Tag: Giro d’Italia

The Recon Ride Podcast: Giro d’Italia 2016, Part I

Episode 42: Giro d’Italia 2016 Show, Part I

Grand Tour cycling is upon us! The Recon previews the Giro d’Italia, covering the overall parcours and contenders, and taking a closer look at the first nine stages of the race.

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Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano look ahead to the first Grand Tour of the season, the Giro d’Italia, with particular focus on the first several stages. Astana’s Jakob Fuglsang and Trek-Segafredo’s Giacomo Nizzolo lend a hand with previewing the action.

Photo by ENGIE Italia (CC).

May 4, 2016
Giro d’Italia 2015: Stage 21 Preview

Stage 21: Torino › Milano – 185km

With Fabio Aru’s Stage 20 victory closing out the climber-oriented days of the 2015 Giro d’Italia, just one stage remains in the race.

Stage 21 is pan-flat from the start in Turin to the finish in Milan. It’s a profile the sprinters will love. The racing closes out with seven laps of a 5.4km circuit, and things get a bit technical in the second half of each lap, with multiple corners and a roundabout. That means that the final trip around the circuit will likely be hectic. The last kilometer, however, is a straightaway to the finish line, one that will likely see the big-name sprinters still in this race getting up to some very high speeds.

High-speed finishes are great for Sacha Modolo, whose two stage victories so far in this Giro make him the de facto favorite again here. His leadout support has been outstanding so far in the race, and he’s able to finish it off with a powerful finishing kick. All of the other quick men will have their eyes on the men in fuschia in Milan.

Giacomo Nizzolo is now up seven career 2nd-place finishes in Giro d’Italia sprints, but this may represent the best opportunity he’s ever had to finally take a victory. A technical run-in to the line suits his bike-handling skills, and the long straight finish suits his blazing top speed. The perfect flatness of the profile should help hide one of the weaknesses of his never-ending campaign to finally win a Giro stage: a leadout train that has always disappeared late in the race. Without any climbs to wear them out, Trek will have no excuses for leaving Nizzolo alone in this Stage 21 finale.

Elia Viviani started the Giro hot with a stage win, but he’s cooled since then. Still, for pure speed when at his best, Viviani is right up there with the other top names in this race, and can’t be counted out here.

Luka Mezgec won the final stage of last year’s Giro d’Italia, and he’ll benefit from the an always skilled Giant-Alpecin leadout in the tricky final few kilometers of this stage. He should be up there fighting for the overall win. LottoNL-Jumbo’s Moreno Hofland could be up there as well.

Davide Appollonio, Heinrich Haussler, and Kevin Reza are other riders to watch in the probable sprint finish of Stage 21.

VeloHuman Stage 21 Favorites

1. Giacomo Nizzolo | 2. Sacha Modolo | 3. Elia Viviani

Be sure to follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for live analysis of Stage 21, and check back soon for plenty more pre-race coverage of the Critérium du Dauphiné, the Tour de Suisse, and, of course, the Tour de France.

-Dane Cash

May 30, 2015
Giro d’Italia 2015: Stage 20 Preview

Stage 20: Sint Vincent › Sestriere – 196km

After Fabio Aru stormed back into 2nd place overall with his Stage 19 victory, only one GC-oriented stage remains in the 2015 Giro d’Italia. Stage 20 is all about the Colle delle Finestre, one of the hardest climbs the professional peloton will ride all year.

Stage 20 opens with 150km of flat, which will put some exhaustion into the legs before the brutal ascent to the Cima Coppi, the highest point in the Giro d’Italia. The Colle delle Finestre is 18.5km long with a 9.2% average gradient, and after a very steep short opening stretch, it’s pretty steady all the way up. About halfway to the top, however, the pavement runs out—the final 7.8 kilometers are undertaken on a dirt road. Interestingly enough, after the riders finally make their way to the top, they’ll have more racing to do. The summit is followed by a short but steep descent and then another climb, the 9.2km, 5.4% Cat. 3 ascent to the finish line in Sestriere.

The breakaway may get a lot of space early on in the day, but as this is the last opportunity for any GC riders to get anything done, the pace could kick up at a moment’s notice as the final climb looms—and it’s not over after that. A strong break will have a chance, but enough favorites could be looking to pick up stage wins in the Giro in this last opportunity that the pack will have a good chance of catching the riders up the road.

Alberto Contador has one final chance to win a stage in the race he’s dominated. Just as was the case on Stage 19, the only question on Stage 20 is whether or not he wants to put in the effort. If he does, he should be able to take the victory here—on the incredibly difficult Colle delle Finestre, he should be able to distance his rivals if he is so inclined.

If Contador doesn’t go on the attack, there will be a strong favorites to take up the task. Fabio Aru now has his stage win and he’s back in 2nd place. He seems to have refound some form after a few days of weakness but he might not want to risk his 2nd place with an attack on these unforgiving challenges. Mikel Landa, out of contract for next year and back to 3rd, may have more incentive to go on the move, and if Contador is back to focusing on Aru, that could spring Landa for another stage victory.

Ryder Hesjedal has been very strong these past few stages, but for all his efforts, he’s still outside the Top 5 on GC and lacking a stage win. Expect the same type of aggressive Hesjedal we’ve seen over the last week. He has one last opportunity to make something happen here, and it’s a good one, given the way he’s been going lately.

Steven Kruijswijk has lost the KOM jersey and is in a similar boat to the one Hesjedal is in, outside the Top 5 and without a stage victory, despite some great riding in this Giro. He’ll be a rider to watch as well. Another rider to watch: Yuri Trofimov had a bad day (relatively speaking) on Stage 19 but don’t count out the former mountain biker on the dirt road climb here on Stage 20.

For potential long-range winners, look to the names that have now become familiar in that conversation, names like Beñat Intxausti, Giovanni Visconti, Franco Pellizotti, Carlos Betancur, Esteban Chaves, Darwin Atapuma, Edoardo Zardini, Francesco Bongiorno, and Stefano Pirazzi.

VeloHuman Stage 20 Favorites

1. Alberto Contador | 2. Mikel Landa | 3. Ryder Hesjedal

Be sure to follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for more race analysis, and check back after the conclusion of Stage 20 for the preview of the final stage. Also, don’t miss the most recent episode of the Recon Ride podcast!

-Dane Cash

May 29, 2015
Giro d’Italia 2015: Stage 19 Preview

Stage 19: Gravellona Toce › Cervinia – 236km

Philippe Gilbert took a hard-fought victory at the end of a challenging Stage 18 but things don’t get any easier in the Giro’s 19th stage, among the hardest days in the whole Giro due to its length and climb-filled finale.

The first 150 of its 236 total kilometers are mostly flat except for a single short Cat. 3, but then things change dramatically. After 150km, the peloton will hit the first of three Cat. 1 climbs that come in rapid succession to conclude the stage. First up is the Saint-Barthélemy climb, 16.5km at 6.7%. Then the riders will take on a fast descent into the foot of the Col Saint-Pantaléon, also 16.5km but steeper, with a 7.2% average gradient. After that it’s a short downhill to the foot of the Cervinia climb to the summit finish, 19.2km at a 5% gradient. The toughest sections are midway through the climb, with things flattening out near the very top.

Stage 19 would be a long day even without the uphill challenges, but with so many kilometers of climbing, it will be positively brutal. Such a climber-friendly profile will likely spark action among the GC types who have just this stage and the day after it remaining to make something happen in this race. And while Alberto Contador may have the pink jersey virtually locked up, he may still be looking for a stage victory. Those things being the case, the GC teams in the bunch may put pressure on the breakaway and ultimately fight it out amongst themselves, though a strong break will appreciate the serrated-edge look of the parcours.

Contador is far and away the best all-rounder in the race, and he showed on Stage 18 that he isn’t content to sit around waiting to be crowned champion in Milan. He wants to dominate this race, and he’ll have an opportunity here. On these climbs, which might wear down weaker pretenders, Contador should have ample opportunity to put the hammer down if he really wants to.

Mikel Landa has been the only climber who has come close to matching Contador’s strength in this race, and he will have a chance at a third Giro stage win here if Contador is unwilling to expend the energy required to keep him in check. Astana teammate Fabio Aru hasn’t looked as strong these past few days as he did at the start of the race, so Landa is probably Astana’s best hope here, though there is always the possibility Aru may now be the one allowed to slip away in pursuit of the Stage 19 victory while Contador has his eye on Landa.

Should the other GC types near the top of the leaderboard be given any breathing room on the late climbs, Yuri Trofimov has looked very strong recently. He has a lot of ground to make up on Aru but the podium is not completely out of the question, which will be excellent motivation for Trofimov. Leopold König should appreciate these sorts of climbs if he’s feeling strong, as should Steven Kruijswijk, who could be looking to continue his aggressive approach now that he’s wearing the blue KOM jersey.

Ryder Hesjedal is now firmly inside the GC Top 10 but he’s far enough outside of the pink jersey picture that he’s been given opportunities to get up the road. Assuming he still as the energy after a strong effort on Stage 18, he will almost certainly attempt something long-range from whatever group he is in, and he may have a shot at the early breakaway.

For other potential long-range winners, look for other names that have become familiar in the breakaway conversation so far: Movistar’s Giovanni Visconti and Beñat Intxausti (who will be on the lookout for KOM points), AG2R’s Carlos Betancur, Katusha’s Ilnur Zakarin, Sky’s Mikel Nieve, Bardiani’s Stefano Pirazzi, BMC’s Darwin Atapuma, and Androni Giocattoli’s Franco Pellizotti.

VeloHuman Stage 19 Favorites

1. Alberto Contador | 2. Mikel Landa | 3. Yuri Trofimov

Be sure to follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for more race analysis, and check back after the conclusion of Stage 19 for the preview of the next stage. Also, don’t miss the most recent episode of the Recon Ride podcast!

-Dane Cash

May 28, 2015
Giro d’Italia 2015: Stage 18 Preview

Stage 18: Melide › Verbania – 170km

Sacha Modolo and the sprinters had their day on Stage 17, but now it’s back to the climber-friendly profiles. Stage 18 starts out flat, with stretch of 120 kilometers without any categorized ascending, but then the road kicks upward in the form of the vicious Monte Ologno climb, 10.4km at a very steep 9% average gradient. It’s followed by a bit of up and down before a long, fast descent into a flat final 5km.

The only categorized climb on the day is a tough one that should see GC action, but with two very hard mountain days to come, the GC types may allow the breakaway riders some leeway on this stage. And even if the early break is caught on the slopes of the climb, Tinkoff-Saxo and Astana may allow fringe overall contenders to get some space. In any case, the rider who wins this stage will need to have strong climbing skills, strong descending skills, and, probably, a decent finishing kick.

Several big-name all-rounders sitting outside the real GC contender conversation will be among the favorites, given the likelihood that this stage goes to a non-pink-jersey threat with an aggressive streak. Giovanni Visconti has all the necessary tools to thrive on this parcours, and he’s far enough back on the overall leaderboard that he may be able to ride ahead unchecked. He has been strong so far in this race. Teammate Beñat Intxausti may look to get up the road as well with the KOM points on offer at the top of the climb, and if he’s up there with enough of a gap, he might see if he can stretch an advantage to the finish line.

Carlos Betancur will be watching Intxausti closely. The Colombian still has a chance at the mountains classification, and this stage suits him very well given his explosive finishing kick. Either from the morning break, from a late move, or even from a reduced bunch coming to the line together, Betancur will be dangerous on Stage 18.

Ryder Hesjedal has been very active so far in the race, and despite being 10th overall now, he’s still no threat to the pink jersey and may be allowed to go up the road. Few of the other likely breakaway contenders can match him on this climb.

Ilnur Zakarin, Darwin Atapuma, Franco Pellizotti, Esteban Chaves, Mikel Nieve, Luis Leon Sanchez, and Stefano Pirazzi are others who could try to get up the road and win Stage 18 with a long-range move.

Steven Kruijswijk was a breakaway fixture early on in this race, but he’s managed to work his way into the GC picture and will probably be focused more on consolidating his gains there than trying to force his way up the road here. He’s still a threat if given space on the climb.

The Monte Ologno is difficult enough that we could see Alberto Contador and Mikel Landa and teammate Fabio Aru battling again, both for GC positions and potentially even for the stage win. If none of them is able to get separation, a very strong Yuri Trofimov might be able to slip away. Damiano Caruso and Rigoberto Urán will be among the top options to take the stage if it comes down to a sprint in a reduced bunch.

VeloHuman Stage 18 Favorites

1. Giovanni Visconti | 2. Carlos Betancur | 3. Mikel Landa

Be sure to follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for more race analysis, and check back after the conclusion of Stage 18 for the preview of the next stage. Also, don’t miss the most recent episode of the Recon Ride podcast!

-Dane Cash

May 27, 2015
Giro d’Italia 2015: Stage 17 Preview

Stage 17: Tirano › Lugano – 134km

The fact that a climber (like stage winner Mikel Landa) would win Stage 16 was obvious from the profile alone, but the Stage 17 profile could be deceiving. It’s a mostly flat stage, with only a single categorized climb on offer (a very early Cat. 3) and just 134km of racing from start to finish (in Lugano, Switzerland). At first glance, it looks like a great day for the sprinters.

But we’re now into the Giro’s final week, and there will be some tired sprinters in the bunch. What’s more, the peloton just took on a brutal day of climbing, and there are more brutal days of climbing ahead. Combine those facts with the fact that the Giro peloton has already displayed an inability to control the breakaway on what appear to be clear sprinters’ days and you have a recipe for another potential opportunity to for the aggressors to steal one from the quick men.

I see it is a 50-50 proposition on this stage. So many sprinters have left the race that it will be harder for those remaining to do the job of keeping the breakaway controlled, but at the same time, this profile is one that should allow them to do so if they manage to stay organized. In any case, at least in terms of naming favorites, the three top sprinters left in this race are certainly stronger individual favorites than any one rider who trying his luck in the crapshoot that is getting into a breakaway on a stage like this. If it does come down to a sprint, a challenging finale with a few late corners will make this an exciting, if somewhat dangerous, stage finish.

Giacomo Nizzolo nearly came away with the elusive victory he has so long sought in the Giro d’Italia on Stage 13, but Sacha Modolo closed the door on him in the final 100 meters with a strong kick and a not-altogether-noble swerve toward the barriers. Still, Nizzolo looked quite strong there despite a complete lack of leadout support in the final 2km, and he’s shown several times in his career an ability to position himself well in a technical finale, even if he doesn’t always time his subsequent sprint kick successfully. This stage suits him, and he’s strong right now; if the breakers are caught, he has a great chance to finally get that win. Sacha Modolo meanwhile, with the powerful Lampre-Merida leadout to guide him to the line, has his own great chance here, a chance to double up on Giro victories. His teammates did a brilliant job to put him in position to win Stage 13, and they’ll be eager to do so again here. He’s looking strong right now too.

Elia Viviani obviously looked great on Stage 2, but since then he hasn’t been quite as impressive. Still, he should be right up there in terms of top speed with the remaining sprinters left in the race and therefore will be among the favorites in a potential sprint here on Stage 17.

Luka Mezgec has shown flashes of that sort of speed in the past but he’s been a bit lackluster in the sprints in this Giro. Giant-Alpecin is nearing the finish of a Grand Tour in which they’ve achieved very little, however, which could motivate them to perform here before the race goes back into the high mountains where they will have little opportunity to impact the events. Alessandro Petacchi, JJ Lobato, Moreno Hofland, and Davide Appollonio are other options for a potential sprint finish.

If a breakaway goes clear, strong engines Sylvain Chavanel (of Swiss team IAM Cycling) and Silvan Diller (of Switzerland) will be among the top riders to keep an eye on. Philippe Gilbert, Fabio Felline, Giovanni Visconti, and Patrick Gretsch are others on the list of riders who might have the energy to get up the road after a hard day in the mountains, though the list of riders with a chance here if Stage 17 does go to the breakaway is almost endless.

VeloHuman Stage 17 Favorites

1. Giacomo Nizzolo | 2. Sacha Modolo | 3. Elia Viviani

Be sure to follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for more race analysis, and check back after the conclusion of Stage 17 for the preview of the next stage. Also, don’t miss the most recent episode of the Recon Ride podcast!

-Dane Cash

May 26, 2015