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Tour du Faso Discussion
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| Tamijo |
Posted on 22-03-2017 19:37
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 Tour du Faso
Welcome to Burkina Faso for the Tour du Faso, this will be the 8th edition of the Tour, as many will know the tour was slimmed down from 10 to just 3 stages for the 2015 edition, and this year will also be only 3 race days. Again this year the route will be changes, especially the last stage will be shorter but with a lot harder road conditions requiring unique technical abilities as well as good positioning skills and focus.
Last year the race was won by Andzs Flaksis (Evonik - ELKO), as both rider and team are now PT, he will not be here to defend his title.
The startlist is composed from four PCT teams and thirteen CT teams.
Favorites:
Top favorite to win this race must be Podium Ambition’s  Geraint Thomas. Thomas is very strong on the cobbles, with a fine finish and a great team to help him, especially Stefan Hristov a favorite in his own right.
Also World Cycling Centre’s  Robert Bush is very strong on the cobbles. The team is not as strong as Podium Ambition, but with Naesen and Backaert he got some help.
World Cycling Centre also got Clifford likely to go with any breakaway possible.
Isostar – Adriatic has got  Jempy Drucker to aim for the win, but he has nobody in the team to help, on the cobbles. Not necessarily a game breaker, but he will most likely be isolated in critical situations. On the other hand he got a fine acceleration making him able to attempt to also isolate the other favorites.
Carlsberg - Danske bank has got  Tom Boonen, the best finisher amongst the favorites, and also the strongest on the flat asphalt sections. Carlsberg - Danske bank bring a very strong squad here, only 2nd to Podium Ambition’s, both Østergaard and  De Maar will be able to help on the cobbles.
TVM - Beslist.nl’s  Bert-Jan Lindeman, will also be an outsider for the win if everything turns out right, although a podium is more realistic. The squard is fine with especially Ingels strong enough to sit with the better riders.
The team also got Van Leijen a fighter type we are likely to watch in the morning breakaway’s looking for TV time and the lucky punch.
Secondary favorites/Sprinter teams:
Kraftwerk Man Machine has got  Michael Kurth for the GC, and Andreas Stauff for a stage win on the sprinter stage.
Chiquita – Universal has got  Kenny De Haes for the GC, and Damion Drapac for a stage win on the sprinter stage.
Team Ticos Air Costa Rica has got the strongest sprinter in the race,  Marco Guillén, also  Jose Luis Cano with a strong finish, with no cobbles specialist they will aim for a stage win on the sprinter stage.
Other teams may well have a shot at a stage win or even a GC podium, anything may happen, but it is hard to guess who, if that should happen.
| Cob | Spr | Acc | | | Spr | Acc | Cob | | Thomas | 79 | 74 | 78 | | Guillén | 81 | 82 | 61 | | Bush | 78 | 71 | 73 | | Stauff | 80 | 81 | 65 | | Drucker | 77 | 74 | 75 | | Drapac | 80 | 79 | 64 | | Hristov | 77 | 66 | 71 | |  Clarke | 79 | 78 | 57 | | Boonen | 76 | 78 | 73 | | Boonen | 78 | 73 | 76 | | Lindeman | 76 | 74 | 76 | | Rasmussen | 77 | 79 | 62 | | Kurth | 75 | 73 | 73 | |  Dockx | 77 | 76 | 62 | | Østergaard | 75 | 65 | 74 | |  Uugunbayar | 77 | 75 | 51 | | Grashev | 75 | 65 | 73 | | Sabatini | 77 | 74 | 66 | | De Haes | 75 | 64 | 77 | | Cano | 77 | 74 | 63 | | De Vreese | 74 | 70 | 70 | | Timofeev | 77 | 72 | 67 | | Walsleben | 74 | 68 | 70 | |  Kreder | 76 | 77 | 66 | | Marcos | 74 | 65 | 70 | | Matthews | 76 | 76 | 73 | | Ingels | 74 | 63 | 76 | | Ariesen | 76 | 76 | 70 | | Nuyens | 74 | 56 | 61 | | Verschoor | 76 | 75 | 68 |
Now just left to say good luck & no important crash(es).
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| Croatia14 |
Posted on 22-03-2017 19:49
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Directeur Sportif
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A big race for us. Stay on the wheel of the G and then beat him in the sprint is the plan, but our lack of depth may hurt us.
Drucker in need to deliver though, make it count! Especially with a LaPoste B team and MOL not here we need to do well.
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| Bjartne |
Posted on 22-03-2017 19:55
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Classics Specialist
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Why are we even here? Fingers cross for breakaways on all three stages!
Thank you Tamijo! |
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| jph27 |
Posted on 22-03-2017 19:59
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Team Leader
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Here for the XP - which worked out nicely, as all our riders who could went from 1 to 3 this season!
Have to pray for a miracle from Chatarunga or Laporte if we want to score points. Sadly I think this is where our promotion hope dies. |
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| knockout |
Posted on 22-03-2017 20:04
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7735
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I've got terrific memories from last season as this was the race to convince me that i would promote.
In theory the huge amount of cobbler should garant a race only the strongest cobblers can win but often enough PCM failed with AI here.
As in most CT races I'm cheering for Isostar and they can really need a good point haul with every single race as a potential promotion decider while I would also love one last show by Tommeke after a reason full of disappointments.
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters! |
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 22-03-2017 20:17
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
Joined: 12-05-2012
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Everyone knows Faso from the past, but with the route changes and overall increasing difficulty of cobbles in the mg, it should be a good edition.
Well, it has to be. "G" and his unit are in action for the final time. If we win the GC the title fight remains alive. If we don't, it isn't. Luckily G can both power on the cobbles, and sprint well. He's got good history in races like this when it comes to sprinting. Hristov and Grashev can provide coverage in case of a fall, or as attackers. Bridges has had some good cobbles results as well.
And to underline all of that fun from a Title side, we still need a Stage Win to complete our 10 Stage Win Goal. 3 real chances to deliver that here at Faso.
Big race. Time to make the big championship statement and put the pressure on Kraftwerk and Ferrero. Going down swingin'
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 22-03-2017 20:18
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World Champion
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Clarke for the flat stage, Jams for the overall, this could be the race we put ourselves back in with a chance!
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant."
[ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT]  Xero Racing
5x  x5
2x  x2
2x  x2 |
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| trekbmc |
Posted on 22-03-2017 20:51
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Team Leader
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No Bakari?! 
Stage 1 break wins this race, perhaps Kasperkiewicz can sneak into it because the cobbles are too hard for Guillen? I doubt it though. 
Fantastic preview Tamijo, I will go ahead and support whoever is not involved in the stage 1 break.
"What done is, is one." - Benji Naesen
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| Marcovdw |
Posted on 22-03-2017 21:01
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Grand Tour Champion
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We'll see what happens. Given the race history anything can happen, and I hope the AI favors the Minions now.
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 22-03-2017 22:08
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 16429
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Hoping for the perfect combo of cobbles that are hard enough to ditch sprinters, but easy enough to keep my guys from being inevitably dropped by Thomas, Bush and Drucker.
Second to last race of the year for us, so we better make it count! I brought my A-Team, not much else to do. Even Razzie has done well here in the past on the flat stage so it's has to be all out for each stage.
Every point is important so let's go get'em!
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
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| Croatia14 |
Posted on 22-03-2017 22:08
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Directeur Sportif
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A big thanks to Tamijo for the preview and to knockout for the support, bring on a show Drucker!
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 24-11-2024 01:39
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| DaveTwoBob |
Posted on 22-03-2017 22:29
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Small Tour Specialist
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I need Kurth and Stauff to grab any points they can to keep our title hopes alive.
For the sake of an exciting finish to the season and natural justice I hope this is a "true run" race by the AI and Podium Ambition get the points they deserve.
Thanks for the preview Tamijo and looking forward to seeing your super screenies in the report (hopefully with some red shirts in there).
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| valverde321 |
Posted on 22-03-2017 22:48
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World Champion
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Experience race for us. We'll have to see how things go, but Kuroeda might be our best bet here.
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| the_hoyle |
Posted on 23-03-2017 17:11
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7651
Joined: 28-05-2009
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The quicker this race is over for me the better. We do not finish the season with our startlist and big names being available. The lack of a cobbles rider doesn't help though
.: Manager of :.
.: My Awards :.
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 23-03-2017 20:33
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
Joined: 12-05-2012
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I think that was pretty good AI considering what has happened in this race before, certainly it was highly entertaining.
The whole team did pretty well. Could have done marginally better to not have the breakaway win at all, but the rest of the race is nicely poised to be a good fight. Great strenght in depth.
Wolverine sacrificed himself to set it up, and G did what he could to bring the result. Feels like he deserved a unique gap of his own, but two more days to get it. Stefan and Martin in that front group gives us alternative options going forwards to open up the race of cover in cash of a fall.
Points from Stage Result is a good start. Keep this up and Points from GC, Points and Team will do handily.
We're here to fight for this race though, and i can't ask for more.
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| jph27 |
Posted on 23-03-2017 20:36
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Not a bad start for us. Shame Chatarunga and Laporte couldn't make it into the front group, but impressive from Silva - have to hope we keep getting in breaks really. |
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 23-03-2017 20:50
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 16429
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Was hoping to feature for the stage, but at least all the guys that we would have wanted to be in the front group for us made it. Boonen looked pretty lethargic considering he was the favorite, but stage 3 is when the race will really play out... hopefully.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
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| Ste117 |
Posted on 23-03-2017 20:51
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My loan rider has his first win  Can we keep him now
MG Team manager Team Ticos Air Costa Rica
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| DaveTwoBob |
Posted on 23-03-2017 21:00
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2433
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Nice to see some good racing in stage 1.
Stauff seems to think he is a cobbler mixing it with the Podium Ambition team with 20km to go. Hope he is still that lively for the stage 2 sprint finish.
Kurth only made the second group so a bit of work to make the top 10 in GC and hang on to the Podium Ambition coattails.
Thanks for the report Tamijo
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| trekbmc |
Posted on 23-03-2017 21:10
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Team Leader
Posts: 7366
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That's amazing!  Can't believe Kasperkiewicz managed it, was hopeful when I saw him in the break but when he was dropped I thought it was over, unbelievable that he came through and took his first outright win, I can't wait to have him riding in our colours next season, but glad he could pick up a win for Ste.
Now the question is if he can use the leader's jersey bonus and his time gap to score a decent GC, depends how it's raced I guess.
Thank you very much Tamijo for an exciting report!
"What done is, is one." - Benji Naesen
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![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
