Season 10

[Vos]

   selection SPORTLIFE

This little tour has a pure mountain stage, so it is one of the very few chances for my climbers in this "almost climbless" season 10.
Unfortunately for them, this mountain stage is not a goal.
Only climber Miorlin is selected to ride in form and most likely he will be the masterhelper in stage 3.
Because the main goal of my team is to ride a decent GC.

The two possible GC contenders are Løvdal and Heger, who are both in topform after riding PN.
It will be a difficult decision who will be the teamcaptain and therefore as only one can score GC points, probably outside the top10 GC.
Both are bad in the time trial.
And Heger will lose too much time in the sprint stage, but he should be a little bit better than Løvdal in stages 3 and 5.
Kangert is selected for some extra points. Most likely Miorlin and Gregersen will be the masterhelpers in their speciality.

131 Løvdal ( 28 ), allround
132 Heger ( 27 ), hillsclimb
133 Kangert ( 26 ), TT
134 Miorlin ( 28 ), climb
135 Gregersen ( 26 ), hills

Good luck everyone ! 

[Vos]

stage 1 Tirreno ;
1º   Sven WinklerPrins   27   WinterIsComing   0: 00"   
2º   Vitauts Polis   26   WinterIsComing   0: 05"
3º   Marzio Pantani   28   Wiggo_pupils   0: 10"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
16º   Heger     0: 20"
22º   Løvdal     0: 31"

In this very impressive race of WinterIsComing, the SPORTLIFE cyclists had decent results.
Viewed in retrospective the tactics should have been with 1 EP less, because both my riders could not follow the 1st group of 31 in s1 anyway.
Luckily they came back in s3 and somehow helper Kangert was still in the front, so he could give the extra bonus to Heger.
It might be a strategic/tactical mistake to make Heger the teamcaptain, but too soon to tell now.
And maybe it even does not matter, because both my "GC contenders" fear the time trial of this evening.

[Aurora Australis]

1-2 in a non-TT, that's quality.  If my next generation of cyclists turn out to be climbers, it'll be something I'll aim for.

[Vos]

Polis/WiC was just a few seconds away of winning this prestigious milestone :
It happened just one time before in CFF3 that a helper won a race in division 1A.
That was almost a year ago.
And according to me it was back then "less difficult" to achieve as now, because all riders were still young in june 2019.

[WinterIsComing]

Thanks Vos, AA. I have to say I felt a bit lucky that both WinklerPeins and Polis were able to come back from behind in s3 without using effort. They were the only leader-domestique couple in s4, and they used that advantage very well in s5. Polis, as 1st favourite for the stage, was the best man in the race, but he played his role and helped WinklerPrins to achieve his first stage victory ever. Great win, it keeps the morale high in my team. 

The Time Trial is next, and it will take a miracle for WinklerPrins to hold on to his lead though.

[Vos]

stage 2 Tirreno ;
11º Kangert

Bad luck for Heger in this time trial, he had a mechanical breakdown in section 5 and the reason he won just 10 sec. on teammate Løvdal.
151º on 3:19" and 169º on 3:29" are of course the expected bad results for my "GC contenders" who are now 42º and 51º in the GC.

[Sjiz]

Well, well, well. The first top 10 of the season. Hey, its something. And to top it off we are on a safe 30th again.

[Vos]

stage 3 Tirreno ;
2º Miorlin on 0:00" --> in a free role with 97 form, and he could not challenge favorites   
23º Heger on 1:07"
25º Løvdal on 1:07"

Miorlin keeps on surprising me.
He even almost won this stage, because it was a sprint á deux with stage winner Miro ( OviedoCLAS ).

Miorlin was given a free role because his teammates were not good ranked in the GC.
And because it is difficult and uncertain if Miorlin in a helper's job would do well, he is much better than the teamcaptain.
Another reason is ; a little sponsordeal of top10 in this stage. In advance a little chance that he could score that, fun to try.

Viewed in retrospect, it was better that Miorlin got the teamcaptain role in this stage, so he could get his 20th(!) victory in 1A.
Well, he gets a chance to do that later this season. Very unexpected that he did so great in this stage.
Also it would have been better to give Miorlin a teamcaptain role, because his teammates are still not good ranked in the GC ;
Heger = 25º GC on 2:24" ( 24 seconds behind the number 20 )
Løvdal = 30º GC on 2:44"
It will be very difficult ( or too difficult ) to score a few GC points.

[WinterIsComing]

Miorlin as impressive as ever in the mountains, congrats Vos. 

Also congrats to Sjiz for achieving his first top 10 of the season (zou tijd worden ook, koekebakker )

Happy with another strong performance from WinklerPrins, who is able to keep up the pace with several other Tour-riders and ends up in the same group as Reinertsen, Palmer and Lorenzetto. After a tough TT, he climbs up the ranks again and is now in 5th place, but many cyclists are still within a minute from leader Reinertsen.

[Vos]

Thanks WiC, and good luck in the GC with WinklerPrins !
Reinertsen has a good lead at the moment, and behind him it is really close among the GC contenders.
WinklerPrins (nr5) and Pantani (nr12) are the only top15 GC contenders with a sprint icon, most likely beneficial for stage 4.
But of course, there is also hills stage 5 with 2 stripes of wind, and there the real decision of the final GC will be made.

[Sjiz]

Maybe our season has finally started. Verbeek gok a fine win. The first in the Tirreno for our team and his 10th on the highest level.
Also congrats to our podium finishes. It was a tense final stage.

Tonight will be interesting. The weather is really bad in Milano - San Remo. Verbeek likes that. So hopefully he can really shine.

[Vos]

After the final stage a few points for my team, including GC points.
But it is clear I made a strategic-tactical mistake with Heger as the teamcaptain in this Tirreno. Well, good lesson learned.
And positive that my first real (semi-)tour rider in CFF3, Løvdal (silver tour icon), did much better as I expected ( in a free role ).


stage 5 ;
1º  Verbeek ( TeamRHB )    ---> Sjiz ; congratulations with the 10th victory in 1A of Verbeek.
26º  Gregersen

Final GC Tirreno ;
1    Mihkel Väli   28   Atlantico   0: 00"   ---> Congratulations Michinoo. 
2    Sven WinklerPrins   27   WinterIsComing   0: 12"   
3    Alessandro Figueras   27   CaptainOrange   0: 27"   
4    Marzio Pantani   28   Wiggo_pupils   0: 33"   
5    Jørund Nordnes   27   Cabrasverdes   0: 38"   
6    Kåre Reinertsen   25   Flandria   0: 40"   
7    Allan Palmer   27   Codex   0: 47"   
8    Antonello Lorenzetto   28   Marcatone_Due   1: 14"   
9    Ivan Semon   28   MortoviaCycling   1: 34"   
10    Alan Brady   28   FaltososDeChigre   1: 39"   
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
18    Nicolay Løvdal   28   SPORTLIFE   2: 27"   
20    Sigmar Heger   27   SPORTLIFE   2: 30"   

[Zatarra]

We gambled and 'lost' in MSR. A disappointing 7th place for Isupov. The tactics for the domestiques was too risky (in order to maximize the final 'kick' in s5). Slippens and Stamer lost contact with Isupov in s2.

Next season probably the last chance to win MSR with Isupov.

[Sjiz]

I think everyone and their grandmother saw the attacks in s1 and s2 coming. So no real differences there. For Verbeek as well. Did well, lost his domestique on the climb and in the final section he misses that high sprint stat.

[Zatarra]

I think everyone and their grandmother saw the attacks in s1 and s2 coming. So no real differences there. For Verbeek as well. Did well, lost his domestique on the climb and in the final section he misses that high sprint stat.

Indeed, attacks were not surprising. That my domestiques lost contact with their EPs spent actually was... to me, LOL. Damn, I cannot remember I was so disappointed in this game the past seasons  .