continental teams at the TdF. Their fast but not like the ProTour teams. But the parallel of tradition is valid. I like the Giro but the TdF still elicits more passion from the riders and the fans.

You want pictures!?

Here you go!
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2006/giro06/?id=corones/gallery-corones

I guess the guys who are supported by Subaru and Audi will have the only team cars on final of that stage! Seriously we might see some cross bikes or hard tail mt bikes being mounted about then!

Jesus.....don't find too many road bike races climbing up a ski resort.....

There comes a point when you cross the line from something being really hard, to being really stupid.

In case you did not see it, at cyclingnews.com he said, "In terms of the parcours, Bruyneel isn't too happy with organisers' attempts at igniting even more interest in the race. "This course is really very, very hard and you have to ask yourself - why?" he said.

If Bruyneel doesn't like it, don't enter the team. What he really doesn't like is that the stages mostly end on the peaks, which is not good for Savoldelli. This is not going to be a Giro of tactics and radio control races, it's really just up to each rider.

If Bruyneel doesn't like it, don't enter the team. What he really doesn't like is that the stages mostly end on the peaks, which is not good for Savoldelli.
Is it me, or is Bruyneel getting a little whiny? Why not say, "Dang. That's a hard course. But we'll get her done." Other than he's not from a sitcom featuring Southern stereotypes.

It's good to see that people are starting to realize that the TDF is not the toughest bike race, but just the best marketed Grand Tour.
There are unpaved sections of the Giro, there are stages so high they are up in the snow and ice , many rider use triples, and the fans are even more nuts than at the TDF.


What about that pic of Andy Hampsted (sp?) doing the Giro way back when and he is all covered with snow and ice??

You need to ride more!
65 miles today, sir! Is that enough? :p

You want pictures!?

Here you go!
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2006/giro06/?id=corones/gallery-corones
Thanks! By the way, the climb up the Angliru that has been used in the Vuelta was an unpaved goat track that the organizers "discovered" and then talked someone into paving it, resulting in a paved 25% climb (or something close to that). The cyclingnews article said the ski area folks plan on improving the road prior to the race. Maybe they will pave it, but maybe they'll just put down that crushed white stuff like on the Stelvio in last years Giro.

^ That's wild! They need more goat paths in racing.

... What he really doesn't like is that the stages mostly end on the peaks, which is not good for Savoldelli. This is not going to be a Giro of tactics and radio control races, it's really just up to each rider.

I'm not trying to say you're wrong, but I think that's only part of it. Last year's stage over Stelvio was a modern classic, but quite a few riders vowed "never again" afterwards. It sounds like there's at least one stage in this year's Giro that will make Stelvio seem like child's play. Undoubtedly, there are plenty of others who are not happy with route - but apparently, they're either more timid than Johan, or we're simply not hearing the reports.

You want pictures!?

Here you go!
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2006/giro06/?id=corones/gallery-corones


Cunego is one ugly mf.

65 miles today, sir! Is that enough? :p


So as long as fried snacks aren't part of your everyday agenda...

Good show!

You want pictures!?

Here you go!
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2006/giro06/?id=corones/gallery-corones

For a four-wheeler, that's a road, but for a bike? I thought that's why they're called "Road" bikes. Maybe a ...."Mountain" bike (if there really was such a thing) :rolleyes:

Is it me, or is Bruyneel getting a little whiny? Why not say, "Dang. That's a hard course. But we'll get her done." Other than he's not from a sitcom featuring Southern stereotypes.

I was waiting for someone to call Bruyneel a wimp, and this is the closest I got. Come on, this is cycling. It's supposed to be hard. Isn't that the whole point of these tours, to see how far we can push it?

It kind of sounds to me like Bruyneel wants the Giro to be some sort of easy warmup before the TDF. What a bunch of crap. I'm getting kind of sick of this whole "nothing matters but the TDF" attitude. The Giro is a great race. Why water it down?

I think Bruyneel wants the Giro to be something that the non-specialist rider can do well in. The course this year is set up for the pure climber, and nothing else. The same guys who will get ROCKED in the TdF. The TdF is and always has been more of an all-around rider's race, where the TT and the climbs are both huge factors, not just one or the other.

If Bruyneel doesn't like it, don't enter the team. What he really doesn't like is that the stages mostly end on the peaks, which is not good for Savoldelli. This is not going to be a Giro of tactics and radio control races, it's really just up to each rider.

Apparently you haven't figured out how the ProTour works yet...

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2006/giro06/corones/furcia_inizio_1340.jpg

This looks like a good place to swap the riders onto cyclocross biles.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2006/giro06/corones/furcia_inizio_1340.jpg

This looks like a good place to swap the riders onto cyclocross biles.
You know I was wondering about this...what is the rule here? Can they simply swap bikes...I would think no...unless there was some unforeseen mechanical issue that casued a bike to be unrideable...like kicking in the RD. :D Simple swap...come to the corner, jump off..lay the bike down and stomp on the RD...get your new bike. :D

I agree that bike racing is supposed to be hard, but there is hard then there is just stupid. Having these guys right up a ski slope at the end of a hard mountain stage is very much crossing over to the stupid. If this were just one day of hard climbing that would be one thing but they have these guys doing day after day it's no wonder they all juice.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2006/giro06/corones/furcia_inizio_1340.jpg

This looks like a good place to swap the riders onto cyclocross biles.
That looks like a good place to stop and have a beer.

When Heras won on Angliru he used a triple, many others used
MTB gearing.
I'm thinking this stage is going to blow the race apart, look for huge time gaps
between the mountain goats and the rest of the peloton.

Andy Hampsten on the Gavia Pass, my favourite all time stage and story, absolutely classic.

If this were the TdF they would end the stage at the chalet just before the unpaved section.

Marty

You know I was wondering about this...what is the rule here? Can they simply swap bikes...I would think no...unless there was some unforeseen mechanical issue that casued a bike to be unrideable...like kicking in the RD. :D Simple swap...come to the corner, jump off..lay the bike down and stomp on the RD...get your new bike. :D
UCI road race rules are 142 pages long and the technical guide for bicycles is another 10 or so pages. Nothing I see in the rules prevents a bike swap to a bike with different gear ratios (in fact I think I have seen this on other tough road race mountain stages). The type of bike for a road race stage is strictly regulated in those technical guidelines, however. Clearly they could not switch to a mountain bike. I think what will really determine willingness to change bikes is that it takes time. And virtually no pro rider would want to HAVE to stop and change bikes and see the competition riding away from him/her. So it will probably be like PR, they will make equiment choices at the beginning of the race based on known trade offs and conditions.

UCI road race rules are 142 pages long and the technical guide for bicycles is another 10 or so pages. Nothing I see in the rules prevents a bike swap to a bike with different gear ratios (in fact I think I have seen this on other tough road race mountain stages). The type of bike for a road race stage is strictly regulated in those technical guidelines, however. Clearly they could not switch to a mountain bike. I think what will really determine willingness to change bikes is that it takes time. And virtually no pro rider would want to HAVE to stop and change bikes and see the competition riding away from him/her. So it will probably be like PR, they will make equiment choices at the beginning of the race based on known trade offs and conditions.
Wouldn't a full rigid MTB be legal (assuming it had front and rear triangles)? Also if it is enough of an advantage I would think that the 15-30 sec it would take to make a planned bike swap (bikes sized properly, setup and ready to go) wouldn't be much of a loss especially if you are going to ensure yourself good traction and better gears for the coming climb in the rocks. I can see a lower geared cyclocross bike being a good choice...a bit wider tire with a bit of tread could go a long way.

Wouldn't a full rigid MTB be legal (assuming it had front and rear triangles)? Also if it is enough of an advantage I would think that the 15-30 sec it would take to make a planned bike swap (bikes sized properly, setup and ready to go) wouldn't be much of a loss especially if you are going to ensure yourself good traction and better gears for the coming climb in the rocks. I can see a lower geared cyclocross bike being a good choice...a bit wider tire with a bit of tread could go a long way.
MTB handle bars would not be legal since it is a mass start race. Rule 1.3.022 says bars must be "traditional" type bars and then shows a picture of road bars.

Wouldn't a full rigid MTB be legal (assuming it had front and rear triangles)? Also if it is enough of an advantage I would think that the 15-30 sec it would take to make a planned bike swap (bikes sized properly, setup and ready to go) wouldn't be much of a loss especially if you are going to ensure yourself good traction and better gears for the coming climb in the rocks. I can see a lower geared cyclocross bike being a good choice...a bit wider tire with a bit of tread could go a long way.

I would think a cross bike with the appropriate gearing would be the best option.

You know I was wondering about this...what is the rule here? Can they simply swap bikes...I would think no...unless there was some unforeseen mechanical issue that casued a bike to be unrideable...like kicking in the RD. :D Simple swap...come to the corner, jump off..lay the bike down and stomp on the RD...get your new bike. :D

I think it's easier to just race on triple chainrings, this is common for the Giro.

I think it's easier to just race on triple chainrings, this is common for the Giro.

I was thinking more about the condition of the road and the gradient. If the gradient is that severe and the gravel is loose it might make sense to ride a cross tire at that point.

I was thinking more about the condition of the road and the gradient. If the gradient is that severe and the gravel is loose it might make sense to ride a cross tire at that point.

They might be using paris-roubaix type tires for this stage. I've driven up some of those peaks, first gear in spots. nuts.

They might be using paris-roubaix type tires for this stage. I've driven up some of those peaks, first gear in spots. nuts.

Do you think that they'd opt for the P-B style bikes with wider fork and seat stays? I'm thinking they would want the uber light climbing bikes up to that point then switch off. If that's the case then I guess you'd have to have team guys allready waiting for them at the switch point. This also would lead to problems with Mavic neutral service. What tires would they have on the cars at this point?