Season 15

[Vos]

stage 1 PN ;
1º  Smith --> victory ! 
18º  Martinez  on 0:41"

Despite a minor form issue, Oscar Smith broke the CFF record of Leroy Benett, also an Australian who won twice this climb TT stage in my team.

Tour cyclist Martinez did also great.
He finished in the same time as GC contender Vrijmoed ( 17º ) on 0:41"
Vrijmoed is the nr 3 in the "Ophiuko-list" and he won 14 seconds on nr 1 Pires who finished as 29º on 0:55"
Nr 2 Figueras did even better and finished as 7º on 0:22"
Nr 4 WinklerPrins finished as 43º on 1:13" and the nr 5 Calderon finished as 89º on 1:58"

Thanks to this excellent stage, SPORTLIFE is now out of the relegation zone. Next target = Combuijs, who is 2 points ahead.

[ophiuko]

This season I've decided I'll post in here the rankings from my excel database for every tour, to make it more fun and we have something else to comment. These are just my own calculations, it doesn't need to be accurate. If anyone wants to see their rider included, just let me know.

Nice lists! But i think the TT counts for a lot more than you have listed in the TDU. Still, i like lists. Keep them coming!

Yes, I assign a % for each stage, but that's the hardest part to decide. Usually I give more importance to mountain stages, then hills, TT and cobble all of them the same more or less, and the least importance to sprint stages. But who knows. Besides, wind always makes it unpredictable.

Also, training camps always change things a lot. If I change the skills according to +3 +2 +1 as the game specifies, usually the coefficient increases around 2 points. The hillers weren't using training camp at TDU, I don't know if the winner Gatson was.

[Combuijs]

Anyway, I don't know who is going to participate, but what you can get from the list is the ones that are active and in 1a:
Lazare Pires 78.92
Alessandro Figueras 78.63
Rene Vrijmoed 77.91
Sven WinklerPrins 77.74
Fulgencio Calderon 77.47
Samuele DiLuca 77.33
Bekir Spies 77.20
Allan Palmer 77.20
Jose Viñas 76.24
Roland Kámory 76.23

I have Yvo van Straalen on 77 (I round off because the numbers are guesses anyway) for Paris-Nice, using the same method as you do, apart from having other percentages of course 

[Combuijs]

A question to twice American champion Stevens ; "What are your chances in the Omloop" ?
The 32x USA international answered ; "I'm not in topform yet, but I feel like 21yo because never in my life have I drunk Combuijs beer".

He did not finish in the top 30? Hmm, time for some Combuijs Honey Ale as a medicine, I would say. 

[ophiuko]

Yvo 74.32, but I have his skills with 23 yo. I assume he has changed a lot since then.

[Sjiz]

Well, balls. Again a breakdown for Verbeek in a hillsprint and on a crucial moment. Now in S5 which cost him a top 10.

[Vos]

stage 2 PN ;
11º  Majoros ( free role )
- - - - -
82º  Martinez  on 1:32"
Beck did an excellent helper's job in all 5 sections, thé reason Martinez finished in the 4th group despite his very low sprint skill.
At the moment Martinez is 12º GC on 1:19" behind new GC leader Figueras ( RemcoEvenpoelckx ).

[Franky]

Another not good race...this time probably was that I spent too much in that 3rd sector.. 

2 times 1st fav, a 10th and a 5th  I need to still improving in sprint races

[Sjiz]

Beal loves this stage. Verbeek got second a decent result, but thats not what i am here for with a rider like him.

[Vos]

stage 3 PN ;
11º  Simon ( free role )
- - - - -
71º  Martinez  on 1:18"

I guess that my free role riders like to finish just outside the top 10 in this Paris Nice. One place better and their manager is happy.
More importantly ; the GC battle of Martinez.
He was already isolated in s2, what was not good and two sections too soon.
But on his own he had a decent race + decent result, and he moved up one place in the GC ; now 10º GC on 1:29"
A final top 10 GC would be great, although Martinez fears the upcoming flat sprint stage.

[Vos]

I guess that my free role riders like to finish just outside the top 10 in this Paris Nice. One place better and their manager is happy.

Always nice when my cyclists listen well and want to make me happy. 

stage 4 PN ;
10º  Majoros ( free role )
- - - - -
84º  Martinez  on 1:34"

Beck did a good helper's job and stayed with Martinez in all 5 sections.
The first 3 sections were perfect, both in the front. But in s4 they dropped to the 2nd group on 0:39"
Unfortunately and unexpectedly they dropped even further in the final section to 1:34" what is a way too big time difference.
Usually the time difference gap is not so big, so I guess Martinez was a bit unlucky. Although he did well with his 36 sprint skill.

Martinez dropped six places and now 16º GC on 2:27"
I'm very optimistic that he can score GC points, because stage 5 will be his first race in topform.

[ophiuko]

Others:
Samuele DiLuca (30) 80.47
Xavér Kövér (24) 80.41
Tjerk Tusveld (32) 80.39
Sven WinklerPrins (31) 80.08
Bekir Spies (32) 79.92
Sandis Stabulnieks (26) 79.85
Murat Aeschliman (27) 79.81
Jaime Roman (30) 79.76
August Thoelen (25) 79.75

[Vos]

stage 5 PN ;
2º  Martinez on 0:07"
WOW, very surprising good result !
Thanks to risky tactics and great help of Beck, who made the jump with his teamcaptain from 3rd group in s2 to the front group in s3.
Beck had even full power left to launch Martinez superhard into hillsmountain section 4, what caused that he was in the breakaway group of 4.

Thanks to this great result, Martinez moved up five places and almost finished in the top 10 ; final result = 11º GC.

A promising result, because Paris Nice was a preparation for the much more suited Tirreno Adriatico.
Looking at the ranking of Martinez in the Ophiuko-Tirreno-list, now my expectations are even higher as they already were.

[Vos]

   selection SPORTLIFE

Main objective = top GC result of Martinez.
Proudly I present his teammates  :
the PN stage 1 winner, the world champion, the Russian champion, and a young golden climber who makes his NT debut tomorrow.

131 Martinez ( 32 ), tour
132 Smith ( 28 ), climbTT
133 Kluivert ( 31 ), hills
134 Basov ( 32 ), climb+climbTT
135 Macannazi ( 24 ), climb

Good luck everyone ! 

[Aurora Australis]

I was deciding whether to retire Owen Acree now, as I have two 19 year old hillers for sale taking up 19th & 20th spots, however I've decided to give him & Ben Mitchum their swansongs at the Dauphiné & Suisse tours.
Trump & Levin will have their final NT race in a couple of weeks (assuming Pinkley races it'll be his final one too - probably Clickett's too, it'll be assumed to be his final NT), then their swansong races will be decided.