Giro, stage 11

Frederick the Great

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May 20, 2010, 4:41:45 PM5/20/10

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At what ratio of lead group to chase group
does it stop being a break away and becomes
a bitch slapping?

Sometimes long breaks get away in bad weather, but this?
Are the riders keeping omerta? Nobody is talking.

--
Old Fritz

heather

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May 20, 2010, 5:53:39 PM5/20/10

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Frederick the Great wrote:
> At what ratio of lead group to chase group
> does it stop being a break away and becomes
> a bitch slapping?

funny

h

S Perryman

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May 21, 2010, 4:45:56 AM5/21/10

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Frederick the Great wrote:

> At what ratio of lead group to chase group
> does it stop being a break away and becomes
> a bitch slapping?

Somewhere between 25-30, and a big representation (4-5+ riders) from more
than one team.

The only other occurrence like this I can recall is the 1996 Vuelta.
ONCE (with consistent superior stage racing tactical nous throughout the
1990s) caused a split in the peloton on a course section exposed to nasty
winds.

But they had Banesto (Indurain etc) and Festina (Dufaux) etc also present.
Mapei (Rominger etc) missed the split, and the games began.

From that moment on it became effectively a TTT pursuit.

And what happened in the Giro happened then.
The gap progressively widened as insufficient teams commit to the pursuit,
and those that did take up the load tired as time went on.

> Sometimes long breaks get away in bad weather, but this?
> Are the riders keeping omerta? Nobody is talking.

Why would you talk ??
A moment of bad awareness from Astana and Liquigas is too embarrassing to
talk about.

But Vino and the Liquigas boys aren't looking at an 8 min gap to make up on
GC like Rominger et al were in 1996.

Regards,
Steven Perryman

Betty Munro

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May 21, 2010, 4:47:54 AM5/21/10

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Frederick the Great wrote:
> At what ratio of lead group to chase group
> does it stop being a break away and becomes
> a bitch slapping?

I wonder what Bruyneel would have said at dinner if he was still DS of
Astana. We might as well get dropped perhaps.

Horst Schnellinger

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May 21, 2010, 6:57:36 AM5/21/10

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* Betty Munro <no...@mailinator.com> [21-05-10 08:47]:

Johan would have build a real team for the Giro. One without Vino.

Michael Press

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May 21, 2010, 11:33:32 AM5/21/10

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In article <ht5h8d$7hi$1...@speranza.aioe.org>, S Perryman <a...@a.net>
wrote:

> Frederick the Great wrote:
>
> > At what ratio of lead group to chase group
> > does it stop being a break away and becomes
> > a bitch slapping?
>
> Somewhere between 25-30, and a big representation (4-5+ riders) from more
> than one team.
>
> The only other occurrence like this I can recall is the 1996 Vuelta.
> ONCE (with consistent superior stage racing tactical nous throughout the
> 1990s) caused a split in the peloton on a course section exposed to nasty
> winds.
>
> But they had Banesto (Indurain etc) and Festina (Dufaux) etc also present.
> Mapei (Rominger etc) missed the split, and the games began.
>
> From that moment on it became effectively a TTT pursuit.
>
> And what happened in the Giro happened then.
> The gap progressively widened as insufficient teams commit to the pursuit,
> and those that did take up the load tired as time went on.
>
>
> > Sometimes long breaks get away in bad weather, but this?
> > Are the riders keeping omerta? Nobody is talking.
>
> Why would you talk ??

I would not. I asked a stupid question.

> A moment of bad awareness from Astana and Liquigas is too embarrassing to
> talk about.
>
> But Vino and the Liquigas boys aren't looking at an 8 min gap to make up on
> GC like Rominger et al were in 1996.

Thank you.

--
Michael Press