Season 9

[WinterIsComing]

Happy with the results in the Tirreno-Adriatico.

3rd place for Vitauts Polis in the opening stage, individual points in both sprint stages, and a good 4th place for WinklerPrins in the overall classification. Vigo surprisingly finished 14th overall and scored some bonus points. He's doing quite well.

Expectations for Milan-San Remo aren't really high though. Vigo still needs to improve his downhill skills, he's not quite the daredevil Bonifazio was at the Cipressa in 2019.

[Vos]

Nice results, WiC, and indeed ; a great descent of Bonifazio in 2019, I can only hope his mother did not watch it. 

stage 5 TIR ;
My teamcaptain was going for his third podiumplace of the season, and he came close.
4º Jannakopulosz

The total Tirreno points of SPORTLIFE = 332 points.

Now Milano Sanremo, although the expectations are not high for that race.
No TC bonus and less suited for Jannakopulosz because this race is much "heavier" compared to stage 5 TIR.
The stars show that too ; stamina and hills both 2 stars, that is both 1 more as in previous race.
Of course he cannot challenge favorites, but I hope he will score some points despite a very bad director for one day races.

But director Mannie Hilton can stay. He is a little tour specialist with 96 - 94 - 93, and in little tours the points have to be scored.
Because my team has just one not so good silver cobblehills rider.
And I forgot to send him on TC, so most likely he will not score points, with hopefully Gent Wevelgem as exception.

[Zatarra]

Former MSR winner (and two times second) Dimitro Isupov is happy to be back at world tour level to compete with the best in what could be his favourite race. He's not well prepared, though, as his manager has a different TC-period for him in mind. He will be riding without TC-bonus, but with better personnel than ever hired at Zatarra's and of course with the help of Jort Slippens.

In the mean time Bernhard Arvesen is preparing for what's his most important race of the season: the E3. He has TC-bonus and will be assisted by Leroy Stamer.

Hopefully some good results for Zatarra in their fight against immediate relegation.

[Sjiz]

Verbeek repeats his 8th place of last year. Thats ok, nothing extreme just some good points and his 9th top 10 in a classic. His first part of the season went well with 1500 points, half of his total last year. Lets see what he can do in the remaining part of the season

[Vos]

I hope he will score some points

The hope was destroyed in section 1 of MSR ; with 1 EP Jannakopulosz could not follow the mega big peleton of 119.
He even did not get a dissapointment face, it says enough. Also not when he passed the finishline as 73rd on 0:51"
This was clearly not his race.
He is going for revanche in the for him more suited sprint stages of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya.

[Vos]

A few unexpected points in E3 Harelbeke : 25º Takács


   selection SPORTLIFE

Also in Catalunya the number that ends with 1 is for Jannakopulosz. The goal of this team is to score points in the seperate stages.
But maybe this is a good tour for Judd to score a few GC points, despite he has no tour-icon.
However, he is the best (and only) helper in the hills stages and especially in the flat-mountain stage.
So, I have to make a strategic decision regarding Judd.

201 Jannakopulosz (27), hills-sprint --> stages 1 and 4
202 Marin (27), hills --> stages 2 and 5
203 Judd (27), allround --> his role is still unknown
204 Riley (27), flat-climb --> stage 3
205 Colaco (26), flat-sprint --> helper

Good luck everyone ! 

[Zatarra]

In about one-and-a-hour hour the following cyclists will start the next tour. Just four this time, as the next youngster will experience heavy health issues if they would travel to Catalunya the coming days and from management's perspective it's better to focus on solely training.

131. Isupov (27) - will be our GC-rider and hopefully to score points in stages 1 and 4 (and maybe 5) individually
132. Slippens (27) - will be the helper of Isupov in all stages but stage 3
133. Stamer (26) - will try and score points in stage 2 (and maybe 5)
134. Dotto (27) - will be riding himself into shape and will help Isupov in stage 3

We don't know if Isupov can manage to ride a good GC, the flat-climbing stage 3 will be very hard for him, but the lack of pure hillers (due to possible TCs for the hills classics) should open doors to both GC-points as well as points in hill sprint and hills stages. We will see; every point we take in Catalunya is a happy one.

[Vos]

So far, the results in Catalunya are very good : 
stage 1 = 3º Jannakopulosz, and his helper 22º Colaco.
stage 2 = 8º Marin

Only Judd was dissapointing in twice a free role ; 151º on 3:04" and 88º on 1:28".
It seems to me these results are not good enough to score a few extra GC points, so he has to be a helper from now on.

[Zatarra]

Isupov finished 13 in stage 1, which was rewarded with the lamp-icon. However, in stage 2 a minor mistake in s1 resulted in a result just outside the scoring numbers, although the domestiques were terrific. This is a costly mistake, since now Isupov is 'just' 2nd in GC, already one a gap of 39 seconds to Laksa.

Next stage, the flatclimbing one, it's all about surviving. Losing as less minutes as possible. Hopefully the damage can be controlled!

[EpoGlucK]

Isupov finished 13 in stage 1, which was rewarded with the lamp-icon. However, in stage 2 a minor mistake in s1 resulted in a result just outside the scoring numbers, although the domestiques were terrific. This is a costly mistake, since now Isupov is 'just' 2nd in GC, already one a gap of 39 seconds to Laksa.

Next stage, the flatclimbing one, it's all about surviving. Losing as less minutes as possible. Hopefully the damage can be controlled!

There is friendly group of cyclist who wants to go slowly until the last section as Isupov or Laksa, meivi Kreilis too??if this flat-mount stage. We could enjoy views, talk, make some fun in the first 4 sections and then let the climbres go, but remeber all friens until then 

[Zatarra]

Isupov finished 13 in stage 1, which was rewarded with the lamp-icon. However, in stage 2 a minor mistake in s1 resulted in a result just outside the scoring numbers, although the domestiques were terrific. This is a costly mistake, since now Isupov is 'just' 2nd in GC, already one a gap of 39 seconds to Laksa.

Next stage, the flatclimbing one, it's all about surviving. Losing as less minutes as possible. Hopefully the damage can be controlled!

There is friendly group of cyclist who wants to go slowly until the last section as Isupov or Laksa, meivi Kreilis too??if this flat-mount stage. We could enjoy views, talk, make some fun in the first 4 sections and then let the climbres go, but remeber all friens until then 

I would be in favour. But probably the climbers would demand the same from us in the following hill sprint, wouldn't they?

Haha, we will soo who loses the less seconds. Fingers crossed!

[Sjiz]

Burton rode a good race, finishing 3rd. His first podium in 1a. Happy with it.

[Vos]

stage 3 Catalunya ;
Excellent race of my teamcaptain who could not challenge the favorites.
Thanks to his helper Judd who launched him hard into the final climb ; almost a victory ! He lost in a sprint á deux to Polis (WinterIsComing).
2º Riley ( he is for sale, just 1,- )

Congratulations with your first 1A victory, WiC ! 

[WinterIsComing]

Thanks Vos. Polis did a good job, was in doubt today wether I'd go for a stage victory or aim for a better spot in GC. Chose to go dor the stage win, and it paid off. First victory for my team in CFF3 indeed, still feeling green... 

[Vos]

still feeling green... 

Há, let's pretend you did not had an amazing and splendid palmares with your CFF 2 team.
And your CFF 3 team looks very promising. I have no doubt you will again build up an impressive palmares in CFF3.
So, I found a picture of a "green" WinterIsComing to terrify all CFF managers.