Australia NT Season 16

[Aurora Australis]

Here's the first 19-year-old for the season not to be sacked from my team (I've sacked $12-14mill of purchases so far).

Jonny Alfier   
Stamina   74   Sprint   5
Climbing   60   Flat   69
Cobblestone   22   Technique   64
Downhill   10   Hills   9
Aggressiveness   49   Time Trial   53
Teamwork   48   Experience   0

TT is low, but he'll survive, I'm training stamina until next season.

[Kekipi]

(I've sacked $12-14mill of purchases so far).

   Deep pockets, obviously.

[Aurora Australis]

(I've sacked $12-14mill of purchases so far).

  Deep pockets, obviously.

I wouldn't mind the pockets of those who can spend $25mill, $35mill, or more, on a 19-year-old who might end up having zero talent (yes I know there's a cheat you can hack into to effectively calculate the talent - and there's the "reveal your talent card [however that one only works on your own team so isn't applicable], but still), those are deep pockets.

[Kekipi]

I wouldn't mind the pockets of those who can spend $25mill, $35mill, or more, on a 19-year-old who might end up having zero talent

That someone has that kind of $$ to spend on riders amazes me.  Makes me wonder what I'm doing wrong and also what it would take to have such a massive bankroll where I wouldn't hesitate to spend $10m+ for a rider. To this point, the most I've doled out on the market for a rider is $3.1m, which is chump change to the current Div 1 top 4 teams (and probably most of the other D1 teams). 

Curious, I looked up and came up with an average for the five "most expensive purchases" for each of the D1 top four teams and this is what I found: 

• 17.1m (JGMTeam)
• 34.1m (FaltososDeChigre)
• 22.8m (Mlb)
• 42.0m (Rekutxuteam)

   
What's the average for Lanihuli Cycling?  2.3m.

I suppose that makes me a penny pincher.  LOL.

And when I am fortunate enough to land a rider on the market, I'm like the number crunching dude from Moneyball.

[Aurora Australis]

That someone has that kind of $$ to spend on riders amazes me.  Makes me wonder what I'm doing wrong and also what it would take to have such a massive bankroll where I wouldn't hesitate to spend $10m+ for a rider. To this point, the most I've doled out on the market for a rider is $3.1m, which is chump change to the current Div 1 top 4 teams (and probably most of the other D1 teams).

A lot of teams have over $50mill in the bank, I know this because I did have $43-45mill or something at the start of the season & I wasn't near the top of the list in Div1.

Anyway, a second 19-year-old TTer has secured at least the next two seasons in the team.

Christian Post   
Stamina   69   Sprint   2
Climbing   56   Flat   39
Cobblestone   16   Technique   63
Downhill   19   Hills   60
Aggressiveness   18   Time Trial   69
Teamwork   14   Experience   0

[Franky]

Well, the first one that is usable on this season!

Hank Pernom   Age : 19   Wage : 842
Stamina : 65   Sprint : 12   Climbing : 67
Flat : 25   Cobblestone : 33   Technique : 50
Downhill : 65   Hills : 18   Aggressiveness : 34
Time Trial : 68   Teamwork : 1   Experience : 0

[ophiuko]

(I've sacked $12-14mill of purchases so far).

  Deep pockets, obviously.

I wouldn't mind the pockets of those who can spend $25mill, $35mill, or more, on a 19-year-old who might end up having zero talent (yes I know there's a cheat you can hack into to effectively calculate the talent - and there's the "reveal your talent card [however that one only works on your own team so isn't applicable], but still), those are deep pockets.

It's rule of the marketprices. You have to adapt to them if you want to get the best riders. You have a great advantage: no competitors/few competitors who also want to buy the same 19yo TTers than you. But in other terrains, when you see all the riders that you want go to other teams for +20M, eventually if you want them you will have to pay that money (if you have it). I'd say even you have lost some great TTer opportunities as David Derby  this season (cause he also was good as HV).

[ophiuko]

Stage 3 - Albese - Cassano-Milano



Decent result at the previous climbing race. Still adding top10 points, which is good.

For this sprint race in the North of Italy, I'm really doubtful about the tactics. There is level 2 of wind, which makes me think that you can lose the race (and all the points) in just 1 section. I feel it's very easy to select the wrong tactics, and it's hard to find the correct one. I'll have to try and see if we are lucky.

Australian NT selection:

Ryan Pierre, 29, CC_Porco_Jones 91.45
Jasper Blair, 26, Manicomicos_Cycling_Team 91.43
Richard Davidson, 27, Luka_Warriors 89.48
Tim Malone, 26, Manicomicos_Cycling_Team 88.47
Ian Hamsten, 23, lasposturas 87.75
Wilt Frances, 26, Manicomicos_Cycling_Team 87.35
Anthony Fletcher, 23, lasposturas 86.74
Leroy Ablett, 23, lasposturas 85.58

Jasper Caan, 19, OphiukoCT debut

[Franky]

Sprint races are always madness and with a bit of wind ever worst...good luck man! 

[Aurora Australis]

I'd say even you have lost some great TTer opportunities as David Derby  this season (cause he also was good as HV).

If I remember correctly, I was actually glad not to get him because it was a better HV prospect than TTer.  There was a second one I missed who I think from memory went for thirty something mill.
Of course I've also missed out on at least one flat TTer who's slightly better than the couple of TTers I've got this season, but I'm not taking the time to chase 19-year-old TTers with a different flag icon.

Good fortunes on the sprint race tomorrow Ophiuko, just note my non-Aussie sprinter has a wind weather bonus.

[Aurora Australis]

Bad news for us in the NT (good news for me personally), but good news in the 19 year old stakes as I have a third cyclist who's not going to be sacked this season.

Eric Armstrong
Stamina   57   Sprint   11
Climbing   15   Flat   69
Cobblestone   7   Technique   64
Downhill   58   Hills   18
Aggressiveness   74   Time Trial   62
Teamwork   10   Experience   0

(one other 19 year old was sacked today, and a second on the brink, so I'm still hunting for Aussie TTers)

[ophiuko]

A disaster for the sprint NT race, no luck at all. Seeing that Vos was too conservative last season, I decided to attack. As usual, my attack left behind no one, not even the 21yo, not even on S2  . Of course I was expecting to have a reduced front group on S3, so anyone that had decided to attack on S3 or S4 wouldn't be on the front group by then. Well, something else to learn on the NT races: attacks on S1 or S2 are worthless, unless you have a conservative tactic and it's someone else who attacks 

[Franky]

A disaster for the sprint NT race, no luck at all. Seeing that Vos was too conservative last season, I decided to attack. As usual, my attack left behind no one, not even the 21yo, not even on S2  . Of course I was expecting to have a reduced front group on S3, so anyone that had decided to attack on S3 or S4 wouldn't be on the front group by then. Well, something else to learn on the NT races: attacks on S1 or S2 are worthless, unless you have a conservative tactic and it's someone else who attacks 

Well, I would say that this is not totally true. The only truth is that NT races are always madness and sprint races even worst 

[Vos]

I know it is not true, every conclusion you make now, the next NT sprint race will be weird in another way and gives a totally different conclusion.
But no worries, Ophiuko, failures in NT sprint races can happen to the best.  
Remarkable to see that just 4 sprinters finished on 0:00", most likely this is the first time ever that a little break away group sprinted for victory.

"Info" for next season ; this NT sprint race ( Giro, 119km ) with 2 stripes of wind went like this ;  99 - 77 - 45 (  ) -  23 - 4 (  )
My conclusion = all 4 NT sprint races (2x no wind, 1x 3stripes, 1x 2stripes) of seasons 16, 15 and 14, were completely different from each other.
Also I must agree with the conclusion of Franky ; 

The only truth is that NT races are always madness and sprint races even worst 

[ophiuko]

I know it's not true  It was an ironic way of saying "attacks are always effective except for mine". It had happened to me before with the Spanish NT on a hills stage. Also attacked with most of the team at 5 (including several free role); no one left behind.

Maybe there is some trick to make your attack effective that I don't know. Maybe only 1 NT cannot make an effective attack and a combined attack of several teams is needed. Or maybe it's just luck, who knows. For sure on regular league of 1st div these tactics would have knocked out most of the peloton.