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Apex Mountain Classic Discussion
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| AbhishekLFC |
Posted on 21-12-2020 05:46
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 11675
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PCM$: 1861.50
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Apex Mountain Classic Preview
The Apex Mountain classic is a relatively new race on the ManGame calendar, with 2020 being it's third edition. It debuted as a PTHC race in 2018, but was moved to C1 last season and remains so this time as well.
The course is just under 228 kilometers long and climaxes with the long descent down Apex Mountain, which is the ultimate challenge of this race. Joseph Dombrowski and Patrick Schelling are the past winners of this race but neither are here, as both teams ride in PT this season.
This race does clash with the Vuelta a Colombia, which sees some of the top climbers absent, That does not mean that the startlist is weak however as many of the stars of the PCT and a couple from the CT are here, ready to shine and write their names into the history books. We take a look at the top contenders in the next section.
| MON | STA | RES | ACC | DHL |  Tenorio | 84 | 78 | 76 | 67 | 68 |  Kudus | 82 | 79 | 77 | 70 | 67 |  Cattaneo | 82 | 76 | 80 | 70 | 64 |  Eastman | 82 | 76 | 75 | 69 | 66 |  Seboka | 80 | 63 | 70 | 67 | 84 |  Latour | 79 | 80 | 78 | 74 | 73 | | Choi | 80 | 77 | 76 | 68 | 71 |  Carthy | 81 | 77 | 76 | 69 | 65 |  Padun | 80 | 72 | 74 | 75 | 70 |  Beltran | 79 | 73 | 72 | 76 | 74 |
As the case will be for many of the top mountain races this season, Tenorio starts off this race as the top favourite. He will probably rely on dropping his competitors on the climb as his descending isn't very strong.
Kudus is slightly weaker on the uphill but has better support stats which could offset the balance in his favour. He does have a good support cast by his side, but Desigual probably are better in this regard.
MOL come into this race with both Cattaneo and Choi and will possibly be hoping for two in the Top 5 if things go their way. The former is definitely a podium contender while Choi is no slouch and his decent downhill stats could help him make up ground in the closing stages.
Eastman is easily another podium candidate for this race, with the skills and the firepower to make an impact on the climb. His downhill skills are not the best though, which could mean we see him attacking on the climb to drop his rivals.
Seboka is in the favourites list, but it will be a surprise if we see him this high in the final standings, given his past record. He does have strong climbing and descending skills though, the two major components needed for success in this race. Everything else leaves a lot to be desired.
A rider capable of a surprise result is Latour who has already shown glimpses of good form in previous races this season, with the Volta a Portugal mountain stage sticking to memory. He will be aiming for a Top 5 place and beyond, with the long race surely suiting him.
Hugh Carthy carries the hopes of Farfetch in this race. He is a good overall climber but one of the weakest descenders which could prove to be a hindrance if the race is not selective.
Together with Latour, Padun and Beltran are perhaps the most well-rounded riders in this race, but their slightly weaker climbing could mean they have a tough time keeping up with the previously mentioned favourites on the steep slopes of Apex Mountain.
| MON | STA | RES | ACC | DHL |  Scarponi | 77 | 71 | 72 | 70 | 83 |  Henao Montoya | 81 | 74 | 78 | 72 | 61 |  Moschella | 79 | 73 | 70 | 62 | 75 | | Pomoshnikov | 79 | 78 | 76 | 66 | 67 | | Abal | 79 | 71 | 74 | 70 | 71 |  Senni | 77 | 76 | 79 | 72 | 73 |  Kuss | 78 | 74 | 76 | 69 | 72 |  Intxausti | 80 | 75 | 75 | 67 | 62 |  Lunke | 78 | 76 | 74 | 64 | 69 |  Grmay | 77 | 71 | 73 | 71 | 74 | | Gilanipoor | 77 | 74 | 71 | 73 | 73 |
It is strange to find Henao Montoya and Intxausti in the outsiders' list in a race like this, but age takes its toll and both of them will be looking to get into the Top 10 or slightly better in this race.
Scarponi and Moschella boast the best downhill stats among these riders, and in fact among all riders barring Seboka.
Senni and Kuss lead the line for Lierse and McCormick respectively, while Lunke looks to be the slightly better suited for this course than teammate Cort Nielsen, who is a few positions lower than the final place in this list. Grmay is the other rider on the outsiders' list who leads his team in this race.
The likes of Pomoshnikov, Abal and Gilanipoor are expected to be domestiques for their respective leaders.
Spoiler | Last Name | First Name | Team | | Eastman | Ryan | Azteca - NBCSN | | Squire | Robbie | Azteca - NBCSN | | Mannion | Gavin | Azteca - NBCSN | | Roberge | Adam | Azteca - NBCSN | | Garcia | Jhojan | Azteca - NBCSN | | Cepeda | Jefferson Alexander | Azteca - NBCSN | | Alba | Juan Diego | Azteca - NBCSN | | Garrison | Ian | Azteca - NBCSN | | Breen | Vegard | Bakkafrost | | Van der Haar | Lars | Bakkafrost | | Scarponi | Paolo | Bakkafrost | | Sarreau | Marc | Bakkafrost | | Vingegaard | Jonas | Bakkafrost | | Hermans | Ben | Bakkafrost | | Dainese | Alberto | Bakkafrost | | Konychev | Alexander | Bakkafrost | | Henao Montoya | Sergio Luis | Berg Cycles | | Bartl | David | Berg Cycles | | Destribois | Alex Ariya | Berg Cycles | | Aular | Orluis | Berg Cycles | | Antunes | Amaro | Berg Cycles | | Ignatenko | Petr | Berg Cycles | | Portela | Marcio | Berg Cycles | | Almeida | Joao | Berg Cycles | | Tenorio | Justo | Desigual | | Abal | David | Desigual | | Burke | Jack | Desigual | | Nazaret | Magno | Desigual | | Jones | Carter | Desigual | | Narvaez | Jhonatan | Desigual | | Herrera | Erick | Desigual | | Rhim | Brendan | Desigual | | Intxausti | Benat | DK - SVA Zalgiris | | Siskevicius | Evaldas | DK - SVA Zalgiris | | Krizek | Matthias | DK - SVA Zalgiris | | Beniusis | Justas | DK - SVA Zalgiris | | Hamilton | Lucas | DK - SVA Zalgiris | | Lasinis | Venantas | DK - SVA Zalgiris | | Nareklishvili | Beka | DK - SVA Zalgiris | | Carthy | Hugh | Farfetch Pro Cycling | | Guerreiro | Ruben | Farfetch Pro Cycling | | Figueiredo | Frederico | Farfetch Pro Cycling | | Goncalves | Gaspar | Farfetch Pro Cycling | | Cras | Steff | Farfetch Pro Cycling | | Soulious | Zisis | Farfetch Pro Cycling | | Elosegui | Inigo | Farfetch Pro Cycling | | Verschaeve | Viktor | Farfetch Pro Cycling | | Potocki | Pavel | GCN Racing | | Landa | Mikel | GCN Racing | | Nzeke | Geremie | GCN Racing | | Anguilet | Charles | GCN Racing | | Hategeka | Gasore | GCN Racing | | Archibald | John | GCN Racing | | Burke | Steven | GCN Racing | | Stedman | Max | GCN Racing | | Brandt | Tyler | Glanbia Foods Cycling Project | | McConvey | Connor | Glanbia Foods Cycling Project | | Clarke | Paddy | Glanbia Foods Cycling Project | | Richardson | Ian | Glanbia Foods Cycling Project | | Frame | Alex | Glanbia Foods Cycling Project | | Connolly | William | Glanbia Foods Cycling Project | | McCarthy | Eoin | Glanbia Foods Cycling Project | | Petrie-Armstrong | Adam | Glanbia Foods Cycling Project | | De Plus | Laurens | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Senni | Manuel | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Kolar | Michael | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Fedeli | Alessandro | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Verwilst | Aaron | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Covi | Alessandro | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Weemaes | Sasha | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Dewulf | Stan | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Marquez | Florentino | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Seboka | Matala | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Petrovski | Stefan | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Bru | Fulgencio | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Ulloa | Jose Gerardo | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Hayter | Ethan | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Osorio | Alejandro | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Gonzales | Andre Alexander | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Kuss | Sepp | McCormick Pro Cycling | | McCutcheon | Connor | McCormick Pro Cycling | | Hoehn | Alex | McCormick Pro Cycling | | McNulty | Brandon | McCormick Pro Cycling | | Eisenhart | Taylor | McCormick Pro Cycling | | Brown | Connor W | McCormick Pro Cycling | | Wirtgen | Luc | McCormick Pro Cycling | | Curran | Geoffrey | McCormick Pro Cycling | | Cattaneo | Mattia | MOL | | Choi | Ki Ho | MOL | | Pomoshnikov | Sergei | MOL | | Stancu | George Alexandru | MOL | | Domagalski | Karol Andrzej | MOL | | Kenyeres | Abel | MOL | | Pereyra | Pedro Pablo | MOL | | Matte | Charles | MOL | | Ratiy | Vadim | Nordica - Enel | | Moschella | Artemio | Nordica - Enel | | Lafay | Victor | Nordica - Enel | | Vila | Aimiliano | Nordica - Enel | | Pronskiy | Vadim | Nordica - Enel | | Agrotis | Alexandros | Nordica - Enel | | De Vos | Adam | Nordstrom - CA Technologies | | Gaspar | Joao | Nordstrom - CA Technologies | | Grmay | Tsgabu Gebremaryam | Nordstrom - CA Technologies | | Diggle | Tom | Nordstrom - CA Technologies | | Hughes | Zachary | Nordstrom - CA Technologies | | Okamoto | Hayato | Nordstrom - CA Technologies | | Smukulis | Gatis | Nordstrom - CA Technologies | | Chen | Mingrun | Nordstrom - CA Technologies | | Latour | Pierre | Polar | | Soler | Marc | Polar | | Rodriguez Galindo | Michael | Polar | | De Luna | Flavio | Polar | | Gougeard | Alexis | Polar | | Brockhoff | Jan | Polar | | Gallego Martin | Juan Abenhamar | Polar | | Stenersen | Sten | Polar | | Kudus | Merhawi | Repsol - Netflix | | Vanmarcke | Sep | Repsol - Netflix | | Roson | Jaime | Repsol - Netflix | | Herrada | Jesus | Repsol - Netflix | | Trofimov | Yuri | Repsol - Netflix | | Pedrero | Antonio | Repsol - Netflix | | Benito | Miguel Angel | Repsol - Netflix | | Valter | Attila | Repsol - Netflix | | Beltran | Eduard Alexander | Swisslion Cycling Team | | Ablenado | Aberlardo | Swisslion Cycling Team | | Giogieri | Tyron | Swisslion Cycling Team | | Gilanipoor | Abolfazl | Swisslion Cycling Team | | Antonijevic | Goran | Swisslion Cycling Team | | Siric | Ivan | Swisslion Cycling Team | | Stavrakakis | Georgios | Swisslion Cycling Team | | Natarov | Yuriy | Swisslion Cycling Team | | Padun | Mark | Team Popo4Ever p/b Nemiroff | | Laas | Martin | Team Popo4Ever p/b Nemiroff | | Andriafenomananiaina | Zouzou | Team Popo4Ever p/b Nemiroff | | Kanepejs | Deins | Team Popo4Ever p/b Nemiroff | | De Bondt | Dries | Team Popo4Ever p/b Nemiroff | | Tanovitchii | Nicolae | Team Popo4Ever p/b Nemiroff | | Orlov | Andriy | Team Popo4Ever p/b Nemiroff | | Gladysh | Roman | Team Popo4Ever p/b Nemiroff | | Venter | Jaco | Trans cycling team | | Hardy | Romain | Trans cycling team | | Pogacar | Tadej | Trans cycling team | | Camargo | Jonathan | Trans cycling team | | Primozic | Jaka | Trans cycling team | | Knox | James | Trans cycling team | | Munoz | Cristian | Trans Cycling Team | | Sotberg | Andre | Trans cycling team | | Cort Nielsen | Magnus | Tryg - Ritter Sport | | Lunke | Sindre Skjostad | Tryg - Ritter Sport | | Hoelgaard | Daniel | Tryg - Ritter Sport | | Smirnovs | Andris | Tryg - Ritter Sport | | Hoem | Bjorn Tore | Tryg - Ritter Sport | | Zimmermann | Georg | Tryg - Ritter Sport | | Kron | Andreas | Tryg - Ritter Sport | | Rodenberg | Frederik | Tryg - Ritter Sport |
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| quadsas |
Posted on 21-12-2020 08:26
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2518
Joined: 18-01-2013
PCM$: 300.00
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Teams didn't make the same mistake of completely disregarding this race like they did last year. A few points would be nice but with how Intxausti has been performing Krizalid is the biggest hope
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| Nemolito |
Posted on 21-12-2020 08:38
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3367
Joined: 20-04-2020
PCM$: 425.00
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Petrovski in the break and finishing in the points and then Marquez in the top-20/25 would already be very nice for us. Top-100 for Seboka would be a big achievement 
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| redordead |
Posted on 21-12-2020 08:56
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4881
Joined: 18-10-2017
PCM$: 200.00
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It's gonna be a literally uphill task for Beltran to achieve a top result here. The long downhill and any sort of passive racing should suit him. But given how the AI has treated us this season, he'll probably attack early and finish around 40th.
Thanks for the preview Abhi 
"I am a cyclist, I may not be the best, but that is what I strive to be. I may never get there, but I will never quit trying." - Tadej Pogačar
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| Ollfardh |
Posted on 21-12-2020 09:22
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World Champion
Posts: 14563
Joined: 08-08-2011
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A slow race and a sprint with a group would probably be best for us here.
Changed my sig, this was getting absurd.
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| Sykkel_Freak |
Posted on 21-12-2020 09:48
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2073
Joined: 11-07-2010
PCM$: 200.00
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Except for the race being a bit long, this should be a very good profile for Scarponi. Need the racing to be passive though, in order to for him to fully utilize his downhill skills, which might be a bit much to ask on that monster of a climb. He's also got no support whatsoever, so I'm keeping my expectations low, but I hope we can get a decent result
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| liefwarrior |
Posted on 21-12-2020 10:09
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Breakaway Specialist
Posts: 864
Joined: 04-07-2019
PCM$: 300.00
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Come all yee faithful... |
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| Aquarius97 |
Posted on 21-12-2020 11:39
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4191
Joined: 13-09-2015
PCM$: 300.00
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Not being in Colombia's PTHC band, it was a very clear decision to come here.
Hopefully the race is agressive and only the 82+ climbers survive up front. I'll be happy with a podium, but in Cataluña Kudus showed he can beat Tenorio so there's hope to win this
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| Ulrich Ulriksen |
Posted on 21-12-2020 22:48
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 3261
Joined: 02-11-2010
PCM$: 300.00
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Had a couple of race days left so figured we would take a shot at what is sort of local race for us (except for being in a different county on the other side of the continent).
Any kind of result for Kuss will be a bonus.
Also will be nice for the boys to catch up with Brendan Rhim on loan at Desigual. He has a shot at being on the winning team - so go Tenorio.
Man Game: McCormick Pro Cycling |
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 22-11-2024 02:32
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| Kentaurus |
Posted on 21-12-2020 23:05
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Classics Specialist
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Certainly looking for a passive race here, as Eastman isn't great with the aggressive tactics (due to low HL), the top mountain riders should prevail handily in this either way so anything worse than 5th would be a serious failure, but a slower race would likely give us a better chance to find the podium.
AZTECA - NBCSN  |
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| Mresuperstar |
Posted on 22-12-2020 00:26
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8057
Joined: 22-06-2009
PCM$: 650.00
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Not confident Tenorio will win his first race of the year after what happened on home turf in Catalunya. But, anything less than a win will be a disappointment. Come on Tenorio, don't hold back.
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| liefwarrior |
Posted on 22-12-2020 07:03
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Posts: 864
Joined: 04-07-2019
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Good work by Cort Nielsen, shame to be dropped before the summit but still a solid effort. |
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| jaxika |
Posted on 22-12-2020 07:06
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Posts: 3148
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Omg...both of them on bad form 
Thanks for the report, the only positive thing in this race |
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| redordead |
Posted on 22-12-2020 08:04
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4881
Joined: 18-10-2017
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Finally!! Beltran is back! 
I was fearing the worst when I saw him attack from so far out, but he blew the race apart with that move. He certainly had his climbing legs today 
Kudus was a level better than the others, but I'm delighted with 2nd here
Thanks for the report Abhi
"I am a cyclist, I may not be the best, but that is what I strive to be. I may never get there, but I will never quit trying." - Tadej Pogačar
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| quadsas |
Posted on 22-12-2020 08:58
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2518
Joined: 18-01-2013
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7 points...guess that's not very good?
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| Ollfardh |
Posted on 22-12-2020 09:28
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World Champion
Posts: 14563
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Agressive racing and solid finishes, my mountain team is doing great this year. Funny how I've gone from a flat loving team to a mountain loving team in just two years without any major transfers.
Congratulations to yet another strong performance by Kudus and the excellent reporting!
Changed my sig, this was getting absurd.
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| Nemolito |
Posted on 22-12-2020 10:00
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3367
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Not amazing by Marquez, but okay-ish, as he still manages to hold off the likes of Cattaneo and Intxausti. Nice one by tryg to finish so high, and also great job by Kudus showing Catalunya was no lucky win and Beltran showing he's still alive
Thank you for the great report, Abhishek!
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| Aquarius97 |
Posted on 22-12-2020 10:30
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4191
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This guy is amazing  He's getting closer to reach 1000 points this season, which i thought it was a decent goal (two years ago he got around 850, but he had U25 points there).
Very important to get as much points from C1 races, as this are the races where Kudus is mostly focused this season
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| Mresuperstar |
Posted on 22-12-2020 13:20
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8057
Joined: 22-06-2009
PCM$: 650.00
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Frustrating. Just an awful performance from Tenorio and the Desigual boys. How do come in as +2 MO favourite over the field and then finish 5th? Doesn't make any sense, especially after Tenorio had a decent season on PCM18 last year.
Regardless, thanks for the report!
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| Sykkel_Freak |
Posted on 22-12-2020 15:38
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2073
Joined: 11-07-2010
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Good result for Scarponi. Managed to stay with similar quality climbers on the ascend and then attacked them on the descent, which is exactly what I wanted to see from him.
Kudus is having a great season so far. Congrats, Aquarius!
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