The Combuijs Capers

[Combuijs]

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



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...

[Vos]

Amazing victory of Tristan Prins in the Mont Ventoux TdF stage 7, very well done Combuijs ! 
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.

[Combuijs]

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!



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...

[Combuijs]

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



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...

[Aurora Australis]

I fear that was the final time out of the red zone this season.

[Combuijs]

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



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.

[WinterIsComing]

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.

 

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! 

[Combuijs]

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



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.


Yvo is still considered the best Tour rider of his age.

[WinterIsComing]

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. 

[Mitte]

Hopefully next season in the same division, i want revenge

[Combuijs]

You will get revenge as we are in the same division! Nice!!

[Combuijs]

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



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!

[Combuijs]

Tour Down Under:
5th stage to Campbell Town: 21. Julius Maalderink



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...

[Combuijs]

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



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.

[Combuijs]

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


(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!