A stage almost designed for Mads Pedersen.
Casco van Uden: a sprint stage so not much to watch on TV but the crowds came out, especially in towns. Some of them got to see Lidl-Trek’s hiccups, Mads Pedersen was involved in two small crashes and Giulio Ciccone had a late chase after a mechanical with 20km to go.
Lecce has been described as the “lady of Baroque” and the finishing circuit lent into this with swirling corners and eye-catching bottlenecks enhanced by audacious barrier placement. But Casper van Uden delivered a rectilinear sprint to win, ahead of Olav Kooij who was caught in traffic and only had one colleague in Edoardo Affini for a leadout.
Van Uden was sporting a time trial helmet. He’s probably setting a trend here and teams will be giving some thought of when and how to hand up aero helmets for the sprint, and the trade-offs on a hot day which is where the UCI might be involved too.
It’s a big win for Van Uden – 180 UCI points, his first World Tour level win – and he shoots up the sprinting pecking order in Picnic-PostNL (Jakobsen, Bittner, Eekhoff, Lund) and the peloton.
The Route: 151km and 1,550m of vertical gain. The Red Bull sprint is a proper climb into the hilltop town of Bernalda. Montescaglioso is 3km at almost 8%, enough to fatigue some sprinters. There’s then a climb up to Matera of close to 2km at 5% before the route drops out of town.
The Finish: a ride back into Matera, known for its Sassi caves and the way the town is built into the hillside rather than just on top of it. It’s a sassy finish that’s identical to that of 2020 when it looked made for Peter Sagan only for Arnaud Démare to be in his pomp.
There’s a 750m ramp at 7% with some 10% midway, it’s all on a wide road rather than a medieval street but hard still and will cause trouble for plenty of sprinters. Then things level out through town and it’s almost flat to the finish, it drags up and then kicks up just by the line.
The Contenders: Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) is the easy pick, he sprints well uphill and has a team to help for the finish because momentum in this finish matters, if it is too stop-start then someone can do a flyer.
The trouble with all the challengers is getting past Pedersen. Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceunick) has won uphill finishes before. Orluis Aular (Movistar) gets a finish to suit and Corbin Strong (IPT) too. Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon-Ag2r) could place. Outside picks could be Primož Roglič (Red Bull), Isaac Del Toro (UAE) and Pello Bilbao (Bahrain) but they can’t leave it for the final flat stretch, likewise Tom Pidcock (Q36.5).
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Pedersen |
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Groves, Kooij |
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Aular, Strong, Magnier, Del Toro |
Weather: cloudy and 20°C
TV: KM0 is at 13.50, Montescaglioso is around 16.30 the finish is forecast for 17.15 CEST.
Postcard from Policoro
Today’s stage passes close to Policoro, birthplace of Domenico Pozzovivo. Last year he finished his 18th Giro, equalling the participation record held by Wladimiro Panizza. “Pozzo” has retired yet a Giro without him feels odd because of the regular uncertainty of him riding, sometimes he’d find himself out of contract, battered by injuries, or both, only to sign late for a team and get a ticket to ride the Giro.
Somehow a week ago it still felt possible that despite being 42 years old could sign for VF Bardiani, especially as he’s logging big rides and bagging KOMs on Strava. Only there’s no sight of him in the peloton.
He made the news in Italy at the end of last year… for a fine. Joining Diego Ulissi on a training ride he was stopped by carabinieri and given an €18 penalty for riding side-by-side as this is an offence on Italian roads. Now you know.
Sunglasses sponsors might not like a prevalence of visored time trial helmets either
But team helmet suppliers could compensate this?
Sporting goods is an extremely concentrated industry, so I’d expect that the vast majority of the peloton have helmets and glasses from either the same company or fellow subsidiaries of the same parent conglomerate.
Printing fake glasses on the visor (like fake grills and headlights in NASCAR) presents a good option for both sponsors to win together. Ka-ching!
I see what you did there.
Great now we are going to see a bunch of weekend warriors sporting TT helmets on club rides all over the worlds public roads.
Other major concern is the impact on Ciccone’s celebrations
It’s difficult not to think that, with the stage profiles so far, this giro wasn’t designed specifically to give WvA a chance to shine. Coupled with his attendance, despite him clearly not being at his best, I wonder what his financial inducement to attend was?
The payments – and we know RCS makes payments – go to the teams but presumably get shared with the rider. The course design did look very Van Aert, him in pink immediately came to mind when the course was unveiled but on the assumption he’d be back to his best. But it’s not just for him, some hilly roads to avoid repeat sprint finishes are normal these days.
It’s funny how quickly things change in cycling, where only a matter of months ago this would’ve been “a stage almost designed for Van Aert”, yet now we consider it “a stage almost designed for Pedersen” and Van Aert doesn’t even make the chainring list as a possible winner…
I really hope Van Aert can overcome his setbacks and re-find his pomp, because I find him one of the most entertaining riders to watch when he’s imposing his strength on the peloton over all terrains (even if he doesn’t necessarily win)!
As IR says Picnic-Post will be given renewed hope and encouragement by Van Uden’s win yesterday while Astana will regret losing Kanter’s 60 points through his relegation. On roughly the same theme IPT/Jake Stewart might rue the loss of 70 UCI points for celebration of Ackermann’s (infrequent) Dunkerque win. Surely he must have been aware of the rule, or maybe delight trumped common sense.
Like IR I’m missing Pozzovivo. He must have merited a place on Polti or Bardiani’s roster.
I’m interested by Kanter’s relegation – I haven’t rewatched the lead in, but my sense at the time was that Kanter and Pedersen each gave as good as they got when fighting for the wheel, yet it’s only Kanter that was penalised?
Did Kanter use his head while Pedersen only used his shoulder? Or was Pedersen deemed to be on the wheel and Kanter trying to force him off? Or does being in the pink jersey help with these things?!
Probably more to do with the fact that you shouldn’t tangle with pink jersey?
Adam Blythe and Robbie Hunter discussed this after the stage. Both thought the relegation was harsh, but perhaps related more to Kanter chopping in front of Kaden Groves (who nearly crashed). But even then, they both felt it wasn’t worthy of relegation: the bumping with Pedersen was shoulder-to-shoulder (so not that risky), while the cutting in front of Groves was ok because, once you’re in front of one rider, you’re allowed to choose your line (they both said it was then Groves’ responsibility to brake to avoid crashing). But perhaps the combination of this and the Pedersen bumping was deemed overly dangerous/aggressive?
Looks like the commissaires decided he wasn’t sufficiently clear in front of Groves to make that swerve across.
Plus the early-in-the-tour precedential value of a card/relegation.
Let this stuff go now and someone gets injured later when it escalates.
“…audacious barrier placement…” – Oh, I’ve seen a few of those during my time as commissaire. It is impressive how these can tone-deaf to racing lines these can be set up. Calling it “audacious” is a very kind way of putting it😂
On the TT-helmet; I believe our friends at the UCI will soon do something about this only for the manufacturers to further muddy the waters between “normal” and “TT” helmets. Did van Uden start out wearing TT or did he stop (which is required when changing) to change the helmet?
It’s not obvious for the helmet change, you’d imagine he didn’t start with it but I don’t know, tried to search the photos but no clues.
Obviously there’s the risk of a yellow card as you know for taking the helmet off mid-race but a roadside pitstop is probably ok, but when as with 30-40km it might be hard to get back into place, possibly 50km in the first week of the Tour. There’s some logistical thought to this.
Yeah, I couldn’t find any pictures of him before the sprint.
I assume he had the change planned otherwise he would not have had the chance to get back on.
Changing on the fly would have been risky; getting caught by the commissaires, but he could perhaps have loosened the first helmet, received the TT, dropped the normal in the car while slowing down, stopping, putting on the TT and locking it and be on his way in less than 10 secs, tightening it while he is already catching up. It could even have been an excersised operation.
Though, come to think of it, wouldn’t it only make sense if you take the front during the sprint?
Presumably you can come to a complete stop, and then change helmut. Last year Alaphilippe took hi helmet off while still riding, and got penalised.
Was desperately hoping the sad sacks in the TT helmets wouldn’t win, alas. Not a trend I want to see catch on, aesthetics are getting bad enough as it is.
I dread the day we see aero helmets & visors turn up on the Thursday evening group ride, to match the aero socks and 36cm handlebars!
It’s happening already in some places.
van Uden said in his interview that he knew he had a long sprint so on the front is where he planned to be.
What a photo did you find to celebrate “Pozzo”! Surely a wallpaper at Domenico’s
^___^
A break had already had the day to Pratonevoso and Superman López also had had a flight from the favourites group, but symmetrically S. Yates had started to fall back as a bonsai sign of things to come on the following day. So, supported by Poels who waited for his captain, the three man tracking the leader in GC, that is, Tom Dumoulin, Pozzovivo and Froome – in this order! – sprinted hard to the line in order to make the most of the maglia rosa fading.
Pozzovivo is now working as a “preparatore atletico”.
That finishing circuit was about de rigueur for the Giro – typically dangerous finish. How there was not a major crash or two with those bottlenecks is a testament to the skill and common sense of the riders.
Barring similar problems as on stage 4, the Trek train looks good for stage 5.
That one bottleneck, before the underpass, looked especially bad: I’m amazed there wasn’t a crash. At least the organisers used smooth barriers, without projecting legs, to funnel the riders in. Exciting (if scary) to watch!
Sorry guys. Aero is everything.
And here’s the problem: it works.
Matthew Brennan won both his stages in Catalunya wearing the ridiculous 1980s styled Giro aero helmet, so surely he’s the sprinter-aero-helmet trend setter, and not Van Uden?
Isn’t there a potential safety issue with wearing TT helmets in sprints? Having worn both road and TT helmets, there’s no doubt your senses are dulled in a TT helmet, especially with these new ones which cover one’s ears. I’ve never sprinted at elite level but I’d want every sense available to me (and my competitors) when navigating a hectic sprint. Something for Adam Hansen as much as the UCI to look into?
If it’s not weather that’s chilly or a bit damp, Hansen’s not interested. Does he ever complain about the tyres that come off the rims when they puncture? Maybe I missed that.
The helmet thing is clearly a bad idea, for all the issues that have been mentioned here.
I know Hansen’s complained about hookless rims. Be careful of accusing people of things first, checking second 😉
I asked a question.
Very deliberately.
I even added ‘Maybe I missed that.’
Be careful of accusing people of things first, checking second 😉
Hansen is a mouthpiece for the riders. The riders won’t complain about something (they think) will help them win. Obviously, we will get to a point where everyone wears them on flat stages and they won’t be helping anyone. Just like an aero bike, aero wheels, socks borrowed from a giant, enormous gears and wide tires are no advantage to any one rider in a field of 200 riders who all have the same thing.
I’m not sure how much Hansen is a mouthpiece for the riders. When they vote on matters, it’s apparently one rider from each team who votes, and how they vote is known. Are we seriously expected to believe that the teams don’t tell that rider how they will be voting?
And even if they don’t, just because – say – Team Visma vote one way doesn’t mean that all of their riders actually agree with that.
I agree with you on the rest. It’s high time all of this guff was outlawed.
We’re doing the Hansen as boogeyman thing again? Let me know when the “spinning knives” canard comes back too.
So, you can’t argue against what was said and instead come up with nonsense?
Well, you don’t need to worry about everyone else if you’re out in front of them…
I feel sorry for a rider who, having just won presumably the biggest race of his career thus far, feels duty-bound to tap his helmet in order to please the sponsors.
If I were a pro bike racer I’d like to have Vacek as my teammate. My word. He looked like he could have ridden away if they’d have let him.