The October Cycling Wrap
We went all out for a Giro special, with an expert in Italian cycling guesting, but technical issues and timezone wrangling worked against us. So you’ll have to enjoy this Wrap in a format other than audio of a drunk man slurring in his basement.
Whats a Scousers favorite bike race?
It’s barely a month since the Tour de France ended. In a normal year, the peloton would collectively be eating frites and riding rigged criteriums, but 2020 isn’t a normal year. We’re trying to fit an entire season into the space of three months, and that means we’ve seen the World Championships, the Fleche Wallonne, the Binckbank Tour, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, the Brabantse Pijl, Gent-Wevelgem, Paris-Tours, Scheldeprijs, Ronde van Vlaanderen, the Three Days of De Panne, and… the GIRO D’ITALIA.
The Giro d’Italia is the noblest of races. But I didn’t get to see much of it. I’ve been busy with a baby who does like to watch cycling, but not for five hours at a time. And his mum wouldn’t let me do it even if he did.
Thankfully, I’ve brought in an Italian sports expert (now choosing to use the pseudonym Bruno di Gradi) to give his verdict on the race. Here’s what he has to say. Or at least, a condensed version of our conversation.
The prologue went well for INEOS, didn’t it?
There’s a lot good in Italian cycling right now. Elisa Longo Borghini, Vincenzo Nibali, Matteo Trentin, Diego Ulissi, Giacomo Nizzolo, Domenico Pozzovivo, Matteo Fabbro, Fausto Masnada, Andrea Bagioli, Guilio Ciccone… well, the list goes on.
But Filippo Ganna, for me, is the best of the lot right now. He’s a World Champion on the road and track, he’s set multiple world records, and, jumping the gun a bit, he won four stages in his first Giro d’Italia.
The sky is the limit for this kid. He’s the real deal. I suspect he could show strongly in the Classics, like Cancellara. In fact, it’s not hyperbole to say he could surpass Cancellara. And win the hour record too.
INEOS wasn’t there for Ganna though. Their goal was to have Geraint Thomas win the overall. That didn’t work out, did it?
I think it did! But you’re right, Thomas left the race on stage three, I think. The European fans were probably feeling excited that INEOS were about to have another disaster of a grand tour.
Once Thomas was out, the race didn’t have a clear favorite. Maybe Nibali or Yates. It was up to the young guys to step up.
And they did.
Indeed. João Almeida took the maglia rosa on stage three and wore it for 15 stages. He’s only 22.
Did you think he could win?
I started to. What was fascinating was that he held it for so long as more established riders began to drop off the pace. The race soon became quite unpredictable. I think most of us thought that Wilco Kelderman was the champion-elect though.
Week one had issues with a helicopter, and race barriers.
It did. Spain, the wild west of Europe, has more form for helicopters disrupting the race. And barriers have been an ongoing problem in this strange season. Let’s not discuss it.
Week two had a great Sagan win, but I think it’s most memorable for COVID-19’s impact on the race.
EF Pro Cycling demanded that the race end after week two. I’m glad it didn’t, but I can see where they’re coming from. It’s another tough thing to talk about: it’s negative and it distracts from the racing. There were many positive tests though. Simon Yates and Steven Kruijswijk both tested positive and left the race with their Mitchelton-Scott and Jumbo-Visma teams. Michael Matthews and Fernando Gaviria too. I don’t think the virus was handled well.
Arnaud Demare won four stages. Were you surprised?
He’s a good rider in a strange race. It was a race full of surprises but I don’t know if that particular outcome was truly surprising. I might not have predicted it.
Going into the final stage, we had two riders tied in first place, for the first time ever in a grand tour.
Two riders we didn’t pick as overall winners too. Jai Hindley and Tao Geoghegan-Hart. It sums up the race. Great racing, with lots of surprises. Two young riders standing tall in a race that was dominated by the sport’s upcoming stars. It’s only a shame they weren’t Italian.
We’ve mentioned Ganna, who took an astounding four stages. But INEOS overall had an incredible Giro.
Yes, seven of 21 stages, and the overall. We talked about how it looked bad for them, but it ended as a complete show of dominance. With respect, it was a more enjoyable dominance than usual from them – no controlling the entire race with a long train. It’s hard to begrudge them the success in that regard, even if I root for the underdog.
And overall, do you think the race should have gone ahead, given the country’s problems with COVID and the race’s difficulty handling it?
I enjoyed the entertainment.
The Other Races
The Vuelta a Espana started in vain. And while I’m holding off for next month to discuss it, INEOS’s favorite, Chris Froome, had a disastrous start, only for last year’s Giro winner, Richard Carapaz, to take the race lead for them. Sound familiar? Yikes. Primoz Roglic, all hopes are on your shoulders.
The Paris Roubaix had been moved to a Super Sunday of cycling that included the Giro’s final time trial and the Vuelta’s ascent of the Tourmalet. But it was canceled. And then it fucking rained on the course for the first time in two decades. Oh well, we were still spoiled with the Giro and Vuelta.
The Ronde van Vlaanderen, my favorite race, proved that we’re living through a new golden age of cycling. Enjoy it.
Gear Corner
Greg Lemond Bikes returned. Now they’re eBikes, of course.
Hiplok Review. We reviewed the Hiplok Z Lok. It’s a cable tie that you can lock and unlock. Pretty versatile!
Leomo launched remote bike fitting. This is genuinely innovative, even from a company that specializes in digital innovation in cycling. Bike fit is one of those things that many cyclists can never get right. I’ve got a long body and short legs, like Mark Cavendish (!), so I can never get this right.
Garmin sales are up. As usual. No need to read this one.