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Baltic Chain Tour - Discussion
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| Caspi |
Posted on 23-01-2025 07:15
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Domestique
Posts: 458
Joined: 22-09-2022
PCM$: 11900.00
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Welcome to another edition of the Baltic Chain Tour. Same course as recent editions. A sprinters paradise with a cobbled prologue. Doesn't look like anyone is going for their 2nd win though, so it’s time to crown a new prince.
While the report from last year was marvelous, you’ll have to settle with my preview for this edition. If you like visualized data, however, then go have a look here. For now we'll move on to the favorites.
Favorites
| Team | Name | FL | SP | AC | PR |  | Bryan Coquard | 73 | 84 | 83 | 79 |  | Caleb Ewan | 75 | 83 | 81 | 73 |  | Stylianos Farantakis | 74 | 81 | 80 | 79 |  | Sondre Holst Enger | 73 | 81 | 78 | 77 |
I expect to see a sprinter win it all. Four sprinters all have 81+ SP, 76+ AC, and 71+ PR. Coquard looks like the obvious favorite, but Ewan and Farantakis are actually decent on the cobbles, which could prove vital. This leaves Enger who seems stuck somewhere between the big favorites and the rest of the sprinters.
Sprinter outsiders
| Team | Name | FL | SP | AC |  | Daniel Vesely | 73 | 81 | 80 |  | Niccolo Bonifazio | 79 | 80 | 80 |  | Jiankun Liu | 74 | 80 | 80 |  | Mustafa Carsi | 70 | 80 | 82 |  | Nur Aiman Zariff | 70 | 80 | 80 |
With such a parcour, the organisers have succeeded in luring in lots of top sprinters. Too many to mention them all in fact, so we'll settle with the ones above who are all 80+ SP.
Prologue(?) specialists
| Team | Name | CB+PR | CB | PR | | Patrick Gamper | 78 | 80 | 76 | | Georgios Stavrakakis | 77 | 77 | 77 | | Michail Kortsidakis | 75 | 77 | 73 |  | Akil Campbell | 74 | 75 | 75 |  | Saya Kuroeda | 74 | 77 | 71 | | Wout Van Aert | 73,5 | 68 | 79 |  | Owain Doull | 73 | 71 | 75 |  | German Anibal Orue | 73 | 78 | 68 |
A prologue with cobbles, what even is that? Campbell took the opening prologue last year, but Gamper is the favorite this year IMO. I don't think Kopfauf, Schomber or Howson can win it despite their 80+ PL, but Howson might aim for top 10, as he isn't as awful on the cobbles as the two others.
Rouleurs
| Team | Name | FL | FG |  | Alain Quispe | 81 | 85 |  | Marildo Yzeiraj | 77 | 85 |  | Alex Wohler | 77 | 80 | | Sameera Chatarunga | 72 | 80 | | Mikel Demiri | 69 | 80 | | Benedikt Mundle | 78 | 79 |  | Adam Phelan | 70 | 79 |  | Yudai Arashiro | 81 | 78 |  | Nicolay Cherkasov | 80 | 65 |
Lastly, we have the rouleurs. You got to mention someone like Quispe and Yzeiraj, but they'll probably have a hard time with all the top sprinters present.
Full startlist
Spoiler
 Scully
Van der Haar
Reddish
De Bondt
Phelan
Gaze
Brown
Petilli
Riabushenko
Gaspar
Dzervus
Itami
Arashiro
Todome
Yamada
Koide
Afewerki
Onley
Quispe
Bdadou
Sprenger
Borg
Bonello
Ruvalcaba Reyes
Willems
Habimana
Teggart
Ben Ameur
Feiereisen
Huby
Verstrynge
Kulindwa
De Lie
Vesely
Adomaitis
Beniusis
Tediashvili
Kopfauf
Mikutis
Videika
Farantakis
Kortsidakis
Varotsos
Stavrakakis
Koumpetsos
Affini
Christapopoulos
Mugisha
Carsi
Ringheim
Sinkeldam
Sterbini
Barbero
Domene
Acosta
Adriamihajanarivo
Kennett
Geary
Ryan
O'Loughlin
Oram
Wade
Crowley
Yon Hin
Nur Hasan
Doull
Gani
Venturini
Arif Prayogo
Pszczolarski
Rubenis
Van Vliet
Ewan
Contreras
Ferreyra
Owen
Baska
Andersen
Mraouni
Sagiv
Nys
Wohler
Terada
Boudat
Kabas
Gough
Teutenberg
Walscheid
Uhlig
De Buyst
Tesfom
Cherkasov
Mathis
Koch
Bonifazio
Gamper
Biermans
Verwilst
Van Den Bossche
Weemaes
Piccolo
Covi
Kamberaj
Kiskonen
Yzeiraj
De Pooter
Demiri
Groselj
Sarreau
Merlier
Liu
Christen
Zingle
Chatarunga
Vanbilsen
Changsheng
Van Aert
Marzuki
Coquard
Jimenez Retana
Huertas
Rodriguez
Bulux
Arias Villanueva
Granados
Ramirez
Forbes
Campbell
Hennis
Marte
Vanderpool
Major
Perez
Gayral
Tivani
Oka
Keough
Orue
Revelo
Richardson
Frame
Lopez
Zariff
Schomber
Page
Dennis
Barbari
Kiflay
Granigan
Mundle
Howson
Kulikovskiy
Singh
Kuroeda
Kuroeda
Yechezkel
Alben
Trezise
Ackermann
Enger
Manakov
Waersted
Liepins
Bertilsson
Nielsen
Berger
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| Ollfardh |
Posted on 23-01-2025 07:45
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World Champion
Posts: 14737
Joined: 08-08-2011
PCM$: 10200.00
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Cool preview!
Only one big fear here: Gamper winning the prologue and Bonifazio not sprinting to protect his leader.
Changed my sig, this was getting absurd.
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| MacC |
Posted on 23-01-2025 08:40
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Sprinter
Posts: 1619
Joined: 15-07-2008
PCM$: 700.00
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Thanks Caspi. Mainly here for the XP but Kennett might feature in some sprints. He's a good prologuer but the cobbles will scupper him I guess
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| Nemolito |
Posted on 23-01-2025 09:45
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3514
Joined: 20-04-2020
PCM$: 425.00
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Very nice preview, Caspi!
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| SotD |
Posted on 23-01-2025 10:20
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World Champion
Posts: 12265
Joined: 29-11-2006
PCM$: 2980.00
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We were pretty intruiged by this stage 1, so we have TT/PRL riders in all form and shapes here to try to steal some early points and perhaps some depth scoring in the region of 20-30th GC.
Farantakis is obviously our leader, and as mentioned in the preview he’s not too shabby on the cobbles, combined with a good PRL (and solid TT) stat.
Whether he want to sprint decently or not is always a Big questionsmark. He could win here - or like in Mexico get a 20th GC spot.
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| Laurens147 |
Posted on 23-01-2025 11:00
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Protected Rider
Posts: 1237
Joined: 26-04-2020
PCM$: 900.00
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Thanks Caspi for the preview  We're hoping for a good points haul here with Liu and maybe Van Aert in the prologue.
MG - Lotto - Caloi
[MG] New Manager of the Year - PCM.daily Awards 2022
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| AbhishekLFC |
Posted on 23-01-2025 13:35
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 11866
Joined: 27-07-2015
PCM$: 1861.50
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Let's see if our three-pronged attack can do something here. Hoping for depth scoring and at least a couple of good placings from the sprints.
Thanks for the preview Caspi 
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| Bjartne |
Posted on 23-01-2025 16:52
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 2975
Joined: 15-07-2007
PCM$: 300.00
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Brilliant previe Caspi, thank you so much!
If Enger can do something here, even fight for GC-podium, it would be a massive boost against our relegation fight. Really looking forward to this race! |
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| quadsas |
Posted on 23-01-2025 19:39
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2568
Joined: 18-01-2013
PCM$: 300.00
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Vesely and Adomaitis in the same race, disaster incoming
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 14-03-2025 14:15
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Bot Agent
Posts: Countless
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| DaveTwoBob |
Posted on 23-01-2025 20:28
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2447
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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Hoping Walscheid can steal a few points.
Thanks for the preview Caspi.
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| Eden95 |
Posted on 23-01-2025 22:55
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4561
Joined: 05-10-2010
PCM$: 900.00
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Actually a pretty friendly startlist for us. Hopefully Nur Hasan can find the right wheel and get some good results
Thanks for the preview!
Indosat - ANZ HQ
"This Schleck sandwich is going to cause serious indigestion for Evans" - Phil Liggett |
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 24-01-2025 06:53
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18206
Joined: 12-05-2012
PCM$: 0.00
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I see others have realised the value of the weird Prologue here. Makes our Stage Win Goal harder but not impossible.
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| SotD |
Posted on 24-01-2025 07:23
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World Champion
Posts: 12265
Joined: 29-11-2006
PCM$: 2980.00
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TheManxMissile wrote:
I see others have realised the value of the weird Prologue here. Makes our Stage Win Goal harder but not impossible.
I basically built my entire setup around hopefully winning the Team GC 
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| SotD |
Posted on 24-01-2025 16:26
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World Champion
Posts: 12265
Joined: 29-11-2006
PCM$: 2980.00
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Awesome! Reading the Road Map closely and trying to micromanage really paid off here!
Unless we see some splits or a breakaway takes a stage win, we should now be the favorite in the Team GC.
Obviously most of our team will drop out of the top 20 due to bonus seconds to sprinters and riders going in the BotD, but maybe We Can slot a couple around 20-30th to Pick up depth.
Time to see What Farantakis Can do. Not much would be my guess.
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| Eden95 |
Posted on 25-01-2025 00:46
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4561
Joined: 05-10-2010
PCM$: 900.00
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Congrats SotD, it seems your strategy paid off well bringing such a diverse team.
Terrible for Nur Hasan, but we’re here for the other stages anyway. Doull in 12th with probably the highlight of his season here.
Thanks for the report
Indosat - ANZ HQ
"This Schleck sandwich is going to cause serious indigestion for Evans" - Phil Liggett |
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 25-01-2025 08:46
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18206
Joined: 12-05-2012
PCM$: 0.00
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Goddamnit! Those blasted Greeks ruining everything again.
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| Laurens147 |
Posted on 25-01-2025 09:26
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Protected Rider
Posts: 1237
Joined: 26-04-2020
PCM$: 900.00
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Good start from WVA. Congrats SotD with the win!
MG - Lotto - Caloi
[MG] New Manager of the Year - PCM.daily Awards 2022
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| SotD |
Posted on 25-01-2025 16:01
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World Champion
Posts: 12265
Joined: 29-11-2006
PCM$: 2980.00
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Another huge letdown from Farantakis. I have clearly not managed to find a way to make him shine What so ever..
Can’t really figure out if making him 82SPR would solve anything or just make it worse…
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| Ollfardh |
Posted on 25-01-2025 16:07
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World Champion
Posts: 14737
Joined: 08-08-2011
PCM$: 10200.00
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Not the best start for us, WVA beating Gamper in the prologue and then Bonifazio with a mediocre sprint. Congrats to the winners so far!
Changed my sig, this was getting absurd.
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| Laurens147 |
Posted on 25-01-2025 16:15
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Protected Rider
Posts: 1237
Joined: 26-04-2020
PCM$: 900.00
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Great win from Liu  He’s on a roll it seems with 2 wins in 2 stage races.
Thanks Imladrik for the reports!
MG - Lotto - Caloi
[MG] New Manager of the Year - PCM.daily Awards 2022
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Baltic Chain Tour 
![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg){kind=small}
