Giro 2011

They've added safety nets to the Monte Crostis descent...still do not want

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv-j9c7dmzg

I don't see what the fuss is about personally, they do descents like that in every mountain stage of the Giro and the Tour, year in, year out.

Dunno...
The road surface is quite crap, and it is very, very narrow. And it's also got a reverse camber going on there. I'd happily have a go at descending that, but not in a pack of 190 other riders.

All mountain road surfaces tend to be crap, as the harsh winter weather breaks up the tarmac an d they won't be in a large pack as the severity of the climb will see the field fragment into smaller groups.

Next objection!

If anyone gets hurt, andyp, you'll be hearing from my solicitor!

chills the beers and piles up the snacks

Damned stupid sport if you ask me.

I'd still rather go down it than up it

//pie-eatingnaturallygifteddescender//

I'd still rather go down it than up it

//pie-eatingnaturallygifteddescender//

+1...

I'd rather go up it to then go down it.

//cheesecake-eatingnaturallygifteddescendernotmanypeoplewitnessbecauseIdroppedthemontheclimb//

@BMMF, LOL. Modest as usual.

BTW, not stalking you, we just seem to frequent the same threads... Would you like some rohypnol?

I used to be modest, and got cruelly overlooked whenever tangible reward for various endeavours was being handed out. You end up feeling compelled to spell things out, if only to convince yourself you've actually done certain things.

Some more? Yes, please. Where am I… who cares…

i'm with BMMF.. up first then down fast..

I'd rather go up it to then go down it.

//cheesecake-eatingnaturallygifteddescendernotmanypeoplewitnessbecauseIdroppedthemontheclimb//

you silly, twisted, boy…

Question. In sprinters stages (like I believe today is expected to be) where everyone expects the finish to come down to a bunch sprint, how and why do breakaways happen?

Obviously the fundamental motivation is the hope that the peleton will fail to organise themselves sufficiently to chase the break down, but in most cases this seems like a longshot, especially with teams like Lampre and HTC riding for Petacchi and Cav.

Do the riders in the breakaway just feel confident and go for glory themselves, or do the instructions come from the directors? But why would a director want to send a rider on what will almost certainly be a doomed mission?

I guess one reason is that having a rider in the break means the rest of the team can just sit back and relax? Also I know sponsorship comes into it.

I know its fantastically complicated but interested to know more about the tactics and where they come from?

Sometimes the break stays away, especially on days before or after mountain stages when teams want to save or recover energy.

There's a TV aspect too, i.e. get your sponsors some exposure on TV. On day's like today, this is the main reason to be in a break.

you silly, twisted, boy…

Correct

Also, if you are French it is the only way the cameras will ever see you.

especially on bastille day lol..

Also, if you are French it is the only way the cameras will ever see you.

http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/VictoryRankingCountry.asp?year=2011

Best stick to re-insurance law, Clive.

Sometimes the break stays away, especially on days before or after mountain stages when teams want to save or recover energy.

There's a TV aspect too, i.e. get your sponsors some exposure on TV. On day's like today, this is the main reason to be in a break.

So on a stage like today, some of the riders will have been told to try to initiate or make it into a break by their directors for the money. How much of what goes on in the race is dictated by the directors (either in advance or from the team car) and how much comes down to the rider's intuition on the day.

(I guess this leads into the radios debate)

As a triathlete/occasional time trialist I'm not so hot on the tactics - I just push as hard as I can for as long as I can!

Another reason is for the intermediate sprint points and the money that comes with them.

Another reason is to force the pace of the peleton on a day when the race leader or other favourites may prefer a bit of a rest.

@ewanmac, the breakaway / peleton scenario is endlessly beautiful, if we had a procession of peleton riding it would make for dull viewing. once a Domestique or perhaps a good all rounder has done their duties for the team, why not breakaway.. they either get reeled in, create havoc by splitting the peloton or win the stage.. sometimes it doesn't go according to plan. from order to chaos.. that is where the beauty lies.. i'm beginning to sound like prof brian cox ffs

The riders are what makes road racing infinately fascinating and there are jobs for everyone in each team makes it good viewing too..

#talkslikehereallyknowsitallbutfranklymoreinterestedinthepodiumgirls

Ask Jacky Durand, who livened up countless tour stages, and won a few, with foolhardy breakaways.

Of the way he rode, Durand said:
I'm not a revolutionary of any sort, but on the bike, I've always refused to come out of a mould. It astonishes me that most riders are followers, even sheep. A lot of them, the only people who know they're in the Tour are their directeurs sportifs. I couldn't do the job like that. They finish the Tour without having attacked once, maybe the whole of the season, even the whole of their career. I'd rather finish shattered and last having attacked a hundred times than finish 25th without having tried. Yes, I get ragged about it, but it's always in a friendly way. In the bunch, the guys know that Dudu is as likely to finish a long way behind them as first.