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Team Raleigh - Oakley | 2013 | Team Presentation
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| lennybernstein |
Posted on 05-11-2012 17:54
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@sutty68: yes, I've been surprised by Oliphant's consistency this month. Hope he can keep it up!
Giro della Valle d'Aosta: Stages 1 & 2
21.08 - 26.08
Holohan got straight into the action on stage 1, joining a break of five riders.
Holohan makes the break on stage 1
He was feeling particularly good and decided to set a fierce pace up the final climb. This put the other escapees into trouble, who were quickly dropped.
Holohan drops his breakaway companions
The peloton split behind as it upped the pace. With 20km to go, Holohan had a lead of over 2 minutes, while the other escapees had bitten the bullet. An Post chased hard, however, and caught Holohan with a little over 5km left. As Holohan was caught, Hampton decided to try a counter attack.
Hampton counters as Holohan is reeled in
Would the bunch have anything left to chase him down? It appeared not. The teams all looked at each other to lead the chase but no-one was willing to take responsibility. Hampton crossed the line victorious with a huge 1'45" lead over the pack. A great win after an injury-hit season.
Hampton had time to celebrate
Holohan once again broke clear on stage 2, hunting more KOM points.
Holohan goes long
He was joined by another three escapees and they forged a strong working relationship. With 10km remaining they had a lead of around a minute. Holohan meanwhile had done enough to take over the lead in the mountains competition.
The break's lead hung in the balance with 10km to go
Cruelly, the break were caught with under 2km remaining and the pack positioned themselves for the uphill finish. Van Niekerek (MTN) took the win with a convincing sprint, with Horton placing an impressive 6th.
Van Niekerk was peerless in the sprint on Stage 2
Despite having a reputation as a poor climber, Hampton managed to finish in the lead group to maintain his overall lead, thanks to some great team work by Raleigh to protect him through the stage.
Stage 3's mountain-top finish will provide a much stiffer test for Hampton, although Oilphant and Holohan are waiting in the wings to take over team leadership if necessary.
| 1 | Russell Hampton | Team Raleigh - GAC | 7h54'24 | | 2 | Dennis Van Niekerk | MTN - Qhubeka | + 1'36 | | 3 | Stefan Schumacher | Christina Watches - Onfone | + 1'49 | | 4 | Paul Voss | Endura Racing | s.t. | | 5 | Jackson RodrÃguez | Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela | + 1'53 | | 6 | Liam Holohan | Team Raleigh - GAC | s.t. | | 7 | Evan Oliphant | Team Raleigh - GAC | + 1'59 | | 8 | Ruggero Marzoli | Acqua & Sapone | + 2'01 | | 9 | Sergey Chernetskiy | Itera - Katusha | s.t. | | 10 | Marino Palandri | Amore & Vita | s.t. |
Edited by lennybernstein on 06-11-2012 17:27
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| Miguel98 |
Posted on 05-11-2012 18:01
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World Champion
Posts: 10497
Joined: 23-06-2011
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Too good month so far. |
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| francopell |
Posted on 05-11-2012 18:06
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Domestique
Posts: 652
Joined: 15-07-2012
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Some good results in this tour so far  |
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| lennybernstein |
Posted on 05-11-2012 19:31
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Domestique
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@Miguel98 & Francoppell: thanks guys
Giro della Valle d'Aosta: Stages 3 & 4
21.08 - 26.08
Stage 3 looked set to be the first real test of Hampton's overall lead. Hampton's ability in the mountains is 'limited' to say the least, so holding on to yellow would be challenge for both him and the team.
No-one could have predicted just how early Hampton's defence of yellow would end however. About half-way through the race, Hampton crashed on one the descents, cruelly ending any hopes he had of clinging on to yellow for another day.
Disaster his Hampton as he crashes on Stage 3
With Hampton out of the picture, Holohan went to the front of the reduced pack with 12km to go, in an attempt to bring back Foliforov, who had a 2 minute lead. Oliphant looked strong in fourth wheel.
Holohan sets the pace
Thanks in part to Holohan's efforts, Foliforov was reeled pack. Van Niekerk jumped clear of a group of 18 riders to take his second win on the trot, taking the overall lead in the process (no picture unfortunately). Oliphant finished safely within the lead group to move up to 5th overall.
Stage 4 provided some respite for the non-climbers. It was a flattish stage with a tricky uphill finish. Schumacher took the win, with Sulzberger Raleigh's best-placed rider in 10th. The GC remained unchanged.
Schumacher wins stage 4
With another mountain-top finish to come on stage 5, followed by stage 6's time trial, the overall classification is all to play for.
| 1 | Dennis Van Niekerk | MTN - Qhubeka | 16h02'06 | | 2 | Stefan Schumacher | Christina Watches - Onfone | + 13 | | 3 | Jackson RodrÃguez | Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela | + 17 | | 4 | Carlos Betancur | Acqua & Sapone | + 41 | | 5 | Evan Oliphant | Team Raleigh - GAC | + 43 | | 6 | Luca Ascani | Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | + 49 | | 7 | Jacobus Venter | MTN - Qhubeka | s.t. | | 8 | Rasmus Guldhammer | Christina Watches - Onfone | s.t. | | 9 | Riccardo Chiarini | Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela | s.t. | | 10 | Jacques Janse Van Rensburg | MTN - Qhubeka | s.t. |
Edited by lennybernstein on 05-11-2012 19:32
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| Miguel98 |
Posted on 05-11-2012 19:38
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World Champion
Posts: 10497
Joined: 23-06-2011
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God damn it, sad for Olophant.   |
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| lennybernstein |
Posted on 05-11-2012 19:56
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Domestique
Posts: 450
Joined: 19-04-2011
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@Miguel98 You mean sad for Hampton?
Giro della Valle d'Aosta: Stages 5 & 6
21.08 - 26.08
The fifth stage was a colussus stage in the mountains with a tough summit finish. Holohan infiltrated the break and mopped up enough KOM points to seal his victory in the mountains contest.
Holohan secures another KOM win for Raleigh
Holohan and his companions were caught with 12km to go. Up the final climb, a series of sharp attacks were launched but none could stick. So as on stage 3, a select group made it to the top together.
Van Nierkerk was once again the strongest in the sprint to extend his overall lead and ram home his superiority in this race. Oliphant finished in the lead group to remain 5th overall.
Van Niekerk wins his third stage of the race
And so to stage 6's mountain time trial. Oliphant in not a time triallist and was up against it to defend his 5th place overall. He finished 100th on the day, losing 48 seconds to the eventual winner.
Oliphant struggled, despite the support of the crowd
Iker Camano put in a sterling ride to make a strong claim for the overall, coming in second, 15 seconds down on the winner.
Camano came second on stage 6
Jackson Rodriguez gave the performance of the day to win the time trial in convincing fashion. He started the day just 54 seconds down on Van Niekerk. Would this victory be enough to take the overall win?
Rodriguez was dominant in the stage 6 time trial
All eyes turned to Van Niekerk. He put in yet another strong ride, finishing 4th on the day. Importantly, he crossed the line just 21 seconds down on Rodriguez, enough to claim the overall victory.
Van Niekerk rode strongly to defend yellow
Meanwhile, Oliphant managed to remain in the top 10 despite his time losses, finishing 10th overall. Another solid ride from the Scotsman.
| 1 | Dennis Van Niekerk | MTN - Qhubeka | 22h20'45 | | 2 | Jackson RodrÃguez | Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela | + 33 | | 3 | Iker Camaño | Endura Racing | + 59 | | 4 | Stefan Schumacher | Christina Watches - Onfone | + 1'03 | | 5 | Vladimir Miholjevic | Acqua & Sapone | + 1'22 | | 6 | Rasmus Guldhammer | Christina Watches - Onfone | + 1'26 | | 7 | Emanuele Sella | Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela | + 1'29 | | 8 | Carlos Betancur | Acqua & Sapone | + 1'42 | | 9 | Stefano Garzelli | Acqua & Sapone | + 1'46 | | 10 | Evan Oliphant | Team Raleigh - GAC | + 1'47 |
Spoiler | 11 | Francesco Reda | Acqua & Sapone | + 1'49 | | 12 | Luca Ascani | Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | + 1'51 | | 13 | Jacobus Venter | MTN - Qhubeka | + 1'52 | | 14 | Jonathan Tiernan-Locke | Endura Racing | s.t. | | 15 | Michael Rasmussen | Christina Watches - Onfone | s.t. | | 16 | Jacques Janse Van Rensburg | MTN - Qhubeka | + 1'55 | | 17 | Alexander Foliforov | Itera - Katusha | + 1'58 | | 18 | Massimo Codol | Acqua & Sapone | + 4'20 | | 19 | René Jørgensen | Christina Watches - Onfone | + 4'21 | | 20 | Sergey Chernetskiy | Itera - Katusha | s.t. | | 21 | Ruggero Marzoli | Acqua & Sapone | + 5'46 | | 22 | Sergey Rudaskov | Itera - Katusha | + 5'52 | | 23 | Alessandro Bertolini | Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela | + 5'54 | | 24 | Dmitry Mokrov | Itera - Katusha | + 5'55 | | 25 | Damien Branaa | Burgos BH - Castilla y León | + 6'59 | | 26 | Roman Kilun | Kenda - 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team | + 7'00 | | 27 | Jonathan Monsalve | Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela | + 7'05 | | 28 | Adrien Niyonshuti | MTN - Qhubeka | + 7'06 | | 29 | Salvatore Mancuso | Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela | + 7'35 | | 30 | Jaroslaw Dabrowski | Amore & Vita | + 7'53 | | 31 | Alexander Rybakov | Itera - Katusha | + 8'35 | | 32 | Nicholas Francesconi | Amore & Vita | + 9'33 | | 33 | David Rosch | Atlas Personal - Jakroo | + 10'10 | | 34 | Davide Ricci Bitti | Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | + 10'14 | | 35 | Jani Tewelde Weldegaber | MTN - Qhubeka | + 10'18 | | 36 | Calvin Beneke | MTN - Qhubeka | + 12'22 | | 37 | Petrus Lotto | MTN - Qhubeka | + 12'44 | | 38 | Liam Holohan | Team Raleigh - GAC | + 13'01 | | 39 | Martin Lind | Christina Watches - Onfone | + 14'59 | | 40 | Marino Palandri | Amore & Vita | + 15'51 | | 41 | Martin Pedersen | Christina Watches - Onfone | + 17'08 | | 42 | Kenneth Hansen | Christina Watches - Onfone | + 17'26 | | 43 | Uri Martins | Amore & Vita | + 17'29 | | 44 | Matthew Holmes | Team Raleigh - GAC | + 19'05 | | 45 | Jack Anderson | Endura Racing | + 19'40 | | 46 | Ian Wilkinson | Endura Racing | + 20'05 | | 47 | Riccardo Chiarini | Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela | + 20'27 | | 48 | Antonino Parrinello | Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela | + 22'23 | | 49 | David Belda | Burgos BH - Castilla y León | + 23'11 | | 50 | Pierpaolo De Negri | Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | + 24'28 | | 51 | Matteo Rabottini | Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | + 25'10 | | 52 | Cristiano Benenati | Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | + 25'38 | | 53 | Tobyn Horton | Team Raleigh - GAC | + 28'54 | | 54 | Roberto De Patre | Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | + 28'55 | | 55 | Andrey Solomennikov | Itera - Katusha | + 29'34 | | 56 | Paul Voss | Endura Racing | + 30'18 | | 57 | Alexander Gottfried | Nutrixxion Abus | + 30'33 | | 58 | Vladislav Borisov | Amore & Vita | + 32'14 | | 59 | Kevin Hulsmans | Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | + 33'57 | | 60 | Igor Frolov | Itera - Katusha | + 34'29 | | 61 | James Lowsley-Williams | UK Youth Cycling | + 34'40 | | 62 | Miguel Ubeto | Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela | + 34'54 | | 63 | Curtis Winsor | Kenda - 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team | + 35'58 | | 64 | Dmitry Kosyakov | Itera - Katusha | + 36'04 | | 65 | Songezo Jim | MTN - Qhubeka | + 36'22 | | 66 | Dirk Müller | Nutrixxion Abus | + 36'30 | | 67 | Erick Rowsell | Endura Racing | + 36'51 | | 68 | Andrea Masciarelli | Acqua & Sapone | + 37'44 | | 69 | Yanto Barker | UK Youth Cycling | + 38'02 | | 70 | Maksym Averin | Amore & Vita | + 39'36 | | 71 | Jonathan Fumeaux | Atlas Personal - Jakroo | + 40'32 | | 72 | Ian Bibby | Endura Racing | + 40'40 | | 73 | Nicolas Capdepuy | Burgos BH - Castilla y León | + 41'10 | | 74 | Russell Hampton | Team Raleigh - GAC | + 42'07 | | 75 | Dmytro Volovod | ISD - Lampre Continental | + 45'22 | | 76 | Sean Downey | An Post - Sean Kelly | + 45'24 | | 77 | Maurits Lammertink | Cyclingteam Jo Piels | s.t. | | 78 | Anatoliy Pakthusov | ISD - Lampre Continental | + 45'25 | | 79 | Christoph Schweizer | Nutrixxion Abus | + 48'10 | | 80 | Pablo Torres | Burgos BH - Castilla y León | + 48'50 | | 81 | Philipp Mamos | Amore & Vita | + 49'04 | | 82 | Vladyslav Bakumenko | ISD - Lampre Continental | + 49'49 | | 83 | James Stemper | Kenda - 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team | + 49'55 | | 84 | Bernard Sulzberger | Team Raleigh - GAC | + 50'34 | | 85 | Daniel Holloway | Team Raleigh - GAC | + 50'50 | | 86 | David McGowan | UK Youth Cycling | + 51'41 | | 87 | Francesco Van Coppernolle | Jong Vlaanderen Cycling Team | + 51'47 | | 88 | Steven Lammertink | Cyclingteam Jo Piels | + 52'20 | | 89 | Rens Te Stroet | Cyclingteam Jo Piels | + 53'06 | | 90 | Pawel Brylowski | Bank BGZ | + 53'22 | | 91 | Diego Caccia | Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | + 53'25 | | 92 | Patrick Schelling | Atlas Personal - Jakroo | + 53'54 | | 93 | Oleksandr Martynenko | ISD - Lampre Continental | + 54'29 | | 94 | Fredrik Johansson | UK Youth Cycling | + 55'29 | | 95 | Simon Pellaud | Atlas Personal - Jakroo | + 57'33 | | 96 | Sebastian Körber | Nutrixxion Abus | + 57'36 | | 97 | Claudio Corioni | Acqua & Sapone | + 57'50 | | 98 | Marcel Aregger | Atlas Personal - Jakroo | + 58'10 | | 99 | Connor McConvey | An Post - Sean Kelly | + 58'12 | | 100 | Ingmar De Poortere | Jong Vlaanderen Cycling Team | + 58'37 | | 101 | Tom Vermeer | Nutrixxion Abus | + 59'58 | | 102 | Scott Thwaites | Endura Racing | + 1h01'02 | | 103 | Kristian House | Rapha Condor - Sharp | + 1h01'09 | | 104 | Volodymyr Kogut | Amore & Vita | s.t. | | 105 | Angelo Furlan | Christina Watches - Onfone | + 1h01'23 | | 106 | Mark McNally | An Post - Sean Kelly | + 1h01'55 | | 107 | Piotr Sztobryn | Bank BGZ | + 1h02'05 | | 108 | Gediminas Bagdonas | An Post - Sean Kelly | + 1h02'21 | | 109 | Andy Jacques-Maynes | Kenda - 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team | + 1h02'42 | | 110 | Graham Briggs | Team Raleigh - GAC | + 1h03'23 | | 111 | Blazej Janiaczyk | Bank BGZ | + 1h04'44 | | 112 | Richard Lang | Rapha Condor - Sharp | + 1h05'28 | | 113 | Brecht Ruyters | Jong Vlaanderen Cycling Team | s.t. | | 114 | Adam Stachowiak | Bank BGZ | + 1h05'31 | | 115 | Bernhard Oberholzer | Atlas Personal - Jakroo | s.t. | | 116 | Roy Jans | An Post - Sean Kelly | + 1h06'19 | | 117 | Dylan Teuns | Jong Vlaanderen Cycling Team | s.t. | | 118 | Benjamin Verraes | Jong Vlaanderen Cycling Team | + 1h06'26 | | 119 | Efren Carazo | Burgos BH - Castilla y León | s.t. | | 120 | Łukasz Bodnar | Bank BGZ | + 1h06'27 | | 121 | Oliver Rossi | Rapha Condor - Sharp | + 1h06'28 | | 122 | Jonathan Bellis | An Post - Sean Kelly | + 1h08'15 | | 123 | Paul Mach | Kenda - 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team | + 1h08'18 | | 124 | Stefan Poutsma | Cyclingteam Jo Piels | + 1h08'20 | | 125 | Andrew Tennant | Rapha Condor - Sharp | + 1h08'24 | | 126 | Sander Oostlander | Cyclingteam Jo Piels | + 1h08'27 | | 127 | Nathaniel English | Kenda - 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team | + 1h08'50 | | 128 | Peter Erdin | Atlas Personal - Jakroo | + 1h09'50 | | 129 | Peter Schulting | Cyclingteam Jo Piels | + 1h09'52 | | 130 | Christopher Jennings | Rapha Condor - Sharp | + 1h09'53 | | 131 | Louis Vervaeke | Jong Vlaanderen Cycling Team | s.t. | | 132 | Denys Karnulin | ISD - Lampre Continental | + 1h09'54 | | 133 | Ruben Jimenez | Burgos BH - Castilla y León | s.t. | | 134 | Isaac Howe | Kenda - 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team | + 1h09'55 | | 135 | Michael Cuming | Rapha Condor - Sharp | + 1h10'01 | | 136 | Stephen Housley | Kenda - 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team | + 1h10'18 | | 137 | Sjors Roosen | Cyclingteam Jo Piels | s.t. | | 138 | Scott Law | An Post - Sean Kelly | + 1h11'12 | | 139 | Ben Grenda | Rapha Condor - Sharp | + 1h11'49 | | 140 | Greg Mansell | UK Youth Cycling | + 1h11'54 | | 141 | Maksym Vasilyev | ISD - Lampre Continental | + 1h11'55 | | 142 | Lukasz Maslowski | Bank BGZ | + 1h12'05 | | 143 | Alexander Schmitt | Nutrixxion Abus | + 1h14'18 | | 144 | Sem van de Steen | Cyclingteam Jo Piels | + 1h17'26 | | 145 | Joren Segers | An Post - Sean Kelly | + 1h17'57 | | 146 | James Stewart | UK Youth Cycling | + 1h18'05 | | 147 | Jens Vandenbogaerde | Jong Vlaanderen Cycling Team | + 1h19'41 | | 148 | Pirmin Lang | Atlas Personal - Jakroo | + 1h21'25 | | 149 | Ed Clancy | Rapha Condor - Sharp | + 1h21'35 | | 150 | Kevin Verwaest | Jong Vlaanderen Cycling Team | + 1h24'02 |
| 1 | Dennis Van Niekerk | MTN - Qhubeka | 111 | | 2 | Jackson RodrÃguez | Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela | 104 | | 3 | Stefan Schumacher | Christina Watches - Onfone | 83 | | 4 | Iker Camaño | Endura Racing | 40 | | 5 | Vladimir Miholjevic | Acqua & Sapone | 38 |
| 1 | Liam Holohan | Team Raleigh - GAC | 89 | | 2 | Dirk Müller | Nutrixxion Abus | 50 | | 3 | Dennis Van Niekerk | MTN - Qhubeka | 38 | | 4 | Alexander Foliforov | Itera - Katusha | 38 | | 5 | Nicholas Francesconi | Amore & Vita | 38 |
| 1 | Rasmus Guldhammer | Christina Watches - Onfone | 22h22'11 |
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| Miguel98 |
Posted on 05-11-2012 19:57
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World Champion
Posts: 10497
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Yeah, I meant that. Good place for Oliphant in the GC. |
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| francopell |
Posted on 05-11-2012 19:59
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Mountains competition and a top 10 in the GC. Month's going well   |
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 05-11-2012 21:50
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Tour de France Champion
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PCM$: 400.00
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Holohan |
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Posted on 22-11-2024 03:13
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 05-11-2012 23:13
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 34654
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What a shame for Russell Hampton on stage 3, it would have been great to see him defend his yellow jersey 
But at least he will have a smile for Liam for winning the Mountains jersey |
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| lennybernstein |
Posted on 06-11-2012 14:49
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Posts: 450
Joined: 19-04-2011
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@everyone : thanks as ever
@sutty68: real shame for Hampton, but tbh I don't think he stood a chance on that stage. His mountain stat is in the 50s!
Our final race of the month was this hilly Croatian affair, our final chance to fine-tune our race fitness before the big one: the Tour of Britain.
Spoiler | Pieter Ghyllebert | An Post - Sean Kelly | | Niels Wytinck | An Post - Sean Kelly | | Kenneth Vanbilsen | An Post - Sean Kelly | | Mark Cassidy | An Post - Sean Kelly | | Nico Eeckhout | An Post - Sean Kelly | | Stijn Ennekens | An Post - Sean Kelly | | Jonathan Mould | An Post - Sean Kelly | | Ronan McLaughlin | An Post - Sean Kelly | | Nicolas Baldo | Atlas Personal - Jakroo | | Jonas Huber | Atlas Personal - Jakroo | | Frederik Thalund | Blue Water Cycling | | Søren Pugdahl | Blue Water Cycling | | Jacob Nielsen | Blue Water Cycling | | Thomas Nybo Riis | Blue Water Cycling | | Cristian Jersild Jensen | Blue Water Cycling | | Mark Sehested | Blue Water Cycling | | Casper Degn | Blue Water Cycling | | Ricardo Mestre | Carmim - Prio | | Alejandro Marque Porto | Carmim - Prio | | Tomas Swift Metcalfe | Carmim - Prio | | Diogo Nunes | Carmim - Prio | | Valter Pereira | Carmim - Prio | | David Livramento | Carmim - Prio | | Marek Rutkiewicz | CCC Polsat - Polkowice | | Tomasz Kiendyś | CCC Polsat - Polkowice | | Kamil Zielinski | CCC Polsat - Polkowice | | Dariusz Batek | CCC Polsat - Polkowice | | Pawel Charucki | CCC Polsat - Polkowice | | Adrian Honkisz | CCC Polsat - Polkowice | | Łukasz Owsian | CCC Polsat - Polkowice | | Wladyslaw Bukowski | CCC Polsat - Polkowice | | Francisco Mancebo | Competitive Cyclist Racing Team | | Tommy Nankervis | Competitive Cyclist Racing Team | | Thomas Rabou | Competitive Cyclist Racing Team | | Max Jenkins | Competitive Cyclist Racing Team | | Michael Olheiser | Competitive Cyclist Racing Team | | Taylor Shelden | Competitive Cyclist Racing Team | | Huub Duyn | Cyclingteam De Rijke | | Sebastiaan Pot | Cyclingteam De Rijke | | Sjoerd Kouwenhoven | Cyclingteam De Rijke | | Rune Van der Meijden | Cyclingteam De Rijke | | Dylan Groenewegen | Cyclingteam De Rijke | | Niek Boom | Cyclingteam De Rijke | | Remco Te Brake | Cyclingteam De Rijke | | Yoeri Havik | Cyclingteam De Rijke | | Lachlan Norris | Drapac Professional Cycling | | Darren Lapthorne | Drapac Professional Cycling | | Adam Semple | Drapac Professional Cycling | | Adam Phelan | Drapac Professional Cycling | | Rhys Pollock | Drapac Professional Cycling | | Oliver Morgan | Drapac Professional Cycling | | David Blanco | Efapel - Glassdrive | | Sérgio Ribeiro | Efapel - Glassdrive | | Sérgio Sousa | Efapel - Glassdrive | | Daniel Freitas | Efapel - Glassdrive | | Raúl Alarcón | Efapel - Glassdrive | | Sandro Pinto | Efapel - Glassdrive | | René Mandri | Endura Racing | | Alexander Wetterhall | Endura Racing | | Russell Downing | Endura Racing | | Zakkari Dempster | Endura Racing | | Robert Partridge | Endura Racing | | Alexandre Blain | Endura Racing | | Dean Windsor | Endura Racing | | Jonathon McEvoy | Endura Racing | | André Steensen | Glud & Marstrand - LRØ | | Niki Østergaard | Glud & Marstrand - LRØ | | Michael Valgren Andersen | Glud & Marstrand - LRØ | | Sebastian Lander | Glud & Marstrand - LRØ | | Patrick Clausen | Glud & Marstrand - LRØ | | Sergei Pomoshnikov | Itera - Katusha | | Vyacheslav Kuznetsov | Itera - Katusha | | Hugo Sabido | LA - Antarte | | Enrique Salgueiro | LA - Antarte | | VergÃlio Santos | LA - Antarte | | Márcio Barbosa | LA - Antarte | | Giorgio Brambilla | Leopard - Trek Continental Team | | Eugenio Alafaci | Leopard - Trek Continental Team | | Alexandre Pliuschin | Leopard - Trek Continental Team | | Jesús Ezquerra | Leopard - Trek Continental Team | | Fabio Silvestre | Leopard - Trek Continental Team | | Pit Schlechter | Leopard - Trek Continental Team | | Meron Russom | MTN - Qhubeka | | Martin Wesemann | MTN - Qhubeka | | Tsgabu Grmay | MTN - Qhubeka | | Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg | MTN - Qhubeka | | Arran Brown | MTN - Qhubeka | | Freqalsi Debesay | MTN - Qhubeka | | Bradley Potgieter | MTN - Qhubeka | | Tesfay Abraha Habtemariam | MTN - Qhubeka | | Matthias Bertling | Team Eddy Merckx - Indeland | | Florian Monreal | Team Eddy Merckx - Indeland | | Patrick Bercz | Team Eddy Merckx - Indeland | | Daniel Westmattelmann | Team Eddy Merckx - Indeland | | Thomas Schneider | Team Eddy Merckx - Indeland | | Julian Hellmann | Team Eddy Merckx - Indeland | | Dan Craven | Team IG - Sigma Sport | | Simon Richardson | Team IG - Sigma Sport | | Thomas Murray | Team IG - Sigma Sport | | Peter Hawkins | Team IG - Sigma Sport | | Tom Last | Team IG - Sigma Sport | | Simon Gaywood | Team IG - Sigma Sport | | Rohan Dennis | Team Jayco - AIS | | Jay McCarthy | Team Jayco - AIS | | Patrick Lane | Team Jayco - AIS | | Calvin Watson | Team Jayco - AIS | | Nick Aitken | Team Jayco - AIS | | Aaron Donnelly | Team Jayco - AIS | | Markus Fothen | Team NSP - Ghost | | Sergej Fuchs | Team NSP - Ghost | | Yannick Mayer | Team NSP - Ghost | | Jacob Fiedler | Team NSP - Ghost | | Tino Thömel | Team NSP - Ghost | | Lucas Schädlich | Team NSP - Ghost | | Stefan Schäfer | Team NSP - Ghost | | René Heinze | Team NSP - Ghost | | Chad Haga | Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | | Alex Candelario | Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | | Michael Creed | Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | | Michael Sherer | Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | | Marsh Cooper | Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | | Evan Oliphant | Team Raleigh - GAC | | Liam Holohan | Team Raleigh - GAC | | Russell Hampton | Team Raleigh - GAC | | Graham Briggs | Team Raleigh - GAC | | Daniel Holloway | Team Raleigh - GAC | | Bernard Sulzberger | Team Raleigh - GAC | | Tobyn Horton | Team Raleigh - GAC | | Matthew Holmes | Team Raleigh - GAC | | Robert Vrecer | Team Vorarlberg | | Josef Benetseder | Team Vorarlberg | | Patrick Konrad | Team Vorarlberg | | Dominik Hrinkow | Team Vorarlberg | | Florian Gaugl | Team Vorarlberg | | Remo Schuler | Team Vorarlberg | | Daniel Rinner | Team Vorarlberg | | Guillaume Bourgeois | Team Vorarlberg | | Michal Olejnik | Veranda Rideau - Super U | | Guillaume Malle | Veranda Rideau - Super U | | Arnaud Molmy | Veranda Rideau - Super U | | Justin Jules | Veranda Rideau - Super U | | Tomasz Olejnik | Veranda Rideau - Super U | | Michaël Loiseau | Veranda Rideau - Super U |
With hills the order of the day, puncheurs like Fothen, Dennis, Blanco and Steenson looked set to shine.
We fielded a strong team for this terrain. Oliphant and Holohan were both capable of challenging, although Oliphant's slight dip in fitness is a concern ahead of the Tour of Britain. Have we been over-working him this season?
We sent young Matthew Holmes out into the day's break today to save our team having to do any of the chasing.
The break enjoyed some beautiful riverside scenery today
The break was duly caught with 12km left. Raleigh set a fierce pace as the race headed to the base of the finishing summit to give Oliphant and Holohan the best possible positioning.
Raleigh looked to tee up Oliphant and Holohan ahead of the final climb
The ploy worked well, and with 1km to go, three Raleigh riders were in the top 10: Oliphant, Holohan and Hampton. However, it was Efapel's Blanco who was at the head of affairs, closely marked by Olejnik (Veranda Rideau).
Blanco leads under the red kite
Olejnik timed his sprint to perfection to come round Blanco and take an unexpected win. Blanco and Steensen rounded out the podium. Raleigh held their top positions: Oliphant came in 6th, with Holohan 8th and Hampton 10th.
Olejnik triumphs in Zagreb
| 1 | Michal Olejnik | Veranda Rideau - Super U | 4h56'04 | | 2 | David Blanco | Efapel - Glassdrive | s.t. | | 3 | André Steensen | Glud & Marstrand - LRØ | + 22 | | 4 | Markus Fothen | Team NSP - Ghost | + 34 | | 5 | Rohan Dennis | Team Jayco - AIS | s.t. | | 6 | Evan Oliphant | Team Raleigh - GAC | s.t. | | 7 | Sérgio Ribeiro | Efapel - Glassdrive | s.t. | | 8 | Liam Holohan | Team Raleigh - GAC | s.t. | | 9 | Guillaume Malle | Veranda Rideau - Super U | s.t. | | 10 | Russell Hampton | Team Raleigh - GAC | s.t. |
Spoiler | 11 | Marek Rutkiewicz | CCC Polsat - Polkowice | s.t. | | 12 | Giorgio Brambilla | Leopard - Trek Continental Team | s.t. | | 13 | Eugenio Alafaci | Leopard - Trek Continental Team | s.t. | | 14 | Hugo Sabido | LA - Antarte | s.t. | | 15 | Dan Craven | Team IG - Sigma Sport | s.t. | | 16 | Ricardo Mestre | Carmim - Prio | s.t. | | 17 | Pieter Ghyllebert | An Post - Sean Kelly | s.t. | | 18 | Enrique Salgueiro | LA - Antarte | s.t. | | 19 | Robert Vrecer | Team Vorarlberg | s.t. | | 20 | Alejandro Marque Porto | Carmim - Prio | s.t. | | 21 | Josef Benetseder | Team Vorarlberg | s.t. | | 22 | Huub Duyn | Cyclingteam De Rijke | s.t. | | 23 | René Mandri | Endura Racing | s.t. | | 24 | Niki Østergaard | Glud & Marstrand - LRØ | s.t. | | 25 | Sergej Fuchs | Team NSP - Ghost | s.t. | | 26 | Michael Valgren Andersen | Glud & Marstrand - LRØ | s.t. | | 27 | Tomasz Kiendyś | CCC Polsat - Polkowice | s.t. | | 28 | Arnaud Molmy | Veranda Rideau - Super U | s.t. | | 29 | Meron Russom | MTN - Qhubeka | s.t. | | 30 | Alexander Wetterhall | Endura Racing | s.t. | | 31 | Jay McCarthy | Team Jayco - AIS | s.t. | | 32 | Niels Wytinck | An Post - Sean Kelly | s.t. | | 33 | Russell Downing | Endura Racing | s.t. | | 34 | Kenneth Vanbilsen | An Post - Sean Kelly | s.t. | | 35 | Zakkari Dempster | Endura Racing | s.t. | | 36 | Chad Haga | Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | s.t. | | 37 | Sebastiaan Pot | Cyclingteam De Rijke | s.t. | | 38 | Graham Briggs | Team Raleigh - GAC | s.t. | | 39 | Sergei Pomoshnikov | Itera - Katusha | s.t. | | 40 | Daniel Holloway | Team Raleigh - GAC | s.t. | | 41 | Sebastian Lander | Glud & Marstrand - LRØ | s.t. | | 42 | Bernard Sulzberger | Team Raleigh - GAC | s.t. | | 43 | Lachlan Norris | Drapac Professional Cycling | s.t. | | 44 | Justin Jules | Veranda Rideau - Super U | s.t. | | 45 | Martin Wesemann | MTN - Qhubeka | s.t. | | 46 | Tsgabu Grmay | MTN - Qhubeka | s.t. | | 47 | Tobyn Horton | Team Raleigh - GAC | s.t. | | 48 | Francisco Mancebo | Competitive Cyclist Racing Team | s.t. | | 49 | Sérgio Sousa | Efapel - Glassdrive | s.t. | | 50 | Simon Richardson | Team IG - Sigma Sport | s.t. | | 51 | Alexandre Pliuschin | Leopard - Trek Continental Team | s.t. | | 52 | Yannick Mayer | Team NSP - Ghost | s.t. | | 53 | Matthias Bertling | Team Eddy Merckx - Indeland | s.t. | | 54 | Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg | MTN - Qhubeka | s.t. | | 55 | Sjoerd Kouwenhoven | Cyclingteam De Rijke | s.t. | | 56 | Jacob Fiedler | Team NSP - Ghost | s.t. | | 57 | Tino Thömel | Team NSP - Ghost | s.t. | | 58 | Rune Van der Meijden | Cyclingteam De Rijke | s.t. | | 59 | Robert Partridge | Endura Racing | s.t. | | 60 | Lucas Schädlich | Team NSP - Ghost | s.t. | | 61 | Tomasz Olejnik | Veranda Rideau - Super U | s.t. | | 62 | Dylan Groenewegen | Cyclingteam De Rijke | s.t. | | 63 | VergÃlio Santos | LA - Antarte | s.t. | | 64 | Patrick Clausen | Glud & Marstrand - LRØ | s.t. | | 65 | Patrick Lane | Team Jayco - AIS | s.t. | | 66 | Arran Brown | MTN - Qhubeka | s.t. | | 67 | Tommy Nankervis | Competitive Cyclist Racing Team | s.t. | | 68 | Thomas Murray | Team IG - Sigma Sport | s.t. | | 69 | Mark Cassidy | An Post - Sean Kelly | s.t. | | 70 | Darren Lapthorne | Drapac Professional Cycling | s.t. | | 71 | Niek Boom | Cyclingteam De Rijke | s.t. | | 72 | Daniel Freitas | Efapel - Glassdrive | s.t. | | 73 | Raúl Alarcón | Efapel - Glassdrive | s.t. | | 74 | Stefan Schäfer | Team NSP - Ghost | s.t. | | 75 | René Heinze | Team NSP - Ghost | s.t. | | 76 | Jesús Ezquerra | Leopard - Trek Continental Team | s.t. | | 77 | Freqalsi Debesay | MTN - Qhubeka | s.t. | | 78 | Calvin Watson | Team Jayco - AIS | s.t. | | 79 | Florian Monreal | Team Eddy Merckx - Indeland | + 3'08 | | 80 | Matthew Holmes | Team Raleigh - GAC | s.t. | | 81 | Alex Candelario | Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | s.t. | | 82 | Fabio Silvestre | Leopard - Trek Continental Team | s.t. | | 83 | Patrick Bercz | Team Eddy Merckx - Indeland | + 3'40 | | 84 | Kamil Zielinski | CCC Polsat - Polkowice | s.t. | | 85 | Peter Hawkins | Team IG - Sigma Sport | s.t. | | 86 | Nico Eeckhout | An Post - Sean Kelly | s.t. | | 87 | Adam Semple | Drapac Professional Cycling | s.t. | | 88 | Michael Creed | Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | s.t. | | 89 | Tomas Swift Metcalfe | Carmim - Prio | s.t. | | 90 | Stijn Ennekens | An Post - Sean Kelly | s.t. | | 91 | Patrick Konrad | Team Vorarlberg | s.t. | | 92 | Alexandre Blain | Endura Racing | s.t. | | 93 | Adam Phelan | Drapac Professional Cycling | s.t. | | 94 | Jonathan Mould | An Post - Sean Kelly | s.t. | | 95 | Dariusz Batek | CCC Polsat - Polkowice | s.t. | | 96 | Sandro Pinto | Efapel - Glassdrive | s.t. | | 97 | Márcio Barbosa | LA - Antarte | s.t. | | 98 | Pawel Charucki | CCC Polsat - Polkowice | + 4'54 | | 99 | Thomas Rabou | Competitive Cyclist Racing Team | s.t. | | 100 | Dominik Hrinkow | Team Vorarlberg | s.t. | | 101 | Adrian Honkisz | CCC Polsat - Polkowice | s.t. | | 102 | Diogo Nunes | Carmim - Prio | + 5'42 | | 103 | Ronan McLaughlin | An Post - Sean Kelly | s.t. | | 104 | Łukasz Owsian | CCC Polsat - Polkowice | s.t. | | 105 | Florian Gaugl | Team Vorarlberg | s.t. | | 106 | Max Jenkins | Competitive Cyclist Racing Team | s.t. | | 107 | Bradley Potgieter | MTN - Qhubeka | s.t. | | 108 | Frederik Thalund | Blue Water Cycling | s.t. | | 109 | Tom Last | Team IG - Sigma Sport | s.t. | | 110 | Tesfay Abraha Habtemariam | MTN - Qhubeka | s.t. | | 111 | Dean Windsor | Endura Racing | s.t. | | 112 | Michaël Loiseau | Veranda Rideau - Super U | + 6'22 | | 113 | Søren Pugdahl | Blue Water Cycling | + 6'40 | | 114 | Valter Pereira | Carmim - Prio | s.t. | | 115 | Jacob Nielsen | Blue Water Cycling | s.t. | | 116 | Nick Aitken | Team Jayco - AIS | s.t. | | 117 | Michael Olheiser | Competitive Cyclist Racing Team | s.t. | | 118 | Thomas Nybo Riis | Blue Water Cycling | s.t. | | 119 | David Livramento | Carmim - Prio | s.t. | | 120 | Pit Schlechter | Leopard - Trek Continental Team | s.t. | | 121 | Remo Schuler | Team Vorarlberg | s.t. | | 122 | Jonathon McEvoy | Endura Racing | + 7'29 | | 123 | Daniel Westmattelmann | Team Eddy Merckx - Indeland | + 8'53 | | 124 | Daniel Rinner | Team Vorarlberg | s.t. | | 125 | Vyacheslav Kuznetsov | Itera - Katusha | s.t. | | 126 | Cristian Jersild Jensen | Blue Water Cycling | s.t. | | 127 | Rhys Pollock | Drapac Professional Cycling | s.t. | | 128 | Mark Sehested | Blue Water Cycling | s.t. | | 129 | Thomas Schneider | Team Eddy Merckx - Indeland | s.t. | | 130 | Nicolas Baldo | Atlas Personal - Jakroo | s.t. | | 131 | Guillaume Bourgeois | Team Vorarlberg | s.t. | | 132 | Michael Sherer | Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | s.t. | | 133 | Taylor Shelden | Competitive Cyclist Racing Team | s.t. | | 134 | Remco Te Brake | Cyclingteam De Rijke | s.t. | | 135 | Marsh Cooper | Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | s.t. | | 136 | Simon Gaywood | Team IG - Sigma Sport | s.t. | | 137 | Aaron Donnelly | Team Jayco - AIS | s.t. | | 138 | Wladyslaw Bukowski | CCC Polsat - Polkowice | + 9'48 | | 139 | Casper Degn | Blue Water Cycling | + 12'56 | | 140 | Julian Hellmann | Team Eddy Merckx - Indeland | s.t. | | 141 | Jonas Huber | Atlas Personal - Jakroo | + 13'11 | | 142 | Yoeri Havik | Cyclingteam De Rijke | + 13'22 | | 143 | Oliver Morgan | Drapac Professional Cycling | + 17'08 |
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 06-11-2012 14:52
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
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3 riders in the top 10, very nice |
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| lennybernstein |
Posted on 06-11-2012 15:29
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Domestique
Posts: 450
Joined: 19-04-2011
PCM$: 200.00
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@Ian Butler: yep, a very solid showing from the team
The team came into this month aiming to use a solid month of racing to build up its fitness ahead of Raleigh's main goal of the season, the Tour of Britain. All the riders are now in decent shape, which is good news.
Raleigh were also hoping to pick up more CQ points in a push to achieve promotion to the Pro Continental level next season. The team certainly put in a solid showing. Hampton's victory on stage 1 of the Giro della Valle d'Aosta also saw him wear the race leader's jersey for two days before a crash on stage 3 cruelly dashed his GC hopes. He also picked up a top 10 in the Ljubljana-Zagreb race. Holohan was another strong performer, winning the mountains competition in the Giro della Valle d'Aosta and achieving a top 10 in Zagreb.
For the second month in a row though, the team's undoubted star was Oliphant. He picked up a superb solo victory from the break on stage 3 of the Tour de Pyrenees, bagging the overall mountains prize too. He then secured 5th overall at the Vuelta Ciclista a Leon, 10th overall at the Giro della Valle d'Aosta and 6th in Zagreb. Consitency personified.
Evan Oliphant: August rider of the month
| Vuelta a Burgos |  | Steven Kruijswijk | | Paris - Correze | | Pim Ligthart | | Tour des Pyrenees |  | David Moncoutie | | Tour of Elk Grove |  | Robert Hunter | | Trofeo Internazionale Bastianelli |  | Fabio Felline | | Tour de l'Ain |  | Joacquim Rodriguez | | Eneco Tour |  | Fabian Cancellara | | Vuelta Ciclista a Leon |  | Jonas Ljungblad | | Tour of Utah |  | Ryder Hesjedal | | G.P. Camaiore | | Robert Hunter | | Clasica San Sebastian |  | Maxim Iglinskiy | | Tour de Limousin | | Mickael Buffaz | | Tre Valli Varesine | | Daniele Bennati | | Coppi Agostini | | Lieuwe Westra | | Coppa Bernocchi | | Daniele Bennati | | Volta a Portugal |  | Josue Moyano | | Dutch Food Valley Classic | | Daniele Bennati | | Vuelta a Espana | | In progress | | Trofeo Melinda |  | Peter Velits | | GP Kralovehradeckeho Kraje |  | Gediminas Bagdonas | | Vattenfall Cyclassics |  | Tom Boonen | | USA Procycling Challenge |  | Chris Horner | | Giro della Valle d'Aosta | | Dennis Van Niekerk | | Tour du Poitou Charentes |  | Chris Sutton | | Post Danmark Rundt | | Alexandre Vinoukorov | | Druivenkoers Overijse | | Martijn Maaskant | | Giro del Veneto | | Oscar Gatto | | GP Ouest France - Plouay | | Lieuwe Westra | | Ronde van Midden-Nederland |  | Rene Mandri | | Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda by Bergamasca | | Peter Velits | | Ljubljana - Zagreb |  | Michal Olejnik | | World Ports Classic | | In progress |
Continental Rankings - Individual
| 1 | Elia Favilli | | 498 | | 2 | Nico Eeckhout | | 493 | | 3 | Denis Flahaut | | 443 | | 4 | Gediminas Bagdonas | | 437 | | 5 | Samuel Dumoulin | | 340 | | … | | | | | 53 | Graham Briggs | | 151 |
Briggs remains Raleigh's best rider in the Continental rankings, despite Oliphants strong performances.
Continental Rankings - Team
| 1 | Cofidis | | 1406 | | 2 | Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | | 1191 | | 3 | Team Argos - Shimano | | 1152 | | 4 | Acqua e Sapone | | 1146 | | 5 | Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela | | 1107 | | … | | | | | 14 | Raleigh - GAC | | 658 |
Raleigh remain 14th in the Conti team rankings.
| 1 | Tom Boonen | | 2707 | | 2 | Andre Greipel | | 2181 | | 3 | Vincenzo Nibali | | 2103 | | 4 | Joaquim Rodriguez | | 2073 | | 5 | Matthew Goss | | 1890 | | … | | | | | 456 | Evan Oliphant | | 91 |
Oliphant is our best placed rider in the CQ rankings after a great month.
| 1 | Sky Procycling | | 7446 | | 2 | Omega Pharma - Quickstep | | 6568 | | 3 | BMC Racing Team | | 6280 | | 4 | Radioshack - Nissan | | 5596 | | 5 | Katusha Team | | 4728 | | … | | | | | 44 | Raleigh - GAC | | 454 |
Despite a solid month, Raleigh dropped 3 places in the CQ rankings. They are going to need an exceptional performance at the Tour of Britain if they are to challenge for Pro Conti status.
| 09.09 - 16.09 |  | 2.1 | Tour of Britain | | 17.09 | | 1.2 | Univest Grand Prix | | 30.09 | | 1.2 | Giro del Lazio |
Our last three races of the year come this month. The Tour of Britain is the team's main goal of the year, so a strong performance is anticipated.
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| lennybernstein |
Posted on 06-11-2012 15:45
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Domestique
Posts: 450
Joined: 19-04-2011
PCM$: 200.00
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Mark McNally
The signing of Mark McNally adds another a British rider to the squad, important for a British-based team. He's a strong cobbles rider with the potential to improve further. One to watch, the team hopes.
Guillaume Boivin
When Oakley joined the Raleigh project this year, they wanted a 'marquee' signing for 2013. The team searched hard for a top US rider to sign but couldn't quite pull a deal off.
With the signing of Boivin, however, the team will have an exceptional North American talent for 2013. Boivin will spearhead the team's already strong sprint attack. With Boivin, Briggs and co, Raleigh should be sprint force to reckoned with next season.
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| Miguel98 |
Posted on 06-11-2012 17:58
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World Champion
Posts: 10497
Joined: 23-06-2011
PCM$: 200.00
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Just amazing the signing from Boivin. |
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| francopell |
Posted on 06-11-2012 18:05
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Domestique
Posts: 652
Joined: 15-07-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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Team's looking good  |
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 06-11-2012 23:08
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 34654
Joined: 22-08-2010
PCM$: 200.00
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Hopefully Boivin will bring you some great results in the flat stages |
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| Jakstar22 |
Posted on 07-11-2012 10:49
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Team Leader
Posts: 7293
Joined: 11-04-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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Nice signing of Boivan. Good job
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| lennybernstein |
Posted on 08-11-2012 15:05
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Domestique
Posts: 450
Joined: 19-04-2011
PCM$: 200.00
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@all Thanks guys. We're hoping Boivin will make a real difference next season.
Edited by lennybernstein on 08-11-2012 15:32
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| lennybernstein |
Posted on 08-11-2012 15:31
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Domestique
Posts: 450
Joined: 19-04-2011
PCM$: 200.00
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Tour of Britain: Preview
09.09 - 16.09
For Raleigh, the Tour of Britain is the big one. It's the biggest race on the domestic calendar and the only .1 stage race that the team are entered into this season. In other words. it's the team's Tour de France and the whole season has been building towards this. The riders and sponsors alike are hoping for big things!
The route features eight stages. The first four are fairly flat affairs. Then, on the stage to Stoke, things begin to get hillier, building towards the tough Queen stage over Dartmoor to Dartmouth on stage 7. The race ends in Surrey in the South-East of the country.
This is undoubtedly the toughest field Raleigh has faced all season.
The startlist includes a long list of familiar sprint rivals including Eeckhout (An Post), Von Hoff (Chipotle), Furlan (Christina Watches), Rodriguez (Exergy), Obst (NSP) and Downing (Endura). But it also includes a number of top class sprinters that will provide much stiffer competition that Raleigh is used to: Boasson Hagen (Sky), Farrar (Garmin), Kruopis (Orica), Blythe (BMC) and Henderson (Lotto).
In the race for the overall classification, there can be no bigger name on the favourites list than home boy Bradley Wiggins (Sky). Cadel Evans (BMC) is another formidable challenger, as is Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) who could be well suited to the hilly stages at the end of the race. Perhaps the best GC bet, however, is Boasson Hagen, who has the ability to pick up vital bonus seconds on the early flat stages and also challenge in the hills. It all depends on how the very strong Sky squad decides how to play it.
Unsurprisingly Raleigh fields its strongest riders in this race. Briggs and Sulzberger arrive in good shape and will be hoping to make a mark against some of the bigger names in sprinting.
A key concern for our GC hopes is Oliphant's dip in fitness. He was looking jaded in his last race, the Giro della Valle d'Aosta, suggesting perhaps he is fatigued after a long season. The team hope he can regain some form and fitness by the team the race hits the serious hills on stage 6.
Edited by lennybernstein on 08-11-2012 15:33
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