"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Basso kicked rear

I think that Ivan Basso is going to probably easily win the Giro....and maybe pull off the double, and win the Tour (can he repeat Stephen Roche's 1987 triple feat?!?!??).

Unfortunately for Jan Ullrich, who is admittedly an outstanding rider, he's now got to contend with another rider who is simply better

I agree. He looks strong and had a very cool "I've got it under control" look on his face all day.
Hard to see anyone beat him now.

Nice to see Sastre sit up front. Great helper for Basso.

Had expected more from Il Falco - Savoldelli. But he sure faded fast.

Never count Ulli for the TDF though. His form might just peak then he will be a serious contender.

What pisses me off is Danielson could have kept pace if he wasn't babysitting Savoldelli.

[QUOTE=ScandiHo]Had expected more from Il Falco - Savoldelli. But he sure faded fast.[QUOTE]

I guess we were watching a different race. he didn't have a great day, and obviously lost a chunk of time to basso, but compared to the other favorites, the time he lost isn't catastrophic.

Don't count Sally out just yet... he can make up drastic time on the two upcoming downhill finishes.

If you've never seen video of the way Il Falco tracks around the corners on the decents... its absolutely frightening.

I wouldn't count Ullrich out of the tour by what happens in the giro. The last week of the GIRO is pure hell...and Basso isn't going to be able to glide through it. Its going to take alot out of him. Ullrich on the other hand has no pressure on him. Hes 17 min back on GC, just riding to drop weight, and get on form. I'll bet right now that Ullrich is in better form at the prologue than Basso.

I'm certainly not counting out Ullrich, but I still have to wonder if he is this generation's Joop Zoetemelk....the equivalent of Ewing's Knicks against Jordan's Bulls....the Vikings of the 70s....you get the idea.

What pisses me off is Danielson could have kept pace if he wasn't babysitting Savoldelli.
If I'm not mistaken Tommy dropped off first. Why would you be pissed to see TD do his job for the 2 time winner of the Giro??? I don't get it...thats teamword and paying your dues...why wouldn't he ?

What pisses me off is Danielson could have kept pace if he wasn't babysitting Savoldelli.


If I'm not mistaken Tommy dropped off first. Why would you be pissed to see TD do his job for the 2 time winner of the Giro??? I don't get it...thats teamword and paying your dues...why wouldn't he ?

you're not mistaken.

furiousferret must have missed the memo about Savodelli being the Disco leader. :rolleyes:

you're not mistaken.

furiousferret must have missed the memo about Savodelli being the Disco leader. :rolleyes:
*disclaimer*
The Velonews site made it sound like he's was dropping off pace and Danielson went back to get him. He might be the leader, but if his fitness isn't there then why not have another guy take a shot at it.

please, no spoilers.

it kind of messed up watching the stage on OLN.
said it before and I'll say it again, Basso for the double.

marty

+1 no spoilers in the title. And as for Danielson. He was doing his job and was OTB first. However it did look like he could have closed thegap a litle more if not obligated to Savoldelli. If Savoldelli falls further from contention, Danielson will get his chance to see what he's got later in the race.

I think Savoldelli is still in the hunt. The next week is tough and everyone has a bad day now and then. Last year was the same and he fought back for the win.

I think Savoldelli is still in the hunt. The next week is tough and everyone has a bad day now and then. Last year was the same and he fought back for the win.
True, but Basso was sick last year. I'm not a huge Basso fan but the way he dropped Cunego, he's gonna be brutal to stay with on the climbs. I had forgotten how much climbing Basso does in the saddle.

I'm not sure that Savoldelli can make up the time with both Cuenego and Basso healthy. His
descending skills notwithstanding I think he's lost it already.
I liked what Bobke, Phil and Paul said about Basso, his move was right out of
Armstrongs strategy book, everyone is now going to have to chase him.

game, set, match Basso

marty

*disclaimer*
The Velonews site made it sound like he's was dropping off pace and Danielson went back to get him. He might be the leader, but if his fitness isn't there then why not have another guy take a shot at it.
TD was already off the pace before Savoldelli cracked. TD eventually caught up to his team mate and helped him on the last few km's. I don't think Savoldelli is out, but Basso is clearly the strongest from what I've seen so far. Hats off to Sastra though, what a great team mate to have.

As for Ullrich, he's not looking too good right now is he, but, we're still a month and a half away. We'll see a different Ullrich in July and a podium finish.

TD was already off the pace before Savoldelli cracked. TD eventually caught up to his team mate and helped him on the last few km's. I don't think Savoldelli is out, but Basso is clearly the strongest from what I've seen so far. Hats off to Sastra though, what a great team mate to have.

As for Ullrich, he's not looking too good right now is he, but, we're still a month and a half away. We'll see a different Ullrich in July and a podium finish.


I predict that Ullrich has a good time trial, pushes himself in a mountain stage or two, and bows out of the giro. I didn't see all of the footage of the stage today...but people are giving him crap for finishing that far down (16 minutes) my only question is...was he even trying to stay with the leaders? ...remember he is there to build up his form...not to compete for the GC. Its my hope that he is playing opossum a little bit... It would be a smart thing to do really... let EVERYONE think he is way off track... and then come into july and just set the road on fire. Which is what I am hoping for.

Barring any illness or crash.. I think Basso is going to win the Giro. Savoldelli can't decend fast enough to make up the time Basso is going to gain in the mountains... today he just blew Cunego away, it was almost like Lance giving Jan 'the look'. Cunego attacks, Basso jumps on his wheel...then its Goooooooodbye. Awesome.

I'm not sure that Savoldelli can make up the time with both Cuenego and Basso healthy. His
descending skills notwithstanding I think he's lost it already.
I liked what Bobke, Phil and Paul said about Basso, his move was right out of
Armstrongs strategy book, everyone is now going to have to chase him.

game, set, match Basso

marty

True...and another page from the lance book... Basso has a team that can set such a high pace, that nobody will be able to do any real damage... There is literally nobody that can attack and stay away from CSC when they are firing on all cylinders together.

What's up with Savoldelli? Do people think he's still feeling the e3ffects of the stomach bug from earlier? Or is it a case that he doesn't have as much power as CRC to sit in front of him and drive the pace?

It is still to early. People said the same for LeMond when he took yellow and gave it up. He said he now can rest and let the pressure be on the leader.

Big time taken out but will CSC police all attacks?

He looked good the whole ride , Basso is on point but again will he be able to stop the attacks in the mountains? Alot of mounatain goats there this time.

Alot can happen in 2 weeks especially with the mountain stages they have set up. After about midway through we can talk about who is a contender for the Tour and overall winner of the Giro.

Awesome race though. DiLuca wow home town crowd. High pace killed alot by time the major part of the climb.

Yes. It sure looks like this is Basso's race to lose. He looked really good on Sunday. I don't think we've seen the last of Rujano though. He was sick on Saturday, and likely weak yeaterday. I think it's expecting too much to think he'll win, but I'd not be surprised to see him become a factor.

While Basso did have a great day one cannot forget his fragile state last year. This same fate may befall Basso again as he is truly untested as a race leader. Three days in a leaders jersey does not a champion make. I hope he has great success in winning the Giro as he promised his mother but there is a lot of racing left.

It is true that anything can happen....crash, equipment failure, sick, etc. But, barring all that....I think Basso will be tough to beat. He made it look easy.

Talking about Ullrich at the Giro is pointless, he's only using this as an italian fat camp and cannot really predict what will happen in July. But, I see no evidence that Ullrich will be a contender at this point, I think it's Vinokourov and Basso to fight it out.

Savoldelli's descent skills will not help him in the next three stages, he simply cannot climb like Basso, he may gain 30 seconds in descents, but Basso can gain minutes on ascents.

Cunego, Ruhjano, Savoldelli, all tried to keep up, but Basso never even stood on the pedals and never lost focus, while the others were visibly hurting. Danielson frankly looked in total distress at points, I doubt he could have done better than Savoldelli and I'm still not convinced of this guy as the next great hope for Bruyneel. Savoldelli's 05 Giro was the result of the two main contenders getting sick, period. I'd say right now there is more a chance of Savoldelli crashing than Basso getting sick again. As tough as that climb was, the next three days are much tougher.

It was good to see Sastre doing his job with Basso. I anticipated Basso would be strong in the mountains, but I did not expect this strength, as a rider he is definitely peaking. Sorensen was also up there all day.

Interesting that CSC has not chosen the ultralight R3 frame for Sastre or Basso, they went with aero rims and the Soloist.

Fragile state? excuse me, he got a stomach bug last year had nothing to do
with his being fragile.
yah it is early and there are alot of flat stages but I do think CSC will cover all the breaks
by anyone who is a GC threat. Basso gets to rest a bit before we really see the mountain
stages kick in.

marty

[QUOTE=lotek]Fragile state? excuse me, he got a stomach bug last year had nothing to do
with his being fragile.

I disagree - his attempt to be out on the razor's edge for this race most likely contributed to his stomach bug. It is well known that when these guys peak that their immune systems are very "fragile" due to the weight loss and intense training. Again I am not hoping that is what happens but until he proves himself a winner that is what he is most famous for in my house.

Salvodelli is claiming he had some kind of allergy problem that affected his breathing. But given the way Basso dropped Cunego so easily, even if he had no breathing issues, I think Paulo would have a hard time holding Ivan's wheel. Yet that's what he has to do, plus find two minutes in the TTs, to win the Giro again.

No doubt this is Basso's year in the Giro. The TDF will be 10 times more interesting to follow.

I see 4 contenders for the title - Basso, Ullrich, Valverde, Landis.

Would be cool if Landis takes it....., but 1) Basso 2)Valverde 3)Landis 4)Ullrich 5)Rasmussen

There was mention in cyclingnews that Cuenego crashed a few K's before the climb.
I didn't see anything like that on OLN.
Did anyone see it?

Ullrich is obviously riding into form. He'll be Ivan's biggest nightmare in the Tour. The ITT this Thursday will be a hint of things to come. Unless something goes wrong with Jan's or Basso's health, I'm afraid to say Floyd will have a heck of a time just getting third in the Tour.

But seeing Landis up there on the podium with Basso and Ullrich would not be too bad.

There was mention in cyclingnews that Cuenego crashed a few K's before the climb.
I didn't see anything like that on OLN.
Did anyone see it?
I didn't even see a mention of Cunego crashing in the full or live report on cn.com. Perhaps you misread something, like this?


16:39 CEST 167km/4km to go
The Cunego attack has had an effect. Basso is with him, but the rest can't follow. Basso starts to ride... Cunego is dropped.

here's the write up:
Damiano Cunego had a solid ride in the eighth stage, showing that he's back to his best in finishing half a minute behind Ivan Basso on Maielletta. Cunego didn't have it all his own way, though, as he actually crashed a few kilometres before the final climb started, according to his team. Cunego was relatively uninjured, and he was still one of the best on the climb. His teammate Paolo Fornaciari also crashed towards the end of the stage, bruising his knee.

here's the link:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2006/giro06/news.php?id=/news/2006/may06/may15news

Ullrich is obviously riding into form. He'll be Ivan's biggest nightmare in the Tour. The ITT this Thursday will be a hint of things to come. Unless something goes wrong with Jan's or Basso's health, I'm afraid to say Floyd will have a heck of a time just getting third in the Tour.

But seeing Landis up there on the podium with Basso and Ullrich would not be too bad.

Obviously riding into form? It's impossible to judge, but he's really been mediocre and every time I see him on a hill on RAI, he's really suffering, weaving all over the road and standing on the pedals. Even if he wins the ITT, he only finished the TTT a few seconds ahead of Basso. Basso has won some TT this spring, and he's not that easy to beat. Basso can't sprint worth beans, but he's otherwise an all-rounder. Armstrong back-peddled and now predicts Basso for the TDF, no mention of Ullrich.

I'm still not convinced Ulrich is even going to be a factor in France. As for Landis, he's been winning spring races where either no one else has showed up, or when all others are in training, typically spring tour winners peter out at the TDF. The real problem for Basso is Vinokourov, who's resting well this month.

Don't forget, the two TT big guns on CSC are not even at the Giro: Zabriskie and Cancellara, yet they still won the TTT.