Giro Spoiler Discussion

[robertbb]

Hindley put out 6.51 w/kg for 18:50.

The full climb is 12.9 kilometres long and 7.8% steep, but the second part is the hardest one with 5.3 kilometres and 11.11% gradient, where it is impossible to hide weakness.

This was the fastest edition of Passo Fedaia since 2000, when Francesco Casagrande did it two seconds faster. In 1998, Marco Pantani was two seconds slower than Hindley, but the record holder still remains Enrico Zaina. The Italian in 1996, when the 50% hematocrit rule was not yet introduced, climbed it in 18:27, pushing 6.73 w/kg.

I'm loving an Aussie about to win a GT, but I'd be a fool if I think any of what we see at this level is clean.

[Gianni Bianchi]

Originally Posted by robertbb

Hindley put out 6.51 w/kg for 18:50.

The full climb is 12.9 kilometres long and 7.8% steep, but the second part is the hardest one with 5.3 kilometres and 11.11% gradient, where it is impossible to hide weakness.

This was the fastest edition of Passo Fedaia since 2000, when Francesco Casagrande did it two seconds faster. In 1998, Marco Pantani was two seconds slower than Hindley, but the record holder still remains Enrico Zaina. The Italian in 1996, when the 50% hematocrit rule was not yet introduced, climbed it in 18:27, pushing 6.73 w/kg.

I'm loving an Aussie about to win a GT, but I'd be a fool if I think any of what we see at this level is clean.

Yep, I don't care what people say about improved training/diet, we all know Pantani was doped to the gills and Hindley beat his record by 2 seconds, and Pantani was a pocket size climbing specialist.

[KonaSS]

Originally Posted by Gianni Bianchi

Yep, I don't care what people say about improved training/diet, we all know Pantani was doped to the gills and Hindley beat his record by 2 seconds, and Pantani was a pocket size climbing specialist.

Hindley at 5'9" and reportedly 132 lbs isn't exactly a hulk on the bike. That corresponds to Pantani at 5'8" and 126.

And honestly, just look up any picture of Pantani in the 90s. Baggy fit jersey, box section rims, not a hint of aero anywhere on the bike. There are lots of gains right there alone. Let alone training measurement and theory that didn't exist back then.

[Alan]

Final time trial was better than I expected. Saw some good performances but not much movement in the top rankings.

Was happy that Hugh Carthy had a decent ride. Have to admit that I am not a Carapaz fan. Probably because Ineos usually gets their way but not this time.

Now the count down to the Tour begins. Hope it is a competitive race like the Giro was.

The Giro kept my attention until the end. Also thought that GCN did a good job on the coverage.

[mhespenheide]

I will admit that I thought Jai Hindley was lucky to get 2nd place in the Giro in 2020. Big, big acknowledgement that he earned this win, even if the field was not what it could have been -- that's the reality of contemporary racing.

[rccardr]

Good point. A great couple weeks of racing, but you can only beat the folks who show up. For Hindley to best the likes of Yates, Carapaz, Lopez, Landa, MvdP, etc. is no small feat. To see Hindley roll uphill while Carapaz cracked was classic.

At the end of the day, a win is a win. No asterisk required.

[Johnnysmooth]

What a great Giro. One of the better grand tours I’ve seen in years and Jai deserves the win, he simply was the best rider out there.

And for all those dope claiming naysayers all I can say, as a previous poster put it, the equipment they are riding today is quite a bit different than those days of yore. Just look at EF’s performance in the time trails.