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Race Routes - 2009
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| Jan_Ullrich15 |
Posted on 13-12-2008 17:25
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A video of what Lance Armstrong think of the route : https://video.gazz...itrate=300
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| issoisso |
Posted on 13-12-2008 20:13
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Tour de France Champion
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Every single decisive stage is on a weekday
F*CK the organisers.
I guess I'll take a three-week vacation on those days...
The preceding post is ISSO 9001 certified
"I love him, I think he's great. He's transformed the sport in so many ways. Every person in cycling has benefitted from Lance Armstrong, perhaps not financially but in some sense" - Bradley Wiggins on Lance Armstrong
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| aavf |
Posted on 13-12-2008 20:40
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issoisso wrote:
Every single decisive stage is on a weekday
F*CK the organisers.
I guess I'll take a three-week vacation on those days...
That's bad, the good side is that it has plenty of decisive days, even if they tried they couldn't put them all in weekends. |
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| Wiggo |
Posted on 13-12-2008 20:47
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Yeah, Il'll be riding home as quick as possible in May. |
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| Rin |
Posted on 13-12-2008 21:24
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I think you can hate or like it :
For Giro a too long TT with 66KM (Armstrong present) , TTT 15KM and last day TT 15KM are ok for a Giro
Maybe the 4th and 5th stage could make the Giro boring when Armstrong could do well , also when Bruseghin could make them well
If I would be Bettini , I would take part at the Giro , not much Sprinter stages , I think he would definetly win the Points Jersey , or maybe a climber or Cunego? Why not? XD
11th stage is really hard 250KM with 5 hard climbs (like Col d´Isoard)
I like the Blockhaus stage 79KM with the Blockhaus climb , I think the stage will be ridden very hard -> we could see a good show there
Vesuv stage XD
I like the Giro
 Team Bianchi - 2012 Man-Game ProContinental Tour Champions
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| fenian_1234 |
Posted on 14-12-2008 05:09
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Looks like a good course.
Don't know why they've included a 60k TT though - especially as Lance Armstrong will probably drop out and race the Tour instead.
I've been thinking about it - and a rider who is now close to 40 is not going to ride two GT's in one year, especially if he couldn't manage it at his peak.
The only question is, which one will he skip? |
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| CrueTrue |
Posted on 14-12-2008 11:40
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I don't think that we'll see Lance drop out, just because he's riding the Tour. He'll ride both. |
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| fenian_1234 |
Posted on 14-12-2008 12:16
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I'm not so sure, Crue.
Just hit me the other day "Wait, this guy is nearly 40 now, and in his prime he never rode the Giro. And yet, if we're to believe the hype, he's going to try and be competitive in both the Giro and Tour".
Don't think it's going to happen - the Tour will always be Armstrong's big goal. And with Basso in the Giro, LA has a better chance of coming back and winning in July. |
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 14-12-2008 12:20
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It wasnt that he didnt ride the Giro in his prime because he couldnt - he didnt ride it because he only ever cared about 1 race, the Tour de France.
I expect him to be higher in the GC at the Giro than the Tour, particularly with Contador being at the tour. |
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 24-11-2024 08:09
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| fenian_1234 |
Posted on 14-12-2008 12:46
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Some would say - myself included - that he couldn't ride the Giro back in the day due to his 'special' preparation.
But, yes, what you say about him never being interested in the Giro is very, very true.
That's why I see a minor injury coming on just before the Giro which prevents him riding. Either that or pulling out early.
EDIT - Seen the profile for Stage 7? Should be a crazy finish.
And this one! A 80k mountain sprint!
Edited by fenian_1234 on 14-12-2008 12:58
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| Juan |
Posted on 14-12-2008 14:55
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fenian_1234 wrote:
Some would say - myself included - that he couldn't ride the Giro back in the day due to his 'special' preparation.
But, yes, what you say about him never being interested in the Giro is very, very true.
That's why I see a minor injury coming on just before the Giro which prevents him riding. Either that or pulling out early.
EDIT - Seen the profile for Stage 7? Should be a crazy finish.
And this one! A 80k mountain sprint!
Yep, very strange stages. A 80 km mountain stage, never seen that before.
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| Biathlon |
Posted on 14-12-2008 14:59
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It will be high pace from start i think then
Words to live by
"What would Lance do?"
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| Juan |
Posted on 14-12-2008 15:02
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Biathlon wrote:
It will be high pace from start i think then
Gonna be a nervous stage
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| Juan |
Posted on 14-12-2008 18:55
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GIRO 2009 ANALYSIS
To begin, i'd say that i'm a little worried about the change that Zomegnan made, making the giro finish in Rome, instead of Milan. We won't have this year all the mythical passes of Northern Italy (Mortirolo, gavia,...). But i think Zomegnan wanted changes for the "centenario", and finishing in Rome is not so bad
I have to say this Giro is fantastic on a touristic viewpoint with the pack going to visit all major cities of Italy (firenze, roma, torino, venezia, padova, napoli, bologna).
So here a short analysis on mountains stages :
Padova-San Martino di Castrozza
We are now on the 4th day of race, so it is normal the first contact with mountains is moderate. A mountaintop finish not so hard ( 4 km on 6.4 % average with 10 % max. ) to juge the favourites quickly, with before the finish a quite difficult pass ( 4.3 km on 8.5 % average with 12% max.)
San Martino di Castrozza-Alpe di Siusi
As if the previous stage wasn't enough, Giro's organisers have included a second mountaintop finish in 2 days : start on the end of Passo Rolle, and neverending downhill until the final pass, which is a way more difficult than San Martino di Castrozza.
It's a giant composed of 3 parts : 7.5 km on 7% ; 7 km on 2% and finally 9 km on 8.3%, with 12% maxB). A very difficult finish, as it is only the 5th day of race.
Cuneo-Pinerolo
Ah, one stage in France . This stage pays tribute to Fausto Coppi, by reproducing the same route that saw him win in 1947, with a 10' minute gap on the 2nd. During this stage, wich became legendary, he went away of the pack on the first pass, Colle della Maddalena. Note that it's a french pass, Col d'Izoard, that is "Cima Coppi" this year.
But this stage was very interesting 60 years later, and is not very interesting actually, as the 50 km downhill to Pinerolo will dissuade the leaders to attack.
Pergola-Monte Petrano
Queen stage of Giro, 237 km of pure show : a hilly start, for breakaways, and then a fantastic finish, with 3 passes (Monte Nerone, Monte Capria, and finally Monte Petrano : 7.7 km on 7.9% average with 13% max.) without a meter of flat roads, on sinuous and difficult roads.
A stage that can change everything in GC, and a great stage for big offensives!
Chieti-Blockhaus
The strangest stage I've ever seen on on a GT, with less than 80 km, but with 25 km of ascent, 7 % average, and 11% max, up to the Blockhaus. it's interesting, but we can guess leaders will wait for the last kms to attack, as if it was a 200 km stage. The course is going to be nervous, but it's a shame it will be the less difficult side of the climb that will be used.
Avellino-Vesuvio
Last mountain stage, with a fascinating conclusion on the Vesuvius, which is going to be a very difficult climb, with 10 km on 8.2% average, with 12% max, and 9.8% in the final part. This can make high gaps for the GC and it's very important for a final mountain stage.
To conclude, we can say that flat and medium mountain stages are all very interesting : in fact, the only "flat" stages are Florence and the Milan show. All the other stages have difficult finishes, with lots of hills and downhills, so the leaders will have no rest days until Rome. Almost all of this stages are made for puncheurs like Rebellin,...
Have a look at those medium moutain stages :
Finally, the TTs :
One TTT to begin, as it has become an habit for Zomegnan. 20 km, it's interesting, but not so long. It isn't a prologue, but more a time trial.
The first ITT is going to be very hard for climbers, and it look like it has been "made for Armstrong" : 62 km of climbs and downhills, a not-to-miss-appointment for GC contenders, in which you don't necesseraly win the pink jersey, but you can lose it. I'd would bet on Bruseghin for this TT.
Finally, the last ITT in Rome, which has only interest for the monuments of historic Rome, and not for the distance, too short to make big gaps.
So, we can say this Giro is going to be, with all the contenders and a difficult route, the most important GT this season.
Edited by Juan on 16-12-2008 13:12
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| Juan |
Posted on 16-12-2008 10:29
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Presentation of the 2009 Vuelta, Wednesday 12:00 CET/GMT+1, Madrid, live on TVE, letour.fr and lavuelta.com
Edited by Juan on 16-12-2008 13:12
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| Dankan |
Posted on 17-12-2008 11:45
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The 2009 Vuelta a España is now unveiled:
https://www.lavuel... |
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| Dankan |
Posted on 17-12-2008 13:02
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Best route since 1999. Seriously. |
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| fenian_1234 |
Posted on 17-12-2008 13:07
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La Pandera. |
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| Juan |
Posted on 17-12-2008 13:23
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Look at stages 12 to 14 : 3 mountaintop finishes for three stages, awesomeB)
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| doddy13 |
Posted on 17-12-2008 17:17
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There's no point slapping a schleck - Sean Kelly on "Who needs a slap"
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