Tag: Picks

Giro d’Italia 2016: Stage 11 Preview

Stage 11: Modena › Asolo – 227km

I hate to say it, but Stage 11 of the 2016 Giro d’Italia will likely be very boring for the first 200 kilometers. Fortunately, the finale looks quite interesting. After the peloton traverses pancake-flat roads for more than four hours, they’ll hit a lumpy final 30km that could spring attacks.

The short but steep Cat. 4 crested at kilometer 207, just under 3km at almost 8%, will almost certainly inspire a few aggressors. It will also put pressure on the sprinters. From the top it’s a steep descent into a few more rollers, with a key uncategorized climb of around 1.5km at 6% inside the final 5km. Said climb includes a bit of cobblestones, and it is followed by a descent. The road only flattens out for the final kilometer, which won’t really give anyone who gets dropped on the uphill time to get back into position.

The early breakaway has a shot at this stage if the sprinters teams don’t get organized—I’d expect the day’s move to get a big gap early on in the day. However, if the bunch decides to chase, it shouldn’t be too hard to close down the gap. My first inclination is that this stage will end in a reduced sprint.

Sonny Cobrelli is a great candidate for Stage 11, either from the break or the bunch, given his impressive finishing kick and his ability to handle short climbs. If he’s in the group fighting it out for the win at the end of the day, I expect a lot from the Italian.

The same is true of Diego Ulissi. He prefers uphill sprints, but he’s quite speedy even in a flat finish like this one. Tim Wellens is another rider to watch with these late climbs, whether he gets in the early move or decides to stick with the pack.

André Greipel can’t be counted out for a potential sprint finish. He’s very strong right now, and he has improved a great deal on tougher profiles in recent years. Arnaud Démare may be a better pick for the stage, however, as he seems a bit more likely to stay well-positioned over the late climbs. The same could be said for Giacomo Nizzolo.

To me, the biggest threat for a sprint outside of Colbrelli is Alejandro Valverde. It’ll be touch and go whether the purer sprinters can survive the stage, but Valverde should be right there in the mix if it comes down to the peloton. Matteo Trentin, Enrico Battaglin, Kristian Sbaragli are others to watch on Stage 11.

VeloHuman Stage 11 Favorites

1. Sonny Colbrelli | 2. Alejandro Valverde | 3. André Greipel

May 18, 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 9 Preview

Stage 9: Radda in Chianti › Greve in Chianti – 40.5km (ITT)

The Giro’s ninth stage is a critical 40.5-kilometer individual time trial with a very intriguing profile. There is a significant net altitude loss on the day, meaning that while there is some climbing to do, the heavier TT specialists should really enjoy this one.

The course has a few technical sections along the way. The main challenge comes in the final third of the stage as the riders take on a climb of about 5km at a little under 4%. From the top, it’s downhill almost all the way to the line.

A few days ago, Tom Dumoulin would have been my heavy favorite for this stage, given the form he showed early in the Giro. I’d still name him as my top favorite, but his less-than-stellar showing on Stage 8 has me a bit concerned that maybe he’s not feeling 100% at the moment. Still, this time trial suits him well and he’s elite against the clock.

Fabian Cancellara is the other top TT specialist on the startlist, and if he weren’t recovering from illness he’d be a sure thing to contend for the stage win. As it stands, he’s definitely still a contender, but again, it’s hard to say just how well he’ll do. The descents do suit him.

Bob Jungels can run hot and cold but when he’s good, he’s good. He could be in the mix. Ilnur Zakarin should be in contention as well. He looks very strong right now. Rigoberto Urán is the other GC contender that I see having a good shot here. He’s been a bit quiet so far in this race, but he has to know that Stage 9 is his big chance to open up a gap to his pink jersey rivals.

Stefan Küng, Vincenzo Nibali, Alejandro Valverde, Primoz Roglic, Steven Kruijswijk, and Andrey Amador are others to watch in the ITT.

VeloHuman Stage 9 Favorites

1. Tom Dumoulin | 2. Fabian Cancellara | 3. Ilnur Zakarin

May 15, 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 7 Preview

Stage 7: Sulmona › Foligno – 211km

The Giro’s 7th stage looks like another day that will test the sprinters’ limits—though my first inclination is that there will be several fast men who survive the parcours to contest the finale. The profile continues just two categorized climbs, and the first comes very early in the stage.

The Cat. 4 crested 41 kilometers from the finish, however, looks harder than your normal Cat. 4. By the time the peloton reaches the top, they’ll have been climbing for about 17km at a gradient of around 3%. That’s not a particularly steep ascent, but it’s a long time to be going upward. It might be too much for some of the purer sprinters. It could also motivate a few attacks, which will, in turn, be more likely to go the distance if sprinters get dropped.

The finish is an interesting one, adding a further wrinkle to this story. There are four technical corners inside the final 1.5km: a hard right, two hard lefts, and then a right hook. It’s not a finish for the faint of heart.

I still see the most likely outcome as a field sprint, but this could be a nice chance for the quick men who haven’t quite been able to pull it off so far. Marcel Kittel and André Greipel will be the big favorites if they’re there in the last 500 meters, with the edge going to Kittel in a head to head—but that late climb might be a bit much for Kittel, and Greipel has never been the best in tricky finales, which at least makes it worth bringing up a few other names.

Giacomo Nizzolo can handle a lumpier day and he thrives in technical finishing circuits. This will definitely be a day he has on his mind. Arnaud Démare shouldn’t be troubled by the profile, and he has looked very strong so far in this race. Sacha Modolo could be in the mix as well.

Elia Viviani and Caleb Ewan are the other obvious sprint names that could factor in Stage 7.

And if the sprinters don’t make it to the line? Sonny Colbrelli, Diego Ulissi, Adam Hansen, and his teammate (and Stage 6 winner) Tim Wellens will likely be on the lookout for a chance to nab the stage.

VeloHuman Stage 7 Favorites

1. Marcel Kittel | 2. André Greipel | 3. Giacomo Nizzolo

May 13, 2016