Summary: Stunning day here is Belgium. Break out the barbecue, settle in and watch some racing.


Thomas De Gendt leads a 26 cyclist peloton onto the final cobbled sector with 10kms to go. Looking like a sprint finish, unless somebody wants to give it go right now.


Loic Vliegen and Sep Vanmarcke decide to press their luck with 7kms left.


With riders in the peloton looking at each other, Marcus Diamond decides to go after the leading duo himself. Interesting move, which leaves teammate Alex Vogel all by herself in the peloton.


Bridging the gap is also Arnaud Demare and Alexander Kristoff.


Vanmarcke, and Vliegen, can't be reeled in completely and beat the trio to the line. Vanmarcke takes the win.

Result: 5th - Was in a weird spot. Could have stayed and helped Alex, who finished 18th, or gone after the win. I think I made the right choice.

Summary: The first time through the final circuit and the peloton has already been cut to 34 cyclists. There is still 53kms to go and a breakaway 3'15" up the road that needs to be caught.


HERE WE GO! The fireworks we have all been waiting for. Jasper Stuyven makes the first attack from the depleting peloton with 18kms to go. The rainbow jersey of Michal Kwiatkowski is straight on his wheel. It's a mad scramble behind to go after Kwiatkowski.

When the rainbow jersey attacks, you can't get left behind. Nils Eekhoff and Marcus Diamond aren't too far behind and responded well to the move. The morning breakaway still has a 1'30" advantage, but that is closing fast now.


Marcus Diamond's group has a workhorse on the front with Jhonatan Narvaez. He might not like the cobbles, but he can sure climb.


Group Diamond has pulled back Stuyven. Kwiatkowski has caught the two breakaway riders 20 seconds ahead. There are still three more breakaway survivors 30 seconds ahead of them with 7kms to go.


Unbelievable. Kwiatkowski has thrown in the towel and has been caught. Edvald Boasson Hagen in the pink T-Mobile kit is leading the charge. Diamond is looking really strong and so is Yohan Offredo on Hagen's wheel. However, with 4kms left, three breakaway riders are still leading...

Merhawi Kudus and Sasha Weemaes are 26 seconds ahead, and Mattia Cattaneo has gone solo up front with an extra 15-second gap.


EBH is flying. The rest can't keep up.


EBH reaches the leaders and caps a great win. Kudus hangs on for second with the rest of Diamond's group coming in 13 seconds later.

Result: 9th - Didn't have the sprint speed at the end to get a better result, but happy I managed to finish in the front chase group.

Summary: Lining up for a sprint finish. Should be a good one.


Wow... 11 cyclists lunge at the line at the same time. I have no clue who won. We are going to have to wait for the computer on this one.

Result: 7th - That was ridiculous. Less than a foot away from my first win of the season, instead a seventh place. Tough luck.

Summary: Not quite the same excitement as yesterday's finish, but a solid sprint win for Enzo Wouters nonetheless.

Result: 4th, 6th GC - Wearing the youth white jersey on loan, but couldn't take it for my own from Pierre Barbier after just missing out on the time bonuses for a top three finish.

Summary: Up and over the final classified climb of the tour. The yellow jersey and all of the pure sprinters are nowhere to be found. So, whoever wins this stage is going to win the tour. The breakaway is all but caught now as well.


Before the catch is made, Marcus Diamond decides to go for glory. He couldn't wait any longer, it was either use this speed bump or try to win the uphill sprint. I guess Diamond liked his chances better with this attack from 6kms out.


Diamond is one corner away from his elusive first win this season.


Oh, no. Diamond is denied by Rudy Molard. He didn't have the legs to get to the line. That's a hard loss to swallow.

Result: 4th, 4th GC, 1st Youth - I tried. Not much more I could do.

- Each member gets 3.0 points to spread however they like over the 13 attributes listed above. One post per member.
- Stats work on a decimal system starting at 55.0.
- Stats are bumped up in PCM when they hit that number, ex. 55.9 = 55 in-game, and 61.4 = 61 stat in-game.
- The decimal numbers will remain hidden.
- There is a threshold for each stat when more points are needed to increase that stat. It's start off on a 1-to-1 scale where 1 point equals 1 stat upgrade. However, the scales get exponentially further and further apart the closer that stat gets to the maximum of 85. The increasing scale will also remain a mystery.
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Summary: Helmond Sport is denied by the woodwork multiple times and right back Marcel Appiah comes flying in and heads home a free kick for the only goal. It's an away stunner for Fortuna Sittard.

Rating: 6.3 - I swear every time I touched the ball I was surround by at least three defenders. The memo around the league is shut down Diamond and Helmond Sport no longer has a lethal attack.

Player of Game: Marcel Appiah, Fortuna Sittard (7.7)

Summary: Near heroics weren't enough for Helmond Sport to overcome a disastrous double deflection own goal. Super sub Jordy Thomassen provided a much needed spark off the bench in the second half to pull one goal back in the 76th minute. Helmond Sport had a couple of semi-good chances in the final 10 minutes but couldn't bury the series-winning goal. A draw wasn't enough. Season over.

Rating: 6.4 - Took a knock to the ribs in the first five minutes and was never the same. The Fortuna Sittard defender literally body checked me and wasn't even given a foul because "he played the ball." Tell that to my rib cage. I had to be subbed off at halftime because my condition wasn't getting any better.

A sad departure following my time here at Helmond Sport. Best of luck to the lads moving forward. Hopefully see you in the Eredivisie one day.

Player of Game: Jordy Thomassen, Helmond Sport (8.1)

Summary: It wasn't as convincing as some supporters would have liked, but the blistering heat probably deserves some blame for Nigeria not going full gas. The Flying Eagles packed it in and didn't do much the second half. Ethiopia didn't register a shot on target in the contest.

Rating: 6.9 - Ice pack. Get me an ice pack. That was insane. My British veins weren't ready for this. I don't think I have sweated out that much water before. For precautionary measures (and to allow other midfielders to get some form), I was again subbed off at halftime. To be honest, I didn't mind.

I've also been informed that I won't be playing in the upcoming friendly against Brazil because head coach Jay-Jay Okocha wants to see other players in action to help finalize his rotations for the World Cup. I'm not complaining. It's supposed to be another scorcher here in Nigeria. Thankful the World Cup is in China.

Oh, and for any bettors out there, the World Cups odds have us at 33-1. Spain are the favourites (2-1), followed by France (5-2), Brazil (3-1), Argentina (3-1), Italy (4-1) and Portugal (8-1).

Player of Game: Kelechi Iheanacho, Nigeria (8.5)

- Each member gets 5.0 points to spread however they like over the 36 attributes listed above. One post per member.
- Stats work on a decimal system starting at 1.0.
- Stats are bumped up in FM when they hit that number, ex. 2.9 = 2 in-game, and 13.4 = 13 stat in-game.
- The decimal numbers will remain hidden.
- There is a threshold for each stat when more points are needed to increase that stat. It's start off on a 1-to-1 scale where 1 point equals 1 stat upgrade. However, the scales get exponentially further and further apart the closer that stat gets to the maximum of 20. The increasing scale will also remain a mystery and is different from the cycling progression scale.
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Summary: Simple sprint finish.

Result: 10th - Nearly got some bonus points with Grace after almost helping her sister get her first win of the season.

Summary: Typical rainy British weather greets the cyclists on the climb to the line. Not much room at the front to make any passes.


Result: 7th - Got blocked in early. Was lucky to even salvage a top 10.

Summary: Messy sprint finish.

Result: 5th - Lucy and I struggled to find each other to form a sprint train, so we both decided to test our luck. Two in the top 5 isn't bad. But, had we worked together, I think one of us could have won the stage.

Summary: Under 5kms to go and Jhonatan Restrepo has launched a move that sees nine favourites go clear. Those that couldn't handle the hills today are no longer in contention for the win or yellow jersey.


Under the banner, Higuita Sergio Andres and the yellow jersey of Jan Polanc have a small cushion but, behind them, Marcus Diamond is going through his gears.


Shot out of a cannon, here comes Diamond with his helmet on fire.


No. Oh, no. The hometown favourite comes up a few feet short. Sadly, that pretty much sums up Diamond's season to this point. He will have to settle for second place on the stage and the general classification. But he does keep the youth jersey for his efforts.

Result: 2nd, 2nd GC, 1st Youth - I thought I timed it to perfection. Give me another 25 meters and I win this stage. Polanc would have kept yellow, but winning on home soil would have been special.

Summary: After a long, rainy day, 24 cyclists make it to the finish in the front group. A sprint finish ensues.

Result: 11th - Need to improve on my positioning heading into a sprint finish. This was a poor showing. Grace, a climber of all people, was even trying to give me tips after the race. Is she trying to start our first fight?

I got this. At least her cuteness eased away my frustrations.

Summary: Small crowd in Belgium as this tour starts with a short prologue through the town of Beveren.

Result: 49th - Prologues aren't really my thing. I lost 25 seconds to the eventual winner. Grace went earlier in the day and tried to give my some pointers about the course, but the only thing that really got my attention was the "Good Luck" kiss.

Hopefully nobody saw that. We are still trying to keep our relationship somewhat hidden in fear of complications with the team's management. But, hey, we are young kids. Some rules are meant to be broken.

Summary: The peloton relied on T-Mobile to make the breakaway catch, but the pink jerseys brought too many sprinters and not enough helpers. The breakaway barely stays away for a Ludovic Robeet upset win.

Result: 8th - Grace and I spent most of the race just chatting with Peter Sagan. The cheeky guy probably should have stopped hitting on my girlfriend and helped pull back the breakaway.

Summary: We pick the action up late in the race, as Marcus Diamond is trying to give the remaining peloton the slip on the final cobbled sectors. Meanwhile, another favourite is seen getting off his bike... Peter Sagan with a puncture at a terrible time. His chance at the stage win is over.


Diamond picks up the last breakaway rider on the road, a fellow Brit Thomas Pidcock. For national pride, I'm sure Diamond tried to convince Pidcock to take one last pull to give Diamond a quick rest. But, no. Pidcock is glued on Diamond's wheel.


Pidcock can no longer hang on and Diamond goes solo with 4kms remaining. The chasers are being tracked between 30-45 seconds behind.


Diamond makes the turn to see the banner. Word of advice: Don't look back kid, you are being hunted.


After a testing season so far, Diamond finally gets a break. His first win of the season is an impressive solo attack on Stage 3 of the Baloise Belgium Tour. Bask in the moment kid because you aren't going to be too pleased when you realize the race organizers decided not to give you a time gap.

Result: 1st - Wooooo. Take that karma Sagan. Don't mess with a man's girlfriend. Grace will be cuddled up in my arms tonight... Wait, what! No gap given. That's absolute utter bullsh...

"Oh, hey Gracey, give me a second. I have to argue with the officials."

Summary: Complaints that Stage 3 winner Marcus Diamond should be in the yellow jersey right now and not green have fallen on deaf ears. It's put up or shut up time with a grueling Stage 4 ahead.


Down to 6kms left with the final climb ahead. There are only 26 cyclists left up front as they just caught the final three breakaway riders.


The first attack comes from Guillaume Martin, but it doesn't do much. Everyone was able to keep up and now everybody is starting to look around for that next move with 2.4kms left.

Who dares to disturb the peace?


Nobody... And Marcus Diamond just happens to find himself in a bad position leading the lead group under the banner.


Edvald Boasson Hagen makes up for all the T-Mobile blunders this tour with the stage win. Teammate Peter Sagan, however, will become the new race leader. After the flat tire scare yesterday, Sagan is extremely fortunate to be the new GC leader.

Result: 14th - I didn't want to lead the pack to the line. I just looked around and all of a sudden everybody was behind me. I felt helpless. Not just then, but throughout the whole stage. My last teammate was Grace, and she dropped with 50kms to go. I did what I could for being all alone.

Summary: Despite a risky late breakaway catch, the sprinters do get their time to shine on the final stage.

Result: 7th, 8th GC, 1st Youth - I thought following Peter Sagan would be the smart move, but he got caught in traffic and that slowed me down as well. The stage result didn't change Sagan's GC win, so I guess he got the last laugh here. But, I still got the girl.

Date	Race	Winner
1-May	Skive-Løbet	Barnabas Peak
1-May	Eschborn-Frankfurt	Marta Bastianelli
1-May	Memorial Andrzeja Trochanowskiego	Christophe Noppe
2-May	Memorial Romana Siemienskiego	Rasmus Tiller
3-May	Rhône-Alpes Isère Tour	Warren Barguil
3-May	Tour de Yorkshire	Jan Polanc
4-May	Giro d'Italia	Pierre-Roger Latour
4-May	Vuelta Ciclista Comunidad de Madrid	Robert Gesink
5-May	Sundvolden GP	Jaka Primozic
6-May	Flèche Ardennaise	Joseph Dombrowski
6-May	Ringerike GP	Gian Friesecke
8-May	4 Jours de Dunkerque	Alexis Gougeard
9-May	Flèche du Sud	Ben Hermans
9-May	Berner Rundfahrt	Emil Vinjebo
11-May	Vuelta a Aragon	Jai Hindley
11-May	CCC Tour - Grody Piastowskie	Dayer Quintana
12-May	GP Hungary	Tejay Van Garderen
13-May	Profronde van Noord-Holland	Alexander Wachter
13-May	Amgen Tour of California	Thomas De Gendt
16-May	Baltyk - Karkonosze Tour	Txomin Juaristi
16-May	Tour of Norway	Rui Costa
18-May	Tour de l'Ain	Kevin Deltombe
20-May	GP Marcel Kint	Phil Bauhaus
22-May	Tour des Fjords	Ramunas Navardauskas
23-May	Baloise Belgium Tour	Peter Sagan
24-May	Gemenc Grand Prix	Tejay Van Garderen
26-May	GP de Plumelec-Morbihan	José Manuel Diaz
27-May	Circuit de Wallonie	Titte Van Laer
27-May	Boucles de l'Aulne - Châteaulin	José Israel Jornet
28-May	Winston-Salem Cycling Classic	Barnabas Peak
31-May	Skoda-Tour de Luxembourg
31-May	Boucles de la Mayenne
2-Jun	Heistse Pijl
3-Jun	Gran Premio Città di Lugano
3-Jun	Critérium du Dauphiné
4-Jun	Memorial Philippe van Coningsloo
7-Jun	GP du Canton d'Argovie
8-Jun	Oberösterreichrundfahrt
9-Jun	Tour de Suisse
9-Jun	Tour of Malopolska
10-Jun	Ronde van Limburg
10-Jun	Rund um Köln
13-Jun	Ster ZLM Tour
13-Jun	Tour de Beauce
13-Jun	Tour of Slovenia
14-Jun	Route d'Occitanie
15-Jun	Dwars door het Hageland - Aarschot
16-Jun	Fyen Rundt
17-Jun	Elfstedenronde
17-Jun	GP Horsens Posten
19-Jun	Halle - Ingooigem
20-Jun	Adriatica Ionica Race
27-Jun	I.W.T. Jong Maar Moedig
28-Jun	Belgian Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	Danish Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	Portuguese Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	Polish Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	Dutch Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	French Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	German Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	Austrian Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	Slovenian Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	Norwegian Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	Kazakh Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	Irish Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	Canadian Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	USA Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	Italian Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	Russian Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	Swiss Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	Great Britain Championships (ITT)	Marcus Diamond In*
28-Jun	Ukrainian Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	Spanish Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	Slovak Championships (ITT)
28-Jun	Czech Championships (ITT)

- Each member gets 3.0 points to spread however they like over the 13 attributes listed above. One post per member.
- Stats work on a decimal system starting at 55.0.
- Stats are bumped up in PCM when they hit that number, ex. 55.9 = 55 in-game, and 61.4 = 61 stat in-game.
- The decimal numbers will remain hidden.
- There is a threshold for each stat when more points are needed to increase that stat. It's start off on a 1-to-1 scale where 1 point equals 1 stat upgrade. However, the scales get exponentially further and further apart the closer that stat gets to the maximum of 85. The increasing scale will also remain a mystery.
- Comment below to provide stat upgrades