Italy’s Tirreno-Adriatico wrapped-up yesterday with Sky’s Edvald Boasson Hagen sprinting to the stage win ahead of Alessandro Petacchi and Sacha Modolo. Let’s take a minute or two to discuss what we learned during the “Race of the Two Seas”.
1. Tom Boonen’s ready to win Milan-San Remo. Judging from his win in Stage 2 and a day spent on the attack in Stage 6, Tom Boonen’s sights seem squarely set on a victory in Saturday’s Milan-San Remo. With a team dedicated to his success, another Monument win seems to be a very real possibility for the Belgian Champion.
2. Astana’s not a one-trick pony. While all eyes were on Alberto Contador’s battle with Caisse d’Epargne in France, the rest of his team was quietly turning heads in Italy. Maxim Iglinksy started the ball rolling with a fantastic win in L’Eroica on the Saturday before Tirreno and Enrico Gasparotto took a win in similar fashion in Tirreno’s Stage 5. Furthermore, there was always an Astana rider in the breakaway as they were clearly one of the most aggressive teams to take part. At this point, it’s easy to see why some are quietly wondering if the departure of Armstrong and Co. was a good thing for the team.
3. The jury’s still out on BMC for the cobbled classics. Cadel Evans aggressively raced to a 3rd-place finish, almost winning a stage in the process. Aside from that, there wasn’t much to write home about from BMC. Hincapie claims his form is improving, while Burghardt spent the day in the break on Stage 6, ultimately being one of the last men to be caught. And Alessandro Ballan? Well, there’s not much to say there. Overall, while there were no signs of regression—no sickness or crashes laid claim to any of BMC’s top guns—there was nothing to indicate continued progress toward the team’s northern goals.
4. Fabian Cancellara and his Saxo Bank team were notably absent from the proceedings. This is either really good or really bad for Spartacus’ competitors come the cobbled classics. He and Ballan are two riders hoping for a return to winning form in time for Flanders and Roubaix—here’s hoping their quiet week in Italy is a sign of bigger things to come.
5. It’s not over ‘til the bald Italian sings. Credit Stefano Garzelli and his team for continuing the race for the overall title through the final day. One can only wonder what would happen if two riders were to head into the Tour’s final stage with mere seconds between them—would we see something resembling the last stage at Tirreno?
6. And speaking of Garzelli and good form, it looks like Pavé is coming into form as well—if I may say so myself. Allow me to quote from our Tirreno-Adriatico Preview:
“And let’s not forget the Italians hoping to score a stage or two in front of their home crowds, men like Giovanni Visconti, Stefano Garzelli, and last year’s winner Michele Scarponi come to mind. Here’s where you might find an overall favorite or two, as they’re fast enough to finish near the front in a sprint, while aggressive and lithe enough to perhaps steal time on hillier days. Scarponi won the race last year; he’ll be extra-motivated to defend to his title.”
Obvious choices? Perhaps—but it still feels good to be right every once in a while.
Although I’ve probably just jinxed myself for the rest of the season.
What about you? What did you take away from this year’s Tirreno-Adriatico? Share your thoughts below.
Showing posts with label tirreno-adriatico. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tirreno-adriatico. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Monday Musette - Paris-Nice Wrap-Up, Sad News from Poland, & One Great Ride
Here’s today’s Monday Musette:
1. Let’s begin with yesterday’s completion of Paris-Nice, where Astana’s Alberto Contador kept his cool to survive an onslaught of attacks from Caisse d’Epargne to win his second Paris-Nice. Give me some credit for predicting the top-3—even though I had Contador and Valverde in the wrong positions.
Here’s what we noticed:
--Astana and Katusha work well together. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but I found it interesting to see Katusha—not Astana—setting the pace at several points during yesterday’s stage. Were they trying to place Joaquim Rodriguez higher on the GC? Maybe, but more likely a deal was made where Katusha offered support to Astana for a favor to-be-named-later.
--Peter Sagan’s for real. At one point, I thought he was going to win a third stage on Saturday. Liquigas heads to Milan with perhaps the strongest overall team for Saturday’s La Primavera. If they’re smart, they’ll work to keep the young Slovakian tucked safely near the front of the pack, ready for the attacks on the Cipressa and Poggio, as well as a possible small group sprint. He’ll be one of my top favorites in Friday’s Milan-San Remo Preview.
--Where was Levi Leipheimer? If you’re Johan Bruyneel, you’re worried.
--The French rode a respectable race, taking two stages and placing two riders in the top-10. Cofidis’s Reim Taaramae might be Estonian, but he rode a fantastic race as well—I might have learn how to spell his name as we could be seeing more of it.
--Watch-out for Sylvain Chavanel when we get to Belgium. He put in some attacks here and there during the week and is certainly hoping to be peaking in 10-days time. With Stijn Devolder conspicuously absent down in Italy, Chavanel looks to be Quick Step’s #2 man for the cobbled classics.
--Nicholas Roche appears closer and closer to earning a big win—he finished 11th in Paris-Nice. Look for a top-10 result this Saturday—if his team’s up to the challenge of keeping him in contention.
2. Moving to Tirreno-Adriatico, the action over the last 3 days has been pretty exciting as we’ve seen some difficult finishes. As we expected, Michele Scarponi and Stefano Garzelli seem to be waging a two-man civil war for the GC, while Cadel Evans lurks in 3rd. We’ll let the race finish tomorrow before making our final judgments, but for now I’ll say this: the next 3 weeks should be very exciting.
3. I wasn’t surprised to hear of the Szczepaniak brothers testing positive for EPO at Cyclocross Worlds this past January. And while I smirked at how obvious their transgressions were after the fact, I’m saddened to have heard the news of younger brother Kacper’s suicide attempt following the news. First of all, let’s hope the kids get some help as clearly they have bigger problems than giving back their medals. But the bigger question remains: when will we learn that doping goes beyond just being a cheater. It’s like faulting a student for failing an exam without considering the fact that they can’t read. Maybe there’s a better analogy, but at some point I hope the UCI, WADA, and the IOC devote some money to not only catching dopers, but also to researching why they do it in the first place.
4. Here are two great sites I found recently—one from New Zealand and one from Italy. They’re connected, but I’ll let you read to find out for yourself. Great stuff!
5. Thanks for finding this video, BQ. Close your eyes if you’re squeamish.
6. And finally, I don’t talk about my own riding too much, but yesterday I participated in a ride that was too good not to share. It’s called the Philadelphia Spring Classic; it’s unsanctioned, unadvertised, and unlisted—but if you know someone who knows someone, you can get the details. Occurring over 3 weeks, the Classic incorporates some of the dirtiest, narrowest, and craziest roads, trails, and paths Philadelphia has to offer. Each week is about 55 miles in length—If you ride all 3 “stages” you’ve completed the equivalent of a “real” classic and have earned the right to enjoy a cold stout and a warm cigar upon crossing the finish line.
Due to NAHBS and some family commitments last weekend, I was only able to partake in yesterday’s final stage—luckily the wind, rain, and cold temperatures arrived to celebrate my participation. What ensued was several hours of some of the most fun I’ve ever had on my bike including one crash (not me), several flats (not me), at least two flasks of hooch (okay, I had a little), several cans of sardine “nourishment” (not quite there yet), and one leg-cramping ascent up The Wall in Manayunk.
I’ll be certain to make arrangements for next year’s event well in advance—those cigars looked mighty satisfying.
As always, thanks for reading—share your comments below.
1. Let’s begin with yesterday’s completion of Paris-Nice, where Astana’s Alberto Contador kept his cool to survive an onslaught of attacks from Caisse d’Epargne to win his second Paris-Nice. Give me some credit for predicting the top-3—even though I had Contador and Valverde in the wrong positions.
Here’s what we noticed:
--Astana and Katusha work well together. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but I found it interesting to see Katusha—not Astana—setting the pace at several points during yesterday’s stage. Were they trying to place Joaquim Rodriguez higher on the GC? Maybe, but more likely a deal was made where Katusha offered support to Astana for a favor to-be-named-later.
--Peter Sagan’s for real. At one point, I thought he was going to win a third stage on Saturday. Liquigas heads to Milan with perhaps the strongest overall team for Saturday’s La Primavera. If they’re smart, they’ll work to keep the young Slovakian tucked safely near the front of the pack, ready for the attacks on the Cipressa and Poggio, as well as a possible small group sprint. He’ll be one of my top favorites in Friday’s Milan-San Remo Preview.
--Where was Levi Leipheimer? If you’re Johan Bruyneel, you’re worried.
--The French rode a respectable race, taking two stages and placing two riders in the top-10. Cofidis’s Reim Taaramae might be Estonian, but he rode a fantastic race as well—I might have learn how to spell his name as we could be seeing more of it.
--Watch-out for Sylvain Chavanel when we get to Belgium. He put in some attacks here and there during the week and is certainly hoping to be peaking in 10-days time. With Stijn Devolder conspicuously absent down in Italy, Chavanel looks to be Quick Step’s #2 man for the cobbled classics.
--Nicholas Roche appears closer and closer to earning a big win—he finished 11th in Paris-Nice. Look for a top-10 result this Saturday—if his team’s up to the challenge of keeping him in contention.
2. Moving to Tirreno-Adriatico, the action over the last 3 days has been pretty exciting as we’ve seen some difficult finishes. As we expected, Michele Scarponi and Stefano Garzelli seem to be waging a two-man civil war for the GC, while Cadel Evans lurks in 3rd. We’ll let the race finish tomorrow before making our final judgments, but for now I’ll say this: the next 3 weeks should be very exciting.
3. I wasn’t surprised to hear of the Szczepaniak brothers testing positive for EPO at Cyclocross Worlds this past January. And while I smirked at how obvious their transgressions were after the fact, I’m saddened to have heard the news of younger brother Kacper’s suicide attempt following the news. First of all, let’s hope the kids get some help as clearly they have bigger problems than giving back their medals. But the bigger question remains: when will we learn that doping goes beyond just being a cheater. It’s like faulting a student for failing an exam without considering the fact that they can’t read. Maybe there’s a better analogy, but at some point I hope the UCI, WADA, and the IOC devote some money to not only catching dopers, but also to researching why they do it in the first place.
4. Here are two great sites I found recently—one from New Zealand and one from Italy. They’re connected, but I’ll let you read to find out for yourself. Great stuff!
5. Thanks for finding this video, BQ. Close your eyes if you’re squeamish.
6. And finally, I don’t talk about my own riding too much, but yesterday I participated in a ride that was too good not to share. It’s called the Philadelphia Spring Classic; it’s unsanctioned, unadvertised, and unlisted—but if you know someone who knows someone, you can get the details. Occurring over 3 weeks, the Classic incorporates some of the dirtiest, narrowest, and craziest roads, trails, and paths Philadelphia has to offer. Each week is about 55 miles in length—If you ride all 3 “stages” you’ve completed the equivalent of a “real” classic and have earned the right to enjoy a cold stout and a warm cigar upon crossing the finish line.
Due to NAHBS and some family commitments last weekend, I was only able to partake in yesterday’s final stage—luckily the wind, rain, and cold temperatures arrived to celebrate my participation. What ensued was several hours of some of the most fun I’ve ever had on my bike including one crash (not me), several flats (not me), at least two flasks of hooch (okay, I had a little), several cans of sardine “nourishment” (not quite there yet), and one leg-cramping ascent up The Wall in Manayunk.
I’ll be certain to make arrangements for next year’s event well in advance—those cigars looked mighty satisfying.
As always, thanks for reading—share your comments below.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Paris-Nice & Tirreno-Adriatico Live Streams
Friday, March 12, 2010
Weekend Preview - Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico
This weekend’s main festivities take place in France and Italy with the conclusion of Paris-Nice and the continuation of Tirreno-Adriatico. So far, the racing’s gone more or less as expected in both events: the Spanish are ruling the Race to the Sun and sprinters and breakaways have traded punches in Tirreno.
The current GC in Paris-Nice holds few surprises. Thanks to his peloton-shattering attack on La Croix Neuve in Thursday’s Stage 4 to Mende, the Astana rider leads his compatriot, Alejandro Valverde, by 20 seconds and Liquigas’ Roman Kreuziger by 25. Valverde’s teammate and defending Paris-Nice champion, Luis Leon Sanchez, sits in 4th with Euskaltel’s Samuel Sanchez tucked just behind in 5th. While seemingly indomitable, Contador’s lead is anything but assured. A 20-second deficit is not much, especially when the task of overcoming it lies in the capable hands of Valverde. With Leon Sanchez close to the lead as well, Caisse d’Epargne possesses a numerical advantage over the other favorites; they need to double-team Contador, subjecting him and his relatively weaker Astana team to a constant series of attacks. Throw Roman Kreuziger and Samuel Sanchez into the mix, and Contador’s lead begins to look even shakier—if they all ride aggressively.
Aside from the battle for GC supremacy, Paris-Nice has proven to be the coming-out party for Peter Sagan, Liquigas’ young (he’s 19!) superstar. Pavé’s been talking about Sagan as early as the Tour Down Under, where he impressed the likes of one Mr. Armstrong with several strong performances. With two stage wins this week, he seems to be this year’s revelation—a la Heinrich Haussler and Edvald Boassen Hagen.
And speaking of Haussler, he dropped-out of the race midway through Stage 4—his knee’s still bothering him, apparently. One hopes he can recover in time to do battle in Milan-San Remo and the cobbled classics, the races where he announced his stardom last year.
As for the final two stages, tomorrow’s Stage 6 features 8 categorized climbs including the 1st Category Col de Vence—although its summit lies about 35 kilometers from the uphill finish in Tourettes-sur-Loup. This will be the first chance for Contador’s challengers to earn back some time. Sunday’s final stage features three 1st Category ascents: the Col de la Porte, La Tarbie, and the Col d’Eze. Paris-Nice has been decided on the last day in the past—this year might provide a similar finale.
As for Tirreno-Adriatico, we expected a clash between breakaways, sprints, and the weather. So far, all has progressed as expected with a breakaway succeeding in Stage 1—Milram got another win from Linus Gerdemann—and sprinters finding success in Stages 2 and 3 with Tom Boonen and Daniele Bennati taking the victories. As for the overall, Bennati holds the lead by a mere 4 seconds over Gerdemann and Boonen.
Tomorrow’s stage might produce an exciting arrivo—the last 8 kilometers are quite difficult, with two ascents containing pitches over 15%. Look for a strongman to take the win, possibly a rider like Philippe Gilbert or Filippo Pozzato. Cadel Evans lurks back in 9th-place on GC; a strong finish from him could put BMC atop the podium and into an overall leader’s jersey for the first time this season. Sunday’s Stage 5 offers an interesting finish as well. The line comes 1km after a short, but sharp climb with an average gradient of 15% (it’s steepest section is 20%). This might be an even better day for the men we’ve already mentioned—if their teams can set them up well coming into final 2000 meters.
It looks like we’ll have some tough choices to make Saturday and Sunday with several options for live viewing. Overall, it will be an exciting 2 days of racing, with almost of the favorites ready to shine.
And what about you? What do you expect to see happen this weekend? Share your comments below.
The current GC in Paris-Nice holds few surprises. Thanks to his peloton-shattering attack on La Croix Neuve in Thursday’s Stage 4 to Mende, the Astana rider leads his compatriot, Alejandro Valverde, by 20 seconds and Liquigas’ Roman Kreuziger by 25. Valverde’s teammate and defending Paris-Nice champion, Luis Leon Sanchez, sits in 4th with Euskaltel’s Samuel Sanchez tucked just behind in 5th. While seemingly indomitable, Contador’s lead is anything but assured. A 20-second deficit is not much, especially when the task of overcoming it lies in the capable hands of Valverde. With Leon Sanchez close to the lead as well, Caisse d’Epargne possesses a numerical advantage over the other favorites; they need to double-team Contador, subjecting him and his relatively weaker Astana team to a constant series of attacks. Throw Roman Kreuziger and Samuel Sanchez into the mix, and Contador’s lead begins to look even shakier—if they all ride aggressively.
Aside from the battle for GC supremacy, Paris-Nice has proven to be the coming-out party for Peter Sagan, Liquigas’ young (he’s 19!) superstar. Pavé’s been talking about Sagan as early as the Tour Down Under, where he impressed the likes of one Mr. Armstrong with several strong performances. With two stage wins this week, he seems to be this year’s revelation—a la Heinrich Haussler and Edvald Boassen Hagen.
And speaking of Haussler, he dropped-out of the race midway through Stage 4—his knee’s still bothering him, apparently. One hopes he can recover in time to do battle in Milan-San Remo and the cobbled classics, the races where he announced his stardom last year.
As for the final two stages, tomorrow’s Stage 6 features 8 categorized climbs including the 1st Category Col de Vence—although its summit lies about 35 kilometers from the uphill finish in Tourettes-sur-Loup. This will be the first chance for Contador’s challengers to earn back some time. Sunday’s final stage features three 1st Category ascents: the Col de la Porte, La Tarbie, and the Col d’Eze. Paris-Nice has been decided on the last day in the past—this year might provide a similar finale.
As for Tirreno-Adriatico, we expected a clash between breakaways, sprints, and the weather. So far, all has progressed as expected with a breakaway succeeding in Stage 1—Milram got another win from Linus Gerdemann—and sprinters finding success in Stages 2 and 3 with Tom Boonen and Daniele Bennati taking the victories. As for the overall, Bennati holds the lead by a mere 4 seconds over Gerdemann and Boonen.
Tomorrow’s stage might produce an exciting arrivo—the last 8 kilometers are quite difficult, with two ascents containing pitches over 15%. Look for a strongman to take the win, possibly a rider like Philippe Gilbert or Filippo Pozzato. Cadel Evans lurks back in 9th-place on GC; a strong finish from him could put BMC atop the podium and into an overall leader’s jersey for the first time this season. Sunday’s Stage 5 offers an interesting finish as well. The line comes 1km after a short, but sharp climb with an average gradient of 15% (it’s steepest section is 20%). This might be an even better day for the men we’ve already mentioned—if their teams can set them up well coming into final 2000 meters.
It looks like we’ll have some tough choices to make Saturday and Sunday with several options for live viewing. Overall, it will be an exciting 2 days of racing, with almost of the favorites ready to shine.
And what about you? What do you expect to see happen this weekend? Share your comments below.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Tirreno-Adriatico Preview - Will the Stars Shine in Italy?
With perhaps the most star-studded list of participants we’ve seen this year, the Tirreno-Adriatico stage racebegins tomorrow in Livonro, Italian with 148 Tuscan kilometers. Tirreno’s become the preferred build-up race for sprinters and classic stars, with several of the most recent winners of Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, and Paris-Roubaix having used Italy’s “race between two seas” to race themselves into top shape.
This year’s route offers few real difficulties—there are no true summit finishes, and the toughest days feature little more than several successive hills well before the finish line. Therefore, aside from the weather—it’s predicted to be a cold and rainy week—there is little reason to expect anything more than large and small group sprints.
Of the true field sprinters, Tirreno offers our first chance to see Mark Cavendish, Thor Hushovd, Tyler Farrar, Alessandro Petacchi, Daniele Bennati, Tom Boonen, Oscar Freire, and Robbie McEwen compete head-to-head. They arrive with varying levels of fitness, but it’s safe to say that on any given day we’ll see at least a handful of them testing their legs in advance of next Saturday’s Milan-San Remo. Aside from these men, several second-tier sprinters—many of whom are enjoying successful seasons—make the trip as well. Look for the likes of Robert Hunter, Yauheni Hutarovich, and Luca Paolini to try and surprise the big boys.
Along with Hushovd and Boonen, several men hoping for April success in Belgium and France are taking the line as well. In fact, we might as well cut-and-paste this list into our race previews for the next few weeks, as these are the names we’ll get used to seeing from the E3 Prijs to Roubaix including George Hincapie, Alessandro Ballan, Marcus Burghardt, Karsten Kroon, Manuel Quinziato, Leif Hoste, Greg Van Avermaet, Stijn Devolder, Nick Nuyens, Edvald Boassen Hagen, Juan Antonio Flecha, Filippo Pozzato, Fabian Cancellara, and Stuart O’Grady. These riders will certainly be seen mixing it up here and there in breakaways and bunch sprints—regardless, their real goals are yet to come.
But Tierreno’s not only about sprinters and hard men, as several favorites for the Ardennes classics and Grand Tours are heading to Italy, perhaps to avoid what would have been a head-to-head conflict with Contador and Valverde in Paris-Nice. Alexandre Vinokourov, Cadel Evans, Vincenzo Nibali, Franco Pellizotti, Robert Gesink, Michael Rogers, Kim Kirchen, and Andy Schleck top this list. While few if any will be racing for the overall title, look for several to try and gauge their fitness during some of the race’s more difficult days, especially those toward the mid-point of the event.
And let’s not forget the Italians hoping to score a stage or two in front of their home crowds, men like Giovanni Visconti, Stefano Garzelli, and last year’s winner Michele Scarponi come to mind. Here’s where you might find an overall favorite or two, as they’re fast enough to finish near the front in a sprint, while aggressive and lithe enough to perhaps steal time on hillier days. Scarponi won the race last year; he’ll be extra-motivated to defend to his title.
Overall, this year’s race is certain to be a treat—especially if the stars decide to flex their muscles. One can only hope at least a few of them engage in their own version of “King of the Hill”—if they do; we’re in for a treat.
In particular, I’ll be watching a few things closely:
1. Is Mark Cavendish over his dental issues? Tirreno ends the Tuesday before the defense of his Milan-San Remo title—will he have raced himself into shape by the end of Tirreno?
2. BMC claims it will be racing aggressively in Tirreno. I’ll want to see them attacking, with Ballan, Hincapie, and Burghardt demonstrating some speed as we inch closer and closer to the cobbled classics.
3. What roll will the weather play? The forecast right now is for wet and near-freezing conditions. Look for crashes and colds to claim at least 2 or 3 riders by the time we hit the line in Milan next Saturday.
4. Stijn Devolder’s lack of form was a bit too obvious for comfort during Belgium’s opening weekend. Not that Tom Boonen cares, but will Tirreno help Devolder rise to the occasion once the action returns north?
5. Can Tyler Farrar win a stage against such tough competition? We know he can win bunch sprints, but I’d like to see him take a stage on a day with a more difficult profile, perhaps beating the likes of Hushovd, Freire, and Pozzato. If he can survive a tough day to take a win, he’ll be one of my top favorites for MSR in 10-days time.
That’s it! It’s time sit back, relax, and enjoy what’s certain to be one of the most entertaining races of the year. Isn’t it hard to believe we’re almost to Milan-San Remo?
Share your thoughts and comments below. What are looking for in this year’s edition?
This year’s route offers few real difficulties—there are no true summit finishes, and the toughest days feature little more than several successive hills well before the finish line. Therefore, aside from the weather—it’s predicted to be a cold and rainy week—there is little reason to expect anything more than large and small group sprints.
Of the true field sprinters, Tirreno offers our first chance to see Mark Cavendish, Thor Hushovd, Tyler Farrar, Alessandro Petacchi, Daniele Bennati, Tom Boonen, Oscar Freire, and Robbie McEwen compete head-to-head. They arrive with varying levels of fitness, but it’s safe to say that on any given day we’ll see at least a handful of them testing their legs in advance of next Saturday’s Milan-San Remo. Aside from these men, several second-tier sprinters—many of whom are enjoying successful seasons—make the trip as well. Look for the likes of Robert Hunter, Yauheni Hutarovich, and Luca Paolini to try and surprise the big boys.
Along with Hushovd and Boonen, several men hoping for April success in Belgium and France are taking the line as well. In fact, we might as well cut-and-paste this list into our race previews for the next few weeks, as these are the names we’ll get used to seeing from the E3 Prijs to Roubaix including George Hincapie, Alessandro Ballan, Marcus Burghardt, Karsten Kroon, Manuel Quinziato, Leif Hoste, Greg Van Avermaet, Stijn Devolder, Nick Nuyens, Edvald Boassen Hagen, Juan Antonio Flecha, Filippo Pozzato, Fabian Cancellara, and Stuart O’Grady. These riders will certainly be seen mixing it up here and there in breakaways and bunch sprints—regardless, their real goals are yet to come.
But Tierreno’s not only about sprinters and hard men, as several favorites for the Ardennes classics and Grand Tours are heading to Italy, perhaps to avoid what would have been a head-to-head conflict with Contador and Valverde in Paris-Nice. Alexandre Vinokourov, Cadel Evans, Vincenzo Nibali, Franco Pellizotti, Robert Gesink, Michael Rogers, Kim Kirchen, and Andy Schleck top this list. While few if any will be racing for the overall title, look for several to try and gauge their fitness during some of the race’s more difficult days, especially those toward the mid-point of the event.
And let’s not forget the Italians hoping to score a stage or two in front of their home crowds, men like Giovanni Visconti, Stefano Garzelli, and last year’s winner Michele Scarponi come to mind. Here’s where you might find an overall favorite or two, as they’re fast enough to finish near the front in a sprint, while aggressive and lithe enough to perhaps steal time on hillier days. Scarponi won the race last year; he’ll be extra-motivated to defend to his title.
Overall, this year’s race is certain to be a treat—especially if the stars decide to flex their muscles. One can only hope at least a few of them engage in their own version of “King of the Hill”—if they do; we’re in for a treat.
In particular, I’ll be watching a few things closely:
1. Is Mark Cavendish over his dental issues? Tirreno ends the Tuesday before the defense of his Milan-San Remo title—will he have raced himself into shape by the end of Tirreno?
2. BMC claims it will be racing aggressively in Tirreno. I’ll want to see them attacking, with Ballan, Hincapie, and Burghardt demonstrating some speed as we inch closer and closer to the cobbled classics.
3. What roll will the weather play? The forecast right now is for wet and near-freezing conditions. Look for crashes and colds to claim at least 2 or 3 riders by the time we hit the line in Milan next Saturday.
4. Stijn Devolder’s lack of form was a bit too obvious for comfort during Belgium’s opening weekend. Not that Tom Boonen cares, but will Tirreno help Devolder rise to the occasion once the action returns north?
5. Can Tyler Farrar win a stage against such tough competition? We know he can win bunch sprints, but I’d like to see him take a stage on a day with a more difficult profile, perhaps beating the likes of Hushovd, Freire, and Pozzato. If he can survive a tough day to take a win, he’ll be one of my top favorites for MSR in 10-days time.
That’s it! It’s time sit back, relax, and enjoy what’s certain to be one of the most entertaining races of the year. Isn’t it hard to believe we’re almost to Milan-San Remo?
Share your thoughts and comments below. What are looking for in this year’s edition?
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