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Tour of Northern Europe Discussion
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| AbhishekLFC |
Posted on 19-03-2018 09:13
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 12681
Joined: 27-07-2015
PCM$: 1961.50
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Tour of Northern Europe Preview
The race that has it all, except big mountains! We start with a TT, go on to a flat, go up hills and then tackle the cobblestones. Then there's another TT, followed by another flat, then some more hills, with the pattern being broken by the flat stage at the end. Roger Kluge won this race last year and he's back to defend his crown. Also present is three time former winner Cancelara, 2013 champion Coppel and the winner of the very first edition, Gusev. In fact, only one former winner of the race is not here racing this year, 2012 winner Pozzato!
| Name | HIL | TT | STA | RES | REC | COB | SPR | ACC |  | Bewley | 71 | 71 | 78 | 76 | 85 | 83 | 83 | 83 |  | Van Avermaet | 76 | 61 | 78 | 75 | 78 | 82 | 78 | 78 |  | Boom | 75 | 78 | 75 | 76 | 75 | 74 | 61 | 75 |  | Trentin | 74 | 61 | 76 | 71 | 75 | 81 | 75 | 76 |  | Blythe | 66 | 68 | 76 | 71 | 77 | 82 | 76 | 73 |  | Kluge | 68 | 74 | 77 | 75 | 72 | 77 | 77 | 75 | | Kristoff | 68 | 68 | 75 | 71 | 76 | 78 | 83 | 79 |  | Summerhill | 73 | 59 | 76 | 72 | 69 | 83 | 70 | 73 |  | Senechal | 67 | 65 | 79 | 74 | 70 | 82 | 69 | 74 |  | David | 75 | 65 | 76 | 74 | 70 | 78 | 70 | 73 |  | Vanspeybrouck | 71 | 62 | 78 | 71 | 72 | 82 | 67 | 69 |  | Baugnies | 72 | 62 | 80 | 73 | 73 | 80 | 65 | 73 |  | Gerts | 75 | 67 | 74 | 78 | 73 | 76 | 70 | 70 |  | Kruijswijk | 72 | 73 | 76 | 73 | 73 | 74 | 65 | 75 |
It is extremely difficult to call a winner in this race. In the past editions, most often it has been seen that a top cobbles rider with good TT skills and decent climbing ability is the one who has won most often. There have been exceptions off-course, Coppel being the prime example.
Sam Bewley starts off as favourite for the overall win, much like in every race he enters. He is the best cobbles rider in the race and among the best sprinters. He is better against the clock than most other cobbles specialists and most other sprinters. He is no slouch going up short climbs either.
Van Avermaet, as has become the custom in the past couple of seasons, is touted to be the bridesmaid to Bewley's blushing bride in this race. He is better going uphill than the New Zealander but his sprinting is not as good and his TT skills leave a lot to be desired. Coming off an incredible couple of races in August, could he really get another one over his arch-rival?
Lars Boom, boasting previous finishes of the order of a second place, two third places and a fourth place, going all the way back to the first edition of this race, will once again be a top contender for the podium. Besides sprinting, he has the skills to hang with the best in all the other terrains.
Trentin and Kristoff are Aker's dual strike force for this eccentric course, both of whom are capable contenders for a podium finish. Trentin's forte is the cobbles with his puncher abilities backing that up. Kristoff is a more adept sprinter, with him likely being Trentin's top lieutenant in the cobbles.
Defending champion Kluge will a contender for a top 5 finish but a repeat of last year's heroics look to be unlikely.
Blythe is a rider who will look to take advantage of the cobbles on stage four to gain an advantage and hold on to that through the rest of the rest of the stages.
It is usually unlikely that we'll be speaking about Sumerhill and Senechal as being 'only' top 10 contenders for a cobbled race they enter, but they are both unlikely to feature very high on stages other than the cobbles. Summerhill holds an edge in his puncher abilities.
David will be looking to turn around a disappointing season so far by living up to his billing in this race. With a unique combination of good cobbles and puncher capabilities, he could very well turn into a dark horse for a high finish.
Vanspeybrouck and Baugnies will also be hoping for a good ride on the cobbles to prop up their race.
Gerts and Kruijswijk have a unique combination of abilities which will make them an outside shot for the top 10.
| Name | HIL | TT | STA | RES | REC | COB | SPR | ACC | | Breen | 70 | 68 | 72 | 72 | 71 | 77 | 73 | 72 | | De Bie | 82 | 72 | 77 | 76 | 69 | 68 | 72 | 75 |  | Zepuntke | 69 | 65 | 79 | 72 | 64 | 81 | 72 | 64 | | Declerq | 73 | 68 | 73 | 71 | 70 | 77 | 67 | 67 | | Ringheim | 67 | 66 | 75 | 71 | 73 | 78 | 73 | 75 |  | Langeveld | 72 | 68 | 78 | 70 | 73 | 76 | 63 | 73 |  | Sulimov | 70 | 65 | 77 | 71 | 67 | 79 | 65 | 71 | | Saber | 68 | 64 | 74 | 72 | 78 | 76 | 81 | 79 | | Sinkeldam | 75 | 64 | 74 | 70 | 68 | 77 | 68 | 68 | | Van der Velde | 72 | 70 | 70 | 76 | 75 | 73 | 69 | 73 | | Veelers | 63 | 69 | 72 | 65 | 78 | 77 | 75 | 75 | | Cancellara | 65 | 76 | 67 | 67 | 68 | 77 | 65 | 64 |
Former champion Cancellara, now past his peak, is one of the riders who can still pull off a high finish in this race. Most of the riders in this group are ones who will be looking to make their mark on the cobbled stage with only De Bie being a premier puncher. The previously mentioned Cancellara is the best TT rider among the lot.
| Name | COB | ACC | | Bewley | 83 | 83 | | Summerhill | 83 | 73 | | Van Avermaet | 82 | 78 | | Blythe | 82 | 73 | | Senechal | 82 | 74 | | Vanspeybrouck | 82 | 69 | | Trentin | 81 | 76 | | Zepuntke | 81 | 64 | | Baugnies | 80 | 73 |  | Vanmarcke | 80 | 72 |  | Daniel | 80 | 72 |
Bewley, Summerhill and Van Avermaet are the best cobbles riders in the division and they will be favourites for the win on stage 4. Their teams will look to make the race as selective as possible on that stage to give their leaders the best chance of victory. Blythe, Senechal and Vanspeybrouck are the others who will be looking to sneak in a victory.
| Name | HIL | STA | RES | ACC | | Bakelants | 84 | 81 | 78 | 78 | | De Bie | 82 | 77 | 76 | 75 | | Kelderman | 82 | 80 | 75 | 72 | | Gastauer | 82 | 78 | 70 | 76 | | McCarthy | 81 | 80 | 75 | 74 | | Dowsett | 80 | 74 | 69 | 71 | | Vakoc | 80 | 75 | 71 | 74 |  | Bilbao | 79 | 77 | 71 | 75 | | Moazemi | 78 | 72 | 72 | 73 |  | Jensen | 78 | 77 | 73 | 76 | | Landa | 78 | 70 | 69 | 69 |
Two hill stages for the punchers to make their mark. Bakelants is the strongest puncher in the field by a clear margin and Strava will be hoping for some points to come from him. De Bie, Kelderman, Gastauer and McCarthy are the others are the others who will be looking to get a win under their belt in the hills. None of the riders mentioned above with the exception of De Bie, is likely to make a big impact on the GC, if the race follows the same script as in the past.
| Name | Rating | | Aker - MOT | *** | | Gazelle | *** | | Tinkoff Sport Academy | *** | | Festina - Dexia | ** | | Iberia - Team Degenkolb | ** | | Jayco - Cobra9 | ** | | eBuddy | * | | Team Puma - SAP | * | | Porto - Prio | * | | RBC Pro Cycling | * |
Aker look to be the strongest in the cobbled TT. Given the distance, the early advantage could prove to be vital for Kristoff and Trentin. Gazelle, with their team of all-rounders and Tinkoff, who are traditionally good against the clock as a unit round out the top three favourites. Festina are boosted by the presence of Coppel as well as their cobbled all-rounders. Iberia mostly will depend on their cobbled leaders to lead their charge. Jayco, after Tinkoff, are another traditional TT powehouse.
| Name | TT | | Coppel | 83 | | Zmorka | 82 | | Durbridge | 81 | | Vlatos | 81 | | Kittel | 81 | | Yatsevich | 80 | | Sütterlin | 80 | | Schädlich | 80 | | Malori | 79 | | Hepburn | 79 | | Vorobev | 79 | | Dal Col | 79 | | Olman | 79 |
Former champion Coppel is the top favourite in the TT, with Vlatos another podium contender for Festina. Durbridge will hope to turn around Jayco's fortunes in the TTs this season. Kittel and Jungels have been quite good in recent TTs and will be hoping to keep that run going. Tinkoff have a strong presence in the TTs with four riders hoping to get into the top 10.
| Last name | Flat | Sprint | Acceleration | | Degenkolb | 76 | 84 | 81 | | Bewley | 78 | 83 | 83 | | Kristoff | 75 | 83 | 79 | | Ciolek | 75 | 83 | 79 | | Guerao | 74 | 83 | 76 | | Avelino | 71 | 83 | 78 | | Howard | 76 | 82 | 79 | | Roelandts | 75 | 81 | 80 | | Saber | 75 | 81 | 79 | | Boeckmans | 73 | 81 | 83 | | Zabel | 74 | 81 | 79 |
Degenkolb has been in red-hot form recently and he has three further chances to pick up wins in this race. Bewley and Kristoff have the skills to pick up vital seconds from the sprints, if the race gets close in the GC. Ciolek, Guerao and Avelino (Porto - Prio) are the other sprinters who will be favourites for stage wins. There is always a chance of high winds on this course, especially on the flat stages, so these guys will need to watch out for echelons. Actually the same goes for all riders looking to not lose time because of a small moment of inattentiveness.
Spoiler | Last Name | First Name | Team | | Sbaragli | Kristian | Aegon - Lavazza | | De Bie | Sean | Aegon - Lavazza | | Weiss | Martin | Aegon - Lavazza | | Thurau | Björn | Aegon - Lavazza | | Bovenhuis | Jasper | Aegon - Lavazza | | Boom | Lars | Aegon - Lavazza | | van der Hoorn | Taco | Aegon - Lavazza | | Orue | German Anibal | Aegon - Lavazza | | Kristoff | Alexander | Aker - MOT | | Trentin | Matteo | Aker - MOT | | Breen | Vegard | Aker - MOT | | Ringheim | Jo Kogstad | Aker - MOT | | Cancellara | Fabian | Aker - MOT | | Laengen | Vegard Stake | Aker - MOT | | Lhotellerie | Clément | Aker - MOT | | Gaudin | Damien | Aker - MOT | | Perera | Madushanka | Ayubowan! | | Kemboi | Salem | Ayubowan! | | Gallopin | Tony | Ayubowan! | | Tharuka | Ashen | Ayubowan! | | Chatarunga | Sameera | Ayubowan! | | Baugnies | Jérôme | Ayubowan! | | McCarthy | Jay | Ayubowan! | | Predatsch | Kevin | Ayubowan! | | Gerts | Floris | eBuddy | | Van der Velde | Ricardo | eBuddy | | Sinkeldam | Ramon | eBuddy | | Roosen | Timo | eBuddy | | Vermeltfoort | Coen | eBuddy | | Lammertink | Steven | eBuddy | | Lampaert | Yves | eBuddy | | Walsleben | Philipp | eBuddy | | Van Avermaet | Greg | Evonik - ELKO | | Dakteris | Janis | Evonik - ELKO | | Dzamastagic | Mark | Evonik - ELKO | | Smirnovs | Andris | Evonik - ELKO | | Nooytens | Sven | Evonik - ELKO | | Potts | Marc | Evonik - ELKO | | Stoltz | Yannick | Evonik - ELKO | | Taubel | Christoph | Evonik - ELKO | | Taramarcaz | Julien | Festina - Dexia | | David | Tom | Festina - Dexia | | Vlatos | Panagiotis | Festina - Dexia | | Antonijevic | Goran | Festina - Dexia | | Coppel | Jerome | Festina - Dexia | | Jacobs | Pieter | Festina - Dexia | | Roy | Jérémy | Festina - Dexia | | Liphongyu | Nawuti | Festina - Dexia | | Veelers | Tom | Gazelle | | Furdi | Blaz | Gazelle | | Koren | Kristjan | Gazelle | | Kruijswijk | Steven | Gazelle | | De Gendt | Thomas | Gazelle | | De Greef | Francis | Gazelle | | De Luna | Flavio | Gazelle | | Campenaerts | Victor | Gazelle | | Aberasturi | Jon | Hugo Boss | | Tolleson | Taylor | Hugo Boss | | Bilbao | Pello | Hugo Boss | | Ligthart | Pim | Hugo Boss | | Mudarra | Pablo | Hugo Boss | | Landa | Mikel | Hugo Boss | | AramendÃa | Javier | Hugo Boss | | Ruiz | Daniel | Hugo Boss | | Degenkolb | John | Iberia - Team Degenkolb | | Zabel | Rick | Iberia - Team Degenkolb | | Kluge | Roger | Iberia - Team Degenkolb | | Bagdonas | Gediminas | Iberia - Team Degenkolb | | Faiers | Thomas | Iberia - Team Degenkolb | | Maes | Nikolas | Iberia - Team Degenkolb | | Burke | Steven | Iberia - Team Degenkolb | | Insausti | Jon Ander | Iberia - Team Degenkolb | | Saber | Lahcen | Jayco - Cobra9 | | Van der Haar | Lars | Jayco - Cobra9 | | Olman | Miles | Jayco - Cobra9 | | Vanspeybrouck | Pieter | Jayco - Cobra9 | | Hepburn | Michael | Jayco - Cobra9 | | Porte | Richie | Jayco - Cobra9 | | Durbridge | Luke | Jayco - Cobra9 | | Feng | Chun Kai | Jayco - Cobra9 | | Bewley | Sam | Moser - Sygic | | Habtom | Mikiel | Moser - Sygic | | Gough | Westley | Moser - Sygic | | Zhupa | Eugert | Moser - Sygic | | Hnik | Karel | Moser - Sygic | | Vakoc | Petr | Moser - Sygic | | BoroÅ¡ | Michael | Moser - Sygic | | Polnicky | Jiri | Moser - Sygic | | Nikolaev | Sergey | Nemiroff - ABBYY | | Lutsyshyn | Roman | Nemiroff - ABBYY | | Randrianambinina | Roger | Nemiroff - ABBYY | | Golovash | Oleksandr | Nemiroff - ABBYY | | Kochetkov | Mikhail | Nemiroff - ABBYY | | Gruzdev | Dmitriy | Nemiroff - ABBYY | | Andriafenomananiaina | Zouzou | Nemiroff - ABBYY | | Nitu | Adrian | Nemiroff - ABBYY | | Roelandts | Jurgen | Pendleton's | | Markus | Barry | Pendleton's | | Abraha | Tesfay | Pendleton's | | Fenn | Andrew | Pendleton's | | Senechal | Florian | Pendleton's | | Silva | Kleber | Pendleton's | | Bravo | Edison | Pendleton's | | Cheung | King Lok | Pendleton's | | Avelino | Óscar | Porto - Prio | | Carvalho | Antonio | Porto - Prio | | Ferreira | Ricardo | Porto - Prio | | Allonca | Daniel | Porto - Prio | | Zmorka | Marlen | Porto - Prio | | Betilson | Manuel | Porto - Prio | | Goldstein | Roy | Porto - Prio | | Marchewka | Krzysztof | Porto - Prio | | Gebrezgabihier | Amanuel | Project: Africa | | Seboka | Matala | Project: Africa | | Howard | Leigh | RBC Pro Cycling | | Boivin | Guillaume | RBC Pro Cycling | | Laporte | Christophe | RBC Pro Cycling | | Summerhill | Danny | RBC Pro Cycling | | Naud | Patrick | RBC Pro Cycling | | van Zyl | Johann | RBC Pro Cycling | | Rosskopf | Joey | RBC Pro Cycling | | Morizot | Florian | RBC Pro Cycling | | Guerao | Óscar | SPAR - Shimano - SCG | | Nepomnyachsniy | Alexandr | SPAR - Shimano - SCG | | Daniel | Maxime | SPAR - Shimano - SCG | | Postlberger | Lukas | SPAR - Shimano - SCG | | Leung | Chun Wing | SPAR - Shimano - SCG | | Moazemi | Arvin | SPAR - Shimano - SCG | | Oba | Masatoshi | SPAR - Shimano - SCG | | Manamalage | Nipuna Shira | SPAR - Shimano - SCG | | Stallaert | Joeri | Spotify - Haglöfs | | Robov | Momchil | Spotify - Haglöfs | | Sweeck | Laurens | Spotify - Haglöfs | | Jensen | Kristian Haugaard | Spotify - Haglöfs | | Ariesen | Tim | Spotify - Haglöfs | | Broers | Remco | Spotify - Haglöfs | | Rojas Gil | José Joaquin | Spotify - Haglöfs | | Stenersen | Sten | Spotify - Haglöfs | | Boeckmans | Kris | Strava | | Hansen | Lasse Norman | Strava | | Bakelants | Jan | Strava | | Tulik | Angelo | Strava | | Marzuki | Nur Amirul | Strava | | De Backer | Bert | Strava | | Langeveld | Sebastian | Strava | | Selvaggi | Mirko | Strava | | Ciolek | Gerald | Team Puma - SAP | | Lander | Sebastian | Team Puma - SAP | | Weber | Sascha | Team Puma - SAP | | Blythe | Adam | Team Puma - SAP | | Kelderman | Wilco | Team Puma - SAP | | Declerq | Tim | Team Puma - SAP | | Dunne | Conor | Team Puma - SAP | | Sütterlin | Jasha | Team Puma - SAP | | Kovalev | Ivan | Tinkoff Sport Academy | | Sulimov | Alexander | Tinkoff Sport Academy | | Malori | Adrian | Tinkoff Sport Academy | | Dal Col | Andrea | Tinkoff Sport Academy | | Yatsevich | Kiril | Tinkoff Sport Academy | | Zubov | Matvey | Tinkoff Sport Academy | | Vorobev | Anton | Tinkoff Sport Academy | | Gusev | Vladimir | Tinkoff Sport Academy | | Manninen | Matti | Valio - DeLaval | | Vastaranta | Jukka | Valio - DeLaval | | Nurmi | Roope | Valio - DeLaval | | Kanerva | Hiski | Valio - DeLaval | | Brynjolfsson | Kari | Valio - DeLaval | | Kulppi | Olli | Valio - DeLaval | | Arissol | Ahmad | Valio - DeLaval | | Khalifa | Essa | Valio - DeLaval | | Kuroeda | Shiki | Vesuvio - Accumalux | | Kuroeda | Saya | Vesuvio - Accumalux | | Vanmarcke | Sep | Vesuvio - Accumalux | | Paterski | Maciej | Vesuvio - Accumalux | | Gastauer | Ben | Vesuvio - Accumalux | | Jungels | Bob | Vesuvio - Accumalux | | Schlechter | Pit | Vesuvio - Accumalux | | Kittel | Marcel | Vesuvio - Accumalux | | Zepuntke | Ruben | Wiesenhof - Andritz | | Schädlich | Lucas | Wiesenhof - Andritz | | Muhlberger | Gregor | Wiesenhof - Andritz | | Wöhrer | David | Wiesenhof - Andritz | | Dowsett | Alex | Wiesenhof - Andritz | | Bolivar | Isaac | Wiesenhof - Andritz | | Borisavljevic | Milos | Wiesenhof - Andritz | | Franzoi | Enrico | Wiesenhof - Andritz |
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| Shonak |
Posted on 19-03-2018 09:21
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 15579
Joined: 16-07-2013
PCM$: 350.00
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Save us, Jan. Please.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 19-03-2018 09:26
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World Champion
Posts: 11621
Joined: 17-12-2014
PCM$: 1120.00
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Go David, GVA, and Strava! Wouldn't mind Bewley ofc either  Looking forward to the reports Abhi, hope for great racing 
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant."
[PT]  Xero Racing
5x  x5
1x  x1
2x  x2
2x  x2 |
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| tsmoha |
Posted on 19-03-2018 09:30
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 11786
Joined: 19-07-2010
PCM$: 300.00
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Fully expecting a disastrous result 
Thanks for the cool preview.
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| tastasol |
Posted on 19-03-2018 09:52
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3030
Joined: 11-09-2010
PCM$: 200.00
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It's here! Hoping for Trentin here. If Aker can take the leader jersey on the first stage, he might have a good chance here, but his lack of pure TT skill might hurt him.
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 08-12-2025 00:08
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| knockout |
Posted on 19-03-2018 10:30
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8237
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 500.00
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Fuck yeah. Finally its here. One if not THE coolest race of the year.
Greggy is of viurse a big favourite once again. especially after being screwed out of he podium apots by multiple gaps not being given last season he got a chip on his shoulder!
Surprised my team isnt mentioned as one of the top ten TTT teams. We finished it 2nd last season and I'd be hugely disappointed if we dont get into the top ten at the very least. GVA-Taubel-Nooytens-Potts-Dakteris plus allrounders/rouleurs dzamastagic, Stoltz, Smirnovs should be quite good.
Really hope Bakelandts does well here for Strava. Looks like a little planning mistake to send him here instead of Norway but perhaps it pays off?
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters! |
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| roturn |
Posted on 19-03-2018 10:33
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Team Manager
Posts: 22043
Joined: 24-11-2007
PCM$: 3900.00
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Boom`s race. Time to win normally before declining...though podium is the goal and he is surely capable as perfect allrounder.
Won`t be easy hence strong support in form of De Bie, Thurau, Bovenhuis.
Sbaragli might sprint on his own, not sure if he does though.
Looking forward to this race a lot as it`s one of our best suited race all season offside Swift. |
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| ember |
Posted on 19-03-2018 14:43
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Team Leader
Posts: 7059
Joined: 27-03-2008
PCM$: 900.00
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Finally! The race I built much of the team for this transfer season. Fingers crossed it pays off. The thinking is that we win the team time trial with Trentin among the riders stopping the team's clock, and then we defend his race lead all the way through, and maybe we pick up some other decent GC placings as well, thanks to a good start in the TTT.
It sounds very easy, until you see the opposition... And seeing how the TTTs have been this season, I really fear it here as well, as we could drop Trentin, as he's our weakest TT guy. When I put together the team, I was pretty certain he will be able to stay at the front, but previous races this season has made me nervous.
Really doubt Kristoff can win or podium this race, he should be too weak on the hills, so we really need Trentin to stay with the team in the TTT. If not, this could be a bit anticlimatic, having thought of this race for most of the transfer season
Thank you for a very nice in-depth preview, AbhishekLFC! GVA is my favourite to win it, but he must make use of the hills compared to riders like Bewley, as that should be his big strength compared to the other cobblers. |
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| Scorchio |
Posted on 19-03-2018 16:15
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2073
Joined: 14-09-2013
PCM$: 4500.00
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Always a very intriguing race. Not sure who to tip which is a lot of the charm of the event. May well hhave a massive bearing on both the title and relegation battles. Look forward to your reports Abhi.
Manager of ISA - Hexacta in the MG |
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| Roman |
Posted on 19-03-2018 17:03
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4279
Joined: 29-05-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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We really need some top results from here. Come on Sam! I hope our all-cobble team + Vakoc for hills and Gough and Habtom as lead-outs tactic pays off. Won't be an easy race for anyone, the startlist here is quite amazing.
Thanks for the preview and good luck to all!
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| viking90 |
Posted on 19-03-2018 17:49
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3836
Joined: 24-01-2009
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Did not spot many Spotify riders in that preview 
Guess its up to Haugard Jensen then on those two hill stages to get some pts for us, if not Stallaert could come up with something on that cobble stage.
As seen its about stage result rather then GC for us in this race.
Got a finger crossed for ur neighbours at Aker - MOT. |
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| Gustavovskiy |
Posted on 20-03-2018 00:12
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Team Leader
Posts: 6178
Joined: 20-07-2008
PCM$: 200.00
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Not our cup of tea, despite being a very unique race. I couldn't afford to bring a solid TTT squad here so we're mainly looking to pounce in stages 2,5,6 and 7, but given the opposition Avelino's is likely to be irrelevant.
Strava and Ayubowan have brought serious squads here and could well gather valuable points, so it's important we keep on their heels. Tinkoff too, especially if they take the TTT.
Lots of possibilities for the win. I'll side with Jayco's Vanspeybrouck. It'd be nice for them to grab a surprise victory.
Thanks for another event Abhish and good luck everyone!
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| OlegTinkov |
Posted on 20-03-2018 00:55
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 2773
Joined: 31-12-2007
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Would be nice to win the TTT, I have 5 good time trialists, but only 3 cobblers...
Edited by OlegTinkov on 20-03-2018 03:51
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| SotD |
Posted on 20-03-2018 06:29
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World Champion
Posts: 12631
Joined: 29-11-2006
PCM$: 2980.00
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Well, I have been mentioned quite a lot in the preview, so I probably get nothing
Interesting to see us receive 2 stars for the TTT. Let's see if the signings made for this specific TTT was worthwhile. Obviously we are not going to win it, but a decent result would be very welcome.
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| Aquarius97 |
Posted on 20-03-2018 07:40
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4190
Joined: 13-09-2015
PCM$: 400.00
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Amazing preview Abhishek!
As i said in Skype the other day, i think Trentin has a pretty good shot at winning this, but he must perform out of his level in the ITT. Anyway, Bewley should be the main favourite, being a decent timetrialist and not so bad puncheur
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| Heine |
Posted on 20-03-2018 09:36
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4470
Joined: 08-04-2007
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Not a lot of hopes for this race for us, but different riders that on a good day can surprise on the different stages. If we can get a lucky stage win it would be great
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| roturn |
Posted on 20-03-2018 10:36
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Team Manager
Posts: 22043
Joined: 24-11-2007
PCM$: 3900.00
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I knew we`d lose some time here...1'43 though is a bit more than hoped/expected.
Quite a lot of effort needed for Boom to gain that back, so hopefully the other stages are proving to be selective with the top allrounders gaining stage for stage. |
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| alexkr00 |
Posted on 20-03-2018 11:12
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World Champion
Posts: 13561
Joined: 05-08-2008
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Dammit, ember, you should have made your boys wait for Trentin In a more serious note, I guess it's really hard to have your team take the stage win in that matter, but your leader losing contact with his team - mates.
A very good stage for my team and a result that puts my trio of Gerts, van der Velde and Sinkeldam in a very good position for the upcoming stages.
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| Shonak |
Posted on 20-03-2018 11:24
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 15579
Joined: 16-07-2013
PCM$: 350.00
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Strava 4th team
Bakelants 3 minutes down
fml 
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
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| tastasol |
Posted on 20-03-2018 11:41
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3030
Joined: 11-09-2010
PCM$: 200.00
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That's a mixed day for Aker... Great stage win, but Trentin losing time might turn the AI against them on the coming stages.
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