Tag: 2016

Giro d’Italia 2016: Stage 10 Preview

Stage 10: Campi Bisenzio › Sestola – 219km

The Giro’s 10th stage takes the peloton 219 kilometers on undulating roads from Tuscany into Emilia-Romagna. With a Cat. 1 climb 16 kilometers from the line and a Cat. 3 uphill finish, it’s definitely going to open up a few gaps on the general classification, with the punchy types having a leg in the finale.

As far as the battle for the stage win, however, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a long-range (and still punchy) attacker take this prize, whether it’s a member of the early breakaway or someone jumping clear towards the end of the day.

Tim Wellens, currently leading the King of the Mountains competition, fits the bill. He already has one stage victory in this Giro and this would be a great opportunity for another.

Diego Ulissi is another name that stands out as a candidate to win either from the main breakaway, with a late attack, or even in a reduced uphill sprint. Versatility comes in handy on stage like this.

Alessandro De Marchi, Damiano Cunego, Giovanni Visconti, and Stefano Pirazzi are other candidates for long-distance success in Stage 10.

If the GC contenders battle it out at the finish, Alejandro Valverde will be the clear favorite. This is just the sort of finish that he loves.

Rigoberto Urán may have lost serious ground in the Stage 9 TT, but I wouldn’t underestimate him here. He’s quick to the line and could get some breathing room if he decides to jump into a late move.

The stage probably isn’t difficult enough for Mikel Landa, Vincenzo Nibali, or Esteban Chaves to be in their element but don’t count them out either. 10 days into the Giro, no one rider has really establish himself as the man to beat in this race, so it’s about time someone gets aggressive in the battle for the pink jersey.

VeloHuman Stage 10 Favorites

1. Tim Wellens | 2. Diego Ulissi | 3. Alejandro Valverde

May 17, 2016
The Recon Ride Podcast: Giro d’Italia 2016, Part II

Episode 43: Giro d’Italia 2016 Show, Part II

The Giro d’Italia gets harder in its second week, with several mountains stages and a hilly time trial on tap. The Recon Ride previews the action to come.

[powerpress]

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano take stock of what’s gone down so far at the 2016 Giro d’Italia, and make a few predictions about the next several stages of racing in Italy, which should see the GC picture start to heat up.

Photo by Sean Rowe (CC).

May 16, 2016
Giro d’Italia 2016: Stage 8 Preview

Stage 8: Foligno › Arezzo – 186km

The Giro’s 8th stage looks like one for the puncheurs. The first half of the day won’t be all that challenging, but a late Cat. 2 and an uphill finish should make things interesting. The Cat. 2 is a little over 10km at around 5%. From the top, it’s less than 20km to the finish, where the road kicks up at a gradient of around 5% again in the final kilometer, with some cobbles thrown in for good measure.

Too hard for the sprinters, Stage 8 will favor those with decent climbing legs and some pop. Whether it comes down to a long-range move or a reduced uphill sprint, the same kind of rider should do well here.

Alejandro Valverde is an obvious favorite on this kind of profile. If Movistar can push a hard pace on the Cat. 2 to whittle down the bunch a bit, he’ll be hard to beat at the finish. Diego Ulissi could be in the mix as well. If he can hold on over the Alpe di Poti climb (or if he can get into a long-distance move), he too will be a danger on the finishing straight.

Tim Wellens should like the look of this profile. He proved his form in Stage 6, and Saturday’s stage favors his skillset as well.

Vincenzo Nibali may have something up his sleeve given the high-speed descent that awaits less than 20km from the finish. It didn’t end up working out, but he showed in Stage 6 that he’s interested in be aggressive in pursuit of his GC ambitions this Giro.

Speaking of GC ambitions, this is a good parcours for pink-jersey-wearing Tom Dumoulin. Two-time Giro runner-up Rigoberto Urán may also like the look of the stage.

Sonny Colbrelli, Moreno Moser, Bob Jungels, Gianluca Brambilla, Carlos Betancur, and Damiano Cunego are others that might get involved on Stage 8 as well.

VeloHuman Stage 8 Favorites

1. Alejandro Valverde | 2. Diego Ulissi | 3. Tim Wellens

May 14, 2016
Giro d’Italia 2016: Stage 6 Preview

Stage 6: Ponte › Roccaraso – 157km

The Giro may have opened with three relatively easy to predict stages, but Thursday’s Stage 6 marks the third straight tough one. Only 157 kilometers in length, the stage nevertheless involves a whole lot of climbing—while only officially including two Cat. 2 climbs.

As the profile indicates, however, both categorized ascents are each part of longer stretches of uphill roads that will wear down the peloton. The climb to the finish is officially just under 18km at a little over 4%. The long, low-gradient climb (coming after several other long uphill stretches on the stages) won’t win anyone the Giro d’Italia, but it will drop the sprinters. With fewer teams around trying to keep the stage together for a bunch kick, but nothing so steep as to force a GC showdown, this could be a great opportunity for the long-range attackers. On the other hand, if the pink jersey contenders do contest the victory as a group, this looks like a prime opportunity for Alejandro Valverde, who can outgun the rest of his rivals at the finish line. His speed is well-documented, and it makes him the man to beat among the GC hopefuls.

Diego Ulissi should be excited about this stage as well. He already has one win in the bag. Stage 6 is another great opportunity for the Italian with a fast finish.

Climbing stars Mikel Landa, Esteban Chaves, Ilnur Zakarin, and Vincenzo Nibali are all candidates to get involved at the finish as well, but it might be too easy of a day for them to really shine. As such, I like Tom Dumoulin‘s chances a bit better. He has a faster finish than many realize. So does Rigoberto Urán.

If this stage does come down to a long-distance move, watch out for Valverde’s Movistar teammate Giovanni Visconti, who thrives on stages like this. Gianluca Brambilla, Stefano Pirazzi, Alessandro De Marchi, Tim Wellens, and even Damiano Cunego are other potential protagonists from afar.

VeloHuman Stage 6 Favorites

1. Alejandro Valverde | 2. Diego Ulissi | 3. Giovanni Visconti

May 12, 2016
Giro d’Italia 2016: Stage 3 Preview

Stage 3: Nijmegen › Arnhem – 190km

After Marcel Kittel’s Stage 2 victory, Giro fans may be in for a bit of déjà vu on Stage 3. The 190km stage starts in Nijmegen and finishes in Arnhem (the reverse of Saturday’s start/finish location) and only real climb on profile is a single Cat. 4 ,, into likely to have much of an attempt.

With all that said it’s hard not to pick against the rider who won Stage 2, Marcel Kittel.

The German rider should be able to take advantage of the flat parcours and put his impressive kick to the the test. At his best, Kittel is the best sprinter in the world, and at least recently, Kittel has looked very much like the rider who has eight Tour de France stage wins to his name.

André Greipel was not much of a factor on Stage 2, but he’s capable of having a big impact even in this strong field, if he can position himself well for the finale.

Caleb Ewan was also a bit of a disappointment, but it wouldn’t be wise to count the Aussie out on Stage 3.

Sacha Modolo, Arndaud Démare, Giacomo Nizzolo, and Elia Viviani are others with a shot.

VeloHuman Stage 3 Favorites

1. Marcel Kittel | 2 . André Greipel | 3. Caleb Ewan

May 8, 2016
Giro d’Italia 2016 Preview

I had the privilege of previewing this year’s Giro d’Italia for VeloNews. Route, contenders, outsiders, it’s all there…

Check it out here.

And just in case you’re the type who only reads these previews for the Top 10 GC faves, here’s how I see it playing out:

VeloHuman Top 10 Overall Favorites

Winner: Vincenzo Nibali
Podium: Mikel Landa, Alejandro Valverde
Other Top Contenders: Rafal Majka, Rigoberto Urán, Esteban Chaves, Domenico Pozzovivo, Jakob Fuglsang, Ilnur Zakarin, Tom Dumoulin

Of course, don’t miss the Recon Ride podcast, chock full of analysis and interviews to boot!

Photo by ENGIE Italia (CC).

May 5, 2016