For sure, but it seemed a little bit like a fairly tale to bag a GT so easily. Three- week races are just a different animal.

Nibali is going to make this interesting. Not going to get it all back today but might get enough time to set up a serious cafe match tomorrow.

Damn, Nibali took 5 minutes back in one stage, and only :44 down on Chaves. I think he takes it tomorrow

Had to feel terrible for Kruijswijk. He just looked empty physically and emotionally as he crossed the line. It does setup a pretty interesting day tomorrow. Top three are pretty close. Hard to imagine Kruijswijk being the one to pull back time tomorrow, but you never know.

Wow....he goes from looking like he has no chance for the overall to in with a shout in one stage.

Crazy race....Kruijswick isn't necessarily out of it, either, but he took a big hit today....don't know if he can recover by tomorrow (both psychologically and psychologically)

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

The last 2.3km tomorrow are gonna be crazy....had a long run planned for the morning but I clearly will have to reshuffle my schedule!

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

didn't Nibali undergo a battery of "tests" yesterday?

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"one eye doubles my eyesight, so things don't look half bad" John Hiatt

Wow what a stage

Kruijswijk is going to feel that fall later today/tomorrow.
It also looks like he bumped his head, possible concussion?


Zakarin TV coverage post fall was scary, at least wait until he moves, I thought we were looking at a really bad situation at first.


I am pulling away with the velogames lead!


Always love the Giro/Vuelta more than TDF. Its easier to watch TDF on US TV!

That stage is perfectly suited for one of the Shark's ambushes with massive descent before final climb. You can bet he'll put everyone on the limit both down and uphill.

Yup, exactly. Go a bit before the summit to maybe take some zip out of Cavez's legs, bomb the descent and hit the final 2.3k like a mofo for the finish.

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

This race has been amazing!
Chaves now in Pink, Nibili right on his tail, Kruijswijk down [in a snowbank] by 1' 05", Valverde 4th at 1' 48"
Tomorrow is another mountain stage, tougher than today, the race will prolly get decided Saturday!
I predict Chaves stays in pink FTW

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res, non verba

Not a response to Power13 specifically, but how do the unwritten rules apply in the case of Kruijswijk's crash?
I recall a few times in the past where someone involved in the GC fight crashed and everyone sat up to allow him to rejoin the group he was with. Wasn't Contador criticized for attacking when Schleck dropped his chain?

Any input?

I'm not seeing much criticism on cycling forums. Nibali had previously attacked and put SK in trouble as well as having dropped Valverde who was sitting third, ahead of him. If he waits, he lets Valverde catch up and potentially gives up a chance at a spot on the podium. Further, the race was on -- there was a stage and overall to be decided and who knows whether SK can even continue (indeed, he has cracked rib and won't decide till morning whether he continues).

Further, dropping a chain (Schleck) or getting handlebar caught in handbag (LA) are different that losing concentration while descending. Nibali's standard race tactic is to push hard on downhill and see if others can keep up. SK failed (sadly) in a basic race skill.

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

Gotta add that as much as I despise Scarponi's checkered past, he was one hell of a teammate today. He clearly had a shot at stage but seemed to willingly follow instructions to drop back. Without that, it might not have set up tomorrow's epic showdown.

Can someone help me find a rebroadcast / stream of stage 19 online?

Scott

Schleck dropping that chain was his own doing, and is just part of cycling. You'll note the there are always cyclists who spend more time than others with mechanicals and you can't always blame the mechanics. This is why some athletes still ride mechanical group sets because the believe it is more reliable etc. Equipment choice is part of it, as is skill in doing the most basic of shifts in the heat of the moment. He was shifting to launch an attack, misses the shift, and then took 3 tries to put it back on. Now I've done that more times than I can count, but I'm also not gunning for the tdf.

Joe D in the break, Masters Nats done and dusted, US Nat Champ RR coming up, coffee is perfect. LIFE BE SWELL.

shoot, that sounds like fun

Well if you want to debate that, there are plenty of people who disagree with you. There wasn't much consensus in that case. However, with regard to yesterday, no reasonably knowledgable cycling fans were saying they should have waited.

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

Joe D is looking good.

Hostilities are going to commence on next descent. Guess we'll see how well Chaves goes downhill.

Game on!

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

Chaves looks to be in big trouble. Not going to catch Nibali going downhill.

Hey, how about that: Uran finally does something in the Giro.

Nibali looking smooth, Chaves not so much

I can't believe Nibbles made me right today. The guy shits excellence.

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Really an unbelievable win....Nibbles was just never that strong, but through attrition, a little luck and smart riding, he came out on top.

Was hoping for a little bit more of a showdown, but Chaves was clearly gassed today when Nibali went for the jugular.

Great race overall....gotta like it when a GT comes down to the final weekend!

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

Not going to debate, but the cyclingnews tracker comment just after was "surely they will wait for the pink jersey" so at least one person thought they should. In the end it didn't make a difference for pink, but he might have stayed on the podium.