Posts: 2815 Joined: 20.03.10 Location: North Yorkshire, UK PCM$: 110.53
We won?
This is my Tour of the Lowveld Diary. I hope you enjoy the crushing disappointment for the most part.
Day 1:
Shaun Higgerson gets into a break, our GC riders do nothing. It’s a forlorn night at the dinner table, capped off with Simon Gaywood sulking in the corner after his recent media criticism.
Day 2:
Charlie Wegelius gets into winning break, and then is dropped by a weaker climber. Don’t know whether to laugh or cry, while Simon continues to sulk in the corner, as per yesterday.
Day 3:
Break goes all the way and we fail to put anyone in it. I shout at the boys to try and get a response, but I doubt I’ll get anything useful out of my tribulations, after all failure is the Dyson way judging by this season.
Day 4:
Daniel Eliad attacks early on, I shout a la Marc Madiot at him about how happy I am that he is showing panache, before he is caught on the descent. Simon finally showed something and came in with the third group on the road, before admitting that he had been ill throughout the season hence his poor form, and he was only just recovering. Typical luck for us.
Day 5:
It’s a Mountain TT, and only Higgerson shows but even he can’t do anything, and we’re disappointed once again. I write down in my notebook that strong classics riders are necessary in this division should we not promote, and in the Continental Tour if we do.
Day 6:
Simon goes in the early break, telling me he feels strong. He’s brought back, but stays with the bunch over the final climb. Ignacio Sarabia starts to lead him out, but Simon goes early and he manages to hold on to take his second stage win of the season, and our 4th. That may make up for some of the disappointment, I suppose.
Posts: 2815 Joined: 20.03.10 Location: North Yorkshire, UK PCM$: 110.53
Changes afoot at Dyson?
A leaked list in L’Equipe has shown which riders from Team Dyson are likely to be retained for next season, should the team promote. The list has the riders split into three categories, and makes interesting reading as it suggests an end to the Dyson TT focus of this season. Here is the list:
Definite attempt to re-sign:
Marco Brus
Ken Sebastian Vassdal
Simon Gaywood
Matthew Gee
Maybe try to re-sign:
Daniel Eliad
Shaun Higgerson
Cyril Lemoine
Ed Clancy
Definitely leaving:
Tijs Crombez
Rhys Lloyd
Ignacio Sarabia
Kieran Page
Tom Southam
Charles Wegelius
Posts: 2815 Joined: 20.03.10 Location: North Yorkshire, UK PCM$: 110.53
wackojackohighcliffe wrote:
Why don't animals have wheels?
Because unlike humans, Animals aren't lazy enough to need wheels (not including sloths), therefore wheels aren't necessary. A better question is surely, why do cars not have legs?
The best moment is yet to come, with Grychenko winning the last classic, or the best moment will be me kicking him out of my office if he does not win it.
JK, the division was full of great moments, also the frustrating ones. But personally the strongest moment was, when our Van Niekerk was able to stay with the best climbers on the massive mountains of Asturias, to claim the GC there.
Also Burlutskiy with his long-range attacks or Haddou domination are in my mind...
Posts: 2815 Joined: 20.03.10 Location: North Yorkshire, UK PCM$: 110.53
Tour of the South China Sea
After our victory with Simon Gaywood in the final stage at the Tour of the Lowveld, it was time for another classic – the Tour of the South China Sea. Set on the roads around Hong Kong, it’s a race for the sprinters who can survive hills. Like Simon, funnily enough. However, with the luck we’ve had this season we came here not expecting an awful lot. I mean, we did get a fourth stage win of the season last time out, but that was a minor miracle and we know it.
The race started with the typical breakaway, and we sent Cyril Lemoine up front to cover all eventualities. He was here as part of Simon’s lead out train, but anyone winning will make me happy. For a while it looked like he would stay away, but he was brought back and Plan A returned as we set Simon up for the sprint. However, the Italian rider Marco Fabbri jumped away from Simon on the run in to the line and Simon simply couldn’t follow him. However, he held on for second and our best result in a one day race this season, so I can’t complain.
Posts: 2815 Joined: 20.03.10 Location: North Yorkshire, UK PCM$: 110.53
Tour of Utah
The result in Hong Kong buoyed the team, and so we headed to the Tour of Utah with renewed optimism. Our aim was to get two stage wins for Shaun Higgerson, as well as a jersey and someone in the Top 10 on GC. I knew that would be difficult, but with a bit of luck it would get us into the Top 10 of the team standings by the end of the season, after a difficult year for the team. Daniel Eliad and Charlie Wegelius were to be our GC hopes, being joined by Kieran Page and Ignacio Sarabia in the team.
Stage one saw our fifth stage win of the season, as Shaun blasted around the short prologue course to take his first stage win of the season in Salt Lake City. It’s been a disappointing season for the guy tipped to dominate time trials in Division 2, but after breaking his duck he could take aim at the longer TT on stage 4 which would likely suit him better. Kieran Page and Ignacio Sarabia also finished in the Top 15 on a good day for the team.
Kieran Page got into the early break the next day to mark anyone in it who could potentially take the GC lead. The break came back, with no one taking the GC lead through time bonuses, before a great team effort from the boys saw some of the strongest climbers in the division brought back on the final climb. Daniel Eliad and Shaun contested the sprint for the stage win to take 6th and 7th, but we lost the leaders jersey to Edgar Restrepo of Cativen. However, Shaun’s strength on the climbs and Daniel’s good form seemed to bode well for the following days.
The next day saw disaster though, as a radio miscommunication saw Daniel drop back with Shaun, leaving Charlie Wegelius our best finisher on the stage, 28th and almost two minutes down. Shaun also lost his grip on the points jersey and Daniel was out of the contention for the young riders jersey after a terrible day in dismal conditions.
Stage four was to be our chance for redemption. Shaun won by 10 seconds, not even out of breath at the finish, while Kieran and Ignacio both finished in the Top 20. The special mention must go to Ignacio for that, as he isn’t known for his time trialling ability, but he did a fantastic job in both of them here in Utah. Shaun also had the points jersey back on his shoulders.
The next day saw Charlie move up to 11th on GC, but not a lot else from our perspective. Shaun held the points jersey going into the final day, and almost had it secured while Ignacio sat 22nd on GC. Daniel then got into the break next day to take 2nd in the Mountains classification, but sadly Charlie and Ignacio dropped back. Still, two stage wins, the points jersey and second in the mountains classification wasn’t bad.
Posts: 2815 Joined: 20.03.10 Location: North Yorkshire, UK PCM$: 110.53
Chrono Gatineau
The Chrono Gatineau was our win goal for the season, and it was an abject failure in that regard. Shaun Higgerson was the big favourite and with Ed Clancy and Cyril Lemoine in support there was talk in the media of a possible 1-2-3 at the only time trial classic on the Division 2 calendar. However, despite the billing of favourites and Cyril going fastest at the first check and the finish early on, we couldn’t deliver when we needed it. After Logan Hutchings usurped Cyril, we needed a miracle from Shaun.
He tried, but he just couldn’t manage it, taking only 4th at the first check and 3rd at the finish, 10 seconds slower than Hutchings in a crushing disappointment. That meant no goals achieved this season, an abject failure in every way. We might still take a top 10 in the team standings, as following our 3-4-7 here we are only 32 points behind Adecco in 10th, with Gazprom 7 points ahead and Serbian Telecom 3 points ahead. Yet we could have achieved so much more, and the final race is a hilly classic so we expect very little. But we shall learn from failure, as that is all we can do.
Posts: 2815 Joined: 20.03.10 Location: North Yorkshire, UK PCM$: 110.53
GP Industria e Commercio Artigianato Carnaghese
It’s that time in late October when cycling fans begin their steady descent in depression as the season ends, and their spouses suddenly become much more cheerful as they can watch whatever they like on the TV, rather than whichever small race is going on in whichever far-flung corner of the world. On the final day, there are three races – the Giro di Lombardia for the Pro Tour boys, the Japan Cup for the Continental Tour competitors, and finally the race in which we compete, the GP Industria *insertverylongitaliannamehere*. We didn’t expect much today, sending Daniel Eliad to lead and hoping that Simon Gaywood could make it over the hills and sprint to an unlikely win.
The early break went, and we managed to put Kieran Page into it. He was brought back, and another break went away without a Dyson rider in it. Then, on the descent from the first climb, Simon attacked and bridged to the breakaway. From then on in, it was simply a case of him marking the moves and on the final climb he jumped away with Daeninck and Ciccarese. He opened the sprint and looked like he’d won, only for cramps to strike in the final 500 metres, leaving us second. Still, we took 11th in the standings in a good finish to the year for us. Thanks for your support, a full round up will come soon.
Posts: 2815 Joined: 20.03.10 Location: North Yorkshire, UK PCM$: 110.53
Reports in the Israeli press today suggest that young Dyson climber Daniel Eliad could be part of a swap deal with Metinvest's Mongolian sprinter Tuguldur Tuulhangai. When Dyson's team manager was asked about this, he had this to say:
"Get out of my house! I've warned you about stealing... oh wait, you're journalists. What were we talking about?"
According to British tabloid press, this is a sure sign he's about to run for Prime Minister.
Posts: 2815 Joined: 20.03.10 Location: North Yorkshire, UK PCM$: 110.53
National Championships
Now that the main season has finished, it’s time for the National Championships. We have entered all of our riders for the events, although we are unsure whether all of them will be able to start. Still, I thought I would give a quick overview before the races started. Enjoy.
Australia
Shaun Higgerson
We only have one Australian on the team, but Shaun will look to get a Top 10 in the TT, although after his disappointing season I am quite pessimistic about his chances. I fancy that Michael Rogers will take the National TT title, and it’s hard to call the RR on a hilly course, although I think I’ll tip Simon Gerrans for victory.
Belgium
Tijs Crombez
Tijs is our only rider entered here, and I’m unsure of the prospects of him getting onto the startlist. If he does, then his only real chances will come from a lucky break, with Tom Boonen being my big favourite for the RR, and Dominique Cornu being an equally strong favourite for the TT.
France
Cyril Lemoine
Cyril is the only Frenchman competing for us this season, something that will definitely change next year with sponsorship from Evian. We hope he can get a Top 15 in the TT, and we also hope he can do something in the RR, although he has no chance unless he gets away in a small group. Jerome Coppel is clear favourite in the TT, with the RR likely to come down to a race between the break and the sprinters.
Great Britain
Simon Gaywood
Ed Clancy
Kieran Page
Tom Southam
Charles Wegelius
Rhys Lloyd
Matthew Gee
As a British team, we have a strong presence to send to the British national championships. On a Hilly course, we think Simon could do well if it comes to a select group at the finish, while we hope Ed, Kieran and Tom can finish in the top 10 of the TT. Ian Stannard and Bradley Wiggins are about equal favourites for the TT, while Jonathan Bellis looks like the big favourite for the RR.
Israel
Daniel Eliad
The Israeli titles will be decided in a joint race including riders from Qatar, Iran and Uzbekistan as well. Daniel should be up there in both races, with Ran Margaliot favourite for the RR, and Dor Dviri favourite for the TT.
Mexico
Ignacio Sarabia
Like Israeli riders, Mexican riders compete in a joint championship, along with riders from Canada, Cuba, Bermuda, Trinidad and Tobago and Costa Rica. Ignacio has performed brilliantly this season, and as he is a good both on the hills and in a sprint, is one of the favourites for the RR title. He can also TT quite well, so could be a threat for that title as well.
Netherlands
Marco Brus
Should Marco get an entry for his national championships, we don’t expect a lot as he isn’t a top class sprinter, or a top class TT’er. Theo Bos should be favourite for the RR, if he makes it to the finish, while Martijn Keizer is favourite for the TT title, but he will have to fend of the Jack Wolfskin triplets in Robert Gesink, Dennis van Winden and Joost Posthuma.
Norway
Ken Sebastian Vassdal
Ken came second in his national championships last year, and he’ll aim to repeat that feat this year. A Top 5 in the TT is definitely achievable, where Sten Stenersen should be the favourite, while in the RR Edvald Boasson Hagen should win comfortably, with Ken’s hopes relying on picking the right move early on and staying away.
Posts: 2815 Joined: 20.03.10 Location: North Yorkshire, UK PCM$: 110.53
Israeli National Championships
Dyson's Daniel Eliad was in action for his national championships this week, where he was expected to perform reasonably well in a small field. The RR was decided from a break, with Amotz Nehoray of Saab-Scania winning, and Daniel finishing in 4th place. In the TT, Dor Dviri took the win, with Daniel finishing second and only missing out by 40 seconds. When Daniel has developed fully, I expect that he will one day win his national championship, but this wan't his year.
Tour of Utah 
Chrono Gatineau 
GP Industria e Commercio Artigianato Carnaghese 
Simon Gaywood
Tour of San Juan
Daniel Eliad
Vuelta a Asturias
Tour of the Lowveld
Shaun Higgerson
Ken Sebastian Vassdal
Ronde van Belgie
Delta Tour Zeeland
Tour of the South China Sea
Cyril Lemoine
Tour de Maroc
GP Kranj
Ignacio Sarabia
Int. Osterreich Rundfahrt
