Australia NT Season 14

[Franky]

I have 5 19yo hillers this season, but I'm not particulary happy with them so...I will train them this season and we will see next season if I start again or what.

P.S: is still soon, and a new star can raise from promotion but...

[Zatarra]

Some luck for Australia's next cobblehill-generation. Both Armstrong and Lucas have talent 5.

Charles Armstrong   Age : 19   Wage : 848
Stamina : 34   Sprint : 69   Climbing : 1
Flat : 49   Cobblestone : 71   Technique : 59
Downhill : 59   Hills : 58   Aggressiveness : 14
Time Trial : 31   Teamwork : 12   Experience : 0

Dylan Lucas   Age : 19   Wage : 854
Stamina : 31   Sprint : 5   Climbing : 25
Flat : 63   Cobblestone : 72   Technique : 60
Downhill : 23   Hills : 52   Aggressiveness : 79
Time Trial : 24   Teamwork : 25   Experience : 2

Now only their manager has to find a way to train them both perfectly, which will be a challenge. Armstrong will ask for a sprint training in order to perform in G-W (although it might be possible to let just the U24-bonus do its work als not many G-W specialists are trained), whereas Lucas will need some longer downhill-training.

Luckily, the other (trainable and relevant) skills are quite similar, so this should bring Australia some joy in the future.

Lucas is only 0.2 GV away from the best 19yo's spot in cobble-hilling. With the last update the difference with Barret Waithe was 0.98, so either the latter's talent rating is very low or he is not trained cobble... yet. It doesn't matter, we're one team anyway .

[Vos]

Australia u20 ( 35 cyclists )

[Vos]

Good news for Australia ;
Angus Friend ( 4 victories in NT races ) is active again after his transfer as free cyclist to an 1A team.
He will be very needed in the final 2 NT races of this season.

[Mlb]

So happy with my second pick in the free transfer market. Hope he can do it well in my team and also with the NT.

[Vos]

In Australia we are proud that Angus Friend has joined a good team with an experienced, competent, very nice manager.    
Good luck with Angus ! 

Season goals.
Battling for the individual world championship and battling for a podium place in the ranking by countries.

And maybe he can win the individual NT world championship jersey for your team page / palmares.
But don't count on that, the last time I raced with Angus was a failure.
Hopefully this NT season more luck and perfect tactics, then he has a chance. For sure I will try to achieve this prestigious goal.

[Vos]

RACE 4: LUXEMBOURG

33ºC

Luxembourg,
To make this selection was a puzzle, because this time trial has a difficult to estimate GV and because Australia has many TT specialists.
I selected not just according to my own estimated GV, but also to a wide range of different GV estimations, in case my GV is wrong.
Of course, I looked also at the active weather icons and the experience, by making this selection.
Special thanks to Ophiuko, who thought along with the wide range of different GV estimations.

Unfortunately it is not possible to select more than 9 ; I would have liked to see a few more, how they would do in this specific time trial.
But I had to make difficult choices.

For the first time this specific time trial is on the NT calendar, and I have no idea how good the foreign rivals are.
So, I have also no clue if and how many points Australia can score.
Let's hope Australia can score just as many time trial points as they did in every previous NT season. It is a possibillity.
But it is also a possibillity that Australia scores the lowest total points ever achieved in a NT time trial.
Hopefully there will be a good amount of points, so that Australia continues to battle for the worldchampionship and/or podium.

Australia NT selection :

Angel Morrison ( 27 ) Frenkie
Neil Bell ( 31 ) SPORTLIFE
Fergus Mayne* ( 27 ) TeamManusof   ( debut )
Ben Mitchum* ( 32 ) Aurora_Australis
Peter Coleman ( 27 ) Frenkie
Richard Levin ( 32 ) Aurora_Australis
Ted Walkins* ( 32 ) GarruTeam
Paul Clickett ( 31 ) Aurora_Australis
Arthur Marbley ( 30 ) Lemosteam   ( debut )

[Kekipi]

RACE 4: LUXEMBOURG

33ºC

To make this selection was a puzzle, because this time trial has a difficult to estimate GV and because Australia has many TT specialists. I selected not just according to my own estimated GV, but also to a wide range of different GV estimations, in case my GV is wrong.

For my GV calcs, I used ST15  FL20  CB8  TQ10 HL10 AG2 TT35

Would be interesting to see the GVs you used, if you don't mind sharing it/them.

Thanks.

[Vos]

Would be interesting to see the GVs you used, if you don't mind sharing it/them.
Thanks.

Sharing in general on the forum will not happen. Sharing it just to you as top secret information is no problem, Kekipi. 
And I have even more insight in GV now after the race, although to my surprise, it is almost confermation of my own estimated GV.
On the forum I can mention this to you, Kekipi ; I'm sure the USA had just one suited TT specialist for this time trial.
More about the GV of this specific NT time trial in a pm tomorrow.
Busy, busy, busy today, and in CFF too, with now checking my Giro selection and so on.
And keep in mind ; for your eyes only.   We don't want to make the rival countries smarter than they already are. 

[Vos]

Excellent results ! 

2º  Levin
5º  Bell
9º  Mitchum
11º  Morrison
16º  Coleman
18º  Mayne

This gives a total of 760 points in this NT time trial, and Australia scored the most points.
Also Great Britain had excelllent results and scored 670 points.
Australia is the new leader in the season ranking with a lead of 345 points towards new nr 2 Great Britain.
Former nr 1 the Netherlands scored just 40 points, and former nr 2 Italy 0 points.
Also many other countries did not score many points.
Not surprising, because AUS + GB scored together 1.410 points out of the total of 2.445 points. Not many left for other countries.

Also good about this NT race 4 is that I selected the right point scoring TT specialists.
And after the race I'm certain that I did not overlook someone whp could score points too.
Not an easy task before this unknow time trial, there were many possibillities and many good Australian TT specialists.

Next week a flat-cobblehills race in France.
Normally Australia does not score points in NT cobblehills races. But this specific cobblehills race with 3 flat sections can be an exception,
because in season 10 when I was NT manager I had this exact same race. And the just silver teamcaptain finished to my surprise as 10º.
He is already selected, together with the only Australian who has a golden cobblehills icon, the just 24yo Sam Rooney.
He looks promising for this specific NT race, because also he has a very good flat skill as extra.

And it is a cobblehills NT race, traditionally the best opportunity for Australia to select xp cyclists.
Already one of them is selected, the according to me most promising 19yo talent will make his debut.
For sure more xp cyclists will be selected, so train your Australian talents well. 

[Kekipi]

Would be interesting to see the GVs you used, if you don't mind sharing it/them.
Thanks.

Sharing in general on the forum will not happen. Sharing it just to you as top secret information is no problem, Kekipi. 
And I have even more insight in GV now after the race, although to my surprise, it is almost confermation of my own estimated GV.
On the forum I can mention this to you, Kekipi ; I'm sure the USA had just one suited TT specialist for this time trial.
More about the GV of this specific NT time trial in a pm tomorrow.
Busy, busy, busy today, and in CFF too, with now checking my Giro selection and so on.
And keep in mind ; for your eyes only.   We don't want to make the rival countries smarter than they already are. 

Thank you.  I'm honored.   

[Franky]

Jasper is in the Dream Team since today! 

[Vos]

Jasper is in the Dream Team since today! 

Great ! ! ! 

Also fun to see ; since a few days Oscar Smith ( SPORTLIFE ) is the new number 1 in the TT Dream Team. 

At the moment there are just 5 Australians in the DT ; 1x climb TT, 3x flat TT, and 1x sprint.
In the u23 DT even less ; just 3 Australians ( 3x TT ).

[Vos]

Australia u24 ( total of 194 = 34x 19yo, 48x 20yo, 63x 21yo, 37x 22yo, 12x 23yo )

[Aurora Australis]

Also fun to see ; since a few days Oscar Smith ( SPORTLIFE ) is the new number 1 in the TT Dream Team. 

At the moment there are just 5 Australians in the DT ; 1x climb TT, 3x flat TT, and 1x sprint.
In the u23 DT even less ; just 3 Australians ( 3x TT ).

32 years of age is beginning to hurt my TTers.

The good news is that all of my currently 21 yo TTers will be dominating the u23 dream team next season, and by this time next season they'll all be 94+TT : 92+FL : 90+TQ (a few slightly higher).