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English Cff Forum => General Forum => Topic started by: Vos on November 25, 2021, 04:13:33 PM
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(https://i.imgur.com/konnDZ0.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/Of4vSwP.jpeg)
Wins Jurgen Aerts ( LottoStelvio ) again the WC cobble race ? And will Flyvende_hjul again be 1A champion ánd Golden Bike winner ?
Have fun and good luck everyone in season 21 :)
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Overview of previous season 20 =
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/1equipos.gif) Flyvende_hjul --> in a new total points record ! ( previous record was of °Peachy°Melocotons in season 11 )
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/2equipos.gif) BlackHole
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/3equipos.gif) FaltososDeChigre
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/1indi.gif) Tristan Min ( Flyvende_hjul )
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/2indi.gif) Rene Vrijmoed ( BlackHole )
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/3indi.gif) Ken Hansen ( Astanadena )
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/copaq.jpg) galegospolabici
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/copaq2.jpg) BlackHole
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/arcoiris.gif) Jurgen Aerts ( LottoStelvio )
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/arcocrono.jpg) Christian Pocock ( Aurora_Australis )
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/giro.jpg) Rene Vrijmoed ( BlackHole )
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/tour.jpg) Alexey Ryazanov ( RealMurciaCycling )
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/vuelta.jpg) Ken Hansen ( Astanadena )
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/joven.gif) Alex Trautemberg ( Aurora_Australis )
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/camiclasicas.jpg) Arnfinn Mikalsen ( TeamEuroscalt )
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/australia.jpg) = NT WORLD CHAMPION ( Aurora_Australis )
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(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/27707822768c9c9c00789bdb852cbeae.png) (https://i.imgur.com/GvIPZ8B.png)selection SPORTLIFE
My team is not in topform, despite this, I hope that Clemente can score stage points and maybe a few GC points too.
If he fails in the first 3 stages, the back up plan is trying to finish top30 in stage 4 with Meijer and the same goal for Rubiera in stage 5.
For now the plan is that they will be masterhelpers in these stages. But it is also possible that stage 4 will kill the GC ambition of Clemente.
101 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/colombia.jpg) Clemente ( 33 ), hills-sprint
102 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/spain.jpg) Rubiera ( 29 ), hills
103 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/holanda.jpg) Meijer ( 27 ), hills
104 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/estonia.jpg) Loosaar ( 30 ), silver hills-sprint helper
105 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/dinamarca.jpg) Hummelsby ( 30 ), cobble / bronze sprint helper
Good luck everyone ! :)
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stage 1 TDU ;
11º Clemente
stage 2 TDU ;
11º Clemente
stage 3 TDU ;
13º Clemente
So far so good, no time loss, and more points as expected. :)
Now the crucial stage 4 to see if Clemente has a chance to score a few GC points.
It will be a challenge because he is not in topform, he has a very low climb skill, ánd the current top 30 GC is all on 0:00" too.
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stage 4 TDU ;
Thanks to excellent help of Rubiera, including section 4, teamcaptain Clemente did great and finished as 63º on 1:55"
It even caused a 5º place in the GC.
stage 5 TDU ;
22º Clemente on 0:18"
In the final stage Clemente successfully defended his surprising high GC ranking ; 5º GC on 1:45" :)
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Excellent results in both cobblehills races. :)
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad ;
8º Laansalu
26º Megens ( helper )
Strade Bianche ;
9º Laansalu
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(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/df924f77f10929a2904cfb2e4b350056.png) (https://i.imgur.com/GvIPZ8B.png)selection SPORTLIFE
Hills-sprinter Clemente rode the TDU, therefore he is the only one who is in topform in this PN selection.
But he gets no teamcaptain role. Because the goal is to ride a good GC with Montgomery.
81 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/inglaterra.jpg) Montgomery ( 33 ), tour
82 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/spain.jpg) Cascos ( 29 ), tour
83 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/colombia.jpg) Clemente ( 33 ), hills-sprint
84 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/usa.jpg) Beckham ( 25 ), climb
85 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/italia.jpg) Macannazi ( 30 ), climb
Good luck everyone ! :)
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stage 1 PN ;
12º Montgomery on 0:36"
stage 2 PN ;
15º Clemente ( free role )
68º Montgomery on 0:50"
Unfortunately no return to the front in s4 of Montgomery and his helper Cascos, unexpected, although the form issue could cause it.
In s5 Montgomery dropped even one group more, and finished in the 3rd group.
If he would have been in topform, he should have easily finished in the 2nd group on 023" what is 27 seconds better, that is a lot.
Anyway, positive was that Montegomery had help in the first 4 sections, and that he is now 3º GC.
stage 3 PN ;
4º Macannazi ( free role )
13º Montgomery on 1:39"
24º Beckham ( failing helper )
A very bad stage, because Montegomery was isolated in all sections.
Helper Cascos appeared to be not good enough, and masterhelper Beckham was riding way too slow, including the start.
Montgomery could have done much better if he had help ( and/or if he was in topform ).
Postive is the 4º place of Macannazi without topform, and Montgomery moved op to 2º GC.
But Montgomery is already 1:26" behind GC leader Yarkin ( HTCHungria ), who did great in this stage 4.
Because the isolated Montgomery was riding in a little group of 4 in s4, together with Yarkin who had still the important s4 helper,
and Yarkin even finished as 3º on 0:59", what is 40 seconds faster than Montgomery.
I guess that the SPORTLIFE teamcaptain better looks what is behind him, instead of focussing on Yarkin,
because Montgomery fears stage 4 and there are too many very good GC contenders behind him, some even on just a few seconds.
But for now, after 3 stages, the CFFantasy game looks good ; 8)
1º GC = ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Yarkin ( picked only 1x )
2º GC = ⭐ Montgomery ( picked only 1x )
Can you guess who is the CFF manager that picked them both as only one ? :))
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stage 4 PN ;
21º Clemente ("helper")
100º Montgomery on 1:03"
Ups, a drop in s2 despite using energy.
But difficulties in this race were expected with no topform, 1x wind, and a hills-skill of just 59. All flat sections were a bit of a gamble.
Helper Clemente could follow the big s2 front peleton( 88 ) and also in s3 + s4, what shows that form matters and a few nice extra points.
Luckily back-up helper Cascos stayed with Montgomery in all flat sections. His help was very needed, otherwise even more damage.
But for sure damage was done in this flat-hills stage, because Montgomery dropped 4 places and now 6º GC.
Hopefully less damage in the final sprint stage, so that he can score a sponsordeal of top 8 GC.
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I just accidentally found out that my team has competed in the first 11 races without equipment.
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stage 5 PN ;
23º Clemente ( masterhelper )
37º Montgomery on 0:43"
A superb helper's job of Clemente who kept his teamcaptain in the front in the first 4 sections.
What was an achievement, because this windy flat sprint race had a small front peleton of just 41.
The race went like this : 41 - 40 - 40 - 38 - 21. And Montgomery could even affort to have a mechanical breakdown in s4.
The final section showed that the not in topform SPORTLIFE-teamcaptain is not a good sprinter, because he dropped to the 3rd group.
Still, this was good enough to gain 3 places and finish on the final GC podium ; 3º GC Montgomery on 0:51"
If he had a manager who was tactically better, including providing a staff that gives 100 form, Montgomery could have even won PN.
My strategic gamble on winning a few +form cards was a bust, because none of those were won this season.
Despite this, the final GC podium of Paris-Nice looks great, because I picked all 3 cyclists in the CFFantasy game. :)
1 Servais Yarkin 30 HTCHungria 0: 00"
2 Serafim Gois 31 Flyvende_hjul 0: 39"
3 Terry Montgomery 33 SPORTLIFE 0: 51"
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(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/1d29f44d0e03d78eff360ca0987b1b20.png) (https://i.imgur.com/GvIPZ8B.png)selection SPORTLIFE
Just one mutation compared to the PN selection ;
Clemente is replaced by Christensen, who rides the Tirreno to get in topform and will be used as a helper.
The others are finally in topform, but probably many rivals too, and this Tirreno suits Montgomery less than PN, due to pure hills stage 4.
A back up plan is Cascos, who is much better in stage 4. But he is less good in the mountains, and much less good in the time trial.
Also an option is to go for a stage 1 top-result with the combo Beckham - Macannazi,
because it seems that my team does not have a top(podium)GC contender for this little tour.
For now, my Tirreno strategy is still in progress / undecided.
21 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/inglaterra.jpg) Montgomery ( 33 ), tour
22 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/spain.jpg) Cascos ( 29 ), tour
23 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/usa.jpg) Beckham ( 25 ), climb
24 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/italia.jpg) Macannazi ( 30 ), climb
25 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/noruega.jpg) Christensen ( 29 ), tour
Good luck everyone ! :)
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Most of the top TTers are at the Tirreno, and probably all close to 100 health. My guys are close to being at the weakest point in their cycles (training stamina this season), so they won't win. Anyway.
381 Lenny Taylor 23
382 Jonny Alfier 24
383 Christian Pocock 28
384 Nobby Licuria 28
385 Tod Henderson 28
Btw: This will be close to the team for the Giro too.
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stage 1 Tirreno ;
3º Montgomery on 0:08"
6º Macannazi ( helper )
15º Beckham ( helper )
21º Cascos ( free role ) on 0:40"
Excellent first race of this little tour, although it was a bit of a "overkill" to ride with 3 good helpers who all were in the s4 front peleton.
But a pretty risk-free strategy with 3 helpers, because Montgomery needs the points for the CFFantasy game. :)
And more good news today, because one of my training projects ( a pure climber ) got a golden icon : 8)
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/montanaoro.jpg) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/italia.jpg) Massimo Caneschi ( 23, SPORTLIFE ) (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/viento3.jpg)(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/lluvia.jpg)(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/sol.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/7Bgy7Jd.jpeg)
Massimo Caneschi ; born in Castelsardo, Sardinia, Italy
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stage 2 Tirreno, flat-climb ;
6º Montgomery on 0:17"
23º Cascos ( free role ) on 0:34"
stage 3 Tirreno, flat-TT ;
29º Montgomery on 1:15"
92º Cascos on 2:40"
GC = 19º Cascos on 2:20" and 2º Montgomery on 0:06", but he does not like hills-stage 4.
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stage 4 Tirreno, hills ;
49º Cascos ( free role ) on 1:07"
88º Montgomery on 1:47"
A more than excellent race of Montgomery ( hills-skill = 59 ), thanks to Christensen who did a perfect helper's job.
Way less time loss as expected, and Montgomery now 3º GC, split with the nr 2º GC on 0:28" behind the GC leader.
The nrs 1º and 2º have no sprint icon, but the nr 4º Gois is very close, he can sprint and he has amazing help in stage 5.
stage 5 Tirreno, sprint ;
22º Montgomery on 0:27"
40º Cascos ( helper ) on 1:03"
Montgomery had no good help in this stage, so Cascos had to sacrifice his free role GC position and hopefully good enough to help.
To my surprise he even could help in 3 sections. After s3 it was up to the isolated Montgomery to stay in the front in s4, and he did.
The GC leader and the nr 2º GC were behind, so, in the final s5 it was crucial to hold on to the wheel of the most fierce rival Gois.
And Montgomery did ! Gois finished as 20º in the same 2nd group.
With as result ; for the first time ever a Tirreno-victory of a SPORTLIFE cyclist. :)
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/1d29f44d0e03d78eff360ca0987b1b20.png) Final TOP 11 GC =
1(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/jerseys/jersey_yellow.png) Terry Montgomery 33 SPORTLIFE 0: 00" 8)
2 Serafim Gois 31 Flyvende_hjul 0: 22"
3 Bud Dixon 27 Codex 0: 47"
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4 Marcelo Bessa 27 Fiestina 1: 15"
5 Pat Martin 30 Flyvende_hjul 1: 18"
6 Servais Yarkin 30 HTCHungria 1: 18"
7 Willfried Seibel 31 FaltososDeChigre 1: 18"
8 Martijn Heijblok 31 Mlb 1: 32"
9 Henriks Valdmanis 31 KunTeam 1: 47"
10 Klaus Amundsen 33 Luka_Warriors 1: 49"
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11 Tomas Cascos 29 SPORTLIFE 2: 09"
And the temporary new leader in the individual 1A ranking = (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/amarillo.png) Terry Montgomery 33 SPORTLIFE :)
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Milano Sanremo ;
17º Clemente
Perhaps 1 EP different was possible in the tactic, what would cause a better result.
E3 Harelbeke ;
20º Laansalu
A bad race because the risky helper's tactic of Megens was a failure and he never helped.
I was hoping for a top10 result, but maybe too optimistic because both are not in topform ( so far this season still no +form WC cards won ).
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/8abb6ca97e11114a4e4395f49de88023.png) (https://i.imgur.com/GvIPZ8B.png)selection SPORTLIFE
Rønneberg is not in topform yet, Montgomery is not suited due to the hills stages, and Cascos loses too much in the time trial.
It is a hard decision who to make the teamcaptain, I'm still in doubt.
The backnumber that ends on 1 is for new buy Rønneberg ( 6 M ), to give him confidence in his new team.
The other new buy Arensbak ( 185k ) is also not in topform, and he will be a helper to the still unknown teamcaptain.
Clemente can be an important helper in stages 1 and 5.
21 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/noruega.jpg) Rønneberg ( 31 ), tour
22 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/inglaterra.jpg) Montgomery ( 33 ), tour
23 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/spain.jpg) Cascos ( 29 ), tour
24 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/dinamarca.jpg) Arensbak ( 33 ), hills-climb
25 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/colombia.jpg) Clemente ( 33 ), hills-sprint
Good luck everyone ! :)
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stage 1 Catalunya, flat-hills ;
19º Clemente ( helper ) on 0:17" --> perfect helper's job !
28º Rønneberg on 0:17" --> :)
31º Cascos ( free role ) on 0:21"
134º Montgomery ( free role ) on 1:57" --> his 53004 was not good enough to get into the big s2 peleton of 81. GC already out of reach.
stage 2 Catalunya, TT ;
29º Montgomery on 1:38" --> GC = 45º on 1:44"
79º Rønneberg on 2:56" --> GC = 24º on 1:22" ( I chose him as Catalunya teamcaptain, despite he is not in topform yet )
97º Cascos on 3:15" --> GC = 46º on 1:45"
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stage 3 Catalunya, MMFMF ;
1º Montgomery ( teamcaptain ) --> victory ! 8)
4º Rønneberg ( free role ) on 0:00"
24º Cascos ( free role ) on 0:00"
Excellent race !
Rønneberg (1st fav) was not in topform yet, so I guessed that Montgomery(4th fav) had more chance to win.
This is Montgomery his first stage win in his career, and his recent Tirreno GC victory was his first win ever.
Too bad Catalunya does not count in the CFFantasy game.
And not just because of Montgomery, but also because I picked current GC leader Pat Martin ( Flyvende_hjul ) as only one too.
GC =
8º Rønneberg on 0:50"
14º Montgomery on 1:12"
15º Cascos on 1:14"
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stage 4 Catalunya, hills ;
17º Rønneberg on 0:55" --> with (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/incidencias/bombilla.png)
23º Arensbak ( helper ) --> excellent job with 5x hand-symbols.
72º Cascos ( free role ) on 1:41"
122º Montgomery ( free role ) on 2:23" --> in s1 a mechanical breakdown, although, without it, probably also a start in the 2nd group.
GC =
5º Rønneberg on 0:24" behind new GC leader Valdmanis ( KunTeam )
12º Cascos on 1:34"
23º Montgomery on 2:14"
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stage 5 Catalunya, sprint ;
17º Clemente ( helper )
23º Rønneberg on 0:00" 8)
46º Montgomery ( free role ) on 0:36"
59º Cascos ( free role ) on 0:58"
The SPORTLIFE-teamcaptain was finally in topform, and as 5º GC on 0:24" before this final sprint stage,
it was a good opportunity to test out what is max.possible in a very risky "no guts no glory" tactic.
And it was glory !
Because none of the GC rivals finished also in the 1st group, and this even caused the GC victory in Catalunia ! :)
With big thanks to the perfect helper's job of Clemente.
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/8abb6ca97e11114a4e4395f49de88023.png) TOP 10 GC =
1(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/jerseys/jersey_yellow.png) Lasse Rønneberg 31 SPORTLIFE 0: 00" 8)
2 Afonso Rio 32 OphiukoCT 0: 20"
3 Henriks Valdmanis 31 KunTeam 0: 33"
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4 Willfried Seibel 31 FaltososDeChigre 0: 40"
5 Xavér Kövér 30 HTCHungria 0: 44"
6 Martijn Heijblok 31 Mlb 0: 50"
7 Pat Martin 30 Flyvende_hjul 0: 53"
8 Daniel Alejandro Viñas 29 Fiestina 1: 02"
9 Norman Coy 33 Plopsala 1: 17"
10 Ferney Cabrera 32 CC_Porco_Jones 1: 51"
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And some extra GC points of my 2 other tour cyclists :
14 Tomas Cascos 29 SPORTLIFE 2: 07"
18 Terry Montgomery 33 SPORTLIFE 2: 26" ( incl. a stage victory )
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Unfortunately no points in GW ( 48º ) and DDV ( 56º ), but the tactic in RVV was much better :
Ronde van Vlaanderen ;
24º Laansalu
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/b7a5672a34004ea508e7287b01b4f61a.png) (https://i.imgur.com/GvIPZ8B.png)selection SPORTLIFE
Only one mutation compared to the Catalunya selection ;
hills-sprinter Clemente is replaced by TT-specialist Makarov.
41 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/noruega.jpg) Rønneberg ( 31 ), tour
42 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/inglaterra.jpg) Montgomery ( 33 ), tour
43 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/spain.jpg) Cascos ( 29 ), tour
44 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/dinamarca.jpg) Arensbak ( 33 ), silver hillsclimb
45 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/rusia.jpg) Makarov ( 32 ), TT
Good luck everyone ! :)
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stage 1 Itzulia ;
1º Rønneberg --> victory ! 8)
15º Montgomery ( helper ) on 0:00"
stage 2 Itzulia ;
15º Rønneberg on 0:08" --> excellent help of Arensbak and Cascos.
66º Montgomery ( free role ) on 0:38" --> with mechanical breakdown in the crucial s5, what costed time.
Rønneberg is still the GC leader, but there are 4 other rivals on 0:00" also.
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stage 3 Itzulia, TT ;
12º Makarov --> a dissapointing result, because he could challenge favorites.
31º Montgomery 1:41" --> with 2x mechanical breakdowns( ! ! ) he finished in the same time as the nr 30º.
55º Rønneberg 2:27"
GC =
3º Montgomery 0:30" --> incl. bad luck, already 3x mechanical breakdowns so far.
5º Rønneberg 0:43"
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stage 4 Itzulia ;
6º Rønneberg 0:13" --> excellent result, thanks to a magnificient helper's job of :
12º Arensbak ( helper )
104º Montgomery ( free role ) 2:01" --> not suited, due to too many hills in this stage.
GC =
3º Rønneberg 0:33" --> behind GC leader Valdmanis ( KunTeam ), who most likely wins this Itzulia.
18º Montgomery 2:08" --> a drop of 15 places after this stage 4.
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stage 5 Itzulia ;
8º Rønneberg 0:19" --> with a lightbulb 8)
12º Arensbak ( helper ) --> today not even sold for 1,-
Final GC = 3º Rønneberg 0:43"
No GC points for Montgomery. I used him as extra helper in stage 5.
But he was not good enough, and he had his 4th mechanical breakdown in this Itzulia.
Due to this final stage, Montgomery dropped many places outside the GC, 31º on 4:04" This was clearly not his tour.
Arensbak came very close to extra GC points, 21º on 3:21", just 4 seconds short, despite all stages in a helper's role.
Paris Roubaix ;
2º Hummelsby 8)
Magnificient result of this not-favorite who finished solo as nr 2º, without TC bonus.
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Hmmmm, not a good hills-campaign.
In AGR and FW my teamcaptain-helper combo started too slow.
In AGR the damage could be repaired thanks to Meijer, including the important help in s4.
But in FW Meijer was also the s4 helper, despite this, an embarrassing result in FW that should suit Rubiera the most out of the 3 races.
Probably also in LBL the tactics could have been a bit better, but at least Rubiera was in the front of s1&s2&s3, instead of starting too slow.
Amstel Gold Race
7º Rubiera
Flèche Wallonne
30º Rubiera :-[
Liège–Bastogne–Liège ;
10º Rubiera
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(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/c61102f7ec06a98faff60612b2c41637.png) (https://i.imgur.com/GvIPZ8B.png)selection SPORTLIFE
41 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/noruega.jpg) Christensen ( 29 ), tour
42 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/australia.jpg) Abolins ( 24 ), climb
43 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/usa.jpg) Beckham ( 25 ), climb
44 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/rusia.jpg) Makarov ( 32 ), TT
45 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/dinamarca.jpg) Arensbak ( 33 ), hillsclimb
stage 1 Romandie ;
9º Abolins ( free role )
16º Christensen 0:20"
20º Beckham ( free role )
Bad result of Beckham, who was the 3rd favorite. Abolins and teamcaptain Christensen did very well.
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stage 2 Romandie, cobbles ;
47º Christensen 2:03"
stage 3 Romandie, TT ;
13º Makarov
49º Christensen 1:53"
stage 4 Romandie, flatclimb ;
1º Christensen --> a very surprising solo victory ! :o 8)
stage 5 Romandie, stormy climbhills ;
13º Christensen 0:44"
28º Arensbak ( helper )
Final GC = 1º Christensen --> Romandie victory ! 8)
Eschborn-Frankfurt ;
4º Rønneberg
24º Arensbak ( helper )
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(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/8ed052732fddd78a1b24c0eb2887c9f6.png) (https://i.imgur.com/GvIPZ8B.png)selection SPORTLIFE
This is not a great Giro selection, and even a cheap selection with 3 new bought cyclists this season ;
Norman Coy 1½M & last-minute buy Duncan 171k
& Arensbak 185k, who I tried to sell for 1,- before Romandie. Good nobody bought him, he helped perfectly in Romandie ánd Frankfurt.
And due to lack of good cyclists in this Giro, he extends his stay in my team and hopefully will be a good helper again.
Abolins is recruited by myself, so he was just 5k, if you do not count the 5 seasons training what represents a big value, i.m.o.
The most expensive cyclist of this selection is the recent Romandie victor, Christensen, who was bought in previous season for 3,2 M.
Christensen is not suited for this Giro due to the 3 sprint stages. Also in the time trial he is not so good as most GC contenders.
He does have a good cobble skill, so maybe he can surprise by scoring a few GC points.
His teammate Coy is bad on the cobblestones, but he is much better in sprint, and has a better TT skill, so he will be the teamcaptain.
Unfortunately he seems to me no top GC contender in this Giro.
Probably again the sponsor deal ( top10 GC ) of previous season will not be achieved.
Also I do not expect many points in this Giro. I guess SPORTLIFE is better in little tours ( 3 little tour victories this season, a p.record :) )
31 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/inglaterra.jpg) Coy ( 33 ), tour
32 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/noruega.jpg) Christensen ( 29 ), tour
33 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/australia.jpg) Abolins ( 24 ), climb
34 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/usa.jpg) Duncan ( 27 ), silver sprint
35 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/dinamarca.jpg) Arensbak ( 33 ), silver hillsclimb
stage 1 Giro, hills-sprint ;
28º Duncan ( helper ) --> excellent job, 5x hand symbols, also on 0:23"
33º Coy ( teamcaptain ) 0:23" --> very good result !
113º Christensen ( free role ) 2:04"
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stage 2 Giro, M-D-F-CM-M 191km, with finish on the notorious Zoncolan ;
9º Christensen ( free role ) 0:22"
11º Abolins ( free role )
20º Coy 0:45"
stage 3 Giro, sprint ;
17º Duncan ( helper ) 0:00" --> again a very good helper's job.
34º Coy 0:33"
98º Christensen ( free role ) 1:41"
So far it is going much better as expected. Now let's see how Coy does in the next 2 stages, both are time trials.
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/8ed052732fddd78a1b24c0eb2887c9f6.png) TOP 10 GC after 3 stages :
1(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/jerseys/jersey_pink.png)Pat Martin 30 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/no.png) Flyvende_hjul 0: 00"
2 Afonso Rio 32 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/au.png) OphiukoCT 0: 15"
3 Kasper van der Goor 31 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/au.png) Zatarra 0: 30"
- - - - - - - - - -
4 Norman Coy 33 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/au.png) SPORTLIFE 0: 38"
5 Alessandro Picoli 28 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/de.png) FaltososDeChigre 0: 42"
6 Ken Hansen 29 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/us.png) Codex 1: 19"
7 Faustino Arnau 28 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/fr.png) Vicam 1: 20"
8 Gustave Gloor 29 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/ee.png) Turrones 1: 23"
9 Dionisio Junior 27 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/ch.png) Matterhorn 1: 27"
10 Thies Neuhaus 25 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/hu.png) QuintoYtapa 1: 38"
- - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - -
22 Birk Christensen 29 SPORTLIFE 3: 03"
-
My Giro TT squad
321 Billy Janson 23
322 Lenny Taylor 23
323 Jonny Alfier 24
324 Nobby Licuria 28
325 Tod Henderson 28
To make up for only being 2nd in the last NT race, Nobby intends to win race 4, and fight it against Henderson for race 5. Henderson hasn't stated whether he's going to commit to race 5 or not.
-
stage 4 Giro, hill-TT ;
32º Coy 1:19" --> with mechanical breakdown in s5
43º Christensen 1:35"
stage 5 Giro flat-TT ;
30º Coy 1:53"
47º Christensen 2:16"
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/8ed052732fddd78a1b24c0eb2887c9f6.png) TOP 10 GC after 5 stages :
1(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/jerseys/jersey_pink.png)Pat Martin 30 Flyvende_hjul 0: 00"
2 Afonso Rio 32 OphiukoCT 0: 54"
3 Norman Coy 33 SPORTLIFE 1: 05"
- - - - - - - - - -
4 Agapito Salcedo 26 Cremy 1: 34"
5 Faustino Arnau 28 Vicam 1: 43"
6 Dionisio Junior 27 Matterhorn 1: 57"
7 Alessandro Picoli 28 FaltososDeChigre 2: 03"
8 Thies Neuhaus 25 QuintoYtapa 2: 04"
9 Gustave Gloor 29 Turrones 2: 12"
10 Ken Hansen 29 Codex 2: 18"
- - - - - - - - - -
17 Birk Christensen 29 SPORTLIFE 4: 10"
-
stage 6 Giro ;
12º Coy 0:25"
19º Christensen ( free role ) 0:32"
23º Arensbak ( helper )
stage 7 Giro ;
13º Coy 0:25"
15º Christensen ( free role ) 0:37"
Not a good stage.
The s1 peleton was big with 122 cyclists and most likely a "risky" start was possible.
Because free role cyclist Christensen could even follow in s1 with 1 EP and a mechanical breakdown.
But then again, maybe many other GC contenders did not take risk too in s1, and then s1 might not matter.
Thé tactical failure was in s4 ; helper Arensbak dropped and he should have gone full power because Coy was in the frontgroup of 34.
Anyway, Coy lost just a few seconds by being isolated in s4, and he is still very high ranked at the moment.
But I estimate that he will drop in the GC, because the final 3 stages will be difficult to Coy.
And that his silver sprint helper abandoned this Giro, might be a strategic mistake and almost certain extra time loss in stage 9.
First stage 8, much feared by Coy, and probably decisive if he can achieve his top 10 GC goal, what is also a sponsordeal.
For now it is looking still good ; very high ranked and a good gap of 1:38" towards the nr 11º GC.
Hopefully many GC contenders are not good in stage 8 too.
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/8ed052732fddd78a1b24c0eb2887c9f6.png) TOP 20 GC after 7 stages :
1(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/jerseys/jersey_pink.png)(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/gb.png) Pat Martin 30 Flyvende_hjul 0: 00"
2 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/pt.png) Afonso Rio 32 OphiukoCT 0: 41"
3 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/gb.png) Norman Coy 33 SPORTLIFE 1: 36"
- - - - - - - - - -
4 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/pt.png) Dionisio Junior 27 Matterhorn 1: 38"
5 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/dk.png) Ken Hansen 29 Codex 2: 18"
6 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/ch.png) Gustave Gloor 29 Turrones 2: 18"
7 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/es.png) Faustino Arnau 28 Vicam 2: 22"
8 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/es.png) Agapito Salcedo 26 Cremy 2: 57"
9 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/lv.png) Henriks Valdmanis 31 KunTeam 3: 01"
10 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/it.png) Alessandro Picoli 28 FaltososDeChigre 3: 07"
- - - - - - - - - -
11 Thies Neuhaus 25 QuintoYtapa 3: 14"
12 Yvo VanStraalen 32 Combuijs 3: 30"
13 Eddie Egebjerg 27 Shiro_Lions 4: 35"
14 Jose Damian Prats 30 RealMurciaCycling 4: 41"
15 Kasper van der Goor 31 Zatarra 4: 57"
16 Birk Christensen 29 SPORTLIFE 5: 01"
17 Indulis Plaudis 26 Villavante 5: 11"
18 Tristan Min 29 Flyvende_hjul 5: 30"
19 Marco Camilo 32 WaterBoys 5: 36"
20 Gianni Mori 26 LaSerenissima 6: 14"
-
Very hilly season 22 calendar. In OphiukoCT we will focus on the new GT riders for the new season, so we will say goodbye to Afonso Rio and Teofilo Dias, who let us stay in 1st div during the last 8 training seasons (and still 3 more to go). If anyone wants to sign them, they will probably go for sale for a reasonable price near the end of the season. Otherwise, they will retire in our team.
-
Indeed, much more hills in season 22, including the WC hills race in Portugal.
The last 2 seasons had a relative low number of climb races. Good for my climbers that season 22 has a decent amount of mountain stages.
All little tours have 1 time trial, with the exception of Dauphiné and Suisse, both no TT stage.
The big tours have each 2 time trials.
But I have no idea if this is beneficial to my team, because to me it is still a mystery how SPORTLIFE will look next season. :-\ :))
-
stage 8 Giro, flat+cobblehills ;
38º Christensen ( free role ) 1:10"
58º Coy 1:18"
Much less time differences as expected. Very benificial to Coy. But not to Christensen, he performed badly.
stage 9 Giro, sprint ;
65º Coy 1:06"
126º Christensen ( free role ) 3:25"
Way more time loss for Christensen as expected.
And it is almost certain that Coy had an unnecessary time loss of 33 seconds, because his sprint helper abandoned halfway the Giro.
Remarkable ; Coy is still 3º GC and he already secured his goal / sponsordeal of top 10 GC.
Christensen dropped a few places, now 19º GC.
-
stage 10 Giro, HFFHH ;
90º Coy 1:35"
91º Christensen ( free role ) 1:35"
Ups, an unexpected sudden drop in s2 of both my GC contenders, what costed a lot of time.
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/8ed052732fddd78a1b24c0eb2887c9f6.png) FINAL TOP 20 GC :
1(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/jerseys/jersey_pink.png)(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/gb.png) Pat Martin 30 Flyvende_hjul 0: 00"
2 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/pt.png) Afonso Rio 32 OphiukoCT 0: 58"
3 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/dk.png) Ken Hansen 29 Codex 2: 09"
- - - - - - - - - -
4 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/gb.png) Norman Coy 33 SPORTLIFE 2: 55"
5 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/pt.png) Dionisio Junior 27 Matterhorn 3: 13"
6 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/ch.png) Gustave Gloor 29 Turrones 3: 23"
7 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/es.png) Faustino Arnau 28 Vicam 4: 02"
8 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/it.png) Alessandro Picoli 28 FaltososDeChigre 4: 09"
9 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/es.png) Agapito Salcedo 26 Cremy 4: 21"
10 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/lv.png) Henriks Valdmanis 31 KunTeam 4: 25"
- - - - - - - - - -
11 Kasper van der Goor 31 Zatarra 5: 06"
12 Yvo VanStraalen 32 Combuijs 5: 26"
13 Thies Neuhaus 25 QuintoYtapa 5: 26"
14 Eddie Egebjerg 27 Shiro_Lions 6: 45"
15 Jose Damian Prats 30 RealMurciaCycling 7: 01"
16 Indulis Plaudis 26 Villavante 8: 02"
17 Gianni Mori 26 LaSerenissima 8: 11"
18 Tristan Min 29 Flyvende_hjul 8: 12"
19 Frank Jager 29 AmericanChow 8: 30"
20 Birk Christensen 29 SPORTLIFE 8: 30"
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/191b5bdfdfade94930708639639a8727.png) (https://i.imgur.com/GvIPZ8B.png)selection SPORTLIFE
21 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/inglaterra.jpg) Coy ( 33 ), tour
22 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/hungria.jpg) Szõnyi ( 25 ), climb
23 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/alemania.jpg) Kummer ( 30 ), climb
24 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/dinamarca.jpg) Hummelsby ( 30 ), cobble
25 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/usa.jpg) Beckham ( 25 ), climb
Merry Christmas to everyone :-*
-
Tod Henderson & Nobby Licuria got a surprising 1st & 2nd in Dauphiné stage 3, surprising as their health was 92 & 91. Plus Markus Benett & Jonny Alfier getting 5th & 6th, of course most of the good TTers appeared to be missing the race.
Btw: I notice that you're back in 3rd in the 1st Div table Vos.
-
Btw: I notice that you're back in 3rd in the 1st Div table Vos.
Yes. :) And still 3rd in 1A, perhaps mainly thanks to the 3 little tour victories of this season. But the Dauphiné sucked :
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/191b5bdfdfade94930708639639a8727.png)
stage 1, windy hills-sprint ;
64º Coy 1:25"
Ups, just like in the last Giro stage, Coy could not make the cut in the flat section behind a hill section, despite using 2 EP in s3.
And to make it even worse, he lost contact with his helper Hummelsby, who did made the cut and was in the s3 front group of 36.
The bad s3 probably costed 35 seconds. Well, on the bright side ;
the failure of Coy creates an opportunity to make a climber the teamcaptain in the 2 mountain stages of this Dauphiné.
stage 2, stormy mountain stage ;
2º Szõnyi
14º Kummer ( helper )
24º Beckham ( helper )
55º Coy ( free role ) 2:41"
Tactical failure.
Because the helpers dropped already in s3 and could not even return in dh s4 despite using enough energy.
Of course, finishing solo as 2º behind climb legend Arnfinn Mikalsen* ( TeamEuroscalt ), that is not bad at all.
* = No doubt that Mikalsen is the best climber ever of CFF ;
29 stage victories, 3 NT race victories, 1 little tour victory, and 1 world champion race victory.
And it seems he will win the NT individual jersey this season, just like in previous season.
stage 3, flat TT ;
31º Coy 2:00"
Just one second outside the points, due to a mechanical breakdown.
stage 4, mountains ;
3º Szõnyi
11º Kummer ( helper )
57º Coy ( free role ) 3:24"
Again a tactical failure, because again both helpers dropped already in s3, what is way too soon.
Kummer did a big effort in s4 to return, but he ended up in a group of 3 on 0:07"
behind the s4 front group of also 3 ; Szõnyi and 2x TeamEuroscalt ( Seeler and Mikalsen, who again won ).
In the s5 final climb a furious Pisarev ( ICSluj ) surprised Szõnyi, who could not follow his high pace attack, so, this time a solo 3º place.
stage 5, stormy flat-cobble ;
10º Hummelsby
110º Coy ( free role ) 3:30"
A pretty good race of Hummelsby who had to do it on his own, because my 3 climbers have an extreme low flat-cobble GV.
Coy tried to hold on to his 20º GC place. But he failed and ended up as 21º GC, 17 seconds behind a few GC points.
A very bad Dauphiné. Hopefully the tactics will go much better in the Tour de Suisse.
I guess the SPORTLIFE manager was not tactically in form during Christmas. :-[ :))
-
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/8e2fd4d4ee620c3f1192c94b40da9db9.png) (https://i.imgur.com/GvIPZ8B.png)selection SPORTLIFE
21 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/noruega.jpg) Rønneberg ( 31 ), tour
22 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/hungria.jpg) Szõnyi ( 25 ), climb
23 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/alemania.jpg) Kummer ( 30 ), climb
24 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/spain.jpg) Rubiera ( 29 ), hills
25 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/dinamarca.jpg) Arensbak ( 33 ), silver climbhills
Good luck everyone ! :)
-
stage 1 Suisse, FFMHH ;
6º Rønneberg 0:05"
A very good result, despite being isolated in s3 (= expected ), and that his best helper could not return in s4 (= not expected ).
stage 2 Suisse, hills ;
28º Rubiera ( helper )
61º Rønneberg 1:29"
A very dissapointing result in a race where it seems that my teamcaptain was unlucky in some sections by missing just the cut.
Unfortunately masterhelper Rubiera was going too fast in s4, or much better said ; Rønneberg was suddenly going too slow in s4.
"Luckily" he had still back up helper Arensbak in s4,
who could follow in s3 with +2 compared to his teamcaptain, but also in s4 with -1 compared to his teamcaptain. Weird.
Anyway, Rønneberg had support in all sections of this stage, but I did not like the drops in s2 + s3 + s4.
That was unexpectedly 1 or 2 drops too many with as consequence too much time loss. He should be much better in a hills stage.
Rønneberg is now 12º GC on 0:38"
Hopefully he has a lot of luck in the upcoming time trial, to compensate a bit this "big possible bad luck" stage 2.
And to be fair, it could be that Rønneberg was lucky with his very good result in stage 1.
Although, luck is more wished for stages 3 and 4, because according to me, those are most likely thé decisive stages for the final GC.
-
stage 3 Suisse, TT ;
This time trial was dominated by 2 teams ; Aurora_Australis and ChronoTony.
And also dominated by Australian TT specialists ; 5 out of the top 8 are Australian, and a clear victory of Kirk Clinton ( Aurora_Australis ).
A "little bit" behind the TT specialists, my GC contender finished as :
49º Rønneberg 2:31"
What causes that he moves up to 5º GC, nice ! :)
But the real GC battle will be in the Suisse mountains, and maybe a battle between many GC contenders,
for example the nr 13º GC is just 0:51" behind current GC leader Adrian Glibin ( 25, °Peachy°Melocotons ).
-
stage 4 Suisse, stormy MMDMD ;
4º Kummer ( free role )
11º Rønneberg 1:30"
16º Szõnyi ( "helper" )
Ups, sacrificing Szõnyi as superhelper was a failure, because he was riding way too slow, always behind, and he never helped.
But back up helper Arensbak did a good job and stayed with his teamcaptain in the first 3 sections.
For the final GC victory it did not matter that my superhelper failed.
Because new GC leader Xavér Kövér ( HTCHungria ) did amazing by finishing solo as 2º behind climb legend Mikalsen ( TeamEuroscalt ).
Kövér has now a big gap towards the rest, ánd he is the 3rd favorite in the final stage where he will finish on 0:00"
Rønneberg moved up to 2º GC, so he has to finish on 0:00" too. To my surprise he is not a favorite, but it should be duable.
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/8e2fd4d4ee620c3f1192c94b40da9db9.png) TOP 20 GC after 4 stages :
1(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/jerseys/jersey_yellow.png)(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/hu.png) Xavér Kövér 30 HTCHungria 0: 00"
2 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/no.png) Lasse Rønneberg 31 SPORTLIFE 1: 04"
3 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/lv.png) Henriks Valdmanis 31 KunTeam 1: 11"
- - - - - - - - - -
4 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/pt.png) Serafim Gois 31 Flyvende_hjul 1: 11"
5 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/it.png) Manuele Miorlin 27 Shiro_Lions 1: 26"
6 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/gb.png) Pat Martin 30 Flyvende_hjul 1: 54"
7 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/pt.png) Diogo Fraga 30 Codex 1: 59"
8 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/ua.png) Adrian Glibin 25 °Peachy°Melocotons 1: 59"
9 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/dk.png) Karl Johan Abelstedt 28 Codex 2: 07"
10 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/pt.png) Afonso Rio 32 OphiukoCT 2: 26"
- - - - - - - - - -
11 Samuel Lotz 33 Fiestina 2: 27"
12 Gustave Gloor 29 Turrones 2: 29"
13 Phil Robinson 24 ICSluj 2: 30"
14 Bud Dixon 27 Codex 2: 30"
15 Ferenc Bartalics 30 RealMurciaCycling 2: 45"
16 Fedir Litenko 25 °Peachy°Melocotons 2: 47"
17 Lucio Queiros 30 FaltososDeChigre 2: 50"
18 Martin Alcala 26 LaSerenissima 2: 53"
19 Marco Camilo 32 WaterBoys 3: 06"
20 Martijn Heijblok 31 Mlb 3: 12"
-
Good fortunes at him keeping second spot Vos.
And it appears that all of us Div 1 Aussies will be back in Div 1 for next season, with only a question mark on how many Aussie based teams will be joining us from Div 2b for season 22.
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Good fortunes at him keeping second spot Vos.
And it appears that all of us Div 1 Aussies will be back in Div 1 for next season, with only a question mark on how many Aussie based teams will be joining us from Div 2b for season 22.
Thanks, your good fortune wish helped. :)
And indeed, the Australian 1A teams have no relegation worries this season,
and at least 1 or 2 Australian teams from division 2b will join us next season.
stage 5 Suisse, MDMDF ;
1º Rønneberg --> stage victory ! 8)
19º Kummer ( helper )
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/8e2fd4d4ee620c3f1192c94b40da9db9.png) Final TOP 20 GC :
1(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/jerseys/jersey_yellow.png)(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/hu.png) Xavér Kövér 30 HTCHungria 0: 00"
2 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/no.png) Lasse Rønneberg 31 SPORTLIFE 1: 04"
3 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/lv.png) Henriks Valdmanis 31 KunTeam 1: 11"
- - - - - - - - - -
4 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/pt.png) Serafim Gois 31 Flyvende_hjul 1: 11"
5 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/it.png) Manuele Miorlin 27 Shiro_Lions 1: 26"
6 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/dk.png) Karl Johan Abelstedt 28 Codex 2: 07"
7 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/gb.png) Pat Martin 30 Flyvende_hjul 2: 26"
8 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/ch.png) Gustave Gloor 29 Turrones 2: 29"
9 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/pt.png) Lucio Queiros 30 FaltososDeChigre 2: 50"
10 (https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/flags/small/co.png) Martin Alcala 26 LaSerenissima 2: 53"
- - - - - - - - - -
11 Afonso Rio 32 OphiukoCT 2: 59"
12 Phil Robinson 24 ICSluj 3: 02"
13 Bud Dixon 27 Codex 3: 03"
14 Diogo Fraga 30 Codex 3: 09"
15 Nestor Cabrera 33 galegospolabici 3: 14"
16 Ferenc Bartalics 30 RealMurciaCycling 3: 17"
17 Samuel Lotz 33 Fiestina 3: 37"
18 Elton Griffin 26 Villavante 3: 49"
19 Ben Camerlynck 25 QuintoYtapa 3: 53"
20 Rick Logsdon 27 Matterhorn 3: 59"
-
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/ec365cb5b403c66bf9212fc15b3d4289.png) (https://i.imgur.com/GvIPZ8B.png)selection SPORTLIFE
21 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/noruega.jpg) Rønneberg ( 31 ), tour
22 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/colombia.jpg) Clemente ( 33 ), hills-sprint
23 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/dinamarca.jpg) Hummelsby ( 30 ), cobble
24 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/usa.jpg) Duncan ( 27 ), silver sprint
25 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/hungria.jpg) Szõnyi ( 25 ), climb
Good luck everyone ! :)
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Tour de France, final GC ;
5º Lasse Rønneberg 1:14"
A very dissapointing TdF.
Due to a bit of bad luck, but mainly due to many tactical mistakes, what caused an unnecessary time loss of at least some minutes(!).
Probably my worst tactical big tour ever. :-[
-
Clasica San Sebastian ;
17º Rønneberg
Not a good result, he should be able to finish at least top 10.
The 1 EP too conservative tactic did not help to finish good, and maybe some rivals were better prepared.
Again a missed opportunity of Rønneberg to score a lot of points, because I see that he is 4th in the individual ranking now.
Maybe he gets a Vuelta selection in an attempt to battle for a ( Bronze ) Bike.
Although doubtfull if this will be successful, due to his major form problems in that big tour, especially the 2nd half of the Vuelta.
But such a "desperate" attempt might be worth it, because never in CFF history a SPORTLIFE cyclist won a Bike.
The downside is that such an attempt will cost total points of my team, and at the moment 3rd in 1A.
Well, I can postpone this difficult decision, because first things first, the BinckBank Tour :
(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/d3b3b3dd456bf24faf1cea8cfca6c56d.png) (https://i.imgur.com/GvIPZ8B.png)selection SPORTLIFE
Barrientos makes his debut for my team and he will be the GC teamcaptain.
Hopefully a good GC result, but I have no idea what he can achieve. Also because he does not have good support in stages 2 and 4.
What makes that I'm still in doubt who the stage 1 teamcaptain will be ; GC contender Barrientos ór stage specialist Hummelsby.
Stenberg makes his debut too, but he is a cheap buy of 27½k and will be used as a helper.
21 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/spain.jpg) Barrientos ( 31 ), cobblehills
22 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/dinamarca.jpg) Hummelsby ( 30 ), flat-cobble
23 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/colombia.jpg) Clemente ( 33 ), hills-sprint
24 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/noruega.jpg) Stenberg ( 31 ), silver flat-cobble
25 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/usa.jpg) Duncan ( 27 ), silver sprint
Good luck everyone ! :)
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Personally I'd go for another top 3 team classification rather than a top 3 individual cyclist classification, although I do understand the appeal of getting something you haven't gotten before & 3rd in teams doesn't mean as much when you've been 1st previously. If I was in your situation I might hesitate if the cyclist in question was a lifetime cyclist in the team.
-
I will assess the situation this evening.
After the BBT points ( and knowing if the Bike rivals ride the Vuelta ) it might be a little bit more clear what to do.
Maybe an 1A podium is also possible with sacrificing some points due to a desperate attempt to try to win the Bronze Bike.
I never had a cyclist who came close in the individual ranking, so, I'm really tempted to go for that, even if there is just a little chance.
But perhaps my goal should be to avoid this scenario : 4th in 1A ánd 4th in the individual ranking. The only scenario that would suck. :D
Good luck with your TT specialists in both Vuelta stages ánd the WC TT, Aurora Australis.
And I assume you like the WC TT of next season even more,
with current TT world champion Christian Pocock, who has the CFF record in that FFMDF time trial.
-
BBT stage 1 ;
6º Hummelsby ( teamcaptain )
18º Barrientos ( free role ) 0:14"
A bit of a dissapointing result, because 4th favorite Hummelsby tried to go for stage victory.
He had the important s4 helper, but he was outsprinted by 5 rivals and finished as last of the front group.
Barrientos surprised me a lot with his excellent free role result.
BBT stage 2 ;
32º Barrientos ( teamcaptain ) 0:38"
A decent good result, and he had a helper in one more section as expected, because somehow Clemente was with him in s3.
BBT stage 3 ;
5º Clemente ( teamcaptain )
26º Duncan ( helper )
56º Barrientos ( free role ) 0:58"
No teamcaptain role of Barrientos, because I expected too much time loss in this hills-sprint.
But to my surprise he did pretty good in a free role by finishing in the big 3rd group of nrs 37 to 71.
BBT stage 4 ;
35º Barrientos ( teamcaptain ) 0:42"
A very bad result. The 0 EP start was too risky, what caused that he could not follow the s1 front group of 32.
And as expected, he had no help after s1.
BBT stage 5 ;
8º Barrientos ( teamcaptain ) 0:22" --> with lightbulb.
16º Stenberg ( helper )
Again Barrientos surprised me on the flat cobblestones with this excellent stage result.
BBT final GC ;
8º Barrientos 0:40"
With 2x free roles.
But it seems he could not have won this BBT with 5x teamcaptain roles.
Because max. 7 seconds better was possible in stage 1,
but in stage 3 it is doubtfull if he could have finished in the 2nd group as teamcaptain, what would have been 27 seconds better.
And even if he could ; 7 + 27 = 34 seconds, and then he would have finished 4º GC on 0:06"
Barrientos messed up in cobblehills stage 4, what is even his speciality.
And his manager messed up by estimating that he would lose much more time in hills-sprint stage 3, due to the low sprint skill.
But for the total team points in this BBT ; most likely it did not matter that Barrientos had 2x free roles.
Up to the Vuelta !
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Espana & TT WC squad
291 Eric Armstrong 24
292 Markus Benett 28
293 Kirk Workman 33
They're not going to win any races, they're simply seeking strong top ten or even top five if lucky results.
Espana
294 Alex Trautemberg 23
295 Kirk Clinton 28
They might snag a few points, but they're mainly there for a little more experience, and that the 19-year-olds really aren't good enough to waste it on (at least two current 19-year-olds will probably be sacked at the start of next season).
Remaining two TT WC spots will be solely for experience points.
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(https://www.worldcyclingstats.com/img/logos/c8892128eff206aeb674bcc6880a73a6.png) (https://i.imgur.com/GvIPZ8B.png)selection SPORTLIFE
11 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/noruega.jpg) Rønneberg ( 31 ), tour
12 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/usa.jpg) Beckham ( 25 ), climb
13 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/rusia.jpg) Makarov ( 32 ), TT
14 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/spain.jpg) Rubiera ( 29 ), hills
15 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/noruega.jpg) Christensen ( 29 ), tour
Vuelta stage 1 ;
14º Beckham ( masterhelper ) 0:36"
15º Rønneberg ( teamcaptain ) 0:36"
A very good result, thanks to excellent help in this stormy flat-climb race.
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Vuelta stage 2, TT ;
7º Makarov
70º Rønneberg 2:54"
Vuelta stage 3, cobblehills ;
106º Rønneberg 3:32"
Vuelta stage 4, hills ;
11º Rubiera ( helper )
35º Rønneberg 0:52"
Vuelta stage 5, hills ;
27º Rubiera ( helper )
62º Rønneberg 1:15"
Perfect helper's jobs of Rubiera in stages 3, 4, and 5. In stage 5 he even had to ride in an 11 EP tactic, otherwise too fast.
As expected, Rønneberg sucked in cobblehills stage 3, what caused a very big drop to 28º GC.
He does not like the hills stages too, but thanks to his helper, the SPORTLIFE teamcaptain returned in the top 20 GC.
GC, halfway the Vuelta ;
18º Rønneberg 3:31"
This GC ranking is not good enough, due to his bronze-Bike ambition. Hopefully Rønneberg will move up in the 2nd half of this Vuelta.
19º Christensen 3:36"
To my surprise Christensen is still on a point-scoring GC place, but he will drop because of his role as a helper.
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Vuelta stage 6, TT ;
10º Makarov
69º Rønneberg 3:04"
What caused a drop to 21º GC.
Vuelta stage 7, climbsprint ;
1º Rønneberg --> victory ! 8)
16º Beckham ( helper )
Amazing victory without TC bonus ánd without topform, because this was the 36th race of Rønneberg.
With big thanks to Beckham who returned in s3, and with big thanks to the new masseur who gave a boost to the major form problem.
Rønneberg moved up to 16º GC, and even better, he moved up to the 3rd place in the individual ranking of 1A. :)
The final 3 Vuelta stages will be a struggle due to his form problem, and his manager does not have formcards for this Vuelta.
Just one formcard left what even not gives topform, and that is for Lombardia due to the Bronze Bike battle.
So, to Rønneberg it could be really important that he scores some Vuelta GC points, what might be very difficult to achieve.
Probably it will depend on the tactics ánd if some GC rivals have also major form problems.
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Most likely Kirk Workman's final victory before retirement (will retire early next season).
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/etapas/zaragoza.jpg)
1st Kirk Workman 33 Aurora_Australis 0:00" 250 points
He'll hopefully get a top-five in the TT WC to perhaps take the Australian jersey into retirement.
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Vuelta stage 8, hills-sprint ;
17º Rønneberg 0:27"
Despite his form issue, an excellent race with good help of Rubiera in s1+s2+s3,
and a very unexpected good result by finishing in the 2nd group ánd even score points, what is beneficial to his Bronze Bike Battle.
Vuelta stage 9, cobble-sprint ;
63º Rønneberg 2:05"
Ups, very difficult to the topform helpers to ride in the same pace as their out-of-form teamcaptain.
This time it was a failure and Rønneberg was isolated the whole race. But one thing went very well ; he finished as last of a big group.
At the moment 15º GC, but he fears the final mountain stage. Hopefully his direct GC rivals have the same fear for the 3 brutal climbs.
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Vuelta stage 10, mountains ;
2º Beckham ( free role )
23º Rønneberg 1:19"
A scary moment in s3, the climb to Calar Alto, where helper Christensen was too fast for his teamcaptain.
Fortunately they joined up again in descent s4, and therefore the important extra bonus to Rønneberg on the final Alto de Velefique.
What caused an excellent stage result despite 97 form, and an unexpected 30 points extra.
Rønneberg finished as 16º GC, what gives 100 points.
I think that he has enough points now to already secure the Bronze Bike. 8) ( the Silver Bike is very far out of reach )
It is for the first time ever that a SPORTLIFE cyclist wins a Bike. :)
Also Beckham ( in a free role ) did great in stage 10, much better as expected.
And these unexpected extra points can be very valuable, because the battle for the 1A podiumplaces is not decided yet.
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Giro di Lombardia ;
16º Rønneberg
A nice result, although he did not need these extra points, the Bronze Bike was already secured.
Richmond TT WC ;
13º Makarov
A dissapointing result. I expected at least top 10.
Richmond WC, flat cobblestones ;
3º Hummelsby
17º Plitus ( helper )
Excellent result of not-favorite Hummelsby who finished in the front group of just 4. Too bad he was outsprinted by the 2 top favorites.
Unfortunately but expected ; AquaVerde defeated my team in the battle for the 2nd place in 1A, due to many points in this WC race.
Heijmans ( AquaVerde ) won, and his teammates finished as 12º, 13º and 16º, what gives a total of 1.800 points.
Despite my team scored many more points as expected, it was not enough, and now 3rd in 1A, just 162 points behind AquaVerde.
But a 3rd place in 1A is also nice.
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/images/SPORTLIFEnewshirt.png)season 21 overview =
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/3equipos.gif) 3º SPORTLIFE 13.253 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/gold.jpg)5 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/silver.jpg)3 (https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/bronce.jpg)3
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/3indi.gif) Lasse Rønneberg
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/AustraliaG.jpg) Australian champion
3 little tour victories ( Tirreno=Terry Montgomery, Catalunya=Lasse Rønneberg, and Romandie=Birk Christensen )
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/caminoruega.gif) Lasse Rønneberg
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/camicolombia.gif) Edgar Clemente
(https://www.cyclingforfun.org/cff/imagenes/australia.jpg) NT world champion ( as Australian NT manager )