Men's Road Cycling UCI World Tour 2023 (Giro d'Italia)

[frantic13poland 55]

Edited May 19, 2023 by frantic13poland

[frantic13poland 55]

CLIMB DETAIL

Edited May 19, 2023 by frantic13poland

[frantic13poland 55]

Edited May 19, 2023 by frantic13poland

[frantic13poland 55]

FINAL KILOMETRES

Edited May 19, 2023 by frantic13poland

[heywoodu 16,004]

It was a long, long, long wait, but after 12 (!) stages, we finally get the first real mountain stage today. I really don't know why GC organizers sometimes seem to think putting every single difficult thing in the last (roughly) one week makes for great racing, because it quite literally always leads to nothing really happening in terms of big fights for most of the race.

 

Today could be interesting though.

Edited May 19, 2023 by heywoodu

[heywoodu 16,004]

Mads Pedersen

 

Sick.

[heywoodu 16,004]

Talks about not starting at all today, after at first there were talks about the Croix de Coeur being scrapped or riders not wanting to ride there. Potentially either due to rain or bad roads, or a combination. If bad roads have anything to do with it, the riders.....well, suck. First of all it's the Giro, we know bad roads are always a thing there (there is no race more famous for roads becoming super slippery as soon as it rains), and second...the route has been known for quite a while now, protest a certain dangerous downhill earlier in the year if it's such a big deal. You're all professionals, surely the teams have done some recon rides and such.

 

Feels like the 2028 Grand Tours will be done on Swift.

 

Edit: there's talk about ice on the roads of the Croix de Coeur. Yeah, that makes it pretty understandable not to ride there  

 

Stage will start, but it's not known yet exactly what the stage will be other than it'll be shortened.

Edited May 19, 2023 by heywoodu

[heywoodu 16,004]

So apparently the problem is not at the Croix de Coeur, but at the Saint-Bernard pass, which will now be skipped altogether. The good news is that means we won't have the kilometers long tunnel where broadcasts are impossible, the bad news is obvious  

 

From Israel-Premier Tech, this should be the new stage:

 

 

Photos show that the first part of the Croix de Coeur descent is absolutely awful, with some cheap alternative for asphalt being used which corrodes away in a short time, and so now it's full of holes and stuff. That's going to be something.

 

Rumours have it three teams (not clear which) wanted to do the whole stage, nineteen did not.

Edited May 19, 2023 by heywoodu

[Grassmarket 4,030]

We got racing!  Lots of activity early on as lots of otherwise unemployed riders & masterless ronin want to get into the early break.  Very unusual day with a heavy climb right from the gun, already Cavendish, Gaviria, Milan & Co out the back.

Edited May 19, 2023 by Grassmarket

[Grassmarket 4,030]

Over the top on the Croix de Coeur -descending  road does indeed look very sketchy.  Pinot the big name in the breakaway, gets the KoM points.

Edited May 19, 2023 by Grassmarket