Showing posts with label 100. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 100. Show all posts
Wednesday, 3 July 2019
Monday, 31 December 2018
The Hat of the Impressionist
Cycling Impressionists, here is the symbol of our brotherhood!
You can order the Hat writing an e-mail to cycligimpressions@gmail.com
(Fast delivery and shipping worldwide)
See ya on the roads of a great new year of cycling (impressions)!
Thursday, 30 November 2017
Giro d'Italia 2018
The exotic start is a fantastic idea to expand the cycling culture outside Europe. Nevertheless Israel and its silly controversy about "west Jerusalem" prove that maybe the organizers have chosen the wrong country. They are not ready to be part of a melting pot event.
Despite Israeli officials, I think that the TT in Jersualem will be a fantastic scenario for the start of the Giro.
The route continues with interesting stages, that will amuse the spectators and the fans since the first week.
The diamond of the race is the terrible Zoncolan that is something unique in the World Tour.
That stage will worth a Classic and the winner will remain in the history of cycling.
The Colle delle Finestre will be another great climb but it has been positioned too far from the end of the stage.
I have just two critics to move to this great Giro:
1) the arrival in Rome. The capital is a wonderful city but it is not a cycling one.
Milano is the Italian capital of cycling and the final TT in the city should become like the Champs Elysées for the Tour de France. Last year it has been something memorable with the leader jersey changing in the last stage, after a battle lasted 21 days.
2) The Dolomites and the Tuscany have been a bit sacrificed.
Nevertheless I really look forward this Giro, enriched by the participation of the best riders in the world and by Froome too, attempting a historic triple.
Monday, 10 July 2017
How Many Riders Will Arrive In Paris?
This is the question murmured on the roads of le Tour de France.
One of the most boring Tour de France I can remember is being sadly animated just by bad crashes.
Nevertheless, they are part of cycling, as mechanical problems.
That's why I think that the weeping Froome should not have complained with Aru about his attack.
Following the policy of Froome I don't understand why the Tour is continuing on Tuesday with another stage. We should suspend the Tour and wait 30 days 'til Porte is fully recovered and ready to battle again. Ridiculous.
I don't even understand why the other contenders did not help Aru in the only true attack of the day at the yellow jersey. They preferred to wait for Froome and to be humiliated by him.
Condator is a former champion that is facing his natural decline and Quintana is still recovering from one of the hardest Giro of all time.
They had a chance, they missed it.
Saturday, 3 June 2017
Rider of the Giro 100
Congratulations Tom, you are the Rider of the Giro 100!!!
Dumoulin has been elected rider of the Giro with a plebiscite. 80% of the Impressionists voted him Rider of the Giro 100.
I've to say that It is hard to think to someone else as rider of the Giro 100. This one has definitely been the Giro of Dumoulin, a legendary one.
He has been stronger than all his opponents, he has been attacked many times, even by nature. He fought alone during three hard weeks and, in the end, succeeded.
The Giro 100 has been a memorable one and Tom Dumoulin has secured his place in history.
Tuesday, 30 May 2017
Monday, 29 May 2017
Giro 100 Big Finale
In the end Dumoulin won and I can't remember a Giro so uncertain and so deserved.
The level of the Giro 100 has been extremely high and Dumoulin won because he was the most complete rider of the Peloton.
He proved also to be the smartest in several situation, winning his first Giro with strong legs but with a stronger mind.
His opponents never really tried to do something risky in the final week, they were all scared, despite their statements, to lose their position in the General Classification.
We discovered yesterday that Quintana has been sick during the last two weeks but I still think that some riders can have more than a regret.
What Team Katusha Alpecin made in the last stage would have shaken the GC many times if done by stronger teams in previous stages.
The sad truth we have learned is that it doesn't matter just to win.
In modern cycling you prefer not to loose a third or a sixth position than trying to win a Giro, considering that in the worst case you can loose badly.
Talking about the teams without a proper GC contender, I just want to underline a key point: why if such a great team as Quick-Step Floors is always attacking, even in the last stage, the teams invited, with the exception of Team Gazprom-Rusvelo, never really battled hard in order to try to win a stage?
Here you can find my grades to the teams, from 1 (very bad) to 10 (very good), you, dear Impressionists, will choose the rider of the Giro in the upcoming survey.
Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team - 6
AG2R La Mondiale - 5
Astana Pro Team - Impossible to rate
Bardiani - CSF - 4.5
BMC Racing Team - 7.5
Bora - Hansgrohe - 8
Cannondale-Drapac Pro Cycling Team - 7
CCC Sprandi Polkowice - 4.5
FDJ - 7
Gazprom-RusVelo - 6.5
Lotto Soudal - 5.5
Movistar Team - 7.5
ORICA-Scott - 6
Quick-Step Floors - 9.5
Dimension Data - 7
Team Katusha - Alpecin - 6
Team LottoNL-Jumbo - 5
Team Sky - 8
Team Sunweb - 8
Trek - Segafredo - 5
UAE Team Emirates - 5.5
Wilier Triestina - Selle Italia - 3.5
Monday, 15 May 2017
Giro 100 Pt. 2
It has not been a memorable Giro, except for the Blockhaus stage, so far, but the best is yet to come.
Smaller teams are not interested in fighting for a stage win and the Peloton seems asleep, providing the same show almost everyday.
Bora - Hansgrohe and Quick-Step Floor are still the only two teams honoring the race and taking great victories and podiums.
I want to underline also the strength of Gazprom Rusvelo, the only team that everyday has a man in the breakaway.
Dillier saved the Giro of Team BMC considering that team's GC ambitions sank in the Blockhaus stage.
Talking about the Blockhaus stage, the first consideration must be on Italian police, shame on them. They eliminated 3 GC contenders with one of the silliest move you can do in a cycling race.
Talking about the "survivors", Quintana proved to be the best, supported by a great team with licence to kill, see Gorka Izagirre.
Pinot is not a surprise for me, he is riding incredibly well since the beginning of the Giro.
He has prepared this edition of the Giro very well. He is stronger than Quintana against the clock and can be considered the first rival of the new pink jersey.
Dumoulin surprised me, he made a solid performance on such a hard climb.
Considering that he is the stronger GC contender in TT stages, he can take away the pink jersey from Quintana tomorrow and try to defend it as long as possible.
Just a few words about Nibali, he is riding alone, his team is inconsistent.
My question to the Bahrain - Merida director is: if you know you have a weak team compared to your opponents, why do you spend in a breakaway, the day before a mountain stage, one of your strongest climber? I really hope Bahrain - Merida is fighting for something more than a stage win.
Monday, 8 May 2017
Giro 100 Pt. 1
Bora Hansgrohe and Quickstep Floors attacked and deserved they victories, honoring such an important edition of this wonderful race.
Bora Hansgrohe, maybe due to the fact that Sagan wasn't in the race, started attacking with all his riders and were rewarded.
Quickstep Floors choose the windy day to teach cycling to the peloton, doing the one that, so far, could be called the best feat of the Giro 100.
I can understand that the teams with the GC contenders prefer to ride safely in the bunch, but in such a hard race I ask myself when weaker teams think they will have a good occasion to win a stage.
In conclusion, after these three stages is confirmed something that I always love to repeat: in cycling if you attack you may loose, but if you don't attack you can't win.
Saturday, 6 May 2017
Giro 100
Could the 100th edition of the Giro have had a better and more unpredictable start? I don't think so.
Giro is a race I've always loved, since I was a kid.
The fact is that, at Giro d'Italia, you can't lie. The stages and the streets are too embroidered, too tricky, you have to be really the best in order to win.If you win the General Classification of the Giro d'Italia, It is a Victory you definitely deserve.
Every stage you win, every jersey you wear, you can be sure that you deserve it, because you have been the best: the strongest, the smartest or both.
Postlberger today proved us this. That's the Giro, you have to think up something cool to win!
I want also to underline the fact that, even without Sagan, Bora-Hansgrohe had an incredible start.
They have all the jerseys and they have amazed us with this incredible class feat.
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