(Photo credit: LUK BENIES/AFP via Getty Images)
Wow. What a Giro we have right now. It literally could not be any closer – Jai Hindley and Tao Geoghegen Hart enter the final 15km time trial to Milan on equal time. Well, Hindley is ahead by a few tenths of a second, but that’s it.
If this were a movie, it would be satire because this scenario is just too ridiculous. The pressure that these two young men must be feeling. I cannot imagine either being able to sleep tonight.
I was wrong about Kelderman, he has properly cracked. Losing nearly two minutes today was certainly a surprise. And it was definitely a crack because look at the riders around him. Bilbao, Fugslang, and Nibali were miles behind Kelderman in the previous stages. The Dutchman stayed with Hindley and Geoghegen Hart on every other stage apart 19 and 20. It’s heart-breaking to watch, to see a rider who’s faced so many setbacks, to be so close to the big one, and to come up just short.
On the other end, Hindley and Geoghegen Hart have altered their careers. I think that no matter what happens tomorrow, both of these men already know their lives have changed. For one, it will simply be more spectacular.
I think Geoghegen Hart wins the Giro tomorrow. He’s simply looked too strong in the final week. Time trial history be damned – I’ll take form over all.
What a team Ineos have at the Giro. Twice as good as the Tour de France team, at least. If Geraint Thomas had not crashed, I think he would be leading the Giro by four minutes right now.
Can Dennis fully transform into a Grand Tour contender? There was talk of it years ago, when he was at BMC. He took a few runs at the Giro GC if I’m not mistaken, but always fell short. Dropped in the mountains, and missing that last 5% in the time trials. Now, at Ineos, he is the strongest man in the race in the final week. Ganna was the strongest in Week 1, chaos ensued in Week 2, and in Week 3 Dennis has blown the race apart.
And don’t forget, Ineos signed Yates, Porte, and Martinez for 2021…
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Tim Wellens was a good pick. I thought Martin might have him on the final ramp, but Wellens was too strong. The form is back. It’s been awhile.
The last 27km of Stage 6 are uphill, but I don’t think we’ll see major gaps. All the GC contenders will be there. If anyone gets dropped, I’ll be surprised. The steepest ramps are 1-2km at 6-7%, with nothing really steeper than that. There look to be a few flat sections and plateaus, so the speed will be high.
The only thing that could split the race is a crosswind. I live in Wisconsin, not Spain, so I don’t know what the roads look like on the way to the final climb, but if the first five stages are any sign, there’s probably a good amount of the climb on a wide-open highway.
I’ll take the breakaway again for tomorrow. The shallower climb is perfect for a rider like Cavagna, but I like the chances of Rui Costa. The former World Champion has dropped plenty of time in GC and so won’t be chased by the Overall contenders, but he was climbing exceptionally well a few days ago and looks to be on good form.
This is also a good stage for James Piccoli. I’m not sure if he’s ever been in a WorldTour breakaway before, but if he manages to squeeze into one tomorrow, he certainly has a chance to take the stage.