The Combuijs Capers

[Combuijs]

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.



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

[Combuijs]

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).




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   

[Combuijs]

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...



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...

[Combuijs]

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.



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...


We have made Sam Parker available for a transfer. He came over transfer free, but he really never reached his potential.

[Combuijs]

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).

[Combuijs]

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)



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.

[Vos]

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.

  selection SPORTLIFE

201 Miorlin ( climber )
202 Huszta ( climber )
203 Adorján ( 23yo climber )
204 Bogarde ( TT )
205 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 :

[Combuijs]

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.

[Combuijs]

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.

[Combuijs]

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...

[Vos]

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.^^

[Vos]

stage 7 Giro :
  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 !

[Combuijs]

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.




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.

[Combuijs]

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.



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...

[Combuijs]

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.