# Giro Stage 14 - 210k ZONCOLAN!



## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

MAJOR EDIT:
*Damnit, Contador! *When he and Rujano (who appears to be Bettini's lil brother but with a more squared peadling stroke) took off up the hill, again, it made the race one for second. Granted, so much can happen the next few days and leading up to the end, but it *is *over 3 minutes. Anyone else notice that at the start of the stage lots of riders were just chatting and laughing and having fun. But when they hit that last hill, it was all, "oh no, here go hell come."

I also noticed Contador talking to the Venezulan. A lot. I couldn't tell if he was demaning work this go around, making deals, or taunting him. And when they crossed the line, Rujano did not trust Contador and the deal that was struck. I think he looked over his shoulder three or four times.

*Damnit, Weylandt! *That's right, I cursed the dead. But I do so in the voice of the race director. Today was going to be one for the tw-wheeled gladiators. Has anyone seen video of the descent off Crostis? I puckered just watching. At first I thought it irresponsible to stage a race down that descent. Then I saw those wonderful "barriers" they erected. Basically just snow fences, the "safety nets" they put in place looked like they had been borrowed from the Turin giant slalom course. While those may have helped a little, I doubt they would have stopped anyone from plummeting down the cliffs. Plus, the fences we not even on some trecheous corners. They may say it had something to do with makng sure support oul follow them and keeping the spirit of "sport," but I think we all know it is for safety. Heck, how could the doctor car get down there fast enough, never mind an ambulance? And part of the course was loose gravel. I was on a short descent that was loose gravel yesterday. I have been down this same hill literally hundreds of times, but I still pucker at the saddle. Yesterday I almost washed out. Not fun. And I was only going 20mph. 

The organizers also say the riders never complained when the course was unveiled. Maybe there was no formal complaint, but I recall the current race leader commenting that he was scared of this descent. Plus, if the riders did band together they would have been called soft. Two years ago we all called them soft when Armstrong lodged complaints about the urban parcours and they all staged a protest. Last year a rider was lauched over a guardrail and had to be extracted by a helo. 
For the time being, WW's death has changed the way we look at racing, and today's stage. While I would have loved to see the pros have a go at this sevice-road quality descent, I think they may have saved some lives on Stage 14.

I am posting this even before Stage 13 is halfway done (lots of work today). So, if Stage 13 is unlucky for certain riders, I won't know until I read or watch the stage. So no recap at all...for now.

Stage 14 starts off with 54k of a gradual climb up a Cat3. 11k descent before starting the 4k Cat3 climb. A 14k descent is then followed by 12k Cat2 climb, transitioning into a bumpy mostly downhill 33k. The riders then pitch up sharply for 5k, down again, and then the fun starts. If they still have legs, the Cat1 Monte Crostis' 12k ascent will test them, give them a small plateau, then plummet them down for the last time that day. After what looks like a 16k freefall, riders will be shredded by the infamous Zoncolan. "Only" 9k, but this guy has some steep pitches. my quads are stinging just thinking about it.

Nibali will try to get a good lead on the final descent, and he has the chops. But can he stay ahead on the climb? Contador is more suited to long grinds, so watching him here will be very interesting. True climbers should excel, but who knows...










*UPDATED PROFILE (thanks merckxman)*


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## LostViking (Jul 18, 2008)

This is where Conti will put a stake in the hearts of the other GC hopefulls...


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

Grossglockner!!!!


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## thechriswebb (Nov 21, 2008)

Looking for Nibali on this one.


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## harlond (May 30, 2005)

Hubert Dupont. I know nothing of this rider, but he's up there in the GC, and since AG2R also has Gadret, I think they should send DuPont up the road.


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## pretender (Sep 18, 2007)

Holy smokes. Definitive performance today.


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## jhamlin38 (Oct 29, 2005)

Based on today's finale, we'll get to watch the last K, and a bunch of people walking around in the rain on top of a hill for the last hour because "picture breakup" and lost satellite signals.
Riveting entertainment. NOT.
The results of each passing stage are less and less interesting. I think Contador can win the GC by as much as 10 minutes.


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## gh1 (Jun 7, 2008)

I am going with Nibbles.


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## LostViking (Jul 18, 2008)

pretender said:


> Holy smokes. Definitive performance today.


Yup.:thumbsup: 

Zoncolan will be a Battle Royal - if you're bored, you probably don't have a pulse!

Forza Saxo!


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## Jwiffle (Mar 18, 2005)

No Crostis tomorrow: http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/05/news/safety-concerns-prompt-officials-to-remove-monte-crostis-from-the-giro-ditalia_174820


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## matchmaker (Aug 15, 2009)

Jwiffle said:


> No Crostis tomorrow: http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/05/news/safety-concerns-prompt-officials-to-remove-monte-crostis-from-the-giro-ditalia_174820


Indeed. That raises the question which other road they will follow to get to the Zoncolan and how the stage will then look. I suppose the time of arrival will also change as a consequence of this.


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

Damn! Motorbikes not enough for the commisaires. What a pity.


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## merckxman (Jan 23, 2002)

new and old profiles for stage 14 here:
http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.com/2011/05/flash-monte-crostis-cut-from-giro.html
Also takes you to good video of what would have been the descent.


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## matchmaker (Aug 15, 2009)

merckxman said:


> new and old profiles for stage 14 here:
> http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.com/2011/05/flash-monte-crostis-cut-from-giro.html


The decision seems to be mostly inspired, again, by the team directors, who probably worry more about not being able to follow the riders for 40 km, which was the case in the Monte Crostis - Zoncolan stage, than about safety.

Off course with Weylandt's death, there are more concerns about safery than ever before, but I have seen the video of the descent and although the road is very narrow, there is protection on the sides. I also think that most riders were aware of the dangers, so they would have taken care on the descent.

I think people would have gone down with caution and nothing would have happened on the Monte Crostis, except that it would have worn down some riders before the ascent of the Zoncolan. 

All in all a strange decision on the eve of the stage and what was basically the most important stage is now cut short.


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## Bill2 (Oct 14, 2007)

It's a shame they've waited so long to announce the change. Local people have been working like crazy trying to get Monte Crostis road repairs, barriers, etc ready before today's stage. I can't imagine how disappointed they must feel. Still, the local towns on the alternate route (Tualis, Solaris, Ravascletto) will still benefit. Not to mention us local riders, who now have a nice smooth descent to streak down!


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## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)

Has this stage been added to the Tour of California? I thought they cornered the market on taking magnificent stages and neutering them. If the race is too scary, go make Donner Kebaps for a living and leave the racing to guys who appreciate the challenge and embrace it.


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## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

That's ok

let's keep the body count low


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

spookyload said:


> Has this stage been added to the Tour of California? I thought they cornered the market on taking magnificent stages and neutering them.


i <3 you, spooky.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

spookyload said:


> Has this stage been added to the Tour of California? I thought they cornered the market on taking magnificent stages and neutering them. If the race is too scary, go make Donner Kebaps for a living and leave the racing to guys who appreciate the challenge and embrace it.


don't be hating on the doner.


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## khaizlip (Aug 21, 2008)

Watching live. . . now they've eliminated tualis as well, so they hit the zoncolan at 158km rather than 179. I saw a note that locals had been trying to block the road at tualis.


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## matchmaker (Aug 15, 2009)

Great stage.

Contador couldn't win the one stage he wanted. Some signs of weakness as, on the one hand, he could not close the gap on Anton and, on the other hand, Nibali, whom he had distanced at first came back and until the final kilometer did more than holding Contador's wheel. Actually Nibali did most of the work and then Contador tried to go but was taken back the first time and finally managed to put a meager 6 seconds on Nibali.

Nibali rode a very intelligent stage and even attacked Contador at one point in time. It was a pity that Contador had to do his usual macho act and after having been in Nibali's wheel the whole time, found it necessary to attack him to gain a few seconds, when Nibali proved himself Contador's equal in this stage. Typical Spanish macho behavior. You don't make friends like this. If Contador had let Nibali finish in the same time as him, Nibali would have a sense of saved honor, whereas now he will be thinking of vengeance as Contador was basically sucking wheel only to drop him in the last meters.

This was the most entertaining stage for sure. Conclusion: Contador did not have his best day, but for Contador that means still being second. Anton is now third at a second or so from Nibali. Both Anton and Nibali, could still have plans to reduce the gap with Contador, but most probably they will be fighting for second place.


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## terzo rene (Mar 23, 2002)

I'm not going to call them weak, I'll call them pu$$ies. They just showed the Crostis road on Processo alla tappa and it wasn't that bad. I've certainly ridden similar roads before, there are quite a few in Italy if you dig around. According to the race director they had reached an agreement with the riders and teams a few days ago after addressing the safety concerns. What caused the UCI to jump in was an unnamed team director complaining to the UCI about it being "unsporting" because they would have gone 32km without the team cars following (with motorbikes providing support).

The other riders all stood to benefit if someone who seemed unbeatable had a mechanical or accident, someone who isn't a great descender......hmmmmmm, one guess which team director is to blame.

At any rate the abusive signs along the road about the omission of Crostis were pretty entertaining.


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## matchmaker (Aug 15, 2009)

terzo rene said:


> I'm not going to call them weak, I'll call them pu$$ies. They just showed the Crostis road on Processo alla tappa and it wasn't that bad. I've certainly ridden similar roads before, there are quite a few in Italy if you dig around. According to the race director they had reached an agreement with the riders and teams a few days ago after addressing the safety concerns. What caused the UCI to jump in was an unnamed team director complaining to the UCI about it being "unsporting" because they would have gone 32km without the team cars following (with motorbikes providing support).
> 
> The other riders all stood to benefit if someone who seemed unbeatable had a mechanical or accident, someone who isn't a great descender......hmmmmmm, one guess which team director is to blame.
> 
> At any rate the abusive signs along the road about the omission of Crostis were pretty entertaining.


You are absolutely right in saying that skipping the Crostis was done more by the team directors and especially one particular team director than because of safety concerns. They all knew the descent and there had been big investments in repaving the road and providing safety barriers.

This stage could have been Nibali's with the Crostis in it, but it wasn't meant to be...


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## AJL (Jul 9, 2009)

matchmaker said:


> Great stage.
> 
> Contador couldn't win the one stage he wanted. Some signs of weakness as, on the one hand, he could not close the gap on Anton and, on the other hand, Nibali, whom he had distanced at first came back and until the final kilometer did more than holding Contador's wheel. Actually Nibali did most of the work and then Contador tried to go but was taken back the first time and finally managed to put a meager 6 seconds on Nibali.


Yes it was. When Contador launched and dropped Nibbles, I was starting to think - OK, he is an extra-terrestrial. When he failed to bridge to Anton and then Nibali caught back up, I actually felt a bit better. Outstanding effort by Nibali and a great win for Anton!


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## rogger (Aug 19, 2005)

den bakker said:


> don't be hating on the doner.


+1,000. Doners are both challenging and dangerous.


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## a_avery007 (Jul 1, 2008)

who cares NOW!

when they took out the descent that was just icing on the cake for contidope....and his team was one of the leading b*tcher$ that got it taken out...
totally blew this great race, damn outside intervention...everyone has their hand in it except the Race Organizer...sheesh this is a bummer.


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## robdamanii (Feb 13, 2006)

Excellent article. Stage 14 planner points directly to Riis and Clenbutador as whining and pushing for it to be removed. Pu**ies. Both of them. Period.

He also points out that:


> "The true reason was not safety," added Cainero, "you know that."


http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news...s-zoncolan-stage-modified-in-final-hours.html


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## SilasCL (Jun 14, 2004)

It seems as though 18 teams didn't want to race the Crostis, and 5 did.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/zomegnan-attacks-giro-teams-and-uci-after-crostis-cut-from-stage-14



> It seems that five of the 23 teams were in favour of racing over the Crostis but 18 were against the idea. It has emerged that Liquigas-Cannondale, Lampre-ISD and Farnese Vini were all in favour.
> 
> At the start of the stage in Lienz, the riders were largely in favour of cutting out the Crostis. They had accepted that the descent had been made safe but were angry that the sporting aspect of the race was lacking. They claimed a motorbike per team as mechanical support was not enough to make the racing fair for all the riders.


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## a_avery007 (Jul 1, 2008)

yes,
but, do we know who even really has a say on those 18 teams??


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## AdamM (Jul 9, 2008)

IIRC, it was just a few days ago that folks were giving the Giro major heat over the Weyland accident and now they're "pu$$ies" for not descending Crostis when there was a good chance of it being wet? Strange, imo. 

Regarding Nibali, maybe I'm watching a different race, but the idea that he'd be able to beat Contador on any stage profile seems far fetched.


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

great stage to watch, even without the descent. i know it might have changed the outcome of the stage, but it happens. we were able to see some work across teams, but not enough.
we also saw contador a bit weak...for a while. it looked like he couldnt find the right cadence, even with the bike change (okay, i will stop). cant wait for sunday...


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## robdamanii (Feb 13, 2006)

AdamM said:


> IIRC, it was just a few days ago that folks were giving the Giro major heat over the Weyland accident and now they're "pu$$ies" for not descending Crostis when there was a good chance of it being wet? Strange, imo.
> 
> Regarding Nibali, maybe I'm watching a different race, but the idea that he'd be able to beat Contador on any stage profile seems far fetched.



There's a big difference between "it's dangerous" (they already agreed that the prep they did was sufficient to protect the riders) and "it's not sporting" (you got a mechanical? Cry about it. Tom Boonen got a couple during Roubaix and had to wait too. Tough crap.)

This was nothing more than Clenbutador whining that he MIGHT screw something up because he's a poor descender compared to his nearest rival, and the UCI caved to it.

THAT, my friend, is bulls***.


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## matchmaker (Aug 15, 2009)

De Mével:"It's a very strange race, it's the Giro. But it's no problem, this is just the Italian mentality."

Well, he is wrong on this one. The Italians had organized everything beforehand. They were ready. 

On the eve of the stage they get a call from international cycling instances that they have to take out the Crostis. That is not the Italians' fault.


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## a_avery007 (Jul 1, 2008)

wont even go into the Weyland accident - operator error nuff said, still tragic and a total bummer, but that should not change the race course, the race is a race, and if you want to see some incredible descending just watch one of those avalanche races or a world cup downhill in europe, or one of those mtb stage races in south america, now that is some crazy sh*tE...


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## zosocane (Aug 29, 2004)

matchmaker said:


> Contador couldn't win the one stage he wanted. Some signs of weakness as, on the one hand, he could not close the gap on Anton and, on the other hand, Nibali, whom he had distanced at first came back and until the final kilometer did more than holding Contador's wheel. Actually Nibali did most of the work and then Contador tried to go but was taken back the first time and finally managed to put a meager 6 seconds on Nibali.
> 
> Conclusion: Contador did not have his best day, but for Contador that means still being second.


That's not how I saw it. When Igor Anton was the first to attack, Contador was effectively hand-cuffed. Contador has terrific, extra-terrestrial legs and toyed with Nibali while permitting Igor Anton, a fellow Spaniard and friend, to take stage glory away from Anton. Contador only has to defend pink to Milan, so he was OK to sit on Nibali's wheel. Contador correctly went for the additional bonus seconds for second place. Why would he cede those to Nibali? PS, I'm no Contador fan.


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

a_avery007 said:


> *wont even go into the Weyland accident - operator error nuff said, still tragic and a total bummer, but that should not change the race course, the race is a race, *and if you want to see some incredible descending just watch one of those avalanche races or a world cup downhill in europe, or one of those mtb stage races in south america, now that is some crazy sh*tE...


i agree...to an extent, i think we have to consider the risk of that descent. goin in, people were nervous about it. i even stated after the W2 crash that it is up to the rider to govern their riding and risk en course. however, with the events of last week i think there needed to be some sensitivity. if he hadnt died they may have continued.

and i do believe certain riders and directeurs pushed for it to be shortened.


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## a_avery007 (Jul 1, 2008)

well said mate!


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## matchmaker (Aug 15, 2009)

fornaca68 said:


> That's not how I saw it. When Igor Anton was the first to attack, Contador was effectively hand-cuffed. Contador has terrific, extra-terrestrial legs and toyed with Nibali while permitting Igor Anton, a fellow Spaniard and friend, to take stage glory away from Anton. Contador only has to defend pink to Milan, so he was OK to sit on Nibali's wheel. Contador correctly went for the additional bonus seconds for second place. Why would he cede those to Nibali? PS, I'm no Contador fan.


You are right about Contador going for the bonus seconds. I really dislike that system, because it is simply unjust. I don't like it for sprints, nor for mountain stages. It also creates these ridiculous situations that even when two riders are virtually equal on a stage, they have to try to drop the other for the bonus seconds. If it were the TdF and the other guy was Schleck, Contador would have had the respect to cross the finish together if he couldn't put any substantial time on him.

I don't think however that Contador was really toying with Nibali. Even when he dropped him at the end Nibali came back. 

Contador is much more explosive than Nibali, but I over the course of a mountain stage, if Nibali has a good day, he can match Contador's climbing time, although he will do it at a regular pace, whereas Contador will accelerate, rest, stand on the pedals, etc.

I also think that Contador did not have the legs to win today. He wanted that stage. If he had been able to close the gap on Anton, he would have done so.

But even on a not-so-good-a-day, Contador still comes in second, putting time on the whole field.


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## Ridin'Sorra (Sep 7, 2004)

Contador acted like an arse, but now Nibali is doing the Prima Donna... 

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nibali-contador-didnt-respect-me

What would you expect? They're fighting for 1st. Nibali is his closest rival and for sure Contador will try to put time on him. There's tomorrow's stage and then the Time Trial on Tuesday (which happens to be another awesome climb). Of course Contador wants every second of advantage in case of a fall, a mechanical, bad hair day, etc.


I'm not sure as my Italian is not that good, but the guys broadcasting the Gazzetta, read a communicate from the race organizers, apologizing to the public for the change of the stage's route.

Zomegnan said that "The directeur sportifs have carried out an ambush with the UCI. Some directeur sportif are used to driving in their cars with air conditioning while watching the race on television"... well, looks like Riis was on a motorcycle carrying a bike for his rider.

At any rate, the Crostis would have been really nice, but it wasn't like it was a crap stage... really good racing there!! I really enjoyed the stage.


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## moabbiker (Sep 11, 2002)

matchmaker said:


> I also think that Contador did not have the legs to win today. He wanted that stage. If he had been able to close the gap on Anton, he would have done so.
> .


He didn't need to win the stage. Plus, Euskatel is doing a ton of work up front the past two days, and days to come. Worst thing to do is stomp on another team, no less same team as your home country, helping you out. Let them have a stage win while you save energy and let the Italian guy do the work. Bert used highly refined tactical strategy. Maybe some of the best ever seen.


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## moabbiker (Sep 11, 2002)

matchmaker said:


> You are right about Contador going for the bonus seconds. I really dislike that system, because it is simply unjust. I don't like it for sprints, nor for mountain stages. It also creates these ridiculous situations that even when two riders are virtually equal on a stage, they have to try to drop the other for the bonus seconds. If it were the TdF and the other guy was Schleck, Contador would have had the r.


Sprinting is an inherent riding quality that should be a component of the general classification. Those who have the fast twitch and sprinting talent (takes more than just fast twitch) should be rewarded.

TDF only dropped it because of the doping issues causing riders to be retroactively blacklisted, causing problems.


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## rufus (Feb 3, 2004)

Ridin'Sorra said:


> Contador acted like an arse, but now Nibali is doing the Prima Donna...
> 
> http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nibali-contador-didnt-respect-me


You want his respect, then kick his ass on the stage. You don't want him dropping you, then drop him. Pretty simple, really. Race with your legs, not your mouth.


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## AJL (Jul 9, 2009)

rufus said:


> You want his respect, then kick his ass on the stage. You don't want him dropping you, then drop him. Pretty simple, really. Race with your legs, not your mouth.


He's really mouthing off to the Italian press via Contador, because they have been crucifying him - like it's Nibali's fault that Basso is choose not to defend title. So even though he sounds like a whiny b*tch right now, it also sucks being him right now. The real people who are showing him no respect are the Italian media - who just want to puff up a story to keep selling ads.


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