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Post by kurtinsc on May 14, 2012 17:34:03 GMT 1
Starting a thread to see if anyone is active in the new 4:23 division. Looks like we have 3 teams from 4:20, 1 from 4:21, 2 from 5:24, 1 from 5:23 and 1 from 5:25.
We have a fairly odd mix of trainers, with a flat/sprint, two flat/mountain, a flat/mountain/sprint, a flat/hill, two mountain and a hill trainer.
My team is Warner Bros by the way.
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czukay
U23 Developm. Team
Posts: 46
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Post by czukay on May 20, 2012 18:29:21 GMT 1
I'm more active than my riders are likely to be at the business end of races unfortunately.
It's fair to say that I started training for the new engine a couple of seasons too early so I'm just markng time with the bots until it comes in really.
Also re trainers - just my luck that I bought a Hill rider in the off-season thinking I'd milk those races at least and then I get put in a division with two hill trainers....it brings tears to my eyes.
It's weird that your post has been read 26 times without a reply - do you think our 8 guys are forgetful and need to read it 3 or 4 times each or people from other divisions are just lonely and think the grass might be greener with us?
Hackney
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Post by Michellios on May 20, 2012 19:04:05 GMT 1
I just don't know what to say. I hope I can stay on the first place untill the end of this season! Good luck every one!
Michellios (WAVOC)
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Post by kurtinsc on May 21, 2012 14:11:58 GMT 1
I just don't know what to say. I hope I can stay on the first place untill the end of this season! Good luck every one! Michellios (WAVOC) Well, the way your team clumped at the top of the first two mountain races, you probably have a real good shot. I've bought a few good mountain riders (like Rose who won Z.M.), but you've obviously got depth in that area which should serve you well in a division that seems to be much less focused on mountains then some others. That probably bodes well for a team like yours that seems to be mountain focused. If it works out anything like last season, my team should be able to win some races, but I dont' expect anything much from the GC of the GT's unless another of my new aquisitions works out very well.
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Post by kurtinsc on May 30, 2012 14:53:09 GMT 1
WAVOC looks to be edging out to a significant lead already in the early weeks of the season. He's got 3 of the top 5 and 4 of the top 10 places in the Vuelta at the moment, has the overall lead (though close) and leads the mountains competition.
Looks like he and Andalucia as the climbing focused teams are dominating the Vuelta so far.
My hill guys are doing what they should (stage 2 of Pologne, Paris-Tours), and Kansloos and Hackney seem to be the ones to beat on the flatter stages (at least based on the ONE flat stage we've had so far).
The final stage of Pologne should be interesting. Yaklin has a lead but he's tired after going all out in stage 2. Tuypens is in second but as he rides for WAVOC... does he have the flat skill to take the win? I know Bonamy is a great flat rider, but is he too far back to take it at over 9 minutes? Is there another flat focused guy closer? Swiezy? Bihl?
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Post by Michellios on May 31, 2012 10:40:19 GMT 1
The final stage of Pologne should be interesting. Yaklin has a lead but he's tired after going all out in stage 2. Tuypens is in second but as he rides for WAVOC... does he have the flat skill to take the win? I know Bonamy is a great flat rider, but is he too far back to take it at over 9 minutes? Is there another flat focused guy closer? Swiezy? Bihl? The final stage of Pologne will be interesting, but Tuypens isn't my best flat rider so I don't think he can do anything. Last stage he had a flat tire so he lost too much time. (I don't write a lot because my English isn't verry good)
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Post by kurtinsc on May 31, 2012 13:47:42 GMT 1
Wow... the flat riders absolutely killed it that last stage. Big chunk of riders finished over 10 minutes down on the last stage. Magics ends up taking 5 of the top 6 spots in the overall and if not for a flat by Galarza he'd probably have swept the top 5. Impressive.
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czukay
U23 Developm. Team
Posts: 46
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Post by czukay on Jun 1, 2012 10:46:21 GMT 1
Yeah Magics definitely showed what they could do in Poland alright - they could easily challenge for top spot if they enter enough races - didn't enter the vuelta.
That's the first one where you could definitely see that the reverse of the calendar had a massive impact on the final outcome.
Not sure how keen I would be to promote though to be honest (not an issue I have to worry about) as the race times in division 3 are miles faster than ours - all of us could really struggle in div 3 I think.
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Post by kurtinsc on Jun 1, 2012 13:16:20 GMT 1
Well, the big question mark is the new engine. Even with testing, I don't think anyone knows excactly what the impact of the new engine over a season could be. It could turn out that a squad with lesser riders in the current key attributes (mountain/flat) and higher TT/Sprint/DH values could have more success... and that might allow one of the newly promoted teams from our division to thrive in division 3.
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Post by kurtinsc on Jun 11, 2012 13:09:34 GMT 1
Well, it looks like Wavoc and Andalucia dominated the Vuelta. Each of them put 4 in the final top 10 (with Wavoc sweeping the podium) and Wavoc took the GC, Youngster, Mountain and team awards with Analucia taking points.
Even so, with my winning in the final stage, that makes it so that all 7 teams that entered the Vuelta got at least a stage win... which I think is somewhat impressive.
Wavoc has a pretty sizeable lead in points at 1423 with Andalucia second at 813, Warner Bros third at 812, Magics (who didn't run the Vuelta) at 555, Larre at 447, Hackney Wheelers at 420, Scuderia Coloni at 243 and Kansloos at 243.
Next up is Eneco... a hilly/flat tour that I'm hoping to do very well at, Sen Sebastian which should favor the mountain teams, and then a reversed order Deutchland Tour that could possibly be a little less mountain oriented then the normal ordering.
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Post by Michellios on Jun 13, 2012 10:43:24 GMT 1
My vuelta was good but not perfect, I only won 3 stages. I hope I can do something in the eneco tour. But what? I don't know because my team isn't good enough. I will not be satisfied with second place in San Sebastian, I want at least 3 riders in the top 5 and the victory!
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Post by kurtinsc on Jun 13, 2012 15:15:51 GMT 1
I have a choice to make for San Sebastian. I have Rose (who won Z-M... a very similar profile) who can sprint well queued up to go at 100% and vie for the win... or I can save some energy and run him in the Tour to try for one of the other jersies. I doubt he'll win at San Sebastian at less then 100%.
The question is that could he get to the finish with the lead group, now that your team has gotten more mountain training while Rose has gotten hill instead?
It may come down to if I can land another climber of the transfer wire this week as to which way I go.
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Post by Michellios on Jun 15, 2012 12:29:09 GMT 1
What happend today? Gau won the eneco tour!
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Post by kurtinsc on Jun 15, 2012 13:27:20 GMT 1
What happend today? Gau won the eneco tour! Got to love wins like that... 7th on stage 1 at 1:37, 8th on stage 2 at 1:37, 6th on stage 3 at 1:27.... and win the tour! I've had a few in past seasons like that. I needed Yaklin and Bustos to push the lead just two more seconds. They just didn't quite have enough. I'll admit... this was a stage race I thought that my team was suited for. 2nd and 3rd is nice, but I thought I'd take this one.
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Post by Michellios on Jun 15, 2012 13:40:04 GMT 1
First stage on 70%, 2nd on 70% and 3rd on 75%, so I was suprised he won. Maybe he can win the tour de France.
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