All div: Grand Tours

[Sjiz]

Team presentation TeamRHB

So far the season is going well. In many places we got better results than expected. Of course there are also some dissapointments but on the whole this has been a great start. It looks like maintaining my status as World Tour team this season will not be an issue. However, there are still some goals left. I want to win both Dutch championships. My team and my rider.

With this in mind the Giro is vital for Arno Verbeek. He needs to keep scoring here to make sure he can win it. Hugo Gunnewijk will ride as a free role in the hills and can try to ride a nice GC. In addition to this i have also brought along Arve Nyland. The number 3 of the Tour of Flanders. He can ride for a good result in stage 2 and can support Verbeek and Gunnewijk when needed. Then we have Austin Burton and James Tweed. They will ride in support for the leader of the day.

I'm looking forward to the race! I just hope the crowds stay home.

The team:
The superstar: Arno Verbeek
The GC dude: Hugo Gunnewijk
The wild card: Arve Nyland
The assistant #1: Austin Burton
The assistant #2: James Tweed

[Aurora Australis]

Giro Season 8

331 Cato Kvam   25 (stage
332 Fraser Morris   25 (stage 1)
333 Sergei Wild   26 (sprint domestique)
334 Daniel Cerdan   26 (stages 9 & 10)
335 Christian Pinkney   25 (because he has nothing better to do)

The game is apparently currently listing Fraser Morris as favourite for race 1, which isn't going to be fact by race time.  Still, it would be nice.
Seeking good points with potential top ten results in races 1 - 8 - 9 - & 10.  The idea of points in stages 3 &/or 6 is a bit of a daydream, but we'll try.

Goal: To score enough points to move closer to staying in Div1 for season 9.

[Vos]

121 Crouzel ( climb ) --> stage 1.

Excellent start of the Giro ;
Adorján did a great job as helper in the first 3 sections. In section 4 a solo attack of Crouzel, 0:10" ahead of Bing (Ares) and Morris (AA).
First favorite Morris had a very good solo descent in s5, but luckily he came just 1 second closer and this means ; victory of Crouzel ! 

[WinterIsComing]

Congrats Vos, another nice victory for your Mountain Clan.

In Division 2b, Bolshenkov shows his good form (he already won Romandie and was 2nd in Frankfurt) and wins the first stage, although 3 other cyclists were able to close the gap in the last downhill section. It seems they spent too much effort in their chase, so Bolshenkov could easily win the sprint. His climbing helper Mercado finished 7th, free role Michael Hvid did well with a 22nd place.

Goal is to win the Giro with Bolshenkov and finish top 5-10 with Hvid.

[Vos]

Thanks WiC. You too congrats with the stage 1 victory of Bolshenkov, and good luck with his goal to win the Giro.

[Sjiz]

Gunnewijk placed 37th this morning. 1:47 lost. Nothing really bad. His strengths are in the hills. Well see how far he can go. Tonight Nuland can score some points and then the stages for Verbeek are coming.

Grats Vos. Nice win.

[Vos]

Thanks, and good luck in the GC and in the hills stages, Sjiz.
By the way, the rumor goes in another topic that Verbeek wants to join my team. Can I rent him for one day after the Giro ?
I will pay 3.000.000,- rent for Verbeek for just 1 day (during the Dauphiné). He will return in your team before the Tour de Suisse.
And let's hope CFF Cup quarter finale opponent WinterIsComing reads this.

[Rico]

After all the good news, time for something negative. I screwed up my chances of a good result by placing both Ros and Ribes as a domestique. The real domestique (Ribes) managed to get a 5th place, so with a proper role the leader should have been able to get on the podium...

 

[Aurora Australis]

I can only assume there were loads of climbers helping weaker tour hopes, I'm happy with 2nd behind your cyclist Vos, my climbers are missing 30 experience plus a little extra to truly compete (they're like the 8th wheel trying to be in a five man TT train).

We're cheering for your hillers Vos.

[Sjiz]

10th for Nyland as free rider. Satisfied with it. Gunnewijk jumped a little in the GC despite his crap cobble stat. 14th now. So thats going well. Now the stages for Verbeek are here. Tomorrow will be a warming up as i dont expect much from him. A nice result will be welcome.

[Sjiz]

Great result. The first grand tour stage win for Verbeek. Happy with it. I hoped he could, but didnt expect it.

[Vos]

Very nice vitory, Sjiz, congrats !
Verbeek will score many points in the next stage also, he likes the cold ánd the rain.

My both hills cyclists only like hot weather.
Hopefully the leader does better than in the hills-classics, but maybe I should be happy with every point he can score.

[Sjiz]

Thanks Vos. Verbeek does like bad weather. He a real Dutchie. Despite the assault of Peachy and losing all domestiques in s2 he came out ahead. Happy with it. Tomorrow another chance.

[Vos]

stage 4 Giro :
The instruction for silver hills rider Marin was simple ; keep the wheel of Verbeek as long as possible !
And he did, ok, not much energy left for the final section because Verbeek and the leading group have a energy consuming hard pace for Marin.
But an excellent result with this adapting tactic ; an 8th place behind (again) stage winner Verbeek of TeamRHB.
Also thanks to Gregersen who did a great job as helper in the first 3 sections.

[Sjiz]

Unfortunately no lucky 3. Caracoles' hill tandem proved to strong. I need to sort out my domestiques. No one surroundinh Verbeek from s2. This is costing me victories.