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English Cff Forum => General Forum => Topic started by: Combuijs on March 17, 2019, 11:08:49 PM
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The Combuijs Capers
In this topic I will keep you updated on the Capers of the Combuijs Cycling Team on a not-too-daily basis. Feel free to react to posts!
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First press conference
Welcome all to the first press conference of the Combuijs Cycling Team. First of all we would like to thank our sponsor Combuijs Honey Ales for their financial support which enabled us to be here in Australia. Yesterday we have tasted the local Foster beer and we have immediately doubled the export capacity of our ale as we see brilliant opportunities in this desert-ridden country.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Tanunda.jpg/1920px-Tanunda.jpg)
Of course we are very happy to be in Tanunda this week for our preparations for the season. And we are happy we brought our own beer because, believe it or not, there is only wine here in this water hole...
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/combuijscff_mooier_klein_2.png)
So remember: Combuijs Honey Ale, the beer with the sting, Combuijs Cycling Team, the team with the sting!
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Everything tastes better than Dutch beer!!!!
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Just to let you know, Aussies don't drink Fosters. And in the Barossa Valley, you're not going to want beer anyway.
Btw: Coopers is the beer you'd want in South Australia. And welcome to Aust.
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Nice read, Combuijs!
Let's have some fun together with AA, plopsala and others in 3g this season, the division for the Original G's. 8)
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It's always sunny in Combuistralia!
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The riders
We will compete this season on the Continental Tour level and if you are a very talented cyclist or if you know how to spell the word "bike" we might be interested to take you on. In the Tour Down Under we will start with (definite jersey numbers yet unknown):
1 Carlo Bemelmans
2 Julius Maalderink
3 Eduard Brouwers
4 Harrie van der Haar
5 Julius van Zandbeek
We really don't know what to expect as we haven't scouted the opponent teams yet. It is however worrying to be in the same group as experienced teams like WinterIsComing, Plopsala, Aurora Australis and Real Betis Balompié. On the bright side, we are reunited with Kalarratas, a team we have encountered on a still lower level in a previous life.
There have been complaints about the Dutch beer, which are fully unjustified, although they have a point about the Dutch pilsener which tastes like ... eh ... Fosters. Admittedly the current Dutch beer revival has been largely inspired by our Belgian neighbours, but there are some really nice beers now in the Netherlands. If you don't want to drink Combuijs Honey Ale for whatever reason, can I recommend "Van Moll Ons Blackie", a very good stout?
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The Mechanic
As a new team we have been looking hard to get personnel, but it is of course very difficult these days. There are a lot of jobs to fill and not many to fill them.
But we proudly present our 47 year old mechanic to you, our Russian expert Tigran Filin.
We are very glad with his invention of the anti-kangaroo bike, this should give us a serious advantage in the first tour.
(https://www.wintherbikes.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Winther-E-Kangaroo-Luxe-4-top-view.jpg)
We have our doubts about his choice of material though. We don't hope that "Cube" represents the shape of our wheels...
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The team director
For a team director we have been able to secure the immense experience of Spanish Roque Moron. If this 52 year old can't find some genius tactics, who can?
Of course we will need him in the Vuelta, to cut off some nasty parts of the stages, but he will be very useful in Catalonia and the Basque County as well.
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The Doctor
Before the start of the season we did not have a doctor in our team, but we have managed to pick up one in Australia: Virgil Warrenburg. With that name we suspect there is some Dutch ancestry involved, but more important for now is his nice collection of pots and pills to keep our riders top notch...
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The Masseur
In a new youthful team you need some tight discipline and we have found it in our masseur Herr Doctor Kreuzer. Don't call him Eugen however, you won't race for a while after that. Oh, and don't tell him he is getting less money than doctor Warrenburg otherwise the team manager might be in for an uppercut...
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The Marketing Manager
With such lovely ales to work with who needs a marketing manager? Well, here in Tanunda we have noticed that there are some strange people who don't like beer at all, so that's why we have appointed a marketing manager called Gerard Brown. The problem is of course that being an Englishman he is already addicted to the Combuijs Honey Ale, so whether we will gain anything by hiring him is the question. We might be in for a miniature "no deal" Brexit in a short time.
Tomorrow we leave lovely Tanunda and we will going via Campbelltown and Gawler to Hahndorf in our first races. We wish everyone a lot of fun, good luck and slightly less points than our team!
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We would like to welcome all press here at the press conference of the Combuijs Cycling team in Gawler. We immediately knew we were in the right place when we arrived here:
(http://sacountrypress.com.au/images/newspaper-listing/Gawler-Town-Image.jpg)
Sadly no Combuijs Honey Ale to be seen, but this will change quite soon as the first Combuijs shirts have been sold in our webshop!
First of course we like to thank our Moron, who devised a really genius tactics for the first stage. The attack in the fourth section brought 4 riders of us in the leader group of 19. No silverware yet, but we have all confidence in his qualities:
With 88 starting riders we were:
5. Julius Maalderink
7. Julius van Zandbeek
9. Eduard Brouwers
18. Carlo Bemelmans
27. Harrie van der Haar
This results means that we will start to scout for more riders named Julius and that Carlo Bemelmans will be our leader in the next three stages.
Of course this fantastic result has attracted some eager sponsors and our marketing manager Gordon Brown, eh... pardon ... Gerard Brown has signed a contract with Ford, famous for their ... eh ... four wheel bikes. We have promised to finish 10th in the Vuelta and having a Spanish director should secure this spot without any problems. Having said that our Moron has declared that Argamasilla de Alba is still far away...
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/ford.jpg)
This result also means we are top in our division ranking with 253 points and this has caused some very knowledgeable boards to award us some prices for being in the top 5 and top 10 of the national ranking.
Some more knowledgeable people would even have noticed that we are simply 2nd behind a Red Rag. And people who know best know that a Red Rag should trail the peleton, not lead...
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/cffrank2.jpg)
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/cffrank3.jpg)
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And good news in Hahndorf as we managed to secure some honourable places again:
4. Julius Maalderink
5. Carlo Bemelmans
8. Julius van Zandbeek
21. Eduard Brouwers
There are four leaders now in the same time after this race, three of them Dutch:
Pieter Vermeltfoort (WinterIsComing)
Julius Maalderink
Amadeo Reig (Cojonudos)
Carlo Bemelmans
However we stay calm and cool in Hahndorf, helped by the local shop:
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/ADH_hahndorf_27_icecreamery.jpg/1280px-ADH_hahndorf_27_icecreamery.jpg)
Gerard Brown is really well placed in England, he managed to secure a sponsor deal for the first stage of the Tirreno Adriatico. If we reach 4th place then Blanch House Hotel will entertain the whole team for a weekend. If only there were races in Britain...
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/blanch.jpg)
Tomorrow we ride from Stirling to Paracombe and the local Courier tips Carlo Bemelmans as the man to watch. We will certainly do that!
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You are enjoying a great start of the season Down Under, Sir Combuijs. Well done. :)
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Today the Combuijs Honey Ale team have gained their first victory! In a convincing style without any helpers Carlo Bemelmans took stage 3 of the Tour Down Under. He was 13 seconds in front of a group of 5, among them his great rival for the general classification Patrick Vermeltfoort.
After the race Carlo of course took a Magnum bottle of champa... eh ... Combuijs Honey Ale, but refused to spray this costly liquid into the crowd.
The offer for a luxurious stay in Paracombe was not refused however.
(https://i2.au.reastatic.net/800x600/bcc1a8543092894f71d070d4a883483a9b265a816ee6a4a6cc1ff60b33183f70/main.jpg)
With this victory he takes over the lead in the Tour Down Under, for which he is awarded a very appropriate jersey for a Dutchman:
(https://tourdownunder.com.au/~/media/tdu/images/jersey%20large%20graphics/2019_ochre-jersey-m_400x400.ashx?h=200&w=200&la=en)
There is of course much speculation about the reasons for the successes of the Combuijs team. The Adelaide Now thinks it is because of their good resistance against the rain, The Courier had the same argument but thought is was due to their sun protection system and The Advertiser even went as far to claim their insensitivity to cold was the key to their success. The Southern Times Messenger blatantly stated that their support of the UCI is the reason.
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/lluvia.jpg) (http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/sol.jpg) (http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/nieve.jpg) (http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/supporter.gif)
According to the Eastern Courier Messenger in this afternoon's race from McLaren Vale to Willunga Hill, Carlo Bemelmans is the man to beat, but Patrick Vermeltfoort is a man to watch out for, as his teamleader is very cunning. What trick will he play?
In a final note Gerard Brown seems to have contacts with Haribo, but their offer for the Dauphine Libere has been declined. Imagine you get a ton of Haribo sweets if you win the last stage. Undescribable...
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/haribo.jpg)
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Does Carlo Bemelmans know that those Magnum bottles of Combuijs Honey Ale are a limited edition? He finishes first again, this time on Willunga Hill.
(https://adelaidehillclimbs.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/willunga-sv-1.png?w=479&h=271)
He wins 6 seconds on runner up Patrick Vermeltfoort, so in the mini stage tomorrow in Adelaide he will have a margin of 19 seconds. Will that be enough?
Helper Julius Maalderink takes 19th place.
The Combuijs Honey Ales selection for Omloop het Nieuwsblad will be:
1 Julius Maalderink
2 Carlo Bemelmans
3 Thomas van Fessem
4 Koen Helder
5 Rikkert Vandenbeginne
We are of course very proud of wearing the number 1 jersey!
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51 flat kilometers in Adelaide, what possibly could happen with 19 seconds in the lead?
(https://www.kilroyworld.nl/media/11587/adelaide-edu-street.jpg?width=430&height=520&mode=crop&quality=70¢er=0.64889466840052,0.48)
Not a lot in first 40, but in the last 11 hell broke loose and Carlo Bemelmans lost contact with helper Harrie van der Haar and saw rival Pieter Vermeltfoort riding away with the leaders. Fortunately a lot of riders tried to get back to the lead and Carlo lost in the end only 16 seconds, which was a narrow escape:
7. Eduard Brouwers
8. Julius Maalderink
9. Julius van Zandbeek
13. Harrie van der Haar
21. Carlo Bemelmans
So, Combuijs Honey Ales has just won its first tour and well, 1 out of 1 is not a bad average, isn't it?
1 Carlo Bemelmans 19 Combuijs 0: 00" 500 100000
2 Pieter Vermeltfoort 19 WinterIsComing 0: 03" 400 90000
3 Johan Dockx 19 Plopsala 0: 30" 325 80000
6 Julius Maalderink 19 Combuijs 1: 42" 225 50000
20 Julius VanZandbeek 19 Combuijs 4: 07" 10 1000
Division standings:
1º Combuijs 1870 2 0 0
2º Plopsala 1266 2 1 1
3º WinterIsComing 1202 0 1 3
4º $Tourmalet 915 0 2 0
5º CojoNudos 828 1 0 0
An interesting article in the Adelaide Advertiser stated that Carlo Bemelmans was the fastest ever in yesterday's race to Willunga Hill.
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/tro1.png).
However, there were also some accusations that the Honey Ale and the raceshirts are too expensive for the die-hard fans.
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/tienda1.jpg)
We have given Gerard Brown some weeks off after he had secured a deal with Lacoste for the Tour of Catalunya. According to him 7th place in the general classification should not be a problem at all.
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/lacoste.png)
Well, back in the airplane to Europe, where we will stay for the rest of the season!
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Nice victory Combuijs. I came close, but it just wasn't enough. :)
You seem to have a pretty lucky hand this far with your cyclists, having the best hiller (Bemelmans), climber (de Cleer) and the 4th best cobb-hiller (Maalderink) in the division so far. Nice assets for a head start in the new game. Keep up the good work and even better posts 8)
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Some people ask how we scout these incredible youth riders. Of course there can only be one answer: The irresistable Combuijs Honey Ale attracts lots of good riders, all keen to get their hands on a Magnum bottle. In Ninove Jules Maalderink just missed out on such a bottle in the Omloop het Nieuwsblad as he was 3 seconds short of winner Kirk Trump from $Tourmalet. Helper Koen Helder finished 29th, so he is off the mark too.
(http://i1.wp.com/aktueel.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/ninove-jaarmarkt.png?resize=326%2C235)
In Italy these riders are selected for the Strade Bianchi:
1 Julius Maalderink
2 Harold Helder
3 Koen Helder
4 Norman Schuh
5 Rikkert Vandenbeginne
In France the Combuijs Honey Ales start in Paris - Nice with:
1 Julius Maalderink
2 Carlo Bemelmans
3 Harold Helder
4 Vincent van Vleuten
5 Julius van Zandbeek
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Already on the first white road stroke in the beautiful Strade Bianchi race a definite split was made between the have-a-chance and the won't-have-a-chance. In the end only three riders arrived in the lead in the stunning town of Siena and trust WinterIsComing to have his tactics in order: Robin Crone wins the final sprint before Kirk Trump ($Tourmalet) and our Julius Maalderink. The helper brothers Helder finished 24th (Harold) and 29th (Koen).
(http://www.traveller.com.au/content/dam/images/g/z/9/i/u/n/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gz9ir0.png/1509586048094.jpg)
Anyway, another podium place for our team. Division standings after the first classical races:
1º Combuijs 2710 2 1 1
2º $Tourmalet 2225 1 3 0
3º WinterIsComing 2187 1 1 3
4º Plopsala 1671 2 1 1
5º Kalarratas 1473 0 1 0
Finally, not to make WinterIsComing jealous, but experts have seen a new star in the Combuijs Honey Ales formation: Tristan Prins. The beer did its work again...
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In the first stage of Paris-Nice to Amilly Julius Maalderink finished in the leading group on place 6, so for the moment he is still in contention for the general classification. Helper Julius van Zandbeek finished in the third group on place 24.
(https://www.lagalissonne.fr/local/cache-vignettes/L450xH338/patri-amilly-d-94266.jpg?1553750142)
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In this morning's stage from Contres to Commentry the Combuijs Honey Ale team helper Carlo Bemelmans launched Julius Maalderink on the only hill with devastating effects. Only two other riders could follow but in the end gnome Johan Dockx of the Plopsala team proved the stronger sprinter. So again a second place for Julius Maalderink. Honourable mentions for Carlo Bemelmans (10th) and Julius van Zandbeek (20th).
(https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/52/5b/3e/place-de-commentry-un.jpg)
In the general classification Julius Maalderink is now the new leader, although fellow Dutchman Piet Huybrechts is second in the same time. Yellow has always been my favourite colour.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Maillotjaune.jpg/220px-Maillotjaune.jpg)
In L'Équipe there was an article which featured the Combuijs Honey Ale Cycling Team. Especially their tactics during windy and stormy stages were mentioned. There was also probably a comment on the youthfulness of the team but the French became quite ineligable there. Aren't all cycling teams youthful these days?
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/viento3.jpg) (http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/tormentas.png) (http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/apucant.png)
Some experts have stated that Carlo Bemelmans is not the super talent he seemed to be.
O, and by the way, they think Maalderink is favourite in the next stage. Now, that is what I call a quality paper!
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In Vierzon we again lost a Magnum bottle of Combuijs Honey Ale, this time to Julius Maalderink who in a sprint à deux managed to beat Ricardo Rogge (eaglesOFcarthage). He even managed to get 10 seconds in front of Kirk Trump. Helper Harold Helder was marvellous, he finished 6th.
(https://www.my-loire-valley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/escapade-vierzon-patrimoine-medieval-AD2T-N-BOCCANFUSO.jpg)
In the general classification Julius has a lead of almost a minute. He will need that because tomorrow waits the infamous Croix de Chaubouret. Frankly, we don't think that will be enough to win Paris-Nice as Valentijn Teffer (WinterIsComing) is looking very good and only 2 minutes behind.
In other news, thanks to the Combuijs Honey Ale we have the best shop of all teams at the moment!
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No surprises on the Croix de Chaubouret, Julius Maalderink could absolutely not follow the climbers there. In the end he finished almost 4 minutes after the predicted winner Valentijn Teffer. Trust WinterIsComing to win a race where his 5th favourite! The best Combuijs rider was Vincent van Vleuten with a 14th place.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Chaubouret.JPG/800px-Chaubouret.JPG)
In the general classification Valentijn is the glorious leader and 3rd place Julius Maalderink won't threaten him with 2 minutes behind.
For the last race to Vendome Carlo Bemelmans is favourite but he will to have help Julius to second place in the GC.
In other news a Cycling International expert declared that Yvo de Cleer is not really a top talent.
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In Vendome Carlo Bemelmans rode to help Julius Maalderink and so he finished on 3rd place after Stig Dreyer of Bolaverde. Julius Maalderink took 19th place on 15 seconds and instead of challenging second place he disappointingly lost his third place.
(https://en.hotel-saint-georges-vendome.com/usermedia/photo-634164300670348195-1.jpg?dummy=0&crop=True&w=515&h=343)
Glorious winner of Paris-Nice was Valentijn Teffer of WinterIsComing. Carlo Bemelmans just finished 20th.
Division standings after Paris - Nice:
1º WinterIsComing 3780 2 1 3
2º Combuijs 3736 3 2 2
3º $Tourmalet 3736 1 3 2
4º Plopsala 2349 4 1 1
5º Kalarratas 2251 0 3 0
So the first three are very close, the gap to number four though is considerable.
Tomorrow the Combuijs Honey Ales start in Tirreno Adriatico with:
11 Tristan Prins
12 Carlo Bemelmans
13 Yvo de Cleer
14 Enifanio Merchan
15 Sebastiaan Vermaelen
Goals are the first stage and of course the general classification!
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In the hills around Offida Tristan Prins and Carlo Bemelmans rode an almost perfect first stage and finished 3rd and 6th. $Tourmalet proved to be the better team getting first second place with Stu Beal and Patrick Fredickson.
(https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/0e/1f/c1/42/offida.jpg)
Yvo de Cleer showed his unability in hilly country, he lost almost 4 minutes and from now on he will have to assist Tristan in winning the Tirreno.
But we have our first happy sponsor (apart from Combuijs Honey Ales of course). Blanch House have announced they have every trust in the Combuijs Cycling Team after a place within the first four in the first stage of the Tirreno Adriatico.
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/blanch.jpg)
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Salsomaggiore Terme will never be our favourite destination, but we still got some points:
14. Yvo de Cleer
16. Sebastiaan Vermaelen
21. Carlo Bemelmans
Winner was Plopsala's Johan Dockx, not for the first time.
To be honest, the after-race-party was better:
(http://turismo.comune.parma.it/it/canali-tematici/divertimento-e-relax/sport/piscine/piscina-termale-coperta-di-salsomaggiore-terme/immagine_large)
Tristan Prins loses more than three minutes, so in the GC Carlo Bemelmans is our best men. He will continue to be there after the next stage, but our hopes have been set on Prince Tristan.
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This morning Cascinia was in a festive mood when the third stage of the Tirreno Adriatico arrived there.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Municipioeexprigioni.JPG/1280px-Municipioeexprigioni.JPG)
We though we not in a festive mood, given these results:
19 Carlo Bemelmans
22 Yvo de Cleer
27 Sebastiaan Vermeulen
Tristan Prins lost 2 minutes, which tempted La Gazzetta dello Sport to comment that he really is not as talented as previously thought. Gnome Johan Dockx (Plopsala) won the sprint, business as usual for him, and Valentijn Teffer (WinterIsComing) got 3rd place. First in the GC is Paul Portero of CojoNudos (which seems to mean cripple buttons?).
Rai Uno stated that the mountain time trial will be to fought out between Plopsala and our team, so there is hope for points yet.
De Telegraaf seems to have woken up to our cycling team as it featured an article about our youth cyclists and our terrific socuting team. They also belately mentioned our new sponsor...
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/promos1.png)(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/buenoje1.png)(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/meta1.jpg)
And last but not lease Gerard Brown has woken from hibernation and got in a sponsor deal from France Telecom. Second place in the Tour of Switzerland would sway them to sponsor us. If only they would give the cyclists to reach that goal...
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/francetelecom.jpg)
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While it rained in Terminillo we had a very shining afternoon in the mountain time trial. Epifanio Merchan finished 2nd, Yvo de Cleer 3rd and Tristan Prins 12th. But Sammuel Alexandre (Plopsala) unfortunately proved to be the fastest climber. In the GC Carlo Bemelmans is still our best rider on place 14, but we have higher hopes for Yvo dfe Cleer in 21st position.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Terminillo_%281917378783%29.jpg/800px-Terminillo_%281917378783%29.jpg)
Tomorrow the Combuijs Honey Ales start in Milano - San Remo with:
21 Julius Maalderink
22 Carlo Bemelmans
23 Mads Ibsen
24 Norman Schuh
25 Sebastiaan Vermaelen
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Ouch, we have had our first tactical misunderstanding in the last stage of the Tirreno Adriatico. Our team director Moron was adamant that Yvo de Cleer should be the leader, but both he and Tristan Prins thought they just could do what they want. As a result Yvo finishes 9th and Tristan 10th, while there is an honourable mention for Epifanio Merchan in 28th place.
In the GC Carlo Bemelmans drops out of the top 20 as expected but Yvo and Tristan join in at 13th and 17th.
Overall winner is Paul Portero (CojoNudos) while Valentijn Teffer (WinterIsComing) does disappoint a bit with third place.
(http://wwwservizi.regione.emilia-romagna.it/turismogestionelocalita/imgs_upload/1__Sestola%20centro.jpg)
Division standings after the Tirreno Adriatico:
1º WinterIsComing 5504 2 2 5
2º $Tourmalet 5496 2 4 2
3º Combuijs 4624 3 3 4
4º CojoNudos 3859 1 0 0
5º Plopsala 3683 8 1 2
CojoNudos is clearly bubbling up in these short tours!
For Milano - San Remo Roque Moron has ensured me that all riders know what their role will be!
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...while Valentijn Teffer (WinterIsComing) does disappoint a bit with third place
:o
I reckon you post this to check wether I am still reading this topic ;)
Of course I do. Just haven't found the time to actively participate in the forums these days.
I really enjoy reading this topic though. Please keep up the good work! :)
Oh, and I think 3rd place for Teffer is a good position. He didn't ride a TT before in his life, so we both are happy he is still alive. 8)
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Milano - San Remo did go well, Jules Maalderink finished 3rd while Carlo Bemelmans as a helper ended up 18th, both in the leader group. Amadeo Reig (Cojo Nudos) and Pieter Vermeltfoort (WinterIsComing) were first and second. Trust WinterIsComing to beat you in the sprint. Or to keep alive a rider in a time trial...
(https://res.cloudinary.com/prestige-property-group/image/upload/q_auto,f_auto/resources/nw/images/hero/it-sanremo.jpg)
Tomorrow the Combuijs Honey Ale team give these riders the nod in the E3 Harelbeke:
21 Julius Maalderink
22 Carlo Bemelmans
23 Harold Helder
24 Koen Helder
25 Mads Ibsen
In the afternoon the selection for the Tour of Catalunya will be:
21 Yvo de Cleer
22 Eduard Brouwers
23 Sebastiaan Vermaelen
24 Vincent van Vleuten
25 Andreas van Zijl
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Julius Maalderink really made his claim to fame this morning in the E3 Harelbeke. In a sprint with 4 you usually don't have a chance against a WinterIsComing rider, but this time winter stayed away and Julius ended up first. The Magnum bottle of Combuijs Honey Ale was no problem for him and he finished it off with a Magnum bottle of Season by the local brewery de Meester.
(http://www.brouwerij-demeester.be/files/gallery/13/23/03season_s.jpg)
Domestique Koen Helder finished in 18th place.
Studio Cycling stated that Julius Maalderink really seems to be very well talented and they advised to set up training more to his liking. They also speculated about the wealth the Combuijs Honey Ale Team is gathering. One expert offered the view that it is caused by very good sales of their ale, while eyeing his empty glass speculatively.
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/millonario.jpg) (http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/tienda2.jpg)
League standings after this race:
1º WinterIsComing 6904 2 3 5
2º $Tourmalet 6536 2 4 3
3º Combuijs 5629 4 3 5
4º CojoNudos 5384 2 0 0
5º Plopsala 4093 8 1 2
Miele, there ain't nothing better, offered to sponsor us for a 9th place in the 5th stage of de Tour de Romandie, but we refused as there is nothing better than Combuijs Honey Ale!
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/miele.jpg)
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Yvo de Cleer breaks down somewhere around Barcelona and in the end loses 54 seconds in the first stage of the Tour of Catalunya to Torremdebarra. Eduard Brouwers gets 21st place.
(https://photos.pierreetvacances.com/admin/fp2/photos/pano/1368x456/WEB_63567_pano.jpg)
For the next stage Yvo is top favourite according to the bookmakers.
Alpina has offered a sponsor contract for the time trial stage in Tour de Romandie. They should get some experts in their commercial activities, we don't have a time trialist in our team. Nowhere near!
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/alpina.jpg)
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The big news of today is of course the transfer of talented cobblehiller Chester Laybutt from the team of Lemarche. There were several other teams that showed interest in him, but of course the thought of a Magnum bottle of Combuijs Honey Ale swayed his choice to our team. That and the fact that he is going to train with the talented Julius Maalderink. And maybe the serious transfer sum played a role as well. If it earned him 10% then he has now a ton in his pocket. Our treasurer is now frantically looking for some small change in his pockets...
But there is other big news. This morning Yvo de Cleer managed to win the second stage in the Tour of Catalunya to Vallter 2000. He really devastated all opponents, number two finished almost one minute behind him. Helpers Andreas van Zijl (12th), Vincent van Vleuten (26th) and Eduard Brouwers (27th) also managed to get some points in. Yvo van Cleer rode a really attacking race, already making a difference in the first serious climb. Master helper Andreas van Zijl could pick him up in the flat terrain after that. In the second climb of the day Yvo showed that no one could follow him.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Vallter2000.jpg/1280px-Vallter2000.jpg)
In the GC Yvo de Cleer has a lead of about 2 minutes on Atanas Rebko (Kalarratas). He will need that because time trials are not really his forte...
Cimpor has shown some interest to sponsor us in the first stage of the Tour Down Under next season, but they did not know what kind of race that would be, so we kindly declined the offer. Stupid people...
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/cimpor.jpg)
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From my own experience I know you can have a very nice cycling tour around the lake of Banyoles.
(http://turisme.banyoles.cat/bbimagehandler.ashx?File=/Portals/0/Imatges/aeri.jpg&width=425&height=162&ResizeMode=Crop)
It surely inspired our riders. And in the land of no-wheelers one-wheeler is king! In the time trial Sebastiaan Vermaelen finishes 4th, Andreas van Zijl 16th and Yvo de Cleer 21st. Right, Yvo is now 2:30 in front of number two and he is wearing this very nice jersey:
(https://i.pinimg.com/236x/2e/5e/40/2e5e4052aa2f1be1211f894111e3b7a1.jpg?b=t)
And another very knowledgeable sponsor arrived: NCL just shows you that in Norway they don't know what cycling is. 4th in the 5th stage of the Tirreno Adriatico? Not a clue what to expect, so this request is filed in the garbage can.
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/ncl.jpg)
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On the Circuit de Catalunya race this morning Yvo de Cleer lost contact on the only hill of the circuit, but managed to stay within one minute of winner Simon Wiedemann (eaglesOFcarthage) thanks to helper Sebastiaan Vermaelen.
(https://cdn-1.motorsport.com/images/mgl/6bpXane2/s8/f1-spanish-gp-2018-the-pit-straight-at-the-circuit-de-catalunya.jpg)
(No hill to be seen anywhere...)
Eduard Brouwers managed to stay in the leading group to finish 14th and to everyone's surprise he is now second in the GC with 2:36 minutes behind on Yvo. This is what I call domination! In the last stage Yvo de Cleer is favourite to win, so you might say that first place overall should be possible...
Some sad news also: Million euro boy Chester Laybutt is not really a long term talent it seems. Shame...
But this is a sponsor we like: Banco Santander wants 10th place in Gent-Wevelgem. They must have seen Julius Maalderink in action!
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/santander.jpg)
De Telegraaf has woken up late again: they reported we have bought our first rider. Welcome in the modern world with fast communications!
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/1compra.png)
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Yvo de Cleer could not contain himself in the Valls - Lo Port stage of the Tour of Catalunya and attacked already before the last climb began! Only four riders could follow him there, but they lost contact one by one in the climb itself. Yvo finished 26 seconds in front of Raul Arango (Jediondos). Eduard Brouwers (9th), Vincent van Vleuten (21st) and Andreas van Zijl (25th) did show themselves as well.
(https://www.montsport.es/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/P9200003.jpg)
In the GC Yvo of course was first, but big surprise was that Edouard Brouwers could defend his second place. The result in the last Tour has swayed Lacoste to sign a sponsordeal. So we are all wearing cycling shoes from a certain french brand from now on...
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/lacoste.png)
We have now another report on the talent of Chester Laybutt which seems to doubt the result of the previous report in true expert style. We will await developments...
Division standings after the Tour of Catalunya:
1º WinterIsComing 7561 2 3 5
2º Combuijs 7267 6 3 5
3º $Tourmalet 7259 2 4 3
4º CojoNudos 6168 2 1 0
5º Plopsala 4581 8 1 2
So, back to second place, albeit with a margin of 8 points.
Tomorrow morning the line up for the Combuijs Honey Ale team in Gent - Wevelgem will be:
11 Julius Maalderink
12 Mads Ibsen
13 Chester Laybutt
14 Paul Nijboer
15 Garret Rose
In the afternoon these riders will start in Dwars door Vlaanderen:
11 Chester Laybutt
12 Koen Helder
13 Julius Maalderink
14 Paul Nijboer
15 Garret Rose
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In Gent-Wevelgem this morning the first split occured in the flat cobble section and of course Julius Maalderink was paying attention and got himself with helper Garret Rose in the front group. On the Kemmelerberg Tirso Alcalo (CojoNudos) did the forcing and only Julius Maalderink and Richard Harris (WinterIsComing) could follow. In the final flat section a group of 12 was formed and it was clear the sprint would be decisive. Normally you would expect Richard Harris to win it, he is from the WinterIsComing team, but there can only be one Kristoff in the peleton and that was Julius Maalderink.
He shared his Magnum bottle of Combuijs Honey Ale with Garret Rose (8th), Chester Laybutt (23rd) and Paul Nijboer (24th). All supporters in our team shirt also got a free normal bottle of Combuijs Honey Ale which raised sales in our shop considerably.
(https://dsocdn.akamaized.net/Assets/Images_Upload/2012/07/06/Wevelghemzomer2012-1_LuchtfotoCentrumWevelgem.jpg)
After the win in Gent-Wevelgem we have transferred all bank accounts to the Banco Santander for a nice fee...
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/santander.jpg)
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In Dwars voor Vlaanderen million boy Chester Laybutt was in the leading group of 4, but both $Tourmalet riders Kirk Trump and Kane Paxton finished before him. All Combuijs riders scored points: Julius Maalderink (8th), Koen Helder (17th), Paul Nijboer (19th) and Garret Rose (24th).
(https://kw.knack.be/medias/4802/2458665.jpg)
Tomorrow in the Tour of Flanders we will ride with:
21 Chester Laybutt
22 Koen Helder
23 Julius Maalderink
24 Adam Neeskens
25 Garret Rose
In the Tour of Basque Country these five riders will go for glory:
21 Tristan Prins
22 Chester Laybutt
23 Adam Neeskens
24 Eddy Room
25 Garret Rose
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In de Tour of Flanders we saw today an impressive win by Alberto Bettiol, ... eh ... Kirk Trump ($Tourmalet). Most impressive rider though was our Mathieu van der Poel, ... eh ... Chester Laybutt on fourth place. Altogether good team effort with Julius Maalderink 12th, Garret Rose 18th, Adam Neeskens 22nd and Koen Helder 26th.
(https://nbocdn.akamaized.net/Assets/Images_Upload/2018/02/14/c1607351-33f2-4d33-9e9c-482df42d34ab_original.jpg?maxheight=460&maxwidth=638)
Division standings after the three Flemish races:
1º $Tourmalet 10024 4 6 4
2º WinterIsComing 9936 2 3 6
3º Combuijs 9477 7 3 6
4º CojoNudos 7208 2 1 0
5º Plopsala 4936 8 1 2
The gap between CojoNudos and us is widening which is reassuring...
Our mechanic Tigran Filin got some nice compliments today because of his recent improvements on our bikes. Unfortunately he has not found a shock absorbing system fit for cobblestones.
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/mej1.jpg)
And we hav won our first challenge it seems. There was a personal bet between Koen Helder and Niles Jameson (gzlm) which Koen has won. Great, as long as Koen does not forget to ride for the team!
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/desafio1.gif)
Oh, and has somebody seen Gerard Brown, our marketing manager? We are longing for new sponsordeals! He might have been lost somewhere in the Bexit-swamp...
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Halfway the first stage in the Tour of Basque Country leader Tristan Prins already lost contact with his helpers. In the end he lost 1:30 at the finish in Zalla. Chester Laybutt (8th), Garret Rose (10th) and Adam Neeskens (20th) were more worried about his position than their own, so they did not play a significant part in the stage, which was won by Bolaverde's Hallgeir Solhaug, who seems to be a very good GC rider. We will see if Tristan Prins can get close to him tomorrow in a race in which he is favourite to win!
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EBqWq76pnE0/V-JHD8PN69I/AAAAAAAAG-U/zAryNVTvqSMh11tlxM9Ml0V6xMuBgPrZgCLcB/s1600/IBI_AereaZalla_CM.jpg)
And thank you Gerard Brown, we did not know you were on the way to Australia. Orika will sponsor us for a 4th place in the last stage of the Dauphine Libere which we have gratefully accepted.
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/orika.jpg)
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Helper Eddy Room lost track of leader Tristan Prins after the first mountain in today's stage to Lekunberri. And so did all but one of the riders after the first serious climb. In the end Tristan Prins finished first with Romeu Maximo (Kalarratas) second on 7 seconds. All other riders lost a minute or more and to their regret did not share in the Magnum bottle of Combuijs Honey Ale.
(https://s.iha.com/1069300004694/Gite-Lekunberri-Casa-rural-Lizartzanea_4.jpeg)
That means that in the GC Tristan is now leader with a solid 1 second lead on Ivan Chiapucci ($Tourmalet). Luckily he is favourite again in the next stage...
(https://www.itzulia.eus/uploads/8ec74cd8-b794-4219-97c1-6b27e7e07df5.jpg)
In strengthening our training program Dutchie Oscar Meijer was bought from Kun Team. Again the cobblestone training and of course the Combuijs Honey inspired him to sign for our team.
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Tristan Prins arrives first in Arrate with 25 seconds in front of Romeu Maximo (Kalarratas) and 44 seconds before Ivan Chiapucci ($Tourmalet).
That means that Tristan has 39 seconds in the GC on Romeu and 46 seconds on Ivan. The good news is that Tristan is favourite in the next stage as well. The bad news? Well, there is still a fifth stage...
(https://presttocome.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/santuario-arrate-santutegia-eibar-1024x768.jpg)
Olivetti wants to sponsor a Tirreno Adriatico stage. Well, the Tirreno will be there next year, but Olivetti is something of the past I fear, so we have politely refused.
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/olivetti.jpg)
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The Getxo - Getxo stage is of course familiar from another life, albeit this stage is hilly, while the previous one was flat. Well, Basque-Country-flat, but still sprinters ruled then. Nowadays they don't, and this suits us better.
In a finish à deux Tristan Prins had to give way to Hallgeir Solhaug. This means that both have now won two stages in this Tour. Pretty dull that... The team did well with Adam Neeskens on 12th, Eddy Room on 14th, Chester Laybutt on 16th and Garret Rose on 23rd place.
(https://static2.elcorreo.com/www/multimedia/201901/18/media/cortadas/getxo-pisos-krXC--624x385@El%20Correo.jpg)
We forgot to tell you that Eddy Room finished 30th yesterday, which is pointwise inifinitely better than his 31st place in the stage before...
In the GC Tristan Prins has now opened up the gap between Chiapucci and Maximo to around 1:30, which is hopefully enough for tonight's race.
The Euskal Kazeta presented an article about our team and made compliments about the weather resistance of some of our riders.
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/malclima2.png) (http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/lluviaverano.png) (http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/desertstorm.png)
Mind you, you need that very much in the Basque Country!
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We will have to have a serious talk with our mechanic Tigran Filin. Tristan Prins's bike broke down in the hills section on our way to Valdegovia and he immediately lost contact with his competitors. In this way what should have been a nice calm ride became a nailbiting affair. In the end helper Eddy Room could limit the loss to 1:22 which was enough for a 27th and 29th place and the first place in the GC.
(https://www.euskadilagunkoia.net/images/valdegobiaaaa.jpg)
We have now won 3 of the 5 Tours, which certainly deserves an extra Magnum bottle of Combuijs Honey Ale.
1 Tristan Prins 19 Combuijs 0: 00" 500 100000
2 Romeu Maximo 19 Kalarratas 0: 35" 400 90000
3 Ivan Chiapucci 19 $Tourmalet 1: 29" 325 80000
4 Hallgeir Solhaug 19 Bolaverde 1: 39" 275 70000
5 Pedro Kranz 19 MelonKas 2: 07" 250 60000
Division standings after the Tour of Basque Country:
1º $Tourmalet 11476 4 7 7
2º WinterIsComing 11124 3 4 6
3º Combuijs 10770 9 4 6
4º CojoNudos 8193 2 1 0
5º Kalarratas 5863 0 8 2
Plopsala has fallen out of the top 5 now.
Barclays will sponsor us if we get a result in the 4th stage of the Tour de France. Hmm, interesting, although Banca Santander won't like it...
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/barclays.jpg)
We are of course looking forward to Paris - Roubaix and we will be doing that with:
21 Jules Maalderink
22 Innocencio Aleixio
23 Chester Laybutt
24 Oscar Meijer
25 Norman Schuh
The first of the hill classics will be our own Combuijs Honey Ale Race where we are going to start with:
21 Carlo Bemelmans
22 Chester Laybutt
23 Adam Neeskens
24 Garret Rose
25 Tristan Prins
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Paris - Roubaix was in fact decided at the "Bos van Wallers". Our team placed an attack and 10 riders were away with four from our team. Only Chester Laybutt got a flat tyre at a crucial moment. Four other riders could reach the lead in the flat section behind that, but in the next cobble strokes our Julius Maalderink flew away. He would have beaten everyone in a sprint on the Velodrome in Roubaix, but there was no one to be seen.
(https://sportnieuws.nl/app/uploads/2017/04/BosvanWallers-756x422.jpg)
This is our 10th victory this season and with three Tour wins we have ordered some extra Magnum bottles of Combuijs Honey Ale as our current stock depletes rapidly... Innocencio Aleixio (12th), Norman Schuh (14th) and Oscar Meijer (18th) shared the bottle in the Combuijs Beehive bar (copyright Vos), only Chester Laybutt was pissed of and had an intensive chat with Tigran Filin, the mechanic.
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In our own Combuijs Honey Ale Race Carlo Bemelmans just missed out on first place. He became second in a sprint à trois after Stu Beal ($Tourmalet) and before Pim Broeder (WinterIsComing). So for once a Magnum bottle of Combuijs Honey Ale for a non-Combuijs rider. Stu might feel slightly less good in tomorrow's races... Eddy Room finished 10th, Chester Laybutt 20th and Adam Neeskens 29th.
(http://medias.photodeck.com/7bd9bfe6-e380-4a3e-a9d2-490eac1c8021/304201_xgaplus.jpg)
We will provide La Fleche Wallone with the following riders:
11 Carlo Bemelmans
12 Chester Laybutt
13 Adam Neeskens
14 Tristan Prins
15 Eddy Room
These riders will go from Lieja to Bastogne and back to Lieja:
11 Carlo Bemelmans
12 Chester Laybutt
13 Adam Neeskens
14 Eddy Room
15 Garret Rose
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First of all we welcome Arjan Rutte to the team. He was bought for a substantial sum from De Rode Vod and Arjan has told us he was glad that he could exchange a red triangle for a bottle of Combuijs Honey Ale. We wish him all the beer he can get and a succesfull Vuelta.
In the Fleche Wallone Carlo Bemelmans looked better than his opponents according to a Eurosport reporter, but in the sprint à quatre on the Muur van Hoei he proved the worst after Stu Beal ($Tourmalet), Pim Broeder (WinterIsComing) and Patrick Fredickson ($Tourmalet again). Slightly worse were Tristan Prins (15th), Adam Neeskens (16th) and Eddy Room (17th) but you don't get extra points for nice series... Chester Laybutt finished 29th.
(https://dsocdn.akamaized.net/Assets/Images_Upload/2015/07/05/4403f9de-2321-11e5-8f34-d6d6e8380d56_original.jpg?maxheight=416&maxwidth=568)
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In Bastogne Carlo Bemelmans kept up with three other riders, but back in Lieja Stu Beal and Patrick Fredickson again proved stronger than Carlo, so he had to settle for third place, before Pim Broeder. 15th place for Eddy Room, 24th place for Chester Laybutt and 27th place Garret Rose.
Carlo told reporters that $Tourmalet trains his riders simply better hillwise. And really, those hills in Lieja are steep:
(https://ardennen.nl/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Montagne-de-Bueren-in-Luik-600x338.jpg)
After the classical cobbles and hills the division standing is:
1º $Tourmalet 15136 7 8 8
2º WinterIsComing 13799 3 5 7
3º Combuijs 13490 10 5 7
4º CojoNudos 9883 2 1 0
5º Bolaverde 7470 3 3 2
New kid on the block Bolaverde is approaching but has a very large gap to manage.
These riders will be on a French language course in the Tour of Romande:
21 Eduard Brouwers
22 Julius Maalderink
23 Epifanio Merchan
24 Sebastiaan Vermaelen
25 Andreas van Zijl
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In the cobbles around Fribourg all riders were pampering Eduard Brouwers in order to keep his losses restricted. They more or less succeeded and Eduard lost three minutes in the end. There was one exception of course. Hero Julius Maalderink could go his own way and as he only knows one way he won the race as well, his 5th victory in total. Andreas van Zijl could not restrict himself and finished 18th.
After his win Julius was driven around Fribourg in a very peculiar vehicle:
(https://static.mycity.travel/manage/uploads/7/37/56245/c6796120f3f8f13cb3fe70ea9af244fc4e05f05f_3000.jpg)
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A pleasant surprise in the time trial today around Genève. Not around the lake itself, that is far too long. But Sebastiaan Vermaelen to everyone's astonishment finishes 3rd and justifies his selection for this Tour. Andreas van Zijl finishes 20th, Epifanio Merchan 22nd.
(https://www.tourderomandie.ch/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/p90-91_GE_image.jpg)
In the GC Andreas van Zijl is our best rider on place 9 and 1:15, but tomorrow will be the day of Eduard Brouwers, who, some claim, is favourite to win in, again, Genève.
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Eduard Brouwers has now had his first sip of a Magnum bottle of Combuijs Honey Ale after his win in the Aubonne - Genève stage. He attacked in the mountains where only two other riders could follow, but in the long descend and the last flat stage to Genève other riders came back. Eduard wisely saved some power up for the sprint à dix and beated Valentijn Teffer (WinterIsComing) by a small margin. Epifanio Merchan got 18th and Andreas van Zijl 21st.
In the GC Andreas van Zijl is now 3rd after Albano Roseiro (Kalarattas) and Jim Einarsen (Bolaverde). Eduard Brouwers is now 9th. We have now retreated to a secluded space in Genève to decide on the leadership this afternoon in the Sion stage.
(https://i1.wp.com/lenews.ch/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Park-la-Grange_2_%C2%A9-Mikhail-Derevnin-Dreamstime.com_.jpg?resize=800%2C533)
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Eduard Brouwers got the vote of confidence this afternoon and he did a very good job by finishing 4th in Sion on 0:47. He got terrific help from Epifanio Merchan who finished 8th. Andreas van Zijl became 16th.
(https://img.myswitzerland.com/mys/n49464/images/buehne/ville_de_sion.jpg)
In the GC we have now place 4 and 5:
1 Nobby Kellman 19 $Tourmalet 0: 00" 0 0
2 Atanas Rebko 19 Kalarratas 1: 04" 0 0
3 Albano Roseiro 19 Kalarratas 1: 21" 0 0
4 Andreas van Zijl 19 Combuijs 1: 30" 0 0
5 Eduard Brouwers 19 Combuijs 1: 51" 0 0
but Eduard Brouwers should be far better in the last stage to, again, Genève.
These riders will start tomorrow afternoon in Rundum der Henniger Turm (which unimaginative person did come up with Eschborn-Frankfurt?):
11 Tristan Prins
12 Eduard Brouwers
13 Adam Neeskens
14 Eddy Room
15 Garret Rose
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Do you have some Honey Ale 0.0% for those kids in Frankfurt??
(https://www.bing.com/th?id=OIP.xW3UdWjgi9_pHY5APM_XnwHaE7&w=200&h=199&c=7&qlt=90&bgcl=ececec&pid=PersonalBing) ;D
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For the third time we rode to Genève in this Tour and Julius Maalderink helped Eduard Brouwers to a 23rd place at the finish, he himself finishing 19th.
Big goal however was the GC and Eduard nearly succeeded:
1 Nobby Kellman 19 $Tourmalet 0: 00" 500 100000
2 Eduard Brouwers 19 Combuijs 0: 20" 400 90000
3 Albano Roseiro 19 Kalarratas 0: 39" 325 80000
4 Romeu Maximo 19 Kalarratas 0: 51" 275 70000
5 Valentijn Teffer 19 WinterIsComing 0: 58" 250 60000
Andreas van Zijl finishes 13th in the GC. After the last race we had a nice evaluation:
(https://kathatravelling.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/geneva-city-center.jpg?w=584&h=389)
Division standings after the Tour de Romandie:
1º $Tourmalet 16724 7 8 9
2º WinterIsComing 14905 3 6 8
3º Combuijs 14781 12 5 8
4º CojoNudos 10449 2 1 0
5º Kalarratas 8286 1 9 3
$Tourmalet has now a serious gap, Kalarratas have taken over from Bolaverde.
From the measuring unit we got the message that Garret Rose is really a considerable talent, which is really good news.
There have been requests for a Combuijs Honey Ale U19 youth team, but really, you can't call ale without alcohol ale, can't you? Maybe we will do a Combuijs Honey Lemonade team...
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You know you have a problem when a rider of WinterIsComing is favourite to win. So Tristan Prins was very happy to finish second after Valentijn Teffer in Rundum der Henniger Turm as it was the best he could do. His helpers Eddy Room en Eduard Brouwers finished 10th and 29th.
(https://www.welt.de/img/regionales/hessen/mobile163728590/6132505717-ci102l-w1024/urn-newsml-dpa-com-20090101-170415-99-79845-large-4-3-jpg.jpg)
Division standings after Rundum der Henniger Turm:
1º $Tourmalet 17344 7 8 9
2º WinterIsComing 15935 4 6 9
3º Combuijs 15381 12 6 8
4º CojoNudos 11064 2 1 0
5º Kalarratas 8561 1 9 3
Tomorrow starts the first great Tour of this season in Cuneo. In the Giro only 5 riders can start and these lucky guys are:
21 Yvo de Cleer
22 Inocencio Aleixo
23 Eduard Brouwers
24 Ørjan Henningsen
25 Epifanio Merchan
Yvo de Cleer will go for the mountain stages and the general classification, Inocencio will assist on the cobbles, Eduard in the mountains and sprints, Epifanio in the mountains and Ørjan on the cobbles, in the hills and in the sprint. The helpers will in some situations get their own chance to prove their worth.
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The first stage in the first grand tour in the first season and Yvo de Cleer takes the victory. Dutch television commentator Maarten Ducrot said he looked better than his opponents and for once he was right. He was tremendously helped by Epifanio Merchan who finished 11th in the end. Eduard Brouwers could not help as much as he liked but managed to finish 27th.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Pinerolo_001.JPG)
Yvo is very proud to wear this famous jersey, although probably not for long
(https://dctw199675d83.cloudfront.net/media/image/95/9b/4f/16675_1_600x600.jpg)
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You know you have a problem when a rider of WinterIsComing is favourite to win. So Tristan Prins was very happy to finish second after Valentijn Teffer in Rundum der Henniger Turm as it was the best he could do. His helpers Eddy Room en Eduard Brouwers finished 10th and 29th.
Proud to be part of a of an All-Dutch podium in Frankfurt! :D
And congrats on the Pink Jersey. My cyclist Kleinbergs did better than expected in his debut race with a 3rd place and 14 seconds behind. :)
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Well, we did try to guide Yvo de Cleer over the cobbles to Montalcino today, but it was, as expected, no great success as he lost almost 3 minutes. Inocencio Aleixio did pretty much ignore his orders and rode to place 5 as a domestique, while Ørjan Henningsen finished 11th.
Lovely place by the way, Montalcino. A bit difficult to get the teambus parked, but still...
(https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2015/03/000009e16-Montalcino2.jpg)
In the GC the differences are rising slowly:
1 Nobby Kellman 19 $Tourmalet 0: 00" 0 0
2 Oto Kleinbergs 19 WinterIsComing 0: 14" 0 0
3 Nick Johnson 19 $Tourmalet 0: 22" 0 0
4 Romeu Maximo 19 Kalarratas 0: 26" 0 0
5 Pedro Kranz 19 MelonKas 0: 30" 0 0
6 Yvo de Cleer 19 Combuijs 1: 04" 0 0
Nobby and Oto will be a problem as they climb almost as good as Yvo.
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In the slightly downhill stage from Clusone to Milano all team attentions were focused on Yvo de Cleer, but he slightly outclassed his helpers by finishing 19th on one minute of the all eaglesOFcarthage podium. Eduard Brouwers finished 20th and Ørjan Henningsen 24th.
(https://www.stedenman.nl/attachments/Milaan_navigli-1a.jpg)
By the way, what letter does Ørjan get at the Sinterklaas festival? No wonder that the festival is not popular in Scandinavia...
Anyway, a good result for Yvo as he climbs up in the GC:
1 Nobby Kellman 19 $Tourmalet 0: 00" 0 0
2 Yvo de Cleer 19 Combuijs 0: 39" 0 0
3 Pedro Kranz 19 MelonKas 1: 16" 0 0
4 Raul Arango 19 Jediondos 1: 19" 0 0
5 Oto Kleinbergs 19 WinterIsComing 1: 23" 0 0
You can't keep anything from King Corona Magazine, so we have admitted that we sent Carlo Bemelmans on training camp to Les Vieilles Forges.
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/concentra1.png)
We are sure he will take this very seriously...
(https://cdn-2.homair.com/z-z/carousel_park/photos/france/ardennes/les-mazures/lac-des-vieilles-forges_044880_ori.jpg)
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In tonight's stage from the fearsome Zoncolan to Scanuppia our goal was to get as much time as possible between Yvo de Cleer and the other riders. Maarten Ducrot as usually repeated himself by saying again that Yvo looked better than his rivals, and of course by "this is the new way of cycling". But again there was no serious opposition for Yvo, so he wins his second stage this Giro and 21 seconds on rival Nobby Kellman.
Epifanio Merchan gets 15th and Eduard Brouwers a very skillful 30th place.
Yvo took some extra luggage with him to make it the race more interesting:
(http://www.lonelycyclist.rtij.nl/Garda41.jpg)
Nobby unfortunately stays in pink, but there is only 17 seconds in between:
1 Nobby Kellman 19 $Tourmalet 0: 00" 0 0
2 Yvo de Cleer 19 Combuijs 0: 17" 0 0
3 Pedro Kranz 19 MelonKas 1: 31" 0 0
4 Raul Arango 19 Jediondos 1: 33" 0 0
5 Oto Kleinbergs 19 WinterIsComing 1: 45" 0 0
Oh, and guess who is favourite tomorrow in the stage to Zoldo Alto. Indeed...
It seems we have started our publicity campaign for young new riders a bit too late as skilful young riders only now start to emerge. The team selection is getting a little messy now...
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Again a climbing stage in the Giro, this time from Marostica to Zoldo Alto. So the only question was who would finish first behind Yvo de Cleer and that were not unexpectedly Nobby Kellman and Oto Kleinbergs. Epifanio Merchan got 17th place and minimalist Eduard Brouwers again 30th...
(https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/10/2a/21/31/chiesa-di-san-valentino.jpg)
Unfortunately Yvo did not win enough time to blink in pink:
1 Nobby Kellman 19 $Tourmalet 0: 00" 0 0
2 Yvo de Cleer 19 Combuijs 0: 11" 0 0
3 Raul Arango 19 Jediondos 1: 52" 0 0
4 Oto Kleinbergs 19 WinterIsComing 1: 57" 0 0
5 Pedro Kranz 19 MelonKas 2: 08" 0 0
Maybe in tonight's stage Yvo can claim the pink jersey again?
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Yvo de Cleer and his team hunted for the pink jersey in the stage from Pordenone to Di Lavaredo. In the first hills he made a surprise attack together with helper Ørjan Henningsen and they found GC-leader Nobby Kellman fast asleep! Nobby never recuperated and in the final climb Yvo de Cleer and Romeu Maximo (Kalarratas) made a deal. Romeu the stage win, Yvo the pink jersey!
(https://www.pustertal.org/images/cms/754x435/B-P8140180-drei-zinnen-sexten.jpg)
This time Epifanio Merchan was the minimalist with 30th place.
The GC and proud we are indeed:
1 Yvo de Cleer 19 Combuijs 0: 00" 0 0
2 Nobby Kellman 19 $Tourmalet 0: 26" 0 0
3 Oto Kleinbergs 19 WinterIsComing 1: 50" 0 0
4 Raul Arango 19 Jediondos 2: 01" 0 0
5 Pedro Kranz 19 MelonKas 2: 17" 0 0
Getting the pink jersey is difficult, but keeping it might prove more difficult...
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In the stage to La Spezia the main goal was keeping the pink jersey on the shoulders of Yvo de Cleer. The good news was that Nobby Kellmann lost contact in the last flat section, the bad news that Oto Kleinbergs was far ahead in the leader group. He apparently knows how to manage a hill. In the end Yvo lost 1:20 on Oto and won 29 seconds on Nobby. That gain came as a surprise as $Tourmalet seems to be training riders for hills. Free roler Ørjan Henningsen hobbled to 15th place.
(https://www.msccruises.nl/nl-nl/Assets/LaSpezia-Italy-intro_2582_12333_433-280_Images.jpg)
The GC has changed a bit, but the right man is still at the right place:
1 Yvo de Cleer 19 Combuijs 0: 00" 0 0
2 Oto Kleinbergs 19 WinterIsComing 0: 30" 0 0
3 Pedro Kranz 19 MelonKas 0: 42" 0 0
4 Nobby Kellman 19 $Tourmalet 0: 55" 0 0
5 Romeu Maximo 19 Kalarratas 1: 25" 0 0
That is, for the moment, because next race is on the dreaded cobbles...
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Bad communications here in Italy, so we will do two stages for the price of one.
First the cobbles to San Vendemiano. Inocencio Aleixo finished 2nd in a free rol, which was better than expected. Ørjan Henningsen as a helper finished 23rd. He of course tried to help Yvo de Cleer but Yvo suffered mainly alone and lost 2:33 in the end.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipPzZTzbvS2Dr_k5uYSExF-JHIdSADiw2-BzbvIr=s1600-h1600)
The stage to Praia a Mare brought more fun, mainly because there are some serious hills before you arrive at the sea. Helper Ørjan Henningsen finished 10th and Yvo de Cleer only lost 1:28.
(https://odis.homeaway.com/odis/listing/daeb7539-7887-4e7f-8f54-76795a47f036.c10.jpg)
Interesting place for a training camp...
In the GC all gaps are closing up:
1 Nobby Kellman 19 $Tourmalet 0: 00" 0 0
2 Pedro Kranz 19 MelonKas 0: 16" 0 0
3 Yvo de Cleer 19 Combuijs 0: 17" 0 0
4 Romeu Maximo 19 Kalarratas 0: 24" 0 0
5 Oto Kleinbergs 19 WinterIsComing 0: 38" 0 0
So, it will be a very interesting last sprint stage. Camera footage might be difficult as they expect a lot of rain this afternoon...
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Communications have opened up hee in France and we have a lot to tell. First of all the last stage of the Giro: we did it! Or better: Yvo de Cleer did it. The team attacked from the beginning of the flat stage and important riders like Oto Kleinbergs in the first section and Nobby Kellman in the second one lost contact. In the end Yvo de Cleer finished 11th, helper Eduard Brouwers even 7th and Ørjan Henningsen 23rd.
Final GC of the Giro:
1 Yvo de Cleer 19 Combuijs 0: 00" 1000 166667
2 Pedro Kranz 19 MelonKas 0: 48" 800 150000
3 Nobby Kellman 19 $Tourmalet 0: 52" 650 133333
4 Oto Kleinbergs 19 WinterIsComing 2: 02" 550 116667
5 Romeu Maximo 19 Kalarratas 2: 13" 500 100000
We hope every team keeps on underestimating sprint for GC-riders, but meanwhile we are enjoying the admiring gaze of the local people Lido Santa Maria del Cedro:
(https://www.dltviaggi.it/immagine/25492/Image_gallery/4%20APPART%20HOTEL%20RESIDENCE%20GANDHI.jpg)
In Dauphiné Libéré, the paper, not the race, the cycling expert explained the tactical qualities of Roque Moron after the spectacular win in the last stage of the Giro.
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/tactica1.png)
Division standing after the Giro:
1º $Tourmalet 20990 8 12 11
2º WinterIsComing 19325 4 7 13
3º Combuijs 18476 15 8 8
4º Kalarratas 11206 2 10 3
5º CojoNudos 11064 2 1 0
In the Dauphiné Libéré, the race, not the paper, Combuijs is represented by:
21 Yvo de Cleer
22 Tristan Prins
23 Daniel Rooijakkers
24 Arjen Rutte
25 Julius Wiegel
We thought it appropriate to send the sons of two liberal politicians to a liberating race...
The first stage to Valmorel was (of course?) a win for Yvo de Cleer, who simply can't be beaten in the mountains. Helper Tristan Prins took 25th place.
The second stage to Belley saw Yvo again doing well with a 16th place. Arjen Rutte scored his first points with place 18.
In the GC Yvo leads:
1 Yvo de Cleer 19 Combuijs 0: 00" 0 0
2 Valentijn Teffer 19 WinterIsComing 0: 44" 0 0
3 Nobby Kellman 19 $Tourmalet 1: 07" 0 0
4 Pedro Kranz 19 MelonKas 2: 02" 0 0
5 Harry Tjoens 19 Plopsala 2: 08" 0 0
but we will have to see what happens in the time trial tomorrow.
(https://cycling-jersey-collection.com/files/photos/filename/2013-06-05-santini-le-dauphine-2007-credit-agricole-overall-yellow-leaders-jersey.jpg)
After the Dauphiné Liberé, Arjan Rutte will be on training camp in Heerlen Thermen for the Binck Banck Tour and the Vuelta.
(http://romeinen.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/22-Badhuis130.jpg)
On Dutch and Australian social media there has been a vivid discussion which team to support, so with this in mind we have decided to give a free package with a bottle of our lovely Combuijs Honey Ale and our lovely designed race shirt to everyone who supports us against $Tourmalet, WinterIsComing and CojoNudos (we do want to go to division 1 after all...).
We have now a very sad treasurer who for the third time in his short career saw an empty chest after we bought cobblehiller Adam Balogh to strengthen our squad.
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The time trial to Louhans Chateaurenaud in the Dauphiné proved to be quite succesfull for acknowledged non-time-trialists like us. Daniel Rooijakkers is lacking some stamina so after a good start he finished 7th in the end. There were also points for Julius Wiegel (18th), Yvo de Cleer (22nd) and Arjen Rutte (29th). The only rider in the squad not scoring any points for us is Adam Balogh who admittedly has not ridden a race for us until now...
(http://bf-louhans-chateaurenaud.e-monsite.com/medias/images/louhans.02.jpg)
Yvo de Cleer has strengthened his position in the GC and it is hard to see him losing first place:
1 Yvo de Cleer 19 Combuijs 0: 00" 0 0
2 Nobby Kellman 19 $Tourmalet 1: 42" 0 0
3 Henrik Michael-Møller 19 $Tourmalet 1: 48" 0 0
4 Policarpo Mendoza 19 MelonKas 1: 58" 0 0
5 Albano Roseiro 19 Kalarratas 2: 06" 0 0
Earlier reports by De Telegraaf con be confirmed by now. Chester Laybutt is far from a great talent, which is a pity. There is an internal heavy debate now going on which rider will be central to our training. Obvious candidates are Julius Maalderink and Garret Rose, but there might be more talents in the team.
Tigran Filin is doing his very best and is still doing a good job, but he has not been able to find a trick to improve our cobble bikes.
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/mej2.jpg)
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Yvo de Cleer felt very safe in the stage to Vaujany. Too safe it seems as he looked around a bit, eyeing the girls in the crowd and chatting with other riders. So he totally missed an important escape and was in trouble the rest of the race. Tristan Prins in the end finished 3rd, mainly because he was looking behind him to see where Yvo was. Yvo lost 1 minute on 11th position, but is still in the lead in the GC:
1 Yvo de Cleer 19 Combuijs 0: 00" 0 0
2 Nobby Kellman 19 $Tourmalet 1: 24" 0 0
3 Henrik Michael-Møller 19 $Tourmalet 1: 31" 0 0
4 Harry Tjoens 19 Plopsala 1: 33" 0 0
5 Valentijn Teffer 19 WinterIsComing 1: 58" 0 0
But let's give him a warning for tomorrow: beware of Harry Tjoens!
(https://www.isere-tourism.com/sites/default/files/sitra/94845_1128192.jpg)
Tomorrow we start in the Tour of Switzerland and we more or less take a break with the GC riders:
21 Andreas van Zijl
22 Inocencio Aleixo
23 Julius Maalderink
25 Eddy Room
25 Daniel Rooijakkers
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In the last stage of the Dauphiné Yvo de Cleer could ride quite defensively to retain the leader jersey, so Harry Tjoens was able to win the last race, before Yvo and Tristan Prins (8th).
(http://leplanica.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/le-planica-la-rosiere-1850-ete.jpg)
With the second place in the last stage of the Dauhpiné Orica has decided to sponsor us for the rest of the season. Which probably means all our riders will become more explosive in the near future?
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/orika.jpg)
GC of the Dauhpiné:
1 Yvo De Cleer 19 Combuijs 0: 00" 500 100000
2 Harry Tjoens 19 Plopsala 1: 09" 400 90000
3 Nobby Kellman 19 $Tourmalet 2: 12" 325 80000
4 Pedro Kranz 19 MelonKas 2: 36" 275 70000
5 Henrik Michael-Møller 19 $Tourmalet 3: 24" 250 60000
6 Valentijn Teffer 19 WinterIsComing 3: 52" 225 50000
Division standings after the Dauhpiné:
1º $Tourmalet 22405 8 12 12
2º WinterIsComing 20698 4 7 13
3º Combuijs 19713 16 9 9
4º Kalarratas 12211 2 10 6
5º CojoNudos 11678 2 2 0
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The first stage of the Switzerland Tour to Grimselpass did not bring a lot of points, Andreas van Zijl finished 14th. He apparently had time to take this picture...
(https://www.cycling-challenge.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/4977262382_19cb078533_b.jpg)
A sponsor bid for the second stage of the BinckBank Tour from Fertil France proved ... eh ... fertile.
(http://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/fertilfrance.jpg)
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In the second stage in Switzerland to Tiefenbachferner Andreas van Zijl became 9th and Eddy Room 30th. Andreas is now 10th in the GC, which is not bad at all. Unfortunately hills are not his forte... Eddy Room is tipped as 3rd favourite in the next stage though.
(http://www.quaeldich.de/img/10172/DSCN8584_thumb_1080px.jpg)
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Eddy Room arrives 5th in Baar in a free role. Not bad at all that.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Baar02.jpg/260px-Baar02.jpg)
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In the time trial around Bellinzona Daniel Rooijakkers looked good in the beginning, but he faded in the end to place 8. Andreas van Zijl did not bad at all with 13th place and even Eddy Room scored points on place 25.
(https://img.myswitzerland.com/mys/n64487/images/buehne/st0035457-1.jpg)
In the GC Andreas is now 12th and he knows his way around the cobbles too, so he might be in the top 10 after tonight's race. But we will focus on a win for Julius Maalderink of course.
We have now an exclusive report by our health service that Arjen Rutte and Julius Wiegel both are medium talents. Not too disappointing then...
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OK, we seem to have a little team problem. In the cobble stage around Frauenfeld Inocencio Aleixo forgot to hand over first place to Julius Maalderink. We will need to talk about this afternoon, but maybe we will to discipline Inocencio, for instance by not allowing him to start in races anymore this season. 12th place for Andreas van Zijl meant a 7th place in the GC, which was the expectation somewhat. Daniel Rooijakkers finished 16th.
(https://images0.schweizmobil.ch/image/Frauenfeld_1219_a.jpg)
The Swiss Tour was convincingly won by Harry Tjoens (Plopsala) with his teammate Raoul Dedeyne on second place.
Division standings after the Tour of Switzerland:
1º $Tourmalet 23822 8 13 13
2º WinterIsComing 21602 4 7 14
3º Combuijs 20631 17 10 9
4º Kalarratas 13310 2 11 6
5º Plopsala 12495 13 4 3
Plopsala on the rise now, but will they and Kalarratas threaten third place? We will see in the Tour de France.
And in that Tour de France we have an exquisite selection:
21 Tristan Prins
22 Carlo Bemelmans
23 Epifanio Merchan
25 Eddy Room
25 Daniel Rooijakkers
Tristan Prins will be our GC man, Carlo Bemelmans and Eddy Room are there for the Monthermé stage, Daniel Rooijakkers can do a decent time trial and Epifanio Merchan will be the helper in the mountains.
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This morning all our riders did well at the opening time trial in Cholet. That is, all our riders, except for our intended leader Tristan Prins. Alright, he has some weak points as a GC-rider, but aren't they all hampered by youth? Anyway, place 83 out 88 and a 3:31 loss was the not what we had in mind. And we have to plan for another 4 minutes in the closing time trial. If that is enough to remain a contender for the GC only time will tell.
But let's rejoice with Daniel Rooijakkers (3rd), Epifanio Merchan (15th) and Carlo Bemelmans (30th).
In the Grenoble - Courchevel stage this afternoon Tristan Prins took revenge with a 4th place (well timed, he did not have to go doping control...) while Epifanio Merchan helped him and himself to place 12.
(https://qpr2l7.imagenii.com/static1.seecourchevel.com/image_uploader/photos/05/large/what-s-on-in-courchevel-summer-2018-courchevel-1850-644.jpg?f=q(v=.8)&auth=b4d1f5a9844c2494cfbaecc885a0a03c8f0cdbd3)
In the GC Harry Tjoens is already leading:
1 Harry Tjoens 19 Plopsala 0: 00" 0 0
2 Henrik Michael-Møller 19 $Tourmalet 0: 09" 0 0
3 Nobby Kellman 19 $Tourmalet 0: 19" 0 0
4 Jos Daatzelaar 19 Plopsala 0: 20" 0 0
5 Epifanio Merchan 19 Combuijs 0: 28" 0 0
Tristan Prins's fans don't have to worry, he is 16th on 1:45.
In Eva Jinek's show one guest praised our great youth team. Which does not tell anything at all as usual...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/promos2.png)
More interesting was the remark that Ørjan Henningsen is quite a talent, which is quite good news.
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What is a Tour de France without a stage to Pau? Yvo de Cleer enjoyed it very much and again managed to avoid doping control with place 4. Epifanio Merchan got 19th.
(https://en.nice.aeroport.fr/var/anca/storage/images/passagers/vols-destinations/100-destinations-en-direct-de-nice/france/pau/gallery-pau/pau-4/12819901-1-fre-FR/Pau-4_galleryfull.png)
In the GC Tristan is now 10th, Epifanio even 8th, but he will sink into oblivion very soon.
Sponsor Barclays is expecting an 8th place in the coming stage and Carlo Bemelmans is ready for it. Some claim he is second favourite in this stage, but we will claim first favourite...
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The training camp in Les Vieilles Forges of Carlo Bemelmans did pay out very nicely. He beated Bolaverde's Stig Dreyer in the final sprint to win the stage to Monthermé. Helper Eddy Room finished 8th, GC man Tristan Prins 13th.
(https://travelguide.michelin.com/sites/default/files/styles/poi_slideshow_big/public/images/travel_guide/NX-38800.jpg?itok=0zA-nwDQ)
Sponsor Barclays was expecting at least place 8, but of course we did want the stage win.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/barclays.jpg)
Happy to have another sponsor aboard, but they have to share their bank services with Banco Santander, I'm afraid.
Tristan Prins climbs to 5th place in the GC:
1 Harry Tjoens 19 Plopsala 0: 00" 0 0
2 Pedro Kranz 19 MelonKas 0: 01" 0 0
3 Henrik Michael-Møller 19 $Tourmalet 0: 07" 0 0
4 Oto Kleinbergs 19 WinterIsComing 1: 00" 0 0
5 Tristan Prins 19 Combuijs 1: 06" 0 0
Tomorrow Tristan is favourite to win the stage, so let's see if he can claim the yellow jersey for a while. Keeping it might be difficult as there are still a few difficult stages for him left.
Mercedes Benz will sponsor us if we will have result in the 9th stage in the Vuelta. This is a somewhat odd stage around Avila on some goat trails. Well, we don't mind to have a Mercedes Benz as a teamcar...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/mercedesbenz.png)
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Well, we have to chat a bit with director Roque Moron, because tactical the Loriol-Mont Ventoux-Loriol stage went wrong. Helpers Carlo Bemelmans and Eddy Room started too quick for leader Tristan Prins and on the Mont Ventoux itself they could not follow him, so Tristan was virtually helpless. In the end he lost the sprint to Pedro Kranz and made up some time, but it was not enough for the yellow jersey, which will be out of reach now.
Eddy Room finished 14th and even Carlo Bemelmans, declaring that the Mont Ventoux is his least favourite mountain, got 25th place.
(http://valdedrome-tourisme.com/imgs/filemanagerImages/imgsDiaporamas/Val%20de%20Dr%C3%B4me%20-%20Loriol/vue-de-loriol-lointaine.jpg)
The GC at the moment:
1 Pedro Kranz 19 MelonKas 0: 00" 0 0
2 Harry Tjoens 19 Plopsala 0: 24" 0 0
3 Tristan Prins 19 Combuijs 1: 05" 0 0
4 Henrik Michael-Møller 19 $Tourmalet 1: 08" 0 0
5 Romeu Maximo 19 Kalarratas 1: 54" 0 0
No WinterIsComing then? Sure, he has four riders in the top 10 of the GC...
In other news Julius Wiegel seems to be a moderate talent.
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Troyes-Nancy was always going to be a struggle for Tristan Prins, he lost 2 minutes in the end. Carlo Bemelmans in a free role got 15th place and helper Eddy Room 22nd.
(https://d1bvpoagx8hqbg.cloudfront.net/originals/experience-nancy-france-laura-e2198ca5685f3f060ec26d5df7fd1346.jpg)
In the GC Tristan has now drifted to 5th place:
1 Pedro Kranz 19 MelonKas 0: 00" 0 0
2 Henrik Michael-Møller 19 $Tourmalet 1: 31" 0 0
3 Harry Tjoens 19 Plopsala 1: 38" 0 0
4 Oto Kleinbergs 19 WinterIsComing 2: 18" 0 0
5 Tristan Prins 19 Combuijs 2: 48" 0 0
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In the cobblehill stage to Le Puy en Velay Daniel Rooijakkers finished 5th in a free role. Carlo Bemelmans as a helper finished 19th, while Tristan Prins lost 1:20 to go down to 8th place in the GC. A top 10 should be possible for him, but not much more.
Tristan was disappointed that the stage did finish uphill, that would have improved his chances:
(https://dotnlgul4mfwg.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/23110207/Le-Puy-en-Velay-1.jpg)
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From Bourg d'Oisans to Valence Tristan Prins was always going to be in trouble. He finished 2:46 behind winner Simon Wiedemann (eaglesOFcarthage). Best Honey Ale drinker was Carlo Bemelmans on place 15. Tristan has now gone to 10th place in the GC, so he will need a very good mountain stage tomorrow morning.
(https://media.valence-romans-tourisme.com/photos/structure_15349/4451794.jpg.580x580_q70_crop_upscale.jpg)
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The stage from Jaca to Val Louron was paved with mountains, but Tristan Prins did not feel too well, so in the end he finished 3rd. Helper Epifanio Merchan finished 11th.
(https://pyreneescollection.co.uk/graphics/library/Louron%20Valley%208.png)
In the GC Tristan goes up to 6th place, which will not improve in the last time trial.
Oh, and I got a letter today: I am eligible to vote for the national manager. Finally, recognition of my abilities...
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The Tour de France decided by a final time trial, where did we see that earlier in history? Anyway, for Daniel Rooijakkers Chartres was some kilometers too far to finish on the podium, in the end he was 5th. Epifanio Merchan was 20th and Carlo Bemelmans 25th. Tristan Prins lost almost 4 minutes to finish in 10th place in the GC.
(https://www.chartres.fr/fileadmin/_processed_/d/d/csm_Homepage1_1920x1200_492613fec5.jpg)
1 Pedro Kranz 19 MelonKas 0: 00" 1000 166667
2 Harry Tjoens 19 Plopsala 2: 04" 800 150000
3 Henrik Michael-Møller 19 $Tourmalet 3: 50" 650 133333
4 Oto Kleinbergs 19 WinterIsComing 4: 20" 550 116667
5 Romeu Maximo 19 Kalarratas 4: 24" 500 100000
6 Bernhard Rooks 19 WinterIsComing 5: 37" 450 83333
7 Raoul Dedeyne 19 Plopsala 5: 48" 400 66667
8 Valentijn Teffer 19 WinterIsComing 6: 35" 350 58333
9 Olivier Napoleon 19 WinterIsComing 6: 37" 300 50000
10 Tristan Prins 19 Combuijs 6: 38" 250 41667
Tristan would have been the worst WinterIsComing rider if he had been in that team...
Division standings after the Tour de France:
1º $Tourmalet 26740 9 14 13
2º WinterIsComing 25678 4 7 16
3º Combuijs 22962 18 11 11
4º Kalarratas 16308 3 13 7
5º Plopsala 15755 16 4 3
$Tourmalet and WinterIsComing are slowly escaping from our fingers and Kalarratas is slowly coming nearer
The line up for tomorrow's Clasica San Sebastian will be:
21 Tristan Prins
22 Carlo Bemelmans
23 Ørjan Henningsen
24 Adam Neeskens
25 Eddy Room
Of course we to excel in our only Dutch Tour and these riders have been selected for that:
21 Carlo Bemelmans
22 Julius Maalderink
23 Eddy Room
24 Daniel Rooijakkers
25 Arjen Rutte
We will concentrate on the second stage where we have a sponsordeal and on the hilly stages. Daniel Rooijakkers can eat his heart out on the time trial and maybe Carlo Bemelmans can do something in the GC.
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In the Clasica de San Sebastian Tristan Prins got 2nd place behind Olivier Napoleon (WinterIsComing) who apparently did not find his Waterloo here. Eddy Room did help really well and finished 15th. Carlo Bemelmans still feels the benefits of a training camp and finished 27th.
(https://lonelyplanetimages.imgix.net/mastheads/GettyImages-163188684_medium.jpg?sharp=10&vib=20&w=1200)
Division standings after San Sebestian:
1º $Tourmalet 27425 9 14 13
2º WinterIsComing 26888 5 7 16
3º Combuijs 23522 18 12 11
4º Kalarratas 16603 3 13 7
5º Plopsala 15755 16 4 3
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The first stage in our own Tour went from Heerlen to Philippe Gilbert Country. Carlo Bemelmans was inspired as he should be and was only in the sprint without a chance against a combine of two $Tourmalet riders. Still, second place is encouraging, as was Eddy Room's 14th place.
(http://www.campersite.be/parkings/wallonie/prov_luik/Aywaille/aywaille_parking.jpg)
Tomorrow we are in Zealand and as we have sponsordeal it is good to see we are first and second favourite...
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We love Breskens, especially after this morning's race where Julius Maalderink finished first and helper Arjan Rutte second. Daniel Rooijakkers was only 14th...
(https://www.zeelandtravel.nl/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/visserijfeesten-breskens-2018.jpg)
In the GC we all are doing well, so let's enjoy it while it lasts:
1 Richard Harris 19 WinterIsComing 0: 00" 0 0
2 Pelayo Torregrosa 19 CojoNudos 0: 26" 0 0
3 Julius Maalderink 19 Combuijs 0: 36" 0 0
4 Dries Witsche 19 WinterIsComing 0: 43" 0 0
5 Victor Rødland 19 Bolaverde 0: 48" 0 0
6 Arjen Rutte 19 Combuijs 0: 53" 0 0
7 Nick Janson 19 Jediondos 1: 18" 0 0
8 Carlo Bemelmans 19 Combuijs 1: 21" 0 0
Anyway, we have a happy sponsor Fertil France, so we all can work very hard in the garden during our winter vacation...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/fertilfrance.jpg)
Olivetti can't get enough of us as they propose a deal for the 5th stage in the Tour of Switzerland around Bellinzona. We have no serious time trialists in our team, and the did not offer enough money anyway.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/olivetti.jpg)
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In the Friesian lowlands we travelled from Heerenveen to Bolsward and we saw Julius Maalderink finishing 7th, Arjen Rutte 18th, Carlo Bemelmans 22nd and Daniel Rooijakkers 28th.
(https://www.harrebolsward.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/bolsward_harre-900x479.jpg)
In the GC we have three riders in the top 7:
1 Richard Harris 19 WinterIsComing 0: 00" 0 0
2 Pelayo Torregrosa 19 CojoNudos 0: 03" 0 0
3 Julius Maalderink 19 Combuijs 0: 12" 0 0
4 Dries Witsche 19 WinterIsComing 0: 43" 0 0
5 Victor Rødland 19 Bolaverde 0: 48" 0 0
6 Arjen Rutte 19 Combuijs 0: 53" 0 0
7 Carlo Bemelmans 19 Combuijs 1: 21" 0 0
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We are actually not too bad in time trials and the one around Sittard or Geleen (they could not decide which city to take?) was no exception. Daniel Rooijakkers finished 5th, Eddy Room 18th, Arjen Rutte 19th and Carlo Bemelmans 22nd.
(https://www.1limburg.nl/sites/default/files/public/styles/media-paragraph/public/sittard_1_0_0.jpg?itok=qGnF2Gnn)
This gives us 4 riders in de top 10, a WinterIsComing-esque result:
1 Pelayo Torregrosa 19 CojoNudos 0: 00" 0 0
2 Sebastien Galmanov 19 Bryggen 0: 48" 0 0
3 Arjen Rutte 19 Combuijs 1: 00" 0 0
4 Richard Harris 19 WinterIsComing 1: 05" 0 0
5 Brendan Owen 19 $Tourmalet 1: 11" 0 0
6 Julius Maalderink 19 Combuijs 1: 31" 0 0
7 Daniel Rooijakkers 19 Combuijs 1: 33" 0 0
8 Victor Rødland 19 Bolaverde 1: 33" 0 0
9 Kenneth Wind 19 Jediondos 1: 36" 0 0
10 Carlo Bemelmans 19 Combuijs 1: 39" 0 0
In the last stage to Lanaken we will play the Carlo card though. See if we can get our 20th victory this season.
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Unlike Combuijs, my cyclists have to learn a lot about Time Trials. I hope to climb a bit in the Allround Classification in the BinckBank Tour though. Good luck with Carlo!
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In the last stage of the Binck Bank Tour to Lanaken Carlo Bemelmans was 6 seconds short and finished 4th, while helper Eddy Room managed a 10th place.
(http://www.lanaken.be/dsresource?objectid=cd9de70d-d02c-458c-9241-d9a5fddc98c3&type=webimage)
In the GC Carlo finished 6th and the rest of our team was 11th, 12th, 14th and 15th. So, in the GC we did a "WinterIsComing" but then on a lower level (they were 2nd, 7th, 8th, 10th and 24th).
Too many goals in this season's Vuelta and only five riders to achieve them:
21 Arjen Rutte
22 Yvo de Cleer
23 Julius Maalderink
24 Daniel Rooijakkers
25 Andreas van Zijl
We have a shared leadership between Arjen and Yvo, one of them has to reach 10th place, we want get Julius up in the individual division standings, Daniel can do his thing in the time trial and help on the cobbles and Andreas is here to please a sponsor in stage 9.
In the first stage the Chicken Pass Yvo de Cleer managed to become second in a free role. Andreas van Zijl got 26th place and Arjen Rutte lost 7 minutes, which is more than expected. We will have a conference this afternoon about the leadership in our team...
(https://d19tiqumqauva7.cloudfront.net/var/andorra/storage/images/_aliases/intro_slide/www.andorra.ad/multimedia/galeria/natura/cicloturisme/ruta-de-ciclisme-14-coll-de-la-gallina/1906x960_ruta-de-ciclisme-14-coll-de-la-gallina/24033262-1-cat-ES/1906x960_ruta-de-ciclisme-14-coll-de-la-gallina.jpg)
Division standings after the first stage of the Vuelta:
1º WinterIsComing 29032 5 7 18
2º $Tourmalet 28739 11 15 14
3º Combuijs 25251 19 15 11
4º Kalarratas 17502 4 14 8
5º Plopsala 16000 16 4 3
We have a new leader, which is a bit unexpected. Or maybe not...
Next five weeks updates may be more scarce due to holidays of our spokesman, but we will try to keep you informed.
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Five weeks!!!???!!!
The sale of honey ale must have gone through the roof. ;D
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Have a nice holiday, Combuijs! Pity if we cannot enjoy your reviews in the final week of the season, but it's more important that you will enjoy your well deserved holiday. Thumbs up for your work throughout the season. :)
I really had fun reading all of it, as well as I enjoyed racing together with you in 3g! Next season we will both be in 1st division. Hope you will keep your Combuijs Capers alive :)
I will try to consolidate my first place in the rankings, although it was a bit unexpected to me as well that I was able to overtake $Tourmalet. 8)
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Some nice results in the Vuelta until now:
Stage 2 saw Julius Maalderink finsihing 10th, before Arjen Rutte (19th) an Yvo de Cleer (23rd).
In stage 3 Yvo de Cleer finishes 11th.
In stage 4 we have Julius Maalderink 20th and Arjen Rutte 18th.
Daniel Rooijakkers wins the 5th stage, a time trial. Andreas van Zijl 7th, Yvo de Cleer 8th and Arjen Rutte 24th. This was our 20th win this season, so a special Spanish edition of our Combuijs Honey Ale was appropriate.
Arjen Rutte wins the 6th stage before Julius Maalderink, Daniel Rooijakkers picks up 7th place.
Arjen Rutte wins also the 7th stage before Julius Maalderink, Daniel Rooijakkers picks up 15th place, Andrea van Zijl 19th.
The GC after this stage:
1 Pedro Kranz 19 MelonKas 0: 00" 0 0
2 Yvo de Cleer 19 Combuijs 0: 10" 0 0
3 Giovanni Arias 19 WinterIsComing 0: 25" 0 0
4 Nobby Kellman 19 $Tourmalet 0: 50" 0 0
5 Les Winger 19 WinterIsComing 1: 01" 0 0
In the Giro di Lombardia these riders will finish amidst the carlights:
21 Tristan Prins
22 Carlo Bemelmans
23 Yvo de Cleer
24 Chester Laybutt
25 Eddy Room
In the WC time trial these riders will be tortured:
21 Daniel Rooijakkers
22 Koen Helder
23 Norman Schuh
24 Julius Wiegel
25 Andreas van Zijl
In the WC race these riders will represent their countries:
21 Carlo Bemelmans
22 Chester Laybutt
23 Adam Neeskens
24 Tristan Prins
25 Eddy Room
Our mechanic Tigran Filin is really doing his best, but still no improvements for cobblestones...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/mej3.jpg)
We are very happy with our sales manager though. As Ricoo already remarked, the sale of Combuijs Honey Ale is going through the roof.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/tienda3.jpg)
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The 8th stage of the Vuelta was won by Yvo de Cleer, but in the 9th stage we were very disappointed by the 11th place of Arjen Rutte, the 14th place of Andreas van Zijl and the 19th place of Yvo de Cleer. Also sponsor Mercedes Benz was disappointed, so we won't ride in a Mercedes bus next season.
The last stage of the Vuelta was won by our Arjen Rutte before Julius Maalderink (2nd), Daniel Rooijakkers (13th) and Andreas van Zijl (23rd). That was our 5th win in the Vuelta.
In the GC we got a happy sponsor Ford who could choose between Yvo de Cleer and Arjen Rutte:
1 Les Winger 19 WinterIsComing 0: 00" 1000 166667
2 Pedro Kranz 19 MelonKas 1: 26" 800 150000
3 Giovanni Arias 19 WinterIsComing 1: 33" 650 133333
4 Nobby Kellman 19 $Tourmalet 2: 01" 550 116667
5 Romeu Maximo 19 Kalarratas 2: 08" 500 100000
6 Yvo De Cleer 19 Combuijs 2: 25" 450 83333
7 Michel Elzinga 19 WinterIsComing 2: 47" 400 66667
8 Arjen Rutte 19 Combuijs 5: 55" 350 58333
And we had Andreas van Zijl on 19th place. So we will ride in Ford Transits next season :-)
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/ford.jpg)
Still some food for thought as we had calculated that Arjen would end higher than Yvo in the GC which was not the case, even when Arjen was leader in all stages.
Tristan Prins was second in the Giro de Lombardia, helper Eddy Room 29th.
The World Championship time trial was won by Spaniard Jesus Alberto Soto of WinterIsComing. Our Daniel Rooijakkers was 12th, Koen Helder 21st and Norman Schuh 26th.
The World Championship race was won by Australian Isaac Montgomery of WinterIsComing. Our Carlo Bemelmans was 12th.
Team classification at the end of the season:
1º WinterIsComing 39220 9 8 20
2º $Tourmalet 33786 11 17 15
3º Combuijs 30182 24 19 11
4º Kalarratas 21321 4 14 10
5º CojoNudos 19924 3 6 4
6º Plopsala 17388 17 4 4
7º Bolaverde 16378 7 6 8
8º Jediondos 14243 0 2 4
9º MelonKas 10835 2 5 1
10º eaglesOFcarthage 10494 9 3 5
Individual classification at the end of the season:
1º Pedro Kranz 19 5982 MelonKas 2 5 1
2º Julius Maalderink 19 5454 Combuijs 6 6 2
3º Romeu Maximo 19 5269 Kalarratas 1 3 3
4º Yvo De Cleer 19 5260 Combuijs 7 3 1
5º Valentijn Teffer 19 5079 WinterIsComing 3 2 3
6º Kirk Trump 19 4942 $Tourmalet 3 2 5
7º Nobby Kellman 19 4802 $Tourmalet 0 5 3
8º Hallgeir Solhaug 19 4351 Bolaverde 5 1 0
9º Lucas Freitas 19 3730 Kalarratas 0 2 0
10º Tristan Prins 19 3699 Combuijs 2 5 3
11º Carlo Bemelmans 19 3667 Combuijs 3 2 2
And so we are going to prepare for a very tough next season on World Tour level.
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All riders have been salivating as they saw our new Specialized bikes. We don't want to hear complaints about their material from now on!
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/bicis/specialized.jpg)
The riders had some problems with masseur Egon Kreuz, so he has been replaced by Vince Haber, who wants to spend more time in Europe after the Brexit.
We had some problems with the tactical views of Roque Moron, so we have replaced our director with Portuguese Belarmino Farinha. That of course means we will have still some communication issues, but with some Portuguese lessons for everyone we feel that can be solved.
The UCI has published some remarkable figures about last season, and one of them is that our team has raced in all stages.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/diploma1.png)
Another one is that we have raced them all with 5 riders. To quote George Clooney: What else?
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/diploma2.png)
We will ride in the Cup for the first time and we will do a Paris-Nice stage from Chatou to Meudon, a flat hill cobble race, against Continental Pro Saul Salinas Team. With cobbles and hills as their weak point, I think we are favourite in this race.
These rider will make their cup debut:
11 Chester Laybutt
12 Adam Balogh
13 Julius Maalderink
14 Arjen Rutte
15 Julius Wiegel
In the Tour Down Under these riders will represent the Combuijs Honey Ale team:
441 Carlo Bemelmans
442 Adam Balogh
443 Adam Neeskens
444 Tristan Prins
445 Eddy Room
We have not ordered any Magnum bottles yet, we just hope for some points on this difficult World Tour level.
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Yesterday evening we had a nice cup race against Saul Salinas Team. In the race from Chatou to Medon, Chester Laybutt did what we was bought for last season:
1 Chester Laybutt a hours 0 minutes 0 seconds
2 Adam Balogh a hours 0 minutes 15 seconds
3 Earl Stamer a hours 0 minutes 15 seconds
In the next round we will ride Milan - San Remo against fellow World Tour team Skyliners. At the moment both teams have not any sprinters, so this might be a close one.
Yesterday evening also Carlo Bemelmans made his international debut for the Dutch team, and he even did finish. Way behind winner Erling Brynildsen, but let's not talk about details, shall we?
The first stage of the season in the Tour Down Under was won by that phenomenal Erling Brynildsen of Borinot Team, but more importantly our Tristan Prins managed 8th place in a free role. So the first points are already there and we are immediately out of the relegation zone. Leader Carlo Bemelmans Finished on 1:28 which is not too bad.
And de Telegraaf strikes again: according to this quality paper we have been in the top 5 of the first division. Oh yes, and pink elephants can fly!
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/top5.png)
(Admittedly, we had rank 3 when I first logged in in this new season, but that was before we bought our new cycling equipment. We probably just had a lot of money...)
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In the second stage of the Tour Down Under Carlo Bemelmans finished 18th, so some additional points for us. But in further stages we did not do well enough, as expected.
Division standings after the Tour Down Under
1º BorinotTeam 958 2 0 0
2º Rekutxuteam 861 0 1 0
3º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 740 2 0 0
26º galegospolabici 95 0 0 0
27º Combuijs 93 0 0 0
28º Skyliners 92 0 0 0
Already the relegation line is approaching rapidly...
Mechanic Tigran Filin received a compliment for the quality of the bikes
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/mate1.png)
De Telegraaf reported that money should be no problem for us. Well, we are not Ajax, aren't we?
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/millonario2.jpg)
They also reported that we have had our first international rider in the team, Carlo Bemelmans. Well international he was, but he did not finish within the first 100 in Sallanches.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/1int.gif)
That being true, the rest of the news was rather trivial: We scored points with an U23 rider in the first division. Great deal that!
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/jovenpuntos.png) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/d324.jpg)
No doubt they will report tomorrow that we sold our first rider, Daniel Rooijakkers. Milanezen wanted him very badly. The paper will speculate that millions will be involved, but in fact it was only 40,000
These riders will do the first stage in Europe, de Omloop het Volk (yes, I know this is called different nowadays).
261 Chester Laybutt
262 Adam Balogh
263 Ørjan Henningsen
264 Julius Maalderink
265 Arjen Rutte
These riders will bite the dust in the Strade Bianchi:
261 Chester Laybutt
262 Ørjan Henningsen
263 Julius Maalderink
264 Oscar Meijer
265 Arjen Rutte
We again hope to score some points here!
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Chester Laybutt finished 13th in de Omloop het Volk, which was a bit disappointing. He complained about having a bad night before, in which he had a point. Next time we will protect the team bus against night noises.
In the Strade Bianchi he became 19th, well rested now, but this race is less to his liking.
Division standings after the white roads:
1º CobbleCrushers 1370 1 0 1
2º Atlantico 1360 1 0 0
3º Rekutxuteam 1206 0 1 0
22º galegospolabici 335 0 0 0
23º Combuijs 313 0 0 0
24º KunTeam 226 0 0 0
We have bought Thomas Freitag from Vitimper for services in Milan - San Remo, the cup, hill sprints in general and long term hill training.
These riders are going to the sun:
221 Eddy Room
222 Carlo Bemelmans
223 Thomas Freitag
224 Julius Maalderink
225 Arjen Rutte
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From what I've heard Konrad Magnussen is looking forward to the first flat-cobble confrontation with Maalderink and Rutte.
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In the first stage of Paris-Nice we did nothing to remember, but the second stage over the cobbles to Vierzon had our interest beforehand. And as you might have heard, not only our interest. In hindsight Zatarra's remark was brilliant tactics, because now Arjen Rutte looked over his right shoulder to note with satisfaction that he would beat Konrad Magnussen, but alas, on his left side Rolv Sele could surprise him. Very happy with second place, but it could have been more, one feels. Julius Maalderink finished 30th as a helper. Still, congratulations to Zatarra from a farmer with dental problems...
And yes, De Telegraaf has awoken one day after the event:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/1venta.png)
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Thank you, Mr. Combuijs. Rolv was very happy with the stage win and Konrad was happy to see his team mate win. He knows he will get a chance to beat Arjen himself later on.
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Arjen Rutte knows now over which shoulder to look in the cobble race in the Tirreno Adriatico. He will be prepared!
Yesterday afternoon Carlo Bemelmans picked up a 19th place on Mont Brouilly with some help from Eddy Room.
Thomas Freitag has started his ale drinking career quite promising with a 10th place in Orléans after terrific help from Carlo Bemelmans.
We have sold our second rider. Andreas van Zijl has found hope and a new team in Espérance. He can show off his cobbleclimbing skills there.
After a heated conversation with Norman Schuh we have allowed him to find another team in which he can flourish, of course against certain financial conditions.
Yvo de Cleer will be our second national rider. He received a phone call from coach GinneR this morning while trying to get some rest after this night's training.
De Telegraaf has noted our yesterday's podium place as well:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/1podium.png)
Additional news:
These riders are going to beat Konrad Magnusson in the Tirreno Adriatico:
191 Arjen Rutte
192 Thomas Freitag
193 Ørjan Henningsen
194 Guido Leeghwater
195 Epifanio Merchan
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No serious results in the remainder of the stages in Paris-Nice, this were the division standings after the first stage of the Tirreno Adriatico:
1º Rekutxuteam 2163 0 2 0
2º BorinotTeam 1550 2 1 1
3º Atlantico 1546 1 0 0
24º Codex 551 0 0 0
25º Combuijs 538 0 1 0
26º vercors 476 0 0 0
In the flat stage to Salsomaggiore Terme in the Tirreno Adriatico Thomas Freitag was of course not up to Wilfred Bentinck (but then who is?) of Yvo Meppelink Pro Cycling but 24th place for a hill sprinter is not bad. 19 year old Guido Leeghwater did well as a helper, he finished 45th.
Thanks to Thomas we have passed to the third round of the cup. He was the one who could just beat Rolf-Peter Baumgartner of Skyliners in Milan-San Remo. Somehow very satisfying to beat a German team with a German rider. The next round we will have a time trial finishing on a hill against teamsomio from the Pro Continental Tour and it is really a pity we have sold our two less bad time trialist. We will have to ponder how we are going to handle this.
This afternoon there will be snow on the top of Terminilio, so we will have to see what Epifanio Merchan can do there. And tomorrow morning there is the important cobble race where we will play the Arjen and Ørjan cards...
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In the mountain time trial Epifanio Merchan just got some points with 30th place.
In the cobble stage to Follonica, Arjen just started too fast for Ørjan, so in the end he was short of breath and had to make do with 5th place. The good news was that is was one place better than Konrad Magnusson, the bad news was that Rolv Sele again finished before him, this time as 3rd. Glorious winner was Yannick Pierre of the aptly named Cobble Crushers. Again honourable mentions for Guido Leeghwater who as a helper finished 40th.
Division standings after the Tirreno Adriatico:
1º Rekutxuteam 2200 0 2 0
2º Flyvende_hjul 1990 1 0 0
3º CobbleCrushers 1838 2 0 1
25º Caracoles 670 2 0 0
26º Combuijs 647 0 1 0
27º CC_Porco_Jones 632 0 1 0
These riders are going to ride the Prima Vera:
251 Thomas Freitag
252 Carlo Bemelmans
253 Eelco van der Laan
254 Guido Leeghwater
255 Oscar Meijer
These 5 go for the E3:
251 Garret Rose
252 Koen Helder
253 Oscar Meijer
254 Arjen Rutte
255 Julius Wiegel
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Rolv was very happy he could beat Arjen once again. Now it was his turn, however to not look at the other rivals. I think for now it was the best result possible. Magnussen had a free role: he could barely keep Arjen's wheel. Together with Amund he rode a pretty good result!
Good luck and we'll meet again in the E3 although I think our biys will be beaten by Yannick once again.
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In Milan - San Remo Thomas Freitag proved he can compete with the best hillsprinters of his age. In the leading group of 50 he finished 11th and we are quite happy with that.
We now know how to beat Zatarra's Rolv Sele! Just let him watch Arjen Rutte and then pass him with another rider, the highly talented Garret Rose. That resulted in a 5th place, Yannick Pierre was unbeatable again. There are still improvements possible in tactics, Koen Helder helped more than expected and as a consequence Julius Wiegel did less. Arjen Rutte got 24th place in a free role.
Division standings after the E3:
1º Rekutxuteam 2975 1 2 0
2º CobbleCrushers 2678 3 0 1
3º Flyvende_hjul 2215 1 0 0
18º skunk 1162 0 0 0
19º Combuijs 1112 0 1 0
20º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 1038 0 0 0
BMW was wise after the event: if we would finish within place 8 in the E3 they would sponsor us. We just had finished 5th, but that did not count in their eyes. Stupid cars anyway!
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/bmw.png)
The lineup for the Tour of Catalunya:
181 Yvo de Cleer
182 Carlo Bemelmans
183 Thomas Freitag
184 Guido Leeghwater
185 Tristan Prins
Yvo is there for the mountain stages and the GC, Tristan will support him in everything, Carlo Bemelmans will be there in the flat hill stage and we use again our sprint couple for the sprint stage.
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Sele was not amused. His tactics were not as good as we hoped beforehand. Good to see you have several other riders to compete with on the cobbles. Next stop: G-W. Sele will be there again.
Congrats on your fifth place!
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Well, Yvo de Cleer has taken a subscription on place 11, he finished there in the first two stages of the Tour of Catalunya. And guess where he stands in the GC?
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In the sprint stage to Torremdebarra Thomas Freitag gets 21st place in a free role and Yvo de Cleer got up to 2nd place in the GC.
Carlo Bemelmans gets himself in a free role an 11th place in the flat hill race to Olot. Unfortunately Yvo de Cleer could not keep second place in the GC in his weakest stage of the Tour and he is back to place 12 now.
For tomorrow morning this will be the line up for Gent-Wevelgem:
181 Arjen Rutte
182 Adam Balogh
183 Chester Laybutt
184 Oscar Meijer
185 Garret Rose
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In the last race of the Tour of Catalunya, Yvo de Cleer got 12th place, which gave him a 9th place in the GC, our first GC points on the World Tour.
I don't think we did an optimal tactical race in Gent-Wevelgem, but leader Arjen Rutte finished 9th and Garret Rose finished 19th in a free role. Alas, that was behind Rolv Sele (3rd), but lo, it was before Yannick Pierre (10th). Winner was Ketil Fossum of Thorboassonarvesen.
Division standings after Gent-Wevelgem:
1º Rekutxuteam 3335 1 2 0
2º CobbleCrushers 3301 3 1 1
3º Flyvende_hjul 3156 2 0 0
11º CrossAndGo 1895 2 0 0
12º Combuijs 1761 0 1 0
13º $Tourmalet 1755 2 0 1
Norman Schuh had found a new home and it is a very well known home: AJFactoryCycling. No doubt he will have to find another home after Paris-Roubaix...
We have our first iconic rider! His name is Yvo de Cleer and this is where he is iconic in:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/montanabronce.jpg)
We have accepted a sponsor offer by Ukr Telecom. They have assured us their wifi connections are better than our current ones, which does not tell anything actually. We assured them we will finish with the best six in the second stage of the Tour of Switzerland
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/utel.jpg)
These riders will go across Vlaanderen:
111 Chester Laybutt
112 Adam Balogh
113 Oscar Meijer
114 Garret Rose
115 Julius Wiegel
And these riders will go around in the Ronde van Vlaanderen:
111 Chester Laybutt
112 Adam Balogh
113 Oscar Meijer
114 Garret Rose
115 Julius Wiegel
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In Dwars door Vlaanderen we rode without the notorious earplugs in the so called no-wifi modus, very watchful, but no results.
In the Tour of Flanders we had leader Chester Laybutt on place 10 en free role Garret Rose on 21st place. We had not expected to beat winner Ketil Fossum, but we had hoped to do better.
Division standings after Vlaanderen:
1º CobbleCrushers 4671 3 2 1
2º Flyvende_hjul 3756 2 1 0
3º Rekutxuteam 3595 1 2 0
12º °Peachy°Melocotons 2010 0 0 2
13º Combuijs 2001 0 1 0
14º CrossAndGo 1895 2 0 0
Looks good, one would say, but just as Cobble Crushers we have very few good races left...
De Telegraaf have noticed our bronze rider Yvo de Cleer too:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/montebronce.png)
What they did not spot is that Tristan Prins has got one now too...
For the Itzulia these riders will learn how to speak Basque:
121 Eddy Room
122 Chester Laybutt
123 Tristan Prins
124 Garret Rose
125 Trevor Taylor
Eddy will be our leader, Tristan will be his luxury helper, Chester and Garret will star in the cobble hill race and Trevor might prove his worth in the closing time trial.
The line up for the cup race, a flat time trial with a hilly ending:
1 Trevor Taylor
2 Koen Helder
3 Guido Leeghwater
4 Epifanio Merchan
5 Julius Wiegel
Trevor came over from time trial specialist Aurora Australis especially for this race, we won't give up the cup without a fight!
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Buying Trevor Taylor was a good decision as he really made the difference in the cup flat hill time trial. Before the hilly ending he was still second to Teamsonio's Xabier Merido, but uphill he was four seconds faster, enough for a place in the last 16. There we will be up to Cojo Nudos, who we know from last season, in a flat cobble race. We should be favourite as we have some very good cobblers.
In the Itzulia we can only boast a 29th place for Tristan Prins in the first stage, but that will change tonight...
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Great succes in the Zalla cobble hill race. In a free role Chester Laybutt was 3rd en Garret Rose 5th. No Zatarra rider to be seen, which was an extra. Sentinental Chicken Lenny Ford was un(b)eatable though. Anyway, it is our second piece of silverware this season!
In the Getxo hilly race in the Itzulia Eddy Room got 14th place. The old Getxo race was flat, but this one suits Eddy better.
The lineup for the most important race of the season will be:
101 Julius Maalderink
102 Inocencio Aleixo
103 Ørjan Henningsen
104 Chester Laybutt
105 Arjen Rutte
Avianca will sponsor us for a 5th place in the Strade Bianchi. Now, there is an interesting goal, certainly because they won't change the parcours every season. Now we only have to find out who or what Avianca is...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/avianca.jpg)
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Sele missed the boat in the first section already. The constant beating of Combuijs riders had cost him too much energy to recover the gap. Also, he complained about the hilly sections between the cobbles. Although the tour director promised 5 cobblesections, the hills were too rebundant.
We are really looking forward to the most important race of the season as well. Wondering where Julius Maalderink has been few weeks. We are however not so sure about the line-up yet. Let's say we have too much choice ::). Anyway; Cobbles4Life!
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No successes in the Itzulia, Trevor Taylor even finished behind Eddy Room in the final hilly time trial, so he will be looking for a new team shortly. Eddy finishes 23rd in the GC, which was won by Caracoles' Guilherme Fonseca.
Mixed feelings about Paris-Roubaix. Julius Maalderink finishes 4th (with training camp, well spotted Zatarra!), but tactics could have been better. He was pretty alone the last three sections of the race, while I was afraid that Arjen Rutte would ride too hard for him. Not so, obviously... Zatarra's Amund Svendsen finished 3rd, but the jury overlooked his poking a stave in Julius's wheel just before the finish... Winner was Jean Philippe Mescoff of Atlantico.
Division standings after Paris-Roubaix:
1º CobbleCrushers 5335 3 3 1
2º Flyvende_hjul 4415 2 1 0
3º SentinelChickens 4120 1 4 1
10º BorinotTeam 2635 2 1 2
11º Combuijs 2520 0 1 1
12º ProdopingPong 2440 0 3 0
De Telegraaf has found out we have scored points on the World Tour with more than ten riders:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/10dif.png)
Well, for Telegraaf news this is pretty accurate, but in fact it is wrong, we did it with exactly ten riders, not more...
We now know Avianca is an airways company, and it is always good for cutting travel costs to have them as a sponsor, only there are not many World Tour races in their country, Colombia.
In our home monument we will start with:
101 Eddy Room
102 Carlo Bemelmans
103 Chester Laybutt
104 Adam Neeskens
105 Garret Rose
While in La Fleche Wallonne we will start with:
101 Eddy Room
102 Carlo Bemelmans
103 Chester Laybutt
104 Adam Neeskens
105 Tristan Prins
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Zatarra's Amund Svendsen finished 3rd, but the jury overlooked his poking a stave in Julius's wheel just before the finish...
Where can I object such an imputation? I assume you as well as I did saw Julius having trouble with his gear. Seems like you have to speak to your mechanic instead of insinuating false play of Zatarrians. :-\
Anyway, good job on have made Paris-Roubaix interesting from start to finish. Hopefully we'll meet again soon!
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Controversy about the accusations of Julius Maalderink yesterday in Paris-Roubaix. We have spoken with our Russian mechanic Tigran Filin and he is adamant in his statement that the gear was working very well. In this statement his is backed up by his president, a certain Mr. Putin, so there can be no doubt whatsoever that the gear was working correctly. Can you aim that Kalashnikov somewhere else now? Thank you...
Zattarians is by the way an interesting form of Zatarra, you picked up a t somewhere, but lost an r in the process...
Meanwile Eddy Room showed that special training in the Limburg mountains helps to flourish in the hill classics: 16th place in the Combuijs Honey Ale Race and 18th in the Wallonian Arrow. It is not spectacular, but it is points, and that is more than most teams can boast.
These riders will realise in Bastogne that they will have to return to Liege:
141 Eddy Room
142 Carlo Bemelmans
143 Chester Laybutt
144 Adam Neeskens
145 Garret Rose
In the Tour of Romandie you will find amongst others these riders:
141 Yvo de Cleer
142 Ørjan Henningsen
143 Tristan Prins
144 Eddy Room
145 Arjen Rutte
Yvo will be our mountain man and GC man, Tristan his lovely assistant in the mountains and hills, Eddy in the hills and on the cobbles and our cobble couple Ørjan and Arjen are there to beat Zatarra in the last race.
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Eddy Room finishes 25th in Liege and Yvo de Cleer finishes 25th in Zinal. We will take the points and see if we can keep Yvo in front.
Division standings after the first stage of Romandie:
1º CobbleCrushers 5935 3 3 1
2º Flyvende_hjul 5268 2 1 2
3º Rekutxuteam 4441 2 2 0
14º $Tourmalet 2837 2 1 1
15º Combuijs 2787 0 1 1
16º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 2755 4 0 1
For a (no doubt short) while we are the second Dutch team now. And the place just behind $Tourmalet somehow feels comfortable, we are only missing WinterIsComing in our neighbourhood. It seems he is less present after the HBO Game of Thrones series ended...
We have sold Oscar Meijer to Franc Team for a substantial amount in Euros. Not in Belgian Francs luckily...
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In the third stage to Leukerbad Yvo de Cleer finishes 17th which gives him 18th place in the GC. That will probably mean he will be on his own in the last stage while the team focuses on Arjen Rutte.
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14º $Tourmalet 2837 2 1 1
15º Combuijs 2787 0 1 1
16º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 2755 4 0 1
For a (no doubt short) while we are the second Dutch team now. And the place just behind $Tourmalet somehow feels comfortable, we are only missing WinterIsComing in our neighbourhood. It seems he is less present after the HBO Game of Thrones series ended...
Well noticed :)
If you play the Game of Thrones, you either win or you die.... so I decided it was best not to play along with the big boys this season, as my army was clearly not ready for the battle. We are still in training mode, with wooden swords and sticks. :P
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In the fourth stage of the Tour de Romandie we rode with wooden bikes it seems...
In the cobble stage Arjen Rutte reaches place 8, not only right behind Zatarra's Amund Svendsen, but also three places behind Zatarra's Konrad Magnusson. Sentinental Chicken Sandor Rath won the stage. Arjen declared after the race that he would have preferred to ride with Julius Maalderink instead of Ørjan Henningsen, whom he did not see again after the second section. The team manager concedes he might have a point...
Yvo de Cleer finishes 23rd in the GC, 10 seconds after 10 points. All in all this Tour should have given more points...
Division standings after the Tour de Romandie:
1º CobbleCrushers 6114 3 3 2
2º Flyvende_hjul 6036 2 1 2
3º SentinelChickens 4571 2 4 1
14º BorinotTeam 3040 2 1 2
15º Combuijs 2883 0 1 1
16º $Tourmalet 2881 2 1 1
These riders will go around the Henniger Tower this afternoon:
141 Tristan Prins
142 Ørjan Henningsen
143 adam Neeskens
144 Eddy Room
145 Garret Rose
The cup cobblers will be:
1 Julius Maalderink
2 Inocencio Aleixo
3 Ørjan Henningsen
4 Chester Laybutt
5 Arjen Rutte
And these 10 riders will be up for the Giro tomorrow morning:
141 Tristan Prins
142 Carlo Bemelmans
143 Thomas Freitag
144 Julius Maalderink
145 Epifanio Merchan
Oh, wait, we can only have five... We only go for stages this tour then.
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In the Cup Julius Maalderink did what he had to do in the cobble race to Armagasilla de Alba. Cojo Nudes did what he could and had some surprising tactics with only two riders, but Juan David Velasco could simply not follow on the cobbles. In the quarter finals we will be up to mastodont Matterhorn in a mountain hill flat time trial to the Col d'Iseran. Not sure what to think about that race, but we won't fall to some genius tactics in any case.
Tristan Prins was the 22nd rider around the Henniger Tower. Not bad as already half way he was without help. He became second of the second group which with his sprinting skills quite remarkable.
In the mountain time trial to Santuario di Oropa Epifanio Merchan got to 25th place. Given that he has had an excellent preparation for this race it is clear to the management team that his Combuijs Honey Ale years are almost over.
Division standings after the first stage of the Giro:
1º Flyvende_hjul 6281 2 1 2
2º CobbleCrushers 6114 3 3 2
3º Rekutxuteam 5051 3 2 0
16º CC_Porco_Jones 3014 2 4 0
17º Combuijs 2973 0 1 1
18º CrossAndGo 2959 3 0 1
We have signed up Australian Sam Parker as a free agent. He will be trained up to become a very good tour rider. Our scouts could not say how talented he is, so this will be a bit of a gamble. We are currently negociating his racing program for the rest of the season. As a consequence time trialist and cup hero Trevor Taylor is for sale.
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No news from the Giro and that is not good news because Tristan Prins was 3rd favourite for the second stage. He finished 48th however, thanks to a bad wifi-tactics: a very watchful free role.
We have just checked with our team director Belarmino Farinha and he is sure it won't happen again... in this Giro anyway...
In other news Adam Balogh has been selected for his national team, in his case the Hungarian one. He will ride on Dutch and Belgian ground from Riemst to Sittard-Geleen.
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After almost a week in no-wifi-land (a very large country...) let's do some updates on the team results:
Carlo Bemelmans 14th in Imola (5th stage Giro).
Thomas Freitag 18th in Milano (6th stage Giro), 5th in Lissone (7th stage Giro) and 21st in Saint Vulbas (1st stage Dauphiné), which were all very satisfying.
(http://www.comune.lissone.mb.it/flex/images/1/6/e/D.16362cf8ae8f7d169bd8/lissone_piazza_libert___piccola4448.jpg)
Tristan Prins 17th on the Pinerolo (8th stage Giro)
Julius Maalderink 6th in Frosinone (9th stage Giro), where CobbleCrusher Cyril Dockx won the stage before Zatarra's Amund Svensen.
These riders went liberating the Dauphiné:
141 Yvo de Cleer
142 Carlo Bemelmans
143 Thomas Freitag
144 Julius Maalderink
145 Epifanio Merchan
Yvo de Cleer 23rd in La Rosière (2nd stage Dauphiné) and 11th in Valmorel (5th stage Dauphiné), but unfortunately only 22nd in the GC, which was no goal anyway.
Division standings after the Dauphiné Liberé:
1º Flyvende_hjul 8482 3 1 2
2º CobbleCrushers 6657 4 3 2
3º AJFactoryCycling 5917 3 1 3
23º CrossAndGo 3472 3 0 1
24º Combuijs 3467 0 1 1
25º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 3328 0 1 0
AJFactoryCycling entering the top three, so numbers 1 and 2 should be alarmed. We should be alarmed too as we are going nearer to the red line.
The cup mountain hill flat time trialists were:
11 Sam Parker
12 Yvo de Cleer
13 Epifanio Merchan
14 Tristan Prins
15 Eddy Room
Unfortunately Sam Parker could not beat Matterhorn's Anatoly Yarkin (a margin of almost half a minute), so we are out in the quarter finals. We wish the four remaining the best of luck in the semi finals and final.
De Telegraaf can count apparently, we have had 5 international riders in our team at the same moment, cobble hillers in fact. They were Adam Neeskens, Julius Wiegel (Netherlands), Garret Rose, Chester Laybutt (Great Brittain) and Adam Balogh (Hungary)
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/5int.gif)
These riders are going to start in Switzerland:
231 Yvo de Cleer
232 Julius Maalderink
233 Sam Parker
234 Arjen Rutte
235 Julius Wiegel
The big goal will be the stage around Frauenfeld where we expect a 6th place or better for Arjen Rutte, helped by Julius Maalderink. Yvo de Cleer will be going for the two mountain stages and perhaps the GC, helped by Sam Parker. Julius Wiegel will be a general helping hand.
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The first stage in the Tour of Switzerland to Tiefenbachferner was won by CrossAndGo-er Ton Jansma, while our own Yvo de Cleer finished 12th.
(https://mapio.net/images-p/12129226.jpg)
The Thurgauer Zeitung thinks Sentinental Chicken Sandor Rath is favourite for tomorrow morning's cobble race around Frauenfeld. Our Arjen Rutte is second favourite and helper Julius Maalderink is fourth. Let's see if another Dutchman can win a stage...
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Tour de Suisse stage 2 winner = Arjen Rutte ( Combuijs )
Well done and congrats with the first 1A victory, Combuijs ! 8)
And you won in a very special place ; Frauenfeld (translation = field of women) :))
I guess that is why your riders were extra motivated^^
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We really love Frauenfeld! Its castle, its church, its city hall, its Altstadt and its field of women.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/20080507_1708MESZ_Schloss_Frauenfeld_1680x1050_HDR.jpg)
And it is the setting of our first ever victory in the World Tour!
We started sharp and after the first section it was clear that only 16 riders could follow the speed set by our Julius-helpers Wiegel and Maalderink. After another section this was reduced to 8. After the third section we lost the Julius couple but the damage was done. In the one but final section there were only two riders left in the lead, Cobble Crusher Sander Nurk and our Arjen Rutte. At the finish Arjen had no trouble to crush Sander in a sprint à deux to cap an impressive race. Favourite Sandor Rath was very disappointed to stay 4 seconds short on third place. Zatarra's Konrad Magnussen shook his head at the finish line 17 seconds later, he simply had started too slowly. Helper Julius Maalderink finished 11th.
Luckily our Magnum bottles of Combuijs Honey Ale do conserve very well, so we could uncork one without fear of health problems. It tasted very sweet and it is of course the greatest motivation for our riders to win a race...
On the downside GC man Yvo de Cleer lost almost 5 minutes, so he has some catching up to do.
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In the last stage of the Tour of Switzerland, a time trial around Bellinzona, we have Sam Parker on a 24th place and so an unexpected 18 points. Leader Yvo de Cleer finishes 27th in the GC and so no points.
(https://www.helvetia.com/ch/web/en/services/contact/agencies/bellinzona/_jcr_content/cta/image.1553502903187.transform-fp/1200x900/ga-bellinzona.jpg)
Division standings after the Tour of Switzerland:
1º Flyvende_hjul 8978 3 1 2
2º CobbleCrushers 6928 4 4 2
3º AJFactoryCycling 6429 3 1 3
19º Caracoles 3835 6 1 2
20º Combuijs 3755 1 1 1
21º Psychoedge 3748 1 1 5
We have now better wifi during our travels over the world as the result in Frauenfeld has brought us a sponsor deal with UkrTelecom.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/utel.jpg)
The Thurgauer Zeitung had an impressive article on our first ever win on the World Tour:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/1victoria.png)
They also have noticed our rich treasury:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/millonario3.jpg)
At the moment we are looking for the person who has leaked this sensitive information to the press...
Today we have changed the focus of our training program. Instead of concentrating on cobblestone we are now doing an intensive hill training. This will also mean that we will slowly start to change the team around a bit.
We will present these riders in the Tour de France:
191 Yvo de Cleer
192 Ørjan Henningsen
193 Julius Maalderink
194 Garret Rose
195 Arjen Rutte
Arjen and Julius will be focussing on the cobbleraces, Yvo will be our mountain man and Garret and Ørjan are there for a helping hand and gaining experience.
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And after endless team presentations, interviews and commercials the Tour de France has now really started in Roubaix. We had our eye of the first stage to Reims and immediately attacked on the first cobble stroke. 18 riders could follow including two Zatarra's and in the dull flat sections after that 11 could come back. On approaching Reims we attacked for the second time and leader Arjen Rutte could get away with 5 other riders, including Zatarra's Rolv Sele. In the last kilometers Rutte could not shake off his co-pilots, even one other rider could come back and in the final sprint he was beaten by Atlantico's Daniel Bahrami, Rolv Sele and Cobble Crusher Sander Nurk to finish 4th. Helpers Julius Maalderink and Ørjan Henningsen took 17th and 25th place. We had hopes for another win, but of course, you can't win them all.
(https://img.fifa.com/image/upload/t_l4/wms27366utildfeiqdta.jpg)
We have sold Epifanio Merchan to Grifos, a Portuguese team operating on the Continental Tour. We are certain that he will score many points on that level.
After complaints about the intensive hill training we have agreed with Guido Leeghwater to let him go for any reasonable offer. As you can see in the lists of promising 19 year old Dutch riders he feels at home on cobbles, in a sprint and in a time trial.
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Rolv Sele obviously was happy with his second place (and fifth top3 ranking of the season). However, in evaluating the race he said he was too focused on Rutte; his reaction on Behrami's sprint should have been better. Anyway, he is happy that he could keep up with the flat cobble kings even without a training camp. He will get even better soon and although his mediocre hill skills makes him suitable for cobble hill stages too, he is happy the team has focused on the flat cobble niche. He will have no issue beating Rutte every time next season and will be able to focus on beating the Behramis and Raths of the division.
Good luck to the GC ambitions of De Cleer by the way. Zatarra will focus on Mitt. However, he is the worst cobbler of the team. That gives us a nice challenge! :).
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We have bought hill sprinter Midas van Veldhuizen from "Peachy" Melocotons (peachy peaches, who would have thought...) for a substantial amount. He fits in very nicely in our training schedule and he will be a good couple with Thomas Freitag. The transfer is our biggest so far.
(https://www.fruitatwork.eu/assets/variant-outputs/580/free-crop-2311x924.jpg)
As for the GC ambitions of Yvo de Cleer, he is now in the upper quarter of the classification, 7 place is behind Ivari Mitt. Now, there is a goal...
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We have sold Guido Leeghwater for about one million to PIPIGU. This sprintcobble time trial rider will be very useful on the pro Continental Tour Level.
After a heated debate we have decided to allow Portuguese rider Inocensio Aleixo to seek his future in a team that does not do any hill training as he is very bored by it. He is very good at dancing over the cobbles, he has won a cobble stage in the Continental Tour version of the Tour of Switzerland last season.
As for the Tour de France, no points have been coming our way, but Yvo de Cleer is now in the upper 5th of the GC, still 3 places behind Ivari Mitt.
(https://www.enroute.nl/images/stories/com_form2content/p1/f44/gallery498/AlpedHuez-04.jpg)
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Some surprises in the flat Tour de France stage to Nancy. Wilfred Bentinck (Yvo Meppelink Pro Cycling) did not win (3rd), Rode Vod Dolf Hessels did not win (2nd), but Psychoedge Bastian Arnaboldi did! And the biggest surprise? Three Combuijs Honey Ale riders finish in the top 30. Julius Maalderink 21st, Arjen Rutte 25th and Yvo de Cleer 27th.
(https://www.ahstatic.com/photos/1068_ho_00_p_2048x1536.jpg)
For tonight's stage to Le Puy en Velay Arjen Rutte is second favourite, and we have high expectations...
Eelco van der Laan, Arjen Rutte and Julius Maalderink have been called up by a very knowledgeable national coach for services in a flat cobble race.
The Daily Cycler has called Chester Laybutt an iconic cobble rider, to which we only can agree.
(https://cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/adoquinbronce.jpg)
For the Clasica San Sebastian we think these riders will do the trick:
201 Tristan Prins
202 Koen Helder
203 Eelco van der Laan
204 Adam Neeskens
205 Eddy Room
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In the last stage in the Tour de France to Pari... oh wait, to Le-Puy-en-Velay, our helpers did a very good job for Arjen Rutte and it was a shame he just lost to Ketil Fossum (Thorboassonarvesen) at the finishing line. Still happy with 2nd, 16th (Garret Rose), 17th (Julius Maalderink) and 24th place (Ørjan Henningsen).
(https://www.tourisme.fr/images/otf_offices/552/rocher-corneille-puy-en-velay.jpg)
In the GC Yvo de Cleer finishes 38th which was 4 places behind Ivari Mitt and 12:19 after winner Cyking Mike Bauer. Second and third were two Dutchies, AJFactoryCycler Ed van Vliet and Flying wheel Ron van den Hemel.
Division standings after the Tour de France:
1º Flyvende_hjul 9982 3 1 2
2º AJFactoryCycling 8023 4 1 5
3º CobbleCrushers 7334 4 4 3
18º Thorboassonarvesen 4392 4 1 1
19º Combuijs 4381 1 2 1
20º SPORTLIFE 4318 0 2 1
It's hard to see how The Norwegian Flying Wheels won't win the division, but with AJFactoryCycling you never know... We are of course very happy to be just in front of SPORTLIFE, but the question is how long that will last.
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In the GP San Sebastian Tristan Prins did very well. His assistant Eddy Room brought him without any problems (apart from a flat tyre) to the start of the only mountain in the race. From there on no one could stop Ed van Vliet, not even Mike Bauer (4th) and Tristan finished 9th, for which he received many compliments. (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/incidencias/bombilla.png)
(https://www.cruisemapper.com/images/ports/9325-934be0a5cc3.jpg)
Division standings after the GP San Sebastian:
1º Flyvende_hjul 10122 3 1 2
2º AJFactoryCycling 8523 5 1 5
3º CyKings 7486 8 3 1
16º Matterhorn 4773 1 1 4
17º Combuijs 4561 1 2 1
18º BorinotTeam 4510 3 1 2
On Spanish television the commentators praised the brilliant tactics thought out by team director Belarmino Farinha in the Clasica San Sebastian.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/tactica2.jpg)
They also talked about the development of Thomas Freitag, not riding in the Clasica. They think he is a real talent for the future.
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These riders will do the Binck Bank Bolero:
161 Arjen Rutte
162 Carlo Bemelmans
163 Koen Helder
164 Eelco van der Laan
165 Julius Maalderink
Arjen is our GC man, in all stages helped by Julius. Carlo will be a free agent in the hills race. Koen and Eelco are simply hungry for races.
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We are of course very happy to be just in front of SPORTLIFE, but the question is how long that will last.
For the first time my team was very close to your team this season, and than you decide to ride with brilliant tactics in SSB, grrrrrr^^ :
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/incidencias/bombilla.png)(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/tactica2.jpg)
If you continue like this it will be difficult for SPORTLIFE to gain up on your team. :D
Also because I have a very bad BB-Tour selection.
Maybe in the Vuelta it is possible to get close to your team again.
Another possibility is that you give a bribe of many bottles of honeybeer, then you don't have to worry about my team this season. :P ;)
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Free agent Carlo Bemelmans manages to finish 22nd in Aywaille without any help whatsoever. Arjen Rutte is now 107th in the GC, but his time will come in the last two stages. Or not...
(http://www.campersite.be/parkings/wallonie/prov_luik/Aywaille/aywaille_parking.jpg)
We have a very very sad treasurer at the moment as our general manager has thought it worthwhile to splash out almost all of the money in buying Inglorious Bastard Oliver King. The Bastards are well known for their quality riders, but also for their high prices. And for their rock bottom place on the World Tour... With Oliver we hope to have a high talented youngster who can cooperate with our Tristan Prins in mountain hill races and who can sometimes ride for a GC.
We now know that although Julius Maalderink is really very talented, he is not of the highest level possible.
In the last great tour of the season these riders will be vulnerable to a bribe from Vos:
181 Oliver King
182 Yvo de Cleer
183 Sam Parker
184 Tristan Prins
185 Garret Rose
We are going to try out Oliver for the GC, while the others may go for their chance if there is one. And we will see what will be more luring than a Magnum bottle of Combuijs Honey Ale...
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Your Vuelta team looks good, Combuijs. 8)
I suspect that it is by far better as the SPORTLIFE team. Hopefully my estimation is wrong. ;)
Good luck in the Vuelta.
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In the interesting part of the Binck Bank Tour we did pretty well, although we had hoped for a podium place somewhere. In the stage to Vogelwaarde Arjen Rutte was 5th. He lost to Zatarra's Konrad Magnussen, which was disappointing, but in fact nice to see Zatarra scoring his second win.
In stage 5 to Rotterdam it appeared that our cobblers did not really have a chance to be in front, Arjen Rutte finished 26th and Julius Maalderink 28th.
In the GC Arjen Rutte finishes 16th, which is encouraging. Winner was EuskaPiero Marcello Peron.
(https://www.thonhotels.com/siteassets/hoteller/nederland/rotterdam/rotterdam-destinasjon-3.jpg?width=1100&height=550&mode=crop&quality=80)
Division standings after the Binck Bank Tour:
1º Flyvende_hjul 10337 3 1 2
2º AJFactoryCycling 9044 5 1 5
3º CyKings 7736 8 3 2
19º BorinotTeam 4746 3 2 2
20º Combuijs 4743 1 2 1
21º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 4652 0 2 1
The Gazet van Antwerpen had an article about the money that our team has splashed around. I'd rather have them writing about our Honey Ale, but apparently no beer in Antwerp can beat that...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/buy1.png)
Of course the team for the Vuelta is much better than SPORTLIFE's, but the more interesting question is, will they score more points? Of that, I am not so sure. We have a margin of 215 points to play with...
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The first stage to Lloret de Mar brought a 17th place for Garret Rose, 50 points more than SPORTLIFE and a 3:20 loss for our GC riders. Oh, and this sad view of the town:
(https://www.vakantiediscounter.nl/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/vakantie-lloret-de-mar.jpg)
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The first stage to Lloret de Mar brought a 17th place for Garret Rose, 50 points more than SPORTLIFE.
:)
In case you are wondering if your team will do better as mine. Below the link to the preview.
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/c8892128eff206aeb674bcc6880a73a6.png) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/full(CFF).png) selectie SPORTLIFE
https://cyclingforfun.org/smf/index.php?topic=372.msg8704#msg8704
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Climbing the Angliru is always a tiring task and stamina is not the strongest point of our Sam Parker. So he took off in 3rd position to finish 26th in the time trial up. I guess we were lucky the climb did not last another 3 km. So 23 points for us, but 170 for SPORTLIFE, which means we are 97 behind at the moment.
Oliver King loses 6 seconds to our measuring unit Mike Bauer, which brings him to 51st place in the GC. Well, Madrid ... eh ... Ribeira Sacra is still far away...
(https://marmot-tours.co.uk/app/uploads/2017/01/situacion_angliru.jpg)
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stage 3 Vuelta :
stage victory of Miorlin 8) versus 12th place of King.
Vuelta total points : SPORTLIFE vs Combuijs = 420 versus 148. :)
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We went from Almeria to Alto de Velefique and Oliver King lost sight of Mike Bauer on the seocnd climb of the day. In the end he finished 12th on 39 seconds from the winner. And that winner, I'm sad to report, was SPORTLIFE's Nicola Miorlin, who deservedly beated Mike Bauer in the last meters.
So we lost 175 points to SPORTLIFE, 272 in total, they even passed us in the division standings. But you no doubt have heard that news already...
(https://cdn2.cyclist.co.uk/sites/cyclist/files/styles/gallery_adv/public/2017/08/big_ride_velefique_1.jpg?itok=IzoFS6qC)
In the GC Oliver King rises to 19th place, almost 2 minutes behind leader Karl Dahlen from Valeronidolo.
This evening we ride again to Lloret de Mar and Yvo de Cleer is tipped for the podium. He won't stand there as he will try to help our King.
Well, it took them some time but now also El Pais acknowledges that Arjen Rutte is an iconic rider.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/adoquinbronce.jpg)
They also are sure that Thomas Freitag is one of the greatest talents around, which is really good news.
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In the mountain sprint stage to Lloret de Mar, Yvo de Cleer helped Oliver King to a 13th place and himself to a 15th one. So, did we get nearer to SPORTLIFE? Not quite, Nicola Miorlin finished 2nd, to win another 70 points (342 the difference now). We might as well give up...
Starting place Manlleu is much nicer than Lloret de Mar:
(https://www.femturisme.cat/_fotos/pobles/general/0641-placa-del-campanar.jpg)
At least we did not lose more points in the sprint stage to Cuenca, which was lucky because SPORTLIFE's Coen Bogarde managed to finish 31st...
In the GC Oliver King is still 19th, now 2:25 behind, you guessed it, Mike Bauer.
For the next race, again to Cuenca, Garret Rose seems to be an outsider. Maybe he can surprise us...
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Outsider Garret Rose gets 5th place in the cobble hill race to Cuenca in a free role. No expert predicted that. We win 125 points back (217 to go), SPORTLIFE should be very pleased they did not get penalty points for not finishing within the first 100...
(https://www.clubvillamar.nl/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Cuenca.jpg)
Oliver King is up to place 17 in the GC now, a solid 3:39 behind Bauer.
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SPORTLIFE should be very pleased they did not get penalty points for not finishing within the first 100...
;D
Well, my best cyclist (120th) in stage 6 will do better in stages 7 and 8, he is time trialist Bogarde.
So, time to score some points again.^^
And good result with Rose in stage 6, well done.
Let's see if Nieuwendijk can pass your best GC rider King, he is not far ahead : 23th on 4:30" versus 17th on 3:39"
Although Nieuwendijk is a climber, he has TT TC bonus due to the WC time trial. I hope King is worried now. ;)
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In the classical hill time trial to Aledo SPORTLIFE extends its point lead thanks to Coen Bogarde, another 113 points to make up, totalling 330 now.
(https://www.spain.info/export/sites/spaininfo/comun/carrusel-recursos/murcia/r_aledo_castillo_t3000691.jpg_369272544.jpg)
In the GC though Oliver King goes up to place 13, 3:50 behind our measuring unit. He has now just passed SPORTLIFE's Nicola Miorlin, and that distance will become greater, I feel. Albert Nieuwendijk? Hmm, never heard of...
Ah, De Telegraaf strikes again: It seems we have reached the last 16 and the quarter finals of the cup. In which season, did you say?
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/cffcup4.gif) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/cffcup5.gif)
They also wrote we have had 10 elite international cyclists in the team. Fact check: indeed, exact 10 riders have been called up once for the Netherlands, Great Britain or Hungary. So apparently there were three wise national coaches...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/10int.gif)
And I almost forgot, but they say Oliver King is an iconic rider too. I somehow expected that already...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/montanabronce.jpg)
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Albert Nieuwendijk? Hmm, never heard of...
Thanks Combuijs, because Albert Nieuwendijk reads your topic also and he is now extra motivated to perform in the flat TT of this evening.
His stage 8 goal = finishing at least 26 seconds before King. ;)
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In the time trial to Zaragoza SPORTLIFE took a podium place with Coen Bogarde, while a certain Nieuwendijk finished 17th, so they won a nice 250 points.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Basilica_del_Pilar-sunset.jpg/260px-Basilica_del_Pilar-sunset.jpg)
After 128 kilometers flat and the Angliru Oliver King arrived at 7th place for which he was the talk of the town. After the race he declared that he owned everything to a very helping Yvo de Cleer.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/incidencias/bombilla.png)
The SPORTLIFE couple Miorlin and a certain Nieuwendijk finished 19th and 20th, so we won a whopping 22 points and reduced our deficit to 558 points. Right, where is that towel to throw...
In the GC Oliver King is now 13th on 4:08 and as he is training very hard on his hill climbing skills there might still a top 10 place possible. Mike Bauer has a 0:33 lead on KunTeam's Romeu Rosario, so can the last hill stage have a suprising end?
We have sold Inocencio Aleixo for a small amount to the new French Yoteam which operates on the Continental level. We wish them lots of success with their first purchase!
The last monument will be visited by:
181 Tristan Prins
182 Koen Helder
183 Oliver King
184 Eelco van der Laan
185 Eddy Room
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After 128 kilometers flat and the Angliru Oliver King arrived at 7th place for which he was the talk of the town. After the race he declared that he owned everything to a very helping Yvo de Cleer.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/incidencias/bombilla.png)
The SPORTLIFE couple Miorlin and a certain Nieuwendijk finished 19th and 20th, so we won a whopping 22 points and reduced our deficit to 558 points. Right, where is that towel to throw...
Very good race with King, Combuijs. 8)
And sorry about the thowel. :))
This Vuelta is going everywhere a little bit better as I expected. And all those little bits are together a nice/big number of points extra.
However, my expectations in advance could be good (besides 2 mistakes, see 2nd paragraph), and the competion could be bad or riding with bad tactics, also for sure a possibility. ;)
The main goals were stage 3 and stage 8, and of course I hoped for a stage 3 victory and a 2nd place in stage 8.
But also of course, not calculated in advance. And top results are always very rewarding (regarding points).
And in advance I made a mistake in estimating how good Miorlin was in stage 4. I did not expect at all that he could finish 2nd there, in advance I estimated he could finish max. as 20th or so due to his low flat- and low sprint skill. His tactics were perfect, which plays naturally also a role in deviatons from expectations.
The other mistake/miscalculation could be GC points for Nieuwendijk. Surprising to me (see preview).
Nieuwendijk is bad in the final hills stage. But at the moment he is 9th, he has a good lead of 2:04" on the nr20, and other GC contenders could be bad as well in the final stage. So there is a good chance Nieuwendijk will score GC points, it depends on his rivals in the final stage.
Without maybe possible GC points ; very satisfied with these 1.040 points in the Vuelta. 8)
A few hundred points more as I estimated in advance.
Good luck in the final Vuelta stage and in Clasica San Sebastian the Giro di Lombardia, Combuijs.
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Good luck in the final Vuelta stage and in Clasica San Sebastian, Combuijs.
San Sebastian? That's another season and another 6 weeks ;D . But I will take that good luck to the Giro de Lombardia, as you no doubt intended...
In fact I started our mutual Vuelta competition to show you that you usually underestimate your riders (and your tactical capacities). And unfortunately, you did...
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LOL, I just noticed my mistake and was correcting that.
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Well, it is difficult to estimate/guess in advance how good my cyclists are compared to the competition.
For example Bogarde was not even a favorite in the time trial and he finished as 2nd. This means some rivals did not have TC bonus, and if and where the competition TC bonus has, that is many times unknown to me.
And as I already mentioned ; besides the 2 clear guess mistakes, I think I estimated it good in advance. And everywere a little bit better as I expected could also mean that the competition is not good. For example health/or form issues at the end of the season, and many more other reasons other than that my estimation of my own cyclists is not correct.
About the "battle" between our teams this Vuelta. I read that you were going for the GC with King, so I expected at least a top10 GC place with him, although you never wrote that goal down. That could be my mistake too, including that I often make the mistake at my estimation in advance that the competition is riding the same as I do. That is not always the case, although regularly I make tactical mistakes too. Especially this season a lot of mistakes, but not in the Vuelta, more motivated thanks to your topic, I guess^^. Thanks for that. ;)
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Congrats Combuijs, despite the thowel, you win the battle in the GC :
10 Oliver King 20 Combuijs 4: 46" 250
12 Albert Nieuwendijk 20 SPORTLIFE 5: 25" 180
And good Vuelta of your team, a few lightbulbs and a nice amount of points. Compared to some others who posted the total points, I think you scored even more, but I lost count, so I'm not sure.
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In the last stage in the Vuelta to Ribeira Sacra Tristan Prins clinches 26th place in a free role. Oliver King manages to enter the the top 10 in the GC, far above (e.g. two places) the first SPORTLIFE rider Albert Nieuwendijk, and just above AJFactoryCycler Ed van Vliet, which is encouraging. Winner was of course Mike Bauer, before KunTeams Romeu Rosario and TeamRHB's (Rolf Holds Back?) Dino Moresi.
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rvp42-YQRuA/maxresdefault.jpg)
Division standings after the Vuelta:
1º Flyvende_hjul 11431 3 1 2
2º AJFactoryCycling 9560 5 1 5
3º CyKings 9546 9 4 3
18º DeRodeVod 5528 2 6 4
19º Combuijs 5519 1 2 1
20º Psychoedge 5403 2 3 6
Luckily we lost count of how many points we were short on SPORTLIFE, but it was not even close!
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In the Giro di Lombardia Oliver King could repay Tristan Prins for services in the Vuelta. Because of that help Tristan finished 16th, which was 6 places before the first SPORTLIFE rider. That should have been less, but their team first travelled to San Sebastian before realising the race was held in Italy.
(https://ostrichlab.nl/comomeer/wp-content/uploads/Comomeer_steden-como-m.jpg)
In Innsbruck these riders will try the world championship time trial:
171 Sam Parker
172 Yvo de Cleer
173 Koen Helder
174 Oliver King
175 Trevor Taylor
A day later these riders will go to the only race in America to become world champion:
171 Yvo de Cleer
172 Olvier King
173 Eelco van der Laan
174 Sam Parker
175 Tristan Prins
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The UCI apparently does not hold records of the time trial World Championships, so while we can remember vaguely Sam Parker scored some points in that race, we don't know the exact result anymore. Too much Combuijs Honey Ale in the end of season party...
The UCI do hold records of the latest Road World Championships, unfortunately filed under next season's one, but at least it is there. Flying Wheel Carl Martinussen won the race before SPORTLIFE's Nicola Miorlin and Cykings Mike Janson. The Combuijs Honey Ale riders did not feature on the first page of the results...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Duitama_Centro_01.JPG/266px-Duitama_Centro_01.JPG)
Final standings for season 2, search for your favourite team:
1 Flyvende_hjul 13461
2 CyKings 11771
3 AJFactoryCycling 9870
4 Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 9702
5 Wiggo_pupils 8939
6 CobbleCrushers 7799
7 CrossAndGo 7698
8 °Peachy°Melocotons 7559
9 Codex 7521
10 SentinelChickens 7491
11 SPORTLIFE 7474
12 CC_Porco_Jones 7394
13 Rekutxuteam 7233
14 Atlantico 6641
15 Zatarra 6593
16 ProdopingPong 6228
17 DeRodeVod 6198
18 Combuijs 5809
19 Psychoedge 5713
20 Caracoles 5616
21 Matterhorn 5615
22 Pomilles_Balears 5575
23 ValeronIdolo 5512
24 KunTeam 5219
25 Thorboassonarvesen 5123
26 LOSRAYOSDELARRY 5059
27 BorinotTeam 4996
28 FlyEaglesFly 4601
29 CaptainOrange 4566
30 MortoviaCycling 4493
31 skunk 4162
32 galegospolabici 4126
33 Senglarsdeflandes 4094
34 $Tourmalet 3832
35 Huesca 3609
36 EuskaPiero 3418
37 TeamRHB 3349
38 Mlb 3156
39 OmicronDS 3124
40 NormanTeam 2345
41 Turrones 2190
42 Deabruak 2131
43 Sonfuga 1807
44 RIO_mare 1560
45 Telleriarte 1431
46 WinterIsComing 1419
47 vercors 1352
48 Skyliners 898
49 KinchenTeam 743
50 Inglourious_Bastards 90
The Norwegian Flying Wheels are the first champions, congratulations to them. It would be fair if next season they just kept to the road instead of flying around. Both teams coming from the same 3rd division as we did have relegated. WinterIsComing is no surprise as they switched to a new youth academy, but $Tourmalet is a surpise, they simply stopped scoring points. Anyway, it's clear it's pretty difficult to stay on the World Tour if you want to.
While he has hardly appeared in a race De Telegraaf has called Adam Neeskens an iconic rider. As always they can draw conclusions based on very few data...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/adoquinbronce.jpg)
So, bring on season 3!
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Congratulations on your good season. You've won a race at last and you're able to right at WT level next season as well!
The question for season 3 remains: will you be able to finish in front of the Zatarrians this season? :D.
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We are preparing for the next season in Australian Prospect, so that's a good reason to see what our prospects are for season 3.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Prospect%2C_Adelaide%2C_South_Australia_%28aerial_view%2C_2010%29.jpg)
As you can see not a very inspiring environment, but now we can focus on the things that really matter. Our main goals will be to stay in the World Tour and to develop our greatest talents. These are hill cobbler Garret Rose, hill sprinter Thomas Freitag and tour rider Oliver King. A very diverse group of targets, but we think we can manage to train them all more or less optimal. The big puzzle will be where to fit in a spell of sprint training for Thomas. We might do it after the current hill training or we might do it after all the other necessary skills have been trained.
Of course we want to beat Zatarra and SPORTLIFE this season, but they have shown to have a better team than we have. I think we will depend on a holiday-lapse from their side...
In long term we will be cutting away the less talented riders and we will try to find some replacements in other fields, like a time trialist, another tour rider and a nice 19 year old to train up. We have started by firing our current time trialler Trevor "no score" Taylor. We have seen some interesting riders, but our treasurer keeps shaking with his head. Prices are extremely high now.
Our short term goals are the Omloop het Nieuwsblad and the Strade Bianchi as we have sponsor deals for both of these races.
After consulting our mechanic Tigran Filin and our treasurer we have decided to go for Scott bikes this season as they are a bit cheaper than the Specialized ones of last season and we don't have a serious time trialler up until now.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/bicis/scott.jpg)
Our ultra short term goals are the Tour Down Under, which will feature:
171 Midas van Veldhuizen
172 Carlo Bemelmans
173 Thomas Freitag
174 Tristan Prins
175 Eddy Room
And our first goal will be the cup ride against Telleriarte (Continental Pro Tour), which is a village of 207 inhabitants in Basque Country. These 5 riders are going to battle against these 207 in a climbing hill race in Switzerland:
1 Tristan Prins
2 Olvier King
3 Chester Laybutt
4 Sam Parker
5 Eddy Room
We wish all players lots of fun and success (in that order), and just that little bit less success than we will have.
Proost!
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Carlo Bemelmans was called up in the national team for helping services in a hill race around Offida. His help was of such quality that Dutchman Jurgen Lustig could finish second.
The cup race to Rheinfelden against Telleriarte was too close for comfort. In the end Tristan Prins with help from Oliver King could take 6 seconds on Marcus Røsner-Hansen.
(https://vcdn.bergfex.at/images/downsized/52/0453b86ddd27b952_3a442cefa86051f9@2x.jpg)
For the next round we stay in Switzerland for a hill sprint race against Continental Pro Tour team Kinchen. We should be considered favourite for that race, but Geneve is still far away...
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Two races in the Tour Down Under and still no points. Unhappy? Not entirely, we have Midas van Veldhuizen on place 17 in the GC, so there might be still some points for us long term.
The first stage to Lyndoch went to Yvo Meppelink Pro Cycler Wilfred Bentinck, no doubt the first of many to come this season. In the second stage Bloemen aan de Mitte showed that they don't need to adjust to the World Tour level as Elvijs Igaunis won in Paracombe.
No beer or champagne for them though:
(https://www.paracombewines.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/DSCF3787-autumn.gif)
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Wilfred Bentinck wins the ultra short stage in Adelaide, but Midas van Veldhuizen manages to lose 1:16, so for the time being he is out of the top 20 in the GC. We expect to see him back tonight and tomorrow.
(https://www.atomix.com.au/media/2018/08/Adelaide-city-centre-view.jpg)
And De Telegraaf has just noticed that we were on the World Tour last season. O dear, under which stone have they been laying?
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/permanencia1.png)
These riders will be there for the people's Tour, Omloop het Nieuwsblad:
481 Chester Laybutt
482 Julius Maalderink
483 Adam Neeskens
484 Arjen Rutte
485 Julius Wiegel
These riders will bite the dust in the Strade Bianchi:
481 Chester Laybutt
482 Ørjan Henningsen
483 Julius Maalderink
484 Arjen Rutte
485 Julius Wiegel
These riders will ride to the sun in Paris-Nice:
481 Yvo de Cleer
482 Thomas Freitag
483 Oliver King
484 Tristan Prins
485 Midas van Veldhuizen
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And the Combuijs Honey Ale team has earned their first points in season 3. This was done by free roler Tristan Prins who finished 14 in the Unley-Stirling stage.
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q1IvZiYeZXI/maxresdefault.jpg)
Midas van Veldhuizen has gone up to place 19 in the GC, so we expect a top 20 place tomorrow morning. First in the GC? Josep Lluis Cabo of AJFactoryCycling. How does he do it everytime?
Our youth academy has produced a nice young hiller called Quintijn de Graaf. He can stay with us for a learning period.
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Right, we have a lot of catching up to do!
First of all the Tour Down Under. In the last stage Midas van Veldhuizen lost 1:19 and finished on a disappointing and pointless 21st place in the GC. The Tour was won by AJFactoryCycling's Josep Lluis Cabo with quite a gap (0:34) to peachy Artis Laksa.
As in the previous season Chester Laybutt had huge sleeping problems while preparing for the Omloop het Nieuwsblad. Must be something in the air in Gent. Nonetheless he rode very attentive and he was there when Marcus Beaumont (Atlantico) and Yannick Pierre (Cobble Crushers) attacked. That was a bit premature because Sentinental Chicken Lenny Ford could overtake them in the last meters. Chester paid the toll for his lack of sleep and finished 5th. Arjen Rutte in a free role got 11th place, just before Zatarra's Rolv Sele who was complaining about the hills.
Luckily Chester was really fit for the Strade Bianchi. In a fantastic race he was always in the leading group accompanied by helper Ørjan Henningsen. In the end he finished just outside the podium on place 4 after unbeatable Cobble Crusher Yannick Pierre. Free role Arjan Rutte finished 17th, Ørjan 23rd.
In the first stage of Paris-Nice to Biot Yvo de Cleer managed to get a 21st place, which was pretty good as he could have done with a little rest himself... In the GC Yvo de Cleer is now 45th. The time trial stage went to Duncan Dekeyser. It seems Bloemen aan de Mitte has absolutely no problem to win on the World Tour level. Why were they not there last season?
(https://french-riviera-confidential.com/assets/uploads/2017/02/23-02-2017-11-33-41-853x565.jpg)
Division standings after the second stage of Paris-Nice:
1º CobbleCrushers 1548 1 0 1
2º AJFactoryCycling 1199 0 0 0
3º Atlantico 944 0 1 0
4º Combuijs 911 0 0 0
5º SentinelChickens 888 1 0 0
We went from 49th to 4th, which is a new record high for us!
We all are carrying a cross around our necks, because of the 5th place in the Omloop het Nieuwsblad. If we had known that before...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/espiritosanto.jpg)
Thanks to the 4th place in the Strade Bianchi we can now fly for free to Columbia. We are looking for a reason to actually do that apart from the rarely occuring World championship race.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/avianca.jpg)
Chester Laybutt has earned back his transfer fee with these two sponsordeals alone...
We have bought time trialler Robert Brubaker from Pro Continental team Skrimshaw. Robert is very glad to compete on the highest level possible, especially as good time trialers are relatively rare on the World Tour. In cooperation with his personal manager we will try to make a nice schedule for him this season. We will have to free up space in the squad, but no decision has been made yet which rider will have a future without any free Combuijs Honey Ale.
We have some new iconic riders as well: Garret Rose (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/adoquinbronce.jpg), Carlo Bemelmans and Eddy Room (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/colinasbronce.jpg).
We have been awarded the Youth Development Award for giving experience to young riders. The speech that was delivered in this event was not completely understandable, so it might be something else entirely...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/exp1.png)
What was understandable however is that we have a total of 10 sponsors now, apart from our main sponsor Combuijs Honey Ale of course. Our marketing manager Gerard Brown thinks he can get some better deals now. He better be true to his word, because there is no sponsor waiting for us at the moment...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/meta2.jpg) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/prestigio1.jpg)
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Haha, well, congratulations on your good start. Seems you will have a better season than last season, which for you is a good thing of course! Hopefully you can keep scoring the big points in the cobblehill classics.
For Zatarra this season will be hard. As you've heard, Sele is not as good in getting over the hills than Rutte, Laybutt or the unbeatable Pierre and Ford. However, the first flat cobble race hopefully will give us some hope for the rest of the season. Pity there won't be so many points to catch in those races.
Also, this night Sansonetti made his way over to Zatarra. Rolv was very happy with that as now he at least will have a solid domestique for the upcoming classics in Flanders. We'll see.
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Yvo de Cleer finishes on 1:22 in Nice, quitely riding the last few hunderd meters, forgetting to sprint for points, so he collects zero points on place 31. We will have a nice little talk with him, but first he has to perform in the last stage to improve his GC, which is now 30. Our guess is he will finish 21st... Nice win by Sportlife's Nicola Miorlin by the way.
(https://img.yellohvillage.fr/var/plain_site/storage/images/site_marchand/choisissez_votre_camping/par_ville/nice/1971648-14-fre-FR/nice.jpg)
In an interview with NOS Sport we were asked if we knew we had iconic hill rider. Yes, as told yesterday, we have two. Difficult job, interviewing.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/colinasbronce.png)
These riders will bounce between the Tirreno and the Adriatico:
41 Oliver King
42 Thomas Freitag
43 Chester Laybutt
44 Sam Parker
45 Midas van Veldhuizen
We will count on the GC of Oliver King, assisted by Sam Parker, while Thomas Freitag and Midas van Veldhuizen will go for the hill sprint race. Chester Laybutt is there for the publicity...
These riders will do the second round of the cup:
1 Midas van Veldhuizen
2 Carlo Bemelmans
3 Thomas Freitag
4 Julius Maalderink
5 Adam Neeskens
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Yvo de Cleer did not have a frustrating 21st place in the Paris-Nice GC, he finished 27th, exactly 5 minutes behind Flying wheel winner Robrecht Kemperman.
In the Tirreno Adriatico we had some hopes for a good result in the hill sprint race to Cascinia, but Midas van Veldhuizen could not cope with the strong opposition he was faced with. Wilfred Bentinck had no such trouble as he claimed his second victory in this Tour.
The last mountain stage in the Tirreno Adriatico to Monte San Vicino overhauled the GC quite a lot, as was to be expected. Our Oliver King finished 26th without too much help from his assigned domestiques, and he climbed to place 18 in the GC, which was satisfying. It's not scoring points like AJ Factory Cycling (2nd and 4th) or Yvo Meppelink Pro Cycling (3rd) are doing, but it still are points. The tour was won by Rekutxu Adam Roethlisberger.
(http://www.bellemarche.it/uploads/zone_da_vedere/monte_san_vicino/immagini/monte-san-vicino_1400_1400.jpg)
Division standings after the Tirreno Adriatico:
1º AJFactoryCycling 2663 0 0 0
2º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 2069 4 1 1
3º SaulSalinasTeam 1742 0 3 0
13º Wiggo_pupils 963 1 1 1
14º Combuijs 956 0 0 0
15º Pomilles_Balears 952 0 0 2
It looks like the Tour de France, Dutch teams take over...
In the CFF Cup we managed to beat Kinchen Team in a hill sprint race. After a bad start they never recovered although their Emeterio Vela came within 15 seconds from our Midas van Veldhuizen. In the next round we will take on Pro Continental Tour team Rio mare from Italy in a flat cobble race. They will need all the luck they can get. Or a good new rider...
In the Gazetta della Sport a full page was devoted to our team and they named Julius Wiegel as an iconic rider. Big deal, half the team is now iconic...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/adoquinbronce.jpg)
More interesting was the remark that Chester Laybutt is a rider which every team dreams of riding him in a hill cobble race. Well, for us we don't need to dream about it...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/cpaves.jpg)
In Milan-San Remo we will present:
131 Thomas Freitag
132 Carlo Bemelmans
133 Ørjan Henningsen
134 Arjen Rutte
135 Midas van Veldhuizen
In the E3 Harelbeke we think these riders will do best:
131 Chester Laybutt
132 Adam Balogh
133 Adam Neeskens
134 Garret Rose
135 Julius Wiegel
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Last season Thomas Freitag in a free role could get points in Milan-San Remo, but this season helped by Midas van Veldhuizen he finished just outside the points on place 32. Like a lot of other riders he had been surprised in the first kilometer by a serious attack and in the other 293 kilometers he could not come back...
In the E3 Harelbeke almost everything went well, apart from the hilly section where Chester Laybutt did not get handy support. Chester again finished just outside the podium on place 4, 4 seconds after winner Ketil Fossum (Thorboassonarvesen). Garret Rose on a free role was 12th, three place in front of Zatarra's Giacommo Sansonetti. So, quite satisfied with this race, Chester just needs to step up one place...
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTS9azfZ7MZNzT1rcourEdAey55hzQMcmHqTuGzO01vGEEBeS4D7Q)
Division standings after the E3:
1º AJFactoryCycling 2908 0 0 0
2º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 2344 4 1 1
3º CobbleCrushers 2221 1 0 3
11º Wiggo_pupils 1438 1 2 1
12º Combuijs 1381 0 0 0
13º Psychoedge 1244 0 0 0
On the sports pages of Het Nieuwsblad one journalist mentioned that Oliver King is really one of the greatest talents around. That is not unexpected news, but it is still welcome of course!
These riders will get a taste of the sun in Catalunya:
131 Oliver King
132 Robert Brubaker
133 Yvo de Cleer
134 Adam Neeskens
135 Arjen Rutte
We are curious what Robert can do in the time trial and further on we have interests in the second stage with Arjen and the fourth stage with Yvo. We won't go for the GC, but we will watch Arjen and Oliver with interest.
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First points for Robert Brubaker in the time trial around the lake of Banyoles as he finished 20th.
In the stage around Olot Arjen Rutte lost his helper Adam Neeskens after the first cobble section and he had to find his own way to 19th place. An honourful mention for Zatarra's Martin van Groningen who would have finished higher than his current 3rd place if an umbrella had not crossed the street in the last section.
(https://www.turismeolot.com/files/slider/homenatural1-124-6.jpg)
In the GC Arjen Rutte is now 32nd, Oliver King ... eh ... 144th.
According to the patriottic Világgazdaság Hungarian Adam Balogh is an iconic cobblestone rider. Well, he can prove that in the coming races in Flanders...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/adoquinbronce.jpg)
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First points for Robert Brubaker in the time trial around the lake of Banyoles as he finished 20th.
In the stage around Olot Arjen Rutte lost his helper Adam Neeskens after the first cobble section and he had to find his own way to 19th place. An honourful mention for Zatarra's Martin van Groningen who would have finished higher than his current 3rd place if an umbrella had not crossed the street in the last section.
(https://www.turismeolot.com/files/slider/homenatural1-124-6.jpg)
In the GC Arjen Rutte is now 32nd, Oliver King ... eh ... 144th.
According to the patriottic Világgazdaság Hungarian Adam Balogh is an iconic cobblestone rider. Well, he can prove that in the coming races in Flanders...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/adoquinbronce.jpg)
Martin was not amused. Actually two umbrellas crossed the street. In the final km, but also with about 20km to go causing him to lose touch with the goruo he was in. Anyway, he's done a good job. Zatarra is still waiting for the first win, though...
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The fourth stage in Catalunya to Lo Port gave us an enlightened 6th place for Yvo de Cleer. If supporters of Cross and Go had kept quiet during the night in front of our team bus, he might have been on the podium together with winner Ton Jansma, but we are still happy with the result.
(https://www.montsport.es/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/P9200003.jpg)
In the GC Arjen Rutte is back to place 31, so it is doubtful whether he will get within the first 20. The Cross and Go fans no doubt will be a pest for Flying Wheeler leader Ron van den Hemel who has 8 seconds on Ton Jansma and 15 seconds on Maarten Hoekstra before the last stage.
We have decided to sell our 19 year old hiller Quintijn de Greef. We hope he can prosper somewhere else to gain experience.
El Periodico de Catalunya published a story of Julius Maalderink being an iconic cobble rider. They wonder why he won't ride the Flemish classical races and link that to his current hill training.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/adoquinbronce.jpg)
The line up for Gent-Wevelgem will be:
111 Arjen Rutte
112 Adam Balogh
113 Ørjan Henningsen
114 Adam Neeskens
115 Garret Rose
These riders will ride Dwars door and around Vlaanderen:
111 Chester Laybutt
112 Adam Balogh
113 Adam Neeskens
114 Garret Rose
115 Julius Wiegel
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Well, well, well, who would have thought the Sagrada Familia could inspire our riders? In the hills around Barcelona we had chosen Adam Neeskens as a leader and he managed to get his first points on World Tour Level with a 12th place. The icing on the cake however was Arjen Rutte finishing on 2 minutes from winner Quintijn Nelissen (PDM Cycling Team) which got him unexpectedly to 12th place in the GC. Flying Wheel Ron van den Hemel won the Tour while both Cross and Go-ers fell far away to place 20 and 26.
(https://weekend.knack.be/medias/11274/5772435.jpg)
At the moment Arjen Rutte is tipped as a top 5 finisher for Gent-Wevelgem, no doubt based on his fantastic results in the Tour of Catalunya.
Division standings after that Tour:
1º AJFactoryCycling 3405 0 0 0
2º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 2952 5 1 2
3º Flyvende_hjul 2365 1 0 0
10º °Peachy°Melocotons 1878 2 1 0
11º Combuijs 1648 0 0 0
12º CyKings 1619 0 1 2
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Gent-Wevelgem was more succesfull than expected as Arjen Rutte could quite easily remain in the leading group. He finished 5th, behind winner Ketil Fossum (Thorboassonarvesen) but before Zatarra's Rolv Sele.
(https://www.leiedal.be/sites/leiedal/files/media/2013_leievallei_wervik_tot_waregem_129.jpg)
The Gazet van Antwerpen told us today Chester Laybutt is able to finish on the podium of Dwars door Vlaanderen. That might be a bit optimistic as he did not really prepare for this race.
They reported also that Sam Parker is not a really great talent, which is a pity.
In the Itzulia we will start with:
101 Tristan Prins
102 Adam Balogh
103 Robert Brubaker
104 Eddy Room
105 Garret Rose
Tristan will be there for the mountain hill stages and the GC, helped by Eddy, Garret and Adam will be there for the hill cobble stage and Robert Brubaker may shine in the time trial.
These riders will do the third round of the cup:
11 Julius Maalderink
12 Ørjan Henningsen
13 Eelco van der Laan
14 Chester Laybutt
15 Arjen Rutte
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We seem to have a fear of the podium because Chester Laybutt finished 4th again in Dwars door Vlaanderen. Maybe they can extend the podium with two places? Or are they afraid the winner will fall very badly from those extended heights? Garret Rose in a free role finished 12th.
(https://static1.squarespace.com/static/52d4cadee4b0ba94ab0ae8d3/52d523c1e4b03a2f958567db/5cbf1748e4966b0789d7157c/1556028123905/Image+from+iOS.jpg?format=1000w)
In the Tour of Flanders it was thought Chester Laybutt could finish on the podium, but we knew better. Satisfied with his 14th place and the 22nd place of Garret Rose.
Division standings after the Flemish classics:
1º CobbleCrushers 4602 2 2 3
2º AJFactoryCycling 3585 0 0 0
3º SentinelChickens 3069 1 1 1
7º Flyvende_hjul 2695 1 0 0
8º Combuijs 2518 0 0 0
9º Wiggo_pupils 2303 1 2 1
8th place will be as high as it gets as we have had our favourite races. From now on we will go downhill...
-
In the cup race to Follonica we had no trouble with Rio Mare. They only did turn up with two riders and they were both half a minute behind after the first section. So Jules and company made it into a nice training ride. In the last 16 we will meet World Tour team Flying Wheels which is quite unfortunate. It is however very fortunate that we can ride a hilly cobble race against them from Perwez to Namur.
In the time trial around Lodosa Robert Brubaker did better than last time as he finished 16th.
In the stage around Güeñes Tristan Prins did very well although podium fear stroke again in the end. Still, 5th place is encouraging.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Encar_003.jpg/250px-Encar_003.jpg)
In the GC he is 51st so he still has a lot of time to take back after a very bad time trial.
Quintijn de Greef has found a fine new home in Plopsala, who no doubt will take good care of him. If only the gnomes there would stay quiet...
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In the Urdax-Vitoria race Tristan Prins finishes 12th in the leader group. He was lucky enough to come back on the flat sections without a helper after some problems in the mountains.
In the hills around Getxo Tristan Prins proved his hill training really helps him as he finishes 17th. He immediately praised Eddy Room for his terrific support. Eddy himself managed to get 20th place which are his first points this season.
(https://www.getxo.eus/ImagesPublic/turismo/turismo2/mas_fotos/descubre-getxo-principal.jpg)
In the GC Tristan Prins rockets to 9th place, but he will go down the last race as he really does not like the cobblestones of Zalla.
The Diario Vasco thinks Koen Helder is an iconic rider. How would they know? He hardly has had a race on the World Tour level!
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/adoquinbronce.jpg)
We are going to hobble on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix with:
71 Julius Maalderink
72 Ørjan Henningsen
73 Eelco van der Laan
74 Chester Laybutt
75 Arjen Rutte
Julius will take some extra ketones in his Combuijs Honey Ale this evening, so he will be really ready for Roubaix.
We will provide these riders on The Combuijs Honey Ale, the Fleche Wallone and Liege-Bastogne-Liege races:
71 Eddy Room
72 Carlo Bemelmans
73 Chester Laybutt
74 Adam Neeskens
75 Tristan Prins
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The last stage in Basque Country around Zalla was rather succesfull. Garret Rose reached place 10 in a free role and Adam Balogh, in another free role, scored his first World Tour points with place 17. More importantly, Tristan Prins only lost 2:43 thanks to helper Eddy Room, so he finished 9th in the GC, 1:28 after winner Asger Anthonisen (Atlantico).
Julius Maalderink has been in a training camp for Paris-Roubaix but as we concentrate on hill training we did expect not too much of him, and we were right. He finished 14th, his helper Arjen Rutte 28th. Winner was Ikibasque Bram Travin, honourable mentions for Zatarra's Rolv Sele (4th) and Konrad Magnusson (6th).
(https://nos.nl/data/image/2018/04/08/464920/xxl.jpg)
Division standings after Paris-Roubaix:
1º CobbleCrushers 4905 2 3 3
2º AJFactoryCycling 3913 0 0 0
3º Atlantico 3911 0 2 0
4º SentinelChickens 3631 2 1 1
5º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 3442 5 1 3
6º Combuijs 3151 0 0 0
7º Flyvende_hjul 3107 1 0 0
Did I say really say after reaching place 8 it could only go downhill? Hmm, it looks like a Tour de France road book, there is always just a little climb when you least expect it...
After the hill classics the line up for the Tour of Romandy will be:
51 Oliver King
52 Koen Helder
53 Julius Maalderink
54 Tristan Prins
55 Arjen Rutte
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For us the hill classics were the Eddy Room show. 18th in the Combuijs Honey Ale race, 27th in the Fleche Wallone and 24th in Liege-Bastogne-Liege. He won't be very well known in public now, but he is still collecting points.
(https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/5d/e6/ef/img-0389.jpg)
Division standings after the first stage of the Tour of Romandy:
1º CobbleCrushers 5457 2 3 3
2º AJFactoryCycling 4956 1 0 0
3º Atlantico 4151 0 2 0
9º Thorboassonarvesen 3557 3 1 0
10º Combuijs 3336 0 0 0
11º ProdopingPong 3063 1 2 1
We are the highest team now without a podium place. That feels like a milestone somehow, but I doubt it will be one...
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We have no time trial specialist in the Tour of Romandy but Oliver King finishes on the last point worth position. This did compensate for his first pointless position in the previous Aubonne-Geneve stage. He was then on the one but last point worth position in the GC.
On the cobbles around Fribourg Julius Maalderink gets 10th position, supported by Arjen Rutte who finishes on the one but last point worth position. Oliver King lost his position completely in the GC, but will still be leader in the last stage around Sion.
(https://static.mycity.travel/manage/uploads/7/37/59756/1/remparts1920x1080cfribourg-tourisme_3000.jpg)
The Tribune de Genève notes that we have an excellent sleet rider. That is well spotted as we have recruited the very fast winger ... eh ... young cyclist Johannes Overmars who likes most races in Scandinavia...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/d302.jpg)
Robert Brubaker has been called up for international time trial services by an expert USA coach. He won't score international points though...
These riders will circle around the Henninger Turm:
91 Tristan Prins
92 Oliver King
93 Eelco van der Laan
94 Eddy Room
95 Midas van Veldhuizen
These riders will circle around Italy:
91 Yvo de Cleer
92 Thomas Freitag
93 Chester Laybutt
94 Julius Maalderink
95 Midas van Veldhuizen
Yvo will be our GC and mountain man, Thomas and Midas will do the sprint races and Chester and Julius the cobble races.
These riders will do the fourth round of the cup:
1 Chester Laybutt
2 Julius Maalderink
3 Garret Rose
4 Arjen Rutte
5 Julius Wiegel
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In the last Romandian stage around Sion Oliver King lost only half a minute and finished 19th. That way he catapulted up to 18th place in the GC. Winner Igor Paraje got flowers at the finishing line for his very good Tour win.
In Rundum der Henninger Turm Tristan Prins finished 19th and helper Oliver King 27th. It is always a surprise when helpers are winning points for us.
The Giro starts in Belgium this season, as every grand Tour should do. In the stage to Namur Chester Laybutt and Julius Maalderink did not stay close together as planned, but finished 7th and 8th. Winner was Cobble Crusher Yannick Pierre. They have to repave the whole Namur citadel now...
(https://www.namurtourisme.be/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/GLE_0170_DxO.jpg)
Leader Yvo de Cleer managed to finish within the time limit and can note the first lost 4 minutes.
Division standings after the first stage in the Giro:
1º CobbleCrushers 6088 3 3 4
2º AJFactoryCycling 5772 1 1 1
3º Flyvende_hjul 4796 1 0 1
9º Thorboassonarvesen 3830 3 1 0
10º Combuijs 3783 0 0 0
11º CyKings 3724 1 2 3
We could ride the cup race as a kind of introduction show to the Giro as we rode exactly the same stage. Flying Wheeler Alex Bornemissza could only keep Julius Wiegel behind him, but had to let go four other Combuijs riders. So for the second time in succession we are in the quarter finals of the cup!
We are up to World Tour rival Psychoedge in a sprint race with a little hill. We will get out our sprinters then, but chances are that we again will go out in the quarter finals.
In the international race around Lake Banyoles apparently only 20 riders did finish. We presume the rest got lost in the water. We will have to drag out Robert Brubaker before his next race somehow...
Arjen Rutte, Julius Maalderink, Julius Wiegel and Adam Neeskens have been called up by the Dutch National team manager. You would expect a hill cobble race then and indeed we will be riding from Bornem to Geraardsbergen. The four of them are about equally strong, so at least they can help themselves...
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These riders will circle around Italy:
91 Yvo de Cleer
92 Thomas Freitag
93 Chester Laybutt
94 Julius Maalderink
95 Midas van Veldhuizen
Yvo will be our GC and mountain man, Thomas and Midas will do the sprint races and Chester and Julius the cobble races.
Time to challenge Combuijs again in a big tour. :)
For sure no shame to finish below Combuijs in 1A and his team is doing great this season.
But the gap* is too big at the moment, so in this way my cyclists are more motivated.
* =
11º Combuijs 3823
22º SPORTLIFE 2396
My Giro selection (startnumbers 261 to 265 because of the 27th place in 1A before the Giro) :
261 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/italia.jpg) Miorlin ( climber ) --> stage 2 and stage 8.
262 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/belgica.jpg) Saint-Germain ( allrounder ) --> GC ? despite he will be just 4 or 5 stages the teamcaptain.
263 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/italia.jpg) Tafi ( climbsprinter ) --> stage 10
264 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/holanda.jpg) Nieuwendijk ( flat- and TT-climb ) --> stage 9
265 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/spain.jpg) Gallardo ( hillsclimber ) --> stage 3
The teamcaptain role is uncertain in some stages, it depends on if Saint-Germain can ride a GC.
Startnumber with an 1 in it is of course for an Italian, he has home advantage and I have high expectations of Miorlin in stage 8.
Miorlin did great as teamcaptain in stage 2 despite his low flat, because he had 2 active weather icons and that helped a lot.
The helper role tactic of Gallardo was bad, his 5 EP start was not enough so Miorlin had to do it on his own. He should have had another helper.
Happy with the excellent 5th place of Miorlin. Also Nieuwendijk did great, in a free role he finished as 13th.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/incidencias/bombilla.png)
Combuijs scored already 195 points in stage 1 and his climber De Cleer was the only one in stage 2 that finished with a light bulb.
Well done Combuijs ! 8)
For now the Giro duel =
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/combuijscff_mooier_klein_2.png)235 versus (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/full(CFF).png)195
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The stage to Montevarchi ended with a tricky downhill section, but no accidents were reported. Yvo de Cleer finishes 19th, six places behind a certain Albert Nieuwendijk.
(https://s.iha.com/00171505596/Montevarchi-Bezoek-aan-loro-ciuffenna-naar-montevarchi.jpeg)
In the GC Yvo is now on 64th place, so we will concentrate on individual stages for a while.
That same Nieuwendijk finished 21st in the third stage to Di Lavaredo. Not that good but a lot better than our Yvo (55th) who had concentrated on Nicola Miorlin (45th). So Sportlife doing better than we did, but we are still in front with 235 to 230. Now, do they have any point scoring sprinters? Eh... and do we have them? We will see tonight.
We are not only training youth riders now, but also new managers. The victim is Cycling Team Wiekevorst, which operates on the Amateur Tour level. But next season they will ride their races on the Continental Tour for sure!
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/padrino1.gif)
RAI Sport 1 commentator Silvio Martinello remarked that Robert Brubaker is a medium talent. It will have to do...
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stage 3 Giro :
Not a really good race for teamcaptain Saint-Germain and helper Gallardo.
Gallardo was 6 seconds behind in s4 so no extra bonus for his team captain in the final climb.
Saint-Germain finished as 41st and now in the GC 65th on 4:44"
Very uncertain if he can score GC points, perhaps he is already too far behind because he has just a little sprint. For now too soon to tell.
Nieuwendijk did again great in a free role and scored some points with a 21st place.
This means almost as many points as Combuijs at the moment : :)
( but no points for SPORTLIFE in the next 2 stages, and Combuijs might score points there )
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/combuijscff_mooier_klein_2.png)235 versus (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/full(CFF).png)230
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(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/incidencias/bombilla.png) Again a lightbulb for a Combuijs rider ; Freitag did great in stage 5 and finished as 9th. 8)
He also scored points in stage 4, and as expected zero points for SPORTLIFE in these hill-sprint-stages. So the Giro duel is now :
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/combuijscff_mooier_klein_2.png)345 versus (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/full(CFF).png)230
In these 2 stages team captain Saint-Germain (SPORTLIFE) moved up 34 places in the GC.
At the moment he is 31st GC on 6:54", that is still 1½ minute behind the number 20 GC.
It does not look promising that he can score GC points.
But that is no problem, SPORTLIFE has other cyclists to score many points in the final 3 stages.
edit ; and it could be that I made a mistake in the choice of teamcaptain in these 2 stages,
because Tafi and Nieuwendijk are not far behind Saint-Germain in the GC.
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In Praia a Mare Thomas Freitag got 27th place, which was a bit disappointing. We had expected better with all these hills so late in the race.
Thomas has however very fond of memories of L'Aquila as he finished 9th there in the 5th stage of the Giro. We got compliments as our tactics were really a light in the darkness of mediocrity. If only we knew what we did right, because after entering the first hills Thomas was completely out of help...
(https://d1bvpoagx8hqbg.cloudfront.net/originals/erasmus-experience-laquila-italy-kristina-62b2d294236d32f7c7cb530204710309.jpg)
Anyway, useful points, certainly as all Sportlife riders were only busy emptying water bottles on their head. We have gained 110 points these two races.
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Ups, mistake in stage 6, the wrong team captain. :-[
Saint Germain should have been the team captain here also. Perhaps too hot outside otherwise I cannot explain this mistake. Because somehow now Tafi was the team captain and I knew of previous season he is not suited at all for this stage with his 22 downhill.
Anyway, no problem, most likely it costs Saint-Germain just 19 seconds and a few points. Now he finished as 27th in a free role.
Combuijs did better (17th) with his German hill sprinter Freitag who scored points 3 times in a row now.
And probably that will be 4 times in a row when he scores also points in the flat sprint stage 7.
So, again more points for Combuijs, but I don't have to worry about this Giro-ranking below, said my climber Miorlin to me. ;)
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/combuijscff_mooier_klein_2.png)395 versus (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/full(CFF).png)250
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(https://i.imgur.com/7lG7k8b.jpg?1)
In stage 7 to Milano the cyclists of Combuijs and SPORTLIFE were just enjoying the scenery ; zero points for both teams.
And it seems the manager of SPORTLIFE is trying to avoid GC points, because in this stage there was not even a team captain. :-[ :D
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The stage to Lissone was an odd one, starting with a little climb, then a long downhill section and finally a very long flat section with two small hill for good measure. Hard to judge, but we managed to get Thomas Freitag on 17th position. How Sportlife's Saint-Germain came to 27th place we will never understand. We have heard rumours he pushed away several riders, but he was not taken out of the Giro because the head of the jury is also Belgian.
This morning there was also a sprint stage and let's be short: we gambled and lost. Don't know if Sportlife gambled, but luckily they also lost. So, all in all 30 points gained.
Now there are also rumours there is a GC. Never noticed before... We have Yvo de Cleer on 42nd place on a respectable 10 minutes from leader Adam Roethlisberger (Rekutxuteam). He has however three Sportlife riders in front of him and probably their best man behind him. Let's see if we can nudge some Sportlife riders out of the Giro...
We have changed our training regime to stamina, and for the first time all riders can actually profit from that. We have build a nice annex to our training complex:
(https://pwsc.alaska.edu/health-fitness-center/_images/_hero-images/healthAndFitnessCenterAtPWSC.jpg)
Garret Rose and Chester Laybutt have not unexpectedly been called up for Great Britain in the next international race. We will notify you when the Hungarian national coach wakes up...
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Don't know if Sportlife gambled
I gambled without a team captain. ;D
So, again a dumm team captain mistake, twice in a row now. :-[ :-[ :)
Also here Saint-Germain should have been the team captain, now he finished as 121st in a free role and was riding in a team captain tactic.
I estimate that this mistake costs him 0:53" or even 1:20", because I think he could have finished as teamcaptain 2 or 3 groups earlier.
Very unnecessary time loss, and together with the also dumm mistake in the previous stage of 0:19" =
in total 1:12" or 1:39" time loss due to stupid team captain mistakes.
It is uncertain at this moment if these 2 mistakes will cost GC points in the end. I will know that after stage 10, and positive that he is not a cyclist who could compete for the pink jersey. He is competing just for the nr20 GC position.
I checked the tactics of the next stage now 5 times, just to be sure. ;)
Saint Germain gets a free role and Miorlin is the teamcaptain in stage 8.
Miorlin is going for the stage victory despite he is just the 8th favorite or so (he can only challenge the 5th favorite).
Of course stage victory with an 8th favorite could (or even should) be an unreachable goal, but Miorlin has home advantage.^^
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Let's see if we can nudge some Sportlife riders out of the Giro...
Now my team is scared :)), especially because your Giro team has a German and an English rider.
They could be the Tony Martin and Luke Rowe of CFF. :P
Well, it could be that nothing happens despite the orders of their manager, because in the next stage : 8ºC, rain and hard wind.
So, hopefully they keep their cool.^^
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(https://i.imgur.com/DNp6pbx.jpg?1)
Point of view of Miorlin during stage 8 of the Giro, he was far ahead of most other climbers and on his way to victory ! 8)
Miorlin is going for the stage victory despite he is just the 8th favorite or so (he can only challenge the 5th favorite).
Of course stage victory with an 8th favorite could (or even should) be an unreachable goal, but Miorlin has home advantage.^^
:)
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/incidencias/tools.png) De Cleer (Combuijs) had a mechanical breakdown on a very bad moment ; the final climb.
But he scored also points with a 24th place and he is now 20th in the GC and that is before all SPORTLIFE cyclists. ( for now ;) )
The Giro duel^^ =
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/full(CFF).png)500 versus (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/combuijscff_mooier_klein_2.png)423
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In the stage up the Scanuppia Yvo de Cleer did not bad, he finishes 24th. And for a moment I thought we might even gain some points on Sportlife, until my eye fell on the first place for Nicola Miorlin. Ouch, that's a lot of points...
(http://www.televignole.it/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/scanuppia45.jpg)
Trust Sportlife to have a good time trialist. A certain Albert Nieuwendijk finishes 8th on the Santuario de Oropa. In total we lost 317 points on Sportlife in two races. Luckily in this weather we don't have a towel left at the moment.
In the GC Yvo de Cleer is 19th, just behind a certain Albert Nieuwendijk, but he might pass him in the last stage, which suits Yvo pretty well.
In the Dauphine Libere we will show up with:
91 Tristan Prins
92 Yvo de Cleer
93 Thomas Freitag
94 Sam Parker
95 Midas van Veldhuizen
Tristan is there for the GC and the mountains, helped by Yvo and Sam, Thomas and Midas will do the first two sprint stages.
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As already mentioned Nieuwendijk finished as 8th in stage 9.
Stage 10 was very bad due to again a manager-mistake, and for the first time a dissapointing face icon. That "price" was not yet achieved in CFF3 and I have to gain everything at least once in this game. ;D Tafi finished as 22nd in stage10. :-[
Remarkable for this Giro, way too many mistakes and almost all not even real tactical ones with energypoints but plain dumb mistakes.
Also funny to see that Nieuwendijk finished as best of my team in the GC with a 20th place and he was never the team captain, also not in the stages where scoring points was not an option.
As a reward Nieuwendijk gets rest. Al the other Giro riders have to ride the Dauphiné as well.
Nieuwendijk is replaced by his fellow countryman Engelberts.
But it was not all bad in this Giro ; the stage victory and a few other good results. And my team beat Combuijs in the Giro duel. :)
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In the final stage of the Giro to Reggio de Calabria we saw Yvo de Cleer finishing 36th and Sportlife scoring another 46 points with Lorenzo Tafi and Paris St. Germain.
In the GC however Yvo de Cleer finishes 18th, far above a certain Albert Nieuwendijk (20th), so in a way we have won the Sportlife challenge... It's telling that Vos had not shown the final result of the challenge...
The Giro winner was Adam Roethlisberger (Rekutxuteam), a whopping 1 second before Mike Bauer (Cykings). No doubt Cykings are filtering through television footage to see if there has been a stopwatch error somewhere.
(https://nbocdn.akamaized.net/Assets/Images_Upload/2018/07/29/a4f4ee80-92b1-11e8-9a64-ea7b0da07a7a_web_translate_-8.74999_-4.374996__scale_0.1125919_0.1125919__.jpg)
Division standings after the first stage in the Dauphine:
1º AJFactoryCycling 6826 1 2 2
2º CobbleCrushers 6143 3 3 4
3º °Peachy°Melocotons 5506 6 2 1
10º SentinelChickens 4280 2 2 1
11º Combuijs 4071 0 0 0
12º Thorboassonarvesen 4022 3 1 0
The Dauphine Libere reported that Tristan Prins is not only an iconic mountain rider, but that he also knows his way around the hills. They wonder if that will help him in this year's tour.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/colinasbronce.jpg)
We will try to sprint to the semi finals of the cup with:
1 Thomas Freitag
2 Julius Maalderink
3 Johannes Overmars
4 Arjen Rutte
5 Midas van Veldhuizen
You know you are in trouble when a 19 year old is in your cup selection...
-
In the GC however Yvo de Cleer finishes 18th, far above a certain Albert Nieuwendijk (20th), so in a way we have won the Sportlife challenge... It's telling that Vos had not shown the final result of the challenge...
You're asking or it :))
Final ranking Giro duel :
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/combuijscff_mooier_klein_2.png)100.483 versus (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/full(CFF).png)661
WTF ! :o My team lost ! I suspect a bribery scandal. The jury of this Giro duel must like Combuijs Honey Beer a lot, because suddenly they awarded 100.000 extra points because a Combuijs rider finished above a SPORTLIFE rider in the GC. :( :))
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No bribery needed, cycling is naturally corrupt. After all, an Aussie cyclist last year got disqualified for "taking an unfair advantage" after going behind a pack of idiots who decided that standing on the middle of the road was the correct place to watch the race, costing him at least 35-40 positions in the peloton; then a few days later Sagan pushes through those on the side of the road & takes an actual 300 metre shortcut through a square (gaining him 150 odd places in the spread out peloton - btw, there'd been no incident prior, he just wanted to get to the front), and there's no penalty (Sagan may have won that race, don't remember).
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In the La Ravoire - Vaujany stage Tristan Prins manages a 24th place. He is now on his way to the top of the GC, currently ... eg ... 179th.
(https://uk.oisans.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2017/06/communes-vaujany-slider01.jpg)
The Hungarian national coach did not call up Adam Balogh. Adam is very disappointed with that, the Bornem-Geraardsbergen stage is part of his daily training routine. Adam has noted that several non-cobble-hillers are selected from the Intellinet Cycling FF team. Guess who is the national coach... Who said that cycling is naturally corrupt?
The Dauphine Libere now stated that Sam Parker is an iconic time trialist. He certainly is, a pity he is not that good after the first few kilometers. But he is working on it!
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/cronobronce.jpg)
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In the quarter finals of the cup we lost to Psychoedge with more than an edge. Only Thomas Freitag could keep one of them behind him in the final sprint, the other four did seal our fate. So again we stumble in the quarter finals...
In the last stage of the Dauphine to Albertville we were lucky that the roads were not overflown with mud. Tristan Prins finished 30th and got 45th place in the GC, far behind winner Adam Roethlisberger.
(https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190726115845-digger-tour-de-france-0726-exlarge-169.jpg)
Division standings after the Dauphine Libere:
1º AJFactoryCycling 7413 2 2 2
2º CobbleCrushers 6210 3 3 4
3º Flyvende_hjul 6054 1 0 1
11º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 4105 2 1 1
12º Combuijs 4097 0 0 0
13º IKIBASQUE 4064 3 2 0
To quote Bruce Springsteen: "I'm going down, down, down, down, I'm going down, down, down, down...". Nice song, but sad to be behind Flowers at the Finish...
O dear, de Telegraaf sports editor has read the Dauphine Libere: we have an iconic time trialer. Big news indeed...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/cronobronce.jpg)
Luckily they also had news which was new to me. We now apparently have a rider who scored international points. Ah, yes, Chester Laybutt finishes second in Bornem-Geraardsbergen after Belgian Yannick Pierre. Well done by Chester and very well done by Great Britain coach CC Porco Jones!
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/winnerabs.png)
As a consequence sales in our shop have gone up again, which is nice. No Adam Balogh in the Hungarian selection, and so they scored no points. We can only shake heads at that...
These riders love the Swiss cheeses:
111 Arjen Rutte
112 Robert Brubaker
113 Julius Maalderink
114 Johannes Overmars
115 Sam Parker
Arjen's main point of attention will be in Frauenfeld, although he might do a nice GC as well. Julius will help him everywhere, Sam, Robert and Johannes in some stages and for Robert we have a nice time trial as well...
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In the time trial around Bern Robert Brubaker collected 15 points with place 26.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/Bern_luftaufnahme.png/266px-Bern_luftaufnahme.png)
The JuJu's of the Tour de France will be:
121 Arjen Rutte
122 Carlo Bemelmans
123 Julius Maalderink
124 Eddy Room
125 Garret Rose
As this Tour seems to be designed for JuJu we have assigned the leadership to Arjen.
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Last season Arjen Rutte won in Frauenfeld, but while he developed his hill climbing skills other riders have gone on with cobble training and so this time he finished 8th. Zatarra's Amund Svendsen missed a podium opportunity with 6th place, winner was Iki Basque Bram Travin. In the GC Arjen is now 40th and we hope this can be halved tonight.
Lots of fans gathered in Frauenfeld:
(https://www.toitoi.ch/fileadmin/content/documents/Referenzen/Open_Air_Frauenfeld/Frauenfeld_02.jpg)
The Frauenfelder Zeitung thinks Adam Neeskens is apart from an iconic cobble rider also an iconic hill rider. We agree, and he can show what he can in the coming Binck Bank Tour.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/colinasbronce.jpg)
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In the last stage of the Tour of Switzerland Arjen Rutte just fell out of points, but it was good enough not only to half his 40th place in the GC, but even to finish 14th, 3:17 behind winner, who else, Cyking Mike Bauer.
Thanks to this result he was named as a favourite for the Tour de France by an internet pundit.
In the second stage of the Tour to Digne-les-Bains Arjen Rutte scored our first podium place this season as he finished 3rd. He was helped very well by Julius Maalderink. Halfway the stage they let go a lot of too ambitious riders, which they all got back in the second half, except for winner Ketil Fossum (Thorboassonarvesen) and Cobble Crusher Lenny Seaman. Garret Rose and Julius Maalderink finished 17th and 18th.
(https://travelguide.michelin.com/sites/default/files/styles/poi_slideshow/public/images/travel_guide/voyage_media-NX-48001/digne-les-bains.jpg)
After 3 stages in the Tour Arjen Rutte is on place 69 on 5:37 from leader Amando Almansa (Codex).
Division standings after stage 3 of the Tour:
1º AJFactoryCycling 7688 2 2 2
2º CyKings 6833 2 2 4
3º Flyvende_hjul 6795 1 0 1
10º SentinelChickens 4739 2 2 1
11º Combuijs 4503 0 0 1
12º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 4491 2 1 1
We have passed the Flowers, but of course they will only be handed out at the finish of the season.
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The Tour went abroad to Antwerp and Arjen Rutte finished 25th over the cobbles. We had expected a bit more, but Arjen complained about being tired. Which is understandable half way the Tour.
In the hilly stage to Lyon Carlo Bemelmans worked on his reputation by finally scoring points in a free role, he finished 16th. Eddy Room did only a little bit less and finished 24th.
(https://images.france.fr/zeaejvyq9bhj/306qIaeHlhXvdRSJVt08nP/a91161afeb50f164f5e1634b069879f1/AdobeStock_75536529_BD.jpg?w=1120&h=490&q=70&fl=progressive&fit=fill)
Arjen Rutte has now entered the top 20 and is 4:01 behind Amando Almansa.
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In the hilly stage to Monthermé Carlo Bemelmans again proved his worth and finished 9th in a free role. Arjen Rutte is getting nearer to the top in the GC, he is now 9th on 2:41 of leader Amado Almansa. Unfortunately he will lose some places in the time trial.
(https://www.france-voyage.com/visuals/photos/meander-montherme-24591_w300.jpg)
L'Equipe called Robert Brubaker an iconic time trialer. He can prove that in the Vuelta, not in the next stage of the Tour...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/cronobronce.jpg)
They also estimate that Johannes Overmans is not very high talented, which is a pity...
In the Clasica San Sebastian these five are our classics:
101 Tristan Prins
102 Carlo Bemelmans
103 Sam Parker
104 Eddy Room
105 Midas van Veldhuizen
Our Binck Bank Battlers will be:
101 Adam Neeskens
102 Carlo Bemelmans
103 Ørjan Henningsen
104 Eelco van der Laan
105 Chester Laybutt
All for Adam, Adam for all...
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Time trials and sprint will never be Arjen Rutte's favourite hobbies, but that goes also for three quarters of all riders, and also for the GC riders in the Tour. Arjen is now 9th in the GC, 3:33 behind leader Tyler Carpenter (AJFactoryCycling). The only way is up now, but can he reach the podium? We will see it tonight.
This was the man who won the Roubaix-Reims stage in 1973:
(http://capovelo.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/fullsizeoutput_285c.jpeg)
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After the last stage of the Tour to Paris there was still another stage. That was lucky for us because in Reims Arjen Rutte finishes 11th, 13 seconds behind winner Ikibasque Bram Travin. With that result he could climb upon the final podium in Reims as he became third in the GC, 2 minutes after winner Tyler Carpenter (AJFactoryCycling) and 11 seconds after Lenny Seaman. That final result waa a bit unexpected for us, although we knew Arjen had a good Tour de France in him.
Tristan Prins finishes 22nd in the Clasica San Sebastian, which makes him the Gregor Mühlberger of our universe. The Remco Evenepoel of our universe was Daniele Kolb (Codex). Tristan Prins had a bad start, all his helpers except Sam Parker were far in front of him. He still did a good job to finish where he did, but things could have gone far better.
(https://www.27vakantiedagen.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/spanje-san-sebastian-isla-santa-clara.jpg)
Sales in our shop have soared after the Tour de France podium. It is not only the Honey Ale that is popular, everyone wants to be seen in a Combuijs Honey Ale shirt. Especially sizes XXL, XXXL and XXXXL are en vogue.
Le Figaro remarked that the third place of Arjen Rutte in the Tour de France was the first time a Combuijs Honey Ale rider reached the podium in a Tour.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/1podvuelta.png)
They analysed that Arjen Rutte got there partly through the guidance by the young, but very experienced Julius Maalderink.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/d331.png)
Division standings after the Clasica:
1º AJFactoryCycling 9046 2 2 2
2º CyKings 8169 2 2 5
3º CobbleCrushers 7761 3 5 4
9º Rekutxuteam 6175 2 1 0
10º Combuijs 5496 0 0 1
11º IKIBASQUE 5364 5 2 1
Now, can AJFactoryCycling stay in front? And can we finish in the top 10? To the former I say yes, to the latter I say no...
That tenth place will be defended in the Vuelta by:
91 Oliver King
92 Robert Brubaker
93 Yvo de Cleer
94 Ørjan Henningsen
95 Julius Maalderink
Oliver and Yvo will be our GC men, though in what order is still unclear. If we were team Ineos that would mean we would finish first and second, but we are not that good. Ørjan and Julius are there for the cobble stages and Robert for the time trial.
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Great GC podiumplace with Arjen Rutte in the Tour de France, well done Combuijs. 8)
If we had a big tour duel in this TdF, you would have won with a giant lead.
Good luck in the BBT and the Vuelta, a good season for your team so far.
My team is almost in the red zone (29th) and zero points are expected in the BBT, so in this way also an exciting season for my team. :)
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We have a whole Binck Bank Tour to catch up with. Luckily this is not a three week Tour. The first stage finished in Aywaille and Adam Neekens started well with a 13th place. In the third stage to Lanaken Carlo Bemelmans could go for his own chance and he managed to pick up some points with place 29.
In the last two stages all pundits predicted a podium place for Chester Laybutt, but we had other plans as we were interested in a GC place for Adam Neeskens, who had trained especially for this event. In the stage to iconic Geraardsbergen Adam was 5th, a perfect good result, with Chester on place 19.
In the last stage to Sint Pieters Leeuw Adam Neeskens proved we can trust on him as he finished second behind winner Estevao Espirito (Thorboassonarvesen). Our third podium place, although UCI staticians don't count Arjen Rutte's third place in the Tour de France as such. Chester Laybutt finished 22nd in helping role.
(https://www.toerismevlaamsbrabant.be/Images/sint-pieterskerk-sint-pieters-leeuw-header._tcm251-125150_w2048_n.jpg)
In the GC Adam Neeskens got 16h place on 2 minutes from winner Flying Wheel Gascogne Carrera. That was a bit disappointing, but still happy with his performance. He just needs to improve his sprinting abilities.
Division standings after the first stage of the Vuelta:
1º AJFactoryCycling 9318 2 2 2
2º CyKings 8668 2 2 6
3º Flyvende_hjul 8624 1 3 2
10º SentinelChickens 5952 3 3 1
11º Combuijs 5868 0 1 1
12º Thorboassonarvesen 5646 5 1 0
It's pretty close at the top. Some headless chickens are blocking us from a top 10 position... Sportlife is two places above the red line, so still in danger. But trust him to win a huge amount of points in the time trial World Championship.
Our mechanic Tigran Filin recently got some compliments about his fiddling with our equipment. Especially downhill our bikes are really superb. And we need that as our riders rarely train on downhill sections.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/mate2.png)
We have agreed with both Johannes Overmars and Adam Balogh to go seperate ways. We will need space to accomodate better talented riders.
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It's pretty close at the top. Some headless chickens are blocking us from a top 10 position... Sportlife is two places above the red line, so still in danger. But trust him to win a huge amount of points in the time trial World Championship.
Two places up after stage 2, now 27th. :)
I suspect my team is (and was) not in danger because of the expected points in the Vuelta and the WC RR.
But true, it is just a suspicion so I could be wrong, and officially it is at this moment not sure my team will stay in 1A.
In the WC TT my Dutch time trialist will also score points, but I have just 1 flat TT specialist (this season 50th in the NT time trial).
The Australian time trialist with a silver icon is a climb TT specialist.
Maybe you overlooked that and that is why you thought my team will score a huge amount of points in the WC TT. Unfortunately not.
(https://i.imgur.com/RKMvhVm.png?1)
Good luck in trying to beat the Chickens, Combuijs !
The picture shows that this could not be easy. Also the name (sentinel) shows that that team can maintain its position very well.
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We have scored our first points in the Vuelta. Better, we have scored our first 13 points in the Vuelta, with the 30th place of Yvo de Cleer in the stage to the Bola del Mundo.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71L2T1dYCwL._SY355_.jpg)
In the GC Yvo is now 15th on more than 3 minutes from, yes he is there again, Cyking Mike Bauer.
Admittedly de Telegraaf was not far behind for once, because yesterday evening I noticed we have our first silver mountain rider: Tristan Prins.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/montanaplata.jpg)
In an extended article about our team de Telegraaf highlighted that as well.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/monteplata.png)
They also think Chester Laybutt is not only an iconic cobble rider, but also an iconic hill rider.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/colinasbronce.jpg)
And last but not least they rated us 25 stars in a rather vaguely star counting system. The maximum is 50 stars, so in a way we are halfway...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/25est.png)
Already 4 teams have approached Adam Balogh, so we are very curious how much they want him...
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In the cobble stage to Cariñena Julius Maalderink took 15th place. He could not do better because we are in wine country, not in beer country...
(https://253qv1sx4ey389p9wtpp9sj0-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/CarinenaHeroImage-700x461.jpg)
In the GC Yvo de Cleer is holding out on place 13, almost 6 minutes behind Mighty Mike.
Arjen Rutte and Eelco van der Laan have been called up for national services. Arjen is no surprise, but Eelco is. He must have been called up to gain experience, which we can only applaude.
Ørjan Henningsen is now an iconic rider as well, the last (but not the least) of our bunch of 21 years old cobble hill riders.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/adoquinbronce.jpg)
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Arjen Rutte and Eelco van der Laan have been called up for national services. Arjen is no surprise, but Eelco is. He must have been called up to gain experience, which we can only applaude.
Indeed, glad I could do this for Eelco and Combuijs Capers.
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In stage 7 Oliver King could act as leader and he did very well. He finished 8th in Cerler.
(https://img00.rhimg.com/h.9716119.795.500.0.ffffff.1026e375.jpg)
In the GC Mike Bauer lost the red jersey but he reclaimed it in Cerler. Yvo de Cleer is now 15th, Oliver King 22nd. After the time trial we will decide who can claim leadership for the two final stages which they both don't like at all...
Adam Balogh is now a Milanese inhabitant after a transfer of almost 3 million to Pro Continental Tour team Milanezen. That team might promote to World Tour Level this season however.
Johannes Overmars will be fitted out with a poncho after his slightly less expensive transfer to Pro Continental Tour Team Ponchocycling RSC. May they both prosper...
There was no succes for the Dutch national coach in the last race of the season. He of course had had bad luck that Arjen Rutte focused on hill training this season instead of sprint. The Dutch team finished just out of the top 10, but before Belgium! Just as we will finish just outside the top 10 on the World Tour, but before Bloemen aan de Mitte...
Winner was Norway with a margin of 10 points on Hungary. If the national coach of the latter had only selected Adam Balogh for the appropriate race...
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Just as we will finish just outside the top 10 on the World Tour, but before Bloemen aan de Mitte...
Are you sure??? :) ;) 8)
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In the time trial to Zaragoza Robert Brubaker gets his first top 10 position, which is not surprising as he has extensively explored the parcours.
(https://inassets1-internationsgmbh.netdna-ssl.com/image/static_1280_720/static/bundles/internationsseo/frontend/images/localcommunityHeroV3/357.jpg)
In the GC Yvo de Cleer is now 13th with more than 11 minutes behind Mike Bauer, Oliver King is now 20th. They won't keep that place in the last stage though, but let's hope for some points. Mike Bauer perhaps won't keep his place either as Flying Wheel Robrecht Kemperman is only 26 seconds behind. In the final stage around Vigo everything will be decided.
In an interview in UCI Weekly we have stated we are confident we can keep second best Belgium team Bloemen aan de Mitte behind us. In the photograph that came along the article you can see surprised and unbelieving faces of Oliver King, Robert Brubaker and Thomas Freitag in the background during that interview.
In the Tour of Lombardy these riders will have to beat Bloemen aan de Mitte:
101 Oliver King
102 Carlo Bemelmans
103 Sam Parker
104 Tristan Prins
105 Eddy Room
These riders will be tasting sand in the WC time trial in Doha:
101 Robert Brubaker
102 Koen Helder
103 Oliver King
104 Sam Parker
105 Julius Wiegel
These riders will try to beat Wilfried Bentinck under the sun in Doha:
101 Thomas Freitag
102 Ørjan Henningsen
103 Eelco van der Laan
104 Julius Maalderink
105 Midas van Veldhuizen
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The third season comes at an end, time to recapture the last stages. In the Giro de Lombardia Oliver King just missed out on the podium after a very good race. He placed a ferocious attack on the only mountain in the race, which gave him a 4th place in the end. His helper Tristan Prins finished 20th. Unfortunately these were the last points of the season as Robert Brubaker finished on place 34 in the time trial and our sprinters were nowhere to be seen in the world champions race. Who did we see in that race?
1º Seb Walkins 21 SaulSalinasTeam 0: 00" 1000 500000
2º Rafael Engelberts 21 SPORTLIFE 0: 00" 800 450000
3º Wilfred Bentinck 21 Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 0: 00" 650 400000
4º Lorenzo Ferreiro 21 Zatarra 0: 00" 550 350000
5º Nicolas Tirado 21 AJFactoryCycling 0: 00" 500 300000
Wilfred Bentinck on the podium, but he must have been very disappointed as he really had focused on this race. Good results for Sportlife and Zatarra.
For the time trial we only have the result of the first section which is not that helpful.
(https://wielerflits-wpuypigxmvanblj7abke.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/lombardia.jpg)
Just at the end of the season we have bought Russian rider Valentin Litenko for a limited fee from Continental Pro Tour team Turrones. Valentin stated that he was happy he could ride on the World Tour level now. He apparently forgot that Turrones will be acting on that level too next season as they have just been promoted.
Time for some statistics to close the season:
Division standings at the end:
1º AJFactoryCycling 12344 2 5 2
2º CyKings 11998 3 3 6
3º Flyvende_hjul 11017 1 3 2
4º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 10465 12 4 6
5º CobbleCrushers 8417 3 6 4
6º °Peachy°Melocotons 8172 8 2 2
7º Atlantico 7916 1 5 3
8º SaulSalinasTeam 7838 5 3 1
9º Rekutxuteam 7439 2 1 0
10º Wiggo_pupils 7327 3 3 1
11º Combuijs 6631 0 1 1
12º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 6583 2 1 1
13º Psychoedge 6447 0 1 3
14º SentinelChickens 6387 3 3 1
15º IKIBASQUE 6286 6 2 1
16º SPORTLIFE 6136 2 4 4
17º Zatarra 6032 0 1 2
18º CC_Porco_Jones 5991 7 2 4
19º Thorboassonarvesen 5981 5 1 0
20º Codex 5980 2 3 1
21º Oska 5926 3 1 4
22º Denver 5866 0 3 3
23º CrossAndGo 5841 2 1 5
24º Vitimper 5722 4 5 2
25º ProdopingPong 5353 1 3 1
26º Matterhorn 5080 3 1 2
27º Caracoles 5048 3 2 0
28º DeRodeVod 4933 1 4 4
29º CaptainOrange 4926 0 2 1
30º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 4732 0 1 3
31º Pomilles_Balears 4593 0 2 3
32º PDM_cycling_team 4426 1 0 5
33º FaltososDeChigre 4280 0 1 3
34º KunTeam 4153 0 1 0
35º ClubCiclistaLaFallera 4131 4 3 1
36º Marcatone_Due 4051 0 0 1
37º ValeronIdolo 3113 1 1 1
38º Ares 3044 0 2 2
39º FlyEaglesFly 2855 0 0 1
40º Jumanji 2457 1 2 1
41º BorinotTeam 2432 0 2 1
42º Dutch_Lions 1700 0 0 0
43º Wizards 1516 0 0 2
44º Legendaryks 1342 0 0 0
45º MortoviaCycling 1128 0 0 0
46º Flandria 699 0 0 0
47º CAO 667 0 0 0
48º CojoNudos 490 0 0 0
49º Amezola 406 0 0 0
50º CR7Team 8 0 0 0
As predicted we could not finish within the top 10, but we could leave Bloemen aan de Mitte behind us, so still a satisfying season... Warm congratulations to AJFactoryCycling who did a terrific job to win the title with in the end a comfortable margin of 346 points. What a brilliant manager he is! The Wilfred Bentinck Pro Cycling team just missed out on the podium. A pity, but still a good result. The PDM Cycling Team will act a level lower next season, which they don't seem to mind as they are focusing on training. De Rode Vod and Captain Orange could in the end buy their World Tour tickets again, but it was perhaps a bit too close for comfort.
These are the top riders of the season:
1º Adam Roethlisberger 21 5415 Rekutxuteam 2 1 0
2º Mike Bauer 21 4740 CyKings 1 0 3
3º Seb Walkins 21 2986 SaulSalinasTeam 5 2 0
4º Ed VanVliet 21 2818 AJFactoryCycling 1 2 1
5º Ketil Fossum 21 2730 Thorboassonarvesen 4 1 0
22º Arjen Rutte 21 1723 Combuijs 0 0 1
29º Chester Laybutt 21 1354 Combuijs 0 0 0
Nice to see a different winner this season in Adam Roethlisberger.
Our team points overview at the end of the season:
Arjen Rutte 21 1723
Chester Laybutt 21 1354
Tristan Prins 21 605
Oliver King 21 560
Garret Rose 21 472
Julius Maalderink 21 387
Adam Neeskens 21 363
Yvo De Cleer 21 359
Eddy Room 21 238
Robert Brubaker 21 162
Thomas Freitag 21 160
Carlo Bemelmans 21 155
Ørjan Henningsen 21 60
Adam Balogh scored some points too, but he is not at our team anymore.
Right, on we go to season 4!
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We have bought Specialized equipment again as Robert Brubaker was not happy with his material and we all know what can happen if a renowned time trial specialist is not happy with his material...
The first cup round will be in Italy against an Italian team, so we are in trouble. We are doing the mountain time trial to Santuario di Oropa and we fear that motorists will severely favor Euska Piero.
These riders are going to try to stay as close to their motorist as possible:
1 Sam Parker
2 Robert Brubaker
3 Yvo de Cleer
4 Oliver King
5 Tristan Prins
The season starts this time in Lobethal and we send everyone a new seasons greetings from there:
(https://clubfleurieu.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/fleurieucoast-club-fleurieu-lobethal-lights1.jpg)
These riders will not spend their Christmas home, but are preparing for the Tour Down Under:
101 Carlo Bemelmans
102 Eelco van der Laan
103 Adam Neeskens
104 Eddy Room
105 Midas van Veldhuizen
Carlo will be our leader, Midas might have some luck in the sprinting stages.
We wish all teams a very inspiring season and just that little bit less success than we might have...
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In the first round of the Cup opponent Euska Piero did not show up, so even the motorists could not prevent Sam Parker from winning the stage. Next round sees us against Pro Continental team Spitz. They specialise in climbers and hillers and unfortunately we have gotten a mountain hill race from the Itzulia. Could be a close race, hopefully they don't have a rider which combines both.
First stage of the season and the first points of the season. Carlo Bemelmans finishes on 16th place in Stirling. A good start for us and an even better start for Team RHB where 21 year old (!) Arno Verbeek wins the stage. Very well done that!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/3319/3530669206_f85067a00e_b.jpg)
We are in Australia now and the Lobethal Courier remarked that Sam Parker, apart from an iconic time trial rider, is an iconic mountain rider too.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/montanabronce.jpg)
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We wish all teams a very inspiring season and just that little bit less success than we might have...
:))
Good luck and have fun this season, Combuijs.
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We wish all teams a very inspiring season and just that little bit less success than we might have...
:))
Good luck and have fun this season, Combuijs.
Copy that! Let's make it a splendid season. I'm more active again, so hopefully will be able to compete with you seriously!
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The Tour Down Under stage to Lyndoch saw another Dutch victory. It was a sprint race so you can probably guess who won it...
According to the Paracombe Daily Carlo Bemelmans was a light in an ocean of otherwise murky tactics. Anyway, it gave him a 10th place, just behind snooker legend Ali Carter who apparently has chosen a different career. Eddy Room proved to be a brilliant helper (to Carlo, not to Ali).
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/incidencias/bombilla.png)
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQUMSo37NwJcv4FCw42HCHMP7aQ9dEF0RoRVOGKuOKx9R7T9S0-)
No Arno Verbeek this time, probably due to his celebrating his first victory on the highest level he was thoroughly asleep in the first half of the race. In the GC Carlo Bemelmans is now on 14th place and while the last race does not suit him very well, he could finish in the top 20.
At the moment we are happy to report that both Sportlife and Zatarra are keeping their side of the deal as they are below us in the division standings. Wether they can keep restraining themselves remains to be seen.
We will ride de Omloop het Nieuwsblad with:
201 Arjen Rutte
202 Ørjan Henningsen
203 Chester Laybutt
204 Julius Maalderink
205 Adam Neeskens
Very important will be the Strade Bianchi for which the Russian Sberbank will donate us half a million if we can reach the top 8:
201 Arjen Rutte
202 Koen Helder
203 Ørjan Henningsen
204 Chester Laybutt
205 Julius Maalderink
These riders will be looking for a nice tan in Paris-Nice:
201 Oliver King
202 Robert Brubaker
203 Yvo de Cleer
204 Chester Laybutt
205 Arjen Rutte
Oliver will be our leader, Chester has his eye on the cobble hill stage.
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At the moment we are happy to report that both Sportlife and Zatarra are keeping their side of the deal as they are below us in the division standings. Wether they can keep restraining themselves remains to be seen.
Well, then I predict you will be happy for a long time or even the whole season. ;)
Because my team has no cobblehills- and hills-riders. :-[
So unfortunately, my opponent will not be Combuijs, but probably the real opponent will be the "relagation ghost" :)) :
(https://i.imgur.com/k7PPVBs.jpg)
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At the moment we are happy to report that both Sportlife and Zatarra are keeping their side of the deal as they are below us in the division standings. Wether they can keep restraining themselves remains to be seen.
Well, then I predict you will be happy for a long time or even the whole season. ;)
Because my team has no cobblehills- and hills-riders. :-[
So unfortunately, my opponent will not be Combuijs, but probably the real opponent will be the "relagation ghost" :)) :
Há, I just noticed this (your text is wrong till 7pm this evening). :))
(https://i.imgur.com/k7PPVBs.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/EipfeTi.png?1)
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(https://i.imgur.com/gfuxNQ7.jpg?1)
In the picture ; halfway (section 3) in the very wet and stormy Strade Bianche, Henningsen (Combuijs) takes the lead of the 1st group of just 6 riders to make pace for teamcaptain Rutte (Combuijs), who is also in that 1st group. Rutte did great and finished as 2nd in Siena. 8)
One day later as my previous post, Combuijs is 24 places up, and now in the top 10 of 1A. :o
(https://i.imgur.com/nxPKpIK.png?1)
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In the Tour Down Under we took too many risks in stage 4 and Carlo Bemelmans lost too much time. In the end his finished on a disappointing 46th place in the GC.
In the Omloop het Nieuwsblad there was some controversy because Chester Laybutt felt he should be leader this race, but we could convince him Arjen Rutte was in a good mood, so in the end he gave in. Arjen showed his qualities with a nice 5th place while Chester was 18th over the line, just before Julius Maalderink in a free role. It was a good start of the classical season.
Like last season probably the most important race of the season was the Strade Bianchi. As you no doubt already have read Arjen Rutte had no trouble with our high expectations and finished second after Mario Benito (Antequera) after a brilliant race. Helper Chester Laybutt picked up 24th place, but admittedly Ørjan Henningsen really was the best helper until he lost breath over half way. That he did finish was a miracle. As a consequence we can now put our black money on the Russian Sberbank and we even get paid for it!
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/sberbank.jpg)
Paris-Nice has started very well for us. In the first stage Oliver King finished on 24th place while CC Porco Jones' Sam tasted the sweetness of victory.
In the second stage Chester Laybutt was too tired to sprint uphill for victory in a group of three, but in this way he managed a podium place in Meudon. Arjen Rutte could return Chester's help in this race and still finished 24th. Cobble Crusher Yannick Pierre won before Sentinental Chicken Lenny Ford.
In the GC Olvier King is on 14th place, 1:37 behind Flying Wheel Ron van den Hemel, and we can now focus on him.
Division standings after the second stage of Paris-Nice
1º CobbleCrushers 1294 1 0 1
2º SentinelChickens 1278 1 1 0
3º Wiggo_pupils 1232 0 0 1
5º Antequera 1145 1 0 0
6º Combuijs 1115 0 1 1
7º Flyvende_hjul 1067 1 1 1
14º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 575 1 0 0
15º Zatarra 538 0 0 0
16º AJFactoryCycling 527 1 0 0
33º IKIBASQUE 215 0 0 0
34º SPORTLIFE 205 0 0 1
35º skunk 175 0 0 0
Cobble Crushers in the lead, which is kind of tradition in the first week of the season. Zatarra is in really good company, while Sportlife has fallen in love with Casper the cute relegation ghost...
We have managed to sell Carlo's younger brother Chris Bemelmans for more than 4 million to Pro Continental Tour team Kelme4ever, who is apparently starting a new sprinting generation. We wish him a nice future there while we will ponder our fortune after the largest transfer out in our history.
Our store is doing very well as we sell lots of shirts after Arjen Rutte's result in the Strade Bianchi. Which is amazing when you look at Vos's picture above as no one could even recognise the shirt when he arrived in Siena.
Le Parisien commented on our brilliant tactics and we have passed the compliment to our director Belarmino Farinha.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/tactica3.png)
We have shifted the focus of our training to technique. The training facilities have been extended for this:
(https://mantis-vision.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Technical-room-scanning-1024x683.jpg)
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We have had two stages in Paris-Nice and apart from a second place for Wilfred Bentinck (is he getting old?...) there is not much to mention. Oliver King is now 25th in the GC. Let's hope he can get into the top 20, though a time trial is not his favourite hobby...
(https://media.nu.nl/m/bovxh0aaobn9_wd1280.jpg/video-meerdere-renners-komen-hard-ten-val-bij-tijdrit-binckbank-tour)
An article in Nice Aujourd'hui remarked that Valentin Litenko is an iconic mountain rider, which did not come unexpectedly. Midas van Veldhuizen is an iconic sprinter now they say. What kept him?
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/montanabronce.jpg)(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/sprintbronce.jpg)
They also noticed we have gotten some money by selling very good riders. They wonder how we still manage to get results in and if we can continue this. Regarding this we like to mention that the best 19 year old Dutch hiller Marcel Fentener is for sale at the moment. His uncle is rumoured to swim in money...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/selle1.png)
We are already looking forward to the Tirreno Adriatico:
61 Oliver King
62 Robert Brubaker
63 Yvo de Cleer
64 Koen Helder
65 Tristan Prins
We will concentrate on the first stage as Latvia Exports are ready to part with some money for a nice result.
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The final time trial of Paris-Nice was a two way disappointment. Robert Brubaker did not score any points in the stage and Oliver King finished 24th in the GC, almost 5 minutes behind winner Mike Bauer.
In the first stage of the Tirreno Adriatico from Lugo to Sestola Oliver King lost contact with helper Tristan Prins before the hill section started. In the final climb he could hold out to place 10, which was just enough to secure a deal with Latvia Exports. We were really lucky there.
(https://q-cf.bstatic.com/images/hotel/max1024x768/128/128174611.jpg)
Division standings after the first stage of the Tirreno:
1º Flyvende_hjul 1787 1 2 1
2º Wiggo_pupils 1718 0 0 2
3º CyKings 1378 0 0 0
7º Antequera 1245 1 0 0
8º Combuijs 1172 0 1 1
9º skunk 1071 0 0 0
21º Denver 604 0 0 0
22º Zatarra 555 0 0 0
23º Cabrasverdes 553 0 0 0
33º CC_Porco_Jones 409 1 0 0
34º SPORTLIFE 391 0 0 2
35º Oska 390 0 0 0
We are still the first Dutch team! That won't last long though...
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I forgot to mention the CFF Cup. These riders did take on Spitz in an Itzulia mountain hill race:
1 Tristan Prins
2 Oliver King
3 Valentin Litenko
4 Sam Parker
5 Eddy Room
In the first two mountain sections the three riders of Spitz were 18 seconds behind, but they came back in the two flat sections. Luckily Tristan Prins had enough energy left to decide the race in our advantage in the final hill section.
In the third round we are up against World Tour team Prodoping Pong in another Itzulia hill mountain sprint. That might be a tough nut to crack, but luckily I am familiar with table tennis.
Yvo de Cleer was called up for international duties. Let's say he was instrumental in the suruprising victory of conpatriot Ronald Blaak.
Meanwhile we are doing quite well in the Tirreno Adriatico.
In the time trial do Donoratico Robert Brubaker scored his first points with a 29th place, and surprisingly Oliver King could gain some places in the GC.
In the flat mountain stage to iconic Montecassino Oliver King finished in the top 10, which gave him a second place in the GC, 33 seconds behind iconic Mike Bauer. It will be difficult to defend the podium in the last stage, but we will give it a try!
(https://www.tripsavvy.com/thmb/mkS6_hqrfNHYT4b84gUCrHi4kgM=/950x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/MontecassinoabbeyPeterNoyce-LOOPIMAGESGettyImages-522227392-5ace09011d6404003cfbbd20.jpg)
We have now another iconic sprinter in the house in Thomas Freitag. It took a while, but now they come fast.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/sprintbronce.png)
After the Tirreno we stay in Italy for Milano-San Remo:
71 Thomas Freitag
72 Ørjan Henningsen
73 Julius Maalderink
74 Arjen Rutte
75 Midas van Veldhuizen
And then move back to Belgium on the E3:
71 Chester Laybutt
72 Adam Neeskens
73 Garret Rose
74 Arjen Rutte
75 Julius Wiegel
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In the flat mountain stage to iconic Montecassino Oliver King finished in the top 10, which gave him a second place in the GC, 33 seconds behind iconic Mike Bauer. It will be difficult to defend the podium in the last stage, but we will give it a try!
2nd GC with King, very nice. A lot of rivals for the podiumplaces, I suspect. Good luck in the final stage, Combuijs !
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That was close, but King managed to keep his 2nd place in the GC, well done Combuijs. 8)
Your team is now 4th in 1A, impressive !
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A nail biting last stage in the Tirreno Adriatico to the aptly named Terminillo. Oliver King lost contact on the second climb, but thanks to tremendous help from Tristan Prins and Yvo de Cleer he could easily come back in the flat sections. The last climb proved very taxing, in the end Oliver finished 13 seconds behind the Sweet winner on place 10. That was just enough to maintain his second place in the GC:
1 Mike Bauer 22 CyKings 0: 00" 500 300000
2 Oliver King 22 Combuijs 0: 46" 400 270000
3 Daniele Kolb 22 Codex 0: 47" 325 240000
4 Jarl Ulvestad 22 Flyvende_hjul 0: 51" 275 210000
5 Anatoly Yarkin 22 Matterhorn 0: 54" 250 180000
That's our best result in a GC on the World Tour level!
(https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/03/7c/34/6d/monte-terminillo.jpg)
Division standings after the Tirreno Adriatico:
1º Flyvende_hjul 2335 1 2 1
2º CyKings 2188 1 0 0
3º Wiggo_pupils 2164 0 0 3
4º Combuijs 1696 0 1 1
5º °Peachy°Melocotons 1562 0 2 1
25º TeaMetal 702 1 1 1
26º Zatarra 688 0 0 1
27º TeamRHB 687 1 0 0
32º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 607 0 0 0
33º SPORTLIFE 579 0 1 2
34º DeRodeVod 542 0 0 1
We are on dazzling heights at the moment...
We sold Marcel Fentener yesterday to Continental Tour team Albero. May this talented youngster prosper there. We have now another young hill sprinter for sale, Gijs Wiegel, the younger brother of our Julius. Check him out!
With a Brexit rapidly approaching we have secured our export of Combuijs Honey Ale to the beer loving British nation by opening a shop over there. The British will need some good beer in the near future to drink their worries away and they will need every job they can get their hands on...
These riders are going to Catalunya:
31 Oliver King
32 Robert Brubaker
33 Yvo de Cleer
34 Thomas Freitag
35 Tristan Prins
A mixed bag of GC riders and stage winners. That usually gives no result whatsoever...
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Well done Combuijs!
I really thought Ulvestad would catch up and secure the podium for me, but King rode a great race and just about secured the podium for your team!
Already we can see the three teams on the top who will probably fight for top3 in the end.
Outsiders, and probably 4th and 5th contenders as it seems now will be among you, Peachy and maybe AJFactory if he can speed up his season in the upcoming races!
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You can't always have luck, Thomas Freitag finishes 33rd in Milano-San Remo after his main helper Midas van Veldhuizen missed the start completely. Next season we might spend less energy on the Passo del Turchino.
In the E3 Harelbeke we had a brilliant result as Chester Laybutt finished second behind Cobble Crusher Artúr Bereményi while Arjen Rutte was just outside the podium on 4th place. Brilliant result indeed, but brilliant tactics too? I am afraid not, the intended helpers Garret Rose and Adam Neeskens lost contact with leader Chester at the start, while Arjen had strict instructions not to help Chester in any way. So, really a bad tactic gone right.
The Tour of Catalunya did not go very well, but Robert Brubaker gathers some points with place 28 in the time trial around Lake Banyoles and Thomas Freitag manages a 30th place in the Mataró-Olot stage in a free role. Tristan Prins and Oliver King missed out at the start of the Barcelona race and couldn't recover the situation.
(https://volcano.si.edu/Photos/full/119091.jpg)
Division standings after the fourth stage of de Tour of Catalunya:
1º Wiggo_pupils 2873 1 0 3
2º CyKings 2746 1 0 1
3º Flyvende_hjul 2538 1 2 1
4º CobbleCrushers 2483 2 1 1
5º Combuijs 2391 0 2 1
6º °Peachy°Melocotons 2284 1 2 2
20º Matterhorn 1087 0 0 1
21º Zatarra 1085 0 0 1
22º Thorboassonarvesen 1038 0 1 0
33º IKIBASQUE 790 1 1 0
34º SPORTLIFE 777 0 1 2
35º TeamRHB 772 1 0 0
El Periodico de Catalunya mentions that Valentin Litenko is a huge talent. That is good news because he has still some ground to cover to score points on the World Tour.
On we go to Gent-Wevelgem:
41 Julius Maalderink
42 Ørjan Henningsen
43 Adam Neeskens
44 Garret Rose
45 Arjen Rutte
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In the last stage of the Tour of Catalunya Yvo de Cleer was praised for his enlightening race. He finished 9th on Lo Port. Funny enough he was only the 5th Dutchman, with a full Dutch podium (Jansma, Bergman, van Vliet) and a 6th place for van den Hemel. I don't need to tell you who won the Tour, Oliver King was 4:22 behind Mike Bauer on place 32.
Well, you can see that training on technique works wonders for Julius Maalderink. In Gent-Wevelgem he was supported by Arjen Rutte from Gent to Wevelgem and in the end he could take second place behind winner Ketil Fossum (Thorboassonarvesen). Arjen was awarded 16th place for his efforts.
Training technique is really necessary for Gent-Wevelgem:
(https://www.gokkenopsport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Gent-Wevelgem-2018-1-800x445.jpg)
Division standings after Gent-Wevelgem:
1º Wiggo_pupils 3469 1 0 3
2º CyKings 3303 1 0 1
3º Flyvende_hjul 3085 1 2 1
4º CobbleCrushers 3008 2 1 2
5º Combuijs 2961 0 3 1
6º °Peachy°Melocotons 2556 1 2 2
20º Matterhorn 1282 0 0 1
21º Zatarra 1275 0 0 1
22º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 1232 0 0 1
36º IKIBASQUE 790 1 1 0
37º SPORTLIFE 777 0 1 2
38º Vitimper 754 0 0 1
Eelco van der Laan is now also recognised by cycling magazine de Muur as an iconic cobblestone rider.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/adoquinbronce.jpg)
As all riders in the Combuijs Honey Ale team are now iconic, this should mean that we are an iconic team now...
Next stop is Dwars door Vlaanderen:
41 Chester Laybutt
42 Adam Neeskens
43 Garret Rose
44 Arjen Rutte
45 Julius Wiegel
And then we will advertise our Combuijs Honey Ale at the Ronde van Vlaanderen:
41 Chester Laybutt
42 Julius Maalderink
43 Adam Neeskens
44 Garret Rose
45 Julius Wiegel
These riders will try to secure a place in the last 16 of the cup
11 Valentin Litenko
12 Yvo de Cleer
13 Thomas Freitag
14 Ørjan Henningsen
15 Midas van Veldhuizen
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In Dwars door Vlaanderen tactics failed quite seriously as Chester Laybutt had no help when the race went into the hills. He still got 9th place, but things should have gone better than that.
We took some revenge in the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Tactics were not optimal, but good enough for Chester Laybutt to finish 4th. Garret Rose in a free role arrived in 10th place. Good to see former Combuijs Honey Ale rider Adam Balogh on 8th place with a shining tactic. Well done Milanezen!
(https://www.abscis-architecten.be/uploads/images/0-0/01c9b4eb7223a3611bbab590c79b8311288.gif)
Division standings after the Flemish classics:
1º CobbleCrushers 4488 4 1 2
2º Wiggo_pupils 3729 1 0 3
3º Combuijs 3586 0 3 1
4º CyKings 3403 1 0 1
21º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 1422 0 0 1
22º Zatarra 1330 0 0 1
23º AJFactoryCycling 1211 1 0 1
36º IKIBASQUE 790 1 1 0
37º SPORTLIFE 777 0 1 2
38º Vitimper 754 0 0 1
Third place! Wish that the season was already at the end! (OK, not for Sportlife...)
On we go to the Basque Country:
21 Oliver King
22 Carlo Bemelmans
23 Valentin Litenko
24 Tristan Prins
25 Eddy Room
We will do everything for a high GC place of Oliver King, although we might change that in the last stage.
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Third place! Wish that the season was already at the end! (OK, not for Sportlife...)
3rd place in 1A, amazing ! ! ! Keep it up, Combuijs ! 8)
My team is almost 3rd too, if you read the 1A ranking upside down. :)
I have and had no cyclists for all one-day-races, so I'm missing out way too many points.
My own fault, not active in buying, and without new cyclists it will be very difficult to stay in 1A, perhaps even impossible.
But it is time for a little tour and I expect some points. How many, I cannot estimate that in advance.
Also because I'm still in doubt who will be the teamcaptain, most likely Saint-Germain because it is fun to see if he can ride a GC.
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/b97e3f6347c2b7c51f7d1d23a07ef93b.png) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/full(CFF).png) selection SPORTLIFE
361 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/belgica.jpg) Saint-Germain (22) --> GC rider
362 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/italia.jpg) Tafi (22) --> climbsprinter / stage 3 and maybe stage 4
363 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/australia.jpg) Thompson (22) --> hillsclimber / stage 1
364 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/australia.jpg) Trautemberg (22) --> hillsclimber / helper
365 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/alemania.jpg) Meister (21) --> semi-hillsclimber / helper ( unfortunately he is not a meisterknecht^^ )
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(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/b97e3f6347c2b7c51f7d1d23a07ef93b.png)
I chose for Saint-Germain(PSG) as teamcaptain in every stage. This means less points in the stages, but hopefully a good GC can compensate that.
stage 1 : Helper Trautemberg did a great job in this for PSG hard stage. PSG finished as 62nd on 1:21"
Thompson was not happy with his free role, he finished just outside the points with a 33rd place.
stage 2 : Again Trautemberg did great as helper in the first 4 sections. A remarkable good result of PSG ; 35th on again 1:21"
PSG finished in the same group as free role rider Thompson who could score some points with a 23rd place.
stage 3 : This is a better suited stage, especially because PSG had a top helper with Tafi who launched his teamcaptain hard into s5.
Splendid results 8) ; PSG 4th and helper Tafi 14th, both on 0:00"
stage 4 : Tafi was not suited as helper because he is very bad in hills-section 1, in a free role he finished as 1st of the 2nd group (15th).
PSG did awesome despite he had no helper in s2 and further. He managed to stay in the front and finished as 9th on 0:00"
So far my team scored 255 points in Itzulia, and SPORTLIFE is now just above the red zone on the 30th place.
( Temporarily, because my team does not have riders for the hills classic races. )
But the main objective in this tour is the GC of PSG.
Very exciting tour for the top GC contenders above the dot line. And a lot of Dutch managers have a GC rider in this tour (for now).
1 Adam Roethlisberger 22 Rekutxuteam 0: 00" :o
2 Nate Henderson 22 AJFactoryCycling 0: 00" :o
3 Marzio Pantani 22 Wiggo_pupils 0: 05" :o
4 Jarl Ulvestad 22 Flyvende_hjul 0: 28"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
6 Dries Smulders 22 CaptainOrange 0: 54"
9 Pallieter Saint-Germain 22 SPORTLIFE 1: 15" 8)
10 Pol Claesen 22 Flyvende_hjul 1: 28"
13 István Kasztel 22 Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 1: 32"
14 Eddy VanAmerongen 22 CrossAndGo 1: 38"
15 Oliver King 22 Combuijs 1: 58" :-*
17 Erki Kirsiaed 22 Zatarra 2: 06"
23 Nicolas Boilleau 22 DeRodeVod 2: 47"
It would be great if PSG can ride a top 10. The time differences in the GC are small and the final hills stage can mix up the GC a lot.
In this situation I cannot predict if top 10 GC is possible, I assume PSG must hope that many GC contenders are not so good in the hills.
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We had a very close cup race against Prodoping Pong. In a hill mountain sprint stage from the Itzulia our Valentin Litenko went into the attack on the only mountain. He took a lead on two Pingpongers of 42 seconds there, which I thought was enough. In the remaining flat sections Aart van Sant however reduced that to 0 seconds, so we had sprint à deux as a decider. Luckily Aart had given too much in the flat sections, so Valentin could sprint us into the last 16 of the cup. There we face another sports team in Pro Continental Tour Chess Power in a mountain hill race from Paris-Nice. Our tactics should be really good then as we might be out thought here...
In the second stage of the Itzulia to Lukunberri Oliver King finished 6th, while his helper Tristan Prins just forgot to pick up points. In the third stage to Eguesibar Oliver King was tremendously supported by Valentin Litenko, so he got 24th place there.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Uztarrotz.jpg)
As some other reporters have shown Oliver King is 15th in the GC now, so we will give him our confidence for the last stage. We will see if he can get passed Pallieter of Sportlife.
Diario Vasco noted we have a cobble rider who is capable of getting silverware. And they are right, Chester Laybutt is the person they write about:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/pavesplata.png)
Cobbler Arjen Rutte and time trialist Robert Brubaker have been called up by their national coaches. The Dutch coach must have a very cunning plan indeed to call Arjen up as the race in question is a time trial...
A long list of coming races starting with Paris-Roubaix:
41 Julius Maalderink
42 Ørjan Henningsen
43 Eelco van der Laan
44 Chester Laybutt
45 Arjen Rutte
Continuing with the Combuijs Honey Ale Race, the Wallonian Arrow and To Bastogne and back again:
41 Carlo Bemelmans
42 Chester Laybutt
43 Adam Neeskens
44 Tristan Prins
45 Eddy Room
And finally the Tour de Romandie:
41 Yvo de Cleer
42 Valentin Litenko
43 Sam Parker
44 Garret Rose
45 Julius Wiegel
Yvo will be our GC man, assisted by Valentin and Sam, Garret and Julius are there to train their technique in practice.
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Very exciting tour for the top GC contenders above the dot line. And a lot of Dutch managers have a GC rider in this tour (for now).
1 Adam Roethlisberger 22 Rekutxuteam 0: 00" :o
2 Nate Henderson 22 AJFactoryCycling 0: 00" :o
3 Marzio Pantani 22 Wiggo_pupils 0: 05" :o
4 Jarl Ulvestad 22 Flyvende_hjul 0: 28"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
6 Dries Smulders 22 CaptainOrange 0: 54"
9 Pallieter Saint-Germain 22 SPORTLIFE 1: 15" 8)
10 Pol Claesen 22 Flyvende_hjul 1: 28"
13 István Kasztel 22 Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 1: 32"
14 Eddy VanAmerongen 22 CrossAndGo 1: 38"
15 Oliver King 22 Combuijs 1: 58" :-*
17 Erki Kirsiaed 22 Zatarra 2: 06"
23 Nicolas Boilleau 22 DeRodeVod 2: 47"
What is interesting, is that Ulvestad actually would have been at 0:00 too, if I had not messed up roles in stage 3, where I managed to race Ulvestad as helper instead of captain... ??? ::)
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In the end it did not matter so much, Ulvestad finished as 7th in the GC and that could have been 5th.
Not a mistake that cost a tour victory, for example. And remember, the competition makes mistakes too ( although your mistake is rare ;) ).
Saint-Germain finished as 118th in the final stage. And in the final GC a 14th place, 3 places behind King (Combuijs).
Hopefully another SPORTLIFE cyclist can score somewhere a top 10 GC in this season.
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Actually I dont know what im doing this season. Im making more mistakes than usually. Like last stage, I forgot to remove the last two energy points for Ulvestad, meaning he spent to many...
I will think I lost about 30 seconds on it.
So combined 28 + 30 seconds = 58 seconds. My mistakes this tour costed him a 3rd and maybe 2nd place in GC. Points lost = 125 or 200.
I need to get my shit together, haha! My mistakes have probably costed me around 400-500 points this season already, and that can make the difference in the end...
Too bad you lost your top10, but I know you have an upcoming chance later this season! :).
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In the last Itzulia stage around Getxo we broke a new team record by getting four riders in the top 30 of a World Tour race: Carlo Bemelmans 16th, Eddy Room 20th, Tristan Prins 22nd and Oliver King 25th. Oliver got awarded the Lightbulb Trophy for his efforts. As a result he finished 11th in the GC, 8 seconds out of the top 10, more than two minutes behind winner Marzio Pantani (who is apparently a pupil of Wiggo), but more importantly three places above Sportlife's Pallieter Saint-Germain. I know this has been mentioned before, but I repeat it in case someone overlooked the original text...
In Paris-Roubaix Julius Maalderink showed off his improving technique skills and finished 20th, which was some distance from first place Bram Travin (Ikibasque) and second place Konrad Magnussen (Zatarra).
Some nice results in the hill classics. Carlo Bemelmans picks up 12th place in the Combuijs Honey Ale race and 19th place in the Fleche Wallonne with in general a good team effort.
(http://walloniebelgietoerisme.be/sites/default/files/styles/ifttt/public/243735_Huy-VueDuFort_%28c%29WBT-DavidSamyn.jpg?itok=NUsFEA_o&hash=9de6a35d5e5b4229e39755b776a508c5c325d93498acaad6439f280aca598fb7)
Division standings after the Wallonian Arrow:
1º Wiggo_pupils 5188 2 1 3
2º CobbleCrushers 5046 4 1 2
3º Flyvende_hjul 4731 1 2 2
4º CyKings 4497 2 0 2
5º Combuijs 4185 0 3 1
6º °Peachy°Melocotons 3981 3 2 2
19º Matterhorn 2135 0 2 1
20º Zatarra 1988 0 1 1
21º Antequera 1985 1 0 0
34º TeamRHB 1136 1 0 0
35º SPORTLIFE 1102 0 1 2
36º Facha_Bartolo 1091 1 0 1
So, Flying Wheels complaining about lost points, but still 3rd in the rankings. If he does not want the points, he can give them to us...
In order to improve our sprint train we have bought Dénes Nemcsik from World Tour team Intellinet Cycling FF. Dénes is our second most expensive buy and we hope he will bring almost as much points as our most expensive one Oliver King. We will work on a nice program for him in the remaining races.
As a result we have put Midas van Veldhuizen on the transfer list because his wagon has derailed now from that same sprint train.
La Wallonie published an article in which it stated that the Combuijs Honey Ale is worth 30 stars. From a Wallonian paper this is a compliment indeed, though it is unclear wether they meant the ale or the team.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/30est.png)
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34º TeamRHB 1136 1 0 0
35º SPORTLIFE 1102 0 1 2
36º Facha_Bartolo 1091 1 0 1
No hills-classics for SPORTLIFE, looking at the 1A ranking this seems a more suited activity for my team :) :
(https://i.imgur.com/evCIyCo.jpg?1)
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In Liège-Bastogne-Liège Carlo Bemelmans picked up his expected points with a 17th place.
In the first stage of the Tour of Romandie to Leysin Yvo de Cleer started well with a 13th place. He had a nice chat with Zatarra's Ivari Mitt and Sportlife's Albert Nieuwendijk who finished in the same group. Only Flying Wheel Oscar Luis Sepulveda spoiled the party by finishing in a group before them.
(https://static.mycity.travel/manage/uploads/6/28/57896/1/leysin-ete_2000.JPEG)
Division standings after the first stage of the Tour of Romandie:
1º Wiggo_pupils 5782 3 2 3
2º CobbleCrushers 5321 4 1 2
3º Flyvende_hjul 4984 1 2 2
4º °Peachy°Melocotons 4724 4 2 3
5º CyKings 4697 2 0 2
6º Combuijs 4332 0 3 1
7º SentinelChickens 3377 1 1 1
20º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 2222 0 1 0
21º Zatarra 2041 0 1 1
22º IKIBASQUE 2023 2 1 1
35º CaptainOrange 1197 0 0 0
36º SPORTLIFE 1172 0 1 2
37º Facha_Bartolo 1151 1 0 1
Sportlife is apparently still enjoying the red light district...
Tribune de Genève praised our way of setting up a training camp. You can see that our riders are really motivated after a fortnight of sun, sea and ...eh... cycling.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/concentra2.png)
They also noted that Thomas Freitag is now not only an iconic sprinter but also an iconic hill rider and Oliver King is now not only an iconic mountain rider, but also an iconic time trialist. He can use that in the coming Tour de France...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/colinasbronce.png) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/cronobronce.jpg)
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(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/c61102f7ec06a98faff60612b2c41637.png)
Ups, I made a teamcaptain mistake. I forgot that I had a sponsordeal for top10 of stage 1.
And Tafi could have scored that sponsordeal. Now he finished as 17th in a free role. (and Nieuwendijk was 16th as teamcaptain)
Nieuwendijk can ride a GC in Romandie, but I also forgot that in every stage (except the TT) there is a better SPORTLIFE-rider.
In this situation it is smarter to ride for stage results instead of a GC result, especially in stage 1 with that sponsordeal.
One huge advantage of this mistake : now Nieuwendijk had a nice chat with de Cleer and Mitt in the final climb. :))
His helper Saint-Germain had an off-day, because despite he accelerated in s4 with 2 EP, he was suddenly in the wrong 2nd group in s4.
Free role rider Miorlin trusted his active weather icon too much, with no energy and no worries at all he was enjoying the scenery in s4.
Again a mistake because also he could not follow the front group in s4 and finished because of that outside the points (33rd).
Actually I dont know what im doing this season. Im making more mistakes than usually.
+1, the same in team SPORTLIFE :))
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In the second stage of the Tour de Romandie to Aigle Yvo de Cleer took 18th place.
After the time trial Yvo de Cleer is now on place 20 in the GC, behind leader Dario Fernandez (skunk), Zatarra's Ivari Mitt and Sportlife's Albert Nieuwendijk and Nicola Miorlin. We expect him to win some places in the last two stages, certainly when Sportlife keeps making mistakes...
(https://www.myswitzerland.com/-/media/st/gadmin/images/destinations/summer/various/dscf4659_229512.jpg)
To his surprise Julius Maalderink was called up for the national team. To his even greater surprise he has to ride on a time trial bike, just like his teammate Arjen Rutte. They both wonder if that has something to do with their current technique training. National coach Spammie has assured them that if they take this time trial seriously, they will get selected for the international race on the Strade Bianchi. Now, that is what we call a coach with a vision!
Le Courier mentioned that Oliver King is a rider capable of winning silverware.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/montanaplata.jpg)
These riders will try to secure a place in the quarter final of the Cup for the third consecutive time:
1 Tristan Prins
2 Oliver King
3 Valentin Litenko
4 Sam Parker
5 Eddy Room
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After the time trial Yvo de Cleer is now on place 20 in the GC, behind leader Dario Fernandez (skunk), Zatarra's Ivari Mitt and Sportlife's Albert Nieuwendijk and Nicola Miorlin. We expect him to win some places in the last two stages, certainly when Sportlife keeps making mistakes...
It could be, because Nieuwendijk and Miorlin are not the team captains in the last two stages.
It would be a mistake to go for the GC, because I can get more points out of the stages.
And every point is needed to get out of the red zone.^^
1 Tristan Prins
Good luck in the CFF Cup, Combuijs.
SPORTLIFE is also still in the CFF Cup.
And also an interesting race tomorrow : Zatarra(1a) vs Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling(1a)
That last team eliminated my team in the CFF Cup the past 2 seasons.
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(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/incidencias/tools.png) stage 4 Tour de Romandie :
The race went very well, but a mechanical breakdown in the final section causes missing out a sponsor deal of top 8.
Now the unfortunate Engelberts finished as 9th, one place short.
Nieuwendijk and Miorlin cannot sprint, in a free role they finished on 3:17"
To my surprise Nieuwendijk is still participating for the GC points with his current 14th place. ( 9 seconds before de Cleer^^ )
Now it is uncertain who will be the teamcaptain in stage 5.
I have to think about that, but first things first, I have to talk with Don Clickett (the mechanic) about his future in my team. :))
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In the first stage of the Tour of Romandie to Leysin Yvo de Cleer started well with a 13th place. He had a nice chat with Zatarra's Ivari Mitt and Sportlife's Albert Nieuwendijk who finished in the same group. Only Flying Wheel Oscar Luis Sepulveda spoiled the party by finishing in a group before them.
Yeah, sorry about that, Sepulveda has been in a rush this tour, in stage 2 he even felt the need to finish in front of everyone ::)
Lets see if he is more social in the last stage, but I cant make promises ;D
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Not satisfied at all about stage 5 Romandie, in fact not satisfied about this whole little tour.
Except for Miorlin who did great in stage 2 and he surprised me in stage 5 with scoring a few points in a free role.
But in general, less points as expected in Romandie and still in the red zone :
(https://i.imgur.com/kvrVLFG.png?1)
33º DeRodeVod 1459 0 2 1
34º SPORTLIFE 1425 0 1 3
35º TeamRHB 1391 1 0 0
For comparison the solid 6th place of Combuijs in his better named zone :) :
(https://i.imgur.com/xbG5y5B.jpg?1)
1º Wiggo_pupils 6088 3 2 3
2º Flyvende_hjul 5943 2 2 3
3º CyKings 5512 2 0 3
4º CobbleCrushers 5321 4 1 2
5º °Peachy°Melocotons 5193 4 2 3
6º Combuijs 4412 0 3 1
7º SentinelChickens 3469 1 1 1
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The sprint stage around Montreux in the Tour of Romandie was won by, of course, Wilfred Bentinck.
In the GC Yvo de Cleer finishes 16th, before all Sportlife riders, but behind Zatarra's Ivari Mitt (12th), Flying Wheels Robrecht Kemperman (7th) and Oscar Luis Sepulveda (3rd) and of course far behind Cyking Mike Bauer (1st).
(https://www.torgon.ch/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/LOGO_tdr_2017.png.png)
Rundum der Henniger Turm will feature:
51 Valentin Litenko
52 Thomas Freitag
53 Dénes Nemcsik
54 Eddy Room
55 Garret Rose
In the Giro you will see after long deliberations:
51 Sam Parker
52 Thomas Freitag
53 Chester Laybutt
54 Dénes Nemcsik
55 Arjen Rutte
We will go for stage points, especially the second stage has our interest, but if feasible Arjen might have a try in the GC.
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I expect the record of most spectators in a CFF Cup race will be broken next week :), because :
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/cffcup4.gif) SPORTLIFE(1a) vs Combuijs(1a)
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In the CFF Cup we outplayed Chess Power in the opening and things went wrong from there for them, so for the third consecutive time we have qualified for the quarter finals. And for the third consecutive time we might go out as we have been paired with Sportlife in a hill sprint race from the Tour Down Under. In that race one of his riders finished 6th this season, so we are definitely not favourite.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/etapas/lyndoch.jpg)
Division standings after the first stage of the Giro:
1º Flyvende_hjul 6343 2 3 3
2º Wiggo_pupils 6121 3 2 3
3º CyKings 5927 2 0 4
4º CobbleCrushers 5321 4 1 2
5º °Peachy°Melocotons 5258 4 2 3
6º Combuijs 4412 0 3 1
7º Rekutxuteam 3654 3 2 0
22º IKIBASQUE 2216 2 1 1
23º Zatarra 2180 0 1 1
24º SaulSalinasTeam 2156 1 0 1
35º Oska 1520 0 0 1
36º SPORTLIFE 1470 0 1 3
37º TeamRHB 1391 1 0 0
Flying Wheels are on top now!
Arjen Rutte, Julius Maalderink and Adam Neeskens have been called up by the very knowledgeable Dutch national coach. I think the services required from them are a lot more serious than last time...
La Gazetta della Sport mentioned that some of our young cyclists are already very experienced indeed. It seems Julius Maalderink and Yvo de Cleer already have the experience of someone who has raced 40% of his total career.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/d332.png)
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The second stage of the Giro to Montalcino had our full attention as we had a sponsor deal for place 6. We aimed for Arjen Rutte with help from Chester Laybutt. The aim was right, but the help failed. So Arjen had only some assistance from Dénes Namcsik in the first two sections and was on his own after that. In all likelihood this cost him the deal because now he finished on place 8 in the same time as number 5 and 10 seconds behind winner Yannick Pierre (Cobble Crushers). So no second sponsor deal from Columbian air travel company Avianca...
(https://cdn4.tuscanynowandmore.com/storage/app/media/discover-italy/montalcino-main.jpg)
Il Giorno noticed Midas van Veldhuizen is, apart from being an iconic sprinter, an iconic hill rider now as well. And he is for sale...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/colinasbronce.jpg)
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In the CFF Cup we outplayed Chess Power in the opening and things went wrong from there for them, so for the third consecutive time we have qualified for the quarter finals. And for the third consecutive time we might go out as we have been paired with Sportlife in a hill sprint race from the Tour Down Under. In that race one of his riders finished 6th this season, so we are definitely not favourite.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/etapas/lyndoch.jpg)
Division standings after the first stage of the Giro:
1º Flyvende_hjul 6343 2 3 3
2º Wiggo_pupils 6121 3 2 3
3º CyKings 5927 2 0 4
4º CobbleCrushers 5321 4 1 2
5º °Peachy°Melocotons 5258 4 2 3
6º Combuijs 4412 0 3 1
7º Rekutxuteam 3654 3 2 0
22º IKIBASQUE 2216 2 1 1
23º Zatarra 2180 0 1 1
24º SaulSalinasTeam 2156 1 0 1
35º Oska 1520 0 0 1
36º SPORTLIFE 1470 0 1 3
37º TeamRHB 1391 1 0 0
Flying Wheels are on top now!
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/d332.png)
We plan to stay there for the rest of the season! 8)
Hopefully Sportlife will join the rest and take the trip out of the Red Light District, however I think it will be hard, as ive heard he likes to stay there... ::)
Congrats with the quarter finals! Will be a very interesting quarter final between you and Sportlife!
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In the third stage in the Giro Dénes Nemcsik scored his first points for the Combuijs Honey Ale team, with an unexpected 8th place in Reggio di Calabria. There was even a mountain involved in this stage but that did not deter Dénes this time.
The cobble race to Namur was a surprise Giro move to Belgium and Arjen Rutte likes it over there, this time he picked up 9th place, unfortunately three places behind Zatarra's Rolv Sele.
The seventh stage, a mountain time trial, was won by Sportlife's Leroy Benett, while Sam Parker got his best result ever with place 8.
In the 8th stage to San Vendemiano Arjen was back on his favourite underground and finished 16th, 11 seconds behind winner Bram Travin (IkiBasque) and Zatarra's Amund Svendsen.
His fanclub was happy, but perhaps had expected him to be leader in the Giro by now:
(https://notizieplus.it/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/unnamed-2-600x330.jpg)
With one stage to go Arjen Rutte is now 9th in the GC, but differences are small and the last stage is difficult for him. We will see what will happen. Leader at the moment is Tyler Carpenter of AJFactoryCycling, both back from a relative bad season until now.
Il Manifesto thinks that after his suprise points Dénes Nemcsik is a medium talent.
The Dauphiné will be visited by:
51 Oliver King
52 Julius Maalderink
53 Dénes Nemcsik
54 Tristan Prins
55 Arjen Rutte
Oliver and Tristan have a very special interest in the second stage, Dénes will go for stage 4, Julius and Arjen for stage 5 and perhaps Oliver can have a go at the GC, but that will be lower on the priority list.
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The last stage of the Giro was indeed too difficult for Arjen Rutte and in the end he finished 21st in the GC.
The second stage of the Dauphiné was the most important one for us and we were very glad Oliver King delivered with a second place in Vaujany. We can now order pizza's whenever we want, at least whenever we are in Spain.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/telepizza.jpg)
In the last stage of the Dauphiné around Grenoble we probably made the wrong choice to go for a stage result. Julius Maalderink finished 22nd and Arjen Rutte 30th, but Oliver King lost his top 20 position in the GC to finish 21st, more than 3 minutes behind winner Adam Roethlisberger. So, we have scored two consecutive 21st places in a GC...
(https://www.france-voyage.com/visuals/photos/grenoble-17732_w300.jpg)
Division standings after the Dauphiné:
1º Flyvende_hjul 8417 2 3 4
2º Wiggo_pupils 8179 5 3 3
3º CyKings 6934 2 0 7
4º °Peachy°Melocotons 6793 4 2 3
5º CobbleCrushers 6561 6 2 3
6º Combuijs 5005 0 4 1
7º Rekutxuteam 4683 4 2 0
19º Cabrasverdes 3136 0 0 1
20º Zatarra 3054 0 3 1
21º CaptainOrange 2996 0 1 0
25º IKIBASQUE 2706 3 1 1
26º SPORTLIFE 2539 1 1 3
27º Caracoles 2497 2 0 2
Sportlife is out of the red zone, which might take some time to get used to...
The international race was a cobble hill stage from the Binck Bank Tour, so we had 6 riders from our team involved: Arjen Rutte, Julius Maalderink, Julius Wiegel, Adam Neeskens, Chester Laybutt and Garret Rose. Chester was awarded leadership for Great Britain and finished 7th, Julius Maalderink finished 21nd in a supporting role for Noah Nelisse who finished 3rd. Belgian Yannick Pierre won the race.
These riders tried to secure a place in the semi final of the Cup for the first time:
11 Dénes Nemcsik
12 Thomas Freitag
13 Julius Maalderink
14 Arjen Rutte
15 Midas van Veldhuizen
As we considered Sportlife favourite we attacked at the only hill at the start of the race, but they managed to come back. In the final sprint Dénes Nemcsik and Thomas Freitag could not beat a very strong Rafal Engelberts. We wish Sportlife lots of success against Rekutxuteam in a mountain time trial.
We have sold Midas van Veldhuizen to World Tour Team Cykings. Let's hope for Midas he can score points for them, because he could not do that for us. He is now for sale again, but he will cost you five times as much, so if you buy him you missed out on a bargain a few days ago. In our team WhatApp-group Midas told us he did not like to be sales fodder...
In the Tour of Switzerland these riders will have some mountains to climb:
51 Oliver King
52 Yvo de Cleer
53 Eelco van der Laan
54 Sam Parker
55 Tristan Prins
Oliver will go for the GC, Eelco will have a free role in the cobble stage.
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The Tour of Switzerland has started and in the second stage to Tiefenbachferner we had a small success with Oliver King, who finished 12th. He is now 13th in the GC, more than one minute behind leader Ton Jansma (Cross and Go). Oliver will however hobble cobble downwards tonight. Let's hope he can climb back in the last two stages.
This is Tiefenbachferner's most famous inhabitant:
(https://historiek.net/wp-content/uploads-phistor1/2015/01/%C3%96tzi-de-ijsmummie.jpg)
In the Tour de France these riders will be part of the big media circus:
51 Oliver King
52 Robert Brubaker
53 Ørjan Henningsen
54 Adam Neeskens
55 Sam Parker
Oliver King is our GC man, Sam his assistant, Robert will do the many time trials and Adam and Ørjan are there for the cobble hill race.
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As we considered Sportlife favourite we attacked at the only hill at the start of the race, but they managed to come back. In the final sprint Dénes Nemcsik and Thomas Freitag could not beat a very strong Rafal Engelberts. We wish Sportlife lots of success against Rekutxuteam in a mountain time trial.
Thanks Combuijs. As you noticed my tactics were to save energy in s1 and return in s2, and therefore a very strong finish.
Maybe a bit of a gamble, but my teamcaptain his GV for this race was very good despite the hill in s1. Most likely a much better GV as your sprinters. But respect for your tactical attempt to win of such a better sprinter as Engelberts.
And very happy with the mountain TT in the upcoming semi final.
With specialist Benett in my team, already it seems sure that SPORTLIFE will be in the CFF Cup final. 8)
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And good luck in the Tour de Suisse, Combuijs, hopefully this time not a 21st place in the GC. Two times in a row was already too much. ;)
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In the final stages of the Tour of Switzerland Oliver King gets 18th place on Grimselpass and 19th place in Ambri to finish 19th in the GC. Points are points, and it's certainly better than becoming 21st, but it was a bit disappointing in the end. Winner was AJFactoryCycling's (there he is again!) Konstantin Hahn, just before Flying Wheel Leo Bjørndal.
It is a time trial Tour de France and Robert Brubaker is enjoying himself immensely. In the uphill one in stage 1 he gets 29th place, in the flat one in stage 3 he gets 24th place. In between Adam Neeskens gets 28th place in a free role in the hilly stage 2 to Lyon.
In the GC Oliver King is not enjoying himself, he is now number 32, almost three minutes behind leader Heinz-Dieter Maurer (Facha Bortolo).
Division standings after the third stage in the Tour de France:
1º Flyvende_hjul 9211 2 4 4
2º Wiggo_pupils 8658 5 4 3
3º CyKings 7755 3 0 7
4º °Peachy°Melocotons 7238 4 2 3
5º CobbleCrushers 7119 7 3 3
6º Combuijs 5193 0 4 1
7º Rekutxuteam 5122 4 2 0
18º galegospolabici 3514 0 1 0
19º Zatarra 3354 0 3 1
20º Cabrasverdes 3324 0 0 1
21º CaptainOrange 3279 0 1 0
22º CC_Porco_Jones 3271 3 4 0
23º SPORTLIFE 3244 2 1 3
24º SaulSalinasTeam 3150 2 1 2
Flying Wheels pretty solid in the lead, just like season 2. We can only look behind us now as Rekutxuteam is rapidly approaching and Cobble Crushers are far, far away.
We've changed our training regime again, this time we are concentrating on dull flat training. In order to inspire our riders our mechanic Tigran Filin has made some interesting improvements on our bikes:
(https://draftmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/6_pack_frame_cinch__polo_mallet_holder_.jpeg)
Just a little Combuijs Honey Ale paint on strategic places and motivatation is there...
L'Équipe thinks Adam Neeskens is fit for silverware now when he is riding on the cobbles:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/adoquinplata.jpg)
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We had quite a succesfull hill flat mountain time trial to the Col de L'Iseran. Oliver King finishes 10th and Sam Parker 23rd.
In the Briançon - Dignes-les-Bains stage we went full for Adam Neeskens and he did not disappoint with 4th place, just behind the very well known trio Fossum, Seaman and Ford. As mentioned yesterday, he is really ready for silverware. His helper Ørjan Henningsen finished 20th. It cost Oliver King some places in the GC, he is now 22nd, almost on 3 minutes from leader Dino Moresi (Team RHB).
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Digne-les-Bains_05.JPG)
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No results in the Tour de France but Oliver King is 20th now in the GC, more than 5 minutes after leader Mike B... eh ... no Mikhel Väli (Atlantico).
Le Figaro brought the news that 15 riders of the Combuijs Honey Ale team have scored points on the World Tour level this season. That's what you get with staticians who have nothing better to do...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/15dif.png)
Robert Brubaker has been called up for the American team for a time trial, and so were Arjen Rutte and Julius Maalderink for the Dutch team. The national coach probably thinks this fits in with their flat training regime.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/camiusa.jpg) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/camiholanda.jpg)
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In the Tour de France we did nothing noteworthy, Oliver King is now 20th in the GC, 7 minutes behind leader Mike Bauer. We expect him to keep his place tonight.
The next international race is the Strade Bianchi and we expect some Combuijs Honey Ale riders to be called up. For the moment the counter is on 3: Arjen Rutte and Julius Maalderink for the Netherlands and Ørjan Henningsen for Norway. We expect some more riders though, like Chester Laybutt and Garret Rose for England.
The Clasica San Sebastian will be fought out by:
61 Tristan Prins
62 Oliver King
63 Valentin Litenko
64 Sam Parker
65 Eddy Room
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRZd0wurlg9sXjKeSC_K1QiB1M76mFlN9Wxup11_i8jQS4ri8HFXQ)
In the Combuijs Honey Ale Tour all riders will be present, but these riders will be on the road:
61 Julius Maalderink
62 Carlo Bemelmans
63 Robert Brubaker
64 Eddy Room
65 ARjen Rutte
Julius will be our GC man, Robert will go for the time trial and Eddy for the flat hill race.
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In the final climb of the Tour de France to La Pierre Saint Martin Oliver King lost over a minute on winner Ton Jansma (Cross and Go). That itself was not bad, but him finishing 21st in the GC, 7 seconds behind Wiggo Pupil Honoré Bontecou, was. It's the third time this season that Oliver finishes 21st in a GC and we have told him to terminate the subscription on that place. The GC was won by Cyking Mike Bauer, so no surprise there... Honourful mention for Sportlife's Albert Nieuwendijk who finishes just outside the top 10.
In the Clasica San Sebastian Tristan Prins finishes 11th after terrific help from Oliver King.
Tristan's girlfriend looked from far:
(https://intrepid-guewuklbkgvxhkhdo.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Top-things-to-do-in-San-Sebastian-Spain-Balcony-at-Monte-Igueldo-1170x775.jpg)
Division standings after the Clasica:
1º Flyvende_hjul 10899 4 4 4
2º Wiggo_pupils 10127 5 4 3
3º CyKings 9686 3 1 7
9º AJFactoryCycling 5653 1 3 4
10º Combuijs 5644 0 4 1
11º CrossAndGo 5358 4 3 0
15º skunk 4465 0 2 1
16º SPORTLIFE 4283 2 2 3
17º ProdopingPong 4226 2 2 2
24º SaulSalinasTeam 3658 3 1 2
25º Zatarra 3624 0 3 1
26º Caracoles 3609 3 0 3
We have dropped some places now and we are not the best Dutch team anymore. We most likely won't recover, but hopefully the Combuijs Honey Ale Tour will see us back a bit higher.
Relations with our sponsor Combuijs Honey Ale are usually very good, but we have had our first disagreement now. In order to stimulate sales in France we have been put up with a French climbing talent which we did not want. True, our sponsor did pay for him, we did not, but we really can't say Damien Lambert is a useful addition to the team. As a plus we can say he is an iconic climber...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/montanabronce.jpg)
There is some interest for Chester Laybutt from other teams, but we have let them know that he is not for sale for the moment.
In the Vuelta we will be represented by:
91 Yvo de Cleer
92 Julius Maalderink
93 Dénes Nemcsik
94 Sam Parker
95 Arjen Rutte
Yvo will be our GC man, supported by Sam, Dénes and Julius will go for stage success.
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In the second stage of the Combuijs Honey Ale Tour, Julius Maalderink did very well with a 5th place in both Sittard and Geleen.
In the time trial around Sittard and Geleen Robert Brubaker finished 13th, one of his better results.
In the fourth stage to Lanaken we saw Eddy Room up to 6th place, a tremendous performance, supported by Carlo Bemelmans.
In the final stage to Rotterdam we focused on Julius Maalderink and with the help of Arjen Rutte he finished 11th. That was quite good, but not good enough to satisfy potential sponsor Baltika, who had expected a 9th place. We hope for a better result next season. The result was however good enough for a 14th place in the GC, so we still have reason to celebrate.
(https://images1.persgroep.net/rcs/3cWU_zN0K6YafjE_bO9edYup--o/diocontent/134382442/_fitwidth/694/?appId=21791a8992982cd8da851550a453bd7f&quality=0.9)
Division standings after the first stage of the Vuelta:
1º Flyvende_hjul 11385 4 4 4
2º Wiggo_pupils 10477 6 4 3
3º CyKings 10077 3 1 7
8º AJFactoryCycling 6020 1 3 4
9º Combuijs 5972 0 4 1
10º Atlantico 5947 1 1 2
15º ProdopingPong 4584 2 2 2
16º SPORTLIFE 4573 2 2 3
17º skunk 4465 0 2 1
22º galegospolabici 4069 0 1 1
23º Zatarra 3968 0 4 1
24º Matterhorn 3926 1 2 2
Yvo de Cleer is considered a mountain rider capable of winning silverware, Koen Helder an iconic time trialer, Garret Rose an iconic hill rider.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/cronobronce.jpg) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/montanaplata.jpg) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/colinasbronce.jpg)
We have decided to make Eddy Room available for other interested teams. He is an accomplished hill rider, almost being able of winning silverware, but we don't need him anymore for the hill races.
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In the second stage of the Vuelta to Argamasilla de Alba Julius Maalderink cobbled to a 12th place, fiercely supported by Arjen Rutte.
The third stage to Alto de Velefique brought Yvo de Cleer a 10th place, the stage itself was won by AJFactoryCycling's Ed van Vliet with NIcola Miorlin (Sportlife) as second. It improved his GC place from somewhere over 100 to 16, more than 2 minutes behind leader Robrecht Kemperman (Flying Wheels).
(https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/alto-de-velefique-sierra-los-filabres-almeria-andalusia-spain-high-mountain-pass-elevation-m-ft-above-sea-149508543.jpg)
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The fourth stage in the Vuelta to Baiona saw Yvo de Cleer finishing 19th in the same time as winner Andrus Heinsoo (Vitimper).
Julius Maalderink obtained 10th place in the 5th stage to Lloret de Mar. That was a very good ride, but if he had finished one place higher he would have been rewarded with a sponsor deal. Winner of this stage was Zatarra's Martin van Groningen. We will send him a nice Magnum bottle of Combuijs Honey Ale...
Yvo de Cleer finishes 23rd on the Coll de la Gallina, which takes him to place 20, more than 6 minutes behind leader Ed van Vliet (AJFactoryCycling), the winner of the stage.
(https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/0e/2b/73/b7/ruta-cicloturistica-14.jpg)
We have sold Eddy Room for a substantial amount to crack team AJFactoryCycling. It will be nice for Eddy to be part of a winning team. It is the biggest outgoing transfer for our team so far.
In the Giro di Lombardia these riders go for points:
81 Tristan Prins
82 Carlo Bemelmans
83 Oliver King
84 Valentin Litenko
85 Sam Parker
These riders will do penalty training in the WC time trial in Lisboa:
81 Robert Brubaker
82 Koen Helder
83 Eelco van der Laan
84 Damien Lambert
85 Valentin Litenko
And hopefully these riders don't get a hunger knock in the WC race in Hamilton:
81 Carlo Bemelmans
82 Koen Helder
83 Oliver King
84 Adam Neeskens
85 Tristan Prins
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The mountain time trial up the Angliru saw Sam Parker finishing 25th, which was a little surprise. Yvo de Cleer did not do bad either, but failed this morning in the hill sprint stage to Santiago de Compostela. In the GC he is now 26th and it is hard to see him finishing in the top 20. The Vuelta will be decided tonight, it's between Adam Roethlisberger (Rekutxuteam) and Robrecht Kemperman (Flying Wheels).
(https://fietsbeklimmingen.nl/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Cuena-les-Cabres.jpg)
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And hopefully these riders don't get a hunger knock in the WC race in Hamilton:
81 Carlo Bemelmans
82 Koen Helder
83 Oliver King
84 Adam Neeskens
85 Tristan Prins
You have feed them well from the Combuijs-car : (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/incidencias/bombilla.png) Bemelmans was the only rider with a light bulb in this WC road race.
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In the last stage of the Vuelta to Lleida Dénes Nemcsik was 24th in a free role. Yvo de Cleer took 25th place in the GC 10 minutes after winner Adam Roethlisberger (Rekutxuteam).
In the Giro di Lombardia Tristan Prins did traditionally very well and took 6th place.
In the World Championships we usually don't do anything worth mentioning. In the timr trial Oska's Gerald Vercammen became world champion, in the hill race the title went to Gaël Gilbert (Codex). The Hamilton Spectator though was most impressed by Carlo Bemelmans whose tactical finesse brought a glowing reference and place 18.
(https://www.vantageairportgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/iStock_000016596188_Double1-1290x800.jpg)
Final standings for season 4:
1º Flyvende_hjul 13492 4 5 4
2º Wiggo_pupils 12070 6 6 3
3º CyKings 11469 3 1 9
4º °Peachy°Melocotons 9288 4 2 4
5º CobbleCrushers 9104 9 4 3
6º Rekutxuteam 8151 4 2 1
7º AJFactoryCycling 7657 3 3 4
8º Codex 7476 3 3 0
9º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 7110 3 3 7
10º Atlantico 7040 1 1 3
11º Combuijs 6745 0 4 1
12º CrossAndGo 6658 4 3 0
13º ProdopingPong 6317 2 3 2
14º SPORTLIFE 6109 3 3 3
15º SentinelChickens 5836 1 3 4
16º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 5727 0 0 2
17º SaulSalinasTeam 5534 5 2 3
18º Oska 5467 2 2 2
19º Psychoedge 5424 0 1 2
20º IKIBASQUE 5351 5 3 1
21º CC_Porco_Jones 5235 3 4 0
22º CaptainOrange 5153 0 3 0
23º Caracoles 5085 3 0 5
24º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 5075 0 1 0
25º Matterhorn 5045 1 2 2
26º Thorboassonarvesen 4976 2 4 1
27º Zatarra 4931 1 4 1
28º Facha_Bartolo 4816 3 1 1
29º galegospolabici 4718 0 1 1
30º DeRodeVod 4503 0 2 3
31º skunk 4465 0 2 1
32º Denver 4395 1 0 6
33º TeaMetal 4364 3 4 3
34º Turrones 4169 1 1 1
35º TeamRHB 4104 1 0 2
36º Cabrasverdes 3850 0 0 1
37º azerite 3623 1 1 0
38º Vitimper 3541 2 2 2
39º IntellinetCyclingFF 3252 5 2 1
40º Antequera 3107 1 0 0
41º Cycling101 2660 0 0 2
42º $Tourmalet 2619 0 0 0
43º Senglarsdeflandes 2163 1 2 0
44º Milanezen 1996 0 0 0
45º Frier_Accounting 1492 0 0 0
46º Ciclokillers 1302 0 1 0
47º TipiCyclingTeam 1206 0 0 0
48º Calde13 1117 0 0 0
49º Vivoteam 830 0 0 0
50º team_piroshki 488 0 0 0
In the end we just fell out of the top 10 with an 11th place. It is actually the same place as last season, although we score some 100 points more now. Flying Wheels has regained the title, congratutulations to them. AJFactoryCycling was again the best Dutch team, although their season was worse than the last one. Sportlife had a terrific end of the season, as usual, and finished 14th. Zatarra managed to stay from relegation with place 27. A really close shaving for De Rode Vod who in the last kilometer managed to stay on the World Tour.
Individual standings:
1º Mike Bauer 22 5158 CyKings 1 1 2
2º Adam Roethlisberger 22 4630 Rekutxuteam 4 2 0
3º Ketil Fossum 22 3045 Thorboassonarvesen 2 4 1
4º Yannick Pierre 22 2645 CobbleCrushers 5 0 2
5º Mihkel Väli 22 2631 Atlantico 0 0 0
36º Arjen Rutte 22 1301 Combuijs 0 1 0
44º Oliver King 22 1146 Combuijs 0 1 0
49º Chester Laybutt 22 1108 Combuijs 0 1 1
This season Mike Bauer managed to beat Adam Roethlisberger. We now had three riders within the first 50, albeit on lower places.
Our team points overview at the end of the season
Arjen Rutte 22 1301
Oliver King 22 1146
Chester Laybutt 22 1108
Julius Maalderink 22 943
Carlo Bemelmans 22 641
Tristan Prins 22 407
Yvo De Cleer 22 342
Garret Rose 22 170
Adam Neeskens 22 156
Sam Parker 22 150
Dénes Nemcsik 22 123
Robert Brubaker 22 112
Ørjan Henningsen 22 38
Thomas Freitag 22 8
Eddy Room scored some points too, but he is not in our team anymore.
Well, we can't wait for season 5. Let's see if we can finally get to the top 10 on the World Tour.
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The 5th season has started in Stirling and we wish all teams a satisfying season and lots of second places!
In the first cup round we had Continental Pro Tour team ValeronIdolo as an opponent in a cobble hill race. They had 1 specialist, we had 5 and that made the difference.
1 Adam Neeskens
2 Chester Laybutt
3 Julius Maalderink
4 Garret Rose
5 Julius Wiegel
In the next round we are up against fellow World Tour team Caracoles in a time trial. They have a better time trialist than we have, so this might be our earliest exit in the Cup...
11 Robert Brubaker
12 Koen Helder
13 Oliver King
14 Sam Parker
15 Julius Wiegel
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/David_Zabriskie2.jpg/1024px-David_Zabriskie2.jpg)
Chester Laybutt was a surprise British selection for the first national race. All we can say is that he did finish in the end...
According to Adelaide Now Julius Maalderink is an iconic sprinter. As he already was an iconic hill and cobble rider he is now the second Combuijs Honey Ale rider who is iconic in three skills, the first being Oliver King.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/sprintbronce.jpg)
They also think that Garret Rose is capable of winning silverware on the cobbles.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/adoquinplata.jpg)
These riders are upside down at the moment:
311 Carlo Bemelmans
312 Robert Brubaker
313 Thomas Freitag
314 Dénes Nemcsik
315 Adam Neeskens
These riders will start the European season in Belgium and Italy:
311 Julius Maalderink
312 Koen Helder
313 Ørjan Henningsen
314 Adam Neeskens
315 Julius Wiegel
And these riders will be looking for the sun in Paris-Nice:
311 Tristan Prins
312 Carlo Bemelmans
313 Robert Brubaker
314 Yvo de Cleer
315 Dénes Nemcsik
We will go for individual stages there.
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The fourth stage of the Tour Down Under to Hahndorf brought our first points as Dénes Nemcsik picked up a 26th place.
In the monster time trial around Adelaide the differences between riders were very small and Robert Brubaker scored his first points of the season with place 21.
In the first serious race of the season, De Omloop het Nieuwsblad, we had a overnight change of leadership when we switched to Adam Neeskens. He did do well with a 9th place, but he was disappointed to finish right behind Zatarra's Rolv Sele.
In the second serious race of the season, the Strade Bianchi, leader Julius Maalderink fought himself to place 9, while freebee Julius Wiegel finished 26th. Not the results we are used to in this race, but then we had no sponsor deal for it for the first time in three seasons.
In the first stage in Paris-Nice, a time trial to Saint-Etienne, Robert Brubaker scored a 21st place again. He knows his place in the time trial peloton now...
(http://ee.france.fr/sites/default/files/imagecache/atf_slider_contentv2/place_de_jaude_-_e-r_crdta_-_joel_damase_0.jpg)
Division standings after the second stage in Paris-Nice:
1º Flyvende_hjul 1524 1 2 2
2º °Peachy°Melocotons 1137 2 0 1
3º CobbleCrushers 1047 0 1 0
15º EuskaPiero 558 0 0 0
16º SPORTLIFE 552 0 0 0
17º CrossAndGo 487 0 0 0
19º PDM_cycling_team 472 0 0 0
20º Combuijs 466 0 0 0
21º Atlantico 458 0 0 0
Flying Wheels have found their form early and also Sportlife has a better start than usual. We are still in a kind of startup mode...
The Nice Magazine proudly told the world that French rider Damien Lambert is a huge talent. That more or less compensates the way he was forced into our team...
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No worries, Combuijs, soon your team will do way better as mine because you have a few very good cobble-hills riders.
But as usual, watch out for the "catching up" mentality of my team in the 2nd half of the season. ;)
Have fun and good luck this season !
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In the final stage of Paris-Nice (to Nice as it should be!) Yvo de Cleer gets 17th place, while Mike Bauer wins the GC.
(https://thesavvybackpacker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/things-to-do-nice-france.jpg)
Division standings after the first stage in the Tirreno Adriatico:
1º Flyvende_hjul 1987 1 2 2
2º CyKings 1738 0 0 0
3º °Peachy°Melocotons 1425 2 1 1
15º AJFactoryCycling 757 0 0 1
16º SPORTLIFE 755 0 0 0
17º SaulSalinasTeam 746 0 2 0
28º Facha_Bartolo 508 0 1 0
29º Combuijs 499 0 0 0
30º Atlantico 498 0 0 0
These riders have to choose between the Tirreno and the Adriatico:
281 Oliver King
282 Yvo de Cleer
283 Thomas Freitag
284 Garret Rose
285 Julius Wiegel
Oliver King is our GC man and our only goal in the Tirreno (and the Adriatico)...
Tonight these riders will get some extra training in the cup:
11 Robert Brubaker
12 Koen Helder
13 Oliver King
14 Sam Parker
15 Julius Wiegel
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In the Cup Robert Brubaker did what he could but he was 6 seconds short of Caracole Atanasio Ferrero, so we have had our earliest exit in the Cup ever...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Brasserie_Caracole.jpg/266px-Brasserie_Caracole.jpg)
In the Tirreno Adriatico Oliver King did not score points, but he is now 16th in the GC on 1:24 behind Pomilles Balear Vital Jeronimo. We aim to half his position...
The Gazetta della Sport have now rated our team as 35 stars, when in fact we only have 19...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/35est.png)
They think Julius Wiegel and Julius Maalderink are capable of winning silverware when riding on cobbles:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/adoquinplata.jpg)
These riders are going to wriggle their way to San Remo:
351 Thomas Freitag
352 Carlo Bemelmans
353 Julius Maalderink
354 Adam Neeskens
355 Dénes Nemcsik
While these riders will have to find their way to Harelbeke:
351 Chester Laybutt
352 Julius Maalderink
353 Adam Neeskens
354 Garret Rose
355 Julius Wiegel
An early sun will be there in Catalunya for:
351 Valentin Litenko
352 Ørjan Henningsen
353 Julius Maalderink
354 Sam Parker
355 Arjen Rutte
Valentin will be our GC man for the first time in his career, Julius will go for the second stage.
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In the one but final stage in the Tirreno Adriatico to Montecassino Oliver King finished 20th.
In the last stage to Pomarance Oliver King finished 28th and that was better than most GC riders.
(https://www.terredipisa.it/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Pomarance_aperura.jpg)
So indeed he managed to half his position in the GC to place 8, 1:46 after, who else, Mike Bauer. And with that we have sealed a sponsor deal with Galp, so we have a happy team now. Galp, as we all know, is a Portuguese energy company, and we hope we can spend some more energy now in the races...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/galp.jpg)
Division standings after the Tirreno Adriatico:
1º CyKings 2554 0 0 0
2º Flyvende_hjul 2266 1 2 2
3º °Peachy°Melocotons 1768 2 1 1
12º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 1053 3 0 0
13º SPORTLIFE 1014 1 0 0
14º CrossAndGo 1004 1 0 0
24º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 725 0 1 0
25º Combuijs711 0 0 0
26º Astanadena 709 0 1 1
Cykings, the Mike Bauer team, is the new leader, while we are still trying to stay ahead of the relegation line.
Having a new sponsor we have splashed out some transfer money for a new GC rider. We welcome American Will Miller, an iconic mountain rider, to the Combuijs Honey Ale team. He came over from Ares and he hopes to get a chance in one of the big Tours and of course he hopes to quench his thirst with a bottle of Combuijs Honey Ale. We only have to revise our season planning now.
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In Milan-San Remo there again was controversy about riders not able to come back after a weak start. We did hot have that problem and Thomas Freitag finished 20th, behind winner Dimitro Isupov (Los rayos del arry).
In the E3 Harelbeke Chester Laybutt took up his favourite position again, 4th. Finally some solid points. Winner was Ketil Fossum (Thorboassonarvesen). Garret Rose in a free role picked up 18th place, while master helper Adam Neeskens just fell outside the points.
In the second stage of the Volta around Olot Julius Maalderink took a dissappointing 24th place while being leader. A bad start and a bad health did not help of course. Our GC man Valentin Litenko is on a suprising 12th spot, so this gives some hope.
(http://www.catalonia-valencia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Olot-Girona-400x400.jpg)
Division standings after the second stage of the Volta Catalunya:
1º CyKings 2709 0 0 0
2º Flyvende_hjul 2563 1 2 2
3º °Peachy°Melocotons 2208 2 2 1
18º CrossAndGo 1174 1 0 0
19º Combuijs 1169 0 0 0
20º FlyEaglesFly 1137 0 0 0
22º CaptainOrange 1042 0 0 0
23º SPORTLIFE 1036 1 0 0
24º PDM_cycling_team 993 0 0 2
Relatively late in the season we have passed Sportlife now, so at the moment we are not doing that well and they are.
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Great result and a lot of points in E3 Harelbeke, Combuijs, well done. 8)
I expect my team will be in the red zone soon. My cobblehills rider is not so good (33rd E3H) and I have no hills specialists.
But I expect enough points in the 2nd half of this season to stay in 1A.
And maybe a higher 1A final ranking this season as your team. Because 3 seasons in a row finishing above my team would be too much. :P
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In the GC of the Volta Catalunya Valentin Litenko is now 7th and with one stage to go a place in the top 10 should be possible, although the last stage is not his favourite one.
Diari de Tarragone thinks Dénes Nemcsik is capable of winning silverware in sprint races and that is a first for our team. They think Carlo Bemelmans is also capable of winning silverware but then on a hill parcours. Koen Helder is now also considered able to win some silverware but then on cobbles, while Arjen Rutte and Ørjan Henningsen are now iconic when riding over hills and Julius Wiegel is iconic in a time trial. And last but not least Oliver King is now an iconic hill rider, but also an iconic tour rider.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/sprintplata.png)(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/adoquinplata.jpg)(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/colinasbronce.jpg)(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/vueltabronce.jpg)(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/colinasplata.jpg)(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/cronobronce.jpg)
(https://www.diaridetarragona.com/export/sites/diaridetarragona/arte/logo_blanc.png_1400039612.png)
The iconic tour rider one and the silverware for hills is a first in our team too, but no doubt the Telegraaf will notice that tomorrow...
Bookmakers have noticed we win more often some personal challenges lately, so we really don't know why Sportlife thinks they will beat us this season...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/desafio2.gif)
Experts think however Will Miller is not highly talented.
The autumn edition of Gent-Wevelgem will be dealt with by:
181 Julius Maalderink
182 Ørjan Henningsen
183 Eelco van der Laan
184 Adam Neeskens
185 Arjen Rutte
We have some special interest in Dwars door Vlaanderen, so we take the Ronde van Vlaanderen a bit less serious this time:
181 Chester Laybutt
182 Adam Neeskens
183 Garret Rose
184 Arjen Rutte
185 Julius Wiegel
Escaping the riots in Catalunya we will travel to the Basque Country:
181 Tristan Prins
182 Koen Helder
183 Oliver King
184 Eelco van der Laan
185 Damien Lambert
Tristan is our GC man supported by Oliver and Damien and Koen and Eelco are there for decorative purposes...
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In the last stage of the Volta Will Miller finished 25th in a free role, so he scored his first points for us. Leader Valentin Litenko lost two minutes, but still finished 9th in the GC, which was unexpectedly good. He lost almost 4 minutes on winner Adam Roethlisberger (Rekutxuteam). A bit sad he was two places behind Sportlife's Lorenzo Tafi, but you can't have it all, can you?
In Gent-Wevelgem Julius Maalderink finished on 6th place, which is very likely the place experts had in mind for him before the start. In a free role Arjen Rutte did become 17th. Cobble Crusher Yannick Pierre did win the race.
In the most important race this week however we hopelessly failed as leader Chester Laybutt dreamed away in the first two sections of Dwars door Vlaanderen. He recovered remarkably well and finished 9th, but Statoil thought that not convincing enough to sign a sponsor deal. Suprising winner was Tamás Hutai (Faltosos De Chigre).
Having seen the town hall of Waregem I can see why Chester was not motivated in this race...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Stadhuis_van_Waregem_-_Belgi%C3%AB.jpg)
Division standings after Dwars door Vlaanderen:
1º Flyvende_hjul 3837 1 3 2
2º CyKings 3389 0 0 0
3º CobbleCrushers 3101 1 2 0
11º Thorboassonarvesen 1880 2 0 0
12º Combuijs 1841 0 0 0
13º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 1837 6 0 0
17º Pomilles_Balears 1567 0 0 2
18º SPORTLIFE 1524 1 0 0
19º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 1522 1 1 0
For a (very?) short while we are the best Dutch team now...
De Telegraaf acted as expected and noticed that we have an iconic tour rider, a silverware hill rider and a silverware sprint rider. No surprises there, but they also stated that Robert Brubaker is a time trialist capable of getting silverware and that we have a rider with medium experience. They did not tell who, but you can trust me if I say that is thanks to Julius Maalderink.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/exp2.png)(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/cronoplata.jpg)
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After a failure in the for us much more important Dwars door Vlaanderen it is only natural that in the less important Ronde van Vlaanderen everything went smooth with leader Chester Laybutt on place 5 and free roler Garret Rose on place 29. The race was won by Cobble Crusher Yannick Pierre.
Even the Gazet van Antwerpen has noticed we have a time trialer able of winning silverware.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/cronoplata.png)
And silverware flies around in the team: Arjen Rutte on cobble means we have now 13 riders able of winning silverware. If only they actually did win it and not use it while eating...
(https://minimalistbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/silverware.jpg)
Let's see what Tristan Prins can do in the Itzulia...
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This story will be temporarily iinterrupted because I suffered from retinal detachment (dutch: netvlies loslating) and had to have an emergency operation. Now I am awaiting impatiently if and how my vision will be restored. Hope to see you soon (literally...)
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Oh Combuijs, I'm so sorry! I hope you recover completely and as soon as possible.
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My best wishes for you. I hope to see you writing here again ASAP. Receive a big hug, mate.
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Hopefully they got to it quickly, time is the major factor as to whether near complete restoration of sight will occur.
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My best wishes for you. I hope to see you writing here again ASAP. Receive a big hug, mate.
Oh Combuijs, I'm so sorry! I hope you recover completely and as soon as possible.
for sure +1 and +1
Heel veel sterkte en spoedig volledig herstel gewenst !
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Succes ermee, Combuijs!
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This story will be temporarily iinterrupted because I suffered from retinal detachment (dutch: netvlies loslating) and had to have an emergency operation. Now I am awaiting impatiently if and how my vision will be restored. Hope to see you soon (literally...)
Heel veel sterkte en hopelijk komt alles goed!
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Sterkte Combuijs! Ik wens je een voorspoedig herstel toe.
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Damn, Combuijs! Heel veel sterkte met het herstel. We duimen voor je!
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I'm so sorry to hear that, Combuijs!
Like the rest, I wish you well, and hope for the best!
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Good luck with the recovery. Hope your vision will recover completely!
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Heel veel sterkte Combuijs. Hopelijk zien we je snel weer op het forum verschijnen!
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So sorry to hear that and hope u have a nice recovery!!
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Ahw, that's some horrible news. Seems painful to me also. Anyway, I wish you all of the best during the recovery and hopefully your sight will recover as much as you want to!
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I got very good news a few days ago: my vision will be restored, it might be a bit worse in the right eye, but that won't hamper too much. That right eye is now healthy again, but not stable yet. So I am struggling a bit with looking closeby, looking on a computer and looking far away and I am also having headaches and an irritated eye in the morning. But within a few months this should recover completely.
I can tell you that living with one eye is very, very difficult and it took a long time to adjust a bit. Especially as you can't really practice with one eye only as it is hard to unlearn when vision is restored. I have gotten serious respect for people who have the live with one eye.
The restored vision also means I can continue with my real life sport table tennis. I otherwise would have to give that up as well as this is a sport that really can't be done with one eye.
In a way I feel reborn again so I had a little party a few days ago, enjoying an "Enfant terrible" beer from the "Dochter of the Korenaar". The child was not terrible at all, however the headache the day after was.
https://untappd.com/b/brouwerij-de-dochter-van-de-korenaar-l-enfant-terrible/9801 (https://untappd.com/b/brouwerij-de-dochter-van-de-korenaar-l-enfant-terrible/9801).
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I got very good news a few days ago: my vision will be restored, it might be a bit worse in the right eye, but that won't hamper too much. That right eye is now healthy again, but not stable yet. So I am struggling a bit with looking closeby, looking on a computer and looking far away and I am also having headaches and an irritated eye in the morning. But within a few months this should recover completely.
I can tell you that living with one eye is very, very difficult and it took a long time to adjust a bit. Especially as you can't really practice with one eye only as it is hard to unlearn when vision is restored. I have gotten serious respect for people who have the live with one eye.
The restored vision also means I can continue with my real life sport table tennis. I otherwise would have to give that up as well as this is a sport that really can't be done with one eye.
In a way I feel reborn again so I had a little party a few days ago, enjoying an "Enfant terrible" beer from the "Dochter of the Korenaar". The child was not terrible at all, however the headache the day after was.
https://untappd.com/b/brouwerij-de-dochter-van-de-korenaar-l-enfant-terrible/9801 (https://untappd.com/b/brouwerij-de-dochter-van-de-korenaar-l-enfant-terrible/9801).
Very good news and great to read, mate, keep strong the next few months.
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(https://i.imgur.com/J3VjC7U.png?1)
Perfect season calculation, Combuijs, 1 point difference ! :)) 8)
Good luck in 1A next season.
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First of all, thank you for all your reactions and good wishes, they really did encourage me to keep faith in my eyes!
Well, this was not the season I had envisioned beforehand...
Some milestones we gained:
It seems we had a famous rider, but hey, aren't they all famous by now?
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/famoso1.png)
Chester Laybutt, Adam Neeskens and Tristan Prins are worth their weight in gold:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/pavesoro.png)(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/monteoro.png)
Oliver King wears a silver shirt:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/vueltasplata.png)
We have been awarded 40 stars:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/40est.png)
We have recently switched to downhill training, luckily no injuries in this risky area...
We got one new sponsor, Orkla, for finishing in the top 10 in the third stage of the Tour of Romandy. They will provide us with some delicious food during the next season.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/orkla.jpg)
An brisk overview of remaining worthy results:
Tristan Prins 17th GC, 10th stage 2 (Güeñes), 9th stage 3 (Vitoria), 5th stage 4 (Arrate) Itzulia
Tristan Prins 9th stage 3 (Porrentruy) Tour de Romandie
Dénes Nemcsik 21st stage 4 (Reggio di Calabria), 14th stage 5 (Cassano Milano) Giro
Thomas Freitag 4th stage 7 (Praia a Mare) Giro
Koen Helder 21st stage 8 (Montalcino) Giro
Sam Parker 27th stage 6 (Montevarchi), 27th stage 10 (Milano) Giro
Sam Parker 26th stage 1 (Louhans Chateaurenaud) Dauphiné
Tristan Prins 18th GC, 28th stage 4 (Valmorel), 22nd stage 5 (Vaujany) Dauphiné
Chester Laybutt 3rd stage 5 (Gansingen) Switzerland
Adam Neeskens 20th stage 5 (Gansingen) Switzerland
Oliver King 11th GC, 26th stage 2 (Luzern), 9th stage 4 (Tiefenbachferner) Switzerland
Robert Brubaker 20th stage 1 (Chartres)), 27th stage 4 (Nantes) Tour de France
Oliver King 20th GC, 29th stage 3 (Tarbes), 26th stage 5 (Courchevel), 15th stage 6 (La Pierre St. Martin), 11th stage 7 (Pamplona) Tour de France
Tristan Prins 6th Clasica San Sebastian
Robert Brubaker 23rd stage 1 (Sittard Geleen) Binck Bank Tour
Julius Maalderink 16th GC, 23rd stage 3 (St. Pieters Leeuw), 24th stage 4 (Rotterdam) Binck Bank Tour
Julius Maalderink 8th stage 4 (Cariñena) Vuelta
Arjen Rutte 17th stage 4 (Cariñena) Vuelta
Tristan Prins 21st stage 9 (Vallada) Vuelta
Will Miller 8th GC, 29th stage 7 (Lloret de Mar), 6th stage 9 (Vallada) Vuelta
Tristan Prins 16th Giro di Lombardia
Robert Brubaker 25th World Championship time trial in Doha.
Division standings at the end of season 5:
1º CyKings 14610 3 4 3
2º Flyvende_hjul 14325 4 4 4
3º Codex 10572 3 4 6
4º Rekutxuteam 8562 0 1 1
5º CobbleCrushers 8278 5 5 2
6º ChessPower 8175 5 4 5
7º Marcatone_Due 6961 1 2 4
8º Atlantico 6911 0 2 1
9º Matterhorn 6837 7 0 2
10º CrossAndGo 6677 2 1 4
11º Facha_Bartolo 6568 3 4 2
12º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 6013 10 1 1
13º SPORTLIFE 6009 2 3 1
14º °Peachy°Melocotons 5972 4 5 1
15º ProdopingPong 5950 0 4 6
16º Ares 5820 7 5 4
17º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 5792 3 3 2
18º DeRodeVod 5624 2 2 3
19º CaptainOrange 5488 1 2 2
20º MortoviaCycling 5398 0 0 2
21º SentinelChickens 5382 1 2 2
22º galegospolabici 5253 0 1 0
23º Caracoles 5245 3 3 5
24º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 5215 0 1 2
25º Pomilles_Balears 5079 0 0 2
26º CC_Porco_Jones 4848 0 1 2
27º Aspigarri 4742 1 1 3
28º Thorboassonarvesen 4596 5 1 2
29º KunTeam 4562 0 1 0
30º Combuijs 4553 0 0 1
31º SaulSalinasTeam 4552 2 5 2
32º Oska 4093 2 1 0
33º FaltososDeChigre 4083 3 0 0
34º FlyEaglesFly 4022 0 1 0
35º PDM_cycling_team 3907 0 1 2
36º Shiro_Lions 3816 0 0 1
37º Periquitos 3710 2 1 1
38º Wiggo_pupils 3664 6 6 2
39º Psychoedge 3631 0 2 3
40º GMV_Cycling 3375 2 0 1
41º ClubCiclistaLaFallera 2836 1 0 1
42º Zatarra 2648 0 2 0
43º AJFactoryCycling 2480 0 1 1
44º Astanadena 2179 0 3 1
45º Sonfuga 1918 0 0 0
46º EuskaPiero 1827 0 0 0
47º BorinotTeam 1807 0 0 1
48º Spitz 1688 1 1 0
49º Amezola 52 0 0 0
50º IKIBASQUE 0 0 0 0
Congratulations to Mark Bauer and his cycling kings for their title. We miraculously escaped relegation by 1 point which was really hard luck for Saul Salinas Team.
Individual rankings:
1º Mike Bauer 23 5894 CyKings 2 2 3
2º Antonello Lorenzetto 23 4585 Marcatone_Due 1 2 2
3º Adam Roethlisberger 23 4156 Rekutxuteam 0 1 1
4º Mihkel Väli 23 3028 Atlantico 0 1 0
5º Jarl Ulvestad 23 2500 Flyvende_hjul 1 0 0
No Combuijs Honey Ale riders in the top 50, an indication that both vision and calendar did not cooperate.
These were all the points we scored:
Chester Laybutt 23 813
Tristan Prins 23 734
Julius Maalderink 23 606
Oliver King 23 585
Will Miller 23 495
Thomas Freitag 23 213
Adam Neeskens 23 205
Robert Brubaker 23 199
Arjen Rutte 23 150
Valentin Litenko 23 150
Garret Rose 23 120
Dénes Nemcsik 23 115
Sam Parker 23 55
Julius Wiegel 23 45
Koen Helder 23 35
Yvo De Cleer 23 33
Well, I am looking forward to next season!
I wish everyone lots of success and lots of health. You now know every point and every eye counts...
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Hi Combuijs!!! What a amazing news to see you again!!! I expect that your health is good, so congratulations!
And good luck on the next season ;D
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In season 6 there are a lot of cobble hill races, so we will aim for a top ten place and 3 sponsordeals. We will also try to improve the team a bit after we have finished our planned training program somewhere in the first week.
We start season 6 with a cup race against the director of the UCI himself, Oska. It is the Giro di Lombardia, so we at least have a chance with:
11 Tristan Prins
12 Oliver King
13 Vladimir Litenko
14 Will Miller
15 Sam Parker
In the upside down Tour we will be represented in Adelaide by:
291 Thomas Freitag
292 Carlo Bemelmans
293 Chester Laybutt
294 Dénes Nemcsik
295 Sam Parker
We think Thomas Freitag has a good chance to finish high in the GC, the others have a good chance to finish...
(https://auspost.com.au/shop/static/WFS/AusPost-Shop-Site/-/AusPost-Shop/en_AU/product/2003502/1/org.png)
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The UCI director had an urgent appointment somewhere else, so we easily passed the first cup round. The second round we have a time trial race against Denver. That could be a close one, unless he starts singing his hits from the seventies of course...
(https://i.scdn.co/image/26a090ecb0b605744f354ac10301b45f3fb50d35)
https://youtu.be/Q51uUKeckX4 (https://youtu.be/Q51uUKeckX4)
In Adelaide we had to cope with too much wind, so Thomas Freitag lost already two minutes in a 50 km extended sprint.
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The UCI director had an urgent appointment somewhere else, so we easily passed the first cup round. The second round we have a time trial race against Denver. That could be a close one, unless he starts singing his hits from the seventies of course...
(https://i.scdn.co/image/26a090ecb0b605744f354ac10301b45f3fb50d35)
https://youtu.be/Q51uUKeckX4 (https://youtu.be/Q51uUKeckX4)
In Adelaide we had to cope with too much wind, so Thomas Freitag lost already two minutes in a 50 km extended sprint.
I'm still waiting for your money ::)
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We have promised the UCI to pay our membership again at the 14th of december, so there was really no need for Oska to appear in the cup race...
It seems we are taking part in some obscure challenge, in which we have won a race. Eh, 9 in fact.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/d291.jpg)
As for real life, we did not score any points whatsoever in the Upside Down Tour. Now, that is a kind of tradition in our team, but we had some hopes for Thomas Freitag. It's clear the opposition is getting stronger and stronger...
(https://content.phuket101.net/wp-content/uploads/20181015182242/phuket-upside-down-house.jpg)
We really start the season with the Omloop and the Strade Bianchi:
451 Julius Wiegel
452 Ørjan Henningsen
453 Chester Laybutt
454 Julius Maalderink
455 Arjen Rutte
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In the People's Round we scored our first points with Julius Wiegel on place 11. Until half way everything went well, but then Julius lost his domestiques and had to go alone. Cobble Crusher Yannick Pierre won his home race.
On the Strade Bianchi tactics went a bit wrong so domestique Ørjan Henningsen ended up in front of leader Julius Wiegel, 12th and 14th. Arjen Rutte in a free role and Julius Maalderink were just outside the points. Green goat Kyril Vandenbergh won the race in Siena.
(https://s27363.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/One-Day-in-Siena-1129x753.jpg.optimal.jpg)
League standings after the Strade Bianchi:
1º Cabrasverdes 1855 1 2 1
2º °Peachy°Melocotons 1731 2 0 1
3º SentinelChickens 1105 0 0 1
16º Denver 442 0 1 0
17º Combuijs 440 0 0 0
18º Rekutxuteam 434 0 1 0
We have changed our training to sprint now to put the icing on the skill cake. As a consequence Koen Helder may look for another team to show his hill cobble qualities.
See the sun and see the sun shine in a mountaineous Paris-Nice!:
161 Oliver King
162 Ørjan Henningsen
163 Will Miller
164 Tristan Prins
165 Julius Wiegel
All cards will be on the GC of Oliver and he will be assisted by Will and Tristan. Ørjan and Julius will be on holiday in the neighborhood...
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In the second stage of Paris-Nice to Le Madone d'Utelle Oliver King arrives in 18th place right behind the climbing specialists of which Sportlife's Nicola Miorlin was the best.
(https://randoxygene.departement06.fr/documents/_processed_/9/2/csm_dpt06-randoxygene-moyen-img_37_5315b299fb.jpg)
Oliver is now 14th in the GC 1 minute behind Rekutxuteam Bernhard Niklitschek.
O dear, the Telegraaf is always in for gossip. We now have won more than 10 obscure world challenges:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/d292.jpg)
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In the third stage of Paris-Nice to Rasteau Oliver King finishes 23rd, but in the fourth stage he loses quite a lot of time, so he is outside the top 20 in the GC now. Let's hope he can come back tonight, though it will be tough.
(https://static2.vaucluseenprovence.com/obt_img/700x492/539112_4.jpg)
The Tirreno-Adriatico will see:
181 Arjen Rutte
182 Robert Brubaker
183 Thomas Freitag
184 Julius Maalderink
185 Dénes Nemcsik
These riders will start in the cup with ear protectors against John Denver:
1 Robert Brubaker
2 Koen Helder
3 Oliver King
4 Sam Parker
5 Julius Wiegel
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of which Sportlife's Nicola Miorlin was the best.
Great solo victory in stage 2 of not-favorite Miorlin. 8)
In the final stage again a victory, this time as 4th favorite and he had to win the "downhill-sprint" against 2 other climbers. 8)
Both victories gained these 2 milestones :
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/escalador1.jpg) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/10victoria.png)
In the third stage of Paris-Nice to Rasteau Oliver King finishes 23rd, but in the fourth stage he loses quite a lot of time, so he is outside the top 20 in the GC now. Let's hope he can come back tonight, though it will be tough.
Oliver King managed to get into the top 20 GC. :)
It was close, but this looks better as the too many 21st GC places your team scored in a previous season.
Good luck in the Tirreno !
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In the last stage in Paris-Nice Oliver King could return to the top 20 in the GC. Just, more than 4 minutes behinds Cyking Mike Bauer.
The Tirreno-Adriatico has started and Arjen Rutte finishes 18th in Follonica. Mixed feelings, as he lost contact with his helper Jules Maalderink.
(https://q-xx.bstatic.com/images/hotel/max500/883/88338335.jpg)
Division standings after the first stage in the Tirreno-Adriatico:
1º CyKings 2079 1 0 2
2º Cabrasverdes 1978 1 2 1
3º °Peachy°Melocotons 1911 2 0 1
21º Denver 534 0 1 0
22º Combuijs 530 0 0 0
23º $Tourmalet 520 0 0 0
We are behind John Denver, let's hope that tonight that is not the case...
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No noteworthy results in the second and third stage in the Tirreno, but we have Arjen Rutte on place 9 in the GC. He will go down in the time trial tonight, but the question is how much.
In the cup time trial against John Denver the ear protectors did not work. Oliver King left on an airplane, Julius Wiegel thought he was a country boy, Koen Helder was fiddling with Calypso, Sam Parker was thinking of Annie and Robert Brubaker was looking for country roads to take him home, so Denver's Richard Frances won the time trial. An early exit for us, but not as early as last season...
(https://images.wehkamp.nl/i/wehkamp/16346825_pb_01/barts-oorwarmers-wit-wit-8717457206108.jpg?w=792)
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In the time trial to Donoratico Robert Brubaker picked up a 30th place. He was again just behind Denver's Richard Frances, which shows that the elimination in the Cup was no accident.
In the last stage to Pomarance Arjen Rutte held his own and rode a brilliant and enlightened race, helped by Julius Maalderink. It was awarded with a 15th place in the stage and a 5th place in the GC, on almost two minutes from Rayo del Arry Yan Sayun. That was an unexpected result and we were very glad with that.
(https://www.e-borghi.com/public/borghi/05_04_17-08_52_42-j12899dbaed79e151af825a1dcfec393.jpg)
Division standings after the Tirreno-Adriatico:
1º CyKings 2653 1 0 2
2º Cabrasverdes 2330 1 2 1
3º °Peachy°Melocotons 2189 2 1 1
13º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 1158 0 2 1
14º SPORTLIFE 1102 2 0 2
15º Atlantico 1022 0 1 1
17º Codex 883 0 0 0
18º Combuijs 828 0 0 0
19º CaptainOrange 819 0 0 0
In Milan-San Remo we will show up with:
171 Thomas Freitag
172 Damien Lambert
173 Julius Maalderink
174 Dénes Nemcsik
175 Julius Wiegel
while these riders are going to ride on the E3, which will be a lot more interesting:
171 Adam Neeskens
172 Chester Laybutt
173 Julius Maalderink
174 Garret Rose
175 Julius Wiegel
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while these riders are going to ride on the E3, which will be a lot more interesting:
171 Adam Neeskens
172 Chester Laybutt
173 Julius Maalderink
174 Garret Rose
175 Julius Wiegel
For sure interesting ! Congratulations with winning the classic race E3 Harelbeke, Combuijs ! 8)
(https://i.imgur.com/yDSte2I.png?1)
Adam Neeskens "grabs" the victory :))
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Nice! A very good victory Combuijs! And also some nice additional points from Laybutt, Maalderink and Rose. Nicely done.
I think a lot of cobblehillers are in TC for G-W, DdV and RVV (Ford, Pierre). Sele wins E3 in 2d in absence of some great cobblehillers as well. But hey, that's their mistake, lol! Nice, congrats!
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Sele wins E3 in 2d
Also congrats with this classic victory, Zatarra 8)
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Great victory Combuijs, congratulatioms. The help of Laybutt was decisive at the end.
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Let's forget about Milan-San Remo and scroll forward to the much more important E3 Harelbeke. We had an interested sponsor so we prepared meticulously for this race and what a result we got: our first win in a monument. That was worth several Magnum bottles of Combuijs Honey Ale, of which we had quite a few on stock...
The E3 was a kind of last one out race. The size of the leader group got from 61 to 12, back to 17, then 11 until there were 6 riders left. Leader Adam Neeskens had company from two helpers all the time.
As some very knowledgeable expert said, Chester Laybutt was the key. He could help Adam Neeskens until the last kilometre so that the other Dutchman Noah Nelisse (Cabrasverdes) could only claim second place, just before Cobble Crusher Artúr Bereményi.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Station_Harelbeke_-_Foto_4_%282010%29.png/266px-Station_Harelbeke_-_Foto_4_%282010%29.png)
All five riders scored points (not four as a just not that knowledgeable expert claimed): Adam Neekens 1st, Chester Laybutt 11th, Julius Maalderink 12th, Garret Rose 15th (free role) and Julius Wiegel 29th. That's a first too!
Division standings after the E3 Harelbeke:
1º CyKings 3078 1 0 2
2º Cabrasverdes 2980 1 3 1
3º °Peachy°Melocotons 2689 2 1 1
8º Flyvende_hjul 1792 0 0 0
9º Combuijs 1788 1 0 0
10º SentinelChickens 1741 0 0 1
17º Codex 1138 0 0 0
18º SPORTLIFE 1102 2 0 2
19º Atlantico 1077 0 1 1
Unfortunately the season is not over yet, but we have reached our goal, a top 10 place, already...
ISS is very happy with the win in the E3 Harelbeke, so we have a new sponsor and hopefully professional catering.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/iss.jpg)
Another result of the E3 is that our stores are booming at the moment. You can notice it is the day just before Sinterklaas...
The Volta will see:
81 Yvo de Cleer
82 Ørjan Henningsen
83 Damien Lambert
84 Valentin Litenko
85 Will Miller
Yvo is our man there, whether it is the GC or the stages. Will is his faithful assistant, Damien and Valentin will be a little bit less faithful and Ørjan is there for some amusement...
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Congratulations on the win in E3 Harelbeke and on having 4 riders in the top 15!
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Success brings success, so Yvo de Cleer got some wonderful results in the Volta. He finishes 10th on Vallter 2000 and he even finishes 5th in Torrefarrera, so he is now 9th in the GC, half a minute behind leader Brian Vandborg (Ares).
(https://vanityflor.es/img/cms/Torrefarrera.jpg)
Apart from some forum reactions here (thank you very much!) a lot of reactions in the newspapers as well on the win of Adam Neeskens in the E3. They stated that we now have won one monument on World Tour (obviously) and that Adam is a homegrown rider, which indeed he is.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/1clasica.png)(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/canteragana.png)
In other news we have won our first race on the second level of the World Challenge, which apparently has to be celebrated.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/d293.jpg)
In still other news another homegrown rider is for sale, so if you want to score points at cobble hill races, take a look at Koen Helder. He will be going out tonight.
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On Lo Port Yvo de Cleer finishes 14th, which is about what we expected of him. He is now 14th in the GC, hopefully he won't fall out the top 20 in the last stage, a mountain time trial.
(https://q-cf.bstatic.com/images/hotel/max1024x768/183/183097308.jpg)
These riders will prepare for the final sprint in Wevelgem:
91 Adam Neeskens
92 Ørjan Henningsen
93 Eelco van der Laan/color]
94 Julius Maalderink
95 Garret Rose
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While Yvo de Cleer was nowhere to be seen in the closing mountain time trial in the Volta, he managed a 16th place in the GC, which was encouraging.
In Gent-Wevelgem helper Julius Maalderink finished 9th in a second group, while leader Adam Neeskens arrived in a third group on place 17. This tells that tactics went seriously wrong, which was indeed the case. Adam Neeskens was visibly enjoying his win in the E3 in the first section.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/incidencias/sleep.png)
(https://static.nieuwsblad.be/Assets/Images_Upload/2013/06/19/Wevelgem_1.jpg?maxheight=460&maxwidth=638)
Division standings after Gent-Wevelgem:
1º Cabrasverdes 3717 2 3 1
2º ProdopingPong 3459 1 2 2
3º °Peachy°Melocotons 3404 2 2 1
8º Ares 2640 2 1 0
9º Combuijs 2301 1 0 0
10º skunk 2183 0 0 0
14º Rekutxuteam 1886 0 2 1
15º SPORTLIFE 1658 3 0 2
16º CrossAndGo 1618 1 0 1
We have sold Koen Helder for 2.8 million to Continental Tour Team Salpeter. We are confident that he will score many points for them on that level.
The main events are there for us, Across and Around Flanders:
81 Adam Neeskens
82 Chester Laybutt
83 Julius Maalderink
84 Garret Rose
85 Julius Wiegel
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Across Flanders brought Adam Neeskens place 9, which was good, but not good enough for potential sponsor Statoil. We will have to use B-brands for another season to get our supporting bus going. Tactics could have been better as Julius Maalderink lost contact in the fourth section. Green goat Berend Verheyen won the race.
Around Flanders leader Adam Neeskens finishes 15th, while Garret Rose in a free role just fell outside the points. As far as I can see a perfect tactic, so there was not much more in it for him. Predictably green goat Berend Verheyen won the race.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Generieke_vlag_van_Vlaanderen.svg/1280px-Generieke_vlag_van_Vlaanderen.svg.png)
Division standings after Flanders:
1º Cabrasverdes 5067 4 3 1
2º CobbleCrushers 4127 2 4 2
3º Flyvende_hjul 3837 0 0 5
9º Ares 2640 2 1 0
10º Combuijs 2601 1 0 0
11º skunk 2393 0 0 0
17º galegospolabici 1730 0 1 0
18º SPORTLIFE 1658 3 0 2
19º Thorboassonarvesen 1630 0 1 0
In the Itzulia these riders will be enjoying the Basque cuisine:
91 Valentin Litenko
92 Yvo de Cleer
93 Damien Lambert
94 Adam Neeskens
95 Garret Rose
Valentin will be our leader, Yvo and Damien his helpers, while Adam and Garret will try to win the first stage.
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Good luck, Combuijs!
The nice victory of Adam in E3 couldn't get the follow-up you've hoped for, probably due to active TC's of competitors, but keep up the good standings. Even 1k point above Sportlife. That's to be remembered :D.
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:)
No cyclists for the classic races in my team, that means missing out a lot of points.
Let's see if my team can get a little bit closer in Itzulia.
( I doubt it. Hopefully Tafi will do well in stages 2 and 4. )
By the way, it is not special that Combuijs is above my team. Normally in this phase of the season.
And 2 out of the total of 4 seasons in 1A, Combuijs finished above my team.
And in previous season he had medical bad luck, that probably has cost a lot of points.
Combuijs 1A results season 2 to 5 = 18, 11, 11, 30.
SPORTLIFE 1A results season 2 to 5 = 11, 16, 14, 13.
Perhaps time that one of- or both of- our teams will finish top10. ;) ( I assume that my current team will not achieve that this season ).
Hopefully your team will promote again, Zatarra, then it is fun to add it in this equation. Good luck this season !
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Thanks! I'm trying as hard as I can! Not doing too bad thusfar, but still a lot of races to come that I don't score points. Missing you guys!
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You are not doing bad at all / in fact, very good ; a lot of points in the 6 cobblehills classic races ; 3rd, 3rd, 1st, 2nd, 4th and 2nd. Impressive ! 8)
To promote will not be easy, I see now you have some very fierce competition in division 2d.
But your team is for sure in the promotion race with the current 6th place. Time enough to buy for the other important races in this season.
It would be great if your team will promote again, because that means more fun in division 1A. :)
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Some terrific results in the Itzulia. In the first stage around Zalla Garret Rose manages a third place after winner Ketil Fossum (Thorboassonarvesen) and green goat Berend Verheyen. Helper Adam Neeskens gets 13th place for good measure. With that we have sealed a deal with Sika, so our team bus can be pampered during the winter holidays.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/sika.jpg)
In the stage to Valdegovia Valentin Litenko finds himself back on place 5, which is one place behind Sportlife's Lorenzo Tafi, but still a tremendous result. He is now on place 29 in the GC, Garret Rose is still on the podium, but he won't stay there for long.
(https://jasnahodzic.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/062113_valdegovia_149.jpg?w=640&h=339)
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The Itzulia stage to Eguesibar saw the same pattern as the previous mountain sprint race, Valentin Litenko on place 4 this time and Lorenzo Tafi (Sportlife) one place higher, so this time on the podium. Always a gentlemen, our Valentin.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Sarriguren_%28Eg%C3%BC%C3%A9s%29_-_Ayuntamiento_5.JPG/250px-Sarriguren_%28Eg%C3%BC%C3%A9s%29_-_Ayuntamiento_5.JPG)
In the GC he is now number 12, two and a half minutes from leader Bram van Amerongen (Atlantico). Let's hope he can stay there in the last stage.
These are our hobgoblins in Paris-Roubaix:
81 Arjen Rutte
82 Ørjan Henningsen
83 Julius Maalderink
84 Adam Neeskens
85 Garret Rose
while these riders have other bumps to take in the Netherlands and Wallonie:
81 Carlo Bemelmans
82 Thomas Freitag
83 Chester Laybutt
84 Adam Neeskens
85 Garret Rose
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In the last Itzulia stage to Lekunberri Valentin Litenko kept his nerve while Captain Orange Dries Smulders won the stage, so he finished 17th in the GC, more than 3 minutes after Atlantico's Bram van Amerongen.
In Paris-Roubaix Arjen Rutte placed a ferocious attack in the last kilometers and he was awarded with a 12th position. His helper Julius Maalderink finished 24th. Not a bad result at all. Giacommo Mazzola (Ares) won the race before Bram Travin (Thorboassonarvesen).
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/incidencias/attack.png)
(https://cdn.britannica.com/s:700x500/51/142951-050-17E3816F/Downtown-Roubaix-France.jpg)
Division standings after Paris-Roubaix:
1º Cabrasverdes 5491 4 4 1
2º CobbleCrushers 4547 2 4 2
3º Flyvende_hjul 4539 0 0 5
9º SentinelChickens 3181 0 0 2
10º Combuijs 3176 1 0 1
11º Atlantico 2996 1 1 1
18º IntellinetCyclingFF 2094 4 0 0
19º SPORTLIFE 1911 3 0 3
20º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 1887 0 4 1
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We are doing fine in the hill classics. Carlo Bemelmans scored a 9th place in the Combuijs Honey Ale Race and a 19th place in the Wallonian Arrow. We have removed him now from the sales-prospect list...
(https://www.ardennes-etape.nl/vakantie-ardennen-Stad-189/Activite_Plus-Huy-141141-1L.jpg)
We have secured the services of Rafael Szepeszi to strengthen our sprint train. He and conpatriot Dénes Nemcsik will be a nice couple. He came over from Continental Pro Tour team BOS and the fact that this team has never reached World Tour level may have been part of the decision to move teams.
On the train to Romandie are:
81 Yvo de Cleer
82 Carlo Bemelmans
83 Robert Brubaker
84 Daniel Lambert
85 Sam Parker
Yvo will be our GC man, helped by Sam, Robert is there for the time trial, and Daniel and Carlo can push the train when electricity falls away...
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In the final hill classic, Luik-Bastenaken and back again, Carlo Bemelmans reached a 27th place. You can say his results are detoriating, but he really is doing well. The results of Flying Wheel Gascogne Carrere were not detoriating at all, he won all three hill classics, which is an amazing result.
The Tour de Romandie started not too bad with Robert Brubaker on place 19 in the time trial around Yverdon-les-Bains. He will leave the tour now to prepare for other races.
(https://static.mycity.travel/manage/uploads/6/27/58468/1/ylbr-yverdon-jeux-castrum-7-c-manu-gallardo_2000.jpg)
Division standings after the first stage of the Tour de Romandie:
1º Flyvende_hjul 6169 3 0 5
2º Cabrasverdes 5576 4 4 1
3º °Peachy°Melocotons 5345 3 3 2
9º SentinelChickens 3696 0 0 2
10º Combuijs 3503 1 0 1
11º Codex 3410 0 2 1
18º IntellinetCyclingFF 2094 4 0 0
19º SPORTLIFE 2066 3 0 3
20º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 1924 0 4 1
Don't ask me details, but with the purchase of Rafael Szepesi we are now a 45 star team. I thought we had only 20 stars in our team...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/45est.png)
We have made Sam Parker available for a transfer. He came over transfer free, but he really never reached his potential.
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Yvo de Cleer is picking up points in Romandie: 14th place in Leysin and 17th place in Leukerbad, which gives him a 23rd place in the GC, on 2 minutes from leader Ton Jansma (Cross and Go).
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Leukerbad_8.jpg/266px-Leukerbad_8.jpg)
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No further results in the Tour de Romandie, Yvo de Cleer finished 24th in the GC on more than 3 minutes from winner Peeter Toode (Codex). Somehow Sportlife's Robert Adorjan (plus a few accents) ended up before Yvo on place 17.
Division standings after the Tour de Romandie:
1º Flyvende_hjul 6870
2º °Peachy°Melocotons 6120
3º Cabrasverdes 5684
11º SentinelChickens 3696
12º Combuijs 3579
13º Atlantico 3524
18º galegospolabici 2376
19º SPORTLIFE 2358
20º CaptainOrange 2332
(Apparently we did not pay enough to the UCI to show the podium places anymore)
(https://www.investopedia.com/thmb/_xmCoahKix8lMb0gGRyX_P8bUBk=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-1086290746-f77ce21e48a14f769d4a812be36f4b31.jpg)
The following riders will go around the Henninger Turm:
111 Valentin Litenko
112 Thomas Freitag
113 Tristan Prins
114 Rafael Szepesi
115 Julius Wiegel
while these riders will go around Italy in the first great Tour of the season:
111 Will Miller
112 Julius Maalderink
113 Dénes Nemcsik
114 Tristan Prins
115 Arjen Rutte
Will will be our GC man, Arjen and Julius are there for the cobble races and Dénes for the sprint races.
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Yes, the just 23yo Adorján did great in Romandie. He scored a total of 180 points in 3 stages and the GC ( 17th ).
In the Giro he will be the helper of Miorlin in climb-stages 4 and 5, the main objectives in this grand tour.
Perhaps TT-specialist Bogarde and flat-sprinter Schäfer can score a few points extra, but that is very doubtful in advance.
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/8ed052732fddd78a1b24c0eb2887c9f6.png) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/full(CFF).png) selection SPORTLIFE
201 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/italia.jpg) Miorlin ( climber )
202 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/hungria.jpg) Huszta ( climber )
203 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/hungria.jpg) Adorján ( 23yo climber )
204 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/holanda.jpg) Bogarde ( TT )
205 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/alemania.jpg) Schäfer ( sprinter )
With an Italian team captain and 2 Hungarian helpers, this is also an appropriate selection for the real Giro of 2020 that starts in Budapest :
(https://i.imgur.com/7Tp4RMr.jpg)
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In the opening stage of the Giro to Frosinone Arjen Rutte gets 9th place while helper Julius Maalderink finishes 21st. There was no way Bram Travin (Thorboassonarvesen) could be hold off for a stage win and the pink jersey. Our GC man Will Miller lost over 3 minutes, which is not the best of starts, but his GC had no priority.
(https://italytime.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/frosinone-540x405.jpg)
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The second Giro stage to Reggio di Calabria saw a 22nd place for Will Miller. He is now 42nd in the GC, 2 minutes after leader Giacommo Mazzola (Ares). Arjen Rutte is our best men in the GC with a 14th place, but he won't stay there after tonight's race.
(https://cdn.getyourguide.com/img/tour_img-256374-99.jpg)
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Tristan Prins gets 27th place in the fourth stage of the Giro to Pinerolo as a helper. He left behind his leader Will Miller, so this tells you tactics could have been better. They lost contact on the second climb of the race to Pinerolo.
The fifth stage to Sestriere resulted in a 19th place for Will Miller, on more than one minute from Sportlife's Nicola Miorlin who wins for the second time in a row. It's okay that Sportlife gets points, but you can exaggerate... Will is now on place 16 in the GC, 3 minutes behind leader Nicola. That pink jersey really does not suit him...
(https://www.zastavki.com/pictures/640x480/2014/World___Italy_Summer_panorama_ski_resort_Sestriere__Italy_065100_29.jpg)
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The fifth stage to Sestriere resulted in a 19th place for Will Miller, on more than one minute from Sportlife's Nicola Miorlin who wins for the second time in a row. It's okay that Sportlife gets points, but you can exaggerate... Will is now on place 16 in the GC, 3 minutes behind leader Nicola. That pink jersey really does not suit him...
:))
No worries, Miorlin lost the pink jersey in sprint stage 6.
Although despite he cannot sprint, he did great (again double weather bonus^^) in a free role and finished as 157th on 2:39"
Still 4th GC, but he cannot sprint and he is even worse in the hills (skill=19).
The teamcaptain in stage 6 was Schäfer, he had to do it on his own because his helper had a flat tyre in section 2.
Probably it did not matter because it was very doubtful if the helper would be good enough to be with his teamcaptain in s4.
Anyway, Schäfer scored 70 points with his 13th place.
So 70 points closer and the gap is now 555 points between our teams. :-*
But no more points are expected in this Giro ( maybe with the exceptition that I'm wrong about the chances of Miorlin in the GC ).
And for sure your team will score points in the final four stages of this Giro. Please do not exaggerate with scoring points.^^
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stage 7 Giro :
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/incidencias/bombilla.png) 7º Will Miller 24 Combuijs 0: 14"
Well done, good lightbulb-result !
Unexpectly the 23yo Adorján ( SPORTLIFE ) scored a few points with a 26th place in a free role.
Miorlin still high in the GC ; 6th on 2:56"
And the nr20 GC already on 6:23", so maybe it is possible he can score GC points despite he is going to lose much time in stages 9 and 10.
Miller is just 3 seconds behind a top10 GC, at the moment 11th on 3:34" Good luck !
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In the 7th Giro stage to Di Lavaredo Will Miller surprised everyone to finish in full Christmas outfit including lightbulbs. It gave him a 7th place, with helper Tristan Prins on place 18. Somewhere far behind a certain Robert Adorjan finished 23rd, not in christmas outfit though.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/incidencias/bombilla.png)
(https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/09/05/10/25/tre-cime-di-lavaredo-1646144_960_720.jpg)
In the GC we find Will back on place 11, three and a half minutes behind leader Antonello Lorenzetto (Mercatone Due), and less than a minute behind Sportlife's Nicola Miorlin. Let's see what the hobblecobbles will bring tonight.
In an obscure christmas challenge it appears we have reached the third round and won a challenge.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/d294.jpg)
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The 8th Giro stage to San Vendemiano saw Arjen Rutte taking 12th place, with helper Julius Maalderink on 28th place. In the GC Will Miller is now 13th, 4 places and 22 seconds before Nicola Miorlin and more than 4 minutes behind leader Antonello Lorenzetto.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Pressi4_San_Vendemiano.jpg/800px-Pressi4_San_Vendemiano.jpg)
On we go liberating the Dauphiné from ...eh... what? with:
121 Oliver King
122 Robert Brubaker
123 Will Miller
124 Tristan Prins
125 Julius Wiegel
Oliver is our GC man, Will and Tristan will assist him, Robert will go for the time trial and Julius? Well, Julius can find out from what or who we are going to liberate the Dauphiné...
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In the last stage in the Giro Intellinet Cycler Miksa Pelle wins his second stage. Will Miller finishes 14th, 3 places before Sportlife's Nicola Miorlin. Mission accomplished.
The starting time trial to Louhans Chateaureneaud in the Dauphiné Liberé sees Robert Brubaker on place 25.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Arcades_de_Louhans_001.JPG/220px-Arcades_de_Louhans_001.JPG)
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Second stage in the Dauphiné Liberé to Le Teil gave us a 13th place for Oliver King and a 20th place for Will Miller, which was a fine result.
(https://www.france-voyage.com/visuals/communes/le-teil-29540-1_w600.jpg)
In the third stage there seems to have been a slight misunderstanding who should be leader. It seems our director Belarmino Farinha messed up the names of Will Miller and Oliver King during the final instructions in the teambus. So no points and Oliver is now 11th in the GC and Will 21st.
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In the fourth stage in the Dauphiné Liberé to Plateau de Solaison Oliver King finished 13th, which was 12 places behind winner Nicola Miorlin (Sportlife).
In the final stage to Vaujany Oliver King had a superb race and finished second after winner Firmino Pacheco (Caracoles) but before Mike Bauer. That brought him to place 6 in the GC, 1:36 after winner Mike Bauer but before Nicola Miorlin. And it boosts Christmas sales in our shops. A pity we had that slight misunderstanding in the 3rd stage...
(https://www.peakretreats.co.uk/media/2880/vaujany-ete-2.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=952&height=660&rnd=131842474210000000)
League standings after the Dauphiné:
1º Flyvende_hjul 8101 4 0 6
2º CyKings 7966 1 5 4
3º °Peachy°Melocotons 7618 3 5 4
10º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 5557 2 2 2
11º Combuijs 4675 1 1 1
12º Atlantico 4366 1 1 3
15º Marcatone_Due 4129 2 1 1
16º SPORTLIFE 3975 6 1 3
17º skunk 3918 0 0 0
These riders are going to listen to the Sound of Music in Switzerland:
101 Oliver King
102 Yvo de Cleer
103 Eelco van der Laan
104 Adam Neeskens
105 Rafael Szepesi
Oliver is our GC man, the rest will assist him, but Adam gets his chance in the cobble hill race
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behind winner Nicola Miorlin (Sportlife).
:) 8)
Very good final stage and GC classification of Oliver King in the Dauphiné.
Well done, Combuijs, now the gap remains big between our teams, at the moment exactly 700 points.
Probably my team will not get closer in the upcoming Tour de Suisse and Tour de France. Most likely the gap will get bigger.
But I expect to score some points, especially in the climb TT stages. See my preview in the English topic Grand Tours.
Good luck with Oliver King in the Tour de Suisse !
Let's see if he can beat my Tour de Suisse selection ( they should be really good in this time of the year ;) ) =
1 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/il.png) Jesús el Salvador
2 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/il.png) Joseph Carpenter
3 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/er.png) Balthasar Frankincense
4 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/it.png) Melchior L'Oro
5 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/za.png) Caspar Myrrh
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In the first stage of the Tour of Switzerland around Bellinzona, Rafael Szepesi scored his first 27 point for our team with place 19.
The second stage to Luzern saw non-flat-hill-specialist Oliver King on place 25, which was a kind of Christmas gift.
(https://www.bezienswaardighedeneuropa.nl/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Altstadt.jpg)
I really should apologize to Sportlife for only sending one King to Switzerland, it should of course have been three kings. As compensation we have sent archangel Rafael (Szepesi) with him, first man Adam (Neeskens) and (Yvo) de Cleer (which is probably derived from Dutch clarke, but I am not sure).
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In Switzerland, the cobble race to Gansingen saw Adam Neeskens on place 18.
In the last stage around Sion Oliver King finishes 14th, 13 places behind Sportlife's Daniel Basov, only 23 years old. Good win that! In the GC Oliver gets 12th place, sadly one place behind Cliff Fagan and more than 2 minutes behind Wizard Rafael Carlos Loinaz, the winner.
The Tour de France started in Vizille this season with a very difficult stage. We are glad that Oliver King could stay close to all top riders and finished 17th in Albertville.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Albertville_depuis_le_belv%C3%A9d%C3%A8re_de_Conflans_%28%C3%A9t%C3%A9_2018%29.JPG/798px-Albertville_depuis_le_belv%C3%A9d%C3%A8re_de_Conflans_%28%C3%A9t%C3%A9_2018%29.JPG)
Division standings after the first stage of the Tour de France:
1º Flyvende_hjul 8736 4 1 6
2º CyKings 8462 1 5 4
3º °Peachy°Melocotons 8035 4 5 4
11º Atlantico 5049 1 1 3
12º Combuijs 4932 1 1 1
13º SPORTLIFE 4734 8 1 3
14º IntellinetCyclingFF 4671 9 0 2
Sportlife is uncomfortable close to us and will probably finish above us...
Jingle bells in the Tour de France:
101 Oliver King
102 Robert Brubaker
103 Eelco van der Laan
104 Adam Neeskens
105 Tristan Prins
Oliver is our GC man, Tristan will assist him, Robert will get his chance in all the time trials, while Adam and Eelco are there for the cobble races, with or without hills.
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While the staff and support were enjoying a training camp (food and drink) in the Ardennes our riders competed on World Tour level.
Some interesting results in the Tour de France:
Adam Neeskens 20th in the 5th stage to Mende in a free role, 4th as leader in the 6th stage to Digne-les-Bains and 8th in the 9th stage to Le Puy-en-Velay. Oliver King 21st in the 7th stage to Pla d'Adet, 29th in the time trial up to de Col de L'Iseran and 20th in the GC. And most interesting, 23 year old Eelco van der Laan 13th in the last stage to Montar.
In the GP San Sebastian we saw Tristan Prins finishing 21st.
In our own Combuijs Honey Ale Tour we started with a second place for Chester Laybutt in Sittard-Geleen, which deserved the team a sponsor contract from Lacoste.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/lacoste.png)
Julius Maalderink the took over the helm with an 11th place in Vogelwaarde, a 17th place in Breskens and a 19th place in Rotterdam. That gave him a 8th place in the GC. Our worst man in the GC, Garret Rose, still finished 46th. It's called the Combuijs Honey Ale Tour for a reason, of course...
In the Vuelta we started off in Cuenca with a 5th place for Chester Laybutt.
(https://nl.zooverresources.com/images/E56846L2B81150D0W300H245RT2/Cuenca.jpg)
Division standings after the second stage in the Vuelta:
1º Flyvende_hjul 10036 4 1 7
2º CyKings 10011 3 5 5
3º °Peachy°Melocotons 9208 4 7 6
11º Atlantico 6830 1 2 3
12º SPORTLIFE 6389 9 2 3
13º SentinelChickens 5970 0 0 3
14º Combuijs 5964 1 2 1
15º Thorboassonarvesen 5543 5 6 1
16º CaptainOrange 5373 1 1 2
A top 10 place is far away and to our eternal shame we are behind Sportlife as well. We have still a slight hope to finish as the best Dutch team, but for me Captain Orange is favourite for that.
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I would be surprised to see my team catch up. Hilton has some aspirations to get a nice result, but without training camp and with a strong field, it's not likely he will get 600 points more than your riders in the cobble and coblle/hill stage.
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and to our eternal shame we are behind Sportlife as well.
Olé :)) ;)
You still might have a chance to finish above my team.
Of course it will also depend on the Vuelta points, but I expect (or hope) enough points to stay ahead in this big tour.
After that it is a different story ; I forgot to send my best hillsclimber on TC for Lombardia and probably he is not even gonna ride it.
Maybe my other hillsclimber can a score a few points there, but without TC it will be difficult for him to finish top30.
Silver TT specialist Bogarde can score points in the WC TT (he has TC). However this season the competition in TT is too fierce for him.
For example ; he finished as 33rd in the 35km flat TT of the Dauphiné ( with 100/100 ).
So not many points are expected after the Vuelta.
Also because I have no hills specialists in my team, with the exception of a just 22yo who currently has the season white jersey.
Without TC bonus he will not have a chance to score points, in my opinion. So it is a waste to rest him a few times for the WC road race.
Let's hope there will be no other 22yo's this season who score more points as my 22yo hills specialist.
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In stage 3 of the Vuelta around Teruel Chester Laybutt gets 6th place.
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y8AfwUqjWyo/VRFnibWbIzI/AAAAAAAABnk/b0tN6-VD5Lo/s200/Plaza_del_Torico.jpg)
In the GC Will Miller is now on place 39, almost 7 minutes behind leader Bram van Amerongen (Atlantico) and runner up Anthony Hilton (Captain Orange). The last one is a serious threat for our first place in the national rankings.
We have changed our training regime to cobblestone in order to improve Garret Rose (and a few other riders).
In the Giro di Lombardia we will start with:
131 Tristan Prins
132 Oliver King
133 Valentin Litenko
134 Will Miller
135 Sam Parker
These riders will plough through the sands in Doha:
131 Robert Brubaker
132 Oliver King
133 Will Miller
134 Sam Parker
135 Rafael Szepesi
While these riders will plough through the grain fields around Hamilton:
131 Carlo Bemelmans
132 Thomas Freitag
133 Chester Laybutt
134 Adam Neeskens
135 Tristan Prins
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The last one is a serious threat for our first place in the national rankings.
I honestly didn't believe in his chances before the Vuelta, but I have to say you might have seen it better than I did, it looks quite possible for Hilton to get some nice points in the final classification.
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Some results at the end of season 6.
In the Vuelta Julius Maalderink got 10th place in the 9th stage of the Vuelta to Argamasilla de Alba, Chester Laybutt was 20th in the same race. Will Miller finished 28th in the GC on more than 10 minutes from the glorious winner Anthony Hilton (Captain Orange).
(https://media2.clubrural.com/img990x400/pueblos/ciudad-real/argamasilla-de-alba/20151008154215-ciudad-real-argamasilla-de-alba.jpg)
Tristan Prins was 25th in the Giro di Lombardia.
So not a sparkling finish of the season, which resulted in these final division standings:
1º CyKings 12112 3 6 5
2º °Peachy°Melocotons 11169 4 8 7
3º Flyvende_hjul 10989 4 1 7
4º Cabrasverdes 9781 5 8 5
5º ProdopingPong 9690 2 2 2
6º CobbleCrushers 9637 7 5 5
7º Rekutxuteam 9132 2 3 3
8º Atlantico 9018 2 2 3
9º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 8406 2 3 4
10º Ares 8171 6 3 1
11º Codex 7252 4 2 3
12º SPORTLIFE 7225 9 2 4
13º CaptainOrange 7152 1 1 2
14º Marcatone_Due 6886 3 1 1
15º SentinelChickens 6754 0 0 4
16º ValeronIdolo 6495 4 3 1
17º Thorboassonarvesen 6263 6 7 1
18º Combuijs 6250 1 2 1
19º Caracoles 6172 6 4 5
20º ChessPower 5984 1 2 2
21º galegospolabici 5756 1 1 1
22º IntellinetCyclingFF 5091 9 0 2
23º Aurora_Australis 5062 5 1 4
24º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 5058 0 3 0
25º MortoviaCycling 4976 0 1 1
26º Wizards 4746 0 1 1
27º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 4579 0 8 1
28º skunk 4311 0 0 0
29º KunTeam 4089 1 0 0
30º CrossAndGo 4023 1 1 3
31º Denver 3946 1 3 3
32º Facha_Bartolo 3945 1 0 3
33º Barrioska 3753 0 0 5
34º $Tourmalet 3672 0 1 0
35º Turrones 3655 0 0 0
36º Pomilles_Balears 3651 0 0 0
37º CC_Porco_Jones 3348 0 2 0
38º Vitimper 3188 0 1 0
39º TeamRHB 2967 0 1 1
40º TipiCyclingTeam 2420 0 0 0
41º Innioraths 2203 0 1 0
42º ZBT 1892 0 0 0
43º DeRodeVod 1512 0 1 0
44º beerkes 1412 0 0 0
45º RIO_mare 1308 0 0 0
46º Frier_Accounting 837 0 0 0
47º Matterhorn 223 0 0 0
48º Milanezen 144 0 0 0
49º Huesca 0 0 0 0
50º Aspigarri 0 0 0 0
Another victory for Cykings (congratulations), not a place in the first 10 for us and Captain Orange the best Dutch team, relatively low on place 13 (congratulations). Not the best season for us, but not the worst either.
Individual standings:
1º Mike Bauer 24 5091 CyKings 0 5 2
2º Antonello Lorenzetto 24 4455 Marcatone_Due 3 0 1
3º Yannick Pierre 24 4092 CobbleCrushers 7 2 0
4º Adam Roethlisberger 24 3478 Rekutxuteam 2 0 1
5º Anthony Hilton 24 2401 CaptainOrange 0 0 0
6º Nicola Miorlin 24 2395 SPORTLIFE 6 1 0
7º Berend Verheyen 24 2359 Cabrasverdes 3 3 1
8º Peeter Toode 24 2275 Codex 2 1 2
9º Hugo Skogstad 24 2261 ValeronIdolo 3 1 1
10º Noah Nelisse 24 2258 Cabrasverdes 0 2 2
34º Adam Neeskens 24 1253 Combuijs 1 0 0
Another victory for Mike Bauer, and one Combuijs Honey Ale rider in the top 50, which is one more than the previous season.
Points scored by Combuijs Honey Ale riders:
Adam Neeskens 24 1253 110
Julius Maalderink 24 811 672
Oliver King 24 782 241
Arjen Rutte 24 635 644
Chester Laybutt 24 569 024
Will Miller 24 338 000
Julius Wiegel 24 320 000
Yvo De Cleer 24 309 731
Carlo Bemelmans 24 300 322
Garret Rose 24 228 001
Valentin Litenko 24 215 000
Tristan Prins 24 185 253
Ørjan Henningsen 24 150 000
Eelco VanDerLaan 23 70 000
Robert Brubaker 24 58 011
Rafael Szepesi 24 27 882
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Will season 7 be the lucky season for the Combuijs Honey Ale team? Who knows? But things will get more difficult every season now as more riders will be able to get good results. So let's go for a place in the top 20.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/combuijscff_mooier_klein_2.png)
Our director Belarmino Farinha has retired to spend more time with his goats in Portugal and so we have appointed another victim. This season we will use the services of British Tony Chambers. We hired him just before he could not Brexit anymore...
The human resources department had a busy week as we did not extend the contract of masseur Vince Haber. You just can't have too many British personnel these days, they leave before you know it... Instead we have hired German Gero Geyer, who will be hard to beat on the alliteration front...
We have some fire resistant riders for the Tour Down Under:
171 Carlo Bemelmans
172 Robert Brubaker
173 Chester Laybutt
174 Dénes Nemcsik
175 Rafael Szepesi
We will go for individual stages.
In the cup we will battle against Pro Continental team Meloneros from Letland. We hope they are better in growing melons than hobble cobbling around Fribourg against:
1 Julius Maalderink
2 Ørjan Henningsen
3 Eelco van der Laan
4 Garret Rose
5 Arjen Rutte
We wish all the competitors a very enjoyable season, with just that little bit of less luck than we will have...
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Yay, Zatarra's back in 1a to compete with the Combuijs riders... among other, but mostly the Combuijs riders. Good luck to you too!
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You must have a target against you this season, because one of my season goals will be to finish high than Combuijs.
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Happy to be back again in Combuijs' league. Hope I will be able to be a good match for his cyclists, but maybe even more important, I'm looking forward to the infamous "third halfs". Cheers!
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The first cup round was pretty easy as Meloneros was too busy growing melons. In the second round we will climb against World Tour team Prodoping Pong. We have beaten them before in a hill mountain sprint race, but this is a bit different.
Season 7 started with a monster time trial around Adelaide. Of course Aurora Australis Richard Levin won this home race, but more interestingly our Robert Brubaker took place 24. The UCI could not tell how many points this was worth, but it is more than zero.
(https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/2af29adc06e9de933f47b90387526500)
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In the first sprint race of the season to Campbelltown Rafael Szepesi got 11th place, 10 respectful places after Wilfred Bentinck (Yvo Meppelink ProCycling), who else. It's the first time Szepesi got a sprint train especially tailored for him in the person of Dénes Nemcsik.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Campbelltown_welcome_-_Montacute_at_LNE.jpg/1280px-Campbelltown_welcome_-_Montacute_at_LNE.jpg)
Wielermagazine reflected back on 5 seasons of World Tour of the Combuijs Honey Ale team in a large overview article. The team finished 18th, 11th, 11th, 30th and 18th. 20 teams in total achieved this feat, which is quite a large number. It seems a lot of teams hop back and forth in between World Tour and Pro Continental Tour.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/permanencia2.png)
The real season starts with Omloop het Nieuwsblad and the Strade Bianchi:
201 Garret Rose
202 Eelco van der Laan
203 Chester Laybutt
204 Arjen Rutte
205 Julius Wiegel
From there we continue from Paris to Nice, or rather, Condé-sur-Vesgre to Rasteau with:
201 Oliver King
202 Carlo Bemelmans
203 Yvo de Cleer
204 Damien Lambert
205 Tristan Prins
Oliver is going for the GC, assisted by Yvo and Tristan, Carlo is going for the hill stages and Damien is there to translate...
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The Tour Down Under was won by Mortovia Cycler Roberto Landis with Carlo Bemelmans unexpectedly on place 21, just outside the points unfortunately.
The Omloop het Nieuwsblad was a bit disappointing as our riders did not feel fresh at all. Freebee Chester Laybutt finished 29th, the rest really started too tired. That was no a good start of the real season. It was for winner Ketil Fossum (Thorboassonarvesen) though .
In the Strade Bianchi we did a lot better with some refreshed riders. Garret Rose got himself to 3rd place, the first podium of the season. Helpers Arjen Rutte, Julius Wiegel and Eelco van der Laan were 17th, 18th and 25th, while freebee Chester Laybutt just finished outside the top 30. Now, that was a race to build upon. Green goat Kyril VandenBergh won it.
In the first stage of Paris-Nice to Vendome Carlo Bemelmans managed to 23rd place on his own, so he is off the mark too for this season. In the second stage Sportlife's Daniel Besov got 2nd place. At the moment Oliver King is 14th in the GC of Paris-Nice, 1:21 behind HTCHungria leader Allan Palmer.
(https://www.daunou-opera.com/cache/img/d023d90f2131b29bb8afbe60fa8f8222833a354b--920-520-crop.jpg)
Division standings after the second stage of Paris-Nice:
1º Cabrasverdes 2088 1 1 1
2º Thorboassonarvesen 1215 1 1 1
3º CobbleCrushers 1028 0 1 1
9º SentinelChickens 709 0 0 1
10º Combuijs 686 0 0 1
11º Rekutxuteam 647 0 0 0
16º Psychoedge 556 0 0 0
17º Aurora_Australis 540 1 1 0
18º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 499 2 0 0
19º Zatarra 482 0 0 0
20º Atlantico 420 0 0 0
21º Ares 415 0 0 2
22º SPORTLIFE 374 0 1 0
23º CyKings 353 0 0 0
31º skunk 283 0 0 0
32º WinterIsComing 275 0 0 0
33º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 261 0 0 0
34º Flyvende_hjul 258 0 0 0
Lack of further time trials kept Aurora Australis behind us, lack of good cobblehillers did the same with Sportlife. WinterIsComing is still adjusting to the World Tour level it seems...
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In the first stage of Paris-Nice to Vendome Carlo Bemelmans managed to 23rd place on his own, so he is off the mark too for this season. In the second stage Sportlife's Daniel Besov got 2nd place. At the moment Oliver King is 14th in the GC of Paris-Nice, 1:21 behind HTCHungria leader Allan Palmer.
Yes, Basov was the teamcaptain because I forgot to rest Miorlin, so Miorlin had the helpers role with 90 health.
Both were not favorites and both could challenge the same riders (among them 2 favorites, if I remember correctly).
So no problem that Basov was the teamcaptain and the 2nd place is a good result.
Especially because he finished on 0:00" and the nr3 on 0:18" and the nrs 4 to 6 already on 0:27", so that looks promising.
Next time I hope he has a better sprint-á-deux, and probably he is better prepared next time.
If Miorlin was healthy, he had a real good chance of the victory with his active weather icon and excellent helper.
Although he has one star less as Basov ; for now Miorlin never reached the 10 stars, hopefully he will this season.
Very good Strade Bianche of your team, Combuijs ! 8)
And at the moment your team is 10th in 1A, it would be great if that would be the final season ranking.
Good luck in the next 3 stages of PN with Oliver King.
Hopefully my hillsclimber Thompson (without TT icon) can score a few GC points, although he had to ride stage 2 in a free role.
But perhaps this is wishfull thinking due to stage 4, the time trial.
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Good luck in the next 3 stages of PN with Oliver King.
Hopefully my hillsclimber Thompson (without TT icon) can score a few GC points, although he had to ride stage 2 in a free role.
But perhaps this is wishfull thinking due to stage 4, the time trial.
Despite his 168th place in stage 4, the time trial, and his 68th place in hills-stage 3 ; Thompson is still in the race to (maybe) score GC points.
He has to ride a good final stage 5 because at the moment he is out of the top 20 GC, but just 6 seconds behind.
Of course his main goal in stage 5 will be to finish before Oliver King. :P
GC Paris-Nice after 4 stages :
1 Mihkel Väli 25 Atlantico 0: 00"
2 Mike Bauer 25 CyKings 0: 07"
3 Alvaro Vaca 25 azerite 0: 16"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
14 Oliver King 25 Combuijs 1: 37"
16 Ivari Mitt 25 Zatarra 1: 50"
17 Sven WinklerPrins 24 WinterIsComing 1: 55"
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22 Patrick Thompson 25 SPORTLIFE 2: 13"
Again a stage victory of Aurora_Australis in a time trial. This time the victor is Owen Acree.
It will be very difficult for SPORTLIFE to defend the Australian team championship title. This season 2x (flat)hills TT and 11x (!) flat TT.
Hopefully my team will be a fierce rival and AA really has to earn it / battle for it.
To challenge AA some more, a post of the current ranking after all 6 previous seasons : :P :))
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/full(CFF).png)SPORTLIFE versus (https://i.imgur.com/7sLtHru.jpg?1) Aurora_Australis = 6 - 0
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/AustraliaG.jpg)(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/AustraliaG.jpg)(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/AustraliaG.jpg)(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/AustraliaG.jpg)(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/AustraliaG.jpg)(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/AustraliaG.jpg)
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Time trial time again, so Aurora Australis wins the race to Aix-en-Provence with Owen Acree. In the GC Oliver King is now on place 14, one and a half minute behind Atlantico's Mihkel Väli. The last stage does suit Oliver very well, so hopefully he can enter the top 10.
(https://scontent-amt2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/23659364_750928525099184_901277361197109429_n.png?_nc_cat=101&_nc_ohc=qWUvLG7-UlAAX__undi&_nc_ht=scontent-amt2-1.xx&oh=3945a92e75ed6ac0be04ca02e80eccb2&oe=5E939317)
Squashed between the Tirreno and the Adriatico will be:
201 Will Miller
202 Robert Brubaker
203 Valentin Litenko
204 Dénes Nemcsik
205 Rafael Szepsei
Rafael and Dénes will be our sprint train, Will and Valentin our GC train and Robert is just a single time trial loc. No cobble specialist as this race did not fit in any of the individual schedules.
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My climber failed to do his job in Paris to get the points to get a healthy gap from you, so I've got a cobbler who'll hopefully get points where your guys will be cruising in the pack.
Nice copying if my Australia vs England (opps Little Britain) from the NTs Vos. Btw, I'm not bothered, I've got both the (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/arcocrono.jpg) & (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/camiaustralia.gif), and once my climbers actually wake up, will get the (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/AustraliaG.jpg) as well.
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The last stage of Paris-Nice was a slight disappointment, Oliver King could just reach place 30 in Rasteau, which meant place 15 in the GC.
(https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/13/d6/f0/9a/kerk-rasteau.jpg)
Winner was, who would have guessed, Cyking Mike Bauer.
Division standings after the first stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico:
1º Cabrasverdes 2404 1 2 1
2º Thorboassonarvesen 1361 1 2 1
3º Wiggo_pupils 1322 0 1 1
11º FlyEaglesFly 904 0 2 0
12º Aurora_Australis 881 2 1 0
13º SentinelChickens 776 0 0 1
17º Caracoles 760 1 2 0
18º Combuijs 754 0 0 1
19º EuskaPiero 742 0 0 0
22º HTCHungria 656 1 0 0
23º Zatarra 653 0 0 0
24º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 649 2 0 0
26º Ares 599 1 0 2
27º SPORTLIFE 505 0 1 0
28º Flyvende_hjul 480 0 0 0
39º TeamTimidus 278 0 0 1
40º WinterIsComing 275 0 0 0
41º Wizards 261 0 0 0
As you can see, all your favourite teams are spread up in the standings. We have still time to the next time trial to pass Aurora Australis.
In the cup race tonight these riders will try to beat Prodoping Pong with allowed stimulae:
11 Oliver King
12 Yvo de Cleer
13 Will Miller
14 Sam Parker
15 Tristan Prins
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It seems we have quite some work to do... :o
Thank for this subtle reminder, Combuijs. ;)
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In the second stage of the Tirreno around Modena Rafael Szepesi suprisingly got 4th place, with helper Dénes Nemcsik on place 17. While director Tony Chambers was praised for his brilliant tactics, apparently nobody had seen the small bomb Dénes threw behind him which caused a disrupting crash in the final kilometer of the stage.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/bombazo.png)
(https://media.tacdn.com/media/attractions-splice-spp-674x446/07/74/0f/0b.jpg)
In the third stage to Salsomaggiore Terme Dénes tried to do the same, but was disappointed as the bomb did not explode. As a result Rafael only got 18th place.
The cup race was also disappointing as Prodoping Pong's Huub Meppelink raced away on the final climb to Pla d`Adet, leaving behind a chanceless Oliver King. So again an early exit this season. After three consecutive quarter-finals we now have three consecutive round 2 exits. The official UCI site mentions round 1, but this must be a mistake.
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The fourth stage of the Tirreno to Montecassino saw Will Miller on place 13, a nice surprise.
The last stage, a time trial around the Lido di Camaiore, gave Robert Brubaker place 25. It was of course won by Richard Levin (Aurora Australis).
(https://www.holidaysea.it/FotoLocalita/lido_01.jpg)
The Tirreno was won by Captain Orange's Albert Ducrot.
Division standings after the Tirreno Adriatico:
1º Cabrasverdes 2654 1 2 1
2º Wiggo_pupils 1570 1 1 1
3º CyKings 1481 0 0 1
8º Rekutxuteam 1303 0 0 0
9º Aurora_Australis 1299 3 1 1
10º ProdopingPong 1297 2 0 0
14º Atlantico 1041 0 0 0
15º SPORTLIFE 995 0 1 1
16º Marcatone_Due 981 0 0 0
17º Combuijs 973 0 0 1
18º Psychoedge 956 0 0 0
28º EuskaPiero 772 0 0 0
29º Zatarra 711 0 0 0
30º PDM_cycling_team 710 0 0 0
39º KunTeam 403 0 1 0
40º WinterIsComing 385 0 0 0
41º Shiro_Lions 341 0 0 0
Zatarra is in the danger zone now, WinterIsComing is still working to get in that zone...
Tonight we cycle from Milan to San Remo:
161 Thomas Freitag
162 Dénes Nemcsik
163 Garret Rose
164 Rafael Szepesi
165 Julius Wiegel
We have fond memories of last season's E3 Harelbeke:
161 Adam Neeskens
162 Chester Laybutt
163 Julius Maalderink
164 Garret Rose
165 Julius Wiegel
Battling the snow in Catalunya will be:
161 Adam Neeskens
162 Robert Brubaker
163 Thomas Freitag
164 Julius Maalderink
165 Dénes Nemcsik
Adam will be our GC man, assisted by Julius. Maybe Thomas and Dénes get their chance too, depending on developments. Robert certainly will...
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The E3 Harelbeke last season was won by our Adam Neeskens, but this time tactics were not optimal and he had to make do with place 15, 4 places behind his helper Julius Maalderink. Ouch...
In the first stage in the Volta de Catalunya around Olot Julius Maalderink scored place 23 in a free role. Zatarra's Martin van Groningen won the race, no doubt to his teamleader's delight.
The second stage in the Volta de Catalunya to Tarragona brought Robert Brubaker a 20th place, 17 and 18 places behind Richard Levin and Isaac Trump (Aurora Australis). And no, Richard did not win...
(https://static.reisgraag.nl/images/cached/gs-b114725484-Ruines_Romeins_theater_Tarragona_-_Spanje.jpg)
The third stage brought us ... eh ... confusion and disappointment as our director apparently forgot to tell who whould be leader and who would be domestique. Sigh...
Jullus Maalderink is now 23rd in the GC, Adam Neeskens 35th. Leader is Yan Sayun (Loa Rayos de Larry).
Division standings after the fourth stage in Catalunya:
1º Cabrasverdes 3817 2 2 2
2º °Peachy°Melocotons 2156 2 1 1
3º ProdopingPong 2124 2 0 1
10º Thorboassonarvesen 1611 1 2 1
11º Aurora_Australis 1580 3 2 2
12º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 1469 4 2 0
15º Atlantico 1338 0 0 0
16º Combuijs 1298 0 0 1
17º Psychoedge 1292 0 0 0
20º CaptainOrange 1118 0 0 0
21º SPORTLIFE 1104 0 1 1
22º MortoviaCycling 1037 0 0 0
29º BetisCFF 953 0 1 0
30º Zatarra 900 1 0 0
31º Antequera 889 0 0 1
42º Shiro_Lions 434 0 0 0
43º WinterIsComing 428 0 0 0
44º Catalonia_Team 423 0 0 0
Tomorrow morning we go first from Gent to Wevelgem:
151 Adam Neeskens
152 Ørjan Henningsen
153 Julius Maalderink
154 Garret Rose
155 Arjen Rutte
and in the afternoon we go from Roeselare to Waregem:
151 Adam Neeskens
152 Chester Laybutt
153 Julius Maalderink
154 Garret Rose
155 Julius Wiegel
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The Volta de Catalunya was won by Yan Sayun and he had a serious advantage as well, almost one and a half minute. Julius Maalderink finished 25th.
In Gent-Wevelgem we again suffered from bad tactics as helper Julius Maalderink finished 19th and leader Adam Neeskens 25th. It's the part of the season that we should take many points and we are not doing it.
(https://www.era.be/sites/default/files/styles/paragraphs_fifty_fifty/public/wevelgem-gent-wevelgem.jpg?itok=s86Pu89l)
Tomorrow morning we will have in nice tour around Flanders:
151 Adam Neeskens
152 Chester Laybutt
153 Julius Maalderink
154 Garret Rose
155 Julius Wiegel
while in the afternoon we start a nice tour around the Basque Country:
151 Oliver King
152 Will Miller
153 Adam Neeskens
154 Tristan Prins
155 Garret Rose
Oliver King is our GC man, Adam and Garret will be there for the first stage.
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Good news in Dwars door Vlaanderen. Adam Neeskens managed a 7th place, behind Cobble Crusher Yannick Pierre (1st), Betis CFF's Leonid Leonov (2nd), green goat Noah Nellisse (3rd) and Zatarra's Leroy Stamer (5th). 7th place also was good enough for sponsor Statoil to donate a substantial amount of money.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/statoil.jpg)
The Ronde van Vlaanderen was a disappointment as usual. Adam Neeskens was not paying attention at the start and could not recover, so we had to make do with domestique Chester Laybutt on place 14. Winner was Dutchman Noah Nelisse, just before Leonid Leonov.
The first stage of the Itzulia was won by Leonid Leonov, who lead impressively from start to finish. Adam Neeskens was solid asleep at the start and could only finish 21st.
In the second stage to Vitoria Oliver King reaches 17th place, well helped by Tristan Prins. He has some way to cover yet on place 78 in the GC, but we are confident he can. Leader is Sentinal Chicken Jan Hage.
(https://tourism.euskadi.eus/contenidos/h_cultura_y_patrimonio/0000011904_h5_rec_turismo/en_11904/images/GL_Vitoria_Gasteiz_Casco_Antiguo.jpg)
Division standings after the second stage of the Itzulia:
1º Cabrasverdes 6319 4 3 3
2º CobbleCrushers 4033 2 3 4
3º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 3155 1 1 2
14º SentinelChickens 1830 0 0 1
15º Combuijs 1814 0 0 1
16º FaltososDeChigre 1801 0 0 0
19º Marcatone_Due 1623 0 0 0
20º Aurora_Australis 1605 3 2 2
21º Psychoedge 1575 0 0 0
22º MortoviaCycling 1540 0 0 0
23º Zatarra 1462 1 0 0
24º ChessPower 1449 0 0 1
26º EuskaPiero 1420 0 0 0
27º SPORTLIFE 1222 0 1 1
28º Caracoles 1209 1 2 1
38º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 710 0 0 0
39º WinterIsComing 693 0 0 0
40º Periquitos 641 0 0 0
Well, we have passed Aurora Australis, but I don't think we have put enough distance between us.
We have sold Sam Parker to Continental team Copen Hell. We tried to sell him for 1 million, 500K and 250K and in the end he went for 1.8M. CFF walks wonderous ways, but I won't complain.
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In the third stage in the Itzulia to Eguesibar helper Will Miller took leader Oliver King with him and both finished in the top 30, 19th and 22nd. Sportlife's Lorenzo Tafi got second place.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Uztarrotz.jpg)
After the time trial we find Oliver on place 14 in the GC, under 2 minutes from leader Elliot Marbley (HTCHungria). The last stage does suit Oliver so maybe we can reach a top 10 place.
We have a classic line up for a classic Paris-Roubaix
161 Julius Maalderink
162 Ørjan Henningsen
163 Eelco van der Laan
164 Adam Neeskens
165 Garret Rose
and a no less classic line up for the hill classics:
161 Carlo Bemelmans
162 Thomas Freitag
163 Chester Laybutt
164 Adam Neeskens
165 Tristan Prins
After that we go touring around Romandie with:
161 Will Miller
162 Eelco van der Laan
163 Damien Lambert
164 Julius Maalderink
165 Tristan Prins
Will will be our GC man, Julius and Eelco will be there for the first stage.
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Well, I better hope for good points in Paris Roubaix, else my next chance to get back ahead of you will be Tour Romandie.
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After the unexpected good results of silver hills-specialist Marin in the first two hills classic races ( 6th AGR and 10th FW ),
my team is getting closer to Aurora Australis and Combuijs in the 1A ranking : :)
(https://i.imgur.com/vKeg7BC.png?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/JPw5Vjm.jpg?1)
The reactions of the fanclubs of AA and Combuijs when they saw the result of Marin (SPORTLIFE) in AGR. :))
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Well at least we've got cool fanclubs :)
Anyway, time's running out for you to catch up, or for Combuijs to extend the advantage, because with the spring classics almost over, we're back into Australis scoring territory.
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Well at least we've got cool fanclubs :)
Anyway, time's running out for you to catch up, or for Combuijs to extend the advantage, because with the spring classics almost over, we're back into Australis scoring territory.
Have been scoring a few points lately as well, but I'm not sure if I can keep up with your teams already this season. Let's see if we will be able to stay in 1st division first. We still have a few spots to climb. 8)
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A disappointing last stage in the Itzulia meant that Oliver King lost some places in the GC. He finished 18th, less than three minutes behind winner Mikhel Vali (Atlantico). Honourable mentions for Sven Winkler Prins with a 7th place in the GC. No doubt his encyclopedic knowledge of the Basque country did help...
In the classic Paris-Roubaix Julius Maalderink got 22nd place. Not really a good result, but at least one place higher than Zatarra's Amund Svendsen.
Liège-Bastogne-Liège was the only hill classic in which Carlo Bemelmans scored points, he finished 15th. With this result he might get another contract for next season, but we will consider our options.
In the first stage of the Tour de Romandie around Fribourg Julius Maalderink reached place 11 assisted by Eelco van der Laan. Not a bad start at all.
(https://img0.oastatic.com/img2/26013213/1080x410r/freiburg-von-der-lorette.jpg)
Division standings after the first stage in the Tour de Romandie:
1º Cabrasverdes 6955 5 3 3
2º CobbleCrushers 5105 2 3 6
3º ProdopingPong 4549 4 0 2
18º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 2136 5 2 0
19º Combuijs 2131 0 0 1
20º Caracoles 2087 1 2 1
23º Flyvende_hjul 1981 0 0 0
24º Aurora_Australis 1965 3 2 2
25º MortoviaCycling 1960 0 0 0
26º SPORTLIFE 1905 0 2 1
27º Zatarra 1781 1 0 0
28º Psychoedge 1770 0 0 0
33º PDM_cycling_team 1436 0 0 0
34º WinterIsComing 1378 0 0 0
35º TeamTimidus 1369 0 0 2
We have asked some tour organisers to put away the time trial they have planned, because they are less interesting for the spectators. Anyway, it might become a difficult season for us, as we are relatively low in the standings for the time of the season.
By the way, there was a wrong subtitle in Vos's photograph: this was the reaction of the Aurora Australis and Combuijs fans when someone told them the pub ran out of Combuijs Honey Ale. Lucky for them that was only a joke.
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By the way, there was a wrong subtitle in Vos's photograph: this was the reaction of the Aurora Australis and Combuijs fans when someone told them the pub ran out of Combuijs Honey Ale. Lucky for them that was only a joke.
Not only our fans. I've had to promise my three TTers an extra case of the ale if they finish top three in stage 5.
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By the way, there was a wrong subtitle in Vos's photograph: this was the reaction of the Aurora Australis and Combuijs fans when someone told them the pub ran out of Combuijs Honey Ale. Lucky for them that was only a joke.
Not only our fans. I've had to promise my three TTers an extra case of the ale if they finish top three in stage 5.
They missed out on the extra case by finishing 1st, 2nd, 4th, however with Combuijs being no-doubt disappointed with their mere 93 points in Romandie, I did purchase a six pack of Combuijs for each of them.
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Hmmmm, I see that Combuijs has not registered a Giro team and also no posts of him the past 6 days.
Let's hope everything is allright with Combuijs / ( or will be allright again in the near future ).
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In the third stage of the Tour de Romandie to Genève Will Miller reached 15th place, 14 places behind Sportlife's Lorenzo Tafi. The last stage was won by Isaac Trump of Aurora Australis, so you might guess it was a time trial.
And after that? I went to lovely Zaltbommel and forgot to sign up for the Henninger Turm and, much worse, the Giro... So I had to cope with a massively disappointed Arjen Rutte, Valentin Litenko and Dènes Nemcsik who had especially prepared for this tour. Worse, Tristan Prins, Ørjan Henningsen and Raphael Szepesi missed their booked flight for their training camp as well, so things are really messed up now...
The UCI also messed up a bit when the calendar changed thanks to a massive storm in the Giro...
(https://beleefzaltbommel.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/stadskasteel-zaltbommel.jpg)
Division standings after the Giro:
1º Cabrasverdes 8777 6 3 4
2º CobbleCrushers 5892 2 4 6
3º °Peachy°Melocotons 5443 8 2 1
18º Codex 3124 1 3 3
19º SPORTLIFE 3034 2 2 2
20º Ares 2927 2 2 4
25º SentinelChickens 2744 0 0 1
26º Aurora_Australis 2688 4 3 2
27º Psychoedge 2494 0 0 0
28º azerite 2254 0 0 1
29º Combuijs 2171 0 0 1
30º ChessPower 2093 0 0 1
31º Zatarra 2059 1 0 0
35º TeamTimidus 1922 0 1 3
36º WinterIsComing 1864 0 0 0
37º Wizards 1862 0 0 0
The relegation zone is coming very near, and it will be hard to avoid going down, I fear. Let's not miss another Grand Tour...
But we will be there again in the Dauphine Liberè:
281 Yvo de Cleer
282 Robert Brubaker
283 Thomas Freitag
284 Will Miller
285 Dénes Nemcsik
There has been an unexpected rise in our sales of the Combuijs Honey Ale six packs, which is good as sales of our cyclings shirts has declined a bit...
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Good to see you're back, Combuijs :)
Still gotta step it up to avoid relegation with my team. Maybe we have to go and see a doctor who can prescribe some Honey Ale six packs. Word is that it keeps cyclists in form really well. 8)
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Welcome back, Combuijs !
(https://i.imgur.com/GGhgd0T.jpg)
The rumor goes that the relegation ghost also likes Honey Ale Combuijs Beer. You are too kind to honor him with a (hopefully short) visit. ;)
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A good start in the Dauphine Libere. In the first stage to Valmorel he finishes 20th. Ok, not as good as the second place of Arles Mercado (Winter is Coming), but points are points. In the time trial to Bourg-en-Bresse Richard Brubaker finished 13th. No Aurora Australis victor this time, but "only" second and third place.
(https://zonnigzuidfrankrijk.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Bourg-en-Bresse-1.jpg)
Yvo is now 29th in the GC on more than 2 minutes from leader Ethan Foster (Yvo Meppelink Pro Cycling).
L'Equipe thinks our Oliver King is really worth his weight in gold as a tour rider. He better score some points for us, then.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/vueltaoro.jpg)
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Not a really good continuation in the Dauphine, Yvo de Cleer gets place 30 in stage 3 to Plateau de Solaison, which was won by Sportlife's Nicola Miorlin, a feat both could not repeat in the next stage. Yvo is now 26th in the GC on three and a half minutes from Atlantico's Siegmund Paulsen.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Plateau_Solaison.jpg/300px-Plateau_Solaison.jpg)
These climbing goats will be in Switzerland:
291 Oliver King
292 Carlo Bemelmans
293 Yvo de Cleer
294 Dénes Nemcsik
295 Garret Rose
Oliver is there for the GC, assisted by Yvo and Garret. Carlo and Dénes might go for desperately needed points in individual stages.
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Yvo de Cleer gets place 30 in stage 3 to Plateau de Solaison, which was won by Sportlife's Nicola Miorlin, a feat both could not repeat in the next stage.
Olé ! :)
Victory of Miorlin, who was not a favorite and he has no TC bonus.
He did not even had the best helper, Huszta (with TC). He had to score points too, and also he did excellent as not-favorite ; 5th in a free role.
In stage 4 again very good results (2nd and 8th), although they could not repeat the magnificent results of stage 3.
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After the final Dauphiné stage Yvo de Cleer moved up 13 places in the GC and ended on place 13 GC.
So, maybe 80 unexpected and very needed points for you with this GC result, Combuijs.
Also a moral boost for your team, because de Cleer was 1:02" better as Miorlin in the GC. ;)
Good luck in the Tour de Suisse !
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The last stage in the Dauphine to Belley was again succesfull as Dénes Nemcsik got himself 20th place in a free role and Yvo de Cleer sprinted to place 12 in the GC. Atlantico's Siegmund Paulsen managed to keep the yellow jersey.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Vue_toits_belley.jpg/250px-Vue_toits_belley.jpg)
Certainly a moral boost, but just for the points, not the passing of Nicola Miorlin...
Division standings after the Dauphine:
1º Cabrasverdes 9070 6 3 4
2º CobbleCrushers 6252 2 4 7
3º Rekutxuteam 5991 2 0 1
14º FlyEaglesFly 4146 2 4 4
15º SPORTLIFE 3586 3 3 2
16º HTCHungria 3561 1 0 1
23º Ares 3180 2 3 4
24º Aurora_Australis 3069 4 4 3
25º MortoviaCycling 3044 0 0 0
29º azerite 2386 0 0 1
30º Combuijs 2356 0 0 1
31º WinterIsComing 2324 0 1 0
32º skunk 2213 0 0 0
33º EuskaPiero 2111 0 0 0
34º Zatarra 2099 1 0 0
35º TeamTimidus 1999 0 1 3
The green goats are glorious in the lead and the fight for the last safe spot is going between Winter Is Coming and us, which does not give too much confidence for our chances. Let's hope we both can get past azerite or another willing victim...
We are already preparing for the Tour de France:
291 Oliver King
292 Carlo Bemelmans
293 Yvo de Cleer
294 Adam Neeskens
295 Julius Wiegel
Oliver is there for the GC, assisted by Yvo and Carlo. Adam might go for desperately needed points in individual stages, while Julius will be doing the press conferences.
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Happy I almost closed the gap towards the safe spots. Let's try and get to the safe zone both as soon as possible now, Combuijs. 8) It won't be easy but I'm still confident about our chances. Let's go! :)
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Sorry, had not much time to update the Capers, but in the end we did not manage to stay on the World Tour:
1º Cabrasverdes 12506 7 4 4
2º Rekutxuteam 9553 2 0 3
3º Aurora_Australis 8965 7 9 6
4º SPORTLIFE 8513 7 4 4
5º Atlantico 8212 1 3 1
6º HTCHungria 8154 3 2 2
7º ProdopingPong 8026 4 1 2
8º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 8012 1 2 4
9º °Peachy°Melocotons 7743 11 4 2
10º CobbleCrushers 7672 4 4 7
11º Caracoles 7564 6 6 4
12º Marcatone_Due 7385 0 2 2
13º Wiggo_pupils 7086 3 1 5
14º FlyEaglesFly 6658 2 5 5
15º CyKings 6359 0 4 3
16º Flyvende_hjul 6093 0 0 1
17º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 6039 8 4 2
18º ChessPower 6019 1 2 2
19º CaptainOrange 5898 0 3 0
20º FaltososDeChigre 5789 1 0 1
21º Codex 5618 4 3 3
22º KunTeam 5533 6 1 3
23º MortoviaCycling 5338 0 0 1
24º galegospolabici 5320 0 0 2
25º Ares 5127 4 3 4
26º BetisCFF 5063 1 4 1
27º SentinelChickens 4933 1 2 1
28º Thorboassonarvesen 4721 5 6 1
29º skunk 4694 0 0 0
30º ValeronIdolo 4490 0 0 0
31º WinterIsComing 4296 0 1 0
32º azerite 4238 0 1 2
33º Combuijs 3953 0 0 2
34º Oska 3937 0 2 2
35º Psychoedge 3732 0 0 1
36º Periquitos 3564 0 4 1
37º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 3277 0 1 0
38º Wizards 3258 0 0 0
39º Antequera 2802 0 0 1
40º Zatarra 2735 1 0 0
41º Shiro_Lions 2589 1 1 1
42º EuskaPiero 2556 0 0 0
43º PDM_cycling_team 2540 0 0 0
44º Ciclokillers 2475 0 0 0
45º BOS 2362 0 1 1
46º TeamTimidus 2177 0 1 3
47º lasposturas 1445 0 0 1
48º Catalonia_Team 1259 0 0 0
49º CrossAndGo 27 0 0 0
50º IntellinetCyclingFF 0 0 0 0
I don't think not missing the Giro would have made a difference, we simply scored too little points in the cobble hill classics. Too bad Winter Is Coming just relegated too.
No Combuijs Honey Ale riders in the top 50 also:
1º Allan Palmer 24 4536 HTCHungria 3 2 2
2º Antonello Lorenzetto 25 3868 Marcatone_Due 0 1 1
3º Yannick Pierre 25 2630 CobbleCrushers 2 3 2
4º Mike Bauer 25 2382 CyKings 0 1 1
5º Adam Roethlisberger 25 2369 Rekutxuteam 1 0 0
6º Leonid Leonov 24 2230 BetisCFF 1 3 1
7º Daniele Kolb 25 2197 Codex 2 2 1
8º Richard Levin 25 2188 Aurora_Australis 4 2 2
9º Marzio Pantani 25 2063 Wiggo_pupils 2 1 1
10º Miksa Pelle 25 2057 °Peachy°Melocotons 5 2 1
A new best rider in front, Allan Palmer of HTCHungria, another tour rider alas.
Our personal point distribution:
Adam Neeskens 25 608 110
Oliver King 25 587 241
Robert Brubaker 25 430 012
Will Miller 25 389 000
Julius Maalderink 25 378 672
Garret Rose 25 325 002
Chester Laybutt 25 298 024
Rafael Szepesi 25 242 882
Carlo Bemelmans 25 140 322
Tristan Prins 25 125 253
Yvo De Cleer 25 113 731
Julius Wiegel 25 110 000
Arjen Rutte 25 100 644
Dénes Nemcsik 25 58 000
Eelco VanDerLaan 24 50 000
A third place for time trialist Robert Brubaker really tells the story of the season: too many time trials...
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In season 8 we will compete on the Pro Continental Tour level.
We have put up nine riders for sale:
Damien Lambert
Eelco van der Laan
Carlo Bemelmans
Chester Laybutt
Julius Wiegel
Robert Brubaker
Thomas Freitag
Yvo de Cleer
Ørjan Henningsen
In season 8 we will start with about 10 new riders, preferably tour riders, but we will see what comes up in practice.
We will be operating in division 2d, amongst others with Zatarra, PDM Cycling Team, 101 Cycling and Dutch Lions. No idea what to expect, first goal is the new young riders, second goal is promotion.
But first the flat cobble hill race in the cup against Pro Continental Tour team Psychoedge.
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In the first cup round our Adam Neeskens beated Psychoedge's Filips Piksons in the final meters, so we are through to the second round. There we will face Pro Continental Tour Team Lugnanese in a Spanish flat sprint race. Barring unexpected purchases we should easily get through to the third round.
We have managed to sell 6 riders. Chester Laybutt went to Rekutxuteam for 24,1 million, our best sale ever. It probably lead to:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/rentable.png) Expert in revaluating his riders (Chester was bought a lifetime ago for 1M, all the money available to us at that moment)
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/selle2.png) Total sells level 2
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/millonario4.jpg) Rockefeller trophy (for having more than 40 million cash, I guess)
Our worst sale ever was Carlo Bemelmans who was transfered for a whopping 18 to OphiukoCT... Julius Wiegel went for 5557 to Sportlife, and you can see Vos is really a master in getting good riders cheap. Third best sale ever was rather suprisingly Damien Lambert who went for 5M to the Peachy Melocotons. Too bad for Damien to be dressed as fruit now, but I guess the money will compensate for that. Eelco van der Laan went for a meagre 350K to Fountain.
We have put Yvo de Cleer, Thomas Freitag and Robert Brubaker on the transfer market again. Robert no doubt will first score some points in tomorrow's time trial...
We are not used to scoring points in the Tour Down Under, but on the Pro Continental Tour it is just that little easier:
1st stage: 23. Tristan Prins
2nd stage: 12. Adam Neeskens
3rd stage: 22. Dénes Nemcsik
4th stage: 3. Dénes Nemcsik, 19. Rafael Szepesi
So a first podium place in Campbell Town. Adam Neeskens is now 14th in the GC, but he is not blessed with a good time trial...
(https://businessviewoceania.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/BUSINESS-VIEW-resi-development.jpg)
We are now exactly 100 points behind Zatarra, so we should easily gain some positions from here...
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Big dealings on the transfer market these days and we have broken several records. The first was the lowest transfer for our team, we have sold Yvo de Cleer for 2 to Compos, which is 9 times less than our previous record of four days ago. Of course it could have been much worse if we had gotten twice as less... Robert Brubaker went for 10K to Lanihull Cycling, Thomas Freitag for 1 less to Team Piroshki. The really good news is we landed our biggest fish ever in Hidde Daelman from Winter Is Coming for a new high record of 18,4M and a bit. We missed out on several others, but we are very happy with Hidde.
We have now a new shopping car for our daily purchases: (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/buy2.png)
We are also happy with the results coming in, we are not troubled by corona-viruses:
Tour Down Under:
5th stage: 3. Robert Brubaker
Adam Neeskens fell to place 25 in the time trial.
Omloop het Nieuwsblad: 3. Adam Neeskens, 26. Arjen Rutte
Strade Bianchi: 2. Arjen Rutte, 15. Adam Neeskens
Paris - Nice:
2st stage: 13. Tristan Prins, 30. Oliver King
2nd stage to Orléans: 9. Dénes Nemcsik
Oliver King is now 25th in the GC and should be on a higher place this evening (and at the end of the tour...). If he even starts scoring points in hill races, we are really looking good.
(https://www.zininfrankrijk.nl/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Orl%C3%A9ans-shutterstock_711028963-1-660x330.jpg)
League standings after the second stage in Paris-Nice:
1º Zatarra 2764 2 1 0
2º Skrimshaw 1714 0 0 0
3º Periquitos 1640 1 2 1
6º TeamSolex 1383 2 1 2
7º Combuijs 1340 0 1 3
8º Fountain 1306 0 0 0
12º Gloucester 785 0 0 1
13º Dutch_Lions 490 0 0 0
14º Speedbird 481 0 1 0
21º Arabateam 265 0 0 0
22º Cycling101 265 0 0 0
23º frikisdemoda 228 0 0 1
27º Sabmazz 167 0 0 0
28º PDM_cycling_team 158 0 0 0
29º Tubulares 127 0 0 0
Can somebody wake up Cycling 101 and PDM Cycling Team? The season has started. And while you are at it, can somebody calm down Zatarra, this is a bit ridiculous...
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I'm awake but i have got only 2 riders that can score points in the second Division and i was planning to sell those 2 😉
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Good luck with Hidde Daelman, Combuijs!
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Rolv Sele was very pleased to compete with Arjen Rutte in the steeds of Siena again. It reminded him of the good old days of the first season in 1a together.
Come on, Combuijs, you're getting behind... And then 3 other of 'our' classics yet have too come. :).
We're having a good start at last.
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Paris-Nice:
3rd stage: 4. Oliver King, 18. Tristan Prins
4th stage to Col d'Eze: 6. Oliver King
(http://www.cote.azur.fr/images/images_articles/55_1307456095.jpg)
In the GC Oliver King is now 1st in the GC with a one minute lead on Periquitos' German Martinez. I don't know if Oliver can stay there, but it would be a very nice start of the season for him if he does.
Anyway, you know you are in heaven when your GC rider scores serious points in stages and when your domestique is 4th in the GC...
In the meantime we have gathered 5 more or less trainable Tour riders, so we are halfway our target. Competition is fierce for 19 year old Tour riders and our resources are limited, so we have to see how things develop.
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Congratulations on you P-N victory with King! Well done! Now the gap between us is only 1100 points.
Pity Ferreiro couldn't finish the sprint stage properly. In his career he still has not won ANY race. It's starting to get ridiculous... He didn't have the proper help this time, since hillsprinter Isupov had to do it, but still... Anyway, three stage wins for us in P-N and a 3rd and 6th place in the others. We are happy with that.
Next stop is the Tirreno. Mitt will try and stay close to King in the GC, but his lack of sprinting en pure climbing capabilities will probably 'kill' him. Anyway, we aim to have three stage wins again; stages 2, 3 and 5, hopefully, of which the latter is the hardest. We'll see.
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We now have landed three big transfers, though none as big as Hidde Daelman. We have now Colin Cann from Manicomos Cycling Team (6M), John Paxson from Sentinel Chickens (4M) and Leroy van den Borre from RemcoEvenpoelckx (2M). The treasury is now almost depleted, we have to see if we can do one main transfer. Anyway, we have 10 more or less trainable riders now, but we could always improve of course...
Paris-Nice:
5th stage: 8. Dénes Nemscik, 30. Arjen Rutte
Oliver King wins the GC with a minute in front of the rest. That's a very good start indeed!
Tirreno-Adriatico:
1st stage: 2. Oliver King
2nd stage: 22. Will Miller, 24. Oliver King
3rd stage to Terminillo: 8. Oliver King
Winner in the mountain time trial was a very special rider of Zatarra...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Terminillo_%281917378783%29.jpg)
Oliver King is, how dull, 1st again in the GC, but he is only four seconds before Periquitos German Martinez.
Division standings after the 3rd stage in the Tirreno-Adriatico:
1º Zatarra 3705 5 1 1
2º Periquitos 3163 2 3 2
3º Astanadena 2874 3 0 0
4º Combuijs 2374 0 2 3
5º Skrimshaw 2363 0 0 1
6º TeamSolex 2184 3 1 2
We are on a promotion place now, and way behind Zatarra, who is doing great.
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Wow, King definitely is a great tour rider for you this season, Combuijs. He will have a good shot at the GC of T-A as well. An interesting double that has never occured in real life! How special that is! ;)
Mitt will try and reach top5, with some special help, but the pure climbing will not suit him very well.
At least the season starts great for the both of us :).
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Forgot to mention the cup race. We had a relatively easy race against Lugnanese, so we are through to round 3. We will ride a cobble race against Pro Continental Tour team EuskaPiero. They have a specialist for that, Lodolini, so we are up for a tough challenge.
Tirreno-Adriatico:
4th stage: 2. Oliver King
5th stage to Monte San Vicino: 4. Oliver King
(https://www.turismo-cupramontana.com/media/plg_solidres_experience/images/4ffce04d92a4d6cb21c1494cdfcd6dc1/esperienze/sanvicino/MonteSanVicino.jpg)
When you are top in the GC and finish 4th in the last stage you expect to win the GC, but Astadena's Raimond Leducq proved the opposite. Oliver King finishes 2nd on 13 seconds, Will Miller 8th. So no unusual double for King, but still, not unhappy about things.
Division standings after the Tirreno-Adriatico:
1º Astanadena 4482 4 0 1
2º Zatarra 4268 5 1 1
3º Periquitos 3736 2 3 2
4º Combuijs 3211 0 3 3
5º TeamSolex 2856 4 2 2
6º Skrimshaw 2543 0 0 1
Astadena takes the lead, which is a pity. Of course we hope that Zatarra finishes behind us, but if he won't he should win the division...
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A few days ago we had our first non-Tour win as Adam Neeskens won the E3 Harelbeke. No real surprise there as he has won the World Tour edition in the past. Helper Garret Rose was 14th.
Volta de Catalunya:
2nd stage: 3. Will Miller
4th stage to Vallter 2000: 8. Will Miller
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Vallter2000.jpg/1280px-Vallter2000.jpg)
In the GC Will is now 15th, but maybe he can rise a bit in the last stage. We have a shared leadership here now between Raimond Leducq (Astanadena) and Honoré Bontecou (Team Solex).
According to the UCI newspaper we now have an exceptional youth team. I don't know why we got that now, but yes, we have assembled 10 young riders who might grow into Tour riders.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/promos3.png)
Their talent is still quite a guess, but we have not found any huge talent yet. Hidde Daelman has mediocre talent, which is not what we hoped for, but it could have been worse...
We have opened up shops in Hungary and the USA. In the latter our special edition Combuijs Honey-I-shrunk-the president Ale is somehow very popular...
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In the last stage of the Volta de Catalunya Will Miller finished 17th, which gave him place 13 in the GC on just more than three minutes after winner Honoré Bontecou (Team Solex).
In Gent-Wevelgem we showed that this is a classic we really like: Adam Neeskens won, Julius Maalderink third and squashed in between them was Zatarra's Leroy Stamer. Garret Rose also finished in the top 10, which earned us almost a thousand points and more than 300K...
The Gent-Wevelgem result also gave us a sponsor deal with Ukrainian Naftogaz:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/nafto.jpg)
Division standings after Gent-Wevelgem:
1º Zatarra 7030 6 4 2
2º Astanadena 6477 5 1 1
3º Combuijs 5120 2 3 5
4º Periquitos 4989 4 3 2
5º TeamSolex 4816 5 3 3
6º Skrimshaw 4306 0 0 1
First tests have shown that Gary Fredickson has a mediocre talent and that Jeroen Vonk has a great talent.
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Good to see we are both on our way to promotion to 1st division once again, Combuijs. Let's try and stay there next time, although that might be tough while training a new generation.
Sorry to hear Daelman isn't gifted with a high talent. :'(
Guess he still has got a lot of potential, but high talent surely helps a lot.
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In Dwars door Vlaanderen it was now Zatarra's time to squash Adam Neeskens (2nd) in between Leroy Stamer (1st) and Nick Haringa (3rd), with Garret Rose on place 5 and Julius Maalderink on place 16.
In de Ronde Adam Neeskens just missed out on the podium (4th), Garret Rose just missed out on the top 10 (12th), and Julius Maalderink just missed out on the top 20 (25th). It was nevertheless enough to sway the Holy Spirit Bank to put some heavenly money in our team.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/espiritosanto.jpg)
Division standings after the Ronde van Vlaanderen:
1º Zatarra 9000 8 4 3
2º Astanadena 7102 5 1 2
3º Combuijs 6355 2 4 5
4º Skrimshaw 5026 0 0 1
5º Periquitos 4989 4 3 2
6º Luka_Warriors 4860 1 1 1
We are surely on our way back to the World Tour, but I am afraid it will be a return ticket back to the Pro Continental Tour...
When you are training a new generation, you need experience with your other riders. This one is because of Julius Maalderink reaching 75 (experience, not age...)
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/exp3.png)
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Gent-Wevelgem was just a little too hard for Stamer. Luckily he could beat your guys in DDV and RVV. IT resulted in quite a gap... Let's try and maintain this.
Good luck in Basque county. We'll meet soon again! :)
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We are out of the cup unfortunately. Julius Maalderink did not lose to Samuele Lodolini in a sprint a deux but to Fabian Cadamuro.
In the Itzulia Tristan Prins surprises in the second stage around Getxo with a third place. He is now 21st in the GC but he is on the rise.
(https://www.ecktiv.nl/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/vizkaya-brug-f.jpg)
Bert Kerkhof is a mediocre talent, but both Colin Cann and Yvo van Straelen are great talents.
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Victory in Vitoria! Tristan Prins wins the third stage in the Itzulia. What a great result!
(https://www.hotelscombined.be/rimg/dimg/4d/cb/1c9b903d-city-27001-16ab7a28e25.jpg?width=900&height=360&xhint=1862&yhint=1320&crop=true)
It was enough to get a deal with a firm with the curious name of Royal Reinigung.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/royalr.jpg)
Swiss apparently and they might be forgiven for wanting to get rid of all royality...
Around Zalla Garret Rose gets 8th place in a free role.
In the GC Tristan Prins is now 22nd but he will finish in the top 20 tonight.
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In the last Itzulia stage Tristan Prins finishes 3rd, which deserved him place 6 in the GC on more than 3 minutes from winner Alex Riis (Astadena).
In Roubaix Arjan Rutte finishes 2nd behind Zatarra's Amund Svendsen. Julius Maalderink finishes 6th, Garret Rose 24th.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Gare_de_Roubaix.jpg/1200px-Gare_de_Roubaix.jpg)
With the hill classics coming we will get some minor results than this...
Division standings after Paris-Roubaix:
1º Zatarra 10433 9 5 4
2º Astanadena 8929 6 3 2
3º Combuijs 7718 3 5 7
4º Skrimshaw 6167 0 0 3
5º Periquitos 6024 5 3 2
6º Luka_Warriors 5747 2 1 1
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Combuijs Honey Ale Race:
16. Adam Neeekens
Fleche Wallonne:
17. Adam Neeekens
(https://www.fietssport.nl/images/c87dcbad-856f-e711-942b-00155d010202)
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Liege-Bastogne-Liege:
9. Adam Neeskens
Tour de Romandie:
1st stage to Leukerbad: 1. Oliver King, 27. Will Miller
A surprise win and a very happy sponsor Raufoss!
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/raufoss.jpg)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Leukerbad2.jpg/300px-Leukerbad2.jpg)
Division standings after the first stage of the Tour de Romandie:
1º Zatarra 11939 9 7 4
2º Astanadena 11178 9 3 2
3º Combuijs 8288 4 5 7
4º Fountain 6958 0 3 3
5º Skrimshaw 6925 0 0 3
6º Luka_Warriors 6360 2 1 1
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Tour de Romandie:
3rd stage: 2. Oliver King
4th stage to Porrentruy: 3: Oliver King
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Porrentruy_panoramo_vidita_de_la_kastelturo_089.JPG/1280px-Porrentruy_panoramo_vidita_de_la_kastelturo_089.JPG)
Oliver King is now 1st in the GC with almost one minute in front of Roelof Stuyvesant (Astanadena). Question is, will he stay 1st in the last stage? Will Miller is 11th.
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Tour de Romandie:
5th stage to Geneva: 24. Oliver King
(https://cdn.getyourguide.com/img/tour_img-2223232-98.jpg)
With this result Oliver Kings wins his second Tour after Paris-Nice. Helper Will Miller is 9th in the GC.
Division standings after the Tour de Romandie:
1º Astanadena 12677 9 4 3
2º Zatarra 12533 10 8 5
3º Combuijs 9227 4 6 8
4º Skrimshaw 7417 0 0 3
5º Fountain 7353 0 3 3
6º Periquitos 7021 7 3 4
Astanadena takes the lead again, we follow on a respectable distance, but we have a gap behind us as well.
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Giro:
1st stage: 7. Oliver King
2nd stage: 20. Valentin Litenko, 26. Oliver King
3rd stage to Praia a Mare: 20. Rafael Szepesi, 24. Valentin Litenko, 28. Oliver King
(https://s.iha.com/00112132585/Praia-a-mare-Praia-a-mare.jpeg)
In the GC Oliver King is now first, 6 seconds before Astanadena's Raimond Leducq. We are in for an exciting Giro.
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Giro:
4th stage: 27. Oliver King
6th stage: 3. Oliver King
7th stage: 16. Oliver King
8th stage to Zoldo Alto: 3. Oliver King
(https://www.dolomiti.it/fileadmin/_processed_/1/f/csm_lo-zoldo-alto-gy-06_bb5693c471.jpg)
In the GC Oliver King is still first, 1 second before Astanadena's Tim Bell. Will he still be first in the end? We will know tomorrow night.
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Giro:
9th stage: 6. Rafael Szepesi 24. Valentin Litenko
10th stage toi Lissone: 9. Valentin Litenko 14. Oliver King
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Chiesa_Prepositurale_di_Lissone.jpg/800px-Chiesa_Prepositurale_di_Lissone.jpg)
Oliver failed a bit in the 9th stage, but rode a terrific last stage to finish first in the GC:
1 Oliver King 26 Combuijs 0: 00" 1000 250000
2 Charles-Thomas Jameson 26 MarvelProCycling 0: 25" 800 225000
3 Tim Bell 24 Astanadena 0: 27" 650 200000
4 Raimond Leducq 26 Astanadena 0: 50" 550 175000
5 Irek Guba 26 NormanTeam 2: 03" 500 150000
A really great result this!
Division standings after the Giro:
1º Astanadena 17213 12 4 6
2º Zatarra 14598 14 8 6
3º Combuijs 11269 4 6 10
4º Periquitos 9789 8 6 4
5º Skrimshaw 9356 0 2 3
6º MarvelProCycling 8962 2 0 3
You would expect the first three places are fixed now.
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edit ; and I see just now that Combuijs wins this Giro too, also well done and congratulations ! 8)
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In the Dauphine Liberé we took a little break, only Rafael Szepesi was optimal trained at the start:
2nd stage: 5. Rafael Szepesi, 26. Dénes Nemcsik
5th stage to Belley: 1. Rafael Szepesi, 18. Dénes Nemcsik
After this sales of Combuijs Honey Ale in Hungary went viral...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Vue_toits_belley.jpg/640px-Vue_toits_belley.jpg)
Division standings after the Dauphine Libere:
1º Astanadena 19517 14 5 7
2º Zatarra 14938 15 8 6
3º Combuijs 11564 5 6 10
4º Periquitos 10490 8 8 6
5º Skrimshaw 10024 0 2 4
6º MarvelProCycling 9736 3 0 4
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Good to see you (and Zatarra) are well on your way to first division again. Rendez-Vouz in the Tour Down Under, my friends!
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Good to see you (and Zatarra) are well on your way to first division again. Rendez-Vouz in the Tour Down Under, my friends!
Definitely. I think it's very clear in 2d. Astanadena is lonesome at the top and I don't think the current top3 will change. We'll what's needed to both have a good training in 1a as well as trying not to relegate once again next season.
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Tour of Switzerland:
2nd stage: 11. Tristan Prins, 18. Will Miller
3rd stage: 11. Tristan Prins
4th stage: 7. Tristan Prins, 10. Will Miller
5th stage: 1. Tristan Prins
In the GC Tristan Prins was 6th and Will Miller as a helper 20th.
Tour de France:
1st stage: 22. Will Miller
2nd stage: 2. Will Miller, 11. Oliver King
3rd stage: 1. Will Miller, 10. Oliver King
5th stage to Loudenvielle: 7. Will Miller, 18. Oliver King
(https://www.france-voyage.com/visuals/communes/loudenvielle-25946-1_w600.jpg)
In the GC we are doing a Sky/Ineos-trick: we are number 1 and 2:
1 Will Miller 26 Combuijs 0: 00" 0 0
2 Oliver King 26 Combuijs 2: 00" 0 0
3 Jason Coburn 26 Xegalaki_Pro 2: 03" 0 0
4 Graham Long 26 Astanadena 2: 59" 0 0
5 Tim Bell 24 Astanadena 3: 04" 0 0
Very likely Will Miller will stay there, but Oliver King is doing domestic tasks, so he probably will loose some places.
Division standings halfway the Tour de France:
1º Astanadena 21500 14 6 7
2º Zatarra 17983 20 9 6
3º Combuijs 13019 7 7 10
4º Periquitos 12232 8 8 9
5º MarvelProCycling 12115 3 3 6
6º Skrimshaw 11164 0 2 6
Yes, we are on our way to the World Tour again, but it will very likely only be for one season. There and back again...
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In the GC we are doing a Sky/Ineos-trick: we are number 1 and 2:
1 Will Miller 26 Combuijs 0: 00" 0 0
2 Oliver King 26 Combuijs 2: 00" 0 0
3 Jason Coburn 26 Xegalaki_Pro 2: 03" 0 0
4 Graham Long 26 Astanadena 2: 59" 0 0
5 Tim Bell 24 Astanadena 3: 04" 0 0
Very likely Will Miller will stay there, but Oliver King is doing domestic tasks, so he probably will loose some places.
Halfway the Tour de France the GC looks amazing for your team ! 8)
Good luck in the 5 remaining stages, Combuijs.
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Tour de France:
6th stage: 15. Oliver King, 28. Will Miller
7th stage to Albertville: 12. Will Miller, 17. Oliver King
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/Albertville_depuis_Pallud.JPG/1280px-Albertville_depuis_Pallud.JPG)
In the GC Will Miller is still wearing the yellow jersey:
1 Will Miller 26 Combuijs 0: 00" 0 0
2 Jason Coburn 26 Xegalaki_Pro 1: 03" 0 0
3 Oliver De Schrijver 26 MarvelProCycling 2: 45" 0 0
4 Oliver King 26 Combuijs 3: 35" 0 0
5 Tjeerd Jonk 26 Dutch_Lions 3: 35" 0 0
6 Cristian Speciale 26 Zatarra 4: 19" 0 0
Still, I think in the last time trial it will be a close call, Jason Coburn is the better time trialist. Some nailbiting to do tonight...
News from the youth academy front: we have one hugely talented boy (Yvo van Straalen), two very talented twins (Friso and Jeroen Vonk), four low talented, two very low talented and one untalented youth. As Yvo is already our best tour rider we will focus on training him. Funny that all three top talents were drawn from our own youth pool.
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Great Tour de France victory, congratulations ! 8)
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/jerseys/jersey_yellow.png)1 Will Miller 26 Combuijs 0: 00"
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Tour de France:
10th stage: 22. Oliver King
In the GC Will Miller could keep his lead, so after the Giro we now also have won the Tour. Let's see what we can do in the Vuelta...
1 Will Miller 26 Combuijs 0: 00" 1000 250000
2 Jason Coburn 26 Xegalaki_Pro 0: 30" 800 225000
3 Oliver De Schrijver 26 MarvelProCycling 1: 50" 650 200000
4 Oliver King 26 Combuijs 2: 45" 550 175000
5 Tjeerd Jonk 26 Dutch_Lions 3: 16" 500 150000
6 Cristian Speciale 26 Zatarra 3: 28" 450 125000
7 Gijs Terpstra 25 Zatarra 5: 07" 400 100000
Oliver King was 4th in the GC as a domestique...
Clasica San Sebastian: 4. Oliver King
Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
1st stage: 4. Adam Neeskens
2nd stage: 4. Adam Neeskens
3rd stage to Sittard-Geleen: 3. Adam Neeskens, 14. Garret Rose
The fourth place in stage 1 brought us post from Post Danmark with a nice little checque...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/postdan.jpg)
(https://www.valkverrast.nl/inc/upload/verrast_regionthemes/48/desktop/theme_image_small_regiontheme48_sittard_geleen_plein.jpg)
The last stage was won by Zatarra's Bart Jackson, who is also in the lead in the GC. Adam Neeskens is second and if he stays there we have a happy sponsor.
Division standings after the third stage in the Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
1º Astanadena 22954 15 6 8
2º Zatarra 21071 24 11 7
3º Combuijs 15415 7 7 11
4º MarvelProCycling 14529 4 5 6
5º Periquitos 13734 9 9 9
6º Skrimshaw 12538 0 3 7
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Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
4th stage: 6. Adam Neeskens, 22. Garret Rose
5th stage: 11. Adam Neeskens, 18. Garret Rose
In the GC we had a glorious victory by Adam Neeskens and a 7th place for helper Garret Rose:
1 Adam Neeskens 26 Combuijs 0: 00" 500 150000
2 Bart Jackson 23 Zatarra 1: 18" 400 135000
3 Eelco VanDerLaan 25 Fountain 2: 00" 325 120000
4 Alex Byers 25 Fountain 2: 34" 275 105000
5 Ismel Kaloev 24 Luka_Warriors 2: 40" 250 90000
6 Nazaire Cassagne 26 Skrimshaw 2: 53" 225 75000
7 Garret Rose 26 Combuijs 3: 11" 200 60000
Decathlon was very happy with the GC result, so we can enjoy some fresh handlebar tape for our team...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/decathlon.jpg)
Vuelta:
1st stage: 5. Valentin Litenko, 7. Tristan Prins
2nd stage: 2. Valentin Litenko, 24. Tristan Prins
3rd stage: 14. Valentin Litenko
4th stage: 8. Tristan Prins, 29. Valentin Litenko
5th stage to Baiona: 2. Valentin Litenko, 11. Dénes Nemcsik
(http://www.baiona.org/image/image_gallery?uuid=7218c5c4-d72c-45ae-a31f-1a4835175e13&groupId=17653&t=1343120975091)
In the GC we have our Valentin Litenko in the lead, Tristan Prins is 12th:
1 Valentin Litenko 26 Combuijs 0: 00" 0 0
2 Levan Tarba 26 Skrimshaw 0: 19" 0 0
3 Tjeerd Jonk 26 Dutch_Lions 0: 26" 0 0
4 Jason Coburn 26 Xegalaki_Pro 0: 40" 0 0
5 Sem Sleeman 25 Scussasebbici 0: 59" 0 0
Of course our goal is to win all three big Tours with three different riders. Just one to go...
Division standings after the fifth stage in the Vuelta:
1º Astanadena 23725 15 6 9
2º Zatarra 22248 24 13 8
3º Combuijs 17203 7 9 11
4º MarvelProCycling 15803 5 5 7
5º Periquitos 14531 10 9 9
6º Skrimshaw 13881 1 3 8
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Vuelta:
6th stage: 5. Dénes Nemcsik, 22. Valentin Litenko
7th stage: 4. Dénes Nemcsik, 25. Valentin Litenko
8th stage: 10. Valentin Litenko, 19. Tristan Prins
9th stage: 19. Valentin Litenko
In the GC Valentin Litenko missed out on first place with 3 seconds. And so we just missed three wins in the three Grand Tours:
1 Tjeerd Jonk 26 Dutch_Lions 0: 00" 1000 250000
2 Valentin Litenko 26 Combuijs 0: 03" 800 225000
3 Levan Tarba 26 Skrimshaw 2: 10" 650 200000
4 Sem Sleeman 25 Scussasebbici 3: 36" 550 175000
5 Jason Coburn 26 Xegalaki_Pro 4: 34" 500 150000
Still, we had a happy sponsor Volkswagen, so we have added 5 campervans to our fleet:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/volk.jpg)
Giro de Lombardia: 1. Tristan Prins, 18. Oliver King
World Championship Innsbruck: 1. Tristan Prins, 15. Oliver King
So, we have a world champion in our midst...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Innsbruck_-_Maria-Theresia-Stra%C3%9Fe4.jpg)
The sales of Combuijs Honey Ale is soaring, the beer is very popular in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Hungary and the USA.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/maxtienda.jpg)
Final standings in the Pro Continental Tour season 8:
1º Zatarra 23953 25 14 9
2º Astanadena 23771 15 6 9
3º Combuijs 20319 9 9 11
4º MarvelProCycling 19767 5 6 7
5º Periquitos 18196 12 10 10
6º Skrimshaw 18161 1 4 9
That was a last minute first place claim by Zatarra, congratulations with the win! Promotion was also a very close affair, in the end there was 35 points between Periquitos and Skrimshaw.
In the individual rankings we see a very familiar person at the top:
1º Oliver King 26 5655 Combuijs 1 3 3
2º Dylan Crickton 26 4843 Periquitos 4 1 2
3º Raimond Leducq 26 4771 Astanadena 5 1 2
4º Alex Riis 26 4729 Astanadena 8 2 2
5º Cristian Speciale 26 3574 Zatarra 10 1 1
6º Ismel Kaloev 24 3488 Luka_Warriors 4 3 0
7º Adam Neeskens 26 3480 Combuijs 2 1 2
8º Tjeerd Jonk 26 3167 Dutch_Lions 1 0 1
9º Charles-Thomas Jameson 26 3075 MarvelProCycling 2 0 0
10º Tristan Prins 26 3063 Combuijs 4 0 2
19º Will Miller 26 2484 Combuijs 1 1 1
34º Valentin Litenko 26 1784 Combuijs 0 2 0
Three riders in the top 10 and the best rider of the pack, that's completely new for us. The other five riders scoring points:
Garret Rose 26 1113 002
Arjen Rutte 26 853 664
Julius Maalderink 26 710 673
Dénes Nemcsik 26 641 001
Rafael Szepesi 26 428 982
Back to the World Tour again!
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So, the season will finally start for us too, after the Tour Down Under. Hopefully we can score some points tonight.
We have secured the services of Sander Peebo as a director, who is expected to improve the results in the Tours. Unfortunately he is known to pick up quarrels with everyone who does not agree with him. He is also known for his stream of Tweets. And yes, he has got blonde hair too...
We are already out of the cup after again being drawn against Euska Piero in a hill sprint race. Dénes Nemcsik did what he could but he could not beat Victor Veenstra.
Division standings after the Tour Down Under:
1º °Peachy°Melocotons 1041 2 0 0
2º TeamRHB 767 1 1 0
3º Astanadena 608 0 0 0
10º Caracoles 336 0 2 0
11º WinterIsComing 328 0 0 0
12º galegospolabici 325 0 0 0
14º Cabrasverdes 290 0 0 0
15º SPORTLIFE 262 0 0 1
16º Psychoedge 250 0 1 0
18º Wiggo_pupils 212 0 0 0
19º Zatarra 211 0 0 0
20º SentinelChickens 209 0 0 1
48º EuskaPiero 0 0 0 0
49º Combuijs 0 0 0 0
50º cave 0 0 0 0
For the time being we have accumulated the number of points a goalkeeper would be proud of...
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We are off the mark!:
Omloop het Nieuwsblad: 26. Adam Neeskens
Strade Bianchi: 6. Arjen Rutte, 22. Julius Maalderink
(https://www.steden.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/siena.jpg)
Meanwhile we have started in Paris-Nice with no ambitions apart from the last stage.
Division standings:
1º °Peachy°Melocotons 1939 3 0 1
2º Cabrasverdes 1568 2 0 1
3º CobbleCrushers 1295 0 1 1
7º Astanadena 816 0 1 0
8º Zatarra 801 0 0 0
9º Atlantico 800 0 0 0
13º Wiggo_pupils 727 0 0 0
14º WinterIsComing 686 0 0 0
15º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 593 2 0 0
23º Catalonia_Team 352 0 0 0
24º Combuijs 335 0 0 0
25º EuskaPiero 310 0 0 0
26º SPORTLIFE 302 0 0 1
27º Valderend 273 0 0 0
Let's just pretend these are the final standings of the season...
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Let's just pretend these are the final standings of the season...
Noooo ! :))
2 places below Combuijs. Let's pretend it when my team is ranked higher as yours and still both above the relegation zone. ;)
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Paris-Nice
5th stage: 7. Arjen Rutte
Tirreno Adriatico:
1st stage to Sestola: 13. Oliver King
(https://images.italy-villas.nl/ccontent_page/5327621410193007xx/large/sestola.jpg)
Oliver King is 20th in the GC and he will have difficulties to stay in the top 20 in the last stage.
Division standings after the 4th stage of the Tirreno:
1º °Peachy°Melocotons 2805 5 0 1
2º Cabrasverdes 2016 2 0 1
3º Astanadena 1586 0 2 0
12º ProdopingPong 999 0 0 1
13º WinterIsComing 987 0 1 1
14º FaltososDeChigre 977 1 0 0
16º Wiggo_pupils 968 0 0 0
17º Zatarra 843 0 0 0
18º SPORTLIFE 817 0 1 2
19º Caracoles 755 0 2 1
31º Catalonia_Team 461 0 0 0
32º Combuijs 449 0 0 0
33º Wizards 416 0 1 0
We are now just on the wrong side of the table, no doubt due to lack of success.
News from the youth front: Yvo van Straalen his receive a nice small statue in bronze:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/montanabronce.jpg)
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E3 Harelbeke: 16. Garret Rose
(https://www.toerisme-leiestreek.be/sites/westtoer_2015/files/styles/wysiwyg_tablet/public/leiestreek/doen/harelbeke_kerk.jpg?itok=crQ62T1N)
At the moment Valentin Litenko is cycling in Catalunya and we hope to score some points today and in the GC. That is necessary because:
Division standings after the 2nd stage of the Volta
1º °Peachy°Melocotons 4154 6 0 1
2º Cabrasverdes 3251 4 0 1
3º Atlantico 2378 0 0 0
10º ProdopingPong 1649 0 0 1
11º WinterIsComing 1627 0 1 1
12º Wiggo_pupils 1603 0 0 0
13º Zatarra 1562 0 0 1
14º FlyEaglesFly 1463 1 2 0
20º Psychoedge 1187 0 2 0
21º SPORTLIFE 1152 0 1 3
22º $Tourmalet 992 1 0 0
31º ChronoTony 611 0 0 0
32º Combuijs 559 0 0 0
33º Catalonia_Team 549 0 0 0
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Good luck, Combuijs! Hopefully you can score enough points to stay at world tour level, but it will be very hard. We have had 3 of the 6 races you should excel at (having some cobble hill riders), and you 'only' scored 500 points thusfar. It's gonna be a tough season.
I've instructed my riders to at least not be the ones that put yours in in trouble. Could you save up a bottle of nice honey ale for me?
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Would be great to see you survive in 1a, but I know first hand it's tough to stay on top when training a bunch of youngsters. Good luck!
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Volta Catalunya:
Stage 3: 26. Valentin Litenko
In the GC Valentin Litenko finished 21st, not what you want in the battle against relegation...
Gent-Wevelgem: 10. Julius Maalderink
(https://static.nieuwsblad.be/Assets/Images_Upload/2013/06/19/Wevelgem_1.jpg?maxheight=460&maxwidth=638&scale=both)
Zatarra, you can find a magnum bottle of our Combuijs Honey Ale in our shop. At the moment sales are not going well, so we have plenty of stock... :(
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Dwars door Vlaanderen:
28. Garret Rose
It was won by Zatarra's Bart Jackson.
Ronde van Vlaanderen:
4. Garret Rose, 20. Julius Maalderink
(https://www.oudenaarde.be/sites/default/files/public/stad/wonen_en_leven/Milieu/GroeiendGroeneStad/Oudenaarde%20%2823%20van%2026%29.jpg)
We usually are not on top in de Ronde and better in Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen, but this season it is the other way round.
Division standings after de Ronde:
1º °Peachy°Melocotons 5618 8 0 1
2º Cabrasverdes 4469 4 1 1
3º Atlantico 3943 0 0 1
4º CobbleCrushers 3763 2 3 2
5º Zatarra 2998 1 1 1
6º galegospolabici 2912 0 3 1
7º CaptainOrange 2897 0 0 1
8º FaltososDeChigre 2755 1 1 1
9º WinterIsComing 2369 1 1 1
10º Wiggo_pupils 2339 0 0 0
17º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 1556 4 0 0
18º SPORTLIFE 1540 0 3 3
19º Caracoles 1459 1 3 1
23º Vitimper 1267 0 0 1
24º Combuijs 1129 0 0 0
25º $Tourmalet 1108 1 0 0
We are on a safe place, so we are looking for a computer virus to stop the season. Even Sportlife can't complain now as they are above us. But if the season continues there is no way that Zatarra will relegate now!
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Itzulia:
3rd stage: 14. Garret Rose
Paris-Roubaix: 6. Julius Maalderink
Tour de Romandie:
1st stage: 14. Dénes Nemcsik
3rd stage to Leukerbad: 29. Will Miller
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Leukerbad2.jpg/1280px-Leukerbad2.jpg)
Will is now 15th in the GC and we have hopes for a top 20 place.
Division standings after the third stage of the Tour de Romandie
1º °Peachy°Melocotons 8154 10 2 3
2º Cabrasverdes 5654 5 1 1
3º CobbleCrushers 5384 2 6 3
4º Atlantico 5028 0 1 1
5º CaptainOrange 4091 0 0 5
6º Zatarra 4087 3 1 1
7º TeamRHB 4075 2 3 2
13º ProdopingPong 3328 0 1 1
14º WinterIsComing 3238 1 1 1
15º SentinelChickens 2763 0 0 4
16º Caracoles 2710 2 3 1
17º SPORTLIFE 2631 2 3 3
18º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 2295 5 0 0
28º ChronoTony 1495 0 1 1
29º Combuijs 1450 0 0 0
30º Marcatone_Due 1325 0 0 1
So, at the moment we are hanging on, just. We feel like a mountain climber on a rope with too much wax on his hands.
Meanwhile we have switched to stamina training. Not every youth tour rider is on 90 climbing but our main talent Yvo van Straalen is at 93 and we can't postpone the switch anymore. Homegrown Guido Keizer has now also a bronze statue.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/montanabronce.jpg)
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Tour de Romandie:
5th stage around Sion: 27. Will Miller
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Sion_2.jpg)
Will finished 11th in the GC and while this is out of the top 10 we are happy with that. He was 3 minutes behind surprising winner Nicola Miorlin (Sportlife).
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Will finished 11th in the GC and while this is out of the top 10 we are happy with that. He was 3 minutes behind surprising winner Nicola Miorlin (Sportlife).
Well, not sure if we can speak of a surprising winner anymore. ;) According to me, Miorlin (Sportlife) is a prime candidate in almost every mountain stage he is at the start. Vos is doing a great job in the mountain stages almost every single time. Impressive stuff.
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Giro:
2nd stage: 26. Oliver King
4th stage: 23. Oliver King
8th stage: 20. Oliver King
10th stage: 16. Oliver King
In the GC Oliver King finished 13th.
Dauphiné Liberé:
1st stage around Grenoble: 15. Julius Maalderink
(https://www.zininfrankrijk.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Grenoble-shutterstock_161553770-660x330.jpg)
Division standings:
1º °Peachy°Melocotons 11059 14 6 3
2º Atlantico 7501 0 2 2
3º Cabrasverdes 7493 5 1 1
9º Flyvende_hjul 4557 0 1 1
10º Zatarra 4433 3 1 1
11º SPORTLIFE 4420 3 4 4
12º FaltososDeChigre 4375 2 1 1
13º ProdopingPong 4343 0 1 1
14º Wiggo_pupils 4333 0 1 0
15º WinterIsComing 3956 1 1 1
16º Marcatone_Due 3756 0 0 2
30º Psychoedge 1931 0 2 0
31º Combuijs 1909 0 0 0
32º Aurora_Australis 1782 2 2 2
We are just on the wrong side of the relegation line, but I doubt we will get on the right side.
In other news, we have now a bronze statue of Gary Fredickson:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/montanabronce.jpg)
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Dauphiné Liberé:
2nd stage:
5th stage to Belley: 6. Rafael Szepesi, 14. Dénes Nemcsik
(https://bugeysud-tourisme.fr/wp-content/uploads/noesit/medias/521442/belley-cathedrale-saint-jean-baptiste-11.jpg)
Division standings after the Dauphiné:
1º °Peachy°Melocotons 11428 14 7 3
2º Atlantico 7986 0 2 2
3º Cabrasverdes 7738 5 1 1
10º ProdopingPong 4712 0 1 1
11º SPORTLIFE 4585 3 4 4
12º Wiggo_pupils 4558 0 1 0
13º Zatarra 4510 3 1 1
14º FaltososDeChigre 4508 2 1 1
15º WinterIsComing 4163 1 1 1
16º Marcatone_Due 3831 0 0 2
30º EuskaPiero 2034 0 0 1
31º Combuijs 2027 0 0 0
32º Codex 1944 0 1 1
We are still on the wrong side of the relegation line, but we are getting some points in now.
Yvo van Straalen is coming along nicely, so we will switch to flat training.
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Tour of Switzerland:
3rd stage: 4. Julius Maalderink, 21. Arjen Rutte
In the GC Will Miller finished 14th.
Tour de France:
1st stage to La Pierre Saint Martin: 27. Will Miller
(https://www.france-voyage.com/visuals/photos/pierre-saint-martin-27658_w600.jpg)
Will Miller is now 10th in the GC, so let's hope he will stay there.
Division standings after the 5th stage of the Tour de France:
1º °Peachy°Melocotons 12287 15 7 3
2º Atlantico 8774 0 2 2
3º Cabrasverdes 7942 5 1 1
10º ProdopingPong 5295 0 1 2
11º SPORTLIFE 5158 4 5 4
12º FaltososDeChigre 5042 2 1 1
13º Wiggo_pupils 5036 0 1 0
14º Marcatone_Due 4815 0 0 2
15º Zatarra 4573 3 1 1
16º SentinelChickens 4506 0 3 5
17º WinterIsComing 4433 2 1 1
18º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 4230 8 0 3
31º Psychoedge 2277 0 2 0
32º Combuijs 2232 0 0 0
33º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 2102 0 0 0
We have crossed the relegation line now several times in both directions...
We now also have a bronze statue for Bert Kerkhof.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/montanabronce.jpg)
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Tour de France:
8th stage: 29. Tristan Prins
9th stage: 23. Will Miller
Will Miller did not manage to get in the top 20. He finished 25th.
GP San Sebastian:
22. Tristan Prins
Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
2nd stage: 23. Adam Neeskens
3rd stage: 6. Adam Neeskens
In the GC Adam Neeskens finished 17th. A bit disappointing as he had a very good preparation for it, good helpers and stages that fitted him.
Vuelta:
3rd stage: 15. Oliver King
5th stage to Cariñena: 22. Garret Rose
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Ayuntamiento_de_Cari%C3%B1ena%2C_Zaragoza%2C_Espa%C3%B1a%2C_2015-01-08%2C_DD_14.JPG/1280px-Ayuntamiento_de_Cari%C3%B1ena%2C_Zaragoza%2C_Espa%C3%B1a%2C_2015-01-08%2C_DD_14.JPG)
Division standings after the 5th stage in the Vuelta:
1º °Peachy°Melocotons 14740 17 10 3
2º Atlantico 10800 0 2 4
3º CobbleCrushers 8955 4 8 7
4º Cabrasverdes 8918 5 2 1
5º CaptainOrange 7629 0 0 5
6º SPORTLIFE 7243 8 5 5
7º ProdopingPong 7084 0 2 3
13º Marcatone_Due 6147 0 0 2
14º Zatarra 5963 4 2 3
15º Wiggo_pupils 5843 0 1 1
16º Caracoles 5519 6 4 2
17º WinterIsComing 5359 2 1 1
18º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 5253 9 0 3
35º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 2592 0 1 0
36º Combuijs 2570 0 0 0
37º cave 2535 0 0 0
Oh, the shame! Not to be relegating but to be behind Bloemen aan de Mitte...
We now also have a bronze statue for Jeroen Vonk.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/montanabronce.jpg)
There was also praise (but no bronze statue) for our mechanic Tigran Filin:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/mej4.jpg)
So it's not the bikes that will be relegating but the riders themselves...
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Oh, the shame! Not to be relegating but to be behind Bloemen aan de Mitte...
Get used to it Combuijs :P :P
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First of all I have to revert the last result in the last post. Garret's Rose 22nd place in the 5th stage in the Vuelta was cancelled because there was a serious error in the roadbook and apparently more than half of the peloton got lost. The UCI decided to reride the race with unfortunately a less good result of Garret who was no doubt tired of his first effort.
Vuelta:
6th stage: 20. Adam Neeskens
7th stage: 23. Oliver King
9th stage: 11. Adam Neeskens, 17. Garret Rose
10th stage to Vallada: 20. Oliver King
(https://www.valenciaturisme.org/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2015/06/VALLADA%20iglesia-756x336.jpg)
Final division standings:
1º °Peachy°Melocotons 16667 18 10 5
2º Atlantico 11493 0 2 4
3º CobbleCrushers 9798 4 9 7
4º SPORTLIFE 9706 10 5 6
5º Cabrasverdes 9363 5 2 1
6º Flyvende_hjul 8988 0 3 1
7º CaptainOrange 8792 0 0 5
8º FaltososDeChigre 8091 2 1 2
9º galegospolabici 7698 0 3 5
10º Astanadena 7679 3 3 3
11º ProdopingPong 7534 0 2 3
12º Marcatone_Due 7338 1 0 2
13º ChronoTony 7309 2 3 9
14º Zatarra 7294 5 2 3
15º TeamRHB 7287 5 4 3
16º Wiggo_pupils 6617 0 1 1
17º Aurora_Australis 6589 4 4 3
18º Caracoles 6437 6 5 2
19º WinterIsComing 6217 2 1 1
20º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 6196 9 2 3
21º FlyEaglesFly 6022 1 3 1
22º SentinelChickens 6010 0 3 5
23º MortoviaCycling 5247 0 1 0
24º Codex 5192 2 2 1
25º ValeronIdolo 4939 2 2 1
26º Denver 4897 3 4 3
27º Wizards 4620 0 1 0
28º Thorboassonarvesen 4433 5 0 3
29º Vitimper 4125 0 3 2
30º Oska 3875 0 0 0
31º $Tourmalet 3852 1 0 0
32º skunk 3516 0 1 0
33º Valderend 3305 1 3 2
34º Psychoedge 3007 0 3 0
35º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 2930 0 1 0
36º cave 2843 0 0 0
37º Combuijs 2773 0 0 0
38º EuskaPiero 2623 0 0 1
39º Catalonia_Team 2585 0 0 0
40º Rekutxuteam 2581 0 2 3
41º ProCyclingTeam10 2366 0 0 0
42º Periquitos 2036 0 0 0
43º MarvelProCycling 1462 0 0 0
44º Senglarsdeflandes 1238 0 0 0
45º Manicomicos_Cycling_Team 1160 0 0 0
46º HTCHungria 782 0 0 0
47º BOS 496 0 0 0
48º Paquetazos 223 0 0 0
49º Ares 74 0 0 0
50º TeamEuroscalt 0 0 0 0
Congratulations to the Melocotons for their win, congratulations to Sportlife for their tremendous 4th place, congratulations to Zatarra and Winter is Coming for staying in the first division and congratulations to Bloemen aan de Mitte for finishing above us.
Individual standings:
1º Antonello Lorenzetto 27 4012 Marcatone_Due 1 0 2
2º Alex Riis 27 4006 Astanadena 1 3 2
3º Arno Verbeek 26 3945 TeamRHB 5 3 1
4º Anthony Hilton 27 3293 CaptainOrange 0 0 0
5º Vladimirs Kreilis 27 2960 Atlantico 0 0 1
6º Dimi VanKerckhove 26 2711 °Peachy°Melocotons 2 2 0
7º Yannick Pierre 27 2689 CobbleCrushers 1 3 3
8º Artis Laksa 27 2614 °Peachy°Melocotons 5 0 1
9º Adam Roethlisberger 27 2481 Atlantico 0 0 1
10º Hugo Skogstad 27 2449 ValeronIdolo 2 2 1
All team points:
Julius Maalderink 27 667 673
Garret Rose 27 513 002
Oliver King 27 481 374
Arjen Rutte 27 315 664
Adam Neeskens 27 298 322
Will Miller 27 243 111
Dénes Nemcsik 27 86 001
Tristan Prins 27 80 655
Rafael Szepesi 27 75 982
Valentin Litenko 27 15 020
We have now switched to technique training. Our new Pro Continental Tour level division does not have too many well known names, so we will see if we can build up some new rivalries.
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Thanks Combuijs. :)
Good luck with your team in division 2C, and of course also good luck with training your 10x 21yo's.
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And we are off in a new season. Easier level, so everything to go for. But not for the cup anymore because we did not show up. Apologies to Flandria who had an easy win. To be fair, I don't know if Oliver King could have beaten Louis Philippe Mottet.
A good start in Australia though:
1st stage in Adelaide: 4. Rafael Szepesi, 30. Dénes Nemcsik
(https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/tud-media/assets/images/9817998a-0023-4994-86c4-b1a7de8cbd1a/9817998a-0023-4994-86c4-b1a7de8cbd1a-720.webp)
We are on the level where helpers socre points too :-)
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With Zatarra there were plenty of points scored in domestique roles last season ::).
Good luck, Combuijs! Hope to see you again soon. The past two seasons were fun. Let's meet again next season!
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First podium in the Tour Down Under:
3rd stage to Campbell Town: 2. Rafael Szepesi
(https://placesofpride.awm.gov.au/sites/default/files/styles/slider_square/public/media/Campbelltown%20Memorial%20Oval.JPG?h=854a7be2&itok=ciryrVzT)
Division standings after the Tour Down Under:
1º Bergtoppers 1242 2 0 1
2º IKIBASQUE 1181 0 2 0
3º $Tourmalet 945 1 0 1
4º KinchenTeam 818 0 1 0
5º cave 584 0 0 2
6º Shiro_Lions 574 1 0 0
9º WaterBoys 374 0 0 0
10º Combuijs 313 0 1 0
11º vercors 294 0 0 0
Dutch team Bergtoppers in the lead now, which looks promising as you would expect them to score heavily in the mountain races. Happy with place 10 for the moment, we should be on our way to Zatarra's division in the next two races...
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Omloop het Nieuwsblad: 2. Adam Neeskens, 21. Arjen Rutte
Strade Bianchi: 1. Adam Neeskens, 7. Arjen Rutte
Yeah, the first victory this season. Adam was not amongst the favourites, his helper Arjen was...
Paris-Nice:
1st stage: 26. Oliver King
2nd stage to Vendome: 7. Oliver King
You know you are not on World Tour level when your GC-rider finishes 7th in a flat hill race... Oliver is now 4th in the GC, 28 seconds behind Tourmalet climber Hans-Jürgen Klose.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Vend%C3%B4me_%28Loir-et-Cher%29.jpg/1280px-Vend%C3%B4me_%28Loir-et-Cher%29.jpg)
Division standings after the 2nd stage of Paris-Nice:
1º IKIBASQUE 1923 0 3 0
2º $Tourmalet 1866 2 1 2
3º Bergtoppers 1817 2 0 2
4º Combuijs 1565 1 2 0
5º WaterBoys 1137 0 0 0
6º cave 1017 1 0 2
Gaps are opening up already between teams, but we are on the right side of the promotion gap, for the time being.
We have been rewarded with several bronze statues for ... time trial. John Paxson and Yvo van Straalen were on the receiving end.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/cronobronce.jpg)
To avoid these costly statues we have changed training to downhill...
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Paris-Nice:
5th stage to Croix de Chaubouret: 3. Oliver King
In the GC we have Oliver King on the lowest podium place after winner Hans-Jürgen Klose ($Tourmalet) and Shiro Lion Joaquin Palomeque, and Valentin Litenko on place 14.
(https://www.pilat-tourisme.fr/sites/pilat-tourisme/files/styles/squared/public/p1010977.jpg?itok=Y1a0NMp8)
Division standings after Paris-Nice:
1º $Tourmalet 2881 3 2 3
2º IKIBASQUE 2342 0 3 0
3º Bergtoppers 2295 2 1 2
4º Combuijs 2068 1 2 1
5º cave 1295 1 0 2
6º WaterBoys 1284 0 0 0
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Tirreno Adriatico:
1st stage: 1. Oliver King, 28. Tristan Prins
3rd stage to Monte San Vicino: 4. Oliver King
(https://www.turismo-cupramontana.com/media/plg_solidres_experience/images/4ffce04d92a4d6cb21c1494cdfcd6dc1/esperienze/sanvicino/monte-san-vicino.jpg)
GC after 3 stages:
1 Hans-Jürgen Klose 28 $Tourmalet 0: 00" 0 0
2 Oliver King 28 Combuijs 0: 30" 0 0
3 Hartwig Adenauer 28 cave 0: 35" 0 0
4 Joaquin Palomeque 28 Shiro_Lions 1: 43" 0 0
5 Wouter VanGeffen 28 meloneros 1: 44" 0 0
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Tirreno Adriatico:
5th stage: 18. Tristan Prins, 24. Oliver King
Final GC:
1 Hans-Jürgen Klose 28 $Tourmalet 0: 00" 500 150000
2 Oliver King 28 Combuijs 0: 26" 400 135000
3 Hartwig Adenauer 28 cave 1: 04" 325 120000
4 Joaquin Palomeque 28 Shiro_Lions 1: 45" 275 105000
5 Wouter VanGeffen 28 meloneros 2: 35" 250 90000
The second place was enough to satisfy Movistar, not unknown in the cycling world, We now have better communications, in Spain at least...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/movistar.jpg)
Milan-San Remo: 17. Julius Maalderink
E3 Harelbeke: 2. Adam Neeskens, 7. Garret Rose
Volta Catalunya:
2nd stage: 2. Oliver King
3rd stage: 4. Oliver King, 6. Tristan Prins
4th stage around Barcelona: 20. Tristan Prins
(https://static.reisgraag.nl/images/cached/gs-df19bba65a-Barcelona_uitzicht.jpg)
GC after 4 stages:
1 Oliver King 28 Combuijs 0: 00" 0 0
2 Hans-Jürgen Klose 28 $Tourmalet 0: 13" 0 0
3 Joaquin Palomeque 28 Shiro_Lions 0: 31" 0 0
4 Endre Omdal 28 WaterBoys 0: 52" 0 0
5 Charles Ooms 28 Frier_Accounting 0: 55" 0 0
For once we have a lead over Hans-Jürgen Klose, but will 13 seconds be enough in the last mountain stage?
Division standings after the 4th stage in the Volta:
1º $Tourmalet 4672 4 3 4
2º Bergtoppers 4485 4 2 2
3º Combuijs 3820 2 4 1
4º IKIBASQUE 3618 1 3 1
5º cave 2706 1 1 4
6º WaterBoys 2593 0 0 1
It will be hard to get to the first two, but the gap between us and 5th place is very, very wide already.
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Volta Catalunya:
5th stage: 6. Oliver King, 29. Tristan Prins
GC:
1 Oliver King 28 Combuijs 0: 00" 500 150000
2 Joaquin Palomeque 28 Shiro_Lions 1: 00" 400 135000
3 Hans-Jürgen Klose 28 $Tourmalet 1: 11" 325 120000
4 Endre Omdal 28 WaterBoys 1: 21" 275 105000
5 Jacopo Giardini 28 vercors 1: 37" 250 90000
Hans-Jürgen is not that unbeatable it appears, so our first GC win this season.
Gent-Wevelgem: 3. Adam Neeskens, 4. Julius Maalderink
Dwars door Vlaanderen: 3. Adam Neeskens, 15. Garret Rose
Ronde van Vlaanderen: 4. Adam Neeskens, 12. Garret Rose
Itzulia:
1st stage: 10. Valentin Litenko, 15. Oliver King
2nd stage around Zalla: 29. Valentin Litenko
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Vista_de_zalla.jpg)
GC of the Itzulia after two stages:
1 Ivan Chiapucci 28 $Tourmalet 0: 00" 0 0
2 Sam Lee 28 $Tourmalet 0: 30" 0 0
3 Ali John Schilling 27 cave 0: 33" 0 0
4 Asger Anthonisen 28 meloneros 0: 50" 0 0
5 Valentin Litenko 28 Combuijs 1: 02" 0 0
Still everything to go for!
Division standings after the second stage of the Itzulia:
1º $Tourmalet 6539 4 6 5
2º Bergtoppers 6255 5 2 2
3º Combuijs 5992 2 4 3
4º IKIBASQUE 4397 1 4 1
5º cave 4393 4 1 4
6º WaterBoys 4161 0 0 1
We can lookup now and start fighting for place 1...
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Itzulia:
3rd stage: 1. Valentin Litenko
5th stage: 1. Valentin Litenko, 16. Oliver King
Two wins by Valentin Litenko in the Itzulia, but only 8th place in the GC. Oliver King finished 16th.
Parijs-Roubaix: 3. Arjen Rutte, 25 Julius Maalderink
Combuijs Honey Ale Race: 21. Adam Neeskens
Luik-Bastenaken-Luik: 16. Adam Neeskens
And yes, we had lots of helpers in the Fleche Wallonne, but unfortunately no leader..
Tour de Romandie:
2nd stage to Zinal: 8. Will Miller
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Zinal-Eglise_%281%29.jpg/265px-Zinal-Eglise_%281%29.jpg)
GC of of the Tour de Romandie:
1 Mikael Nikoladze 28 $Tourmalet 0: 00" 0 0
2 Diego Mora 28 Bergtoppers 2: 20" 0 0
3 Will Miller 28 Combuijs 2: 35" 0 0
4 Konstantin Karpin 28 cave 2: 42" 0 0
5 Oliver McDermot 28 Frier_Accounting 3: 15" 0 0
We have hopes of a podium place for Will Miller...
Division standings after the third stage in Romandie:
1º $Tourmalet 10167 5 7 5
2º Bergtoppers 7283 7 3 2
3º Combuijs 7206 4 4 4
4º IKIBASQUE 7074 2 7 3
5º cave 6758 5 2 5
6º WaterBoys 5937 0 0 2
In between we have been second for a while, but in the hill classics $Tourmalet have jumped away from all of us.
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Forgot to tell but Valentin Litenko's win in stage 3 of the Itzulia there made also somebody in Spain very happy:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/campofrio.jpg)
Tour de Romandie:
5th stage: 4. Will Miller, 14. Oliver King
GC:
1 Mikael Nikoladze 28 $Tourmalet 0: 00" 500 150000
2 Will Miller 28 Combuijs 0: 09" 400 135000
3 Vladislavs Zvaigzne 28 meloneros 0: 32" 325 120000
8 Oliver King 28 Combuijs 3: 07" 175 52500
Eschborn-Frankfurt: 9. Valentin Litenko, 25. Oliver King
Good result, but nothing compared to the deeds of $Tourmalet:
1 Mikael Nikoladze 28 $Tourmalet 0: 00" 500 150000
2 Mike Edgar 28 $Tourmalet 0: 00" 400 135000
3 Ivan Chiapucci 28 $Tourmalet 0: 00" 325 120000
That does call up memories on the Mapei results in some of the classics a long time ago.
Giro:
1st stage to Zoldo Alto: 6. Will Miller
That's the kind of start you want in a grand tour!
(https://www.dolomiti.it/fileadmin/_processed_/1/f/csm_lo-zoldo-alto-gy-06_bb5693c471.jpg)
Division standings after the first stage in the Giro:
1º $Tourmalet 12282 6 8 6
2º cave 8633 6 3 5
3º Combuijs 8259 4 4 4
4º Bergtoppers 7966 7 3 2
5º IKIBASQUE 7609 2 7 3
6º WaterBoys 6397 0 0 2
As you can see we are second now as $Tourmalet is commpeting in a completely different competition...
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Giro:
3rd stage: 3. Will Miller, 7. Valentin Litenko
5th stage: 3. Will Miller, 10. Valentin Litenko
6th stage: 6. Will Miller
7th stage to Praia a Mare: 27. Will Miller
(https://previews.123rf.com/images/milla74/milla741211/milla74121100676/16425602-toren-van-fiuzzi-praia-a-mare-calabri%C3%AB-itali%C3%AB-.jpg)
GC:
1 Antonius Berner 28 cave 0: 00" 0 0
2 Will Miller 28 Combuijs 0: 40" 0 0
3 Sam Lee 28 $Tourmalet 1: 28" 0 0
4 Mikael Nikoladze 28 $Tourmalet 1: 41" 0 0
5 Diego Mora 28 Bergtoppers 2: 06" 0 0
20 Valentin Litenko 28 Combuijs 7: 00" 0 0
Will Will be able to clench the pink from Berner? Or will the $Tourmalet couple come up with a cunning plan? Read it all in the next episode...
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Giro:
In the last stage Will Miller failed to get Antonius Berner in trouble, it was the other way round, Antonius won the last stage. No cunning plan from $Tourmalet either, and if there was, it backfired as Diego Mora clinched the last podium place:
GC:
1 Antonius Berner 28 cave 0: 00" 1000 250000
2 Will Miller 28 Combuijs 1: 47" 800 225000
3 Diego Mora 28 Bergtoppers 1: 58" 650 200000
4 Sam Lee 28 $Tourmalet 2: 01" 550 175000
5 Mikael Nikoladze 28 $Tourmalet 2: 03" 500 150000
Happy with the result though.
Dauphiné Liberé:
2nd stage: 19. Tristan Prins
3rd stage around Grenoble: 1. Julius Maalderink, 11. Arjen Rutte, 23. Adam Neeskens
We went for stages in the Dauphiné and at least one stage is what we got! We even had a happy sponsor, but they failed to tell us in what way we can benefit.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/pihl.jpg)
(https://media.grenoble-tourisme.com/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/29/af/29af4c3a-86a0-4cf7-b121-dcd65bf2d70d/grenoble_environnement__pierre_jayet-1.jpg__1140x315_q90_crop_subject_location-1936%2C1171_subsampling-2_upscale.jpg)
GC:
1 Reinis Kalve 27 ForaturaFacile 0: 00" 0 0
2 Lander Manrique 28 vercors 0: 14" 0 0
3 Franco Canalini 26 heikir_proteam 1: 14" 0 0
4 Arjen Rutte 28 Combuijs 1: 45" 0 0
5 Róbert Lengyel 28 CajaRuralZamora 1: 48" 0 0
6 Dzintars Treimanis 28 OmicronDS 1: 51" 0 0
7 Julius Maalderink 28 Combuijs 1: 59" 0 0
19 Adam Neeskens 28 Combuijs 2: 43" 0 0
We are not going for the GC, but we can't complain after the 3rd stage, can't we?
Division standings after the 3rd stage of the Dauphiné:
1º $Tourmalet 15757 8 9 6
2º cave 11853 8 7 5
3º Bergtoppers 11293 10 5 2
4º Combuijs 10108 5 4 6
5º IKIBASQUE 8071 2 7 3
6º WaterBoys 7259 1 0 3
Still fighting for second place, but it is not getting any easier. Hard to miss out on promotion though
Meanwhile we've changed training to sprint and Hidde Daelman, Leroy van den Borre and one the Vonkjes just could fetch a bronze statue at the last moment:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/montanabronce.jpg)
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Dauphiné Liberé:
4th stage: 3. Adam Neeskens
5th stage: 3. Tristan Prins
Apart from good results in the stages, Tristan Prins finished 12th in the GC, totally unsupported and totally unexpected...
Tour of Switzerland:
2nd stage to Bern: 28. Oliver King
(https://www.bestereistijd.nl/uploads/2018/03/beste-reistijd-bern-zwitserland-640x360.jpg)
In the GC Olvier King is 14th, but we expect more of him. A place in the top 9 actually...
Division standings after the 2nd stage of the Tour of Switzerland:
1º $Tourmalet 17057 8 10 6
2º cave 12956 9 8 5
3º Bergtoppers 11593 11 5 2
4º Combuijs 10416 5 4 8
5º IKIBASQUE 8091 2 7 3
6º WaterBoys 7681 2 0 3
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Tour of Switzerland:
3rd stage: 6. Oliver King
4th stage: 2. Will Miller, 5. Oliver King
Some controversy in the 4th stage as we gave Will leadership instead of Oliver. Can't say he did dissappoint though...
GC:
1 Hartwig Adenauer 28 cave 0: 00" 500 150000
2 Ivan Chiapucci 28 $Tourmalet 0: 16" 400 135000
3 Sam Lee 28 $Tourmalet 0: 29" 325 120000
4 Oliver King 28 Combuijs 0: 56" 275 105000
5 Asger Anthonisen 28 meloneros 1: 38" 250 90000
Will Miller finished in the top 20...
This was good enough for the Eesti Pank Bank to sponsor us for a while. Always handy to have some money ready in Estland...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/pank.jpg)
Tour de France:
2nd stage: 5. Dénes Nemcsik
3rd stage: 5. Oliver King
4th stage: 3. Oliver King, 21. Will Miller
5th stage: 5. Dénes Nemcsik
6th stage: 3. Oliver King, 8. Will Miller
8th stage to Loudenvieille: 6. Oliver King
(https://www.loudenvielle.fr/wp-content/uploads/sites/220/2015/07/ob_2f5552_img-0012-2-1140x500.jpg)
GC Tour de France:
1 Hartwig Adenauer 28 cave 0: 00" 0 0
2 Hans-Jürgen Klose 28 $Tourmalet 1: 04" 0 0
3 Malthe M.Iversen 28 Handest 2: 40" 0 0
4 Oliver King 28 Combuijs 3: 33" 0 0
5 Brendan Morris 25 Bergtoppers 4: 25" 0 0
6 Gustavs Melderis 28 OmicronDS 4: 58" 0 0
7 Wouter VanGeffen 28 meloneros 5: 10" 0 0
8 Emin Ramonov 28 cave 5: 58" 0 0
9 Bernhard Niklitschek 28 Rekutxuteam 6: 17" 0 0
10 Will Miller 28 Combuijs 7: 59" 0 0
In the last two stages Oliver will try to keep this place in order to satisfy a sponsor. This will be hard though as he won't excel in both stages.
Division standings after the 8th stage of the Tour de France:
1º $Tourmalet 19595 9 11 8
2º cave 16273 13 9 7
3º Bergtoppers 12620 14 5 2
4º Combuijs 11936 5 5 10
5º WaterBoys 8793 2 3 4
6º Frier_Accounting 8345 0 1 1
Cave is also running away now to second place, thanks to the excellent effort by Hartwig Adenauer. Ikibasque is suddenly falling away so we expect a hard battle for the last promotion place between Waterboys and Frier Accounting. This will take some serious calculations!
Meanwhile we have changed our training once again, this time to hill climbing. Get the adrenaline going!
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Good job Combuijs! Looking forward meeting again in 1st division! :)
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Tour de France:
9th stage: 7. Dénes Nemcsik
GC Tour de France:
1 Hartwig Adenauer 28 cave 0: 00" 1000 250000
2 Hans-Jürgen Klose 28 $Tourmalet 1: 04" 800 225000
3 Malthe M.Iversen 28 Handest 3: 36" 650 200000
4 Oliver King 28 Combuijs 4: 26" 550 175000
5 Gustavs Melderis 28 OmicronDS 5: 21" 500 150000
6 Brendan Morris 25 Bergtoppers 5: 50" 450 125000
7 Wouter VanGeffen 28 meloneros 6: 36" 400 100000
8 Will Miller 28 Combuijs 8: 02" 350 87500
9 Emin Ramonov 28 cave 8: 38" 300 75000
10 Konstantin Karpin 28 cave 8: 55" 250 62500
That 4th place was precisely enough to sway Michelin into giving us some serious money. We can now finally buy tires to go with the bikes...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/michelin.jpg)
GP San Sebastian: 12. Tristan Prins
A bit disappointing but Tristan was a bit tired, probably from his debut in the Dutch team...
Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
1st stage: 5. Adam Neeskens, 27. Arjen Rutte
2nd stage: 27. Julius Maalderink
3rd stage: 2. Adam Neeskens, 14. Julius Maalderink, 22. Garret Rose
4th stage to Ardooie: 10. Adam Neeskens, 23. Arjen Rutte, 25. Julius Maalderink
(https://www.westtoer.be/sites/westtoer_2015/files/styles/route_main_image_desktop/public/win_synced_photos/kasteel_van_ardooie-33677-0.jpg?itok=PAk2w0Z4)
Let me for once give you the current top 20 in the GC:
1 Emanuele Rebellin 27 Bergtoppers 0: 00" 0 0
2 Adam Neeskens 28 Combuijs 0: 34" 0 0
3 Kirk Trump 28 $Tourmalet 0: 57" 0 0
4 Arild Lindland 27 meloneros 1: 27" 0 0
5 Henrique Gregorio 28 WaterBoys 1: 32" 0 0
6 Julius Maalderink 28 Combuijs 1: 44" 0 0
7 Jarle Fjelde 28 Bergtoppers 2: 00" 0 0
8 Joost Saeys 28 SportyngCP 2: 33" 0 0
9 Koen Nanninga 28 Bergtoppers 2: 36" 0 0
10 Arjen Rutte 28 Combuijs 2: 37" 0 0
11 Johan Maigård 27 Handest 2: 46" 0 0
12 Neil Fluss 27 WaterBoys 2: 52" 0 0
13 Victor Castro 28 Frier_Accounting 3: 10" 0 0
14 Oleg Popenko 28 Bergtoppers 3: 13" 0 0
15 Gédéon Morin 28 meloneros 3: 15" 0 0
16 Giulio Serri 27 Aragorn 3: 23" 0 0
17 Vicenzo Pellizotti 28 Aragorn 3: 24" 0 0
18 Dries Teeuwen 28 Bergtoppers 3: 28" 0 0
19 Garret Rose 28 Combuijs 3: 40" 0 0
20 Daley Cahill 26 Coeli 3: 45" 0 0
One stage to go and it is not a bad one for us. Can we finish with four riders in the top 20? And will Adam be able to clinch first place. We will know more tonight.
Division standings after the 4th stage of the Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
1º $Tourmalet 22111 11 11 9
2º cave 18793 13 11 8
3º Bergtoppers 14546 16 6 3
4º Combuijs 13487 5 6 10
5º WaterBoys 9975 2 4 4
6º Handest 9085 2 1 5
New kid Handest is taking over 6th place, but Water Boys looks pretty save.
I can understand everyone is happy to see us on the World Tour again next season. That's just team less to worry about in the battle for relegation...
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Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
5th stage: 18. Adam Neeskens
GC:
1 Adam Neeskens 28 Combuijs 0: 00" 500 150000
2 Emanuele Rebellin 27 Bergtoppers 0: 19" 400 135000
3 Kirk Trump 28 $Tourmalet 0: 23" 325 120000
4 Arild Lindland 27 meloneros 0: 53" 275 105000
5 Henrique Gregorio 28 WaterBoys 1: 35" 250 90000
6 Julius Maalderink 28 Combuijs 2: 03" 225 75000
7 Jarle Fjelde 28 Bergtoppers 2: 16" 200 60000
8 Gédéon Morin 28 meloneros 2: 40" 175 52500
9 Johan Maigård 27 Handest 2: 42" 150 45000
10 Joost Saeys 28 SportyngCP 3: 03" 125 37500
11 Daley Cahill 26 Coeli 3: 07" 100 30000
12 Arjen Rutte 28 Combuijs 3: 08" 90 22500
13 Giulio Serri 27 Aragorn 3: 19" 80 18000
14 Tyler Carpenter 28 Puncheurs 3: 22" 70 15000
15 Koen Nanninga 28 Bergtoppers 3: 27" 60 13500
16 Victor Castro 28 Frier_Accounting 3: 29" 50 12000
17 Garret Rose 28 Combuijs 3: 44" 40 9000
4 riders in the top 17 and most important, we had a winner by the name of Adam Neeskens!
Vuelta:
1st stage: 1. Adam Neeskens, 22. Julius Maalderink, 23. Arjen Rutte
2nd stage: 4. Julius Maalderink, 7. Adam Neeskens, 8. Arjen Rutte
3rd stage: 26. Adam Neeskens
5th stage: 11. Adam Neeskens, 12. Julius Maalderink
6th stage: 16. Julius Maalderink
7th stage to Santiago de Compostela: 10. Julius Maalderink, 23. Adam Neeskens
(https://www.pelgrimroutes.nl/images/stories/voet-tochten/via-de-la-plata/santiago.jpg)
The GC:
1 Emanuele Rebellin 27 Bergtoppers 0: 00" 0 0
2 Julius Maalderink 28 Combuijs 1: 41" 0 0
3 Adam Neeskens 28 Combuijs 1: 41" 0 0
4 Neil Fluss 27 WaterBoys 2: 18" 0 0
5 Arjen Rutte 28 Combuijs 2: 44" 0 0
Three riders in the top 5, that's what I call domination! Unfortunately, all three can't climb a mountain...
Division standings after the 7th stage of the Vuelta
1º $Tourmalet 23263 11 11 9
2º cave 19538 13 12 9
3º Bergtoppers 16497 17 8 3
4º Combuijs 15366 6 6 10
5º WaterBoys 10927 2 4 5
6º Shiro_Lions 10848 11 2 5
We are still looking for a third place. Water Boys is now threatened by Shiro Lions for a promotion place. They were not as save as previouslu thought then.
-
Vuelta:
9th stage: 5. Julius Maalderink, 7. Adam Neeskens, 8. Arjen Rutte
10th stage: 12. Valentin Litenko
The GC:
1 Emanuele Rebellin 27 Bergtoppers 0: 00" 1000 250000
2 Sam Lee 28 $Tourmalet 2: 25" 800 225000
3 Adam Neeskens 28 Combuijs 4: 02" 650 200000
4 Neil Fluss 27 WaterBoys 4: 40" 550 175000
5 Julius Maalderink 28 Combuijs 4: 53" 500 150000
6 Arjen Rutte 28 Combuijs 5: 23" 450 125000
7 Tyler Carpenter 28 Puncheurs 5: 29" 400 100000
8 Frank Myers 28 CajaRuralZamora 6: 57" 350 87500
9 Róbert Lengyel 28 CajaRuralZamora 7: 32" 300 75000
10 Valentin Litenko 28 Combuijs 7: 34" 250 62500
Podium place for Adam Neeskens and 4 riders in the top 10. Happy with that result!
Giro de Lombardia: 1. Tristan Prins
WC Time trial: 26. Oliver King
WC Hamilton: 21. Adam Neeskens
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/VictoriaAvenueMountainAccess.JPG/400px-VictoriaAvenueMountainAccess.JPG)
A win in Lombardia and some meaningless points in the World Championships? To the former: yes! To the latter: no, these were very important points for Adam Neeskens.
Not because we finished 3rd in the final division standings:
1º $Tourmalet 27228 12 12 10
2º cave 22209 13 13 10
3º Bergtoppers 19256 17 8 3
4º Combuijs 18341 7 6 10
5º Shiro_Lions 13794 12 2 5
6º WaterBoys 13535 2 5 5
7º Handest 11927 3 4 6
8º Frier_Accounting 11318 2 2 1
9º meloneros 9616 1 3 4
10º vercors 8607 1 4 4
11º IKIBASQUE 8359 2 7 3
12º PedaleSanvitese 7469 1 2 2
13º bestiesnegres 7316 3 5 10
14º Domenico2202 6621 1 1 3
15º Puncheurs 6492 0 1 3
16º ForaturaFacile 6397 0 2 4
17º heikir_proteam 6245 0 1 3
18º Lemosteam 6101 2 2 1
19º OmicronDS 5756 0 0 0
20º CajaRuralZamora 5068 0 0 0
21º Aragorn 4522 0 0 2
22º Rekutxuteam 3923 9 3 0
23º SportyngCP 3790 0 0 0
24º Albero 3754 2 4 0
25º BlackHole 3071 0 1 1
26º Coeli 2677 1 2 1
27º FinoCyclingTeam 2282 0 0 0
28º BrancosRacing 2168 0 0 0
29º Animal2 1844 0 0 0
30º extralight 1502 0 0 0
31º Ciclokillers 1216 0 0 0
32º letour 1102 0 0 0
33º KinchenTeam 1015 0 1 0
34º TROPEA 436 0 0 0
35º Pistono 365 0 0 0
36º Revolucion 297 0 0 0
37º Kelme4ever 175 0 0 0
38º LoSqualo 174 0 0 0
39º CFFUgena 137 0 0 0
40º JaviCCF 125 0 0 0
41º LoLLoDSQ 75 0 0 0
42º TeamNextGeneration 0 0 0 0
43º opel 0 0 0 0
44º CCPicazo 0 0 0 0
45º Plopsala 0 0 0 0
46º CSA 0 0 0 0
47º TeamPitre 0 0 0 0
48º CeiaCivitasMagna 0 0 0 0
49º CsongaBK 0 0 0 0
50º Senglarsdeflandes 0 0 0 0
We did not, we finished 4th, disappointingly behind Bergtoppers, who had a very good season. (And Shiro Lions just made it for the last promotion place versus Water Boys).
But the last points were important because Adam Neeskens took the first place in the individual rankings:
1º Adam Neeskens 28 4709 Combuijs 2 3 3
2º Emanuele Rebellin 27 4642 Bergtoppers 4 3 1
3º Hartwig Adenauer 28 4564 cave 3 1 3
4º Oliver King 28 4044 Combuijs 1 1 3
5º Sam Lee 28 3778 $Tourmalet 0 2 1
6º Hans-Jürgen Klose 28 3596 $Tourmalet 0 4 1
7º Joaquin Palomeque 28 3571 Shiro_Lions 0 0 0
8º Ivan Chiapucci 28 3251 $Tourmalet 1 1 3
9º Kirk Trump 28 2888 $Tourmalet 2 3 0
10º Mikael Nikoladze 28 2854 $Tourmalet 3 0 0
11º Will Miller 28 2688 Combuijs 0 1 2
28º Julius Maalderink 28 1901 Combuijs 1 0 0
40º Arjen Rutte 28 1441 Combuijs 0 0 1
46º Valentin Litenko 28 1336 Combuijs 2 0 0
This was a season that fitted Adam very good, so apart from being promoted this was an important aim.
Other points:
Tristan Prins 28 1027 756
Garret Rose 28 532 002
Dénes Nemcsik 28 385 001
Rafael Szepesi 28 278 992
So, back to the World Tour. Let's hope we can stay in, although our main goal is still training our youthful riders. With that in mind we have another bronze statue for Colin Cann:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/cronobronce.jpg)
We will switch to cobble training now...
-
Everything set for the new season, which will start better as the previous one, because we have subscribed for the cup...
We will seriously try to stay on the World Tour this season, so let's hope everyone on the Tour will cooperate a bit. We wish everyone good luck (and in the cooperation :-* )!
-
Congratulations with the promotion, and good luck in 1A season 11 !
-
We will need all the luck!
I just realised our riders could be in the U-23 dream team and indeed we have two:
Job Freriks LOSRAYOSDELARRY 22 Tours
Aivars Lejnieks BOS 22 Tours
Afonso Rio OphiukoCT 22 Tours
Yvo VanStraalen Combuijs 22 Tours
Julien Maekelberg LOSRAYOSDELARRY 22 Tours
John Paxson Combuijs22 Tours
Zsombor Endrõdi azerite 22 Tours
Paul Vilu ChessPower 22 Tours
Carlos Aranguren Spitz 22 Tours
Alexey Ryazanov Spitz 22 Tours
Yvo van Straalen comes as no surprise and with his maximum talent and relative low stats for sprint, hills and cobbles he should make some serious gains. John Paxson is a surprise though, the UCI evaluation for tour riders is seriously different from my own. I would have thought Hidde Daelman, Gary Fredickson and Friso Vonk are much better. My undervaluation for time trial could have something to do with it, and maybe an overvaluation for cobbles. I don't know.
Anyway, happy with two riders in the Tour dream team!
-
Out again with the big boys on the World Tour where points are a rarity...
Tour Down Under:
2nd stage: 7. Tristan Prins
5th stage to Lyndoch: 17. Dénes Nemcsik
The first one was a pretty good result of a leader without any help, last one was an enlightened race...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/incidencias/bombilla.png)
(https://www.aussietowns.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/IMG_6242AA.jpg)
Division standings after the Tour Down Under:
1º TeamRHB 944 1 1 0
2º °Peachy°Melocotons 739 0 0 0
3º SPORTLIFE 554 1 0 0
4º WinterIsComing 504 0 0 0
5º SaulSalinasTeam 453 1 1 0
6º CaptainOrange 444 0 1 2
7º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 430 1 0 0
33º galegospolabici 110 0 0 0
34º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 104 0 0 0
35º Combuijs 100 0 0 0
36º Bikeos 100 0 0 0
A good start by some (more or less) Dutch teams. We are already in the red light district, which is normal after the Tour Down Under...
Meanwhile we have switched training to sprint again...
-
Come on, Combuijs, stay in this time! Get the youngster jersey or something? :)
-
In the battle against relegation we had some most welcome points, of course not by our youngsters:
Omloop het Nieuwsblad: 10. Garret Rose
Strade Bianchi: 17. Garret Rose
Paris-Nice
1st stage to Aix-en-Provence: 27. Oliver King
(https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ccimage-shutterstock_494841310.jpg)
The second stage brought the first win by Tilburg Terriers on the World Tour, of course thanks to Pascal Cruijff.
Division standing after the 2nd stage of Paris-Nice:
1º Cabrasverdes 1560 1 1 0
2º TeamRHB 1426 1 1 0
3º Zatarra 1398 1 1 1
4º °Peachy°Melocotons 1229 0 0 2
8º SaulSalinasTeam 821 1 1 0
9º WinterIsComing 750 0 0 0
10º SPORTLIFE 687 1 1 0
11º Wiggo_pupils 651 0 0 1
19º Flyvende_hjul 478 0 0 0
20º TilburgTerriërs 468 1 0 1
21º ProdopingPong 438 0 0 0
22º SentinelChickens 396 0 0 0
23º Combuijs 383 0 0 0
24º CC_Porco_Jones 381 0 0 0
35º Psychoedge 225 0 0 0
36º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 194 0 0 0
37º BorinotTeam 189 0 0 0
As usual at this time of the season we are outside the relegation zone. For now...
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Paris-Nice
4th stage: 13. Arjen Rutte
5th stage: 9. Oliver King
That was a very good result by Oliver King, but unfortunately sponsor Alert thought it was one place too low to sponsor us. Frankly, I don't know what they alert for in the first place...
Tirreno-Adriatico:
4th stage: 18. Rafael Szepesi accompanied by a nice lightbulb
5th stage to Salsomaggiore Terme: 23. Rafael Szepesi
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Terme_berzieri%2C_esterno_02.jpg/1280px-Terme_berzieri%2C_esterno_02.jpg)
In the GC we had Valentin Litenko on place 16, more than 4 minutes behind winner Melocoton Rafael Carlos Loinaz.
Division standings after the Tirreno-Adriatico:
1º °Peachy°Melocotons 2870 0 1 2
2º Cabrasverdes 2760 2 2 1
3º TeamRHB 1867 1 1 0
4º CaptainOrange 1780 1 1 2
5º Codex 1573 1 1 1
6º Zatarra 1563 1 1 1
7º WinterIsComing 1558 0 0 1
8º SPORTLIFE 1538 1 3 2
9º Wiggo_pupils 1435 0 0 1
27º Marcatone_Due 592 0 0 0
28º Combuijs 590 0 0 0
29º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 498 0 0 0
30º Ciclastur 475 0 0 0
Still on the right side of the red line and one place ahead of Bloemen aan de Mitte, so what else could we possibly want? To last it forever...
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Milan - San Remo:
Good results by Winter Is Coming (Vigo), Tilburg Terriërs (Cruyff), Zatarra (Isupov) and TeamRHB (Arno Verbeek). We can only say that this stage is just one hill too far for our Rafael Szepesi..
E3 Harelbeke: 7. Adam Neeskens 23. Garret Rose
In hindsight we might have used a slightly more attacking tactics, but we will settle for this.
(https://scontent-ams4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/10463847_1498292967070055_3455945510391983382_o.jpg?_nc_cat=100&_nc_sid=6e5ad9&_nc_ohc=xLcooEzKb0AAX8OV-im&_nc_ht=scontent-ams4-1.xx&oh=56caff38b687a9273119935d842344e0&oe=5F534A1F)
Volta Catalunya:
No results whatsoever yet, but we hope to change that this evening...
In Oliver King we have now a cyclist of which everyone says that you can't be more experienced than him.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/exp4.png)
For what it's worth Yvo van Straalen is now third in the UCI U23 Tour rankings, John Paxson has gone down to place 6.
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Volta Catalunya:
5th stage: 20. Tristan Prins
Gent-Wevelgem: 16. Adam Neeskens
Ronde van Vlaanderen: 14. Adam Neeskens
(https://cdn.touretappe.nl/images/ronde-van-vlaanderen/logo-vlaanderen.jpg)
Itzulia:
No points yet, although we hope Tristan Prins and Oliver King might take some...
Division standings after the 2nd stage in the Itzulia:
1º Cabrasverdes 5867 3 4 2
2º °Peachy°Melocotons 4972 1 1 3
3º Codex 3378 1 2 5
4º CaptainOrange 3267 3 1 2
5º Zatarra 3200 1 2 1
6º TeamRHB 3139 2 1 0
7º WinterIsComing 2973 2 0 1
8º Wiggo_pupils 2893 0 0 1
12º MortoviaCycling 2050 0 0 0
13º SPORTLIFE 2001 1 4 2
14º FaltososDeChigre 1976 0 0 1
15º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 1961 1 3 0
16º Valderend 1948 0 1 2
17º $Tourmalet 1838 3 0 0
18º TilburgTerriërs 1777 1 1 2
25º SentinelChickens 1132 0 0 0
26º Combuijs 1115 0 0 0
27º Thorboassonarvesen 1052 2 1 0
We are hanging on, but as this is usually our strongest part of the season, we should fear the worst...
We have switched our training to hills again...
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Itzulia:
3rd stage: 26. Oliver King
5th stage: 28. Oliver King
Paris-Roubaix: 24. Julius Maalderink
Tour de Romandie:
1st stage to Leukerbad: 26. Will Miller
(http://www.wallisgids.nl/foto/32/7/)
This indeed seems to be a leuker bad...
Not many points score and this is reflected in the division standings after the 1st stage in the Tour de Romandie:
1º Cabrasverdes 6918 3 5 2
2º °Peachy°Melocotons 6875 2 2 5
3º CaptainOrange 4868 5 3 2
4º TeamRHB 4696 4 1 0
5º WinterIsComing 4421 2 1 2
6º Wiggo_pupils 4032 0 1 2
7º Codex 4029 1 2 7
8º Zatarra 3785 1 2 1
9º CobbleCrushers 3288 3 0 1
13º Valderend 2692 0 1 2
14º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 2630 1 3 0
15º SPORTLIFE 2580 2 4 2
16º Flandria 2508 0 0 0
30º SaulSalinasTeam 1293 1 1 0
31º Combuijs 1212 0 0 0
32º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 1141 0 0 0
33º Catalonia_Team 1123 0 0 1
We are on the wrong side of the great divide. Only consolation is that Bloemen aan de Mitte is still behind us...
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At least you're in the hunt, and you don't have to worry about my cyclists fighting positions with yours (our cyclists don't compete).
-
Tour de Romandie:
2nd stage: 13. Julius Maalderink, 30. Arjen Rutte
4th stage: 17. Will Miller
5th stage: 26. Will Miller
In the GC Will finished on a nice 14th place...
Giro:
1st stage to Sestriere: 25. Will Miller
(http://www.palaceresidence.com/uploads/Slides/OKSestriere_Estate_grande_fissa.JPG_932x342.jpg)
Division standings after the first stage of the Giro:
1º °Peachy°Melocotons 8082 3 3 5
2º Cabrasverdes 7752 3 5 3
3º CaptainOrange 6147 5 4 2
4º TeamRHB 5137 4 2 0
5º WinterIsComing 5046 2 1 2
6º Codex 4451 1 2 7
7º Wiggo_pupils 4310 0 1 2
8º Zatarra 3918 1 2 1
9º Astanadena 3465 4 1 1
10º SPORTLIFE 3434 2 4 3
11º FaltososDeChigre 3423 1 0 1
24º SentinelChickens 2241 0 0 0
25º Aurora_Australis 2188 2 2 2
26º TilburgTerriërs 2023 1 1 2
27º Caracoles 1673 0 1 2
28º ProCyclingTeam10 1566 0 0 0
29º CC_Porco_Jones 1511 0 0 1
30º Combuijs 1410 0 0 0
31º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 1379 0 0 0
32º Catalonia_Team 1357 0 0 1
33º SaulSalinasTeam 1330 1 1 0
This time the coin has fallen on the right side, we are above the relegation line for the time being. And that time might be very short...
On the bright side: Yvo van Straalen is now considered the best tour rider of his age. John Paxson is on number 9.
-
Some good results and very useful points in the Giro:
2nd stage: 10. Will Miller
4th stage: 19. Will Miller, 25. Valentin Litenko
5th stage to Santa Maria del Cedro: 5. Rafel Szepesi, 22. Dénes Nemcsik
(https://s.iha.com/00171390926/Santa-maria-del-cedro-Uitzicht-op-san-nicola-arcella-in-de-buurt-van-sant-maria-del-cedro.jpeg)
In the GC Will Miller is 15th, almost 3 minutes behind Captain Orange leader Antony Hilton.
-
In the second part of the Giro we did not score any points, Will Miller finished 26th on almost 10 minutes from the glorious winner Anthony Hilton.
Dauphine Libere:
5th stage to Belley: 23. Rafael Szepesi
(https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2013/08/29/22/31/belley-177133_960_720.jpg)
We simply had a too small selection to be able to compete seriously in the Dauphine, which leads inevitably to...
Division standings after the Dauphine Libere:
1º °Peachy°Melocotons 10622 3 4 5
2º Cabrasverdes 8957 3 6 3
3º CaptainOrange 8750 6 5 2
4º WinterIsComing 6369 2 2 2
5º TeamRHB 6338 5 3 1
6º Wiggo_pupils 5216 0 1 2
7º Codex 5184 2 2 7
8º SPORTLIFE 4924 2 4 5
9º Astanadena 4915 4 1 1
10º Valderend 4581 3 3 3
14º galegospolabici 4149 2 3 1
15º Zatarra 3981 1 2 1
16º ProdopingPong 3620 0 0 0
17º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 3543 2 4 0
18º Aurora_Australis 3537 4 4 3
19º Flyvende_hjul 3528 1 1 1
31º ProCyclingTeam10 1962 0 0 0
32º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 1898 0 0 0
33º skunk 1834 0 0 0
34º Catalonia_Team 1750 0 0 1
35º Combuijs 1738 0 0 0
36º Shiro_Lions 1650 1 1 0
O dear, we are behind Bloemen aan de Mitte, the shame. And we are quite far from staying on the World Tour too...
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(https://i.imgur.com/SsyN3kQ.jpg)
Amazing victory of Tristan Prins in the Mont Ventoux TdF stage 7, very well done Combuijs ! 8)
The very first win in the career of your royal cyclist, ánd the very first big tour stage victory ever of your team, what is awesome too.
Good luck in trying to defeat the relegation ghost this season, at the moment just 329 points behind.
Although it will be very difficult in my opinion, because there are many rival teams who are also very close in points.
Of course, an excellent victory such as you did today, for sure helps. :)
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Tour of Switzerland:
2nd stage: 26. Oliver King
5th stage: 30. Oliver King
In the GC Oliver King finished 20th.
Tour de France:
1st stage: 29. Oliver King
2nd stage: 9. Arjen Rutte, 21. Julius Maalderink
3rd stage: 19: Oliver King
4th stage: 28. Oliver King
6th stage: 11. Arjen Rutte, 28. Julius Maalderink
7th stage to Loriol: 1. Tristan Prins, 25. Oliver King
Well, we will be going down again, but not without a fight! Tristan Prins gives us the first stage win in a grand Tour! So, in a way, our season is a success... It took us a while to find that great Magnum Bottle of Combuijs Honey Ale to celebrate it!
(https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/18/7f/55/6a/received-693154384488140.jpg)
Oliver King is 18th in the GC on 6 minutes behind takes-it-all-winner Anthony Hilton (Captain Orange). He won't finish within the first 20, but it's still a nice place. Maybe Arjen Rutte can do something on place 34, but most likely he will finish just out of the top 20.
Division standings after the 8th stage of the Tour de France:
1º °Peachy°Melocotons 12173 3 5 8
2º Cabrasverdes 10008 4 6 3
3º CaptainOrange 9694 8 6 2
4º WinterIsComing 7369 3 2 3
5º TeamRHB 7362 5 3 1
6º SPORTLIFE 6939 4 6 7
7º Wiggo_pupils 5710 0 1 3
8º Valderend 5587 3 5 4
9º Astanadena 5562 5 1 1
12º galegospolabici 5077 2 4 1
13º Zatarra 4957 2 3 1
14º MortoviaCycling 4888 0 0 0
16º FaltososDeChigre 4561 1 0 1
17º Aurora_Australis 4518 5 4 3
18º ProdopingPong 4276 0 0 0
30º cave 2671 1 0 3
31º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 2542 0 0 0
32º Caracoles 2473 0 1 5
33º skunk 2443 0 0 1
34º Combuijs 2342 1 0 0
35º ProCyclingTeam10 2304 0 0 0
Hopefully the second corona wave will take a bit longer, so that we can win 4 places somehow. And of course we hope we can pass Bloemen aan de Mitte, but if we can't, let's hope they will stay on the World Tour...
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Tour de France:
9th stage: 13. Arjen Rutte
10th stage: 3. Arjen Rutte, 13. Julius Maalderink
Arjen Rutte makes it a great Tour de France for us by finishing 3rd in the 10th stage and finishing 15th in the GC. And even Oliver King gets place 19 in the GC.
GP San Sebastian: 20. Tristan Prins
Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
2nd stage around Breskens: 6. Arjen Rutte, 24. Julius Maalderink
(https://imgz.rgcdn.nl/a9f54bc511d64cd3b2f28e861e3f1304/opener/Spuiplein-Breskens-foto-Wikipedia-Commons.jpg?v=z8ezoEU4jaTGys4VGtmwRg2)
In the GC Arjen Rutte is 12th, and while the hill sprint won't be the problem, the time trial will...
Division standings after the 3rd stage of the Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
1º °Peachy°Melocotons 13752 4 6 8
2º CaptainOrange 11309 8 6 4
3º Cabrasverdes 11153 5 6 3
4º TeamRHB 8187 5 3 1
5º WinterIsComing 8016 4 2 3
6º SPORTLIFE 7364 4 6 8
7º Wiggo_pupils 6156 0 1 3
8º Valderend 6013 3 5 4
9º Marcatone_Due 5954 1 1 3
13º FaltososDeChigre 5527 1 1 1
14º Zatarra 5410 2 4 2
15º Codex 5184 2 2 7
18º CobbleCrushers 4765 5 1 2
19º Aurora_Australis 4716 5 4 4
20º Flandria 4421 0 0 0
27º TilburgTerriërs 3293 2 2 2
28º Thorboassonarvesen 3292 5 2 2
29º Combuijs 2973 1 0 1
30º skunk 2925 0 0 1
31º Shiro_Lions 2859 1 1 1
32º cave 2841 1 0 3
33º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 2796 0 0 0
34º ProCyclingTeam10 2492 0 1 0
And lo and behold, we are out of the relegation zone again! Good news this late in the season. Now, what will be the situation about this time next week?
Meanwhile we have switched training again to the hobble cobblestones...
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I fear that was the final time out of the red zone this season.
-
Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
3rd stage:
In the GC Arjen Rutte finishes 10th, a good result!
Vuelta:
7th stage to Ribeira Sacra: 22. Adam Neeskens
(https://static01.nyt.com/images/2009/07/15/dining/15pour600.1.jpg?quality=90&auto=webp)
Division standings after the 7th stage of the Vuelta:
1º °Peachy°Melocotons 14356 4 6 9
2º CaptainOrange 12021 8 7 5
3º Cabrasverdes 11829 5 6 3
4º WinterIsComing 8947 4 2 3
5º TeamRHB 8577 6 3 1
6º SPORTLIFE 8243 4 7 8
7º Wiggo_pupils 6860 0 1 4
10º Valderend 6485 3 6 4
11º FaltososDeChigre 6311 1 1 1
12º Aurora_Australis 6292 6 5 5
13º MortoviaCycling 6013 0 0 0
14º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 5931 5 7 0
15º Zatarra 5808 2 4 2
16º ProdopingPong 5755 0 1 0
30º Thorboassonarvesen 3437 5 2 2
31º skunk 3202 0 0 1
32º Combuijs 3131 1 0 1
33º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 3032 0 0 0
34º Caracoles 2822 0 2 6
Wrong side of the red line again. We still have a little bit of hope to stay in, but we need all the luck of Ilnur Zakarin while going downhill.
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Wrong side of the red line again. We still have a little bit of hope to stay in, but we need all the luck of Ilnur Zakarin while going downhill.
;D ;D
I saw that Nans Peeters was saying that he was going downhill like a goat. So I wish you all the luck you need to stay in 1st division this season! :)
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Vuelta:
8th stage: 16. Dénes Nemcsik
9th stage: 8. Adam Neeskens, 19. Garret Rose
10th stage: 5. Adam Neeskens, 16. Garret Rose
Giro di Lombardia: 22. Tristan Prins
(http://www.steephill.tv/2016/giro-di-lombardia/145120_92175bef-872d-4dc1-84a0-878a253a076b-775.jpg)
Well, the final stages went as good as they could get, but to no avail...
Final Division standings:
1º °Peachy°Melocotons 17521 4 8 9
2º CaptainOrange 13692 9 7 5
3º Cabrasverdes 12920 5 6 4
4º TeamRHB 10653 7 3 2
5º WinterIsComing 10537 4 3 3
6º SPORTLIFE 9388 4 7 8
7º Aurora_Australis 9122 7 5 6
8º galegospolabici 8051 2 5 2
9º FaltososDeChigre 7651 1 1 1
10º Wiggo_pupils 7635 0 1 4
11º Valderend 7597 3 6 6
12º Zatarra 7093 3 5 2
13º Marcatone_Due 7034 1 1 3
14º ProdopingPong 6953 0 1 0
15º Astanadena 6937 5 1 2
16º MortoviaCycling 6896 0 0 0
17º QuintoYtapa 6381 0 2 1
18º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 6359 5 7 0
19º CobbleCrushers 6140 6 3 2
20º $Tourmalet 5508 4 0 0
21º CC_Porco_Jones 5303 0 1 3
22º SentinelChickens 5210 0 0 0
23º Codex 5184 2 2 7
24º Flandria 5006 0 0 0
25º KunTeam 4913 2 3 0
26º Shiro_Lions 4388 3 1 2
27º TilburgTerriërs 4138 4 2 2
28º Thorboassonarvesen 4057 5 2 2
29º cave 3685 1 1 3
30º Caracoles 3617 0 2 6
31º Flyvende_hjul 3612 1 1 1
32º Combuijs 3566 1 0 1
33º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 3545 0 0 0
34º skunk 3317 0 0 1
35º Catalonia_Team 3107 0 0 1
36º ProCyclingTeam10 3088 0 1 0
37º BorinotTeam 2782 1 1 0
38º Ciclastur 2382 0 1 0
39º Bergtoppers 2209 0 0 0
40º Aropumarin 2128 0 0 0
41º Bikeos 1935 0 0 0
42º SaulSalinasTeam 1513 1 1 1
43º Moderdonia 1503 0 0 1
44º Psychoedge 930 0 0 0
45º Barrioska 804 0 0 0
46º LaGuardia 233 0 0 0
47º Wizards 82 0 0 0
48º ChronoTony 0 0 0 0
49º Atlantico 0 0 0 0
50º VP5 0 0 0 0
Ilnur Zakarin is still in the Tour, but we are out of the World Tour. (I think Nans Peters is wrong, goats can go downhill much better than Ilnur...).
So, basically we were second best... of the relegating teams. The only small consolation is that we finished in front of Bloemen aan de Mitte.
Individual rider ranking:
1º Anthony Hilton 29 5899 CaptainOrange 1 4 1
2º Rafael Carlos Loinaz 29 5315 °Peachy°Melocotons 0 1 0
3º Arno Verbeek 28 4070 TeamRHB 5 2 1
4º Alex Riis 29 2948 Astanadena 0 1 2
5º Leonid Leonov 28 2863 CobbleCrushers 3 2 1
6º Ivan Semon 29 2845 MortoviaCycling 0 0 0
7º Antonello Lorenzetto 29 2832 Marcatone_Due 1 1 2
8º Yannick Pierre 29 2716 CobbleCrushers 3 1 1
9º Noah Nelisse 29 1917 Cabrasverdes 0 2 2
10º Pascal Cruyff 26 1910 TilburgTerriërs 4 2 2
Individual Combuijs Honey Ale rankings:
Arjen Rutte 29 778 666
Adam Neeskens 29 693 555
Tristan Prins 29 482 856
Garret Rose 29 425 002
Will Miller 29 283 123
Oliver King 29 271 487
Julius Maalderink 29 243 773
Rafael Szepesi 29 195 992
Dénes Nemcsik 29 121 001
Valentin Litenko 29 75 220
Of course this will have consequences, we will put our sprinters train on the transfer list.
There is still some good news:
Hidde Daelman got his a bronze statue for cobblestones, Yvo van Straalen got one for Tour riding.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/adoquinbronce.jpg) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/vueltabronce.jpg)
Yvo is still considered the best Tour rider of his age.
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It's a sad day to see you relegate to 2nd division. :'(
We'll be looking forward to your presence in 1st division in Season 13. :)
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Hopefully next season in the same division, i want revenge ;)
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You will get revenge as we are in the same division! Nice!!
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A new season, a new start and, well, a new cup round. In Revel we said goodbye to our sprint train Rafael Szepesi and Dénes Nemcsik but not before they had eliminated ZBT's riders. So we go into round 2 where we meet Ikibasque in a cobble race. That could have been worse, but still, those Basques are familiar with bad roads, I fear.
Tour Down Under:
1st stage: 8. Julius Maalderink
2nd stage to Willunga Hill: 24. Julius Maalderink
(https://adelaidehillclimbs.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/willunga-sv-3.png?w=479&h=266)
In the GC Julius is 9th now. He will finish lower, but still should get some points.
We have switch to sprint training again, to the delight of many after being tortured on cobblestones...
We of course wish our opponents a lot of fun in this new season and a lot of success in finishing behind us!
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Tour Down Under:
5th stage to Campbell Town: 21. Julius Maalderink
(https://www.weekendnotes.com/im/004/09/campbelltown-library-school-holiday-program-south-3.jpg)
In the GC Julius finished 8th, 1:25 after winner András Hartmann (ICSluj). That was rather unexpected...
Division standings after the Tour Down Under:
1º Denver 1188 3 1 0
2º ICSluj 934 0 0 0
3º Periquitos 917 1 0 0
4º Kelme4ever 821 0 1 1
5º Ciclastur 757 0 1 0
6º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 730 0 0 1
7º Barrioska 640 0 0 0
12º HorsCategorieProTeam 388 0 0 0
13º Combuijs 279 0 0 0
14º skippy 239 0 0 0
So, we are 13th after the tour that does not fit us at all... That looks promising for the future.
Our sprint train did not sell, so they have been placed on the transfer market again. To all potential buyers: both are free of corona. We use the same tests as in the Tour de France...
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Omloop het Nieuwsblad: 4. Garret Rose, 14. Julius Maalderink
Strade Bianchi: 1. Garret Rose, 10. Arjen Rutte
Our first win this season, may there be more to come... In the Omloop Garret just beated former Combuijs Honey Ale rider Ádám Balogh. In both races Denver just missed out on the win with Gaultier van den Wijngaart and Kamile Anneessens.
Paris-Nice:
1st stage: 19. Oliver King
2nd stage to Biot: 12. Oliver King, 13. Will Miller
(https://www.biot-tourisme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/photo-page-std-patrimoine-historique-et-culturel-2-histoire-de-biot-1600x900.jpg)
In the GC Oliver is 5th and Will is 13th. Leader is Ciclastur's Paul Hamilton.
Division standings after the 2nd stage of Paris-Nice:
1º Van_pintxaos 2302 1 0 2
2º Denver 2235 3 3 0
3º Ciclastur 1572 0 1 0
4º Combuijs 1478 1 0 0
5º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 1335 1 0 2
6º Periquitos 1310 1 1 0
Several bids on the sprint train now, with curiously Dénes Nemcsik being slightly more popular than Rafael Szepesi.
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In the cup we had a nice surprise as Julius Maalderink won the final sprint against Ikibasque Daan Aerts in San Vendemiano. It has been a long time ago that we were in the third round. We are now up against $Tourmalet in a mountain hill race, so we are not without a chance.
Paris-Nice:
3rd stage: 6. Oliver King
4th stage: 26. Oliver King
In the GC Oliver finishes 5th, 1:09 behind winner Alvaro Vaca (Kelme 4 ever)
Tirreno Adriatico:
1st stage to Cascina: 22. Valentin Litenko
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/SantaMariaCascina.JPG/250px-SantaMariaCascina.JPG)
(This place is called Cascina in real life, but in CFF it goes under the name of Cascinia...)
No heavy point scoring at the moment and this is reflected in the division standings after the 3rd stage of the Tirreno Adriatico:
1º Denver 3333 6 5 0
2º Van_pintxaos 2950 2 0 2
3º Ciclastur 2343 0 1 0
4º Kelme4ever 2271 1 1 1
5º Periquitos 2149 1 1 0
6º Fiestina 1988 0 2 2
7º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 1881 1 0 4
8º Combuijs 1840 1 0 0
9º ICSluj 1630 1 1 0
Oddly enough Dénes Nemcsik went for more money than Rafael Szepesi, the latter being a better sprinter, the former probably more versatile. Rafael is now cycling for Estoparia on the Continental Pro Tour, Dénes for Pucela Cycling Team on the Continental Tour.
Our youth academy have produced a nice potential tour rider, Yvo Boelhouwers and a potential cobble hill rider, Bas Waterreus. Check them out and see if you like them!
Meanwhile Yvo van Straalen has deserved two silver statues for mountain and tour riding!
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/montanaplata.jpg) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/vueltaplata.jpg)
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Tirreno Adriatico:
4th stage: 10. Oliver King, 26. Valentin Litenko
5th stage: 2. Oliver King, 26. Yvo van Straalen
First points for our 23 year old talent Yvo! In the GC Oliver finished 4th and Valentin surprisingly 17th.
Milan-San Remo: 9. Julius Maalderink, 22. Adam Neeskens
We never score that good in Milan-San Remo, but this season is an exception, especially as we have sold our sprint train.
E3 Harelbeke: 7. Adam Neeskens
First favourite Adam Neeskens fell asleep in the hilly section, and he never could return to the front.
(https://www.e3binckbankclassic.be/files/uploads/2020/E3-2020-Groep.jpg)
Division standings after the E3:
1º Denver 4741 7 6 0
2º Van_pintxaos 3928 2 1 2
3º Ciclastur 3652 1 1 0
4º Periquitos 3535 2 2 1
5º Kelme4ever 2963 1 1 2
6º Combuijs 2820 1 1 0
7º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 2736 2 0 4
Going up, but we are still not where we want to be...
Yvo Boelhouwers is now looking for a future as a builder, Bas Waterreus was sold for the asking price to World Tour team Codex.
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Volta Catalunya:
1st stage: 7. Oliver King
2nd stage: 23. Oliver King
3rd stage: 8. Oliver King
4th stage: 13. Tristan Prins, 20. Oliver King
In the GC Oliver King finishes 2nd on 37 seconds from Ciclastur Paul Hamilton.
Dwars door Vlaanderen: 17. Adam Neeskens
Ronde van Vlaanderen: 5. Adam Neeskens
Itzulia:
1st stage: 1. Tristan Prins, 22. Oliver King
2nd stage: 1. Tristan Prins, 20. Oliver King
3rd stage: 23. Yvo van Straalen, 30. Oliver King
4th stage: 7. Tristan Prins
5th stage: 1. Tristan Prins, 27. Oliver King
Three wins by Tristan Prins and a 7th place, but it was not enough to clinch the GC as his time trial was horrible. He finished 3rd on 13 seconds from winner Eduardo Javier Hierro (Fiestina), Oliver was 15th. 23 year old Yvo van Straalen scores his first points for us!
In this division there are very good cobblehillers, but apparently no hill climbers.
Parijs-Roubaix: 8. Julius Maalderink
Amstel Gold Race: 12. Adam Neeskens
Waalse Pijl: 24. Adam Neeskens
Luik-Bastenaken-Luik: 15. Adam Neeskens
(https://ardennen.nl/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Montagne-de-Bueren-in-Luik.jpg)
Division standings after the hill classics:
1º Denver 8907 9 9 1
2º Van_pintxaos 7566 2 2 5
3º Ciclastur 7546 1 4 2
4º Fiestina 6480 2 2 4
5º HorsCategorieProTeam 5976 0 3 2
6º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 5701 4 1 5
7º Combuijs 5348 4 1 0
8º Periquitos 5338 3 2 2
On the wrong side of Bloemen aan de Mitte and on the wrong side of the promotion line, but it is still a long way to the World Championships.
We have sold 19 year old Erwin Hartlooper to Cobble Crushers for more than 6 million. A wise buy I think as he had lots of interesting middle stats. No need to tell their manager that it was probably the only bid... Now let's hope for the Crushers that Hartlooper is not a dead runner...
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Tour de Romandie:
1st stage: 7. Oliver King, 29. Will Miller
2nd stage: 8. Oliver King, 27. Will Miller
5th stage: 10. Oliver King
A nice second place for Oliver in the GC, Will finishes 19th.
Eschborn-Frankfurt: 22. Valentin Litenko
Giro:
1st stage: 3. Valentin Litenko, 19. Yvo van Straalen, 23. Arjen Rutte
2nd stage: 3. Arjen Rutte, 6. Julius Maalderink
3rd stage: 16. Arjen Rutte, 21. Julius Maalderink
4th stage: 4. Arjen Rutte, 22. Julius Maalderink
5th stage: 18. Valentin Litenko
6th stage: 1. Arjen Rutte, 8. Julius Maalderink
8th stage: 5. Valentin Litenko, 26. Yvo van Straalen, 30. Hidde Daelman
10th stage: 12. Arjen Rutte
First points for Hidde Daelman!
In the GC Arjan finished 11th, Valentin 14th.
And then? A long break as real life took over. After more than a week of terrible headaches it appeared I suffered a cerebral haemorrhage (Dutch: hersenbloeding). An emergency operation safed my life and more, it seems for now that speech, thought and physical presence are all pretty normal. So I really am a lucky bastard, albeit a very tired one.
After a while I even had time for CFF again.
GP San Sebestian: 3. Tristan Prins, 16. Oliver King
Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
1st stage: 26. Julius Maalderink
2nd stage: 21. Adam Neeskens
3rd stage: 2. Adam Neeskens, 10. Julius Maalderink
4th stage: 20. Adam Neeskens
5th stage: 4. Julius Maalderink, 7. Adam Neeskens
In the GC Adam finishes 4th, Julius Maalderink 6th.
Vuelta:
1st stage 9. Oliver King
3rd stage: 1. Oliver King
5th stage: 30. Oliver King
6th stage: 11. Oliver King
Oliver King is 6h now in the GC, Will Miller 19th.
Division standings after stage 7 of the Vuelta:
1º Denver 16570 22 17 4
2º Fiestina 16235 5 6 6
3º Ciclastur 15780 5 7 4
4º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 15758 9 9 10
5º Kelme4ever 12688 4 5 8
6º Van_pintxaos 12599 3 6 8
7º HorsCategorieProTeam 12204 2 4 3
8º Barrioska 11643 1 2 2
9º Periquitos 11396 5 3 4
10º Combuijs 9559 6 2 3
11º RajenKujen 9435 5 5 4
So, no promotion this season, and to be fair, even without the forced break I doubt we would have promoted, as this was a very strong division.
Good news on the training front. Yvo van Straalen could still be trained in the way I wanted and he has deserved a golden tour statue. He is now reckoned to be with the best 30 tour riders within the UCI.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/vueltaoro.jpg)
There were bronze tour statues for Hidde Daelman, Colin Cann, Leroy van den Borre, Bart Kerkhof and Guido Keizer.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/vueltabronce.jpg)
And silver statues for John Paxson, Gary Fredickson and Friso Vonk.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/vueltaplata.jpg)
Only Jeroen Vonk did not deserve a tour statue yet...
We have switched to hill training and just recently we are doing just a little bit of downhill training.
We have decided to sell tour riders Will Miller and Valentin Litenko. They form a nice pair and will be able to get many points on the (Pro) Continental Tour.
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Heavy stuff Combuijs, glad you are back
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Heavy stuff indeed! Get well!
Ps. You can always preregister for races and put in tactics 15 races ahead of time.
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A very serious matter, Combuijs. Good you survived and even don't have severe damage, indeed very fortunate. Heel veel sterkte ! :-*
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Good to see you survived all this and you don't seem to have any complications. Pff...
Sterkte met het herstel inderdaad! :)
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Vuelta:
86th stage: 16. Oliver King
9th stage: 12. Oliver King
10th stage: 16. Oliver King
Oliver King finished 7th in the GC, more than 3 minutes behind Periquitos Allan Frøyland. That was enough to satisfy Apple to give us a sponsor deal. An Apple smartphone for all our riders then...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/apple.jpg)
Giro de Lombardia: 3. Tristan Prins, 27. Oliver King
(https://www.desmaakvanitalie.nl/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/mariya-georgieva-45636-unsplash.jpg)
Final division standings:
1º Denver 19954 25 17 4
2º Ciclastur 18358 6 9 4
3º Fiestina 18008 5 6 6
4º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 16666 9 9 10
5º HorsCategorieProTeam 14803 2 5 3
6º Kelme4ever 14751 4 5 9
7º Barrioska 14343 2 2 2
8º Periquitos 14297 5 3 4
9º Van_pintxaos 13597 4 7 8
10º Combuijs 10509 6 2 4
11º RajenKujen 10470 5 5 4
12º beerkes 6985 1 1 1
13º TeamSerfin 6819 0 0 8
14º Fliegende_Flyers 6146 1 1 4
15º ICSluj 6061 1 2 2
16º Lugnanese 5214 1 1 1
17º SAGASAI 4665 0 0 0
18º skippy 4590 0 0 1
19º Estoparia 4583 0 0 0
20º ChessPower 4568 1 4 4
21º ItaliaCycling 4431 7 2 2
22º VILLESVENSKAS 3999 2 1 1
23º Alla01 3663 0 3 2
24º Galletto 3574 0 3 1
25º Gernika 3184 0 0 3
26º Paquetazos 3171 1 1 1
27º PucelaBike 2483 1 1 0
28º Frenkie 2298 1 0 1
29º MaxPappis 2137 0 0 0
30º Animatoca 2046 0 0 0
31º Mir 1865 0 0 0
32º Sabeco 1606 0 0 0
33º Matteorube 1413 0 0 0
34º Flyvende_hjul 1075 1 1 1
35º Aretabeti 822 0 0 0
36º Pitisitos 723 0 0 0
37º Pedalaepasta 689 0 0 0
38º KoekwousKevers 556 0 0 0
39º team_piroshki 506 0 0 0
40º Jinchos 200 0 0 0
41º JGMTeam 160 0 0 0
42º Ciclon 122 0 0 0
43º BOS 75 0 0 0
44º Ambrì 73 0 0 0
45º Caeiro 47 0 0 0
46º SparCanToTe 0 0 0 0
47º Notarioteam 0 0 0 0
48º GarruTeam 0 0 0 0
49º NormanTeam 0 0 0 0
50º Ares 0 0 0 0
Congratulations to Denver, he held out until the very end this time. Good luck to all promoted teams on the World Tour, I hope to see you back there next season.
Individual rankings:
1º Norbert Buijs 24 4730 BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 2 2 0
2º Mihails Pumpurs 30 4073 Van_pintxaos 2 3 4
3º Allan Frøyland 29 3819 Periquitos 0 2 2
4º Alvaro Vaca 30 3595 Kelme4ever 1 1 0
5º Abrahan Saavedra 30 3590 Barrioska 1 2 1
6º Oliver King 30 3340 Combuijs 1 1 0
7º Gaultier van den Wijngaert 24 3241 Denver 4 2 0
8º Steinar Jonsson 30 3215 Ciclastur 2 2 0
9º Denis Usov 30 3050 HorsCategorieProTeam 1 1 1
10º Hannes Pass 30 2852 ICSluj 1 2 2
32º Tristan Prins 30 1590 Combuijs 3 0 2
38º Adam Neeskens 30 1463 Combuijs 0 1 0
39º Julius Maalderink 30 1444 Combuijs 0 0 0
Congratulations to Bloemen aan de Mitte with this fantastic result with a 24 year old. Of course he could not miss out the title with this family name...
Other Combuijs Honey Ale riders:
Arjen Rutte 30 1081 767
Garret Rose 30 775 102
Valentin Litenko 30 615 221
Yvo VanStraalen 23 98 000
Hidde Daelman 23 13 000
At the end of the season there were silver statues for Colin Cann and Guido Keizer.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/vueltaplata.jpg)
Yvo van Straalen is now considered to be the 23rd tour rider of the world.
Will Miller was sold to Continental Tour team cicciano. We might have to sack Valentin Litenko, a much underrated rider. We will give him another selling chance...
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Oh my, Combuijs. I hope you're recovering quickly and be able to do all the things you want to do very soon again!
(Except for beating me in the CFF Cup of course... although that doesn't seem to be such a hard job for ya...)
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Right, a new season, and a new try to get to the World Tour. We have the traditional start, e.g. hardly any points in the Tour Down Under, but we are there when the season really starts:
Tour Down Under:
1st stage: 22. Tristan Prins
3rd stage: 16. Julius Maalderink
5th stage: 22. Julius Maalderink
Omloop het Nieuwsblad: 3. Garret Rose, 19. Julius Maalderink, 20. Arjen Rutte
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Koepoort%2Cfrontside%2C_ninove%2C_belgium.jpg/220px-Koepoort%2Cfrontside%2C_ninove%2C_belgium.jpg)
Division standings after the Omloop:
1º Periquitos 2005 2 0 2
2º GMV_Cycling 1312 0 3 0
3º ZG 917 0 0 0
4º RajenKujen 836 0 1 0
5º Kelme4ever 827 1 1 1
9º Barrioska 619 0 0 0
10º Combuijs 561 0 0 1
11º Moteam 553 0 0 0
In the cup the corona crisis prevented Zatarra to go to Australia, so our "hillsprinters" could ride in quarantaine to the win. We are now up against world tour team OphiukoCT in that always difficult Eschborn-Frankfurt race.
Meanwhile we have sold Valentin Litenko to World Tour Team Cremy. A cheap and wise buy, he should be able to score some points for them, even on that level.
We also seem to be more attractive for sponsors now, although the deals are not really stacking up at the moment.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/prestigio2.jpg)
We got a compliment for our international scouting team. What for? I have no idea to be honest. Be sure to check our youngsters out though, they are for sale.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/buenoje2.png)
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Strade Bianchi: 3. Garret Rose, 11. Arjen Rutte, 12. Julius Maalderink
Paris-Nice:
1st stage: 24. Yvo van Straalen
2nd stage: 15. Yvo van Straalen
3rd stage: 5. Yvo van Straalen with an enlightened tactic
4th stage to Biot: 7. Yvo van Straalen
(https://www.labastidedebiot.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/week-end-hotel-proche-marineland-village-de-biot-hotel-provence-4-etoiles-bastide-1255x627.jpg)
In the GC Yvo van Straalen reached 3rd place, his first podium. The difference with winner Allan Frøyland (Periquitos) was made in the final stage, Allan being the better sprinter. So, satisfied with the result.
Division standings after Paris-Nice:
1º Periquitos 3044 2 1 2
2º Kelme4ever 2558 2 2 1
3º GMV_Cycling 2526 0 4 1
4º ZG 2217 2 1 0
5º RajenKujen 1761 0 1 1
6º Combuijs 1729 0 0 2
7º ICSluj 1376 0 0 1
That's much better, we are in contention right now. Just keep up the good work.
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Tirreno Adriatico:
1st stage: 2. Oliver King, 6. Trisan Prins
2nd stage: 19. Oliver King, 29. Tristan Prins
3rd stage to Sestola: 3. Oliver King
(https://images.italy-villas.nl/ccontent_page/5327621410193007xx/large/sestola.jpg)
These results were good enough for a 16th place of Oliver in the GC, a solid 3 minutes from winner Allan Frøyland (again...). It is notable that we don't excel in flat sprint races for our GC riders. OK, Oliver has no sprint qualities, but Yvo van Straalen is not without them. It has probably something to do with ignoring teamwork skills and with our director Sander Peebo having no team spirit skills at all.
Division standings after the Tirreno Adriatico:
1º Periquitos 3900 3 1 2
2º Kelme4ever 3151 2 3 2
3º GMV_Cycling 3027 1 4 2
4º ZG 2785 2 1 0
5º Combuijs 2132 0 1 3
6º RajenKujen 2025 0 1 1
We are on the right side of the promotion line, but the gap in front of us is much bigger than the gap behind us. So, still a lot of work to do.
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Milan-San Remo: 7. Julius Maalderink, 20. Adam Neeskens
E3 Harelbeke: 3. Adam Neeskens, 15. Julius Maalderink, 23. Garret Rose
Relative good results in San Remo, but relative less results in Harelbeke where Adam started as the favourite to beat. But if you are looking for 3rd places:
Volta Catalunya:
2nd stage: 15. Yvo van Straalen
3rd stage: 6. Yvo van Straalen
4th stage: 3. Yvo van Straalen, 11. Gary Fredickson
5th stage to Vallter 2000: 3. Yvo van Straalen, 28. Gary Fredickson
(https://www.catalunyapress.es/images/showid2/3299634?w=1200&zc=4)
In the GC Yvo van Straalen finishes 4th place almost two minutes behind winner Toivo Puu (Kelme4ever). Gary Fredickson gets 23rd place and as expected is a very good helper for Yvo.
Division standings after the Volta:
1º Kelme4ever 4956 4 3 3
2º Periquitos 4952 3 2 2
3º GMV_Cycling 4520 2 4 3
4º ZG 3887 2 3 0
5º RajenKujen 3636 1 2 1
6º Combuijs 3583 0 1 6
7º Barrioska 2628 0 0 1
Now just out of promotion, but there is not a big gap between Rajen Kujen, ZG and us.
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Gent - Wevelgem: 1. Adam Neeskens, 14. Julius Maalderink
Dwars door Vlaanderen: 1. Adam Neeskens, 12. Julius Maalderink, 15. Garret Rose
Ronde van Vlaanderen: 6. Adam Neeskens, 24. Garret Rose, 25. Julius Maalderink
Itzulia:
1st stage: 13. Gary Fredickson
2nd stage: 3. Gary Fredickson, 17. Friso Vonk, 23. Jeroen Vonk
3rd stage: 1. Adam Neeskens, 7. Garret Rose, 29. Gary Fredickson
4th stage: 2. Gary Fredickson, 22. Friso Vonk, 24. Jeroen Vonk
5th stage to Arrate: 6. Gary Fredickson
(https://tourism.euskadi.eus/contenidos/h_cultura_y_patrimonio/0000012927_h5_rec_turismo/en_12927/images/eibar_arrate_h.jpg)
In the GC Gary is first, that's our first GC win this season, and his first in his career. Friso is 16th.
So 3 wins plus a GC win, that results in these division standings after the Itzulia:
1º Kelme4ever 7170 5 5 4
2º Combuijs 6563 3 2 7
3º Periquitos 6457 4 3 3
4º GMV_Cycling 5655 2 4 3
5º ZG 5244 2 3 0
6º RajenKujen 4876 3 2 2
Now, that's more like it, second place and a serious gap to place 6. Apparently GMV Cycling has fallen asleep...
We have switched training to technique again.
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Combuijs Honey Ale Race: 13. Adam Neeskens
Waalse Pijl: 22. Adam Neeskens
Luik-Bastenaken-Luik: 13. Adam Neeskens
As expected, not many points but every point counts.
Tour de Romandie:
1st stage: 27. John Paxson
2nd stage: 24. Gary Fredickson
3rd stage: 2. Arjen Rutte
4th stage: 24. Gary Fredickson, 10. Julius Maalderink, 24. Gary Fredickson
5th stage around Montreux: 15. Julius Maalderink, 19. Arjen Rutte, 28. Gary Fredickson
While we basically went for stages, in the GC Gary finished 4th on 1:43 from Moteam winner Kieran Williams. Friso Vonk finished 13th, John Paxson very carefully 21st, just outside the points.
(https://bulgarianonthego.blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/things_to_do_in_montreux_chillion_castle-1440x960.jpg)
Division standings after Romandie:
1º Kelme4ever 10284 6 9 5
2º Periquitos 9000 6 3 4
3º GMV_Cycling 8303 4 5 5
4º Combuijs 7959 3 3 8
5º ZG 7429 5 3 1
6º RajenKujen 6206 3 2 3
Back to 4th, but still a considerable gap with number 6. GMV Cycling has woken up again...
We have sold some youngsters, notably Gert Ridder to Vicam, Yorick van Nieuwkoop to Lotto Granadier and Govert Schenk to Lotto Stelvio. May they all prosper.
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Eschborn-Frankfurt: 12. Friso Vonk
Giro:
1st stage: 1. Adam Neeskens, 4. Arjen Rutte, 29. Oliver King
2nd stage: 12. Arjen Rutte, 26. Oliver King
3rd stage: 19. Arjen Rutte, 22. Adam Neeskens
4th stage: 7. Oliver King, 29. Bert Kerkhof
5th stage: 8. Oliver King, 13. Tristan Prins, 15. Adam Neeskens
6th stage: 27. Arjen Rutte, 28. Adam Neeskens
8th stage: 2. Oliver King, 29. Tristan Prins
9th stage: 19. Adam Neeskens, 21. Tristan Prins
10th stage to Zoldo Alto: 1. Oliver King
(https://www.comune.valdizoldo.bl.it/.imaging/stk/foundation/content-small/dam/home/territorio/zoldo-alto/Zoldo-Alto-e-la-chiesa.jpg/jcr:content/Zoldo%20Alto%20e%20la%20chiesa.jpg.2019-07-11-14-59-35.jpg)
Our main goal was stages, so happy with two wins and a podium place. On the Continental Pro Tour you can also have the GC as a secondary goal. Oliver finished 4th, 11 seconds off the podium and more than 2 minutes behind glorious winner Alvaro Vaca (Kelme 4 ever).
So a good Giro, which leads to:
1º Kelme4ever 14310 9 11 7
2º Periquitos 11213 8 3 7
3º Combuijs 10151 5 4 8
4º GMV_Cycling 9962 4 5 6
5º ZG 8923 5 4 1
6º Barrioska 8072 0 0 2
We have been continuously swapping places with GMV Cycling, so I hope that is over now. The good news is Rajen Kujen did not well in the Giro, so we are more than 2000 points in front of place 6. World Tour, here we come...
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Dauphine Liberé:
1st stage: 16. Tristan Prins, 27. Oliver King
2nd stage: 6. Julius Maalderink, 15. Arjen Rutte
3rd stage: 19. Oliver King, 22. Tristan Prins
4th stage: 1. Oliver King, 22. Tristan Prins
5th stage to Valmorel: 1. Oliver King, 21. Tristan Prins
(https://www.cgh-residences.nl/photos/stations/sliders/valmorel-1_264.jpg)
Our main goal was the GC, and we had Oliver King as a winner, Tristan Prins on place 10 and even Hidde Daelman on place 15. On the Continental Pro Tour you can also have stages as a secondary goal, but the two stage wins really came as a surprise.
Division standings after the Dauphine:
1º Kelme4ever 14987 9 11 8
2º Periquitos 12082 8 3 8
3º Combuijs 11429 7 4 8
4º GMV_Cycling 10474 6 5 6
5º ZG 9786 5 7 1
6º Barrioska 8702 0 0 2
We have opened up a gap between us and GMV Cycling, which allows us to look above for second place.
In the meantime we have contracted Mondesir Zutter from Quick Step Bronx to help keeping us on the World Tour next season...
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Tour de Suisse:
2nd stage: 1. Adam Neeskens, 6. Garret Rose, 29. Gary Fredickson
3rd stage: 1. Yvo van Straalen, 25. Gary Fredickson
4th stage: 10. Adam Neeskens, 19. Yvo van Straalen, 20. Garret Rose
5th stage to Grimselpass: 2. Yvo van Straalen, 27. Gary Fredickson
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/VS-65-06.jpg)
There were three main goals, always a danger as you can get none of them. But everything turned out very well, Adam and Yvo getting sponsor deals in stage 2 and 3 and Yvo winning the GC as well, with a 1:39 lead on Periquitos German Martinez. Gary finished 13th in the GC. Sponsors Renault and Agura happy, Yvo happy and we happy...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/renault.png) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/augura.jpg)
Division standings after Switzerland:
1º Kelme4ever 15980 10 11 9
2º Periquitos 12916 9 3 8
3º Combuijs 12710 9 5 8
4º GMV_Cycling 10793 6 6 6
5º ZG 10424 5 8 1
6º Barrioska 9491 0 0 2
We are closing in on Periquitos, let's see if we can get second place.
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Tour de France:
1st stage: 5. Yvo van Straalen
2nd stage: 1. Garret Rose, 11. Yvo van Straalen, 14. Gary Fredickson, 29. Oliver King
3rd stage: 3. Yvo van Straalen, 29. Oliver King
4th stage: 4. Yvo van Straalen
5th stage: 3. Yvo van Straalen, 11. Garret Rose, 22. Gary Fredickson, 30. Guido Keizer, 31. Oliver King
7th stage: 3. Yvo van Straalen, 12. Oliver King
9th stage: 5. Yvo van Straalen, 24. Oliver King
10th stage to Soulan (Pla-d'Adet): 5. Yvo van Straalen
Strange 5th stage, the hill sprint to Rodez. We have a non-hill sprint team and we have 5 riders within the first 31. Huge differences as well with a slight wind. What was going on here?
(https://locationsaintlary.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/p8131733.jpg)
In the GC we had Yvo van Straalen in yellow after two stages and he could add 8 other yellow jerseys after that. Yvo's first win in a grand Tour! Oliver King finished on 15th place. With the result in stages we had a terrific Tour which is reflected in the
Division standings:
1º Kelme4ever 18031 10 14 9
2º Combuijs 15413 10 5 10
3º Periquitos 14369 9 3 8
4º ZG 12866 9 9 1
5º RajenKujen 11537 6 6 5
6º GMV_Cycling 11463 6 6 6
Kelme4ever is far away, but second place should be possible. GMV Cycling has lost a promotion place, so this will get very close for them.
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Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
1st stage: 5. Mondesir Zutter, 8. Julius Maalderink, 15. Garret Rose, 16. Arjen Rutte, 30. Adam Neeskens
2nd stage: 3. Julius Maalderink, 14. Arjen Rutte, 15. Adam Neeskens
3rd stage: 3. Julius Maalderink, 16. Mondesir Zutter, 24. Arjen Rutte, 29. Garret Rose
5th stage to Sittard-Geleen: 6. Julius Maalderink, 12. Adam Neeskens, 20. Garret Rose, 22. Arjen Rutte
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Sittard_Panorama_4.JPG/640px-Sittard_Panorama_4.JPG)
In the GC Julius Maalderink finished 2nd 1 second after Ahti Kirsipuu (Kelme4ever). If only we had filled in roles in the first stage... Arjen Rutte 7th, Garret Rose 10th, Adam Neeskens 15th, so Mondesir Zutter had to pay for the drinking party after the last race...
Division standings after the Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
1º Kelme4ever 20305 12 16 9
2º Combuijs 17565 11 5 12
3º Periquitos 15176 9 3 8
4º ZG 13935 9 10 1
5º RajenKujen 12045 6 6 5
6º GMV_Cycling 11996 6 8 6
The battle for podium places is far less interesting than the battle for the last promotion place...
Meanwhile we have switched our training to stamina, to the disappointment of the fitness haters...
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Vuelta:
1st stage: 8. Julius Maalderink, 26. Yvo van Straalen
2nd stage: 1. Mondesir Zutter, 7. Julius Maalderink, 27. Friso Vonk
3rd stage: 2. Julius Maalderink, 20. Friso Vonk, 29. Yvo van Straalen
4th stage: 4. Yvo van Straalen, 27. Friso Vonk, 29. Jeroen Vonk
5th stage: 5. Yvo van Straalen, 16. Friso Vonk
6th stage: 8. Yvo van Straalen
7th stage: 1. Yvo van Straalen, 25. Friso Vonk
8th stage: 8. Yvo van Straalen
9th stage: 5. Julius Maalderink, 23. Yvo van Straalen, 28. Friso Vonk
10th stage to Monte Aloia: 11. Julius Maalderink, 22. Jeroen Vonk
(https://turismoriasbaixas.com/documents/11015/863719/CabeceraMonteAloia.jpg/83b273f2-3d0c-4e35-9df5-a9fb9398559a?t=1558950310000)
In the GC Yvo finishes 3rd on 2 minutes from winner Domingo Soto (Barrioska). A bit disappointing, but then he had no training camp. Friso Vonk finished 14th. In the individual rankings of the season Yvo is now first and I don't think he will be passed in the last races.
Division standings after the Vuelta:
1º Kelme4ever 22197 12 16 10
2º Combuijs 20215 13 6 12
3º Periquitos 16486 10 4 8
4º ZG 16374 10 10 1
5º Barrioska 14219 1 2 4
6º GMV_Cycling 13840 7 9 6
Second place is unavoidable...
For next season we have secured the services of young talent Hallvard Thorkildsen who together with Mondesir Zutter should be able to gain some much needed points next season. Some pundits thought the price for him was too high:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/buy3.png)
Meanwhile we have sold Colin Cann to Pro Continental Tour Team Sea. I hope he can swim... We are still looking for a challenging place for Leroy van der Borre (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/vision.php?ciclistaid=68373 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/vision.php?ciclistaid=68373)) next season...
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Giro di Lombardia: 3. Tristan Prins, 26. Oliver King
World Championships Road Race in Lisbon: 16. Tristan Prins
(https://content.api.news/v3/images/bin/3c2e6855dd8094e6b837110e4e0ac593?width=650)
Final division standings:
1º Kelme4ever 23477 12 16 10
2º Combuijs 20805 13 6 13
3º ZG 17729 10 10 2
4º Periquitos 17571 10 4 8
5º GMV_Cycling 16900 8 10 7
6º Barrioska 16149 2 2 4
7º RajenKujen 14913 8 7 7
8º Moteam 13592 2 2 4
9º TeamSerfin 11779 1 5 3
10º Van_pintxaos 10513 3 4 4
11º TeaMetal 9341 4 5 5
12º Fliegende_Flyers 8505 3 2 5
13º beerkes 7496 1 4 2
14º BetisCFF 7043 0 3 4
15º Lugnanese 6181 1 1 2
16º catapunchimpon 5337 0 1 1
17º skippy 5209 1 0 2
18º ChessPower 4958 4 5 3
19º Estoparia 4663 0 0 0
20º ICSluj 3595 0 0 2
21º VILLESVENSKAS 3580 0 0 0
22º Animatoca 3486 0 0 0
23º MarquinaTeam 3465 0 0 1
24º Gernika 2519 2 0 1
25º TarracoCycling 2281 0 1 0
26º Frenkie 2095 0 1 0
27º LanihuliCycling 2032 0 0 0
28º Galletto 2018 0 1 0
29º PucelaBike 1973 0 0 0
30º Paquetazos 1566 1 0 0
31º Shiro_Lions 1205 1 1 0
32º Agua_Verde 838 0 0 0
33º cicciano 825 0 0 0
34º ItaliaCycling 816 4 0 0
35º Barakaldo 445 0 0 0
36º Que_Maz_da 279 0 0 0
37º gandarias 268 0 0 0
38º Alla01 251 0 0 1
39º FaustoScoppi 196 0 0 0
40º TeamEuroscalt 148 0 0 0
41º Trivilla 145 0 0 0
42º Teamsomio 60 0 0 0
43º Gonorreas 35 0 0 0
44º MaxPappis 23 0 0 0
45º Espérance 0 0 0 0
46º Porteños 0 0 0 0
47º La_Vie_Claire 0 0 0 0
48º SedaÉvoraClub 0 0 0 0
49º SAGASAI 0 0 0 0
50º Sidarbotti 0 0 0 0
Happy with second place and good to see GMV Cycling made promotion with some very good last races.
The individual rankings:
1º Yvo VanStraalen 24 5396 Combuijs 2 1 4
2º Alvaro Vaca 31 5079 Kelme4ever 3 2 1
3º Kieran Williams 31 4349 Moteam 0 0 2
4º Domingo Soto 25 3470 Barrioska 2 1 2
5º Allan Frøyland 30 3129 Periquitos 1 0 1
6º Oliver Stormo 30 3117 Fliegende_Flyers 3 2 2
7º Adam Neeskens 31 2920 Combuijs 5 0 1
8º Imants Riherts 28 2859 GMV_Cycling 5 2 1
9º Péter Sudár 31 2850 TeamSerfin 0 1 0
10º Oliver King 31 2823 Combuijs 3 2 1
16º Julius Maalderink 31 2500 Combuijs 0 1 2
38º Garret Rose 31 1582 Combuijs 1 0 2
40º Gary Fredickson 24 1507 Combuijs 0 1 1
41º Tristan Prins 31 1501 Combuijs 1 0 1
Yvo van Straalen winning the individual rankings was a side goal, but nice to have managed that. Three riders with the first 10 was unexpected.
Other Combuijs riders:
Arjen Rutte 31 1353 778
Friso Vonk 24 651 000
Mondesir Zutter 29 370 241
Jeroen Vonk 24 101 000
Hidde Daelman 24 60 000
Bert Kerkhof 24 15 000
John Paxson 24 13 000
Guido Keizer 24 13 000
We have sold Leroy van der Borre to in a short time Pro Continental Tour team Aretabeti. We hope he will get a fair chance there to show his skills.
And so we can start another season on the World Tour level. The one and only goal? Stay in!
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Season 14 has started and we have managed to keep a clean sheet in the Tour Duwn Under. So the season can now really start with the E3. Let's see if our experienced riders are not too old for points!
Division standings after the Tour Down Under:
1º CaptainOrange 635 0 0 1
2º SPORTLIFE 603 0 2 1
3º Cabrasverdes 567 0 0 0
4º Valderend 544 1 0 0
5º OphiukoCT 523 0 0 0
6º Aurora_Australis 426 1 1 0
49º SentinelChickens 0 0 0 0
50º Combuijs 0 0 0 0
Let's say the gap between place 49 and 50 is not too big...
We have bought time trialler Danny Power from cup-rival Moderdonia, which more or less ensures a defeat in the Cup, and hiller Amable Puerto from Liberty Sansaloni. Hopefully they will be able to score some points.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/cronooro.png)
We have completely overhauled our personnel, which gave us comments about our harsh treatment of them.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/fire1.png)
The new team is dr. Hinrich Bühler (director) who still has to learn about the grand tours, Ritvars Kurpnieks (masseur) and Victors Kazaks (doctor), who at least speak the same Lettish language, Jort Dobbelman (mechanic) whose tuning will double up the points, and Carlos Javier Palomar (marketing manager) who should be able to get the stores going.
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We have bought time trialler Danny Power from cup-rival Moderdonia, which more or less ensures a defeat in the Cup
I don't buy another TT, so if this sold is a tactic you can buy a better TT to win CFF round without surprise me, but I think you have seen my precious race in CFF cup.
Good luck
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Omloop het Nieuwsblad: 23. Garret Rose
Strade Bianchi: 7. Garret Rose, 27. Arjen Rutte, 29. Julius Maalderink
Our oldies are doing well, especially in the Strade Bianchi, which is traditionally a very good race for us.
Paris-Nice:
3rd stage: 4. Harvard Thorkildsen, 12. Mondesir Zutter
4th stage: 16. Yvo van Straalen
5th stage to Nice: 16. Yvo van Straalen
First race for our new cobble pair and they just missed out on the podium, which was again a very good result.
(https://explorista.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/nice.jpg)
To top it off, in the GC Yvo did very well, he finished 3rd, albeit with a 1:34 gap to winner Marceliano Ibarrola (Sportlife). Very happy with that result though!
Division standings after Paris-Nice:
1º CaptainOrange 1744 0 0 1
2º SPORTLIFE 1663 0 2 2
3º Zatarra 1403 1 0 1
8º Rekutxuteam 1182 1 2 1
9º Valderend 1159 1 0 1
10º TeamRHB 1134 0 2 0
11º CobbleCrushers 1115 1 1 0
13º Aurora_Australis 877 1 2 1
14º Combuijs 871 0 0 0
15º RemcoEvenpoelckx 868 2 1 0
And all those inspiring results bring us to place 14, so there is a light hope we might stay on the World Tour. And Zatarra on place 3? It's a mad, mad, mad world...
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Tirreno Adriatico:
1st stage: 8. Yvo van Straalen
2nd stage: 21. Yvo van Straalen
3rd stage: 7. Amable Puerto
5th stage: 17. Danny Power
In the GC we find Yvo back on place 8 on 1:30 after winner Lazare Pires (Français de Jeux).
Happy with points in the hills race and the time trial and happy with the GC.
Milan - San Remo: 21. Julius Maalderink
For the first time in ages we score points in this classic and that's a surprise as Julius never did any good in it on the World Tour level.
E3 Harelbeke: 12. Adam Neeskens
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Station_Harelbeke_-_Foto_4_%282010%29.png)
The steady flow of points helps in the division standings after the E3:
1º CaptainOrange 2765 0 0 2
2º TeamRHB 2199 1 2 0
3º SPORTLIFE 2174 0 2 2
4º Zatarra 2170 2 0 1
5º Cabrasverdes 2120 0 2 0
6º Valderend 2054 3 0 1
11º FaltososDeChigre 1527 1 0 0
12º Combuijs 1452 0 0 0
13º Mlb 1397 0 1 0
We are doing very fine at the moment, let's hope we can keep up in the rest of the season.
To help that we have ensured the services of Brooklyn Marbley from Continental Tour Teamsomio, who can now ride on the highest level possible. He is the ideal helper for Yvo van Straalen and he will ride the Tour de France for us. The transfer was made possible by selling talent Luuk Hoekstra to Winter is Coming.
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Great to have you back at WT level, Combuijs. It seems to have motivated my riders even more as well :).
What will Yvo's programme be?
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Volta Catalunya:
1st stage: 3. Mondesir Zutter
3rd stage: 28. Garret Rose
5th stage: 23. Mondesir Zutter
First podium place for Mondesir which was a surprise result. In the other 4 stages we scored some points while we went for the GC of Gary Fredickson. He did what he could and finished 12th, thereby confirming his place in the team.
Gent - Wevelgem: 10. Adam Neeskens, 24. Julius Maalderink
Dwars door Vlaanderen: 12. Adam Neeskens
Good results in the first two Flemish classics, but in the major one Adam had a day off...
(https://www.alheembouw.be/sites/default/files/styles/header/public/project_ion-steenhoven-alheembouw_5.jpg?itok=u-v3lPzB)
Division standings after the Ronde van Vlaanderen:
1º CaptainOrange 4293 0 1 2
2º BlackHole 3457 0 1 4
3º Cabrasverdes 3071 0 2 1
4º SPORTLIFE 3071 1 2 2
5º TeamRHB 3011 1 2 0
6º Zatarra 2810 2 0 1
7º Valderend 2766 3 2 1
14º Luka_Warriors 2186 0 0 1
15º Combuijs 2100 0 0 1
16º RemcoEvenpoelckx 1884 3 1 1
There is indeed a black hole after Captain Orange in the standings... Losing a little bit of terrain on the top 10, but hey, we are happy if we stay on the World Tour.
We have sold Taco van der Poel to World Tour Team Aspigarri who then fired him. Strangeways here we come...
At the moment the plan is for Yvo to ride the Giro, the Dauphine Libere and the Vuelta, while we leave the Tour to Brooklyn. We can't disappoint Marquina Team, the only team in the season 14 winner's guess competition who has nominated a Combuijs Honey Ale rider, can we...
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Itzulia:
3rd stage: 16. Friso Vonk
4th stage: 23. Friso Vonk
Friso Vonk did not do bad at all, but 23rd in the GC is just below expectations. Next time he will have to help Yvo van Straalen again.
Parijs-Roubaix: 10. Hallvard Thorkildsen, 22. Mondesir Zutter, 27. Julius Maalderink
Combuijs Honey Ale Race: 19. Amable Puerto
Waalse Pijl: 9. Amable Puerto
We finally scored some points in the Wallonian classics, thanks to our indeed amable Puerto. He was surprised in Bastenaken though.
Tour de Romandie:
1st stage around Fribourg: 3. Hallvard Thorkildsen, 19. Mondesir Zutter
After an earlier 4th place, we find Hallvard on the podium. Not bad for a 24 year old.
(https://events.unifr.ch/biology20/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-Fribourg_2.jpg)
Division standings after the first stage of the Tour de Romandie:
1º CaptainOrange 5992 0 1 4
2º TeamRHB 5013 2 4 0
3º SPORTLIFE 4843 2 3 3
4º Valderend 4237 3 2 1
5º BlackHole 3888 0 1 4
15º Quickstepbronx 3021 3 2 2
16º Zatarra 3014 2 0 1
17º Combuijs 2827 0 0 2
18º Luka_Warriors 2563 0 1 1
Losing some positions, but hey, look who's riding just before us: Zatarra! We have a goal again...
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Tour de Romandie:
2nd stage: 22. Brooklyn Marbley
5th stage: 30. Brooklyn Marbley
In the GC Brooklyn finished 14th on 2:25 from winner Adam Roethlisberger (Valderend). A bit disappointing tour by Brooklyn, but tactical instruction were probably not optimal.
Eschborn - Frankfurt: 18. Friso Vonk
Not a bad result that.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Skyline_Frankfurt_am_Main_2015.jpg/1280px-Skyline_Frankfurt_am_Main_2015.jpg)
Division standings after Eschborn - Frankfurt:
1º CaptainOrange 6695 0 1 4
2º TeamRHB 6102 2 5 0
3º SPORTLIFE 5612 4 3 3
4º Valderend 5326 3 2 1
5º FaltososDeChigre 4027 3 0 1
15º Quickstepbronx 3074 3 2 2
16º Zatarra 3036 2 0 1
17º Combuijs 3017 0 0 2
18º Luka_Warriors 2944 0 2 2
Still slowly going downwards, but we trust we will stay on the World Tour.
After some tactical disappointments we have changed tour director. We think Javier Centeno is the best person to guide Yvo van Straalen through the grand tours.
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Giro:
1st stage: 20. Yvo van Straalen
2nd stage: 14. Yvo van Straalen
6th stage: 11. Yvo van Straalen
8th stage: 18. Adam Neeskens
10th stage to Montalcino: 14. Adam Neeskens, 15. Garret Rose, 30. Yvo van Straalen
(https://www.tuscany.co/wp-content/uploads/view-montalcino-51.jpg)
In the GC Yvo finished 15th, a tad disappointing, as he was leader in all races, but then he did not really prepare for the Giro...
Division standings after the Giro:
1º TeamRHB 7381 2 6 0
2º CaptainOrange 7341 0 1 4
3º SPORTLIFE 6863 5 4 3
4º Valderend 6320 3 4 2
5º FaltososDeChigre 5076 3 0 1
17º Cabrasverdes 3695 0 2 2
18º Combuijs 3503 0 0 2
19º $Tourmalet 3360 5 1 1
20º CC_Porco_Jones 3288 1 1 0
21º Zatarra 3284 2 0 1
22º CobbleCrushers 3170 2 2 0
Hey, we have passed Zatarra! That's good...
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Dauphiné Liberé:
2nd stage: 10. Yvo van Straalen
3rd stage: 10. Yvo van Straalen
4th stage around Grenoble: 2. Hallvard Thorkildsen, 11. Arjen Rutte
(https://img.itinari.com/pages/images/original/b2427c68-0e0d-4906-95c6-93fc3369c35a-istock-489388124.jpg?ch=DPR&dpr=1&w=1600&s=1a2cd60bf3e955fe61b7d29018508bad)
In the GC Yvo finished 9th, which is reasonable, given the preference for Thorkildsen in stage 4.
Division standings after the Dauphiné Liberé:
1º CaptainOrange 7859 0 1 4
2º TeamRHB 7745 2 6 0
3º SPORTLIFE 7436 6 4 5
4º Valderend 6430 3 4 2
5º FaltososDeChigre 5583 3 0 1
17º $Tourmalet 3988 5 1 1
18º Combuijs 3953 0 1 2
19º Cabrasverdes 3745 0 2 2
Zatarra has gone further back, so that is good news, although we hope they can stay on the World Tour. It's very close at the top, that is the top 3.
The second place by Hallvard Thorkildsen was enough to sway Orkla to provide us with some money and some delicious food.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/orkla.jpg)
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Tour de Suisse:
2nd stage: 11. Brooklyn Marbley
5th stage to Rheinfelden: 26. Brooklyn Marbley
(https://media.coopzeitung.ch/images/2016/06/06/1623Cz_R6_Tour_201605203pl184_1046x570_1530313527209.jpg)
In the GC Brooklyn finished 20th, disappointing but points are points. All in all Switzerland proved to be below expectations, which lowers the prospects in the Tour de France.
Division standings after the Tour de Suisse:
1º CaptainOrange 8543 0 1 4
2º TeamRHB 8186 2 6 0
3º SPORTLIFE 8174 6 5 6
4º Valderend 6796 3 5 2
5º FaltososDeChigre 6054 3 0 2
19º $Tourmalet 4062 5 1 1
20º Combuijs 4031 0 1 2
21º Cabrasverdes 3745 0 2 2
22º ZG 3613 0 0 3
23º Zatarra 3517 2 0 1
24º azerite 3387 0 0 0
The difference with place 31 is almost 1800 points, so there are no real worries, but we have now reached the mires of the twenties...
-
Tour de France:
3rd stage: 29. Brooklyn Marbley
5th stage: 17. Arjen Rutte
6th stage: 18. Brooklyn Marbley
7th stage to Le Puy-en-Velay: 10. Arjen Rutte, 11. Adam Neeskens
(https://frankrijkbinnendoor.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/le-puy-en-velay.jpg)
In the GC Brooklyn finished 7th, in itself a good result, but thereby missing out a sponsordeal by one place... Winner was Allan Palmer (Captain Orange).
Division standings after the Tour de France:
1º CaptainOrange 10805 0 1 5
2º SPORTLIFE 9748 7 7 8
3º TeamRHB 9347 2 6 0
4º Valderend 8138 3 5 3
5º Rekutxuteam 7851 9 8 6
16º IKIBASQUE 4734 1 2 1
17º Combuijs 4706 0 1 2
18º $Tourmalet 4646 5 1 2
We are on the ascend again...
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Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
1st stage: 11. Julius Maalderink
2nd stage: 8. Hallvard Thorkildsen, 12. Mondesir Zutter, 14. Julius Maalderink
3rd stage: 4. Julius Maalderink
5th stage around Breskens: 13. Julius Maalderink, 18. Mondesir Zutter, 19. Hallvard Thorkildsen
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Breskens_Vuurtoren_R01.jpg/800px-Breskens_Vuurtoren_R01.jpg)
In the GC Julius finished surprisingly 3rd, 18 seconds after Anders Jørgensen (TeamRHB) and 2 seconds after favourite Yannick Pierre (Cobble Crushers). All and all this was a great Tour for us.
Division standings after the Binck Bank Tour:
1º CaptainOrange 11252 0 1 5
2º TeamRHB 10535 3 7 1
3º SPORTLIFE 10340 7 7 8
4º Valderend 8712 3 7 4
5º Rekutxuteam 8104 9 8 7
12º CC_Porco_Jones 5677 1 2 0
13º Combuijs 5511 0 1 2
14º Luka_Warriors 5128 2 2 3
Up again, but the top 10 is 1300 points away...
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Vuelta:
1st stage: 14. Yvo van Straalen
3rd stage: 12. Danny Power
4th stage: 6. Yvo van Straalen
5th stage: 10. Yvo van Straalen
7th stage: 4. Mondesir Zutter, 5. Julius Maalderink
8th stage: 10. Yvo van Straalen
9th stage to Cuenca: 5. Julius Maalderink
(https://www.spain.info/export/sites/segtur/.content/imagenes/cabeceras-grandes/castilla-mancha/vista-general-cuenca-59694174-istock.jpg_604889389.jpg)
In the GC Yvo just finished out of the podium, which was a tad disappointing
1 Aksel Blix 27 Aspigarri 0: 00" 1000 500000
2 Anthony Hilton 32 CaptainOrange 0: 47" 800 450000
3 Tjerk Tusveld 32 SPORTLIFE 1: 32" 650 400000
4 Yvo VanStraalen 25 Combuijs 1: 44" 550 350000
5 Rafael Carlos Loinaz 32 TeamRHB 1: 50" 500 300000
but all in all a good Vuelta.
WC Time trial: 29. Danny Power
WC Road race: 23. Amable Puerto
Final standings:
1º SPORTLIFE 13841 7 8 8
2º CaptainOrange 13655 0 2 5
3º TeamRHB 12507 3 7 2
4º FaltososDeChigre 10863 3 2 3
5º Rekutxuteam 9688 9 8 8
6º Valderend 9654 3 7 6
7º BlackHole 8526 2 4 8
8º FrançaiseDesJeux 8489 3 0 1
9º Aspigarri 8391 3 0 1
10º RemcoEvenpoelckx 8227 7 6 2
11º galegospolabici 8223 2 5 5
12º Mlb 8143 3 7 5
13º CC_Porco_Jones 7113 2 2 0
14º Combuijs 7052 0 1 2
15º QuintoYtapa 6957 3 2 0
16º Luka_Warriors 6765 2 3 4
17º Quickstepbronx 6716 6 4 4
18º $Tourmalet 5673 5 2 2
19º azerite 5616 1 0 1
20º Aurora_Australis 5445 2 6 4
21º Thorboassonarvesen 5426 8 2 2
22º ZG 5394 1 0 3
23º KunTeam 5063 1 0 3
24º CobbleCrushers 4767 3 3 1
25º Cabrasverdes 4736 0 3 2
26º IKIBASQUE 4734 1 2 1
27º Antequera 4284 0 1 0
28º Zatarra 4132 2 0 1
29º ZBT 4041 2 1 0
30º SentinelChickens 4040 0 0 0
31º Moderdonia 3886 1 0 1
32º Sonfuga 3686 0 0 0
33º TilburgTerriërs 3630 3 1 2
34º Facha_Bartolo 3521 0 1 0
35º Periquitos 3101 0 0 0
36º BorinotTeam 3038 0 0 1
37º OphiukoCT 2997 1 0 0
38º IntellinetCyclingFF 2758 1 1 1
39º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 2247 1 0 2
40º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 2115 0 0 0
41º Kelme4ever 1535 0 0 0
42º GMV_Cycling 1268 0 0 0
43º Albion 986 0 0 0
44º Oloteam 936 0 0 0
45º Fountain 885 0 0 0
46º MortoviaCycling 579 0 0 0
47º Dutch_Lions 503 0 0 0
48º Xegalaki_Pro 473 0 0 0
49º WinterIsComing 0 0 0 0
50º Liberty_Sansaloni 0 0 0 0
In the last week Sportlife overtook Captain Orange to win his first Cycling For Fun title, so congratulations to him. Very happy with place 14, somewhere in between the top and the relegation zone. Zatarra managed to stay in as well...
Individual rankings:
1º Lazare Pires 27 4484 FrançaiseDesJeux 3 0 0
2º Julio Manuel Miro 28 3453 Rekutxuteam 6 4 4
3º Anthony Hilton 32 3028 CaptainOrange 0 0 0
4º Allan Palmer 31 2971 CaptainOrange 0 0 2
5º Jérémy Huard 25 2673 RemcoEvenpoelckx 5 5 1
6º Aksel Blix 27 2450 Aspigarri 0 0 0
7º Arno Verbeek 31 2326 TeamRHB 2 4 0
8º András Valter 25 2203 Quickstepbronx 3 2 1
9º Yannick Pierre 32 2185 CobbleCrushers 1 3 1
10º John Footman 30 2168 CC_Porco_Jones 0 0 0
11º Rafael Carlos Loinaz 32 2140 TeamRHB 0 0 1
12º Yvo VanStraalen 25 2138 Combuijs 0 0 0
13º Leonid Leonov 31 2132 CobbleCrushers 2 0 0
14º Seppo Merisalu 30 1926 Aspigarri 3 0 0
15º Boris Walker 24 1912 Moderdonia 1 0 1
45º Julius Maalderink 32 1048 Combuijs 0 0 0
So, we had Yvo on 12th place, not too far from fellow Dutchman Arno Verbeek. Suprisingly old horse Julius was our second best rider, which reflects the number of cobble stages this season.
All Combuijs Honey Ale riders with points:
Yvo VanStraalen 25 2138 214
Julius Maalderink 32 1048 785
Adam Neeskens 32 660 1066
Brooklyn Marbley 30 638 048
Hallvard Thorkildsen 24 593 023
Mondesir Zutter 30 488 242
Amable Puerto 26 447 162
Garret Rose 32 332 204
Arjen Rutte 32 228 778
Danny Power 31 168 033
Friso Vonk 25 147 000
Gary Fredickson 25 90 011
Tristan Prins 32 75 1259
We have managed to sell Guido Keizer to now Continental Pro Tour team Leche Gaza. I don't hope he has to move to Palestina...
-
Tour Down Under:
4th stage: 4. Amable Puerto
5th stage: 25. Danny Power
In the GC Amable finished 14th, an unexpected good result. I think it's the first time we score GC points in the Tour Down Under on the World Tour.
Omloop het Nieuwsblad: 18. Garret Rose
Strade Bianchi: 17. Garret Rose
Paris-Nice:
1st stage to Col d'Eze: 28. Yvo van Straalen
(https://www.cafeducycliste.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Untitled-4-Recovered.jpg)
Division standings after the first stage of Paris-Nice:
1º JGMTeam 1541 1 1 0
2º Zatarra 1143 0 2 0
3º IKIBASQUE 1058 0 0 0
4º FaltososDeChigre 970 0 0 0
5º Valderend 892 0 1 1
19º CC_Porco_Jones 384 0 0 1
20º Combuijs 381 0 0 0
21º RajenKujen 381 0 0 0
22º SPORTLIFE 379 1 0 0
23º Fiestina 369 0 0 0
Already out of the relegation zone which is good news.
We had found a new director in the person of Australian Paul Mount, but after a few days it appearead he did not fit well in the team, so we have signed up Danish Max Tandrup, well known for his eloquent speeches.
-
Paris-Nice:
3rd stage: 23. Amable Puerto
5th stage: 18. Yvo van Straalen
In the GC Yvo finished 19th which was disappointing, but at least he collected some points.
Tirreno Adriatico:
1st stage to Terminillo: 8. Yvo van Straalen
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/SelladiLeonessa001.jpg)
Division standings after the first stage of the Tirreno:
1º JGMTeam 1982 1 2 1
2º IKIBASQUE 1631 1 0 0
3º FaltososDeChigre 1453 0 0 0
4º Valderend 1375 0 1 1
5º Rekutxuteam 1312 3 0 0
6º Inglourious_Bastards 1298 0 0 1
7º Zatarra 1220 0 2 0
8º Mlb 1035 0 0 1
26º MarquinaTeam 569 0 0 0
27º Combuijs 514 0 0 0
28º BetisCFF 478 0 0 0
Marginally above the relagation line, there is still a lot of work to do!
We managed to sway Toivo Sulg away from Plopsala, so that he can show his hill skills on the highest level. Captain Orange on the other side took youth talent Ben Kok into his capable hands.
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Tirreno Adriatico:
2nd stage: 18. Yvo van Straalen
3rd stage: 8. Yvo van Straalen
Yvo finished 12th in the GC, which was more or less expected.
E3 Harelbeke: 15. Adam Neeskens
(https://www.riebedebie.be/sites/default/files/styles/contentbox/public/contentbox/372_1_Harelbeke.jpg?itok=gTA5A74u)
Division standings after the E3 Harelbeke:
1º JGMTeam 2662 1 3 1
2º FaltososDeChigre 2653 1 0 0
3º IKIBASQUE 2587 1 0 0
4º Rekutxuteam 1973 4 0 0
5º BlackHole 1956 0 2 3
6º Valderend 1938 0 1 2
7º Inglourious_Bastards 1863 0 0 1
8º Zatarra 1783 0 3 0
9º Mlb 1701 0 1 1
25º BetisCFF 863 0 0 0
26º Combuijs 817 0 0 0
27º CobbleCrushers 805 1 0 0
Can't say we are doing fine, we should be higher up for comfort...
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Volta Catalunya:
1st stage: 18. Danny Power
2nd stage: 19. Brooklyn Marbley
A disappointing Volta, where our leader Brooklyn finished behind his helper Oliver King, both outside the points. We should have gotten more points out of this Tour.
Gent - Wevelgem: 7. Adam Neeskens
Dwars door Vlaanderen: 24. Adam Neeskens
Ronde van Vlaanderen: 9. Adam Neeskens
A decent trio by Adam, probably the last time he will score in these races on the World Tour level.
Itzulia:
1st stage around Zalla: 30. Adam Neeskens
(https://tourism.euskadi.eus/contenidos/d_destinos_turisticos/0000011514_d2_rec_turismo/en_11514/images/Zalla%20parque%20385x220.jpg)
For now Hidde Daelman is number 10 in the GC, but we have Friso Vonk as our leader, who is number 13.
Division standings after the 2nd stage of the Itzulia:
1º FaltososDeChigre 4069 2 0 0
2º BlackHole 3932 1 4 4
3º IKIBASQUE 3584 2 0 0
4º JGMTeam 3449 1 3 2
5º Mlb 2930 0 1 2
6º Valderend 2920 0 1 3
7º Rekutxuteam 2857 4 2 1
8º SPORTLIFE 2793 3 2 1
9º Zatarra 2678 0 3 0
10º Inglourious_Bastards 2508 0 0 1
11º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 2392 0 0 0
24º ProCyclingTeam10 1367 0 0 0
25º Combuijs 1317 0 0 0
26º TeamRHB 1187 1 1 0
27º $Tourmalet 1125 1 0 2
Well, we are still very low on the list, but at least we are in front of one man Team RHB.
Thanks to Toivo Sulg we now have a golden hiller. Well, in our mind our Amable Puerto was already gold...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/colinasoro.png)
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Itzulia:
4th stage: 13. Friso Vonk
In the GC Friso finished 18th, which was a bit low, but all points count.
Paris - Roubaix: 13. Hallvard Thorkildsen
Luik - Bastenaken - Luik: 27. Amable Puerto
An acceptable Paris-Roubaix, but some disappointing hill classics, a discipline we have heavily invested in.
(https://www.luikvoorbeginners.nl/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2019/06/luikvoorbeginners-2-2256x1133.jpg)
Division standings after the hill classics:
1º IKIBASQUE 4911 2 0 0
2º JGMTeam 4875 1 3 5
3º FaltososDeChigre 4704 2 0 0
4º Quickstepbronx 4488 10 1 3
5º BlackHole 4354 1 4 4
6º Rekutxuteam 4072 4 3 2
7º Valderend 3912 0 1 4
8º SPORTLIFE 3899 3 2 1
9º Zatarra 3807 0 3 0
10º Inglourious_Bastards 3626 0 1 1
11º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 3485 0 0 0
28º $Tourmalet 1645 1 0 2
29º Combuijs 1574 0 0 0
30º Manicomicos_Cycling_Team 1407 2 0 0
The relegation line is coming closer quite rapidly, we will need some serious results in the next tours to stay in on the World Tour.
We have however a very satisfied treasurer as we have sold Tom Averkamp to Quinto y Tapa for a substantial amount of money.
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Tour de Romandie:
1st stage: 8. Yvo van Straalen
4th stage: 24. Denny Power
5th stage to Aigle: 13. Yvo van Straalen
(https://static.mycity.travel/manage/uploads/6/28/134423/1/aigle-hiver-vieille-ville-nuit-1080_2000.jpg)
In the GC Yvo finished 5th, so it seems he is ready for the Giro!
Division standings after Eschborn-Frankfurt:
1º IKIBASQUE 6074 3 0 0
2º JGMTeam 5204 1 3 5
3º FaltososDeChigre 5163 2 0 0
4º Quickstepbronx 5083 11 2 4
5º BlackHole 4927 1 4 5
6º SPORTLIFE 4598 3 4 1
7º Rekutxuteam 4591 5 3 3
8º Valderend 4551 0 1 5
9º Inglourious_Bastards 4314 0 1 1
10º Zatarra 4007 0 3 0
11º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 3875 0 0 0
25º Aspigarri 1953 1 1 0
26º Combuijs 1952 0 0 0
27º $Tourmalet 1889 1 1 2
We are on the way up again, but not far from the red district. Funny enough we are the second Dutch team at the moment...
We now have appointed Oto Briedis as director because he has great experience in the grand tours.
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Giro:
1st stage: 15. Yvo van Straalen
2nd stage: 5. Amable Puerto
4th stage: 7. Yvo van Straalen
8th stage: 15. Hallvard Thorkildsen
10th stage to Montevarchi: 4. Yvo van Straalen
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Montevarchipanoramadapiazzamazzini.jpg/1280px-Montevarchipanoramadapiazzamazzini.jpg)
In the GC Yvo finished 3rd, which is his first podium place in a grand Tour. Happy with his performance plus two other results of riders in a free role.
Division standings after the Giro:
1º IKIBASQUE 7967 3 0 1
2º JGMTeam 6112 1 3 5
3º FaltososDeChigre 5977 2 0 0
4º Inglourious_Bastards 5811 0 1 1
5º Valderend 5644 2 1 6
6º Quickstepbronx 5601 11 3 5
7º BlackHole 5574 1 4 5
8º SPORTLIFE 5428 4 5 1
9º Rekutxuteam 5250 5 3 4
10º Mlb 4879 2 2 2
11º Zatarra 4568 0 3 2
12º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 4405 0 0 0
17º ZG 3212 1 0 0
18º Combuijs 3105 0 0 0
19º FrançaiseDesJeux 3095 0 1 1
That's looking much better now, being much farther from the relegation line than before...
In other news we have heard that our training camps are very famous, no doubt thanks to the Combuijs Honey Ale.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/concentra3.png)
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Dauphine Libere:
1st stage: 12. Toivo Sulg
3rd stage: 11. Toivo Sulg
5th stage to Le Teil: 2. Brooklyn Marbley, 25. Gary Fredickson
We went for individual races, with exceptional success in the last stage.
(https://www.france-voyage.com/visuals/communes/le-teil-29540-1_w600.jpg)
Tour de Suisse:
Zero points..., which is a first, I think... For this alternative Combuijs Honey Ale Race our riders are getting too old, I fear.
Division standings after the Tour de Suisse:
1º IKIBASQUE 8870 3 0 1
2º JGMTeam 7769 2 4 5
3º FaltososDeChigre 6718 2 1 0
4º BlackHole 6534 2 5 5
5º SPORTLIFE 6411 4 5 1
6º Rekutxuteam 6363 7 5 4
7º Quickstepbronx 6346 12 4 7
8º Valderend 6313 2 2 7
9º Inglourious_Bastards 6212 0 1 1
10º Mlb 5541 2 2 4
18º ZG 3487 1 0 0
19º Combuijs 3358 0 1 0
20º Aspigarri 3292 3 2 0
We have switched to hill training now because this season it seems they have exchanged mountains for hills...
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Tour de France:
1st stage: 17. Hallvard Thorkildsen
2nd stage: 30. Yvo van Straalen
3rd stage: 20. Hallvard Thorkildsen
5th stage: 25. Yvo van Straalen
6th stage: 17. Yvo van Straalen
7th stage to Tarbes: 21. Yvo van Straalen
(https://www.guide-toulouse-pyrenees.com/_bibli/annonces/1604/hd/tarbes3.jpg)
In the GC Yvo finished 8th. After being 3rd for a short while, he lost a place almost every stage.
Division standings after the Tour de France:
1º IKIBASQUE 10552 3 0 1
2º JGMTeam 8813 3 5 5
3º FaltososDeChigre 8092 3 1 0
4º Quickstepbronx 7460 14 5 7
5º Valderend 7212 2 2 8
6º BlackHole 7162 2 7 5
7º Inglourious_Bastards 7123 0 1 1
8º Rekutxuteam 7072 8 5 4
9º SPORTLIFE 6934 4 5 1
10º Mlb 6168 2 2 6
19º ZG 4282 1 0 2
20º Combuijs 3919 0 1 0
21º $Tourmalet 3639 2 2 2
22º TeamRHB 3611 3 2 1
23º MarquinaTeam 3534 0 1 0
It's a hard season, but a thousand point gap to place 31 should be sufficient to stay on the World Tour.
-
Clasica San Sebastian: 19. Tristan Prins
Granddad Tristan Prins still manages a fine result in San Sebastian...
Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
4th stage: 24. Adam Neeskens
5th stage to St. Pieters Leeuw: 14. Adam Neeskens
(https://www.sint-pieters-leeuw.be/sites/default/files/styles/slide/public/gemeente/toerisme/afbeeldingen/fotobanner-kasteelColoma.JPG?itok=ggTSb3Rb)
In the GC granddad Adam Neeskens got 10th place, probably one of his best Combuijs Honey Ale Tours. The fact that there was no time trial helped him enormously...
Division standings after the Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
1º IKIBASQUE 11128 3 0 1
2º JGMTeam 9659 3 5 5
3º FaltososDeChigre 8731 3 1 0
4º BlackHole 8372 2 7 5
5º Quickstepbronx 8291 16 5 7
6º Valderend 7945 2 2 11
7º Rekutxuteam 7810 8 6 4
8º Inglourious_Bastards 7283 0 1 1
9º SPORTLIFE 7101 4 5 1
10º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 6824 0 0 0
19º ZG 4465 1 0 2
20º Combuijs 4185 0 1 0
21º $Tourmalet 4138 2 3 2
Ikibasque looks set for the win, we hope for a place in the top 20.
-
Vuelta:
1st stage: 29. Mondesir Zutter
4th stage: 3. Mondesir Zutter
5th stage: 5. Brooklyn Marbley
6th stage to Estoril: 15. Toivo Sulg
Nice stage result from Mondesir Zutter!
(https://static.reisgraag.nl/images/cached/gs-b6c1bea19c-Strand_van_Estoril,_Portugal.jpg)
In the GC Brooklyn Marbley finished 9th, good enough for a serious amount of points, not good enough for a sponsor deal.
Division standings after the Vuelta:
1º IKIBASQUE 12500 4 2 1
2º JGMTeam 10832 4 6 5
3º FaltososDeChigre 9993 3 1 0
4º Rekutxuteam 9099 11 7 4
5º BlackHole 9052 3 7 5
6º Valderend 8893 2 2 11
7º Inglourious_Bastards 8768 0 1 1
8º Quickstepbronx 8707 16 6 7
9º SPORTLIFE 7985 4 6 1
10º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 7493 0 0 0
20º FrançaiseDesJeux 5007 0 1 2
21º Combuijs 4913 0 1 1
22º $Tourmalet 4621 2 3 2
Top 20 might be difficult now, but relegation will be avoided.
We have picked up Eulogio Trillo as our new cobble hill specialist from Real Murcia Cycling.
-
Road World Championship in Lisboa: 15. Toivo Sulg
Our first WC points in the road race!
(https://nitrocdn.com/qurpffBDYzvWujJAryEteTRJZTswzbRi/assets/static/optimized/rev-eb01096/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Lisboa-Card-Lisbon-city-trip.jpg)
Which leads to these final standings:
1º IKIBASQUE 13635 4 2 2
2º JGMTeam 11672 4 6 5
3º Inglourious_Bastards 10778 1 1 1
4º FaltososDeChigre 10663 3 1 0
5º Quickstepbronx 10532 17 6 9
6º BlackHole 10472 3 9 5
7º Rekutxuteam 9874 11 7 4
8º Valderend 8893 2 2 11
9º SPORTLIFE 8670 4 6 1
10º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 7863 0 0 0
11º Mlb 6899 2 2 7
12º galegospolabici 6552 1 4 1
13º CC_Porco_Jones 6393 1 2 3
14º Aspigarri 6220 3 2 1
15º Luka_Warriors 6120 3 2 6
16º Spitz 6070 0 2 1
17º Zatarra 5574 1 5 2
18º Fiestina 5560 3 0 2
19º RemcoEvenpoelckx 5550 4 2 2
20º ZG 5283 2 0 2
21º Aurora_Australis 5211 3 3 3
22º FrançaiseDesJeux 5187 0 1 2
23º MarquinaTeam 5158 0 1 1
24º Combuijs 5153 0 1 1
25º ProCyclingTeam10 5075 0 2 0
26º Innioraths 4980 0 2 1
27º $Tourmalet 4731 2 3 2
28º KunTeam 4199 1 1 2
29º CobbleCrushers 4046 2 4 1
30º azerite 3891 0 0 1
31º Thorboassonarvesen 3860 3 3 3
32º SentinelChickens 3844 0 1 1
33º TeamRHB 3801 3 2 1
34º WaterBoys 3696 0 0 0
35º Manicomicos_Cycling_Team 3530 4 0 1
36º ZBT 3420 0 0 0
37º Telleriarte 3360 1 0 1
38º Catalonia_Team 3258 0 0 0
39º Orange 3171 1 1 2
40º ValeronIdolo 3131 2 2 0
41º RealMurciaCycling 2822 0 2 2
42º RajenKujen 2419 0 0 1
43º ICSluj 2174 0 0 0
44º BetisCFF 1686 0 0 0
45º Cabrasverdes 985 0 1 0
46º Ares 135 0 0 0
47º Ciclastur 109 0 0 0
48º QuintoYtapa 0 0 0 0
49º CaptainOrange 0 0 0 0
50º Antequera 0 0 0 0
A bit disappointed with a 24th place, but the calendar was not exactly in our favour. The gap to the relegation places was huge. Congratulations to Ikibasque who took the lead early and never gave it away from there.
In the individual rankings we had Yvo van Straalen on place 11, which was not bad at all.
1º Abilio Andujar 31 4154 JGMTeam 2 3 2
2º Arno Verbeek 32 3390 TeamRHB 3 2 1
3º Lazare Pires 28 2964 FrançaiseDesJeux 0 0 1
4º Leonid Leonov 32 2721 CobbleCrushers 2 3 0
5º Alessandro Figueras 32 2497 RemcoEvenpoelckx 0 0 0
6º August Thoelen 27 2293 Inglourious_Bastards 0 0 0
7º András Valter 26 2289 Quickstepbronx 4 2 1
8º Oscar Marcos 29 2232 IKIBASQUE 0 0 0
9º Bart Jackson 30 2194 Zatarra 1 4 1
10º Ismel Kaloev 31 2191 Luka_Warriors 2 0 2
11º Yvo VanStraalen 26 2089 Combuijs 0 0 0
12º Rene Vrijmoed 27 2056 Inglourious_Bastards 0 0 0
Other points scored by our team:
Adam Neeskens 33 749 1066
Brooklyn Marbley 31 605 058
Toivo Sulg 25 403 301
Amable Puerto 27 347 162
Hallvard Thorkildsen 25 288 023
Garret Rose 33 190 204
Mondesir Zutter 31 178 243
Gary Fredickson 26 82 011
Tristan Prins 33 80 1259
Friso Vonk 26 77 000
Danny Power 32 65 033
A bit worrying that the number 1 of this list is close to retirement...
Anyway, let season 16 begin!!!
-
Season 16 started with the cup where we eliminated Team Elrosportu because they did not show up. The next round against Lanihull Cycling will be far more difficult.
Tour Down Under:
1st stage: 30. Amable Puerto
3rd stage: 18. Amable Puerto
In the GC Amable finished 19th for some bonus points
Omloop het Nieuwsblad: 27. Garret Rose
That might have been more if he had not started in a free role...
Strade Bianchi: 13. Arjen Rutte
This could have been Arjen's last favourite race, nice to see him still score points.
Paris-Nice:
1st stage: 25. Danny Power
3rd stage: 16. Mondesir Zutter
4th stage to Rasteau: 25. Yvo van Straalen
(https://static1.vaucluseenprovence.com/obt_img/950x500/4665555_1.jpg)
In the GC we had Yvo van Straalen on 7th place, a nice start of his season
First week standings:
1º JGMTeam 1969 1 3 3
2º Mlb 1399 1 0 1
3º BlackHole 1333 2 0 0
4º FaltososDeChigre 1332 0 0 0
5º Aspigarri 1295 0 0 0
12º TeamEuroscalt 908 0 2 0
13º SPORTLIFE 795 0 0 0
14º Quickstepbronx 768 3 0 0
26º IKIBASQUE 513 0 0 0
27º Combuijs 509 0 0 0
28º CC_Porco_Jones 481 1 0 0
At the moment we are the best Dutch team, or better, the least worse team.
And we have been awarded a nice medal for being 10 seasons on the World Tour:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/permanencia3.png)
May there be a lot more to follow!
We have sold Danny Power to Team Ciclotirogia on the Continental Tour level. He will score many points there. We have replaced him with Diederik de Maar from Nibbixwoud.
And we have switched to downhill training to ease the legs...
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Season 16 started with the cup where we eliminated Team Elrosportu because they did not show up. The next round against Lanihull Cycling will be far more difficult.
I had my captain attack in S4, hoping he'd have a big enough gap to hold off your guy in S5, but he just wasn't strong enough.
A good victory for Sulg. Congrats!
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In the cup Toivo Sulg could parry all attacks from Lanihuli Cycling, so we are through to round 3 where a climbing time trial is waiting for us against CC Porco Jones. It seems they have a specialist for that in Wouter Valenko, so this will be difficult for Yvo van Straalen.
Tirreno Adriatico:
4th stage: 27. Amable Puerto
Not too many points in the Tirreno then...
E3 Harelbeke: 11. Eulogio Trillo
Eulogio's first points on the scoreboard...
Volta Catalunya:
1st stage: 10. Amable Puerto
3rd stage: 22. Brooklyn Marbley
4th stage: 22. Diederik de Maar
Diederik's first points for us, but no really good results, especially not in the GC.
Gent-Wevelgem: 15. Julius Maalderink
Good old Jules is still worth some points...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Menen_-_Vanbutselesmolen_1.jpg/800px-Menen_-_Vanbutselesmolen_1.jpg)
Second week standings:
1º FaltososDeChigre 3217 1 0 1
2º JGMTeam 3130 1 3 3
3º BlackHole 2962 3 2 0
4º Mlb 2950 2 1 2
5º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 2777 0 1 0
6º Rekutxuteam 2619 3 2 3
7º Innioraths 2306 0 0 1
8º HTCHungria 2273 1 2 2
9º Zatarra 2108 2 1 0
10º Aspigarri 2034 0 0 0
26º MarvelProCycling 1058 0 0 0
27º LanihuliCycling 1040 0 0 0
28º ProCyclingTeam10 1017 0 0 1
30º Lemarche 1000 0 0 0
31º FrançaiseDesJeux 946 0 0 1
32º Combuijs 903 0 0 0
33º FlyEaglesFly 879 0 0 1
We are still the best Dutch team, or better, the least worse team.
We have sold youngster Joost Bosboom to Pro Continental Tour team Lollo DSQ.
-
We are out of the cup at the hands of CC Porco Jones whose Wouter Valenko proved too tough for Yvo van Straalen in a mountain time trial.
Dwars door Vlaanderen: 25. Eulogio Trillo
De ronde van Vlaanderen: 21. Eulogio Trillo
Some points in Flanders...
Itzulia:
1st stage: 22. Diederik de Maar
3rd stage: 17. Eulogio Trillo
We had Hidde on place 14 in the GC, which may be his first top 20.
Paris - Roubaix: 16. Hallvard Thorkildsen
Combuijs Honey Ale Race: 30. Amable Puerto
An ok cobble classic, but the hill classics were disappointing...
Tour de Romandie:
1st stage: 18. Yvo van Straalen
In the GC Yvo finished 12th, more than 3 minutes behind Samuele di Luca from Marquina Team.
Eschborn-Frankfurt: 22. Friso Vonk
(https://www.hessen-tourismus.de/fileadmin/_processed_/0/c/csm_Frankfurt_Skyline_Stadtansicht_Copyright_visitfrankfurt_Holger_Ullmann_562a3da69b.jpg)
Third week standings:
1º Mlb 6440 5 1 4
2º JGMTeam 6058 1 4 6
3º Rekutxuteam 5988 4 4 4
4º BlackHole 5742 6 5 1
5º FaltososDeChigre 5507 1 1 1
6º Quickstepbronx 5271 11 1 1
7º SPORTLIFE 4098 0 2 3
8º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 4012 0 1 2
9º Innioraths 3873 0 1 2
10º HTCHungria 3642 2 3 2
30º LanihuliCycling 1600 0 0 0
31º Combuijs 1468 0 0 0
32º RemcoEvenpoelckx 1392 1 0 1
Wrong side of the relegation line again and the distance to Lanihuli Cycling is not getting any better. But we are still the best Dutch team, or better, the least worse team.
We have switched to Technique training now and we welcome Andrus Iljin as director in our team.
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After the not too bad, but not too good Gent-Wevelgem, with Mazzarelli archieving a 7th place, but a massive failure on Paris-Roubaix, with Pandolfi only archieving a 13th place, it was time for Eschborn Frankfurt, the last shot of the classics aiming for the win. And finally happened
Fulgencio Calderon 33 azerite 0: 00" 500 300000
We get a win on a 1 day race, with training staff, and getting a bunch of points that will help us on the objective of remaining on 1st div.
Now, for the upcoming races, we will play our cards on the mountain sprints, and chill out a bit.
GL to those competing.
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Giro:
1st stage: 20. Brooklyn Marbley
2nd stage: 10. Brooklyn Marbley
3rd stage: 29. Brooklyn Marbley
6th stage: 4. Brooklyn Marbley
9th stage: 16. Diederik de Maar
10th stage: 25. Toivo Sulg
In the GC Brooklyn finished disappointingly 24th.
Dauphiné Liberé:
1st stage: 16. Brooklyn Marbley
2nd stage: 11. Brooklyn Marbley
3rd stage: 13. Brooklyn Marbley
4th stage to Bourg-en-Bresse: 21. Diederik de Maar
In the GC Brooklyn finished 17th.
(https://zonnigzuidfrankrijk.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Bourg-en-Bresse-1.jpg)
Fourth week standings:
1º FaltososDeChigre 8186 2 3 1
2º JGMTeam 8040 1 7 9
3º Mlb 7524 5 2 5
4º Rekutxuteam 7487 5 8 5
5º BlackHole 7181 7 7 1
6º Quickstepbronx 6796 16 1 1
7º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 5661 0 1 2
8º SPORTLIFE 5552 0 2 3
9º Aspigarri 4871 0 0 2
10º Innioraths 4798 0 1 2
11º Zatarra 4740 3 1 1
29º Inglourious_Bastards 2253 0 0 0
30º PDM_cycling_team 2131 0 2 1
31º Combuijs 2024 0 0 0
32º team_piroshki 1975 0 0 0
Still on the wrong side of the relegation line and worse, we are not the best Dutch team anymore. We need Yvo van Straalen to come to our rescue...
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Congratulations to Combuijs with the amazing Tour de France victory ! 8)
(https://i.imgur.com/nz9PXJe.jpeg)
Yvo VanStraalen ( 27, Combuijs ) wins the Tour de France of season 16.
Excellent Combuijs, because it seems this causes ; no relegation worries + Dutch champion + Dutch individual champion !
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Yep, no wasting it around the red zone for the rest of this season.
-
Great result with Yvo :'(
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Tour de Suisse:
1st stage: 20. Giorgi Jabbarov
2nd stage: 9. Yvo van Straalen
5th stage: 7. Yvo van Straalen
Tour de France:
1st stage: 15. Mondesir Zutter
2nd stage: 15. Yvo van Straalen
3rd stage: 13. Mondesir Zutter
4th stage: 10. Yvo van Straalen
5th stage: 18. Yvo van Straalen
6th stage: 30. Yvo van Straalen
7th stage: 5. Yvo van Straalen
8th stage: 19. Yvo van Straalen
9th stage: 7. Amable Puerto
10th stage: 14. Amable Puerto
We scored points in every stage of the Tour, which is certainly a milestone for us. It still could have been better though as we forgot to confirm the booking of Mondesir Zutter's training camp...
But as you might have noticed in the previous posts, in the GC we had our first ever win in a grand tour:
1 Yvo VanStraalen 27 Combuijs 0: 00" 1000 500000
2 Oscar Marcos 30 IKIBASQUE 0: 38" 800 450000
3 Alexey Ryazanov 27 Spitz 2: 01" 650 400000
4 Amadeu Salvado 28 FaltososDeChigre 3: 03" 550 350000
5 Arnfinn Mikalsen 26 TeamEuroscalt 3: 29" 500 300000
Yvo is a fully home grown rider, so I am really proud of this result. And it did not go unnoticed in the international press:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/1tour.gif) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/1vuelta.gif) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/canteragana2.png)
Nor did it go unnoticed in the sponsor world: Endesa have decided to sponsor us the rest of the season, so we can now have our bikes electrified, which should bring us even greater success...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/endesa.jpg)
Clasica San Sebastian: 20. Tristan Prins
Must have been the wheelchair version of the Clasica, but still a nice result from Tristan.
(https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/donostia-san-sebastian-bird-s-eye-view-baskisch-land-spanje-luchtfoto-van-de-vroege-ochtend-zonlicht-la-concha-banden-bekijken-159988677.jpg)
Fifth week standings:
1º FaltososDeChigre 10065 2 3 1
2º JGMTeam 9556 1 10 9
3º Rekutxuteam 9219 6 9 6
4º Mlb 9193 8 3 7
5º Quickstepbronx 9003 19 3 2
6º BlackHole 8713 8 10 1
7º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 8042 1 1 2
8º TeamEuroscalt 7805 6 4 2
9º SPORTLIFE 6853 0 2 3
10º Innioraths 6647 1 2 5
20º FrançaiseDesJeux 4552 3 0 3
21º Combuijs 4249 0 0 0
22º $Tourmalet 4204 5 1 1
25º KunTeam 3730 0 1 2
26º PDM_cycling_team 3055 0 2 1
27º Lemarche 2962 0 1 1
31º azerite 2805 1 2 2
32º Aurora_Australis 2637 0 4 1
33º team_piroshki 2603 0 0 0
Yvo van Straalen really came to our rescue and as a result life is looking much better now, 9 places in front of the relegation line. He is the best Dutch rider and we are the best Dutch team at the moment, but let us not get over excited yet...
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Great job winning the Tour de France with Yvo, Combuijs!! Impressive win! :) :) :)
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Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
2nd stage: 24. Amable Puerto
3rd stage: 15. Adam Neeskens
4th stage: 20. Adam Neeskens
In the GC Adam Neeskens finished 18th, an unexpected good result given his age of 34.
Vuelta:
1st stage: 9. Yvo van Straalen
3rd stage: 7. Diederik de Maar, 30. Yvo van Straalen
4th stage: 6. Yvo van Straalen
6th stage: 19. Yvo van Straalen
7th stage: 14. Yvo van Straalen
10th stage: 16. Adam Neeskens
In the GC Yvo finished 6th, a very good result considering he had no special preparation for the Vuelta.
WC time trial in Lisbon: 29. Diederik de Maar
(https://afar-production.imgix.net/uploads/syndication/holland_americas/images/drWJHdicti/original_ESY-011297320crop.jpg?w=1440&h=523&fit=crop)
Final standings:
1º FaltososDeChigre 13879 3 3 3
2º Mlb 12786 12 5 7
3º BlackHole 12241 11 11 2
4º Rekutxuteam 12090 7 12 8
5º JGMTeam 11727 2 10 10
6º Quickstepbronx 9770 20 4 3
7º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 9745 1 1 2
8º SPORTLIFE 9238 1 3 3
9º Innioraths 8878 1 2 6
10º TeamEuroscalt 8536 7 4 2
11º CC_Porco_Jones 7600 2 1 4
12º Luka_Warriors 7340 0 5 4
13º MarquinaTeam 7207 0 2 2
14º FrançaiseDesJeux 6778 4 1 3
15º Spitz 6411 0 2 0
16º ChampsElysees 6285 1 1 7
17º $Tourmalet 5898 6 2 4
18º Zatarra 5850 3 4 1
19º IKIBASQUE 5830 3 0 1
20º Aspigarri 5667 0 0 2
21º FlyEaglesFly 5652 1 1 2
22º Combuijs 5376 0 0 0
23º galegospolabici 5244 0 1 0
24º HTCHungria 4911 2 3 2
25º Lemarche 4755 0 1 1
26º KunTeam 4639 0 1 2
27º PDM_cycling_team 4408 0 2 1
28º Aurora_Australis 4310 0 4 2
29º MarvelProCycling 4212 0 0 2
30º azerite 3726 1 2 2
31º LanihuliCycling 3541 0 0 0
32º Kelme4ever 3502 0 0 0
33º CuencaTeam 3479 0 0 0
34º team_piroshki 3340 0 0 0
35º ProCyclingTeam10 2981 0 0 1
36º Facha_Bartolo 2581 1 1 0
37º Inglourious_Bastards 2253 0 0 0
38º TeamSerfin 2080 0 0 1
39º Vitimper 1791 0 0 0
40º Bergtoppers 1787 0 0 0
41º Fiestina 1541 1 2 0
42º PIPIGU 1505 0 0 0
43º Denver 1408 0 0 0
44º RemcoEvenpoelckx 1392 1 0 1
45º IntellinetCyclingFF 1048 0 0 0
46º catapunchimpon 493 0 0 0
47º BorinotTeam 414 0 0 0
48º CobbleCrushers 180 0 0 0
49º Valderend 0 0 0 0
50º ZG 0 0 0 0
Congratulations to FaltososDeChigre with their win, they really did not lack points. Congratualations to ourselves to stay on the World Tour and for being the best Dutch team this season. I don't think that title came ever with so few points...
Individual rankings:
1º Lazare Pires 29 4753 FrançaiseDesJeux 4 1 3
2º Oscar Marcos 30 3742 IKIBASQUE 1 0 0
3º Abilio Andujar 32 3491 JGMTeam 1 4 5
4º András Valter 27 3488 Quickstepbronx 10 1 1
5º Yvo VanStraalen 27 2878 Combuijs 0 0 0
6º Henriks Valdmanis 26 2703 KunTeam 0 0 2
7º Spodris Martisons 26 2548 Mlb 4 0 1
8º Bart Jackson 31 2529 Zatarra 2 4 0
9º Aleksandr Menke 29 2472 FaltososDeChigre 0 2 0
10º Bendegúz Csécs 27 2078 Spitz 0 1 0
Yvo van Straalen finished 5th in the individual rankings, far from the unreachable Lazare Pires, but good for a Dutch championship shirt, the first for our team ever.
We are really a one man team now:
Yvo VanStraalen 27 2878 214
Brooklyn Marbley 32 475 058
Amable Puerto 28 336 162
Eulogio Trillo 26 333 001
Diederik De Maar 26 282 212
Mondesir Zutter 32 167 243
Adam Neeskens 34 158 1066
Arjen Rutte 34 140 778
Julius Maalderink 34 120 785
Hallvard Thorkildsen 26 110 023
Tristan Prins 34 75 1259
Hidde Daelman 27 70 000
Friso Vonk 27 65 000
Gary Fredickson 27 60 011
Garret Rose 34 40 204
Giorgi Jabbarov 26 25 247
Toivo Sulg 26 25 301
Well, this was probably the last season with the riders that build up the team from the start. It will be time to say farewell to them, but that is very hard...
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Well, this season we have said farewell to 5 well-known riders who have been in our team for a very long time: Oliver King, Arjan Rutte and homegrown Garret Rose, Julius Maalderink and Tristan Prins. Adam Neeskens is the only 35 year old now left and he will ride for another season. The homegrown riders did not go unnoticed...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/lealtad.png)
Nor did this funny character which probably celebrates Yvo van Straalen as the best Dutch rider, but then might be something else entirely...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/idolo.png)
We have started the season with a new director by the name of Roel Bodde. And the start was not great, but not bad either. Yvo van Straalen won the first cup round down in Pinerolo before two riders of Lugnanese. He now faces Team Piroshki in a mountain hill race in the second round.
Tour Down Under:
1st stage: 23. Amable Puerto
2nd stage: 27. Amable Puerto
4th stage: 13. Diederik de Maar
Omloop het Nieuwsblad: 26. Giorgi Jabbarov
Strade Bianchi: 21. Giorgi Jabbarov
Paris-Nice:
2nd stage: 9: Hallvard Thorkildsen
3rd stage: 19: Yvo van Straalen
5th stage to Croix de Chaubouret: 22. Yvo van Straalen
(https://www.pilat-tourisme.fr/sites/pilat-tourisme/files/styles/squared/public/p1010977.jpg?itok=Y1a0NMp8)
In the GC Yvo finished 8th, which was pretty good.
Division standings after the first week:
1º BlackHole 2013 3 2 2
2º LaGuardia 1857 1 0 0
3º Rekutxuteam 1617 1 1 2
4º JGMTeam 1548 1 1 0
5º Mlb 1517 1 1 0
6º HTCHungria 1416 0 0 1
7º Aspigarri 1392 0 0 1
8º Zatarra 1234 0 1 0
23º Caracoles 495 0 1 0
24º Combuijs 479 0 0 0
25º Aurora_Australis 472 0 0 1
26º PDM_cycling_team 412 0 0 0
27º Lemarche 409 0 0 1
28º SPORTLIFE 395 0 0 0
As long as we stay above Sportlife no harm will be done to us...
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As long as we stay above Sportlife no harm will be done to us...
:)
I have a simular game philosophy this season ; "as long as we stay above Combuijs ......"
I guess my team needs a peptalk, because they are still 50 points behind ( at this moment ;) ).
Good luck this season !
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Out in the second round of the cup against Team Piroshki, and we probably made a bad tactical mistake there, so that was very disappointing.
Tirreno Adriatico:
1st stage: 23. Brooklyn Marbley
4th stage: 17. Diederik de Maar
Brooklyn was 28th in the GC. Not good enough then...
E3 Harelbeke: 19. Giorgi Jabbarov
Volta Catalunya, this season also known as the Tour Up Above:
4th stage: 15. Diederik de Maar
5th stage in Barcelona: 11. Amable Puerto
(https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1564221710304-0b37c8b9d729?ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8MXx8YmFyY2Vsb25hfGVufDB8fDB8fA%3D%3D&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&auto=format&fit=crop&w=400&q=60)
In the GC our Amable finished 24th, not bad at all, but 12 seconds too slow for points.
Division standings after the second week:
1º LaGuardia 3897 2 0 0
2º BlackHole 3465 4 4 4
3º Mlb 3033 2 3 2
4º JGMTeam 2666 1 2 1
5º Rekutxuteam 2610 1 2 2
6º Quickstepbronx 2508 6 3 0
7º FaltososDeChigre 2493 0 0 2
8º Aspigarri 2280 0 1 1
9º HTCHungria 2135 0 0 1
10º FrançaiseDesJeux 1707 0 0 1
22º Turrones 1159 0 0 1
23º SPORTLIFE 1129 0 0 0
24º Lemarche 1074 0 0 1
31º PDM_cycling_team 785 0 0 0
32º Catalonia_Team 769 0 0 0
33º Combuijs 728 0 0 0
34º Thorboassonarvesen 715 0 0 0
Behind Sportlife and we are in well known waters now...
We have now space in our team for some youth riders which sparked some cheap remarks about chicks:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/promos4.png)
But our treasurer looks much happier now:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/selle3.png) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/50venta.png)
This after the sale of Joris Zomer to Team Elrosportu, Peter Paul Witsche to Sauceda LH, Evert van der Weijden to Olimpic Cycling Club and Koen Weekers to World Ciclyng.
Some teams may have their eyes on youth rider Fabian Maartens https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/vision.php?ciclistaid=142481 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/vision.php?ciclistaid=142481) of which Yvo van Straalen is said to have claimed he might be a worthy successor...
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Gent-Wevelgem: 20. Adam Neeskens
Dwars door Vlaanderen: 14. Eulogio Trillo
Ronde van Vlaanderen: 22. Eulogio Trillo
The 20th place in Gent-Wevelgem brought Adam the Jens Voigt Trophy, scoring points as a 35 year old on the World Tour. In an interview Jens Voigt stated he was happy being compared to such a distinguished rider as Adam Neeskens.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/d334.png)
Itzulia:
1st stage: 30. Eulogio Trillo
4th stage: 30. Hidde Daelman
In the GC Hidde finished 12th. Happy with some points as we did not send our best riders.
Paris-Roubaix: 5. Hallvard Thorkildsen
Combuijs Honey Ale Race: 22. Amable Puerto
Waalse Pijl: 26. Amable Puerto
Luik-Bastenaken-Luik: 30. Amable Puerto
Good result in Paris-Roubaix and good enough results in the hill classics...
Tour de Romandie:
1st stage: 15. Yvo van Straalen
2nd stage: 21. Diederik de Maar
3rd stage to Aigle: 28. Yvo van Straalen
(https://www.dronestagr.am/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Aigle-Castle.jpg)
At the moment Yvo is 10th in the GC, but there are still 2 stages left.
Division standings after the third week:
1º BlackHole 6892 8 6 5
2º Mlb 5853 3 5 3
3º LaGuardia 5828 3 0 1
4º Rekutxuteam 5059 3 4 3
5º JGMTeam 4631 1 3 1
6º Quickstepbronx 4221 7 3 1
7º FaltososDeChigre 4185 1 0 3
8º HTCHungria 4165 2 1 2
9º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 3482 0 0 1
10º Zatarra 3430 0 3 0
21º CC_Porco_Jones 1972 0 1 0
22º SPORTLIFE 1929 0 0 0
23º Luka_Warriors 1874 0 0 1
27º SentinelChickens 1643 0 0 0
28º Combuijs 1554 0 0 0
29º FlyEaglesFly 1552 0 1 0
Blackhole has left ... eh ... a black hole ... behind him. We are just out of the red zone, but we feel we are in a zoo, being in between chickens and eagles...
We have sold some youth riders again, which caused a big smile on our treasurer's face. Skilled Fabian Maartens was bought in a resell by Team Elrosportu. Wilfred Daatzelaar was sold to the Olimpic Cycling Club and in this way reunited with fellow youth rider Evert van der Weijden.
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Tour de Romandie:
There was a 10th place for Yvo van Straalen in the GC, 4 minutes behind winner Arnfinn Mikalsen (Team Euroscalt).
Eschborn-Frankfurt: Honourable mention for Friso Vonk who finished 31st while being very tired...
Giro:
6th stage: 3. Friso Vonk, 4. Gary Fredickson, 28. Hidde Daelman
9th stage to Sestriere: 29. Friso Vonk
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Sestriere_2017.jpg/1280px-Sestriere_2017.jpg)
A strange Giro with a strange result for us in the stage to the Gotthard where we clinched our first podium this season, plus some serious extra points. In the GC Friso finished 22nd, just outside those serious points.
Division standings after the fourth week:
1º BlackHole 9114 11 7 7
2º LaGuardia 8735 3 0 2
3º Mlb 6588 3 5 4
4º Rekutxuteam 6520 3 6 5
5º FaltososDeChigre 5729 2 1 3
6º Quickstepbronx 5682 9 5 1
7º JGMTeam 5540 1 3 1
8º HTCHungria 5122 2 1 2
9º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 4795 0 0 1
10º Zatarra 4542 1 3 0
11º TeamEuroscalt 4228 4 0 0
12º Innioraths 4151 0 1 2
13º SPORTLIFE 4142 0 1 0
14º Aspigarri 3894 0 1 1
30º Aurora_Australis 2059 0 1 2
31º Combuijs 2013 0 0 1
32º TilburgTerriërs 1996 1 0 2
We are on the first non-safe place now behind time trial specialist Aurora Australis and far behind Sportlife. But we are the best Dutch for the moment, just before the Terriers.
We have bought two good cobble hill specialists on the cheap, Nicklas Tornvig and Phillip Køppen from Team Timidus, especially for next season, but they might score some points this season too.
-
I'll arm wrestle you for the bubble.
-
Dauphiné Liberé:
3rd stage: 13. Friso Vonk, 20. Gary Fredickson
5th stage: 12. Hallvard Thorkildsen, 14. Mondesir Zutter
Tour de Suisse:
1st stage: 16. Yvo van Straalen
2nd stage: 13. Yvo van Straalen
3rd stage: 19. Amable Puerto
4th stage: 27. Yvo van Straalen
5th stage: 10. Yvo van Straalen
Yvo finished 7th in the GC on just more than one minute from winner Henriks Valdmanis (Kun Team).
Tour de France:
1st stage: 16. Yvo van Straalen
3rd stage: 3. Phillip Køppen, 4. Nicklas Tornvig
4th stage: 8. Yvo van Straalen
7th stage: 23. Yvo van Straalen
10th stage to La Pierre Saint Martin: 19. Yvo van Straalen
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ovCikRJfHoQ/WL28KRVdz-I/AAAAAAAADY0/7tpI4vck2bg1CI2NfPR8MBwxz0ftWx89gCLcB/s1600/pierre%2Bsti%2Bmartin%2B2.JPG)
In the GC Yvo van Straalen finished 12th, disappointing after last season's win. Tactics though were not always optimal. Nice to see newby Phillip scoring a podium place and the rule this season is that if we finish 3rd in a race we also finish 4th.
Division standings after the fifth week:
1º LaGuardia 10636 3 0 4
2º BlackHole 10135 13 8 7
3º HTCHungria 8613 2 1 4
4º FaltososDeChigre 8369 3 2 4
5º Mlb 7888 3 5 5
6º Rekutxuteam 7624 4 7 6
7º Quickstepbronx 7133 12 6 1
8º JGMTeam 7109 1 5 1
9º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 6340 0 1 1
10º Zatarra 6094 1 3 1
11º TeamEuroscalt 5985 6 3 0
12º SPORTLIFE 5816 1 2 0
13º Turrones 5509 0 0 2
27º SentinelChickens 3392 0 0 0
28º Combuijs 3310 0 0 2
29º Manicomicos_Cycling_Team 3211 2 2 2
30º TilburgTerriërs 3167 3 0 2
31º Luka_Warriors 2865 0 1 1
32º RealMurciaCycling 2560 0 0 0
33º Catalonia_Team 2355 0 0 1
34º Aurora_Australis 2335 0 1 2
35º WaterBoys 2094 0 0 0
We are on the safe side now for the moment but we are far from safe from relegation. In fact with Yvo van Straalen's training period at an end we are asking for trouble. Arm wrestling with Aurora Australis does not seem to be a sound idea...
-
Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
1st stage: 8. Phillip Køppen
2nd stage: 11. Hallvard Thorkildsen
3rd stage: 5. Phillip Køppen 23. Nicklas Tornvig
5th stage: 17. Mondesir Zutter, 20. Hallvard Thorkildsen
In the GC Phillip Køppen rather surprisinlgy finished 9th, with Nicklas Tornvig in support on 23rd. All in all a very good Tour, which took us above the relegation line.
Vuelta:
1st stage: 30. Mondesir Zutter
2nd stage: 20. Toivo Sulg
3rd stage: 22. Toivo Sulg
4th stage: 23. Yvo van Straalen
5th stage: 9. Diederik de Maar
6th stage: 15. Yvo van Straalen
7th stage: 11. Mondesir Zutter
In the GC Yvo finishes 7th 2.45 behind winner Maurizio Lorenzetto (Faltosos de Chigre). Also an unexpected good result in the Vuelta without any special preparation by Yvo van Straalen. Most tour riders seem to have concentrated on the Tour de France. It secured us a place on the World Tour next season.
World Time trial championships Lisbon: 26. Diederik de Maar
World Road race Championships Lisbon: 20. Toivo Sulg
(https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2019/08/04/19/20/portugal-4384552_960_720.jpg)
Final standings:
1º BlackHole 15961 18 12 7
2º LaGuardia 14302 3 0 5
3º HTCHungria 10832 3 1 4
4º FaltososDeChigre 10604 4 2 5
5º Rekutxuteam 10388 5 8 7
6º Mlb 10279 4 7 6
7º JGMTeam 9677 1 8 1
8º Quickstepbronx 9350 14 7 4
9º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 8283 0 1 1
10º Innioraths 7402 0 2 5
11º SPORTLIFE 7384 1 2 2
12º TeamEuroscalt 7350 7 4 0
13º FrançaiseDesJeux 7206 2 0 2
14º Zatarra 7112 1 3 1
15º Caracoles 6928 9 7 1
16º ChampsElysees 6863 1 4 5
17º Aspigarri 6198 1 2 1
18º Turrones 6162 0 0 2
19º CC_Porco_Jones 5966 3 2 1
20º KunTeam 5508 4 1 1
21º galegospolabici 5467 0 1 2
22º FlyEaglesFly 5001 0 4 2
23º $Tourmalet 4974 3 4 6
24º Spitz 4946 0 0 0
25º Combuijs 4744 0 0 2
26º Lemarche 4649 1 1 1
27º Luka_Warriors 4474 0 1 2
28º Thorboassonarvesen 4441 1 0 4
29º Manicomicos_Cycling_Team 4311 2 2 2
30º Aurora_Australis 3954 0 2 3
31º RealMurciaCycling 3937 0 0 0
32º SentinelChickens 3736 0 0 0
33º TilburgTerriërs 3662 3 0 2
34º PDM_cycling_team 3500 0 1 1
35º WaterBoys 2675 0 0 0
36º Catalonia_Team 2569 0 0 1
37º Vicam 2502 0 0 1
38º ZBT 2332 0 0 1
39º azerite 1998 0 0 0
40º IKIBASQUE 1974 0 2 0
41º AmericanChow 1702 0 0 0
42º Skrimshaw 1634 0 0 0
43º ROCKYBALBOARACING 1368 0 0 0
44º Wiggo_pupils 588 0 0 0
45º TeamSea 554 0 0 0
46º Xegalaki_Pro 363 0 0 0
47º Ciclastur 282 0 0 0
48º Barrioska 138 0 0 0
49º MarvelProCycling 75 0 0 0
50º MarquinaTeam 0 0 0 0
Congratulations to Black Hole for winning this season, congratulations also to Aurora Australis for staying on the World Tour with the narrowest of margins.
Top 10 riders of the season (and number 19...)
1º Lazare Pires 30 4745 FrançaiseDesJeux 2 0 2
2º Henriks Valdmanis 27 3324 KunTeam 1 0 0
3º Jarno Voisin 30 3291 LaGuardia 0 0 0
4º Aksel Blix 30 2644 Aspigarri 0 1 0
5º András Valter 28 2557 Quickstepbronx 4 0 2
6º Xavér Kövér 26 2426 HTCHungria 0 0 1
7º Kasper van der Goor 27 2341 Zatarra 0 0 0
8º Karin Narshawov 26 2257 HTCHungria 3 0 1
9º Mikhail Pinin 29 2129 BlackHole 2 3 1
10º John Aakre 27 2125 Mlb 1 2 1
19º Yvo VanStraalen 28 1668 Combuijs 0 0 0
Other points scored in our team:
Phillip Køppen 30 459 035
Hallvard Thorkildsen 27 438 023
Diederik De Maar 27 323 212
Friso Vonk 28 255 001
Amable Puerto 29 248 162
Toivo Sulg 27 244 301
Eulogio Trillo 27 203 001
Giorgi Jabbarov 27 195 247
Gary Fredickson 28 183 011
Mondesir Zutter 33 169 243
Nicklas Tornvig 30 158 135
Hidde Daelman 28 116 000
Adam Neeskens 35 65 1066
Brooklyn Marbley 33 20 058
The transfer of Køppen and Tornvig halfway the season really made a difference in a for us very difficult calendar. Let's see what next season brings!
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Let's see what next season brings!
= (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/HolandaG.jpg) a certain 3-times-in-a-row Dutch championship ! 8)
Because in the two previous seasons you had a few Dutch opponents,
but I guess you scared them, and now nobody wants to compete with the notorious Combuijs, the only Dutch 1A team of this season 18.
Even more remarkable ; there are no Belgian teams in 1A now. So they can compete for a real price in the 2nd division.
-
Vos was of course absolutely right, we were the best Dutch team last season and we will definitely be the best Dutch team this season. Where have the days gone that you would have to finish in the World top 5 to achieve that?
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/HolandaG.jpg)
We had a lucky escape the first cup round as we showed up only minutes before the start of the hill race in Cusset. In the final meters Toivo Sulg beat Liam Armstrong of Italy Cycling. The next round is against Marvel Cycling in a sprint race. This could have been a hilarious race with both teams lacking a sprinter, but Marvel Cycling decided to buy in a sprint train, so we will be out in this round, but not for lack of trying.
Tour Down Under:
1st stage: 3. Amable Puerto
4th stage: 15. Diederik de Maar
5th stage: 19. Amable Puerto
We have never started a season this well, a surprising podium place for Amable in the first race. In the end Amable finished 23rd in the GC, 6 seconds outside points.
Omloop het Nieuwsblad: 21. Nicklas Tornvig
Strade Bianchi: 15. Nicklas Tornvig
Paris - Nice:
2nd stage to Rasteau: 30. Jeroen Vonk
(https://charmelogies.com/assets/images/rasteau.jpg)
A meager result in Paris-Nice. It seems we can't score points when Yvo van Straalen is not involved.
Division standings after the first week:
1º Agua_Verde 2073 1 0 0
2º Mlb 1941 1 1 0
3º ChampsElysees 1625 1 4 0
4º BlackHole 1602 0 1 4
5º Codex 1437 0 1 0
6º SPORTLIFE 1342 1 1 1
7º FaltososDeChigre 1310 0 0 0
8º HTCHungria 1231 0 0 0
9º Zatarra 1136 0 0 1
10º TeamEuroscalt 1101 2 0 0
30º Aurora_Australis 391 0 1 0
31º Combuijs 373 0 0 1
32º Fiestina 367 0 0 0
After the great start we already are in familiar territory: the fight for relegation against Aurora Australis...
-
As expected, no chance in the sprint race in the second cup round against Marvel Cycling. It was too much to hope for marvels...
Tirreno Adriatico:
4th stage: 16. Diederik de Maar
5th stage: 26. Jeroen Vonk
Again not much points in this short tour, we see a pattern emerging...
E3 Harelbeke: 9. Phillip Køppen
Volta Catalunya:
1st stage: 19. Alcides Ponte
2nd stage: 19. Alcides Ponte
3rd stage: 15. Toivo Sulg
4th stage: 11. Alcides Ponte, 23. Gary Fredickson
In the GC newly bought Alcides Ponte reached 8th place, so happy with the investments results.
Gent - Wevelgem: 15. Phillip Køppen
Dwars door Vlaanderen: 21. Phillip Køppen
(https://b2ai.com/uploads/2019/09/p999-waterfront-cam-aerial-hr-20180903-2-1024x634.jpg)
Good classic races by Phillip brings us in more higher places in the second week, which seems a good idea because of the floodings in our part of the world:
1º Mlb 5337 4 2 0
2º BlackHole 3834 1 2 7
3º Agua_Verde 3803 2 1 0
4º FaltososDeChigre 3353 0 0 1
5º Codex 3343 0 3 0
6º HTCHungria 3014 0 0 1
7º ChampsElysees 2976 2 4 1
8º SPORTLIFE 2926 2 1 3
9º Quickstepbronx 2501 4 2 1
10º Wizards 2390 0 1 0
24º galegospolabici 1153 0 0 0
25º Combuijs 1137 0 0 1
26º Manicomicos_Cycling_Team 1079 2 1 0
We have bought Portuguese rider Alcides Ponte from Skrimshaw and Let rider Arnolds Treimanis from Amarante Pro Cycling so they both can ride on the highest level now. This will boost our possibilities in short tours.
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Ronde van Vlaanderen: 14. Phillip Køppen
Itzulia:
1st stage: 19. Diederik de Maar
2nd stage: 30. Arnolds Treimanis
4th stage: 9. Amable Puerto
5th stage: 25. Arnolds Treimanis, 26. Friso Vonk
Arnolds was 32nd in the GC, a bit disappointing
Paris-Roubaix: 28. Hallvard Thorkildsen
Combuijs Honey Ale Race: 14. Amstel Gold Race
Fleche Wallonne: 21. Amable Puerto
Liege-Bastogne-Liege: 29. Amable Puerto
Too much risk with Hallvard in Paris-Roubaix, but Amable did do well in the hill classics.
Tour de Romandie:
1st stage: 18. Die4derik de Maar
2nd stage: 14. Yvo van Straalen
3rd stage to Porrentruy: 20. Yvo van Straalen
(https://static.mycity.travel/manage/uploads/8/59/97765/1/chateau-de-porrentruy_2000.jpg)
Yvo is now 7th in the GC and we hope for a bit more
1º Mlb 6772 4 2 1
2º BlackHole 5899 1 3 8
3º ChampsElysees 5855 5 6 2
4º Agua_Verde 5273 2 2 1
5º Codex 5204 2 3 0
6º Quickstepbronx 4963 7 3 1
7º FaltososDeChigre 4873 0 1 3
8º HTCHungria 3989 0 1 1
9º Flyvende_hjul 3817 0 0 1
10º SPORTLIFE 3672 2 1 3
23º CC_Porco_Jones 1872 0 0 1
24º Combuijs 1757 0 0 1
25º OphiukoCT 1737 0 0 2
With all grand tours still to go this is looking good for us, 400 points in front of the relegation line.
We welcome Hungarian Zoltan Griff as our new director. We think he will make a difference in the tours.
Cycling news told us we are really a world team now. I really don't know what they meant...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/plantillaint.png)
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It means you have cyclists from a range of different CFF countries (I think it's 10 - with 15 for the other achievement).
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Tour de Romandie:
4th stage: 19. Yvo van Straalen
Yvo finished 7th in the GC, so he consolidated his place the last two stages.
Giro:
1st stage: 2. Yvo van Straalen
5th stage: 27. Yvo van Straalen
6th stage: 14. Yvo van Straalen
8th stage: 2. Yvo van Straalen
9th stage to Montevarchi: 4. Yvo van Straalen
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Montevarchipanoramadapiazzamazzini.jpg/1280px-Montevarchipanoramadapiazzamazzini.jpg)
Two times podium in stages, that is an unexpected result.
The final podium:
1 Afonso Rio 29 OphiukoCT 0: 00" 1000 500000
2 Pat Martin 27 HTCHungria 0: 00" 800 450000
3 Yvo VanStraalen 29 Combuijs 0: 53" 650 400000
Rare result, the first two in the same time! And the second time our Yvo is on the podium of a Grand Tour. Very happy with that. And not only we are happy, Endesa have decided to sponsor us. That will give us lots of energy!
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/endesa.jpg)
1º Mlb 7781 4 4 1
2º ChampsElysees 7490 7 8 2
3º BlackHole 7333 1 3 9
4º Agua_Verde 6972 2 2 1
5º HTCHungria 6796 1 2 3
6º FaltososDeChigre 6628 1 1 3
7º Quickstepbronx 6171 10 3 2
8º Codex 5470 2 3 0
9º SPORTLIFE 5234 2 1 3
10º OphiukoCT 4503 0 1 3
18º FlyEaglesFly 3332 0 1 1
19º Combuijs 3257 0 2 1
20º Zatarra 3168 0 1 1
21º Rekutxuteam 3101 1 3 3
The relegation line is now far behind us and to our surprise and satisfaction we have passed Zatarra as well!
Thanks to Aurora Australis we now know what a world team is. We have indeed 10 different nationalities riding for us. One might have called it the Babylonian confusion trophy...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/plantillaint.png)
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Dauphine Libere:
2nd stage: 11. Hallvard Thorkildsen
3rd stage: 16. Erland Westby
4th stage: 10. Erland Westby
5th stage: 16. Toivo Sulg
In the GC Erland finishes 10th, a fine result for him.
Tour de Suisse:
4th stage: 23. Toivo Sulg
5th stage: 16. Arnolds Treimanis
In the GC Arnolds finishes 13th. These are all acceptable results.
Tour de France:
1st stage: 23. Yvo van Straalen
2nd stage: 21. Yvo van Straalen
3rd stage: 19. Yvo van Straalen
4th stage: 28. Yvo van Straalen
6th stage: 28. Arnolds Treimanis
7th stage: 26. Yvo van Straalen
8th stage: 18. Yvo van Straalen
10th stage to Antwerpen: 18. Mondesir Zutter
(https://d2csxpduxe849s.cloudfront.net/media/D9C47D27-CF22-4106-BDD62A07BB6C91E1/BE0B4C11-7AC4-4151-B75514A1F9731F20/Content%20Afb%201520-1ee669db-b95b-4ccf-b3ef-216a59770800.jpg)
In the GC Yvo finishes 7th on 5.17 from winner Xavér Kövér of HTC Hungria. Arnolds finishes as super helper on place 22. All in all a very good Tour de France.
1º HTCHungria 11720 3 4 6
2º BlackHole 10370 1 6 9
3º ChampsElysees 9601 9 13 3
4º Mlb 9525 5 4 4
5º FaltososDeChigre 9517 1 2 3
6º Agua_Verde 8367 2 2 1
7º Quickstepbronx 7411 13 4 2
8º SPORTLIFE 6755 2 1 3
9º Wizards 6450 0 1 0
10º Flyvende_hjul 6064 0 0 1
17º Innioraths 5089 0 4 4
18º Combuijs 4357 0 2 1
19º ChronoTony 4310 2 2 2
HTC Hungria have taken the lead now thanks to the fantastic results of Xavér Kövér. We are still doing fine.
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I just noticed that you mentioned my team in this topic. It will be a close call between our teams. You're 45 points ahead with only the two WCs left... Good luck!
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I forgot to note down our results in the last few races of season 18, so I could only retrieve the top 10 positions, which were few:
Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
1st stage: 8. Giorgi Jabbarov
Vuelta:
7th stage: 8. Diederik de Maar
Nevertheless Yvo van Straalen rode his third Grand Tour of the season and did not do bad with I think a 13th place in the GC.
Final standings:
1º HTCHungria 15468 4 7 7
2º BlackHole 13992 3 6 9
3º ChampsElysees 12761 12 14 4
4º FaltososDeChigre 12107 1 2 4
5º Mlb 11725 6 5 5
6º Agua_Verde 9864 3 2 1
7º SPORTLIFE 9842 2 3 4
8º TeamEuroscalt 9680 12 1 2
9º Flyvende_hjul 9002 0 0 1
10º Quickstepbronx 8542 15 5 4
11º Caracoles 8152 11 3 4
12º Wizards 7102 0 1 0
13º ChronoTony 6818 3 4 2
14º Innioraths 6751 0 5 5
15º Astanadena 6545 1 2 2
16º Kelme4ever 6268 0 2 3
17º KunTeam 6102 1 0 0
18º Codex 5914 2 3 0
19º OphiukoCT 5877 0 1 4
20º FlyEaglesFly 5505 0 3 2
21º CC_Porco_Jones 5440 2 1 1
22º Zatarra 5421 0 2 1
23º Combuijs 5276 0 2 1
24º galegospolabici 5091 0 1 2
25º Aurora_Australis 4956 1 2 3
26º Rekutxuteam 4602 1 4 4
27º Turrones 4462 0 1 0
28º Luka_Warriors 4102 1 3 1
29º Thorboassonarvesen 4077 4 1 1
30º TTeam 4075 0 0 3
31º Manicomicos_Cycling_Team 4023 3 2 2
32º $Tourmalet 3680 2 3 2
33º JGMTeam 3664 0 0 4
34º 0X 3096 0 0 1
35º Spitz 3021 0 0 0
36º Periquitos 2984 0 0 0
37º TeamSerfin 2716 0 0 0
38º Fiestina 2481 1 0 1
39º PedaleSanvitese 2216 0 0 0
40º Speedbird 2056 0 0 1
41º Lemarche 470 0 0 0
42º LanihuliCycling 185 0 0 0
43º team_piroshki 69 0 0 0
44º CuencaTeam 47 0 0 0
45º AleAle 45 0 0 0
46º Aspigarri 20 0 0 0
47º Facha_Bartolo 13 0 0 0
48º LOSRAYOSDELARRY 0 0 0 0
49º FrançaiseDesJeux 0 0 0 0
50º LaGuardia 0 0 0 0
Congratulations to HTC Hungria with the title: nagyon jó! We did pretty well although we did manage to finish just behind Zatarra, which was too bad.
Top 10 individual classification:
1º Henriks Valdmanis 28 4785 KunTeam 1 0 0
2º Xavér Kövér 27 3953 HTCHungria 1 2 3
3º Alcino Chaves 29 3223 ChampsElysees 5 3 1
4º Afonso Rio 29 3041 OphiukoCT 0 0 1
5º Pat Martin 27 2941 HTCHungria 1 1 2
6º Yvo VanStraalen 29 2442 Combuijs 0 2 0
7º Arnfinn Mikalsen 28 2396 TeamEuroscalt 7 0 0
8º Martijn Heijblok 28 2224 Mlb 1 1 0
9º Spodris Martisons 28 2111 Mlb 2 1 1
10º Sammy Caan 30 2024 BlackHole 1 1 3
And look who is there? Yvo on 6th place thanks to his succesful participation in three grand tours. That also means his second national shirt:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/camiholanda.gif)
which forms a nice combination with our third consecutive Dutch title:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/HolandaG.jpg)
Yvo is now so famous that he was even mentioned in women-magazine Libelle:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/famoso2.png)
Other points by our riders:
Phillip Køppen 31 549 035
Diederik De Maar 28 509 212
Amable Puerto 30 425 163
Alcides Ponte 29 282 223
Erland Westby 26 219 010
Giorgi Jabbarov 28 194 247
Nicklas Tornvig 31 190 135
Arnolds Treimanis 28 160 001
Toivo Sulg 28 97 301
Hallvard Thorkildsen 28 88 023
Mondesir Zutter 34 45 243
Jeroen Vonk 29 23 000
Gary Fredickson 29 20 011
Peter Boit 28 18 223
Friso Vonk 29 15 001
From the Giro di Lombardia on we have secured the director services of Vyacheslav Veselov (Ukrain) and he will remain with us at the start of season 19.
So, let's continue with season 19, in which we must battle two other Dutch teams, LottoStelvio and PDM Cycling Team, so the national championship won't be a gimme this time.
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Season 19 started not too bad with a cup race win against Team Piroshki who did not show up. Next round sees Azerite in a flat mountain race, which will be much more difficult to win.
Tour Down Under:
2nd stage: 25. Amable Puerto
4th stage: 20. Amable Puerto
In the GC Amable lost some precious places in the last stage to finish 22nd.
Omloop het Nieuwsblad: 6. Nicklas Tornvig
Strade Bianchi: 10. Nicklas Tornvig
Two great classic results, which pushed us out of the relegation zone
Paris - Nice:
2nd stage: 6. Peter Boit
3rd stage to Croix de Chaubouret: 26. Yvo van Straalen
(https://www.hotelrest-lechaubouret.com/upload/131220191206593011-Image1.png)
In the GC Yvo finished 9th, which should have been a little bit higher, but again things went a bit wrong in the last stage.
Which leads to these standings:
1º Mlb 2317 1 0 1
2º FaltososDeChigre 1502 0 1 0
3º BlackHole 1463 0 0 4
4º Codex 1437 2 1 0
5º ChampsElysees 1395 3 1 0
6º Quickstepbronx 1307 2 0 1
7º Flyvende_hjul 1239 0 0 0
8º Agua_Verde 1174 0 2 0
9º Wizards 1148 0 0 0
10º OphiukoCT 1033 0 0 0
16º LottoStelvio 714 0 2 0
17º Zatarra 689 0 1 0
18º Combuijs 677 0 0 0
19º Caracoles 591 1 1 0
20º SPORTLIFE 589 0 0 0
We have found our place again behind Zatarra who can keep us out the wind as long as he wants. The battle for the best Dutch team has started as well and Lotto Stelvio has a slight advantage on us.
Talented youth rider Egbert Koning was sold to Zatarra for a substantial amount of money, in fact our third highest sale ever. May he prosper in Belgium! Eh ... sorry ... Australia ...
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Yes, indeed. Egbert 'King' Koning has become part of team he himself described as "better than Combuijs". He will be one of our main talents for the next tour generation. Hopefully he is as talented as he says he is. We will find out soon.
(By the way, I'm not Belgian. I'm Dutch).
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Well, then it remained silent for the rest of season 19 due to holidays and other activities. But I made a compilation of the results.
(https://assets.gamepur.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/04052631/PUBG-Mobile-Season-19.jpg)
We were out in the second round of the cup against Pro Continental Tour team Azerite in a flat race with a mountain finish. Sergey Barak was faster than Alcides Ponte alas.
Tirreno Adriatico:
1st stage: 4. Alcides Ponte
4th stage: 18. Amable Puerto
GC: 18. Alcides Ponte
Milan-San Remo: 29. Amable Puerto
E3 Harelbeke: 9. Phillip Køppen, 25. Nicklas Tornvig
Volta Catalunya:
1st stage: 22. Yvo van Straalen
4th stage: 11. Yvo van Straalen
5th stage: 12. Yvo van Straalen
GC: 10. Yvo van Straalen
Gent-Wevelgem: 16. Phillip Køppen
Dwars door Vlaanderen: 8. Phillip Køppen
Ronde van Vlaanderen: 10. Phillip Køppen
Itzulia:
1st stage: 27. Friso Vonk
2nd stage: 18. Friso Vonk, 28. Jeroen Vonk
4th stage: 13. Toivo Sulg
5th stage: 23. Phillip Køppen
GC: 7. Friso Vonk
Paris-Roubaix: 14. Hallvard Thorkildsen
Liege-Bastogne-Liege: 18. Toivo Sulg
Tour de Romandie:
3rd stage: 24. Yvo van Straalen
4th stage: 23. Diederik de Maar
5th stage: 23. Yvo van Straalen
GC: 13. Yvo van Straalen
Giro:
2nd stage: 7. Giorgi Jabbarov
3rd stage: 25. Gary Fredickson
6th stage: 19. Gary Fredickson
7th stage: 7. Peter Boit, 22. Giorgi Jabbarov
GC: 14. Gary Fredickson
Dauphine Libere:
1st stage: 8. Yvo van Straalen
2nd stage: 15. Yvo van Straalen
3rd stage: 10. Yvo van Straalen
4th stage: 18. Hallvard Thorkildsen
GC: 3. Yvo van Straalen on 0.33 of Aksel Blix (Sportlife)
Tour de Suisse:
1st stage: 4. Yvo van Straalen, 22. Arnolds Treimanis, 23. Gary Fredickson
3rd stage: 22. Diederik de Maar
GC: 15. Yvo van Straalen
Tour de France
2nd stage: 23. Arnolds Treimanis
5th stage: 5. Eulogio Trillo, 17. Giorgi Jabbarov
8th stage: 27. Eulogio Trillo
9th stage: 29. Arnold Treimanis
GC: 19. Arnolds Treimanis
Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
3rd stage: 9. Peter Boit, 28. Hallvard Thorkildsen
4th stage: 8. Peter Boit, 27. Hallvard Thorkildsen
GC: 5. Peter Boit on 0.42 from Barry Brady (Blackhole). Good result which could have been better I had not forgotten to send Peter on training camp...
Vuelta:
1st stage: 8. Hallvard Thorkildsen
2nd stage: 16. Diederik de Maar
3rd stage: 15. Diederik de Maar
4th stage: 10. Yvo van Straalen
5th stage: 26. Yvo van Straalen
6th stage: 14. Yvo van Straalen
7th stage: 19. Yvo van Straalen
8th stage: 26. Yvo van Straalen
10th stage: 28. Yvo van Straalen
GC: 5 Yvo van Straalen on 4.14 of Ken Hansen (Astadena). Had hoped for a podium, but that was not possible against strong competition.
WC Time Trial: 21. Diederik de Maar
That all lead to these final standings:
1º BlackHole 15161 5 7 11
2º Flyvende_hjul 12824 0 4 3
3º Mlb 12621 4 3 5
4º ChampsElysees 11294 12 7 8
5º FaltososDeChigre 10868 1 4 4
6º SPORTLIFE 10650 3 2 2
7º Caracoles 9623 14 9 5
8º Agua_Verde 9297 6 6 1
9º Astanadena 8034 0 2 2
10º Zatarra 7666 1 1 2
11º TeamEuroscalt 7439 7 3 3
12º ChronoTony 7385 3 7 4
13º Codex 7217 6 2 2
14º HTCHungria 6846 4 0 0
15º OphiukoCT 6559 3 2 2
16º Wizards 6370 0 0 1
17º RealMurciaCycling 6304 0 2 2
18º LottoStelvio 6295 1 6 4
19º Kelme4ever 6193 0 0 2
20º galegospolabici 5566 1 2 4
21º Combuijs 5455 0 0 0
22º Quickstepbronx 5242 9 2 2
23º KunTeam 5087 0 0 1
24º Turrones 4882 0 6 2
25º Thorboassonarvesen 4640 3 3 2
26º Álvaro_Pino_Boys 4612 1 1 3
27º Aurora_Australis 4547 2 3 2
28º Luka_Warriors 4414 2 5 2
29º Catalonia_Team 4186 0 0 0
30º Shiro_Lions 4022 0 0 1
31º CC_Porco_Jones 3998 2 0 2
32º Vicam 3873 0 1 2
33º Skrimshaw 3781 0 0 2
34º TTeam 2905 0 0 0
35º AmericanChow 2850 0 0 0
36º MarvelProCycling 2716 0 0 0
37º Matterhorn 2591 0 0 0
38º vercors 2220 0 0 1
39º ZBT 2034 0 1 0
40º La_Vie_Claire 1884 0 0 0
41º EuskaPiero 1345 0 0 1
42º PDM_cycling_team 1205 0 0 0
43º Rekutxuteam 1045 1 0 0
44º ItaliaCycling 887 0 0 1
45º TJTeam 799 0 0 0
46º Xegalaki_Pro 666 0 0 0
47º Que_Maz_da 117 0 0 0
48º TeamSea 90 0 0 0
49º Innioraths 0 0 0 0
50º FlyEaglesFly 0 0 0 0
Congratulations to Black Hole, the other competitors indeed fell in black hole behind him. Congratulations to Sportlife and Zatarra for a top 10 finish. And congratulations to Lotto Stelvio for being the best Dutch team. We came closer in the end but that was far from enough.
Individual rankings:
1º Xavér Kövér 28 3265 HTCHungria 2 0 0
2º Alcino Chaves 30 3142 ChampsElysees 3 3 3
3º Kasper van der Goor 29 3082 Zatarra 1 0 0
4º Henriks Valdmanis 29 2900 KunTeam 0 0 1
5º Tristan Min 27 2767 Flyvende_hjul 0 0 0
6º Ken Hansen 27 2524 Astanadena 0 1 1
7º Rene Vrijmoed 31 2474 BlackHole 0 1 2
8º András Valter 30 2433 Quickstepbronx 5 1 1
9º Serafim Gois 29 2377 Flyvende_hjul 0 3 1
10º Afonso Rio 30 2373 OphiukoCT 0 1 2
15º Yvo VanStraalen 30 1924 Combuijs 0 0 0
15th place for Yvo, while he only rode one big Tour and lots of small ones, so that was not bad.
Other results from the Combuijs Honey Ale riders:
Yvo VanStraalen 30 1924 234
Phillip Køppen 32 670 035
Peter Boit 29 548 223
Nicklas Tornvig 32 445 135
Diederik De Maar 29 297 212
Hallvard Thorkildsen 29 280 023
Friso Vonk 30 243 001
Gary Fredickson 30 225 011
Giorgi Jabbarov 29 183 247
Eulogio Trillo 29 145 001
Toivo Sulg 29 137 301
Alcides Ponte 30 132 223
Arnolds Treimanis 29 112 001
Amable Puerto 31 102 163
Jeroen Vonk 30 12 000
-
I am not against traditions, but I hate the tradition to lose in the second CFF Cup round. Two flat time trials were too much, the one against Quickstepbronx was okay, no opponent showed up, but the one against Fiestina was 6 seconds too much.
Tour Down Under:
1st stage: 26. Amable Puerto
Omloop het Nieuwsblad: 11. Eulogio Trillo
Paris - Nice:
In the GC Yvo van Straalen finished 17th, but there were no (0, zero, niente) top 20 places...
Tirreno Adriatico:
1st stage: 17. Peter Boit
2nd stage: 20. Alcides Ponte
3rd stage: 12. Alcides Ponte
4th stage: 14. Toivo Sulg
In the GC Alcides Ponte finished 9th, 1:30 behind Flying Wheel Serafim Gois.
E3 Harelbeke: 10. Phillip Køppen
Volta Catalunya:
1st stage: 16. Diederik de Maar
2nd stage: 27. Yvo van Straalen
4th stage: 20. Toivo Sulg
5th stage: 14. Yvo van Straalen
In the GC Yvo finished 9th on 1:47 from winner Xavér Kövér (HTC Hungria)
Gent - Wevelgem: 20. Phillip Køppen
Dwars door Vlaanderen: 12. Phillip Køppen
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQiG4GOATWosIULuTZ0gD1g4TmQ_G1Q2g_SBQ&usqp=CAU)
So after two weeks of cycling these are the division standings:
1º Flyvende_hjul 5066 2 3 2
2º Agua_Verde 3624 2 2 0
3º Mlb 3320 1 1 1
4º Codex 2927 2 0 0
5º BlackHole 2879 0 2 1
6º ChampsElysees 2782 1 1 4
7º FaltososDeChigre 2442 0 2 0
8º OphiukoCT 2263 0 0 0
9º Astanadena 2119 1 1 1
10º Wizards 1975 0 0 0
11º MortoviaCycling 1925 2 1 1
12º Zatarra 1875 1 1 0
13º galegospolabici 1859 0 0 2
19º TeamEuroscalt 1496 3 0 0
20º SPORTLIFE 1493 0 3 0
21º Caracoles 1487 1 2 1
23º Álvaro_Pino_Boys 1242 0 0 0
24º Combuijs 1214 0 0 0
25º °Peachy°Melocotons 1190 0 0 2
So outside the relegation zone, but only just.
-
You decided you no longer wanted to keep me company in the red bubble zone :'(
-
Ronde van Vlaanderen: 27. Phillip Køppen
Itzulia:
1st stage: 27. Hidde Daelman
4th stage: 30. Amable Puerto
5th stage: 27. Phillip Køppen
In the GC Hidde Daelman finished 6th, probably the best result in his career.
Paris-Roubaix: 6. Peter Boit
A good result by Peter, very likely because all cobble specialists are preparing for the World Championship.
Combuijs Honey Ale Race: 24. Amable Puerto
The only hill classic we score points in. Amable Puerto is getting a little bit old...
Tour de Romandie:
1st stage: 16. Diederik de Maar
2nd stage: 3. Alcides Ponte
3rd stage: 2. Alcides Ponte, 13. Gary Fredickson
5th stage around Fribourg: 22. Peter Boit
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Panorama_Fribourg_107.JPG/1280px-Panorama_Fribourg_107.JPG)
In the GC Alcides Ponte finished 6th to cap off a very lucrative Tour with two podium places. Gary Fredickson as helper finished 21st.
And do we stay out of the relegation claws of Aurora Australis?:
1º Flyvende_hjul 7425 3 3 2
2º Agua_Verde 6423 3 3 2
3º BlackHole 5769 2 3 1
4º ChampsElysees 4633 2 1 5
5º Mlb 4335 1 1 2
6º Codex 4305 4 0 2
7º LottoStelvio 4144 7 1 2
8º RealMurciaCycling 3535 0 1 2
9º FaltososDeChigre 3520 0 4 1
10º TeamEuroscalt 3446 3 3 1
19º SPORTLIFE 2502 0 3 0
20º Combuijs 2410 0 1 1
21º Turrones 2325 0 0 0
22º Zatarra 2323 1 1 0
23º ChronoTony 2147 1 0 1
34º Catalonia_Team 1193 0 0 0
35º Aurora_Australis 1181 1 0 2
36º RHyNeStOnEs 1113 0 0 1
Sure we do! We are behind the comfortable back of Sportlife and even in front of Zatarra. May the good times continue.
Meanwhile we have gotten a bad reputation as staff handler:
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/fire2.png)
No surprise there, we are never able to get a fully qualified team director, while the requirements are not too hard as you can see:
"Combuijs Honey Ale is hiring! This renowned Dutch World Tour Team is looking for a team director with lots of experience in grand tours, small tours and one day classics. He or she should be able to keep motivation and team spirits high even when results are catastrophic, while medical staff is not able to recover riders, the mechanical team does not improve the equipment and the marketing team is not able to find additional sponsors. Knowing how to deal with empty coffers and a non-starting team bus is a bonus. Payment is in crates of Combuijs Honey Ale."
-
It's taken you a long time to get that, I got mine on the 30/5/2019, two months into the game. I'm surprised there are only 66 teams with the staff kicker achievement (of course I'd probably have the "leaves the scattered bones of ex-staff everywhere" achievement if it existed, so maybe I'm weighted by my actions).
With Sportlife is a good place to be.
-
Giro:
1st stage: 18. Alcides Ponte
2nd stage: 13. Diederik de Maar
4th stage: 10. Phillip Køppen, 23. Alcides Ponte
5th stage: 19. Diederik de Maar
9th stage: 2. Alcides Ponte
Again a podium place for Alcides. In the GC he finished 17th, still scoring valuable points.
Dauphiné Liberé:
2nd stage to Vaujany: 24. Arnolds Treimanis
(https://nl.oisans.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/03/vaujany-img12.jpg)
Which leads to these division standings:
1º Flyvende_hjul 9905 3 4 3
2º BlackHole 7729 2 3 2
3º Agua_Verde 7331 4 4 3
4º Codex 5686 5 1 3
5º FaltososDeChigre 5664 2 4 1
6º ChampsElysees 5302 2 2 6
7º LottoStelvio 4860 7 3 2
8º Mlb 4710 1 1 2
9º RealMurciaCycling 4682 0 1 3
10º OphiukoCT 4455 0 1 0
11º Astanadena 4274 1 1 1
12º TeamEuroscalt 3834 4 3 1
13º Zatarra 3779 2 1 0
14º SPORTLIFE 3764 0 3 1
15º galegospolabici 3474 1 0 3
24º KunTeam 3091 1 0 1
25º Combuijs 3013 0 2 1
26º Fiestina 2723 2 2 1
27º Álvaro_Pino_Boys 2699 0 0 0
28º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 2578 3 3 1
29º Aurora_Australis 2534 3 0 3
30º Cabrasverdes 2182 0 2 1
A huge lead by Flying Wheels. We lost contact with Sportlife and Aurora Australis is closing in, so we are in trouble again, although still 1000 points away from relegation.
-
Dauphiné Liberé:
4th stage:29. Arnolds Treimanis
In the GC Arnolds, eh..., well, ...eh, he did finish in the end...
Tour de Suisse:
1st stage: 10. Yvo van Straalen
2nd stage: 17. Yvo van Straalen
3rd stage: 16. Peter Boit
4th stage: 9. Eulogio Trillo
5th stage: 10. Yvo van Straalen
In the GC Yvo finished 5th and Erland Westby as a helper 17th. Last result did really surprise us...
Tour de France:
1st stage: 4. Yvo van Straalen
2nd stage: 6. Diederik de Maar
3rd stage: 12. Yvo van Straalen
4th stage: 23. Eulogio Trillo
5th stage: 8. Yvo van Straalen
7th stage: 6. Diederik de Maar
8th stage: 29. Amable Puerto
10th stage: 14. Yvo van Straalen
In the GC we had Yvo just missing out on the podium on 4th place. Or to be fair, he missed out on 1:20 from third place Ken Hansen (Astadena) and more than two minutes on winner Alexey Ryazanov (Real Murcia Cycling).
Clasica San Sebastian: 28. Bert Kerkhof
Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
2nd stage: 2. Peter Boit
3rd stage: 6. Giorgi Jabbarov
4th stage: 12. Diederik de Maar
5th stage: 11. Toivo Sulg
A podium place and a 13th place in the GC for Giorgi, what else could we wish for in our own tour?
Vuelta:
3rd stage: 9. Hallvard Thorkildsen
4th stage: 12. Hallvard Thorkildsen
5th stage: 13. Yvo van Straalen, 21. Arnolds Treimanis
6th stage: 7. Yvo van Straalen, 16. Gary Fredickson
7th stage: 22. Yvo van Straalen
8th stage: 24. Hallvard Thorkildsen
10th stage: 28. Yvo van Straalen
In the GC Yvo finished 9th on more than 4 minutes from winner Ken Hansen (Astadena). Arnolds finished 19th.
In this Vuelta we noticed that having a rider enjoying the fruits of a training camp, you can't send him on another training camp for the next season. So we will not have a good start in next season. A bit odd this...
World Championship Road Race: 16. Hallvard Thorkildsen
(https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_auto,w_900,c_fill,g_auto,h_506,ar_16:9/http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets%2F171128100705-richmond-virginia.jpg)
Which leads to these final division standings:
1º Flyvende_hjul 17829 6 5 6
2º BlackHole 11873 3 4 3
3º FaltososDeChigre 11625 2 5 3
4º RealMurciaCycling 10483 0 1 3
5º Astanadena 9661 2 2 4
6º Agua_Verde 9608 4 7 3
7º ChampsElysees 8872 3 5 7
8º Caracoles 8624 12 5 2
9º LottoStelvio 8576 10 5 6
10º Codex 8422 6 2 5
11º SPORTLIFE 7959 2 4 4
12º Fiestina 7875 4 4 1
13º ChronoTony 7575 2 7 6
14º OphiukoCT 7001 0 2 0
15º galegospolabici 6575 1 2 6
16º Combuijs 6253 0 3 1
17º Aurora_Australis 6152 5 1 3
18º Mlb 6145 3 1 2
19º TeamEuroscalt 5993 5 4 3
20º KunTeam 5599 1 1 3
21º °Peachy°Melocotons 5290 1 2 4
22º Shiro_Lions 5027 1 0 1
23º HTCHungria 4948 0 2 1
24º Thorboassonarvesen 4485 4 3 2
25º MortoviaCycling 4366 2 2 3
26º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 4334 5 4 2
27º Turrones 4314 0 0 0
28º Zatarra 3960 2 1 0
29º Wizards 3618 0 0 1
30º Luka_Warriors 3524 3 0 1
31º Catalonia_Team 3426 0 1 0
32º SenzaSellino 3076 0 0 0
33º RajenKujen 2908 0 1 0
34º Marcatone_Due 2869 0 1 1
35º Álvaro_Pino_Boys 2769 0 0 0
36º TeamSerfin 2756 0 1 0
37º RHyNeStOnEs 2736 0 0 1
38º $Tourmalet 2626 2 1 1
39º Kelme4ever 2399 0 0 0
40º azerite 2364 0 0 0
41º Cabrasverdes 2272 0 2 1
42º Sonfuga 2187 0 0 0
43º PedaleSanvitese 2047 0 0 0
44º BLOEMENAANDEMITTE 2045 0 0 0
45º MOREBike 1110 0 0 0
46º Denver 772 0 0 0
47º NervionBike 596 0 0 0
48º PucelaBike 465 0 0 0
49º Quickstepbronx 229 0 0 1
50º Jediondos 87 0 0 0
All in all a very good season, in face it might be the last good season for a while for our team, given its average age. Anyway, finishing just in front of Aurora Australis was satisfying, finishing far in front of Zatarra was very satisfying and ... eh ... well ... eh ... Sportlife, they were 5 places better...
Individual classification:
1º Tristan Min 28 4601 Flyvende_hjul 2 1 1
2º Rene Vrijmoed 32 4274 BlackHole 0 0 1
3º Ken Hansen 28 3773 Astanadena 0 0 2
4º Henriks Valdmanis 30 3475 KunTeam 1 1 2
5º Phillip Spang 27 3090 Codex 5 1 0
6º Serafim Gois 30 2924 Flyvende_hjul 2 1 0
7º Pat Martin 29 2700 Flyvende_hjul 1 1 2
8º Afonso Rio 31 2664 OphiukoCT 0 0 0
9º Alexey Ryazanov 31 2475 RealMurciaCycling 0 0 0
10º Mazim Kartashov 25 2150 LottoStelvio 3 4 0
11º Yvo VanStraalen 31 2099 Combuijs 0 0 0
Two Dutch riders on top, we can see which country has the best riders, can't we?
Further down the line were the other Combuijs Honey Ale riders:
Alcides Ponte 31 1046 536500 244
Phillip Køppen 33 533 164167 035
Diederik De Maar 30 460 191666 212
Hallvard Thorkildsen 30 458 112000 023
Peter Boit 30 450 220000 233
Eulogio Trillo 30 250 81500 001
Hidde Daelman 31 238 150667 000
Giorgi Jabbarov 30 155 69333 247
Toivo Sulg 30 121 20667 301
Arnolds Treimanis 30 103 12834 001
Gary Fredickson 31 102 20000 011
Amable Puerto 32 93 5834 163
Erland Westby 28 40 18000 010
Nicklas Tornvig 33 35 3000 135
Friso Vonk 31 35 3000 001
Bert Kerkhof 31 35 3000 000
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Season 21 then, CFF3 is coming of age...
Tour Down Under:
4th stage: 24. Amable Puerto
5th stage: 5. Amable Puerto
Omloop het Nieuwsblad: 20. Phillip Køppen
Paris-Nice:
4th stage: 8. Amable Puerto
No special preparation for Arnolds Treimanis, so no top 20 in the GC.
Tirreno Adriatico:
1st stage to Terminillo: 19. Arnolds Treimanis
(https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/fa/9b/53/terminillo-panorama-dall.jpg)
Division standings after the first week:
1º Flyvende_hjul 1826 0 0 3
2º SPORTLIFE 1701 0 0 1
3º Codex 1678 1 0 0
4º Mlb 1394 0 1 0
5º galegospolabici 1383 0 4 0
6º FaltososDeChigre 1353 0 0 0
7º LottoStelvio 1318 4 2 0
8º MortoviaCycling 1317 0 0 1
9º QuintoYtapa 1291 1 0 0
10º Fiestina 1246 0 0 1
37º Skrimshaw 267 0 0 0
38º Combuijs 266 0 0 0
39º WFCyclingTeam 220 0 0 0
A bad start of the season due to some bad planning of training camps, but there is enough time to recover. A surprise start by Sportlife, who apparently did forget he can't score in hill cobble races. Also a brilliant start by Yvo Meppelink Pro Cycling with 5 wins already this season, all by Jacco van Swieten, the next big thing in sprinting.
We managed to sell talent Michel Jansen to World Tour team Wizards. We also started the season by training stamina.
-
A surprise start by Sportlife, who apparently did forget he can't score in hill cobble races.
It for sure makes a difference to compete in the cobblehills races as well. Maybe I should do that more often. :)
Good luck with your team in season 21, Combuijs.
-
Tirreno Adriatico
2nd stage: 26. Arnolds Treimanis
3rd stage: 17. Diederik de Maar
4th stage: 29. Amable Puerto
In the GC Arnolds finished 15th, despite no special preparation.
Milan-San Remo: 22. Amable Puerto
E3 Harelbeke: 13. Eulogio Trillo
Volta Catalunya:
1st stage: 13. Amable Puerto
2nd stage: 17. Diederik de Maar
4th stage: 22. Amable Puerto
Ronde van Vlaanderen: 17. Eulogio Trillo
Itzulia:
2nd stage: 25. Bert Kerkhof
3rd stage: 15. Diederik de Maar
5th stage: 27. Bert Kerkhof
Paris-Roubaix: 12. Hallvard Thorkildsen
Fleche Wallonne: 21. Toivo Sulg
Tour de Romandie:
1st stage: 22. Erland Westby
2nd stage: 5. Hallvard Thorkildsen
3rd stage: 17. Diederik de Maar
5th stage: 22. Erland Westby
In the GC Erland finished 7th, his best result in a Tour.
Giro:
2nd stage: 6. Yvo van Straalen
6th stage: 10. Yvo van Straalen
7th stage: 18. Yvo van Straalen
8th stage: 16. Giorgi Jabbarov, 20. Nicklas Tornvig
In the GC Yvo finished 12th, his first non-top 10 place with special preparation. He is feeling the years, it seems.
Dauphine Libere:
2nd stage: 26. Yvo van Straalen
5th stage: 23. Peter Boit, 27. Hallvard Thorkildsen
In the GC Yvo finished 7th and Arnolds Treimanis 20th.
Tour de France:
2nd stage: 13. Hallvard Thorkildsen
4th stage: 17. Amable Puerto
5th stage: 15. Hallvard Thorkildsen
In the GC Gary Fredickson finished 18th, his best result in the Tour ever.
Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
1st stage: 14. Hallvard Thorkildsen
4th stage: 24. Jesper Håkonsson
Vuelta:
1st stage: 24. Yvo van Straalen
2nd stage: 14. Diederik de Maar
6th stage: 15. Diederik de Maar
7th stage: 30. Yvo van Straalen
9th stage: 4. Peter Boit
10th stage: 17. Yvo van Straalen
In the GC Yvo finishes 11th, not bad without any preparation.
WC Time Trial: 18. Diederik de Maar
Final standings:
1º Flyvende_hjul 17233 0 3 9
2º Agua_Verde 13415 11 6 1
3º SPORTLIFE 13253 5 3 3
4º Codex 11817 7 3 1
5º LottoStelvio 10687 13 8 7
6º FaltososDeChigre 9598 1 0 1
7º RealMurciaCycling 8998 1 2 3
8º ChronoTony 8711 1 3 7
9º Caracoles 8450 15 8 1
10º QuintoYtapa 7865 2 3 1
11º Matterhorn 7453 2 3 0
12º MortoviaCycling 7287 0 4 5
13º galegospolabici 6933 2 8 3
14º Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 6748 10 7 5
15º Fiestina 6709 0 2 1
16º OphiukoCT 6306 0 0 3
17º Plopsala 6214 0 4 6
18º Villavante 6095 3 2 5
19º Aurora_Australis 5641 5 2 2
20º KunTeam 5610 0 0 1
21º HTCHungria 5379 0 5 3
22º Thorboassonarvesen 5318 3 1 3
23º TeamEuroscalt 5058 6 5 1
24º Mlb 5055 0 2 1
25º ICSluj 5044 0 1 4
26º °Peachy°Melocotons 4868 1 2 4
27º Vicam 4811 0 0 0
28º Zatarra 4763 1 1 2
29º Turrones 4574 0 1 0
30º Shiro_Lions 4503 2 0 1
31º Luka_Warriors 3908 0 1 6
32º AmericanChow 3734 0 0 0
33º Combuijs 3249 0 0 0
34º CC_Porco_Jones 3154 0 1 0
35º Pucela_Cycling_Team 2844 0 0 1
36º WaterBoys 2653 0 0 0
37º vercors 2390 0 0 0
38º LaSerenissima 2178 0 0 0
39º Cremy 2095 0 0 0
40º WFCyclingTeam 1670 0 0 0
41º CajaRuralZamora 1576 0 0 0
42º Skrimshaw 871 0 0 0
43º Ciclastur 719 0 0 0
44º Xegalaki_Pro 436 0 0 0
45º Monty 375 0 0 0
46º Astanadena 57 0 0 0
47º ChampsElysees 0 0 0 0
48º HorsCategorieProTeam 0 0 0 0
49º Wizards 0 0 0 0
50º BlackHole 0 0 0 0
Absolute no chance to stay in, place 33 is not that horrible, but the difference with Shiro Lions was almost 1300 points. Congratulations to Flying Wheels with their win, congratulations to Sportlife with their well deserved third place and congratulations to every team that stayed in. We will miss them for some seasons.
Best riders:
1º Henriks Valdmanis 31 4250 KunTeam 0 0 0
2º Serafim Gois 31 4197 Flyvende_hjul 0 1 3
3º Lasse Rønneberg 31 3673 SPORTLIFE 3 0 0
4º Pat Martin 30 3216 Flyvende_hjul 0 1 0
5º Dionisio Junior 27 2812 Matterhorn 1 1 0
6º Jacco VanSwieten 26 2787 Yvo_Meppelink_ProCycling 9 3 1
7º Tristan Min 29 2511 Flyvende_hjul 0 1 0
8º Clovis Beart 27 2456 LottoStelvio 3 4 2
9º Ken Hansen 29 2339 Codex 1 0 0
10º Phillip Spang 28 2165 Codex 3 1 0
No rider in the top 50, mainly because Yvo van Straalen had a very bad season. Our best riders:
Yvo VanStraalen 32 929 234
Diederik De Maar 31 444 212
Amable Puerto 33 358 163
Erland Westby 29 244 010
Arnolds Treimanis 31 112 001
Phillip Køppen 34 75 035
Gary Fredickson 32 60 011
Giorgi Jabbarov 31 55 247
Nicklas Tornvig 34 38 135
Bert Kerkhof 32 30 000
Jesper Håkonsson 31 17 002
Peter Boit, Hallvard Thorkildsen, Toivo Sulg and Eulogio Trillo scored points as well, but I could not retrieve those anymore.
We bought Jesper Håkonsson in the first three weeks of the season to replace the aging Phillip Køppen and Nicklas Tornvig, but we did not continue that strategy as it was clear we were going to relegate. It brought us two icons though:
https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/vientopolar.png https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/iconoscff/malclima1.png
Well, we will cut our losses and start with a new generation of riders. It is a season earlier than expected.
-
Thanks Combuijs :)
You will be missed in division 1A. Your team is even on a split 8º place in the ranking of most 1A seasons.
I guess it is up to someone else now, to give beer to the 1A peleton. Unfortunately, probably it will not be the right beer brand now. :D
Good luck with recruiting and scouting !
-
This season we will get rid of (almost) all of our old riders and we will start a new generation (cobble) hillers. At the moment we have 7 interesting prospects and we will try to get a few results with the oldies.
The probably last cup ride for a while was against Ophiuko CT and our Amable Puerto could not beat Kert Tammik.
Tour Down Under:
2nd stage: 3. Diederik de Maar
5th stage: 6. Amable Puerto
Omloop het Nieuwsblad: 9. Giorgi Jabbarov
Strade Bianchi: 9. Giorgi Jabbarov
Paris - Nice:
1st stage: 29. Erland Westby
2nd stage: 13. Erland Westby, 28. Bert Kerkhof
4th stage to Vierzon: 26. Erland Westby
(https://a.travel-assets.com/findyours-php/viewfinder/images/res70/131000/131628-Cher-Department.jpg?impolicy=fcrop&w=1040&h=580&q=mediumHigh)
Our youngest oldie Erland finished 3rd in the GC.
Division standings in 2b after the first week:
1º AmericanChow 4121 1 1 3
2º TeaMetal 2798 1 0 1
3º MarquinaTeam 2343 2 2 1
4º $Tourmalet 2041 2 3 1
5º vercors 2010 1 1 1
6º Cremy 1789 0 1 1
7º Fliegende_Flyers 1259 0 0 0
8º CajaRuralZamora 1103 0 1 1
9º Rekutxuteam 1051 1 1 0
10º Albion 978 1 0 0
11º Combuijs 952 0 0 1
12º PDM_cycling_team 913 1 2 0
No, we won't be competing for promotion, but we might stay in the division for a season...
-
Tirreno Adriatico:
5th stage: 22. Erland Westby
In the GC Bert Kerkhof finished 19th, just good enough to be mentioned here for the last time.
E3 Harelbeke: 3. Giorgi Jabbarov, 10. Jesper Håkonsson
Volta Catalunya:
3rd stage: 10. Yvo van Straalen
4th stage: 2. Diederik de Maar
5th stage: 8. Yvo van Straalen, 17. Arnolds Treimanis
In the GC Yvo finished 5th.
Gent-Wevelgem: 8. Jesper Håkonsson
(https://www.droomplekken.nl/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2F5p6ovbti38w4.b-cdn.net%2Fw_960%2Fs3-droomplekken%2F7a6248a9-c690-43b2-b79a-032c963116a8.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
Division standings in 2b after the second week:
1º AmericanChow 8508 1 3 5
2º TeaMetal 5647 1 0 2
3º MarquinaTeam 5511 4 5 3
4º Cremy 5172 2 3 1
5º vercors 4070 1 1 3
6º $Tourmalet 3968 3 4 1
7º Rekutxuteam 3102 3 2 0
8º CajaRuralZamora 2325 0 1 2
9º Combuijs 2233 0 1 2
10º Fliegende_Flyers 2018 0 1 0
We are now reduced to 6 serious riders, plus some very talented ... eh ... talents.
On the cobble hill front we have Claudio Passacantilli, Viriato Ataide, Hernan Santander and Hakan Bühler. As flat hillers we have Isaias Valderrama, Jens Korenveld, Adam Hoogvliet, Sándor Tacács and Albeiro Valdes. Pure hillers are Tigo Seedorf, Henk-Jan van Vleuten, Odin Koning and Rein Verspuij.
At the moment all our staff are trying to measure up these talents to predict who is going to be our star rider in the future. We have hardly any definitive results yet, but some look promising.
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Dwars door Vlaanderen: 3. Jesper Håkonsson, 21. Giorgi Jabbarov
Ronde van Vlaanderen: 3. Jesper Håkonsson, 17. Giorgi Jabbarov
Itzulia:
1st stage: 1. Diederik de Maar
3rd stage: 1. Jesper Håkonsson, 8. Giorgi Jabbarov
Two victories, mainly because we did not ride for the GC.
Tour de Romandie:
1st stage: 8. Diederik de Maar
3rd stage: 21. Arnolds Treimanis
5th stage: 10. Arnolds Treimanis
In the GC Arnolds finished 14th.
Giro:
2nd stage: 13. Yvo van Straalen
5th stage: 12. Yvo van Straalen
6th stage: 18. Yvo van Straalen, 23. Erland Westby
8th stage: 10. Yvo van Straalen
In the GC Yvo finished 4th on almost 4 minutes from winner Agapito Salcedo (Cremy).
Dauphine Liberé:
1st stage: 5. Yvo van Straalen
2nd stage: 13. Yvo van Straalen
3rd stage to La Rosière: 18. Yvo van Straalen
(https://www.cgh-residences.nl/photos/stations/sliders/la-rosiere-1_222.webp)
Division standings in 2b after the fourth week:
1º AmericanChow 14744 2 6 7
2º MarquinaTeam 14195 6 7 7
3º Cremy 12651 7 4 1
4º TeaMetal 10575 2 0 5
5º vercors 8167 1 2 7
6º $Tourmalet 8152 4 8 2
7º CajaRuralZamora 6084 2 1 3
8º Rekutxuteam 5518 4 4 0
9º MOREBike 5119 1 3 1
10º Combuijs 4687 2 1 4
11º beerkes 4601 1 0 0
It seems we have two very talented riders: Albeiro Valdes and Claudio Passacantili. Rein Verspuij, Henk-Jan van Vleuten and Hakan Bühler can be called promising talents as well. So we will concentrate on these riders for the moment.
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Dauphine Liberé:
In the GC Yvo van Straalen finished 5th.
Tour de Suisse:
2nd stage: 7. Arnolds Treimanis
4th stage: 14. Arnolds Treimanis
5th stage: 4. Arnolds Treimanis, 12. Yvo van Straalen
In the GC Arnolds was on 3rd place on 1.43 from winner Elias Bossov (Marguina Team). Yvo finished 15th in a supporting role.
Tour de France:
2nd stage: 8. Arnolds Treimanis
4th stage: 24. Erland Westby
5th stage to Mende: 16. Arnolds Treimanis, 28. Erland Westby
(https://zonnigzuidfrankrijk.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Mende-300x224.jpg)
After the 5th week these are the division standings:
1º MarquinaTeam 16990 6 8 10
2º AmericanChow 15742 2 6 7
3º Cremy 14653 9 5 1
4º TeaMetal 12435 4 0 7
5º $Tourmalet 9431 5 9 3
6º vercors 9244 1 2 8
7º CajaRuralZamora 6937 2 1 5
8º Galletto 6809 4 5 5
9º Rekutxuteam 6436 5 5 0
10º MOREBike 5867 1 4 1
11º Combuijs 5770 2 1 4
12º beerkes 5516 1 0 0
The time trial results of Diederik de Maar last week did not go without notice and we got an offer from the Pauwel's brewery which of course we refused. After all their Kwak beer is a very strong contender for our own Combuijs Honey Ale...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/kwak.jpg)
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Tour de France:
6th stage: 9. Arnolds Treimanis
8th stage: 3. Arnolds Treimanis, 14. Erland Westby
9th stage: 12. Arnolds Treimanis, 27. Erland Westby
10th stage: 8. Arnolds Treimanis, 14. Erland Westby
In the GC Arnolds finished 4th, just outside the podium. Erland finished 14th.
Combuijs Honey Ale Tour:
2nd stage: 20. Giorgi Jabbarov
3rd stage: 18. Giorgi Jabbarov
5th stage: 22. Giorgi Jabbarov
In the GC Giorgi finished 12th.
Vuelta:
1st stage: 19. Arnolds Treimanis, 27. Yvo van Straalen
2nd stage: 10. Yvo van Straalen
4th stage: 19. Yvo van Straalen
5th stage: 8. Yvo van Straalen
6th stage: 26. Yvo van Straalen
7th stage: 11. Yvo van Straalen
8th stage to Cerler: 25. Yvo van Straalen
In the GC Yvo finished 5th, Arnolds 20th. Russian Lukoil was very satisfied with this result and donated some money. We have declined the offer though in light of the situation in Ukraine...
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/lukoil.jpg)
(https://zonnigzuidfrankrijk.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Mende-300x224.jpg)
Final standings:
1º AmericanChow 23810 3 8 8
2º MarquinaTeam 23011 11 16 11
3º Cremy 21864 12 6 1
4º TeaMetal 16260 4 0 7
5º vercors 13043 1 5 8
6º CajaRuralZamora 12283 2 3 8
7º $Tourmalet 12163 7 11 5
8º Galletto 11844 4 7 8
9º GMV_Cycling 9194 0 0 1
10º beerkes 8706 2 0 2
11º PDM_cycling_team 8678 7 9 5
12º PORTUGAL2011 8207 20 2 2
13º Combuijs 8143 2 1 5
14º Lugnanese 8076 0 1 3
15º MOREBike 7253 1 5 1
16º Albion 7089 2 3 1
17º Rekutxuteam 6821 6 5 0
18º SanJose 6419 1 2 3
19º Euskadi2022 6332 1 1 3
20º Fliegende_Flyers 6118 2 2 2
21º Estoparia 5625 0 0 0
22º JackyTeam 3521 0 0 1
23º Gloucester 3247 0 0 1
24º Animatoca 3201 0 0 0
25º La_Vie_Claire 3053 2 1 2
26º FastandFurious 2675 0 0 0
27º team_piroshki 1919 0 0 0
28º Cosalis 1853 0 0 0
29º WinterIsComing 1684 0 2 1
30º VILLESVENSKAS 1277 1 0 1
31º GARAJE_EH 859 0 0 0
32º Periquitos 818 0 1 1
33º Flandria 561 0 0 0
34º TilburgTerriërs 282 0 0 0
35º OSLB 268 0 0 0
36º ColoTeam 133 0 0 0
37º El_Equipo_de_Drkasty 15 0 0 0
38º TTeam 0 0 0 0
39º Team_Elrosportu 0 0 0 0
40º FaustoScoppi 0 0 0 0
41º Oska 0 0 0 0
42º Velocitus 0 0 0 0
43º Jediondos 0 0 0 0
44º Buttazoni 0 0 0 0
45º Bergersfeldt 0 0 0 0
46º Balumina 0 0 0 0
47º Kalenjicycling 0 0 0 0
48º Arosa 0 0 0 0
49º Xacobeo83 0 0 0 0
50º TeamDB 0 0 0 0
Lost some places in the last races, but 13th is not bad with only 6 competitive riders.
1º Agapito Salcedo 27 6793 Cremy 4 2 0
2º Sebastiaan Groenendaal 29 5065 Galletto 1 3 3
3º Cristian Kristiansen 30 4262 AmericanChow 1 4 2
4º Orencio Molinero 30 3935 CajaRuralZamora 0 1 2
5º Nick Thompson 28 3557 TeaMetal 2 0 4
6º Elias Bossov 24 3494 MarquinaTeam 1 1 3
7º Alex Harkeleroad 27 3349 PORTUGAL2011 9 0 1
8º Danylo Ruzmikin 30 3309 Cremy 3 1 0
9º Afonso Rio 33 3057 TeaMetal 0 0 1
10º Gilbert Obermeier 25 3040 MarquinaTeam 2 5 3
17º Yvo VanStraalen 33 2583 Combuijs 0 0 0
26º Arnolds Treimanis 32 1938 Combuijs 0 0 1
Jesper Håkonsson 32 1177 363333 104
Giorgi Jabbarov 32 1085 256666 248
Erland Westby 30 785 167999 010
Diederik De Maar 32 468 100000 323
Yvo van Straalen still 17th, perhaps another season for him?
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Not a good start of season 23, we lost in the first round of the cup in a hill climbing race against fellow Pro Continental tour team Xegalaki Pro. Erland Westby could not beat Claudio Rosario (and Wilfried Jacob for that matter).
Omloop het Nieuwsblad: 7. Jesper Håkonsson, 30. Giorgi Jabbarov
Strade Bianchi: 13. Jesper Håkonsson
Paris - Nice:
1st stage: 2. Diederik de Maar
5th stage: 30. Erland Westby
Tirreno Adriatico:
4th stage: 12. Erland Westby
5th stage: 25. Erland Westby
In the GC Erland finished 7th, Arnolds 18th as a helper.
E3 Harelbeke: 8. Giorgi Jabbarov
Volta Catalunya:
1st stage: 23. Yvo van Straalen
2nd stage: 12. Yvo van Straalen, 20. Arnolds Treimanis
3rd stage: 1. Diederik de Maar
4th stage: 30. Yvo van Straalen
5th stage: 25. Yvo van Straalen
A win in the time trial by Diederik, which earned us a sponsor contract by DSM. They will now supply us with interesting chemical stuff, which can't be detected by doping control.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/sponsors/dsm.jpg)
In the GC Yvo finished 5th and Arnolds 10th in a helping role. Points in every stage, so all and all a very good Volta Catalunya.
Gent - Wevelgem: 8. Jesper Håkonsson
Dwars door Vlaanderen: 2. Jesper Håkonsson, 25. Georgi Jabbarov
(https://www.westtoer.be/sites/westtoer_2015/files/styles/route_main_image_desktop/public/westtoer/doen/routes/cover_roeselare.jpg?itok=wXMn1r9x)
Division standings after two weeks:
1º LanihuliCycling 8402 2 1 4
2º Rekutxuteam 7944 12 3 1
3º MOREBike 3828 1 2 3
4º GMV_Cycling 3418 0 1 1
5º Kelme4ever 3311 1 0 2
6º Fliegende_Flyers 3199 1 4 3
12º CajaRuralZamora 2341 1 2 0
13º Combuijs 2305 1 2 0
14º Galletto 2287 1 3 2
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Ronde van Vlaanderen: 9. Jesper Håkonsson, 23. Georgi Jabbarov
Itzulia:
3rd stage: 27. Giorgi Jabbarov
4th stage: 9. Jesper Håkonsson, 14. Giorgi Jabbarov
5th stage: 29. Giorgi Jabbarov
Tour de Romandie:
2nd stage: 3. Diederik de Maar
Giro:
1st stage: 30. Erland Westby.
2nd stage: 17. Erland Westby
5th stage: 23. Erland Westby, 29. Yvo van Straalen
6th stage: 12. Erland Westby
7th stage: 29. Erland Westby
8th stage: 29. Erland Westby
9th stage: 30. Erland Westby
10th stage: 24. Erland Westby
In the GC Erland finished 12th, not good enough for a sponsor deal with Philips. He was very consistent, but simply not good enough.
Dauphiné Liberé:
1st stage: 25. Erland Westby
3rd stage: 14. Erland Westby, 30. Yvo van Straalen
4th stage: 10. Erland Westby
5th stage: 6. Erland Westby
In the GC Erland finished 7th.
Tour de Suisse:
2nd stage: 13. Arnolds Treimanis, 26. Yvo van Straalen
3rd stage: 8. Jesper Håkonsson, 24. Yvo van Straalen, 29. Arnolds Treimanis
4th stage: 6. Arnolds Treimanis, 29. Yvo van Straalen
5th stage: 15. Arnolds Treimanis
In the GC Arnolds was just outside the podium on place 4, Yvo finished 12th. All and all a very satisfying tour of Switzerland.
Tour de France:
3rd stage: 23. Arnolds Treimanis, 27. Erland Westby
4th stage: 13. Arnolds Treimanis, 14. Erland Westby
5th stage: 5. Diederik de Maar
6th stage: 5. Diederik de Maar
7th stage: 10. Diederik de Maar, 28. Erland Westby
8th stage to Digne-les-Bains: 20. Erland Westby
(https://zonnigzuidfrankrijk.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Digne-les-Bains1-300x199.jpg)
Division standings after five weeks:
1º LanihuliCycling 25368 11 13 8
2º Rekutxuteam 15111 18 8 6
3º Galletto 12623 11 7 9
4º MOREBike 10037 3 4 6
5º team_piroshki 9542 1 2 5
6º GMV_Cycling 9404 0 4 3
14º beerkes 6440 1 1 1
15º Combuijs 4825 1 2 1
16º SanJose 4749 0 0 3
GMV Cycling is fighting for promotion, we will most likely finish on 15th place, which is good enough.
Meanwhile we have switched to cobble training for most riders.