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Volta a Portugal Discussion
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| ember |
Posted on 18-10-2023 09:46
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Thank you for another nice report, UU!
Had my fingers crossed we would be aggressive and try to force selections regarding both stage ambitions, but also Amezawa's potential GC bid. Now, his GC chances should be gone with the upcoming TT, and it looks like we sacrificed that to keep Kragh in yellow for another day. It's a bit disappointing, I must admit, as I had big hopes for fireworks from us in this race.
Having said all that, what a start to the season Kragh is having! Very surprised to see him still in yellow, which makes for unexpected jersey points, which is a nice positive when all my hopes for fireworks seems gone   |
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| cio93 |
Posted on 18-10-2023 11:44
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Too bad that final corner killed any hopes for Madouas to get on the podium and possibly even into yellow. The day went really great up until the last metres.
Still, another good showing by the team and with some luck and good positioning, maybe the next stage offers a final chance to take the lead (time gaps pending) or at least add valuable points in the fight for green, both of which would elevate the performance here even further.
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 22-11-2024 12:37
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| Ulrich Ulriksen |
Posted on 18-10-2023 15:39
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Gustavovskiy wrote:
Side note: it seems like Rachid isn't wearing the  Lebanon NC kit. This has happened for the last couple of years. Any chance I can get that looked at?
I think he is wearing it, been a few weeks since I ran the race but swear I remember seeing the jersey. If it doesn't show up in the last few stages I will go back and look.
Man Game: McCormick Pro Cycling |
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| Bikex |
Posted on 18-10-2023 15:52
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I'm a bit annoyed about Sosa losing time pointlessly, but it's nice to see my team active with attacks, a shame none stuck so far. |
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| Ollfardh |
Posted on 18-10-2023 16:05
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Was hoping for some time gaps or boni seconds, but I got neither. Also Van Gils seemed confused about his role here, not sure what to think of that.
Changed my sig, this was getting absurd.
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 18-10-2023 19:05
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Tour de France Champion
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First victory in PT, and to say I wasn't expecting it would be an understatement for sure. Galta is strong enough on the hills to survive without falling behind, but he lacks the punch and acceleration that Guldhammer would always use on this kind of finish. And yet, like Guldhammer, he powered away at the perfect moment to take the stage. Fantastic performance and one I won't forget.
With Rodrigues getting second, it's obviously really close at the top still. But it's also better to have time to give than time you need to take. We have to hope for a good TT tomorrow, of course. But then we'll have all hands on deck to protect the GC, and at least on paper, Galta is capable.
The Kamna situation is obviously unfortunate. I don't know why the game would prioritize Gregaard, Olesen, Sureda, etc. over him given his 4th overall and chance to do damage in the TT. But you know what? No complaints. A pyrrhic is a victory nonetheless. Coming in, I would have expected Kamna to lose a little less time on the hills. I also wouldn't have expected Galta to have a stage win and the leaders jersey by this point in the race. Cycling giveth and taketh. Hopefully we've now banked enough good favor with the AI for a good GC.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
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| Ollfardh |
Posted on 18-10-2023 19:40
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Ok, now we're on the lucky side of the no gaps given. Not sure I still fancy Novak's chances here. Congrats BBL!
Changed my sig, this was getting absurd.
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| Nemolito |
Posted on 18-10-2023 20:11
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Quispe keeps on trying, but alas. Would be great if he could hold on to that top-3 in the KoM. Good stage by Aular, just outside the points but holding on. Next two stages are crucial for the GC, so let's see what he (and Osorio + Lopez Nolasco can do). Sütterlin perhaps tomorrow with a stage result, but not sure how his energy is at this time of the race, and whether he's able to do well on the inclines.
Congratulations to bbl on the first win, on many more to come! And thank you for the nice report as always, Ulrich 
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| ember |
Posted on 18-10-2023 20:15
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Woah! What a sensational win that is from Galta. Like beyond sensational. Congratulations, bbl! What a way to start the season, and it should set Galta up for a great GC too, with only the TT and a mountain stage that should suit his diesel engine much better than this punchy stuff
Very happy to see Galta win, as a former rider with great breakaway success. He could never ride a proper GC in the PT, maybe the PTHC is where he'll shine?
For us, this is another near miss, I feel. We've been close on all stages except the flat, which is good, but unfortunately it doesn't give that much when we can't get it over the line. |
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| Jakstar22 |
Posted on 18-10-2023 21:34
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9th overall as we head into the TT and mountain stage. Great position for Madrazo to be in considering he is one of the best mountain climbers in the race! Hopefully he can perform accordingly!
Keen to see what Erdenebat can do in the TT as well!
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| quadsas |
Posted on 19-10-2023 02:59
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Huge from Beniušis and Lašinis, rest of climbers are also in the top 30, shaping up to be quire a nice haul of points
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 19-10-2023 04:58
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Lenny comes back and does it the right way. Stage suited him really well with the bump at the end, and he just managed to eek it out. Absolutely love to see him capitalize. And yes, it's tough to know that he could currently have the GC lead by over half a minute and be in line for at least a top 10 in the end. But shit happens. Maybe he saved energy yesterday that allowed him to win today? I don't know. The stage win at least is something to make up for his lost scoring there. And now we don't have to worry about Galta dropping back for Kamna, or something else stupid.
A little heartbreaking to lose the GC lead by one second, but fair is fair. Rodrigues was always going to be the biggest threat, and he showed it. Galta did about what he was supposed to do. It's gonna come down to tomorrow anyway. That second could matter if they both finish outside the top 3 in the same group, which is not unlikely. But it's more likely that the mountains will sort them out. And with gaps as small as they area, Galta really needs to have a good day. It could be the difference between 1st and 10th.
Huge day tomorrow. I think it should favor Galta's engine, but we shall see...
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
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| roturn |
Posted on 19-10-2023 05:10
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Good to see Kämna win here. As only big TT climber it was a shame to see him lose time on the last stage.
Cras and Vanhoucke sitting nicely in 10th/11th now. Hope they can show more in the climb. |
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| cunego59 |
Posted on 19-10-2023 09:03
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Two decent stages, not more but certainly not less. Meintjes finishing third on stage 6 was good, could have been even better with better positioning heading into the climb and while some time gaps would have been nice, those 8 bonus seconds alone could be crucial, looking at how close everything is in the Top 15.
Then a good ride by Politt to finish 5th in the time trial. Meintjes again with a solid performance, gaining time on Aular and limiting his losses to Madrazo, Almeida and Galta to 10-12 seconds. The podium is still in reach, either with time gaps or even bonus seconds depening on how some of the Top 5-7 riders perform. Also, good job by Uwizeyimana, 15th in the TT and now 22nd in the GC, Top 20 might be possible. He actually would've been third in the GC right now had he not lost 1'09 in the first hill stage, but perhaps that would've just confused the AI.
Congrats to bbl for two stage wins. Bit of a gaffe by Kämna on the prior stage, but still, with Galta looking at a very strong GC result, this should be a great race for you, points-wise, which I very much like to see.
Finally, thanks for the nice report, UU. I do enjoy this style for TTs a lot!
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| Nemolito |
Posted on 19-10-2023 10:11
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ok bbl, one stage was nice, two in a row is just selfish But congratulations of course, glad to see Carlsberg doing well
Happy with Sütterlin's second place, and seems like Aular did okay as well. On to 15th in GC now, let's hope the mountain stage is hard from the start of every climb and he has a good day. Good luck to all!
And thank you for the nice tt report, Ulrich!
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| ember |
Posted on 19-10-2023 10:31
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Wow, bbl and Carlsberg are cooking! Very, very nice to see our Danish friends with another win! Wins never come easy in the PT/PTHC, and getting two in a row as a newly promoted team, is just massive. |
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| SotD |
Posted on 19-10-2023 10:50
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Pretty good results GC wise for us. Giannoutsos fights for a top 5 if he has a good day, and Carapaz have also kept himself in the game in case he get’s a great day. Too bad Spanopoulos lost that 1’09” on Stage 3, otherwise he too would have been inside the top 15 atm.
Fingers are crossed for a good final day, because the points secured so far are slim to none!
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| Ollfardh |
Posted on 19-10-2023 16:20
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All in for the last stage then, let's see how much we can gain in the GC.
Changed my sig, this was getting absurd.
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| DubbelDekker |
Posted on 19-10-2023 19:08
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Leknessund and Senni both getting their GC destroyed due to some random split in a mildly hilly stage is pretty painful.
Especially since they lost 1'50 in the split and after the TT they are now 1'38 and 1'58 back in GC. So they would have been numbers 1 and 4 in GC right now. 
They wouldn't have been able to keep those places in the last stage ofcourse. But still it's a shame.
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 19-10-2023 19:11
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DubbelDekker wrote:
Leknessund and Senni both getting their GC destroyed due to some random split in a mildly hilly stage is pretty painful.
Especially since they lost 1'50 in the split and after the TT they are now 1'38 and 1'58 back in GC. So they would have been numbers 1 and 4 in GC right now.
They wouldn't have been able to keep those places in the last stage ofcourse. But still it's a shame.
You're forgetting that other guys who were higher than them were also caught in the split. Kamna would have been first as he was in it and is now only 1'22'' behind.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
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