Season 24

[Kekipi]

Thanks Kekipi, plagiarism is easier.

Thanks and agreed, Vos.   I plagiarized your post from Season 23.   

[Kekipi]

Catalunya, mountain stage 1 FMFMM ( ) ;

15º  Queiros ( captain )  0:36"
24º  Perry ( helper )  0:45"
67º  Campos ( helper )  1:48"

A decent result (always grateful to score points!) thanks to a good helper's job of Perry.

An additional EP in S4 (and one less in S5) might have yielded better results for Queiros and Perry.

Campos would have done better riding free, but I enlisted him as a helper just in case I got Perry's tactics wrong.

Next up is the FCCCF stage.  It will be interesting to see who emerges as the GC contenders  after this one.  Our hope is that Queiros will be among them.

[Vos]

Catalunya, stage 1 FMFMM ;
3º   Babich ( teamcaptain )   0:09"
5º  Beckham ( masterhelper )   0:18"
Thanks to genius"no guts no glory"tactics of not-favorite Beckham and 8-star climber Babich, these incredible and maqnificent results ! 

[Kekipi]

Catalunya, flat/cobbles stage 2 FCCCF ( ) ;

14º  Hummelsby ( free )  0:29"
75º  Queiros ( captain )  1:57"

We were hoping to place higher for both Hummelsby and Queiros.  Both were riding with less than top form, which surely had an impact.   If in top form, Hummelsby likely would have been top 10, and Queiros likely would have finished @ 1:29.     

For the GC, Queiros sits in 12th @ 1:28. 

We will see how things go in the third stage, a 117 km hills-sprint (FHFFF) from Vielha e Mijaran to Torrefarrera.  Race Director Lenny Ryan , who has high marks for motivation, one-day races, and small tours (but not so high for team spirit), has ordered all hands on deck in support of Queiros.

[Vos]

Catalunya stage 2, cobble-sprint ( 2x wind ) ;
30º  Granberg ( helper )   1:00"
39º  Babich ( teamcaptain )   1:29"
After a great start of the Babich-Granberg combo, it went already wrong in s2 where unexpectedly Granberg was too fast.
Granberg kept on riding one group before Babich till the finish line.
Too bad, with better (or more lucky-)tactics Babich would not be isolated, and would not have an unnecessary loss of 0:29"

Babich is now 2ºGC on 0:32" of the Australian leader Fevola ( 29, Bikeos ), the Silver Bike winner and the Catalunya title defender.

[Kekipi]

Catalunya, hill/sprint stage 3 FHFFF ( ) ;

30º  Pensec ( helper )  0:00"
39º  Queiros ( captain )  0:00"

Pensec did his job wonderfully and ferried Queiros to the 40-rider bunch sprint in S5, where El Capitan was able to hang on to finish with the same time as stage winner Sysmans of Rekutxuteam.

For the GC, Queiros moved up eight places to 4th @ 0:55".

Next up is an angst stage, FFFFM, where tactical gambits in the flat sections are almost certain.

[Vos]

Catalunya stage 3, hill-sprint ( 1x wind ) ;
22º  Muntendam ( free role )   
104º  Babich ( teamcaptain )   1:35"
A very bad race, because Granberg and Conti should have been very good helpers, but teamcaptain Babich was isolated the whole race.
Babich dropped in the GC to 8º on 1:35"

[Kekipi]

Catalunya, stage 4 FFFFM (   ) ;

23º  Queiros ( captain )  0:46"

I had Queiros use 11 EPs for this one.  I dared not use any fewer for fear of more significant time loss.   

For the GC, despite losing 14 seconds, Queiros moved up one place to 3rd @ 1:09".

In tomorrow's final flat sprint stage, he will be hard pressed to overtake GC 2nd place Kok (Captain Orange) who is @ 0:49"

And, short of a disaster, mechanical or tactical, Elton Fevola (Bikeos) will defend his Volta Catalunya title. 

We too hope to avoid disaster and have Queiros earn the first-ever D1 podium place for Lanihuli Cycling.

[Vos]

Catalunya stage 4, flat-climb ;
19º  Babich   0:39"   (  --> to Kekipi ; in a many 9 EP tactic to be extra "safe" in this windless stage  )
Beckham did a good job as helper, and Babich moved up 2 places, now 6ºGC on 1:42"

But this little tour is overshadowed by the biggest mistake I ever made in CFF ;
I forgot to send 4 cyclists on TC period ROM + EF + GIRO. 
This even was my main tactical move in this season.
Well, at least the 1A championship was not at stake, otherwise such a gigantic mistake for sure messed it up.
Now it just messes up my season schedule of my team, I guess I have to puzzle again.
Certainly one big change ;
my Romandie-selection would have been my strongest selection this season, and for sure now not the case anymore.

[Vos]

Catalunya stage 5, sprint ( storm ) ;
82º  Babich   1:44"
Muntendam did an excellent job and got 5x the hands icon. Babich had a mechanical breakdown in s5, probably without consequenses.

Volta a Catalunya, final GC ;
6º  Babich   2:28"

[Kekipi]

Catalunya stage 4, flat-climb ;
19º  Babich   0:39"   (  --> to Kekipi ; in a many 9 EP tactic to be extra "safe" in this windless stage  )

Just nine?  Wow, thanks for the tip.   I'm thinking the same EP output would be considered safe for a FFFFF race, as well.

But this little tour is overshadowed by the biggest mistake I ever made in CFF ;
I forgot to send 4 cyclists on TC period ROM + EF + GIRO. 
This even was my main tactical move in this season.
Well, at least the 1A championship was not at stake, otherwise such a gigantic mistake for sure messed it up.
Now it just messes up my season schedule of my team, I guess I have to puzzle again.
Certainly one big change ;
my Romandie-selection would have been my strongest selection this season, and for sure now not the case anymore.

Sorry to hear about the miscue.   Got me thinking that there should be an award for teams in D1 which make the top ten in the final standings without the use of training camps. It'd be like climbing Everest without the use of supplemental oxygen.  With a posse of superior riders (or maybe just one or two), some teams might have already done the sans-training-camp thing.

Catalunya stage 5, FFFFF sprint ( ) ;
86º  Queiros   2:02"

In a word, damn!  Queiros could not hang with his two main helpers, Pensec and Hummelsby, in S1, but still, fortunately, got aid from Campos in every section, or else the damage could have been worse.  I will chalk this race up as more beta gathering for future reference, I suppose.

Volta a Catalunya, final GC ;
4º  Queiros   2:13" 

Due to the tactical miscue, Queiros dropped a place in the final GC.   The 4th is still the best-ever tour finish in D1 for my team, so I should be  , and I am.

[Rico]

A good 2nd place in this small tour for Ben Kok, a long way after Fevola, but also quite a long way before the #3. He was very suited for this race apart from the cobblestone stage, and that was where the Tour was lost in the end.

[Vos]

Got me thinking that there should be an award for teams in D1 which make the top ten in the final standings without the use of training camps. It'd be like climbing Everest without the use of supplemental oxygen.  With a posse of superior riders (or maybe just one or two), some teams might have already done the sans-training-camp thing.

I think that a ranking of 1A teams that do not use TC bonuses = an empty ranking.

Just nine?  Wow, thanks for the tip.   I'm thinking the same EP output would be considered safe for a FFFFF race, as well.

I'm thinking that a tour cyclist must use all 12 EP in a so called "damage control tactic" in a FFFFF sprint race.

When there would be wind in CAT stage 4 FFFFM, the 9 EP tactic of a tour cyclist might be risky, and sometimes too risky.
Now there was no wind, and 9 EP most likely too much energy, because this is how stage 4 went ( size of front groups per section ) =
100 - 99 - 84 - 83 - 1
As you can see, no breaks in the peleton, because I suspect that there were just a number of tired helpers who dropped in s3.
Always handy to analyse a race like this, with the size of front groups per section. It could be valuable information for a next time.

The 4th is still the best-ever tour finish in D1 for my team, so I should be  , and I am.

Congratulations with your best GC result ever.  
Hopefully somewhere in the future a very prestigious GC podium place. Already good luck !
This top GC result of Queiros already (unofficially-)secured your season goal of not to relegate, when I look at your pretty strong team.

[Kekipi]

Congratulations with your best GC result ever.  
Hopefully somewhere in the future a very prestigious GC podium place. Already good luck !
This top GC result of Queiros already (unofficially-)secured your season goal of not to relegate, when I look at your pretty strong team.

With 25 of 91 races run, thank you.   Still lots of work to be done to achieve the goal.

Gent Wevelgem,   FFCChF, ( )

20º  Tajan   0:00"

This one ended with a bunch sprint of 33.   Tajan has some sprint skills, so he was selected as captain.  He performed credibly as did a couple helpers, including OG Luke Rose, who I may put up for sale after De Ronde van Vlaanderen.   

[Vos]

Gent Wevelgem ;
13º  Hartlooper
This was the 2nd and last time that the Dutch champion cyclocross was the teamcaptain this season, and he did well ; 17º SB + 13º GW.
In DDV and RVV he will be the important helper to his Italian teammate.

Erwin Hartlooper ; born in Hoogerheide ( NL )
extra speciality = cyclocross