So it is that time of year already, the classics season has
passed and we are onto the Grand Tours. The first of these is the Giro d'Italia
(tour of Italy), second only to the Tour de France (TDF) in stage racing terms.
It is a certainly a magnificent race featuring beautiful countryside, exciting
racing and harsh terrain. The Giro d'Italia is one of the oldest races in
cycling with this being its 95th edition since first being held in
1909. Much like the TDF, it was founded to promote a sports newspaper, the
Gazzetta dello Sport, which still runs the event to this day. It is different
from the TDF is a number of subtle ways, mostly due to the geography of Italy. For
a start it is much hillier/mountainous than the TDF, and the nature of the
climbs tends to be different. Whilst the Giro has some similar mountain stages
to the tour, especially in the Alps, it also features the Dolomites prominently.
The Dolomites are much steeper than the Alps, with average gradients between
10-15 % rather than the 5-10 % in the Alps.
In addition the Giro has many short
and steep climbs, such as those featured in the Ardennes classics of 10% + and
around 10 km, these are perfect for puncheurs
such as Philippe Gilbert or Joaquim Rodríguez. Theses climbs are dotted frequently
throughout the course, and provide good opportunities for attacking, therefore
making the race harder to control for a team than the TDF. In addition the Giro
tends to have more technical descents, which can win or lose the race (see Paolo
Savoldelli’s win of the 05 Giro). Another big difference is that the Giro has
time bonus’s of 10,8,6 seconds for 1st,2nd,3rd
at the stage finish and these bonuses can be vital to winning the race. This
year the Giro is hosting the start of the race outside Italy, this time in
Denmark, with the first and second stages starting in Herning, with the opening stage on the 5th of May and the race coming to a close with a time trial on the 27th of May.
The Jersey’s
It is worthwhile explaining the Jerseys of the Giro as they
are different colours from those in the Tour.
Maglia Rosa – The pink jersey – Leader of the Race
This is the same as the Yellow Jersey of the TDF, it is
awarded to rider who has the lowest cumulative time (i.e. the quickest) at that
point in the race. Is pink due to the paper that Gazzetta dello Sport was
printed on. The third most desired jersey in cycling after the Yellow (TDF) and
Rainbow (world champion) jerseys.
The Blue Jersey – Climber jersey
A change of colour this year, from the traditional green, at
the behest of the sponsors of this particular jersey. This is the “climber’s jersey” with the contributing
points awarded on the summit’s of the mountains covered in the race. There are
5 categories of climbs ranking from 4th (easiest) to HC (hardest) at
which different points are awarded.
The Red Jersey – The points jersey
Is the equivalent of the sprinters Green Jersey in the TDF,
is awarded to the rider who gains the greatest number of points. Points are
awarded at certain sections of the stage and at the stage finish. Unlike the
TDF, is not just a jersey for sprinters, as equal points are awarded at the end
of each stage. Often this jersey can be won by the same rider who wins the
overall Pink Jersey, an all-rounder or even a climber.
The White Jersey – Best young rider
Fairly simple as the same colour as the TDF equivalent. Is awarded
to the rider with the lowest cumulative time (i.e. the quickest) under the age
of 26.
Favourites
This year there is no outstanding favourite, unlike last
year, but a number of strong contenders.
*****
Ivan Basso
A previous two time winner of this race, I would say that he
is the favourite to win this year. He has a strong team in the form of Liquigas
who will be able to support him well and the strongest domestique in Sylvester Szmyd,
who can tear a race apart and still be present when only the other favourites are
present. He has struggled for form this season with injuries and crashes but
has seen a strong improvement in the last month or so. He is said to be strong
after a training camp in April and in the build up races Giro del Trentino and Tour
of Romandie. In addition he has the first week or so of the Giro to build up
his form to peak level. He usally starts slowly in Grand Tours to unleash his maximum
in the final week. Basso relies on his strong climbing to win and he isn’t noted
as a brilliant time trialist. Basso is a so called “diesel” climber with the
ability to set a scorching tempo that drops other riders of his wheel. Given
his rivals his weakness in time trailing won’t be that much of a problem. His 7th
in last year’s tour shows that he still has top level talent and he will be motivated
to win this race, as it could be his last chance.
Michele Scarponi
Last year’s winner, post-CAS suspension of Alberto Contador,
his has had success in this race before. In 2010 he came 4th behind
that year’s winner Ivan Basso. He has a strong team in Lampre-ISD, although
with a possible problem that I will come onto later. This team will be able to
offer decent support for his ambitions to win. Scarponi is a strong climber,
with decent, but not brilliant, time trialling ability. His form this season
has been good with solid performances in Tirreno–Adriatico, Liege-Bastogne-Liege
and a solid, if unremarkable Giro del Trentino.
****
Damiano Cunego
This is the possible problem I mentioned earlier. Cunego is
on the same team as Scarponi. He has been included in the squad on the premise
of winning stages, however that is a bit dodgy. For a start he has won this
race before back in 2004 (although he hasn’t been on the podium of a Grant Tour
since). In addition, he showed he still has class in Grand Tours by getting a
good 6th place in last year’s TDF, despite his poor time trailing. He
has had a good season, with a win in the Giro del Trentino with a strong
placing overall (5th) and strong results in the Tour of the Basque
Country and the Volta a Catalunya (4th and 6th). Given
his good form and talent he could easily be the leader of a number of teams. There
could be a possible clash between Cunego and Scarponi if they are both within striking
distance of the win, with either unwilling to help the other. On the other hand
there are tactical advantages to this, with Cunego and Scarponi being able to do
the 1-2 and force their rivals on the defensive.
Frank Schleck
Schleck is a last minute replacement for this race, with
Radioshack-Nissan-Trek’s first choice, Jakob Fulsang out due to injury, it was
this teams plan to reserve Frank Schleck for the TDF to help his brother. This
is a good opportunity for Frank, who has in the past neglected the Giro in favour
of the TDF, with only one prior appearance in 2005 resulting in a fairly
unremarkable 42nd place overall. Since this last appearance he has gone
on to reach the higher echelons of cycling, with a couple of TDF stage wins, a
number of TDF top 10’s and a TDF podium, all of which he gained whilst being a domestique
for other riders. He is actually much more suited to the Giro than the TDF due
to his strong climbing ability and poor time trialling. He has an okay team to
support him, although it is not as strong as Liqiugas, Lampre and Astana. His
form this season has been disappointing, with him underperforming in the
Ardennes, but he has time in this race to build up before the mountains start. In
addition he doesn’t have his brother with him, which is an advantage as it will
give him no distractions and will make him a more ruthless contender.
John Gadret
Gadret’s Giro last year was a breakthrough ride, with him building
on the promise he had previously shown to get a podium position. His 3rd
place in 2011 shows he has talent and with the confidence this gives him he
could well win this year. Gadret’s journey through cycling has been an
interesting one, with the majority of his career focussed on cyclo-cross rather
than road racing. This is a shame given the talent and potential he has shown throughout
his career, and at the age of 33 this maybe one of his last chances to put a GT
on his Palmarès. His team, AG2R, isn’t the strongest, which may hamper him. His
form this season has been remarkable, but solid. He is a good climber and a
decent time trialist the latter of which will be a big advantage in this years
Giro.
Roman Kreuziger
Kreuziger was overworked last year and previously in his
career he has had to be a domestique for other riders (mainly Nibali and
Basso). These two factors explain why his Palmarès don’t fully explain his
talent, which he has in bucketfuls. I first became aware of Kreuziger, when at
the age 22 he came a brilliant 12th in the TDF. This was one of a
number of strong results that came at a young age (for a cyclist), and I am fairly
confident that before the end of his career hill will podium/win a number of grand
tours, including the TDF. In last year’s Giro he came 5th, winning
the best young riders jersey. He is due a big result in the GT’s and this could
be his year. He is an all round rider with strong climbing and decent time
trialling. Kreuziger has had good form this year with a solid season, he has
had a podium at Trieno-Adriano, top 10’s in Giro Del Trentino, Tour of Romandie
and Strade Bianche. He has a strong team in Astana with experience and
competent domestiques such as Tiralongo, Kessiakoff and Kevin Seeldraeyers.
***
Joaquim Rodríguez
I was tempted to put Rodríguez as a 4 star favourite and may
regret putting him in the 3 star category, he is certainly borderline. Rodríguez
came 4th in last year’s edition of the Giro and has had many good
Grand Tour performances in the past. He has had a really good year with his first
classics win in La Fleche Wallonne, 2nd in the Tour of the Basque
Country and 6th in Trieno-Adriano. So he clearly has form this
season and has shown good GT ability in the past. In addition he has a decent
team which will be able to provide good support. Rodríguez is a pure climber/Puncher
with a very strong acceleration, however, for a GC rider, he has very poor time
trialling skills. He will be able to attack on the mountain stages, but more importantly
on the hilly stages, of which there are a number in the Giro (in almost all
editions due to the geography of Italy) and take time. That said, the course is
more balanced this year and won’t favour a pure climber as much as last year.
José Rujano
Rujano is one of the best climbers around at the moment. He,
however has spent most of his career on Pro-continental teams and therefore
missed a lot of big races. He has had a history of success at the Giro,
numerous stage wins, a 3rd place in 2005and 6th last
year.
**
Domenico Pozzovivo
He has been in the top ten previously in this race and he is
a proffiecent climber. He has had good form this season, winning the Giro del
Trentino. His team isn’t great but as he isn’t a massive favourite it doesn’t
need to be.
Ryder Hesjedal
Hesjedal is at a cross roads in his career. He managed an
excellent 6th place in the 2010 TDF, but hasn’t managed anything of
real note either side of that performance. He has talent sure, this is seen by
his TDF performances and the number of stage race top 10’s he has accumulated,
but is it enough to perform at the highest level? That is in question. He has
targeted this race, and has shown good form in the Ardennes classics. He is a
decent climber, although not on the same level as many of the favourites and,
like all Garmin riders, a good time trialist. He has a decent team, with strong
riders such as Christian Vande Velde to support him and they should gain him a
few seconds over his other rivals in the team time trial. At the age of 31 Hesjedal
is running out of time to win a GT. In fact most of the above also applies to Christian
Vande Velde, who is 34 and has had 2 top 10’s in the TDF.
*
Marco Pinotti
Marco Pinotti has had a top 10 in Giro d'Italia before, with
9th in the 2010 edition. He is a very good time trialist, having been
Italian national time trial Champion on 5 occasions. He can climb as well, although
he is not on the same level as a number of the other favourites. This year he
is on the BMC team, so he will have some decent support. In addition, he no
longer has to work for a sprinter, as in previous years when he had to work of
Cavendish, so it is that case that he can conserve energy.
Mikel Nieve
Nieve is a strong climber who has had two of top 10’s in the
GT’s before, including the 2011 Giro. He has spent most of his career working
for other riders, mainly Igor Anton, so he has a good opportunity to work for
himself here. His time trailing isn’t strong. His main aim will be stage wins,
but he should find himself in the top 10 and could challenge for a top 5, even
podium if lucky.
Rigoberto Urán
Benat Intxausti
Marzio Bruseghin
Course
The Giro is much less harsh this year with a more balanced
course than the previous few editions due to a change of race director. This will
mean that the pure climbers will be at less of an advantage. There again there aren’t
many contenders that are strong (let alone very strong) time trialist, so it
will be the climbing that will be key to this race. There are 5 officially designated
mountain stages, with 6 medium mountain (hilly) stages, 7 flat stages, two rest
days, and two time trials, one a team and one an individual. The course starts
in Demark this year, and stays there for 3 days before moving back to Italy. With
the rebalancing of the Giro there are many more opportunities for the sprinters
this year, with a strong field of sprinters present.
Sprinters
It is worth pointing out again here that the point jersey in
the Giro isn’t necessarily for the sprinters, with equal points available for
each stage meaning that you can very conceivable get riders such as Mark Cavendish
and Damiano Cunego competing for it. This year we once again have a very strong
field of sprinters and, as opposed to last year, they will have ample opportunity
to compete, with 7 stages + possibly ending in a sprint finish. We have almost
all the big sprinters here with the exception, ironically, of the Italian great
Alessandro Petacchi. I will list them below.
Mark Cavendish
The best sprinter of his generation, very possibly of all
time. He has had a relatively disappointing season, after a promising start
with wins in Qatar, Tirreno–Adriatico and Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne. He seems to have
lost his form after a disappointing Milan-Sanremo, one of his season’s targets.
In combination with this is the fact that he tends to have a slow start in
winning stages at the grand tours, so it will probably take a couple of sprint
stages before he manages to get his first win. But once he gets his first win
the combination of his confidence and form will mean that he will be close to unbeatable.
He has a strong squad to support him with the British Trio of Peter Kennaugh, Geraint
Thomas and Ben Swift fresh from the track with explosive power and the ever dependable
Eisel, Flecha and Stannard to control the breakaways. It is doubtful that Cavendish
will finish the Giro though as, like many sprinters, he will probably decided
to leave early once the sprints have finished and the mountains have started. This
will be to preserve his form for the rest of the season.
Mark Renshaw
Cavendish’s former lead out man is now riding for himself
and he has had his first win of the season in thr Tour of Turkey. That should
give him confidence, he is a good sprinter, but no one is yet that sure how
good as due to having to work for others for most of his career he has never
had the opportunity to prove himself. In addition he has had a poor/ unlucky
season thus far. He has a good team to support him in Rabobank.
A talented sprinter, whose career thus far, as many of his generations have been, has been overshadowed by Cav's dominance. Has won in this race before, and has stages in all the GT's. On his day he is very good, but not quite as good as Cav. Has had a unmemorable season so far, with no wins and a lacklustre classics season, despite this being a goal. However, may come good in the Giro.
Matt Goss
A very talented young Australian sprinter, who already has
won Milan-Sanremo, amongst a number of other victories including a stage in the
2010 Giro. Indeed, he is the one sprinter that Cavendish is concerned about and
he has one hell of an acceleration. In Orica-GreenEDGE he has decent team to
support him, with the big aim of winning stages. Has had a low key season so
far, but has shown good form recently winning the points jersey in the Tour of
Turkey.
Francesco Chicchi
Chicchi has had a number of decent results this season, and
is a decent mid level sprinter. Is Italian, so he will be very motivated to succeed
and he is not likely to be chosen for the TDF, he could be a possible contender
for the red jersey.
Sacha Modolo/ Andrea Guardini
I am grouping these two together due to their similarity. Both
are talented young Italians riding for Italian Pro-Continental teams, who have
had good seasons with a number of wins. Both will be very motivated and are still
developing.
Thor Hushovd
He was a very good sprinter with two TDF green jerseys to
his name. However, as he has got older he has lost some of this punch and he
has had a fairly awful season thus far.
Juan José Haedo
Is a mid level sprinter, has only had 1 win this season. He
has had a number of good results in the past. He will be in the mix.
Big Stages (ones to watch)
For the Brits among you, the sprint stages, will be worth a
view due to Cavendish's presence. These are stages 2,3, 5(ish), 6 (ish), 9, 11
(ish), 13 and 18. The ish stages could go either way with a good possibilty of
a sprint or a breakaway winning. In addition expect Geriant Thomas to do well
in stage 1, the prologue and team Sky to do well in stage 4 the team time
trial.
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