Season 14

[Sjiz]

Another year, another season. The 14th! Almost every Small tour with a cobble stage and the same world championships as this season.

Its time to plan!

[Sjiz]

So, we have started. Verbeek got his first podium and all is normal.

We were also able to sign some old, but still goodies. Cabanas is finally out of the shadow of Semon and Skogstad will prove a valuable addition to the hill climb squad.

[Vos]

удачи, Sjiz ! 

I had just one place for a new buy, and the ones I really wanted were sold for too much money, that I not even had in some cases.
But I'm happy with my new buy of 1,7M : the 31yo golden flathills- and hills specialist Xavier.
With 9 stars on both skills, and the nr80 in the golden hills ranking, listed as flathills.

In previous season I had no hills- ánd cobblehills specialists, what meant missing out many points.
If I only knew in the beginning of previous season that my team finished almost 1A podium, I would have bought such a specialist sooner.
But never too late to fix this "problem", and hopefully I bought now a point scoring hills specialist.
And even better, hopefully he will be the helper of another buy, an even better hills specialist.

Also I need a cobblehills specialist, but that will be very difficult because as almost always, my team is too full.
We will see that this new season 14 brings.
Although it did not start well with a weird NT race, not a good stage 1 TDU, and my team is already eliminated in the CFF Cup.
It can only get better from now on.

   selection SPORTLIFE

31 Redondo ( 32 ), GC ?
32 Lebrun ( 29 ), sprint
33 Kangert ( 30 ), TT
34 Xavier ( 31 ), hills
35 Rubiera ( 22 ), hills

Good luck everyone ! 

stage 1 TDU ;
I did not make good strategic choices, because the 2 hills specialists were riding in a free role, instead of helping possible GC contender Redondo.
In retrospective it was also a better option to ride with Redondo in a free role, and that Xavier tried to score a few points.
Now I made a bit of a "in-between-choice" what is often not a good strategic choice. Well, it was fun to try these not-smart tactics.

Xavier (46º) was not good enough in a free role.
Also because he had as new bought cyclist a major form problem and a minor health problem.
The 22yo Rubiera (76º) did pretty well despite he is not in topform yet. Also good to see that he is the nr10 in the u23 DreamTeam.
His goal was to try to score a few points, what maybe should have been good enough to win the white-season-jersey.
Of course, a very little chance to succeed in that, even when he would have been the teamcaptain.
Although, you never know in the first race of the season, it could have been an opportunity. But the hills-competition was way too strong.
In a solo teamcaptain role and also not in topform yet, Redondo finished as 103º on 1:05"
For now, that does not look good for his GC ambition and it is very doubtfull if he can score some GC points.

[xabi]

You had bad luck again in CFF-Cup for riding against my team in a flat-mountain stage where you sold your best rider few days ago. I hope next time I defeat you in CFF-Cup in the final 

[Vos]

Yes, that is better idea, I rather lose to your team in the CFF Cup final than now in the first round. 
And indeed, my sold flat-climb specialist could have won or at least would be a much more fierce contender than I had now.
Although my team was not bad in this round 1, versus a less experienced manager it even was possible to win if he had Wächter.
Too bad for me that you are too smart with tactics.
Congratulations with your well-deserved victory, and good luck in the 2nd round !
And did you know that beating SPORTLIFE means you have to win the CFF Cup this season ? ( so I can say I lost to the CFF Cup winner, hahaha )

[Vos]

stage 2 TDU ;
2º Lebrun
28º  Redondo  on 0:00"
A change of strategy, because I have not much faith in the GC chances of Redondo after stage 1. Now he has to be the helper of my sprinter.
And Redondo did an excellent helper's job, and even finished on 0:00" himself.
Thanks to him, a great podium place of my sprinter, who could not challenge any favorites and is not in topform yet.

With these first points of the season, SPORTLIFE moved up from the 48º place in 1A to the 5º place, that looks much better.
Redondo is now 11º GC in TDU, still that 1:05" behind out of stage 1, but now behind a new GC leader, Verbeek of TeamRHB.
But in the next sprint stage Redondo will be the helper again, and I estimate it will be very (or too) difficult for him to finish on 0:00" again.
And most likely he gets a free role in stage 4, so I can test out my new buy Xavier as teamcaptain in a flathills stage.

[Sjiz]

Verbeek did a perfect first sprint stage, the second was good. He lost a group in s5 hut i knew that could happen when inzet the tactics. Now we see how much time he can get tonight and then it is our of our hands in the TT.

Other news: We listened to Verbeeks wishes and we were able to improve our hill squad. With the new Rubels we had received from our glorious sponsors we could get Lustig. Fellow Dutchie will be a great help.

[Vos]

stage 3 TDU ;
2º Lebrun
47º  Redondo ( helper ) on 0:22"

As expected Redondo could not finish in the 1st group despite his 5 EP finish, but again he did an essential and great helper's job.
He dropped 2 places in the GC , now 13º GC,  but still on that 1:05" behind from stage 1.
Too bad for him he has to ride stage 4 in a free role, and maybe he can move up after stage 5 the time trial, I have no idea.
But it was worth it to use Redondo as helper to make the more than excellent 2 x 2º places of Lebrun possible.
Of course, so close to victories is always a bit of a pity, but happy because he is not in topform and he could not challenge favorites.

Other news  ;
Today I got this milestone. In all previous 13 seasons I had no golden hills specialist.
Yesterday the 31yo golden hills cyclist Xavier was bought, and today I bought the better 31yo golden hills cyclist Daniljev.
One more reason that Xavier will be the teamcaptain this evening, because this is his only chance, in all other hills races he will be the helper.

Let's see how the hills races will go with a golden combo, as the milestone already shows, it will be the first time.
Although on my team palmares there are 5x top10 results in the hills classics ( seasons 2, 3 and 7 ), including 2º in LBL ( season 2 ).
Unfortunately my hills duo is not so great as the new duo of TeamRHB, but in contrast to previous season, now I do expect points in hills races.

[Vos]

stage 4 TDU ;
7º  Xavier
45º  Redondo ( free role ) on 0:22"

Hmmm, it is almost sure that I wasted energy at the start, the s1 mega peleton was 165 cyclists.
Well, let's hope all other managers did the same, who have cyclists that are not in topform yet.

Redondo moved up one place, and he is now 12th GC on 1:27"
It seems to me he can enter the top10 GC after the time trial, although this is an uncertain guess because there are 88 TT kilometers.
Maybe I should hope he does not too well, because he lost a total of approximately 40 seconds unnecessary due to wrong roles.
For now, I don't expect those 40 seconds will cause missing the podium in the Tour Down Under.
Also I have high hopes for Kangert in stage 5, although he cannot challenge favorites, this Estonian TT specialist likes cold weather.

[Aurora Australis]

In previous season I had no hills- ánd cobblehills specialists, what meant missing out many points.
If I only knew in the beginning of previous season that my team finished almost 1A podium, I would have bought such a specialist sooner.
But never too late to fix this "problem", and hopefully I bought now a point scoring hills specialist.
And even better, hopefully he will be the helper of another buy, an even better hills specialist.

Well best wishes to getting a team Div1 top 3 trophy onto your wall.

[Sjiz]

Verbeek got another second place. Maybe i should call him Arno Zoetemelk. Now its out of our hands. I hope he can finish on the podium but i guess it will be 4th or 5th. The hill stages were not difficult enough for him.

[Vos]

stage 5 TDU ;
3º  Kangert
39º  Redondo  on 2:30"

An excellent time trial of Kangert, only the 2 Australian top aces of AA were better. Congrats, Aurora Australis. 
Also Redondo did very well ; he ended up as 9º GC, 1:00" behind the Australian TDU winner Gatson. Congrats, Ophiuko. 

What is less good ; Redondo could have finished on the final GC podium when he would have been the teamcaptain in all stages.
But for the total points out of this TDU it probably does not matter much. Talking about total points ;
SPORTLIFE is now temporarily 2º in 1A. 

Well best wishes to getting a team Div1 top 3 trophy onto your wall.

Thanks. 
Hopefully an 1A podiumplace is possible this season, despite I have no cobblehills riders,
and despite the uncertainty that this is a transition season for the giant oldest generation.
Also I did not look how good the rivals are, what can change with new buys, and maybe there are amazing pomoted teams.
But for sure my team will try, and this time I will be more focussed on points and the 1A ranking than in previous seasons.

Fun to mention is that Australia did very well in this Tour Down Under, just like in the reallife TDU ;
2 Australian stage winners ; Levin ( stage 5 ) and Shields ( stage 4 ). ( I wish Shields would have been amazing in the NT race too, but this aside  )
3 stages were won by an Australian manager ; Aurora Australis in stage 5 and $Tourmalet won stages 2 and 3 with his Colombian sprinter.
2 Australian cyclists finished top10 GC ; 6º Hunter ( FrançaiseDesJeux ) and TDU victor 1º Gatson ( the Australian OphiukoCT ).
And at the moment there are 4 Australian teams in the top 8 of division 1A. 

[Vos]

Maybe good to mention ;
with 2 young training projects, my team is not really an 1A contendor, and I should have sold my climb TT specialist who is of no use this season.
But looking at previous season, these 3 cyclists were in my team and just 32 points short of a podiumplace. And the nr2 starts a youth team.
And despite the at least 3 "wasted" places, my team improved compared to previous season.
It might depend on rival teams if a podiumplace is possible. But if they want a podiumplace ; I predict they really have to battle for it. 
And finishing again 4º after a fierce battle, is also fun to me. It is just a podiumplace (although very nice and very wanted) and not an 1A championship.

[Sjiz]

Unfortunate, verbeek lost a lot of positions today. The hill stages, as mentioned, did not create enough time differences. In hindsight i should have gone for he sprinters in their stages. Ah well.

Now we look at the cobble stages and first normal Small tours. Lets see what we can do.

[ophiuko]

Thanks Vos! First victory in a tour for my team. And finally Gatson got his TDU, after finishing 3rd and 2nd in past editions. Rumours say that the team's change of headquarters to Australia gave him extra motivation as it was an Australian cyclist riding for an Australian team in an Australian tour