Ripley wrote:
Nicely done! Did your sponsor deem the jersey to be a noteworthy result?
Nope, not at all. Haven't heard anything from them. Their confidence, which is very bad at the moment, didn't increase and I don't think we're getting any money from winning a jersey either as far as I can tell (unless they pay out at the end of the week or something?)
I really wish the sponsor would notice if you "represented the sponsor" in other ways than just achieving a top 10 finish in one particular race. Like if we have a rider in a day-long breakaway or if we win a jersey. If I understand it correctly, theoretically you could win every single race on your schedule except the 10-12 races they've picked out and they would have no confidence in you after the season? I find that a bit strange and annoying. Especially when it's so darn hard to win anything I thought at least they'd be happy about a jersey!
Ripley wrote:
You have a different db, where the correct names are used. So yes, the CQ ranking.
Ah, thanks for clearing that up
Btw, do you know when I can expect to see some increase in my riders' attributes? (evolution set to 0.4). And how can I tell? Are there any indication of a stat increasing?
No, you can definitely make the sponsor happy with good results in other races. In theory I'm sure you could have a full green bar despite failing every objective - as long as you do well enough elsewhere.
As for the attributes - you can see the development of the AVG rating when you click on a rider and select training from the drop-down menu. It gets updated quarterly. Below you have the progress potential of each stat. 1 star means the attribute can increase 1 or 2 more points, 2 stars 3 or 4, 3 stars 5 or 6, 4 stars 7 or 8 and 5 stars at least 9 (could be 20+ points).
So keep checking regularly, remember important stats for your riders and then you'll notice an increase. Also if the number of stars decreases. Don't forget to select the best training type. See this thread: https://pcmdaily.c...d_id=23778
I'm sure there will have been a few improvements already. How quickly riders develop is also influenced by what boils down to a random number set for each rider at the start of every season. So some won't seem to improve at all. And sometimes stats jump by several points at once.
Ok, it's good to know I can still make the sponsor happy without meeting their objectives, although it seems the polka-dot jersey went unnoticed (and without any prize money! What gives?! )
Regarding AVR increase; I clicked on a rider, went to training and looked at a big grey box named "Evolution". In the grey box there are now two yellow dots which I assume, based on your explanation, shows the AVR from quarter to quarter (I'm now in April, so all my riders have a new dot). Sadly, the dot is in the exact same place for all my riders, so no improvements yet it seems. Possibly because it's only on Evolution of attributes = 0.4? Is that low, high, normal? Maybe my coaches aren't up to the task?
I can't remember if it was 13 or 14 where you get an extra month of sponsor money instead of prize money. my guess is that it must have been in 14.
It takes a little while for them to start gaining new stats because they all start at 0 points towards the next stat gain. they'll gain new stats at different times so this will spread out as the career goes on and will feel like it's happening more often because of this.
sammyt93 wrote:
I can't remember if it was 13 or 14 where you get an extra month of sponsor money instead of prize money. my guess is that it must have been in 14.
Well, I'll have you know I have actually made some prize money so far. A grand total of €240!! That's not even enough to pay 1/10th of one of my rider's salary for one month.
One-day Races proves unfruitful for Le Coq Sportif Sprint train
The last week has proved busy for Le Coq Sportif with four one-day races in just 6 days and it was an opportunity for Ollie to find out just what he has in his two sprinters. Four flat races, only one that featured cobblestone, all ending in mass sprints and with plenty of time to form a decent sprint train. That proved more difficult in practice than in theory and Ollie had to watch his team disorganized and not able to cope with the speed time after time.
It started with Paris - Camembert, a 204.2 kms long race where the pace was high from the first kilometer. Adrien Poisson tried to go with a breakaway, but they were quickly reeled in. A breakaway did finally get away and after the first 100 kms 6 riders had a 5 minute gap down to the peloton. That's when the peloton started riding hard at the front and that spelled trouble for Le Coq Sportif.
With 50 kms to go, the gap to the breakaway group was down to 2'45'' and another 20 kms at a high pace saw another minute and a half vanish. That's when AG2R's Nocentini decided to attack the peloton. All by himself he caught up to the breakaway group and flew past them. He rode solo across the finish line while a mass sprint came in behind. The Le Coq Sportif team had used up all their energy just sitting with the peloton and a trio consisting of Adrien Poisson, Wladimir Froment and Marius Mourot came in as 26th, 27th and 28th, 4'37'' behind the winner.
Two days later the GP de Denain Porte du Hainaut took place and history repeated itself. Riders attacked all day trying to get into a breakaway; the peloton responded by increasing it's speed and 198.2 kms was too long for Le Coq Sportif to keep up even though they tried to set the speed at the front to control the tempo.
A 2 man breakaway had a 6 minute lead at the most and with just 30 kms left, chaos ensued in the rain. Riders attacked, some crashed and the Le Coq Sportif team was broken up and couldn't form a proper train. One by one fell off the peloton and only Chateau was able to sit with the front men, but when his strength ran out, he had to watch a lot of riders overtake him before he finally crossed the finish line in 47th.
Miserable day
In Tour de Finistère (179 kms) Lucien Chateau came in 90th. He had a rough day trying to preserve energy and keep up with the peloton over the hills and his teammates weren't able to help him much.
Tro-Bro Lèon (203,5 kms) featured several portions of cobblestone and was always going to be an extremely tough day on the bike, especially when 15 riders tried to get in a breakaway. Several riders were gasping for air after just 20 kms of the race after a very hectic and high speed start. As soon as the breakaway was reeled in, another two attacks were launched and again the peloton tried to chase them down. At this point, Cohen, who did not have a good day, had already withdrawn.
A 5 man breakaway did eventually get away and finally Le Coq Sportif got the opportunity to organize, replenish their water and get some food. But it didn't last long as the peloton again increased its speed with 100 kms to go. And from that point in they never slowed down again.
Le Coq Sportif were organized, but riders dropped off with 30 kms left to go. Chevillard and Lhermitte were protecting Chateau, but when Lhermitte was done, the burden fell on Chevillard. He did a good job keeping Chateau in a good position, but with still 16 kms to go he too had to slow down. Chateau was left alone again with Team Europcar, AG2R and IAM leading the chase. Chateau's legs stiffened and several riders past him, meaning Chateau again dropped before the finish line, this time to 44th, 23'' behind AG2R riders Steve Chainel and Damien Gaudin.
A disappointing week for Le Coq Sportif. Next up is the stage race in Bretagne.
So, what does Ollie have in his team right now? Adrien Poisson looked good during Circuit des Ardennes International, winning the polka-dot jersey and seemingly liking it in the mountains. His captains, Chevillard and Cohen, have been rather disappointing so far, Chevillard looking like the stronger of the two, but without any good results to show for it. Their sprinters are not Continental level sprinters at the moment. And even worse, they don't have a Continental team around them that can get them in a good position for the sprint. Sure, they can ride at the front and keep a high, steady pace, but not for long enough.
Potential? Absolutely. It's there, but the development is slow. Maybe too slow for Ollie's liking.
Next race: 25/04-01/05 Tour de Bretagne (7 stages)
although it seems the polka-dot jersey went unnoticed (and without any prize money! What gives?! )
You don't want to rely on prize money in this division. Shame the sponsor didn't find the jersey noteworthy, I haven't figured out what gets noted and what doesn't, certainly it could be a mountain jersey, my sponsor found it noteworthy that I won the mountain jersey in the Giro.
Sadly, the dot is in the exact same place for all my riders, so no improvements yet it seems. Possibly because it's only on Evolution of attributes = 0.4?
You wouldn't see an improvement yet. It's the average rating so it always develops more slowly than the core stats. A 1 point increase is a big deal and that's all you can expect for a whole season, at least for some riders. Yes, better trainers help, but you can't afford them. Then there is that random factor, you can check it with an editor, it's gene_i_year_progression in the dyn_cyclist table, 1 is low, 5 is high.
For example, I have a future Tom Boonen in my squad, potential 7, but his yearly progression is 1 this season and indeed, he hasn't improved much, the AVR rose by 1 point towards then end of the season, from 69 to 70. So he'll still be pretty useless (for a WT team) for a while.
My thoughts on your career as a whole: The extreme dificulty might prove to be too much, though who knows. I guess your 10 riders all have 3 year contracts. So there is time for improvement. If their AVR increases to 69 and they still have potential, you can re-sign them for the same wage, giving you even more time.
But if the team still can't manage any/some good results at that point, in your 3rd or 4th season, you might have to revisit the difficulty level or you'll never get anywhere. Until then, try all the tricks in the book.
@Ripley
About the difficulty; I've been back and forth on this, often thinking that it's too hard and I should give up and start over on Hard. I've tried to defend that view as well by saying that Extreme just gives AI riders better stats, which isn't fair really. But I also know that if I start over on a easier difficulty, I wouldn't enjoy the improved results or winning races. It would feel 'cheaty' to make it easier for myself. And in those very trying times where I seem to lose motivation to keep going, we get a 4th or we win the polka-dot jersey and when that happens it feels soooo good. Like there's actually a lot of hard work behind a good result
In terms of emotions, I think I go through some of what the actual Sports Director of a crappy team like mine would go through. Frustration and disappointment, wanting to quit, but then you get that one great race and you remember why you love the sport and doing what you're doing.
The other reason I don't want to make it easier is the fact that right now my best rider has an AVR of 68 and he's surrounded by riders between AVR 61 and 68 so to me it's frustrating, but at the same time realistic that we aren't able to produce a lot of good results at the moment. And we shouldn't. If we had no problem finishing in the top 10 with these crappy, young riders, it would feel too easy and unrealistic and imagine how awesome we would be when our riders improve from total crap to slightly competent I don't want my AVR 67 sprinter to keep up with and almost beating the likes of Thor Hushovd. A 19-year old shouldn't have the same physical capacity as the older and better riders in my opinion.
So, long story short, I find the extreme level realistic considering we're a 1 star Continental team.
And again, thank you so much for you help and support on this story. I know I'm doing this story mainly because I think it's fun, but getting feedback and support certainly helps me keep my motivation through all those 74th places
April 25th - May 1st Not much to celebrate in Tour de Bretagne
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Stage 5
Stage 6
Stage 7
April came to an end with the Tour de Bretagne. Not much emphasis was put on this stage race over 7 stages by Le Coq Sportif and they only sent 6 riders. When captain Marius Mourot crashed on stage 5, there wasn't much left for the boys in blue to do other than finish the race.
Poisson got in a breakaway on stage 1 along with two other riders, but didn't have the legs to win any intermediate climbs or sprints. At the most they had 9 minutes down to the peloton, but were reeled in towards the end. Le Coq Sportif had an ok sprint train for Lucien Chateau, but the timing was off and Chateau was left with a lot to do on his own in the last couple of kilometers. Chateau found a wheel and finished in 13th, his highest place in a mass sprint this season.
Poisson in a breakaway on stage 1
But from there on out things got increasingly worse for the young team, not being able to build on the sprint success on the first stage, Lucien Chateau finished further and further down the board. And when Mourot crashed and fractured his vertebrate, it was just the tip of the iceberg for young riders who couldn't get back to racing.
After 7 stages the best placed Le Coq Sportif rider was Lucien Chateau in 55th, 13'10'' behind winner Florian Senechal from Cofidis.
It seems like the team's form is dipping and that may be intentional. They have some important races coming up this fall so they are most likely preparing for those. That's why we shouldn't expect much from this team over the month of May as they are focused on preserving fitness and saving energy for the fall races.
Next Race: May 4th - 2.HC - 4 Jours de Dunkerque (5 stages)
Nice story, love the way you stay in Extreme mode, I used to do that and it's really good to finally have good results after 2/3 seasons with young riders.
Could you give us an overview of your riders stats and progression ?
HugoP wrote:
Nice story, love the way you stay in Extreme mode, I used to do that and it's really good to finally have good results after 2/3 seasons with young riders.
Could you give us an overview of your riders stats and progression ?
Thanks!
There's nothing quite like the feeling of finally achieving something on extreme mode is there?
Have you had a look at the pre-season squad review? My thinking was actually, as I wrote in the very first post, that in trying to keep the story as realistic as possible, I wouldn't reveal any stats or potential and so on. In the pre-season review I used the rider's stats to describe their strengths and weaknesses' (and potential to some degree) and I was never going to reveal anything more than that and I hope you can still enjoy the story without them?
I can reveal that all my riders are currently between an AVR of 61 and 68, but I'm not sure I want to go into any further detail than that. When you say 'progression', do you mean any change in AVR? Cause none of my riders has gotten any better yet
The Cycling World as of April 2014
As the month of April has come to an end, it's time to have a look at the top three divisions in the cycling world.
The CQ Ranking at the World Tour level is lead by Nairo Quintana (924 pts) who moved up from 3rd after winning the stage race Volta Cyclist a Catalunya and strong performances in Tour de Romandie and Vuelta Cyclist al Pais Vasco. The 24-year old also won Vuelta a Mallorca earlier this year which he then followed up with winning the young rider jersey at Tirreno - Adriatico and finishing 2nd overall.
Quintana frog-leaps both Peter Sagan of Cannondale (885 pts) and Roman Kreuziger of Tinkoff - Saxo (877 pts). Sagan has been on the podium 4 times in 2014, winning E3 Prijs Vlaanderens - Harelbeke. He finished 2nd in Gent - Wevelgem and took the final spot on the podium in both Milano - Sanremo and Ronde van Vlaanderen.
For Roman Kreuziger it has been a year of 2nd places, finishing runner-up in the Tour of Oman, Paris - Nice and Volta Cyclist a Catalunya. Most recently he finished 5th in Liège - Bastogne - Liège.
Top 20 - Riders
Teams
Heading up the CQ Ranking for teams, is the Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Teamwith 3,658 points. A large portion of the credit must be given to Tom Boonen – who's won the Trofeo Laigueglia, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Ronde van Vlaanderen, while finishing 2nd in E3 Prijs Vlaanderen - Harelbeke and 3rd at both the Individual time trial stage during Championnat de Belgique and Paris - Roubaix – and Michal Kwiatkowski - who recently won Liège - Bastogne - Liège.
Following in 2nd we find Tinkoff-Saxo with 627 points and Belkin-Pro Cycling Team with 510.
Top 20 - Teams
[img-l]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Trikot_NetApp_2013.jpg[/img-l]Teams
Among the Professional Continental and Continental teams, NetApp - Endura are in the lead among PCT teams with 909 points. Their 23-year old sprinter, Sam Bennett, has been one of their most consistent riders, finding himself in the top 10 time and time again and even winning GP de Denain Porte du Hainaut.
In 3rd follows Bardiani CSF with 818 points, featuring Edoardo Zardini, a 24-year old who's made himself noticed by winning Classic Sud Ardèche and finishing 3rd overall in Tour de San Louis.
[img-r]https://matmitchellcycling.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/cofidis-solutions-credits-2015.jpg[/img-r]Jelly Belly p/b Maxis and Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies may not win any awards for their names, but are currently the top Continental teams along with Vini Fantini Nippo, lead by Grega Bole.
Our boys in blue, Le Coq Sportif, come in at 65th (49th counting only Continental teams) with only 12 points, but at least they're not dead last and have 9 teams behind them as we enter the month of May.
The best rider from Le Coq Sportif is Adrien Poisson, who's taken 10 points and is tied for 597th place.
Excellent, that's even more than I was hoping for. One question - shouldn't that be 47th instead of 49th? I'd expect that all 18 WT teams have more points than yours.
Good to hear from Hugo that apparently it is possible to get somewhere with extreme. I'm still not 100% sure about your team's chances. How do the finances look? Let's hope I am right and 300k/year is the minimum investment no matter how poorly you perform.
Excellent, that's even more than I was hoping for.
Well, I didn't actually see you request for some season updates until last night so to make up for it I thought I would be thorough
Ripley wrote:
One question - shouldn't that be 47th instead of 49th? I'd expect that all 18 WT teams have more points than yours.
If I count only Continental teams (excluding World Tour and Pro Continental teams) we are 49th out of 66th Continental teams. Unless my counting is wrong, but I counted a couple of times just to make sure.. I only used the CQ ranking for everything in that post since the other ranking is fairly useless right?
Ripley wrote:
Good to hear from Hugo that apparently it is possible to get somewhere with extreme. I'm still not 100% sure about your team's chances. How do the finances look? Let's hope I am right and 300k/year is the minimum investment no matter how poorly you perform.
This years investment was €300K with monthly payouts of €25K that covers the riders' salaries. At the beginning of the year I had a little under €300K but I'm using that to pay two trainers, a scout and a doctor. I worked out in pre-season just how much I can afford to pay my staff each month, but I truly hope they'll invest another €300K next season otherwise I can't afford any staff next year..
In terms of contracts I need to sign Adrien Poisson this summer which is good because I'll sign him to a minimum contract for 3 years and then he develops a ton right after signing (fingers crossed) The other 9 riders are only contracted through 2015 (next year). Chevillard and Fouillet are at AVR 68 so they can jump up to 69 and still earn minimum (?) and the rest can develop all they want. They'll still get minimum for the next 4-5 years...
In terms of confidence, Results is at about 15%, Registred riders about 25% and Squad about 75%. I'm not sure how the Registred riders work, but the Results are pretty obvious
You'll definitely get a lump sum from your sponsor each 1st of January (plus the money from the equipment suppliers). Though I can't promise it'll be 300k, it might be less. My recommendation would be to fire the scout immediately. That gives you just a bit more room to work with. You probably aren't using him and in any case, scouting is frustrating, I think everybody agrees on that.
Poisson might not want 3 years, of course. Riders can be very particular when it comes to contract length. Last summer I offered a rider who wanted 13.5k for 2 years 16k for 3 years - and he still signed with a (worse) team for the 13.5k and 2 years he wanted. So it's quite risky offering a rider more years than he wants (has been that way forever with PCM).
The registered riders happiness should improve during the season - basically the most well-known and suited rider you bring to an objective, check the relevant tab. But I fear results trump everything, happiness with registered riders and squad won't help much (if at all). Hey, no pressure. Allez Coq Sportif!
You'll definitely get a lump sum from your sponsor each 1st of January (plus the money from the equipment suppliers). Though I can't promise it'll be 300k, it might be less.
That's good to know but it'll be bad if I can't afford my coaches anymore...
Ripley wrote:
My recommendation would be to fire the scout immediately. That gives you just a bit more room to work with. You probably aren't using him and in any case, scouting is frustrating, I think everybody agrees on that.
I'm actually using the scout. Otherwise I'm not sure how to find new riders. From free agency? Won't they be more expensive? How is scouting frustrating? Any bugs?
Ripley wrote:
Poisson might not want 3 years, of course. Riders can be very particular when it comes to contract length. Last summer I offered a rider who wanted 13.5k for 2 years 16k for 3 years - and he still signed with a (worse) team for the 13.5k and 2 years he wanted. So it's quite risky offering a rider more years than he wants (has been that way forever with PCM).
As long as I can sign him and don't lose him I'll be happy. He's the only one who's actually done someting positive so far... (except maybe Fouillet..)
Ripley wrote:
The registered riders happiness should improve during the season - basically the most well-known and suited rider you bring to an objective, check the relevant tab. But I fear results trump everything, happiness with registered riders and squad won't help much (if at all). Hey, no pressure. Allez Coq Sportif!
I don't feel any pressure! We can't get any worse anyway
This has turned into another very exhaustive post. Sorry to have interrupted your story, we should have continued this in the other thread.
I'm actually using the scout. Otherwise I'm not sure how to find new riders. From free agency? Won't they be more expensive? How is scouting frustrating? Any bugs?
You only find the U23 riders in the region you are scouting. Which would be fine, if only you were shown their full stats as soon as you discover them, instead you have to concentrate your scout on just one rider and it takes weeks, months even, to get his full stats.
And you aren't interested in the potential the scout is reporting. Sure, the guy might have high potential, but if his current AVG is 55, he'll be totally useless for many years and never reach his potential. I took a quick peek into my savegame with Lachi's editor and immediately I spot a rider with a potential of 85 in climbing (the maximum), but his current ability is 57 climbing. And he's 22 years old, not 18.
So, it's much more efficient and doesn't need a scout to just hire U23 riders from the top of the U23 rankings. You're pretty much guaranteed an AVG of 70+. Which is why I would recommend against it, it's nearly a cheat. The minimum wage, for 3 years, accepted immediately, for a rider who can have an AVG of up to 75. On the free market he'd ask for 20k/month.
If you want to stick with scouting, it is satisfying if you find a really good rider all by yourself. Back with PCM 2009 I started scouting in Spain and quickly discovered Carlos Martinez Ruiz, the greatest GC rider ever, so to speak, I won a dozen TdFs with him. But to be honest, that was pure luck.
By now I'm sure your scout has discovered 20+ riders. Don't make the mistake of just picking the one with the highest potential, scout riders individually to find out their exact stats. It takes forever, once in a while you'll get a new stat and usually it's useless stats first (flat for climbers, etc).
To waste less time, check the riders your scout found against the U23 rankings/results. The higher up in the rankings you find somebody, the more worthwhile to scout him individually.
Methinks, the toughest challenge is to ignore U23 riders altogether. I wanted to with my current Leopard Development Team but betrayed myself and hired 5 U23s in two years and of course they are pretty much my best riders and totally underpaid.
On the normal market, for example, last year I bought two young riders with lots of potential (I admit to checking the potential in the editor) at the minimum wage, both had an AVG of 69. The Boonen-like sprinter increased to 70 a year (well, 18 months, actually) later, the other guy didn't improve at all. While all my 5 U23s had an AVG of at least 71 (one had 72) right away.
You're asking for the maximum challenge, picked the extreme difficulty level - well, I say ignore U23s. Sure, you could only hire U23 with an AVG of, say, 65, that sounds "fair value".
But of course you have that extreme difficulty to contend with. Maybe you cannot ever get anywhere without relying on good U23 riders. Maybe keep it as an option of future seasons.
Ripley wrote:
This has turned into another very exhaustive post. Sorry to have interrupted your story, we should have continued this in the other thread.
Don't worry. I ask questions so it's only reasonable you're allowed to answer them. I don't mind. Think of it as Sports Director Ollie asking his advisors for advice
Ripley wrote:
And you aren't interested in the potential the scout is reporting. Sure, the guy might have high potential, but if his current AVG is 55, he'll be totally useless for many years and never reach his potential. I took a quick peek into my savegame with Lachi's editor and immediately I spot a rider with a potential of 85 in climbing (the maximum), but his current ability is 57 climbing. And he's 22 years old, not 18.
So, it's much more efficient and doesn't need a scout to just hire U23 riders from the top of the U23 rankings. You're pretty much guaranteed an AVG of 70+. Which is why I would recommend against it, it's nearly a cheat. The minimum wage, for 3 years, accepted immediately, for a rider who can have an AVG of up to 75. On the free market he'd ask for 20k/month.
Regarding potential, I have been selective so far, only monitoring one rider who has a "promising" potential while ignoring the "Worth watching" and I definitely don't want to spend time on the "no hoper", but you're saying that anyone of those could be a good signing?
I understand what you're saying about signing U23 riders from the U23 rankings and I agree, that sounds like cheating to me. Having a rider grossly underpaid I think is to take advantage of a flaw in the game and it would ruin the career for me.
Ripley wrote:
By now I'm sure your scout has discovered 20+ riders. Don't make the mistake of just picking the one with the highest potential, scout riders individually to find out their exact stats. It takes forever, once in a while you'll get a new stat and usually it's useless stats first (flat for climbers, etc).
To waste less time, check the riders your scout found against the U23 rankings/results. The higher up in the rankings you find somebody, the more worthwhile to scout him individually.
My scout is apparently lazy! He's only found 7 riders so far... And sadly, he didn't find any rider who's currently in the U23 rankings either.. Useless leech sucking out the little money I have left! I realize the problem with scouting in France is that there are like a million different areas. Does it help the scout finding more and better riders when his knowledge of the area he's scouting increases? Should I keep him in one area at all times in stead of moving him around?
Ripley wrote:
Methinks, the toughest challenge is to ignore U23 riders altogether. I wanted to with my current Leopard Development Team but betrayed myself and hired 5 U23s in two years and of course they are pretty much my best riders and totally underpaid.
You're asking for the maximum challenge, picked the extreme difficulty level - well, I say ignore U23s. Sure, you could only hire U23 with an AVG of, say, 65, that sounds "fair value".
But of course you have that extreme difficulty to contend with. Maybe you cannot ever get anywhere without relying on good U23 riders. Maybe keep it as an option of future seasons.
I'm not necessarily looking for the toughest challenge, although I realize it has turned into that, but I'm looking for the most realistic challenge and I never cheat or take advantage of flaws in the game simply because if I do, it's no fun anymore. If I achieve something it's not because I did good but because of a flaw in the game. I understand the temptation though
What are your thoughts on picking young (U23) riders from the free riders list? I kind of feel like that's a grey area and I'm not sure about it. Like it's not cheating, because most teams look for riders without a contract, but at the same time it doesn't feel quite right either? i always said that we were a team looking to scout, find and develop talents, not pick them off a list, but at the same time it would just be another place to find young talented riders. The bad thing about it is obviously seeing all their stats and knowing exactly how good they are. You're not gambling with your investment. It's a tough one!
Sports Director Ollie explained before the stage that he didn't have high expectations for the 2.HC stage race as his riders were focused on future challenges and were between form peaks. The riders of Le Coq Sportif has had a tough winter and spring and are now in a period of restitution and training. And even on stage 4 this was easy to see.
Overall winner Florian Senechal wins stage 4
The first three stages looked like a training session for Le Coq Sportif. They focused on sitting with the peloton and were no where near the top in the mass sprints that ensued. This being a 2.HC race probably had something to do with it as well, as the peloton was much stronger than Le Coq Sportif has encountered so far this season, with several World Tour teams present though not necessarily featuring their best riders.
Florian Senechal, who won the Tour de Bretagne recently, was the overall winner of 4 Jours de Dunkerque and collected more points for his Cofidis team who are chasing promotion to the World Tour this season. In addition, he's proving that Cofidis has a very exciting young rider in their team who could take further steps in the years to come. The 20-year old finished 32 seconds ahead of Lloyd Mondory (AG2R) and 42 seconds ahead of Ignatas Konovalovas (MTN Qhubeka). The closest
Fouillet in the breakaway
But it wasn't all bad news for the Le Coq Sportif fans; Fernando Fouillet was finally back on his bike in a race after having "hit the wall" earlier this season. He has been focused on restitution and working his way back into shape and he was finally cleared for racing again. Not only was he back, but he was easily recognizable on the 4th stage when he attacked the peloton and got away with a 5 man breakaway.
He still has a long way to go before he's back in form and it was no surprise that he eventually had to let the other four riders get away after having spent the majority of the day almost 9 minutes in front of the peloton. Fouillet became the best placed rider for Le Coq Sportif overall in 84th, over 12 minutes behind the winner. This was mainly due to Chevillard, their captain and best placed rider before stage 4, crashing early on the stage. Froment tried to help him back up to the peloton, but when Chevillard wasn't even able to stay on Froment's wheel, he had to withdraw.
Despite 'not being in shape' and 'focusing on restitution' as we've heard from Sports Director Ollie lately, Le Coq Sportif had a great day at the Circuit de Wallonie today. It started as soon as the race director waved his flag and sent the riders off, when Lhermitte attacked so fast the race director's car almost got in the way. With him followed Bram de Kort (Metec - TKH) and Oskar Svendsen (Team Joker) and together they were able to stay in front during the very hectic and fast first 20 kms and as soon as the peloton slowed down, the trio in front built up a gap of almost 7 minutes.
The trio in front; Lhermitte, Svendsen and de Kort
With less than 100 kms to go, the peloton started chasing with four riders from Le Coq Sportif gathered just behind the chasing teams. With 70 kms to go, Lhermitte seemed frustrated with the lack of tempo in the breakaway as he attacked the other two riders and tried to get away. He was quickly reeled in and responded by gesturing with his hands and yelling something in french at the other two. It didn't seem to help as the tempo was still low and the peloton was constantly gaining and with less than 20 kms to go, the trio was reeled in.
Is Borgheresi's training finally yielding results?
Chateau finishing just a few meters behind Selvaggi
"Again, the final 10 kms didn't go as planned," Ollie says to sum up the race, "but when you finish with a man in 2nd that's alright with me!"
"What was the plan at the end there, going up that final hill?"
"To be honest, we didn't think Lucien would be able to keep up with the best up that final hill because it's very steep and hard for a sprinter to keep a good tempo. So we actually wanted to put Adrien (Poisson) in a good position at the bottom of the hill so that he could sprint up and hopefully create a gap. But Lucien flew up that hill like he hadn't done anything else in his life. I reckon we need to start calling him 'the mountain goat' from now on!" Ollie says with a chuckle, clearly happy about his team's performance despite his sprint train failing to work as planned yet again.
Next race: May 15th, Rhône-Alpes Isère Tour (4 stages)
Edited by Ollie23 on 15-07-2015 00:03
