Hard to compare with any other rider but Miguel Indurain who raced at 80 kg. But Miguel competed where EPO was essentially free to use, in the modern era he would have to be lighter. Ganna's a generation's class TT, whilst Indurain was very good quality, but in the TDF it took him quite a few years to be the best: Only really competing top 5 TT after his team leader Pedro Delgado struggled and EPO was prevalent.
Ganna looks like pure power, where to me Indurain had a little less power and more fluidity in the TT. Just looks to me Ganna's got loads of power to play with. Cancellara always said he didn't want to live apart from his family and live like a food hermit for a year, in order to compete for GC whilst neglecting classics. Personally I think it's way too much of a lifestyle transformation for Ganna to lose weight and compete in the high mountains. It must be much more fun to TT, ride Classics, and hunt for stages in GTs than have your whole season judged on 3 weeks in July: Starving yourself for the rest of the year.
It could be done, but it'd mean Ganna following an ascetic lifestyle with training and food his only object.
It's a good point... But considering the possibilities for him, I reckon Brailsford will paint a picture to him of being the new Indurain, and he'll be all over it like a rash. No guarantee it will work, of course - I know from experience that losing weight while retaining power is tricky as hell, and imagine it's even harder when you're coming from the point of 520 watts for a TT 😳😳😳
He's an absolute monster though. Those individual pursuit times... Almost beyond belief that they're faster than TEAM pursuit times from within the last ten years...
Tell you what, if they get through the rest of the Giro with no other positive tests I'm going to be fucked off that we haven't been able to race this year. There's always been negligible science around transmission outdoors - two weeks of a stage race where the bunch are packed in like sardines when one of them has clearly been positive and shedding the virus for at least four days is as big a control test as you could want for bunch racing.
Will be watching with interest over the next fortnight
Tell you what, if they get through the rest of the Giro with no other positive tests I'm going to be fucked off that we haven't been able to race this year. There's always been negligible science around transmission outdoors - two weeks of a stage race where the bunch are packed in like sardines when one of them has clearly been positive and shedding the virus for at least four days is as big a control test as you could want for bunch racing.
Will be watching with interest over the next fortnight
Indeed, very good point which could have numerous implications.
Tell you what, if they get through the rest of the Giro with no other positive tests I'm going to be fucked off that we haven't been able to race this year. There's always been negligible science around transmission outdoors - two weeks of a stage race where the bunch are packed in like sardines when one of them has clearly been positive and shedding the virus for at least four days is as big a control test as you could want for bunch racing.
Will be watching with interest over the next fortnight
We’ll the results are coming in. Two teams out with coronavirus plus a couple of riders. The Giro might not be able to continue if too many more have to withdraw.
Fantastic ride by and debut win by Tao Geoghegan Hart on Sunday. Let's hope both he and the weather holds out for the upcoming climbs this week. He's looking stronger and stronger as the Giro progresses.
And of course the Vuelta starts tomorrow, with Froome's last change of a win for Ineos before he disappears to Israel Start Up.
Great ride by Tao, he looked like he had another 50k in his legs. I think he will be okay in the mountains but the wetaher will play its part being October.
Geoghean-Hart is quietly moving himself well into contention. There's a slight worry about him being able to deliver on multiple days in the high mountains, but he's got a decent enough team around him to keep him well up there whilst protecting him from attacks, and hasn't really looked like he's been in trouble at any point up to now. I expect Kelderman to win overall, but TGH has a good shot at second because Sunweb will have to sacrifice Hindley at some point, and Almeida has gone too deep too often the first two weeks so will probably slip away.
Geoghean-Hart is quietly moving himself well into contention. There's a slight worry about him being able to deliver on multiple days in the high mountains, but he's got a decent enough team around him to keep him well up there whilst protecting him from attacks, and hasn't really looked like he's been in trouble at any point up to now. I expect Kelderman to win overall, but TGH has a good shot at second because Sunweb will have to sacrifice Hindley at some point, and Almeida has gone too deep too often the first two weeks so will probably slip away.
I think you are right about Kelderman, he’s my pick.
TGH has looked strong in mountains before, so 2nd has to be a possibility.
Be amazed if Almeida can keep it going.
Did you see Alaphilippe’s crash at the weekend? Made me wince, terrible for him.
Geoghean-Hart is quietly moving himself well into contention. There's a slight worry about him being able to deliver on multiple days in the high mountains, but he's got a decent enough team around him to keep him well up there whilst protecting him from attacks, and hasn't really looked like he's been in trouble at any point up to now. I expect Kelderman to win overall, but TGH has a good shot at second because Sunweb will have to sacrifice Hindley at some point, and Almeida has gone too deep too often the first two weeks so will probably slip away.
I think you are right about Kelderman, he’s my pick.
TGH has looked strong in mountains before, so 2nd has to be a possibility.
Be amazed if Almeida can keep it going.
Did you see Alaphilippe’s crash at the weekend? Made me wince, terrible for him.
Awful. Similar thing happened to me with a bollard on a training ride in Spain earlier this year. Was on the back road from Benidorm to Altea - which is dead straight and flat as a pancake, we were doing a paceline at about 45k/h and as I came through to take my turn I hadn't paid attention to the fact there were bollards on the edge of the bike lane - hit the fucker at full chat and faceplanted. Very lucky not to do serious damage at that speed. I ended up with a a cracking wallop over my eyebrow which has given me a cool scar, holes in my legs and elbow and (worst of all) a frozen shoulder which I'm only just recovering from now. Just like him, I had nobody to blame but myself - never, ever get so confident that you aren't paying full attention.
He's prone to these lapses of concentration. That deviation off his line in the sprint at LBL, the early celebration meaning Roglic beat him on the line, he almost fucked up on the celebration at Brabantse pijl as well. Its almost like he doesn't take it seriously enough. I guess it makes him more endearing as a rider - and you've got to love someone who livens up a race as much as he does - but he better sort that out over winter or he'll end up with half the palmares he deserves.
Brilliant ronde though, van der Poel and van Aert 2up to the finish with a win by quarter of a wheel was compelling
I've had worse in races. Nearly died three years ago in France when a moody Swede cut across my line cresting the first climb of the fat lad world champs. Had my head run over crashing in a crit and broke my wrist, jaw and lost two front teeth in another one. At least when you crash on a push bike though it rarely kills you. Of I was stupid enough to translate the need for that adrenaline rush to moto GP I reckon I'd be dead with a month 😂
I've had worse in races. Nearly died three years ago in France when a moody Swede cut across my line cresting the first climb of the fat lad world champs. Had my head run over crashing in a crit and broke my wrist, jaw and lost two front teeth in another one. At least when you crash on a push bike though it rarely kills you. Of I was stupid enough to translate the need for that adrenaline rush to moto GP I reckon I'd be dead with a month 😂
Comments
Ganna looks like pure power, where to me Indurain had a little less power and more fluidity in the TT. Just looks to me Ganna's got loads of power to play with. Cancellara always said he didn't want to live apart from his family and live like a food hermit for a year, in order to compete for GC whilst neglecting classics. Personally I think it's way too much of a lifestyle transformation for Ganna to lose weight and compete in the high mountains. It must be much more fun to TT, ride Classics, and hunt for stages in GTs than have your whole season judged on 3 weeks in July: Starving yourself for the rest of the year.
It could be done, but it'd mean Ganna following an ascetic lifestyle with training and food his only object.
He's an absolute monster though. Those individual pursuit times... Almost beyond belief that they're faster than TEAM pursuit times from within the last ten years...
Paris - Roubaix now cancelled. I can see the Vuelta not happening as well.
Will be watching with interest over the next fortnight
And of course the Vuelta starts tomorrow, with Froome's last change of a win for Ineos before he disappears to Israel Start Up.
He's prone to these lapses of concentration. That deviation off his line in the sprint at LBL, the early celebration meaning Roglic beat him on the line, he almost fucked up on the celebration at Brabantse pijl as well. Its almost like he doesn't take it seriously enough. I guess it makes him more endearing as a rider - and you've got to love someone who livens up a race as much as he does - but he better sort that out over winter or he'll end up with half the palmares he deserves.
Brilliant ronde though, van der Poel and van Aert 2up to the finish with a win by quarter of a wheel was compelling