[PT] Evonik - ELKO | 2022
|
knockout |
Posted on 08-01-2023 18:02
|
Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7735
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 400.00
|
Thanks!
Bikex First, I'd have to generate a lot of income to make either training viable anyway. And unlike in past seasons when i had big training plans, i don't have too many riders that could/should be sold for obvious reasons.
jandal I've only made a Win TDF goal 6 times in 8 years. At some point I'm due a lucky roll. Thats how this works, right?
bbl Let's hope the Tour organizers actually want a french star there and won't continue to add a lame ttt...
abhi It certainly helps actually having the best stage racers to lead you in those...
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters!
|
|
|
|
Croatia14 |
Posted on 08-01-2023 21:05
|
Directeur Sportif
Posts: 9099
Joined: 13-03-2013
PCM$: 2100.00
|
Loving the achievement, well deserved and brilliantly executed.
|
|
|
|
knockout |
Posted on 22-06-2023 23:07
|
Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7735
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 400.00
|
Midtable Finish in Final PT Rankings 2022
Pos | Last | | Team | Total | RD | PpRD | 1 | 1 | | Isostar - Specialized | 7644 | 180 | 42.47 | 2 | 2 | | King Power | 7300 | 180 | 40.56 | 3 | 3 | | Team Puma - SAP | 6993 | 180 | 38.85 | 4 | 4 | | Aker - MOT | 6678 | 180 | 37.1 | 5 | 5 | | Tinkoff - La Datcha Team | 6382 | 180 | 35.46 | 6 | 7 | | MOL Cycling Team | 6173 | 180 | 34.29 | 7 | 6 | | ELCO - ABEA | 6150 | 180 | 34.17 | 8 | 9 | | ISA - Hexacta | 6133 | 180 | 34.07 | 9 | 8 | | EA Vesuvio | 6107 | 180 | 33.93 | 10 | 10 | | Gazelle | 6022 | 180 | 33.46 | 11 | 12 | | Grieg-Maersk | 5952 | 180 | 33.07 | 12 | 11 | | Polar | 5885 | 180 | 32.69 | 13 | 13 | | Evonik - ELKO | 5792 | 180 | 32.18 | 14 | 16 | | Moser - Sygic | 5686 | 180 | 31.59 | 15 | 14 | | cycleYorkshire | 5617 | 180 | 31.21 | 16 | 15 | | De Stijl Cycling | 5465 | 180 | 30.36 | 17 | 17 | | Huski Chocolate | 5109 | 180 | 28.38 | 18 | 18 | | Duolingo | 5062 | 180 | 28.12 | 19 | 19 | | Aegon - Peroni | 4989 | 180 | 27.72 | 20 | 20 | | Team UBS | 4759 | 180 | 26.44 | 21 | 21 | | Los Pollos Hermanos | 4537 | 180 | 25.21 | 22 | 22 | | Zwift Pro Cycling | 3183 | 180 | 17.68 |
The 2022 season is over and we ended it on 13th place. For a long time the situation looked a lot worse than that but a good run to end the season moves us up the ranking towards a solid midtable.
While some opposing teams and media pundits expected us a lot higher, we actually feel alright with this. We would have liked to crack into the top ten but knew we would be far away from the podium contender we were in the past. Ever since we made the blockbuster deal trading out Chiarello and change for Lecuisinier, we decided this would be a transitional season without chances to achieve our top 5 goal we had communicated with our sponsors. We knew we had to adapt our schedule to his strengths for future years in order to get the best scoring out of him. This also sparked the decision to let some of our secondary scorers leave to open space for the signing of one of the biggest talents of his class: Luke Plapp. So basically we decided early on in the season that we would be fine as long as we dont happen to crash into a freak relegation season because our longterm plans would be in place.
Balkans International | Win | Win | Giro di Lombardia | Top 10 | 3rd | Liege - Bastogne - Liege | Top 10 | 16th | Giro d'Italia | Win | Win | Team Standings | Top 5 | 13th |
Three convincing successes in goal races, one ultimately expected failure in the team standings and one disastrous failing in a race we desperately wanted to win with arguably the top favourite. Could be better, could be a lot worse. We are fine with that but that one race still annoys us so much.
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters!
|
|
|
|
AbhishekLFC |
Posted on 23-06-2023 07:09
|
Directeur Sportif
Posts: 11677
Joined: 27-07-2015
PCM$: 1861.50
|
Looks like you know your team better than most predictors
The first year of the overhaul is done and although relegation was a minor possibility at a point, the end season dispelled all doubts of it. I believe the way the team is set up, it should be an upward climb from here. Having PHL always helps. His future replacement is also in the system and has taken his first steps towards that this season. Agree that LBL was a big disappointment from MAL, but 3/5 goals achieved should provide a decent financial platform to continue improving next season. Looking forward to that
|
|
|
|
Ad Bot |
Posted on 25-11-2024 05:26
|
Bot Agent
Posts: Countless
Joined: 23.11.09
|
|
IP: None |
|
|
redordead |
Posted on 23-06-2023 07:20
|
Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4881
Joined: 18-10-2017
PCM$: 200.00
|
Solid season and a bit unlucky as you really should've gone 4/5 in your goals.
"I am a cyclist, I may not be the best, but that is what I strive to be. I may never get there, but I will never quit trying." - Tadej Pogačar
|
|
|
|
ember |
Posted on 23-06-2023 18:23
|
Team Leader
Posts: 6849
Joined: 27-03-2008
PCM$: 700.00
|
Very well done with the goals, despite being unlucky in LBL. I'd say this sets your team up very nicely for the next season, as it's definitely a lot to build on from here. Curious to see how you decide to take on this year's off season, as your team's development looks kind of set from here. Fingers crossed we'll see more activity and moves than what I kind of expect with such world class leader, such a core and such a talent in Plapp |
|
|
|
knockout |
Posted on 24-06-2023 16:35
|
Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7735
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 400.00
|
Abhishek - Not really. Just that i had more information available because i knew that Lecuisiniers race planning would be lacking this season - the margins in the final midtable were so close that a better Lecuisinier schedule could already have been the difference to the top ten
For now, i dont see Plapp as the replacement for Lecuisinier but rather an additional piece for the same timeline. My plans dont go past the 2026 season yet and I'm undecided whether i want to spend a lot of training on a rider like him (assuming he even stays with us all the way).
red - That's how i feel but then again, completing two win goals are never a given - no matter how good the situation looked like.
ember - Always hard to decide on plans before renewals have taken place. With the way my roster and cap situation is looking, it's fairly obvious that i wont be in the business for any blockbuster moves ingoing or outgoing and I'm gonna miss the times where i have riders like Skujins, Blythe, Taaramae, etc on the transfer block. I still see plenty to do but the number of moves and especially the volume of them will obviously be smaller than last season.
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters!
|
|
|
|
knockout |
Posted on 29-06-2023 16:40
|
Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7735
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 400.00
|
After years without spending resources on developing young talents, we went into a bit of a rebuild and tried to introduce several young talents with potential to grow into valuable assets to our cycling team. 8 talents were signed last year. Some of them might be allowed to leave but many of them are seen as key pieces for the future. Here is an overview on how they developed this year:
Eriks Toms Gavars | Hill | FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | 2022 | 70 | 74 | 72 | 73 | 70 | 72 | 71 | 58 | 67 | 69 | 69 | 67 | 72 | 4.0 | 25 | 2023 | 70 | 75 | 74 | 73 | 71 | 73 | 72 | 58 | 67 | 70 | 70 | 67 | 72 | 4.100 | 26 |
Eriks Toms Gavars was already an important domestique for Lecuisinier last season. Instead of maximizing his stage race capabilities and his impact on possible future team time trials in Grand Tours, we wanted him to become more versatile and develop his abilities on shorter climbs. We think that this could make him a better option for the Ardennes races as well as improve his chances from breakaways.
Piotr Havik | Fighter
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | 2022 | 75 | 62 | 69 | 64 | 73 | 72 | 63 | 71 | 69 | 68 | 73 | 69 | 63 | 4.14 | 28 | 2023 | 77 | 63 | 70 | 65 | 74 | 73 | 64 | 72 | 70 | 69 | 75 | 70 | 64 | 4.100 | 29 |
Piotr is a young rouleur with strengths on the cobbles. He continues down that path and will be a valuable asset in all sorts of classics. If he ever moves to a team with a strong sprinter, he should be superb in setting up the leadout too.
Jaako Hänninen | Hill | FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | 2022 | 69 | 69 | 71 | 69 | 69 | 71 | 73 | 55 | 63 | 70 | 69 | 67 | 69 | 3.0 | 25 | 2023 | 70 | 70 | 74 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 74 | 55 | 64 | 72 | 71 | 68 | 70 | 4.58 | 26 | 2024 | 70 | 72 | 76 | 70 | 71 | 73 | 75 | 55 | 64 | 74 | 73 | 68 | 70 | 4.100 | 27 |
Jaako is a versatile puncheur. He is capable on mountains, time trials and as an attacking outlet and is almost a perfect domestique on any level that will only get better with another year of growth to him.
Kristers Ansons | Fighter | FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | 2022 | 71 | 66 | 68 | 69 | 69 | 69 | 66 | 66 | 69 | 71 | 68 | 67 | 68 | 2.0 | 23 | 2023 | 73 | 67 | 69 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 67 | 67 | 70 | 72 | 70 | 68 | 69 | 3.99 | 24 | 2025 | 78 | 69 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 73 | 70 | 69 | 72 | 75 | 74 | 70 | 71 | 4.100 | 26 |
Kristers is one of the most versatile riders in the peleton. His abilities on every terrain make him an almost perfect domestique similar to the likes of Armands Becis or Shaun Nick Bester. His rouleur skills are especially noteworthy.
Fredrik Dversnes | Fighter | FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | 2022 | 71 | 65 | 67 | 64 | 71 | 72 | 68 | 67 | 65 | 71 | 72 | 65 | 66 | 2.62 | 25 | 2023 | 73 | 66 | 68 | 65 | 72 | 73 | 69 | 68 | 66 | 73 | 74 | 66 | 67 | 3.99 | 26 | 2025 | 78 | 68 | 70 | 67 | 75 | 76 | 72 | 70 | 68 | 77 | 79 | 68 | 69 | 4.100 | 28 |
Freddy Dversnes is an exciting young rouleur. He has the potential to develop into a strong cobbler but our vision for him can best be described as being the heir to the legend Mark Dzamastagic himself and as such he is also an important part of our long-term plans.
Asbjorn Hellemose | Climberv1 | FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | 2022 | 66 | 69 | 69 | 59 | 69 | 70 | 70 | 61 | 62 | 65 | 66 | 69 | 59 | 2.92 | 23 | 2023 | 66 | 71 | 71 | 59 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 61 | 62 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 59 | 3.92 | 24 | 2025 | 67 | 76 | 76 | 60 | 72 | 73 | 76 | 61 | 62 | 71 | 73 | 70 | 60 | 4.100 | 26 |
Asbjorn Hellemose is an exciting young climber who excels in longer and shorter climbs. If he remains with the team for the long-term, he has the potential to be a crucial domestique for Miguel Angel Lopez because of their similar skill sets.
Luke Plapp | Stage Race x2
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | 2022 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 70 | 67 | 73 | 69 | 58 | 62 | 67 | 72 | 64 | 71 | 1.0 | 22 | 2023 | 70 | 74 | 73 | 73 | 70 | 75 | 72 | 58 | 62 | 67 | 72 | 64 | 74 | 3.02 | 23 | 2025 | 72 | 79 | 76 | 77 | 74 | 78 | 76 | 58 | 62 | 68 | 73 | 65 | 78 | 4.100 | 25 |
Luke Plapp is one of the centerpieces of our future plans. We believe that his strenghts are maximized as a stage racer and he is seen as one of the podium contenders for the 2023 Tour d'Avenir.
Alekss Krasts | FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | 2022 | 69 | 70 | 69 | 69 | 69 | 68 | 67 | 59 | 66 | 68 | 71 | 72 | 69 | 1.0 | 21 | 2026 | 70 | 78 | 73 | 75 | 73 | 73 | 74 | 59 | 66 | 70 | 73 | 73 | 75 | 4.100 | 25 |
Unfortunately, Alekss didnt develop this season. But he is still an important part of our future plans and we believe that he ist the most exciting Latvian stage racing talent the world has ever seen. At least we are very excited!
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters!
|
|
|
|
SotD |
Posted on 29-06-2023 16:46
|
World Champion
Posts: 12188
Joined: 29-11-2006
PCM$: 2980.00
|
Interesting path for Plapp. I would probably have picked some more CLv1 to get that ACC up. Especially as you also have Krasts, who’s more of a natural SR path kinda rider.
I have drastically regretted the SR path for Giannoutsos. I know Plapp is a bigger talent, but the headache is somewhat similar I think.
For Giannoutsos it isn’t really the lack of HI I miss, but the ACC. He would have been a much better rider I think with +4ACC and some less physical stats. I would personally see the same for Plapp. Getting him to 71-72ACC would be hugely beneficial. Atleast with the current game version.
|
|
|
|
knockout |
Posted on 30-06-2023 16:17
|
Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7735
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 400.00
|
Thanks for your comment SotD, time to geek out and really go into detail about my thoughts:
SotD wrote:
Interesting path for Plapp. I would probably have picked some more CLv1 to get that ACC up. Especially as you also have Krasts, who’s more of a natural SR path kinda rider.
I have drastically regretted the SR path for Giannoutsos. I know Plapp is a bigger talent, but the headache is somewhat similar I think.
For Giannoutsos it isn’t really the lack of HI I miss, but the ACC. He would have been a much better rider I think with +4ACC and some less physical stats. I would personally see the same for Plapp. Getting him to 71-72ACC would be hugely beneficial. Atleast with the current game version.
The two main paths for those that dont know his maxed stats:Name | FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | Clv1-Clv1-Clv1-Clv1 | 70 | 79 | 79 | 71 | 70 | 77 | 76 | 58 | 62 | 74 | 80 | 65 | 72 | SR-SR-SR-SR | 72 | 79 | 76 | 77 | 74 | 78 | 76 | 58 | 62 | 68 | 73 | 65 | 78 |
My thoughts why i went with the stage race path:
1. I think for a Mo/Hi hybrid (climberv1 all the way) his combination of Sta, Acc, Sp is fairly low compared to similar strong riders. That could limit him when used in races that are more hilly focussed and thus removes a lot of the value of that version.
For the Stage racer path, his acceleration is the only weakness. Still would like more acceleration but that maxed version reminds me a lot of a Eddie Dunbar who worked really well this year. Training him is secondary for my planning but i could imagine going a similar way of getting +2TT in as his (first) training for the 79mo, 76hi, 79tt stat line.
2. Team fit: When Plapp maxes for the 2025 season this is my roster:
| Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier | 71 | 85 | 75 | 78 | 78 | 80 | 79 | 65 | 67 | 74 | 65 | 70 | 77 | 32 | | Miguel Angel Lopez | 70 | 79 | 84 | 71 | 76 | 74 | 74 | 50 | 66 | 78 | 80 | 71 | 72 | 31 | | Luke Plapp | 72 | 79 | 76 | 77 | 74 | 78 | 76 | 58 | 62 | 68 | 73 | 65 | 78 | 25 | | Martins Blums | 72 | 77 | 77 | 68 | 71 | 73 | 74 | 63 | 64 | 70 | 73 | 78 | 71 | 30 |
I'm planning to keep all four of them (till 2027ish) so I'm also thinking about race planning them:
Lecuisinier with his limited race days will usually do sth like TDF + Liechtenstein + 10RDs wherever the RD maths checks out nicely. Lopez will always do the hills as well as some of the Mo/Hi hybrid races (think Balkans and 2021 Moroc). So that leaves me Plapp, Blums (and Krasts in 2026) for the remaining schedule. Which are ofc mountainous races without Lecuisinier (e.g. two out of T-A/P-N, Portugal, Dauphine, 2 GTs) but also races like Tasmania and possibly PTHC races like Lithuania, Slovenia, etc.
The punchy route of Plapp would lead me to having too many great options for too few hybrid-y RDs. His best planning would likely be the two non-Lecuisinier GTs and a one week race no matter the exact routes. Meanwhile, the stage race version opens up the options to do just 1 GT and get really creative outside of that which also works really well with Krasts maxing a year later:
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | Clv2-Clv1-SR-Clv1 | 70 | 78 | 75 | 71 | 71 | 73 | 72 | 59 | 66 | 74 | 77 | 73 | 71 | Clv2-Clv1-Clv1-Clv1 | 70 | 78 | 75 | 69 | 70 | 72 | 72 | 59 | 66 | 75 | 78 | 74 | 69 | Clv2-SR-SR-Clv1 | 70 | 78 | 74 | 73 | 72 | 73 | 73 | 59 | 66 | 72 | 75 | 73 | 73 | Clv2-SR-SR-SR | 70 | 78 | 73 | 75 | 73 | 73 | 74 | 59 | 66 | 70 | 73 | 73 | 75 |
For Krasts i'm planning to go with either of the last two options depending on the game we use by then. Especially the third row remind me a lot of Chiarello so using him as that GC top 15 / attacker option for 2GTs seems to make a lot of sense to me so Plapp developing into a 1GT+lots of shorter races schedule fits that combo well.
_____
I can understand your regrets about Giannoutsos but i really dont think they are a good comparison. For Giannoutsos, his 72 TT is not a "weapon" so if he wants to get bigger points he has to get those on the mountains via strong climbing or breaks. For that his acceleration might be hurting him and I'd take those extra +4 acc to get him closer to a Dion Smith kind of rider.
I'd rather compare him to Ioannidis who has that 75mo, 77tt skill set with 70 acceleration. For him, the tt skill is the weapon that gets him higher up the GC. I'd rather go -4acc than -2tt for him. And i see the same for Plapp: His tt puts him ahead of many of his rivals that he doesnt have to attack to get the high GC points. In other words:
In the end, it depends on how the games change and whether the OVR will change and either option could be regretful. I just think for me the stage racer option for Plapp seems to be the more fundamentally solid option.
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters!
|
|
|
|
SotD |
Posted on 30-06-2023 16:47
|
World Champion
Posts: 12188
Joined: 29-11-2006
PCM$: 2980.00
|
I love these discussions, and I always learn something from people not following my exact thoughts :-) I rarely look at the rider combination that I have, as that fixes me on a set plan. But given that you aim to win the PT in a season or two it makes sense. I kinda did the same when signing the variation that had me performing with Spilak, Coppel, unmaxed Lecuisinier/Ricco, and untrained Coquard/Koretzky. I just had top quality in every race except cobbles where Tom David was somewhat respectable.
For Giannoutsos I wasn’t specifically comparing as Plapp is easily the better rider. And I think you need to somewhat combine his TT and PRL which is why I opted for the path. I saw Herklotz doing really well in prologues and opted for that version. But the ACC is too low for him to ever become strong enough to make those gained seconds valuable.
For Plapp I think I would combine the options to end up with something like 75TT and a better ACC. Haven’t checked it out well enough though.
Ioannidis works horrible though. Despite better stats he is performing drastically worse than Kiriakidis. My guess is the ACC is the difference.
Have you made a control of OVL and expected wages? I guess Lecuisinier, MAL, Plapp and Krasts maxed at the same time could be difficult.
|
|
|
|
knockout |
Posted on 30-06-2023 18:22
|
Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7735
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 400.00
|
I also love these discussions.
I rarely look at the rider combination that I have, as that fixes me on a set plan. But given that you aim to win the PT in a season or two it makes sense.
It's more that i have Lecuisinier and Lopez as locks in my plans because i need them to achieve other goals I've set myself. Blums as one of the best Latvian guy who fits perfectly as a lieutenant to both who could also do well on his own is also basically a roster lock - similar with Krasts. Plapp is someone who might be available now or in the future but unless i get a great offer, i'm planning with keeping him around. And at the very least i want to plan his development as if I'm keeping him when the options are fairly close in strength
In a way the top duo might even limit the chances for a title due to their huge wages as it limits leaders for every other terrain and the most recent RD reduction propably didnt help them either. But I'm at least gonna try to open a window during the last years of prime Lopez and they should at least put me into the podium fight if I'm attempting it.
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters!
|
|
|
|
jandal7 |
Posted on 01-07-2023 08:48
|
World Champion
Posts: 11395
Joined: 17-12-2014
PCM$: 1020.00
|
Omg a talents post that actually includes the max stats <3
You're a manager of exquisite taste in riders and that extends to your talent pickups. I absolutely loved the surprise Plapp move for you in transfers and as we've talked about I agree 100% with the path you're taking him for both the reasons you outlined. And agree also with you both that I love the geeky detailed discussions
Krasts, Ansons and Gavars are the type of riders you must love to have coming through from your home country and especially how well it worked with Krasts being 21 this year and not losing the development year. Havik and especially Dversnes are lovely roleurs and Hanninen has such a neat statline. Love the way this team is building up.
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant."
[ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing
5x x5
2x x2
2x x2
|
|
|
|
knockout |
Posted on 02-07-2023 14:33
|
Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7735
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 400.00
|
jandal7 wrote:
Omg a talents post that actually includes the max stats <3
Of course, that's like the best part of those development posts. Why wouldnt I include that?!?
Krasts, Ansons, Gavars are perfect riders to fill my Latvia quota. Not too expensive in wages to dominate the cap calculations but still very useful to fill multiple roles in the squad.
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters!
|
|
|
|
whitejersey |
Posted on 03-07-2023 00:41
|
Classics Specialist
Posts: 2905
Joined: 07-08-2011
PCM$: 300.00
|
Love that you continue to invest into roleur prospects. The search for Yannick Stoltz' heir is out in full force! Your stage racing taletns are obviously fantastic and will prove great depth and ample support when they max!
|
|
|
|
redordead |
Posted on 03-07-2023 13:22
|
Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4881
Joined: 18-10-2017
PCM$: 200.00
|
Lots of verstatile riders that should fit nicely next to the top tier stage racing talent. I won't be surprised to see some of these riders already contribute in a meaningful way to an improved Evonik in 2023
"I am a cyclist, I may not be the best, but that is what I strive to be. I may never get there, but I will never quit trying." - Tadej Pogačar
|
|
|
|
knockout |
Posted on 04-07-2023 12:38
|
Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7735
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 400.00
|
Whitejersey - I lost both Stoltz and Dzamastagic in a single year so obviously i had to replace them somehow. Impossible to replace them perfectly but i feel like i have found several nice talents to somehow fill that hole.
Red - Versatility was definitely something we valued highly last year. Hopefully you're right!
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters!
|
|
|
|
Fabianski |
Posted on 04-07-2023 22:12
|
Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4670
Joined: 29-09-2018
PCM$: 185.00
|
A bit late to the party, but commenting nonetheless
It's great to see your solid core of Latvians - although it won't be them to be mainly carrying the team in the foreseeable future, they should still be very solid contributors. Gavars is the kind of domestique you love to have - cheap, and useful in pretty much any stage race. Ansons will be one of those specialists messing up all flat classics (if the game engine still works the same), and Krasts could grow into a solid subtop GC leader (maybe with a little training), or at least be a great domestique for PHL now and Plapp in the future. He also has that nice Acc that could put him above most other stage racers, who rather struggle with that (same for DH, by the way).
Internationally speaking, Plapp obviously is your next big "thing". He does have his weaknesses, sure (he might rarely be able to beat a Herklotz-like rider in a 1-on-1), but he'll definitely be great.
Dversnes is also looking very neat, although I always struggle to find a good planning for this type of rider. For a leadout, his acceleration looks too strong, and for a late attacker, maybe his sprint is too high. I'm looking forward to learn from you how to use him well
|
|
|
|
knockout |
Posted on 05-07-2023 16:24
|
Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7735
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 400.00
|
Your thoughts on Dversnes are interesting to me because i feel very content with his plannability. Imo he could be part of a leadout train but i probably would prefer him with a high acc sprinter - think Gaviria/Coquard/Reinhardt instead of Van Stayen / Eislers - but i see him mainly as a late attacker for flat classics and intend to use him that way. For that his stat combo is almost perfect imo. in fact i think he fits the bill better than Ansons due to better Acc, fighter and energy stats. I dont really understand your suggestion that his sprint is too high for that role (did you want to write too low?)
Other than that, i think i want him to race the typical cobbles schedule and then with the remainder of his race days either fill holes in clashing races race easier hilly racer and i also like to take one rouleur alongside Lecuisinier / Lopez for situations where i have to chase on the flat: ____/ stages, transition stages, etc. There are very few races where he cant fit in and do a solid domestique job imo.
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters!
|
|
|
|
Fabianski |
Posted on 05-07-2023 22:05
|
Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4670
Joined: 29-09-2018
PCM$: 185.00
|
You do have the experience that I'm still lacking, that's why I'd be pretty unsure
But I'm glad to hear (read) your thoughts on him, provides me some valuable insights. Thanks!
I did indeed mean "too high" for his sprint stat - in the sense that PCM could consider him as a sprinter, not a late attacker. But I guess that might be the case in CT only, as sprinter fields in PCT/PT are far too strong to pick him as a favourite in a bunch sprint. I definitely didn't mean too low - for a baroudeur that's some amazing sprinter skills for sure!
I honestly didn't really see the value of a flat beast in CT, so I didn't keep Mundle (whose backups are rather weak as well), but especially Cedevita proved that it's at least worth a thought in PCT - a cheap alternative to a "real" sprinter
|
|
|