Season 11

[Sjiz]

With the publishing of the new calendar the official pre-season starts for season 11. The transfermarket will roar into action as managers all around the globe try to prepare for the coming season.

Some highlights: 3 TTs in both the Tour and the Vuelta, the flat TTers will have their world championship back and the hillers will have another chance at rainbow glory.

[Combuijs]

Yes, and in almost all small tours also a time trial. It will be trialling season...

[Rico]

Apart from that, the Tour de France will completely avoid the Alps and Pyrenees (apart from 2 time trials around L'Alpe d'Huez and the Col d'Iseran) and the riders will spend a lot of time on road sectors where people were on strike when the cobbles were replaced by asphalt.

[Aurora Australis]

Yes, and in almost all small tours also a time trial. It will be trialling season...

Not really, it's more a season for all-rounders who can do some TT.  And a few of them are climb-TTs.

[Vos]

   selection SPORTLIFE

Last minute change ; the sprinter out, and hills cyclist Guerin in who is bought today for just 4.003,-
Escartin gets the number that ends on 1, because maybe he can ride an unexpected GC despite many free roles.
Luckily for him his manager was not smart enough to select sprinters for this TDU, so Escartin will be the leader in stages 3 and 5.
But the main goal for this not great at all TDU selection is to score some points in the stages with a hills section finish.

71 Escartin ( 29 ), semi-hills and semi-sprint
72 Zuidam ( 26 ), climbhills
73 Guerin ( 29 ), hills
74 VanDerKroon ( 29 ), climbhills
75 Krog ( 29 ), hills

stage 1 TDU ;
9º  Guerin
Excellent race and a good investment of 4.003,- 

[Sjiz]

Good stage for Verbeek. Onfortunately Wirth and his friend came back in s4 for the win. Still a nice result.

[Sjiz]

Another good result with a 10th place in the stage. Tomorrow Verbeek is looking forward to putting on the leader jersey. But first he needs to gain 2 seconds on Fredrickson who will have all the locals cheering for him.

[Vos]

stage 2 TDU ;
1º victory of Zuidam ! 
12º VanDerKroon

Excellent race of the "SPORTLIFE-DUTCH-DUO" who both could not challenge any favorites.
But they were both in the s4 break away group of just 7, and no other team had a helper in s4, also not in the two chasing groups.

This perfect race and amazing victory causes that my team is the current number 1 in division 1A !
Temporary, after stage 3 another team will take the lead in 1A.

[WinterIsComing]

Great start of the season for you, Vos! 

[Sjiz]

Still in the lead Vos .

At my team its still so far, so good. Verbeek got great help and finished 20th in the lead group. The GC had a big shake and gaps emerged. Verbeek now leads Laksa by half a minute and Timermanis by almost a minute. The pressure is on!

For the race tonight Verbeek is part of the favourites, for the first time and proof that he really is the best allround hiller. He is now a favourite in every hill stage he starts. Naturally we hope to get another podium.

[Vos]

Indeed, a great start of the season and still in the lead of div.1A after zero points in stage 3 TDU.
For those who want to see the "superior" current 1A leader ;
80% of my TDU selection is for sale, and for cheap prices : 1,- & 1½M & 1,- & just ½M for a CFF record holder.

Although my team did not score points in stage 3, Escartin managed to finish on 0:00"
He moved up many places in the GC and now 8th on 1:46" behind GC leader Verbeek. Good luck Sjiz !

[Vos]

stage 4 TDU ;
1º Verbeek ( TeamRHB ) --> Great victory, Sjiz ! 
- - - - -
19º Escartin on 0:07"

Guerin sacrificed points in this stage and was the masterhelper of Escartin.
However, he started too slow and the other helpers of my team were also not good enough in s1.
So Escartin had do it on his own, luckily he could stay in the front peleton in the flat sections and finished good. Still 8th GC.

SPORTLIFE dropped to place 4 in division 1A. The new 1A leader is TeamRHB. But it was fun to be the leader for a very short while.

[Sjiz]

Thanks Vos. I had hoped for a podium but did not expect a win. I guess this will do

Tomorrow will be a tense fight and we will need to look at attacks from Peachy. Verbeek needs to defend a lead of 35 seconds. A real chance on echelons in a windy race. The aim will be to finish in the front group. Jimenez and VanNieuwkoop will have to protect Verbeek.

[Sjiz]

Well, the first 5 stages went great. Verbeek got his first TDU victory with a large gap to Laksa and Timermanis. A much better start compared to last year Now Nyland can go for a top 5 in the Omloop.
Unfortunately i did make a rookie mistake last night by having my scout still on. This meant is missed a great buy as i had the highest bid. Ah well, well just wait for new ones to come on the TL :p

[Vos]

Verbeek got his first TDU victory

Very well done and congratulations, Sjiz ! 

Also Escartin did great in the GC ; very unexpected to me, he finished as 5th. 
Not in topform, no TC bonus, and he even had twice a free role in the important first two stages.
This is by far the best GC result of SPORTLIFE in the Tour Down Under, because never before there was a top10 GC.

An excellent start of this season and at the moment 3rd in 1A.
Too bad I have no cobblehills-specialists what will cause a free fall of many places.

The activity of SPORTLIFE during Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Strade Bianche.