Why, was ok... pretty sure you'd have liked to be here yourself today.
Today.... ape disappointed. Probably shouldn't have done anything yesterday, then could have won today and yesterday
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif)
But ok... Today didn't ride well, team too dead, yes, but could have done more of it. Knew that my only chance for another stage win was an early attack normally. So should have tried something, didn't, was always a step behind. Should have sent Tasman in the escape... didn't want to since he wanted to win tomorrow.. brilliantly killed him anyway later. Or at least Zibi with Legrand... that thinking too long and finally to slow to make him hang. Then missed the moments for the attacks, was thinking about it but hoped that others would weaken Quick a bit furhter, wait, finally all too late.
But the only one who tried something today was Gaurain finally. But alone against Quick he never had a chance... but he wasn't the only one who actually had to try to weaken Quick, since Quick was also the stage favorite. fresim, FL too had to try to weaken Quick, try to make him use his riders early, try to go early in the hope of getting a stage.
fresim: Yes, fresim can say he doesn't have the team, won enough stages, and has to defend the podium... ok, but sending 2 guys, Tobin or Solow plus puller.. yes, Tobin-Solow have sprint.. but he's not winning with them tomorrow either I guess. Sacrifice one... put the pressure on Quick. Maybe attack early with Keynes? A risk, yes, but one that can pay. Can win another stage, can fight for blue still (maybe?), can win the whole Giro if the sitter PTT does his usual thing and relies to much on others in chasing... Most likely he wouldn't have won it of course, but for the stage.. why not? Who is going to chase except Quick? And Quick has a minute to Preidler, but can't afford to kill Melotte to early either, Xhonneux dead, Melotte not 100% fit IMO, Bech no downhill... At least put the pressure on, if then Quick doesn't let the group with Tobin go.... as far as the group we had went... still can not attack, or just try with climber 2.
FL: In the end 2 climbers were a waste in his case. One would have been enough for Benni, the second one was just there finally. Today he had to try. Not fit? FL saw yesterdays race, he knew Momyshuly was dead, and Trapani most likely not at 1000, (861 at the start.. or 862?) Quick wasn't 100% fit either. And... not fit? What was he thinking to be able to get by waiting then? Nothing. Or what he got, 5-8, defending or getting 8+9 in GC. Like last sunday, he really had to attack today, it was his stage to try to get a win. Ok, last sunday the excuse: sitter, and FL didn't see the day before, so didn't know the situation exactly. Today: Sitter. But FL saw yesterdays stage. He should have told the sitter: Antiga in the escape, Antiga and puller, and go, then jump with one or even both climbers. N O T H I N G to lose. Green? If Trapani follows the FLs.... unlikely that I do that actually, but yeah, could be an option for me to try to get to fight for the GC...but if that happens FL can still abort the attack, can still force Trapani to ride early, can still strike a deal, regardless of the advantage we have at the end, FL gets the win... (A deal I would have taken if he had attacked, I was on the wheel, and he had helpers in front (and me too ideally, but I fucked that up as well) And in the end, even IF Trapani gets 12+25 points for all intermediates and the stage win today, and overtakes Benni... tomorrow very likely Benni would get it back. The danger of losing green was so minimal compared to the possible benefits an early attack had that I don't understand why FL didn't just tell the sitter: 1) Follow Fowler with Antiga and Fargas. If possible save Fargas until the climb, if not ok, ride with him. Depending on the advantage, go with Roy+Eddie at the Campolongo or San Pellegrino. Ride Ride ride and hope to get the stage.
For both of them getting that was the most promising way to get a stage, why didn't they even try? Ok, I didn't try either today... So finally it was a siebing countersiebing match between Gaurain and Quick.. Gaurain tried, but finally couldn't do it. But didn't fail, he tried, the guys who failed were us, the 3 stage hopefuls, Petit Singe-fresim-FL, who simply did nothing. And got place 2-3-5, which is worthless.
Then of course today Squeeze deserves a special chapter. He always rode rather badly from the peloton.. .chasing groups he had no reason to chase... but today? Giau, he puts Antunes in Tempo 81, then goes offline. Before, you could say he was defending his GC place, not in a clever or sensible way, but that's what he might have been trying. Today his action made no sense at all... since he had nothing to defend really, and nothing to gain either. In the end being offline ended up losing time and a place in GC (that was hard to lose actually that way), must be Karma... hihi. But while usually he just rode badly (IMO) but his actions were somehow explainable, todays moves were not. My question of course... was it Squeeze himself or a sitter? Since he mentioned in the pre race interveiw that he wouldn't be there. Anyway, with this asshole move he basically blocked the whole race. Quick didn't have to use Melotte or anybody else, attacks were pretty pointless at that point because THEN Melotte would have easily gotten the bad attackers back in 2-3 km... and while of course Quick would still have been the favorite and probable winner even without Squeeze tempo... he would at least have had to fight a bit for it. Could have been challenged, since there were a few classics stronger than Bech and Dekkers at that point (Sekiguchi, Benni, Maréchal, and Tasman as well) Yes, not THAT much stronger, so not a huge danger at this point, but still... he would have at least had to worry a bit, like this he could just sit back and enjoy the show.
Highlight of the day though Gaurain winning the team classement by 1" grrr wasn't intersted at first, but when he pulled the Quick classics immediately (and if there Squeeze had gone out, PTT lazyness could have been a big mistake... but ok, didn't happen, so a moot point) grrrrr.. ok, now we fight for it... thought about offering a falling back by Tasman later at first, but no no, let's ride this out! 1" for Gaurain, grrr.
Tomorrow: Sprint without Abe, at least I think it's an Abe. So favorite ABC if he's on? Or an escape... but I might chase some escapes too actually. Avranescu wants to win now, just needs to follow the right wheel in the end! Ok, maybe not... but might be chasing escapes if I'm not in them.