Giro D'Italia 2016

Why all these Nibali haters? He's consistently one of the most exciting, attacking riders in world cycling. I'm not sure there is a particular obligation to wait for a rider who crashes. Should they all have taken it easy up the last climb of the day as well because Kruiswijk was hurting?

No, but attacking when the race leader has an mechanical, and then lying through your teeth about it afterwards and expecting everyone to swallow the massive load of bullshit you've just thrown at them is the behaviour of a git. As is taking a 50mph lift off the team car and then getting all sulky and flouncy when you get caught out rather than just holding your hands up and taking the punishment you so richly deserve. As is throwing a hissy fit because a stage of a race is cancelled due to the weather, and threatening to take your ball home, because the Extreme Weather Protocol should only apply as and when you think it should. Basically, he's a git.

Meh - all the stuff about not attacking mechanicals is puritanical in my opinion. He's not the first or last rider to take a sticky bottle or have a view on whether a stage should go ahead either.

Hate is a stong word. Intense dislike might be more accurate. Hanging on to cars to distance riders, attacking the leader of the race when he has a mechanical (not today). He calls his dad the wolf. Three reasons of the top of my head. I'm sure there's more.

Should they all have taken it easy up the last climb of the day as well because Kruiswijk was hurting?

^Yep. This isn't anything new in racing. Niballi had already attacked, Kruiswijk must have been pushing himself and the bike to the max to limit his losses against a better descender and unfortunately had an off.

There's a difference between attacking when someone happens to have a mechanical, and responding to a mechanical by taking advantage of it. Well, there is in my book anyway. And what happened at the Vuelta wasn't just a sticky bottle, it was downright cheating. Grabbing onto a car so it can pull you up the road to the peloton isn't a sticky bottle. He might as well have just got in the car and got a lift a few miles up the road. He's perfectly entitled to have a view about whether a stage should go ahead, but trying to blackmail the organisers into ignoring the Extreme Weather Protocol by threatening to boycott the Giro if they comply with it is irresponsible and stupid. I'm happy to acknowledge Nibbles as an exceptional rider, and a very gutsy rider on his day. But I still think he's a git.

And thinking about it, the thing that really annoyed me about His Nibbliness was the fact that when he took advantage of Froome's mechanical to attack, which was about as obvious and blatant as they get, he then lied about it. Which obviously he wouldn't do if he thought it was OK and perfectly justified. If he'd said 'Yes, I saw what happened but all's fair in love and war' then I'd disagree with him but respect his right to act that way, as it's not against the rules, just contrary to the traditions of the sport. But to claim he hadn't seen anything was weasely.

I don't like him because I think he's fucking annoying and that's the whole point. If we liked everyone they wouldn't have to race it'd just be a sportive and they'd all just get Certificates of Achievement for finishing. He's annoying, talented, not adverse to the cheap shot and full of that special type of grating self-belief and exceptionalism ie The Perfect Heel.

Not a fan of his Nibs, but boy can he ride a bike downhill.

His words today "I won because I got angry"

No, you won because the guy in pink fell off his bike.

Pu

Yep, trying to follow him downhill.

There is no difference between dropping someone racing up hill (and they crack) and dropping someone down hill (because they crash).

La partita della lattina.

There is.

Although there's no denying the skill differential in descending, there is a great deal more potential for just bad luck when you're descending a mountain at 40mph+ on bicycle, than if you are climbing.

I still think fair enough that Nibali attacked at that point, but I can't help but think that it's a slightly less satisfying way for Kruijkwijk to lose pink. But, cycling's not fair so sod it.

Racings racing and the race was on.
If you crash becasue you can't decend then tough.

Not attacking on a descent is like asking froome to wait up on the climb, because I'm not as good a climber as he, so he can't attack me there.

Oh, and I'm gutted krijodnfiowjndf lost the pink. Gutted.

But chavez is a good guy too. So let's hope he can hold it.

Yes it's a shit way, but as you say, cycling isn't fair and shit happens. It's one of the things that makes cycling great.

Cillian Kelly ‏@irishpeloton 9m9 minutes ago
Kruisjwijk performed poorly on the descent. Should Kruisjwijk have slowed down in the time trial because Nibali was a bit shit? Me arse.

Cillian Kelly ‏@irishpeloton 11m11 minutes ago
Kruijswijk wasnt downed by a rogue sheep. He didn't suffer from a freak mechanical. He fell down. Nibali didn't. Not falling down is a skill

Indeed. Much as I'm not the world's greatest Nibbles fan, to suggest he should slow down because one of his competitors couldn't keep it black side down is absurd. Descending quickly is just as much a part of road racing as climbing quickly, and I say that as one of life's Naturally Gifted Descenders.

He is cool and you know it.

Pink Jersey in the snow!!! Fuck

Dafuq Zakarin?! too

Zakarin sitting up now?

Fuck, come on Chav!