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Tour de Avenir Discussion
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 24-01-2010 17:52
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Highlighting the best Under 23 riders in the management game, this race has certainly done a good job of it in it’s first two editions.
2008
Spoiler
1 Robert Gesink AG2R - FRANCE TELEVISIONS 37h32'24
2 Beñat Intxausti ACCUMALUX + 5'12
3 Vitor Rodrigues TELEFONICA + 7'00
4 Aleksandr Pluchkin MAXBO BIANCHI + 8'19
5 Lars Boom VIRGIN MEDIA PRO CYCLING TEAM + 10'03
6 Tiago Machado BENFICA + 10'08
7 Dmitri Grabovski SOUTHAUSTRALIA.COM - AIS + 10'40
8 Rigoberto Úran QUARTERLIFE CRISIS + 11'01
9 David Abal AG2R - FRANCE TELEVISIONS + 11'27
10 Fabio Duarte FERRARI - GUERCIOTTI + 12'27
Points: 1 Robert Gesink AG2R - FRANCE TELEVISIONS 100; 2 Beñat Intxausti ACCUMALUX 63; 3 Michael Van Stayen QUARTERLIFE CRISIS 60
KoM: 1 Tim Dees LA GAZETTA DELLO FLOGAS 139; 2 Alex Howes Usa 134; 3 Robert Gesink AG2R - FRANCE TELEVISIONS 102
Robert Gesink simply dominated. 5 stage wins (50% win record) and a 5 minute GC victory, he has since gone from strength to strength taking Paris-Nice in 2008 and finishing 2nd in the Vuelta, while this year he just missed out on repeating his Paris-Nice win – instead winning Criterium International – and looks a real Grand Tour contender when he (presumably) next rides one in 2011.
Benat Intxausti may have been outclassed in 2008, but could now be classed as a serious threat to many riders, he too has now taken 2nd overall in the Vuelta a Espana, by far his biggest result after a developmental 2009. It has been less successful since for Vitor Rodrigues though, after ranking 29th in the continental tour in 2009 (but no wins) his best ProTour results so far have been 7th in Pais Vasco and 21st in the Giro – showing that a podium in Avenir does not necessarily mean a podium in a Grand Tour.
Therell be more on Pluchkin, Uran and Abal later, but of the stage winners in 2008, Edvald Boasson Hagen stands out, who has this year really emerged as an Ardennes contender after taking 3rd in the continental tour last year. Mark Cavendish is now a Grand Tour stage winner, however the star sprinter of 2008 Avenir Fabian Bacquet (2 stages for the France national team) has stagnated somewhat since signing for Starbucks – his best is yet to come. Finally, the first winner of an Avenir stage was Jerome Baugnies – who is now a competent cobbles rider in the ProTour.
2009
Spoiler
1 Aleksandr Pluchkin B&O 37h47'29
2 Rigoberto Úran WIKIPEDIA + 30
3 Sergio Luis Henao Montoya CARLSBERG + 1'27
4 David Abal CREDIT LYONNAIS + 2'43
5 Sergei Kolesnikov ERSTE + 3'17
6 Florentino Marquez BENFICA + 3'19
7 Petar Panayotov LA/MSS/PEARL JAM + 6'48
8 Thomas Peterson SLIPSTREAM + 7'26
9 Taylor Phinney VIRGIN MEDIA - CAISSE D'EPARGNE + 7'38
10 Sébastien Ivars WIKIPEDIA + 8'28
Points: 1 Aleksandr Pluchkin B&O 78; 2 Rigoberto Úran WIKIPEDIA 71; 3 David Abal CREDIT LYONNAIS 66
KoM: 1 Jonathan Bellis BRITISH AIRWAYS - CYCLINGNEWS 108; 2
Aleksandr Pluchkin B&O 108; 3 Rigoberto Úran WIKIPEDIA 95
8 of the Top 10 in 2009 had learned from their 2008 experiences to all improve on their positions in 2009. Aleksandr Pluchkin was the favourite following 4th the last season, and he won 3 stages this time around – and he needed all of them in order to take over the race lead on the penultimate stage TT from Sergei Kolesnikov. Just like Gesink, Pluchkin followed Avenir victory with a big ProTour stage race win – the Tour de Romandie; and he also took 7th in the Tour de France.
Rigoberto Uran was locked in a testing duel with Pluchkin during this race, and signals are that the rivalry could continue up in the ProTour. Uran has also won a big stage race now – Volta Ciclista a Catalunya – and took a respectable 5th in the Vuelta. David Abal’s climbing let him down when it mattered to only take 4th overall, but he is also developing nicely this year with stages in Pais Vasco and Catalunya and an 8th overall in the Vuelta.
Sergei Kolesnikov impressed greatly when a 4th stage victory gave him a race lead that he held for 4 days, against the odds, and to eventually finish 5th – a 6 place improvement from 2008. He is however unlikely to feature at the top end of any ProTour stage races as more of an all-round breakaway specialist. Florentino Marquez meanwhile, could differ. Narrowly missing out on Queen stage victory, he has gone on to win the Vuelta al Tachira this year and take a strong 11th in a Grand Tour – as with seemingly all Avenir riders (bar Pluchkin) it was in the Vuelta.
And now the stage winners, Vanspeybrouck won Stage 1 and has put in some solid continental Cobbles performances this year whereas Gerald Ciolek has disappointed (outside of the Tour of Belgium) when he should really be a prolific winner in continental races. Hassen ben Nasser took a hilly stage and an early race lead before fading to 18th overall – but still chases that first continental victory. Cameron Meyer has won a sprint in the Tour de Beauce since his break victory, while Schar has returned to domestique duties.
2010
So, who has what it takes this year? The favourite will be Sergio Luis Henao Montoya. A crash in Stage 1 of 2008 gave him a slight injury preventing him finish higher than 38th, but he bounced back in 2009 to take 3rd place overall, after winning the Queen mountain stage. A strong year so far has seen stage wins in Mount Hood and Colombia – but could the time trial be his weakness? If it is, Taylor Phinney will be there to take advantage. Already showing promising signs in ProTour time trials, the American has improved greatly since 40th in 2008 where he was dropped alongside the sprinters on the opening stage. He took 9th last year and will surely make further steps up the leaderboard. And it won’t be Phinney’s last Avenir either.
There is also Martin Hacecky, 18th in 2008, who did not participate in 2009 and seems B&O’s best bet for a continuation of their strong GC performances here. And then theres debutant Jose Alarcon, his TT may play against him, but he will surely be one to watch. Tim Dees (11th last year, KoM in 2008) and Martijn Keizer (12th last year) also return, while the Santander duo of Angel Madrazo and Justo Tenorio could feature.
Away from the mountains, Tejay van Garderen will fancy the hilly stages, possible competition coming from Di Maggio and Rovny. With Marcel Kittel absent, Phinney should win the TT – but look out for Keizer and Andre Steensen. And the sprints? They should be very hotly contested. Ben Swift leads the way, a 3rd place in one of the sprints last year, with Peter Kennaugh as a very capable teammate. Then there is also Raul Granjel Cabrera and Aleksandr Serebriakov.
Startlist:
Spoiler Nespresso
1. S.Henao Montoya
2. S.Lay
3. M.Sibilla
Virgin Media
11. T.Phinney
12. T.Costagli
13. W.Ford
14. C.Manarelli
15. D.Mehr-Wenige
16. A.Serebriakov
IKEA - Bianchi
21. J.Alarcon
22. L.Andersson
23. S.Balck
24. P.Edenholm
25. D.Kupfernagel
26. A.Linden
27. L.Lundberg
28. A.Stillfors
B&O
31. M.Hacecký
32. M.Reckweg
33. A.Steensen
34. S.Stenersen
Wal-Mart
41. T.Van Garderen
42. T.Dees
43. I.Lo Cicero
44. B.Myagmarsuren
45. J.Wallays
Wikipedia
51. M.Keizer
52. C.Barton
Santander
61. A.Madrazo
62. Ó.Guerao
63. F.MejÃas
64. M.Niño
65. J.Pieras
66. J.Rienda Segura
67. J.Tenorio
Irn Bru
71. A.Kunshin
72. L.Schädlich
73. T.Zaini
Lipton
81. V.Ratiy
82. R.Bourdouxhe
83. H.Duenas Nevado
Sony Ericsson
91. J.Danacik
92. K.Fouquet
93. R.Granjel Cabrera
94. C.Meyer
Mixed
101. C.Mai
102. A.Belmokhtar
103. T.Boonratanathanakorn
104. J.Costa
105. B.Khalilikhosroshani
106. B.Konte
107. W.Li
108. C.Rojas Villegas
109. C.Vermeltfoort
BMC
111. R.Eastmen
112. T.Brandt
113. B.Curfs
114. A.Hunt
115. E.Weiss
Nokia-Nike
121. T.Gallopin
122. K.Barclay
123. S.Burke
124. D.Drapac
125. R.Harvey
126. J.Kenny
127. T.Last
128. M.Pozzo
129. F.de Romijn
Wiggle
131. I.Rovny
132. D.Caruso
133. T.Diggle
134. R.Hampton
135. P.Locatelli
136. D.Ratto
137. L.Rowe
138. M.Rowe
139. P.Scarponi
Jack Wolfskin
141. M.Van Stayen
142. W.Van Den Eynde
France
151. J.Maillet
152. J.Bar
153. L.Bret
154. M.Machado
155. N.Morel
156. F.Picoreau
157. T.Reuzeau
158. F.Taillefour
159. R.Vanderbiest
Lego - Capri-Sonne
161. A.Moschella
162. J.Allain
163. S.Cioban
164. J.Libert
165. P.Walsleben
100ME
171. B.Gastauer
172. A.Blythe
173. A.Bonser
174. R.Cleaver
175. A.Fenn
176. P.Kennaugh
177. D.Rinner
178. B.Swift
Ultimate
181. G.Rajala
182. R.Broers
183. K.Eeckhout
184. Y.Stoltz
185. R.Te Brake
186. M.Ulanowski
187. R.Van Zandbeek
188. K.Vassdål
189. N.Østergaard
Olympus AirAsia
191. H.Reza
192. A.Awang
193. S.Robert
M&M
201. K.Klimiankou
202. M.Grebinyuk
203. G.Lejman
204. H.Mottin
205. R.Nelson
206. A.Passalacqua
Edited by SportingNonsense on 22-01-2011 12:38
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| mb2612 |
Posted on 24-01-2010 18:02
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Team Leader
Posts: 5535
Joined: 18-05-2008
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Looking for a top 5 this year before Tenorio goes for victory next year
 [url=www.pcmdaily.com/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=33182] Team Santander Media Thread[/url]
Please assume I am joking unless otherwise stated |
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| wackojackohighcliffe |
Posted on 24-01-2010 18:21
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Team Leader
Posts: 7366
Joined: 19-02-2008
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i have no riders in this
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| untal |
Posted on 24-01-2010 18:23
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Sprinter
Posts: 1584
Joined: 02-05-2008
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A podium place would be nice, considering I don't have a team able to help Henao Monoya. Also, rjc, what's Phinney mountain stat? I remember reading something about not being equal in the excel file. |
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| wackojackohighcliffe |
Posted on 24-01-2010 18:26
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Team Leader
Posts: 7366
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no wait i have a loan rider and a cobbles talent in a race with no cobbles
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| Levi4life |
Posted on 24-01-2010 18:27
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4469
Joined: 16-03-2007
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Hmmm, I thought Stetina and Howes could race this, I must have been mistaken.
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 24-01-2010 18:32
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Team Manager
Posts: 31706
Joined: 08-03-2007
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Levi4life wrote:
Hmmm, I thought Stetina and Howes could race this, I must have been mistaken.
Stetina was a month and a half too old - and I guess I must have missed Howes, sorry, or else he would have been in your team
Edited by SportingNonsense on 24-01-2010 18:33
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| Deadpool |
Posted on 24-01-2010 18:49
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Team Leader
Posts: 6727
Joined: 06-10-2007
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Tuberculosis FTW |
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| rjc_43 |
Posted on 24-01-2010 19:03
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Team Leader
Posts: 6490
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Phinney is not awesome in the mountains, but a reasonable 75.
[url=cleavercycling.co.uk]  [/url] |
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 07-12-2025 16:36
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| Romme1 |
Posted on 24-01-2010 19:06
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Neo-Pro
Posts: 359
Joined: 30-09-2007
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Oh cool i got 3 riders. Free xp for Reza is very welcome 
Manager of Petronas - Olympus Professional Cycling Team - HQ |
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| untal |
Posted on 24-01-2010 19:16
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Sprinter
Posts: 1584
Joined: 02-05-2008
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rjc_43 wrote:
Phinney is not awesome in the mountains, but a reasonable 75.
Thank you. He may not be able to recover in TT the time he could lose in mountains. |
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| mb2612 |
Posted on 24-01-2010 19:19
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Team Leader
Posts: 5535
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yeah 3 mountain stages means Montoya should claim a comfortable victory
[url=www.pcmdaily.com/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=33182] Team Santander Media Thread[/url]
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| alexkr00 |
Posted on 24-01-2010 19:21
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World Champion
Posts: 13561
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Van Stayen should be able to do something in the sprints here, maybe even a stage win 
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| CrueTrue |
Posted on 24-01-2010 19:34
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 27880
Joined: 20-10-2006
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I wonder if I have ever had a rider in this race?  |
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| Levi4life |
Posted on 24-01-2010 21:00
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4469
Joined: 16-03-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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SportingNonsense wrote:
Levi4life wrote:
Hmmm, I thought Stetina and Howes could race this, I must have been mistaken.
Stetina was a month and a half too old - and I guess I must have missed Howes, sorry, or else he would have been in your team
Will Howes be credited with the racedays toward his developement or am I SOL?
Not that he would win or factor into the top 10 at all.
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 24-01-2010 21:07
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Team Manager
Posts: 31706
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Levi4life wrote:
SportingNonsense wrote:
Levi4life wrote:
Hmmm, I thought Stetina and Howes could race this, I must have been mistaken.
Stetina was a month and a half too old - and I guess I must have missed Howes, sorry, or else he would have been in your team
Will Howes be credited with the racedays toward his developement or am I SOL?
Not that he would win or factor into the top 10 at all.
I believe Howes is maxed out anyway
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| p3druh |
Posted on 25-01-2010 20:42
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2388
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PCM$: 200.00
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I only have Vanderbiest here and he can hopefully challenge for the sprints.
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| mb2612 |
Posted on 26-01-2010 22:23
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Team Leader
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Guero did nothing, as usual, I am hoping his stat gains make him useful next year.
[url=www.pcmdaily.com/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=33182] Team Santander Media Thread[/url]
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| p3druh |
Posted on 26-01-2010 22:46
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2388
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Nice one from Vanderbiest. Now let's try for 2 out of 2
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| G_Larsson |
Posted on 27-01-2010 17:05
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Sprinter
Posts: 1745
Joined: 25-03-2007
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Go Alarcon !
He will probably lose time in the TTs but will be nice to see him in the mountains
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