MrTeamSky wrote:
Enger in the top 10 so far well done.
Thanks, hopefully he can hold on or someone else can move into his place
Baia wrote:
Doing great... i don´t know how good the other riders are in TT but Enger has good chances to finish well in Norway... good luck.
Thanks, he should be able to do well.
Might be a while before another report, due to school taking over. Hopefully I can return to this by the end of the weekend.
Edited by FroomeDog99 on 24-09-2013 19:30
The third stage of the race is a TTT, in which the stronger teams should dominate and move their men up the overall standings. Our team isn't the best at this discipline and with some WorldTour teams present we don't have very high expectations.
In the end the team does decently, coming 7th out of 13 teams here in Norway. Some of the bigger teams were not being beaten, none more than Saxo Bank who won the stage, finishing 49" ahead of our team. Vacansoleil also rode well to keep the leaders jersey in Bole's hands. All our riders lost their high overall placings sadly.
1
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
21'30
2
Joker - Merida
+ 15
3
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
4
Team Cult Energy
+ 17
5
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
7
Team Plussbank
+ 49
Stage 4
18th August, 2013
A final flat stage concludes the race today, which should be no more than a procession ending in a sprint stage, crowning the overall winner.
One positive for us is Lunke, who got into the break and secured his King of the Mountains jersey. Other than that though, he couldn't accomplish anything else apart from camera time while off the front, being brought back within the last 10 kilometers.
The catch is made by Lotto, who then set about creating a sprint train. Into the final 2500 metres, their leadout is in pole position, functioning well for their leader Vangenechten. Saxo Bank also set up a train for Kump on the right of the road, which Enger is trying to follow.
Neither Lotto or Saxo Bank claim victory though today, rather fittingly it is race leader Bole who wins the final stage for Vacansoleil after a great final kick.
Rather disappointingly for us, Enger wasted alot of energy getting into the right wheels, and faded in the last 500 metres to finish in a distant 11th.
That finishes quite a underwhelming race for us, with not a good GC result nor a stage top five on any stage. Despite this we still managed to claim a jersey through Lunke's King of the Mountains efforts, which saves this race from being a failure.
1
Grega Bole
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
4h47'03
2
Marko Kump
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
3
Jay McCarthy
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
4
Jonas Vangenechten
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.
5
Jonathan Cantwell
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
Final GC
1
Grega Bole
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
12h14'57
2
Marko Kump
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
+ 20
3
Alexey Lutsenko
Astana Pro Team
+ 53
4
Jay McCarthy
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
+ 55
5
Jonathan Cantwell
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
+ 59
6
Evgueni Petrov
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
7
Bruno Manuel Silva Pires
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
8
Valerio Agnoli
Astana Pro Team
+ 1'08
9
Vegard Robinson Bugge
Joker - Merida
+ 1'10
10
Vegard Breen
Joker - Merida
+ 1'14
King of the Mountains
1
Sindre Skjostad Lunke
Team Plussbank
31
2
Jordan Kerby
Christina Watches - Onfone
11
3
Truls Engen Korsaeth
Joker - Merida
11
That finishes off August for the team, I'll summarize July - August next.
Edited by FroomeDog99 on 27-09-2013 19:10
Despite agreeing a contract with us for next season, Anders Lund has decided to retire to focus on studies. He said that he had had a good career, but now wanted to focus on something away from the sport. He also said that he believes to have achieved all he can with his talent. Sadly, that means he won't be riding for us next season.
However, that also left us with a space left in next year's squad. The owners have given us permission to search for a new rider to support the team next season. We quickly found the rider we wanted, and he was very interested. We offered a three-year deal, and he duly accepted. The rider joining is Christer Rake, who should be a solid presence for the team in the sprints next year!
Pity that Enger couldn´t deliver a better result on last stage but Lunke saved the day...
Good signing, Plussbank will be way more stronger next season in the sprints..
In the individual, Nibali retains the lead despite not gaining many points. Froome is the big mover, moving onto the podium after his dominant Tour de France victory. Valverde, Contador and Flecha are other riders who progress well in the ranking, thanks to good performances at the Tour and Pologne.
1
Sky Procycling
1169
2
Omega Pharma - Quickstep Cycling Team
1061
3
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
967
4
Katusha Team
932
5
Movistar Team
929
Sky move to the top of the teams rankings after a very successful Tour. They move into a commanding lead at the top ahead of OPQS, who shouldn't gain many more points as the classics season has ended. Another change is that Saxo Bank replace Astana in the top five, moving onto the podium.
Duarte remains in the lead of the individual rankings, after shaking off the challenge of Schumacher. However, Garcia Etxegibel has emerged as a different challenger after a great couple of months. The Cofidis rider looks to be in a two-way battle with Duarte for the title. Enger is our best placed rider in 96th.
The teams ranking is lead by Cofidis as they move into the lead, mainly thanks to Garcia Etxegibel's exploits. RusVelo are up into second and continue their strong season, meaning NetApp drop to third. We are sitting in 60th place, a position which is satisfactory as the season comes to a close.
CQ Ranking
1
Vincenzo Nibali
Astana Pro Team
2592
2
Chris Froome
Sky Procycling
2502
3
Alejandro Valverde
Movistar Team
2057
4
Joaquim Rodriguez
Katusha Team
1978
5
Alberto Contador
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
1714
6
Tejay Van Garderen
BMC Racing Team
1581
7
Mark Cavendish
Omega Pharma - Quickstep Cycling Team
1354
8
Tom Boonen
Omega Pharma - Quickstep Cycling Team
1309
9
Roman Kreuziger
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
1299
10
Marcel Kittel
Team Argos - Shimano
1203
255
Sondre Holst Enger
Team Plussbank
197
Like the WorldTour Rankings, Nibali retains his lead. Froome is on his tail after his Tour and USAPCC victories, with Valverde moving into a podium position after solid Tour and San Sebastian performances. As expected Enger is our best placed rider, falling to 255th this month.
1
Sky Procycling
7109
2
Movistar Team
5488
3
Omega Pharma - Quickstep Cycling Team
5351
4
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
4783
5
Astana Pro Team
4657
80
Team Plussbank
304
Sky take over the team rankings, as OPQS start to slide. Movistar sit in a good second, which they should cement after the ongoing Vuelta finishes.
Euskatel, Lampre and AG2R are all in danger of relegation, and face a close battle to remain in the top division. Cofidis and NetApp are both in prime promotion positions.
Meanwhile, we sit in 80th for the moment, comfortably within the top half of the division. With some stronger riders arriving next year, promotion should be a real possibility.
Edited by FroomeDog99 on 28-09-2013 20:45
baseballlover312, 06-03-14 : "Nuke Moscow...Don't worry Russia, we've got plenty of love to go around your cities"
Sarah Palin, 08-03-14 (CPAC, on Russian aggression) : "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke"
Big thanks to jdog for making this AMAZING userbar!
Quite a surprise the winners of Post Danmark Rundt and Österreich Rundfahrt..
Plussbank is doing good but is "Engercoholic" at this time... one of the reasons i support those signs..
Keep it up
Not very high on motivation at the moment, so will do a few quick reports for Britain and Brazil before a big season review. First update should be done today.
The penultimate race of the season for the team is the Tour of Britain, a race offering plenty of hilly terrain. The team doesn't come in great shape, with Hoem probably being our best overall contender considering fitness and ability. Risoy also starts his first race for the team since joining as a stagiare in August.
Surprisingly no WorldTour teams attend this race, which is usually full of top-tier teams. That could leave the door open for a surprise winner, with many small continental teams like ourselves participating.
Stage 1: Peebles - Drumlanrig Castle
15th September, 2013
The first stage of the race is one of three rated flat, even though there is some hills to get over near the finish, including an uphill final two kilometres.
The break is dealt with without big difficulty, and a full peloton goes into the final sprint up to Drumlanrig Castle. Topsport's Waeytens gets a good gap as he kicks early.
He is overhauled though, and Palmer (Drapac) eventually takes the stage along with an early leaders jersey. Aasvold was our best finisher, finishing in a respectable 8th today.
1
Thomas Palmer
Drapac Cycling
4h40'52
2
David Wöhrer
Tirol Cycling Team
s.t.
3
Zico Waeytens
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
4
Nic Hamilton
Jelly Belly p/b Kenda
s.t.
5
Adam Phelan
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
Stage 2: Carlisle - Kendal
16th September, 2013
The second stage is more hilly than the first, with some very steep climbs as well as a hard uphill finish in Kendal like yesterday. Small gaps could form, but probably no major ones.
A group of nine broke away from the peloton with ten kilometres left, containing most of the overall contenders and also Lunke for us. They hold a gap of 25" moving into the final couple of kilometres.
That group stays away, with Guldhammer winning the stage for the Danish Blue Water squad. Palmer finishes 2nd to retain his overall lead, with Lunke coming in 8th. That group takes 34" out of the peloton, lead home by Mate (Cofidis).
That leaves Lunke as our best placed rider overall moving into the rest of the race, in 6th. We'll have to see who is best placed after stage 4's ITT to see who'll be our biggest overall threat.
An ITT around Knowsley makes up stage three, and could be a big influence in the final GC. Stronger timetrialists will try to make gains and the more hilly men will try to limit their losses.
Gert Joeaar (Cofidis) is the first notable rider to go out on course. He isn't far back from the GC lead though, only 50" off the lead. That should improve come the end of the day, setting an impressive time of 21'34".
Our best hope for a good stage result is probably Aasvold, who isn't in the best shape to be honest. That shows, going into provisional 7th, 37" down on the Estonian.
Many more riders pass, but none can beat Joeaar. Lunke, sitting in 6th overall, is soon out on course. He stops the clock on 22'32", which is 1'08" behind the lead. Unfortunately that should drop him from his high GC position at the end of the day.
Another stage favourite is Pieter Jacobs (Topsport), who sits in 5th overall after a front-group finish yesterday. He can't beat Joeaar though, putting him in 4th provisionally, 5" down.
Another rider who looks well poised for a good stage and GC result is Points leader Adam Phelan of Drapac. The Australian rider can't beat Joeaar like all others before him, but does well to move into 2nd, 2" down.
Last out of the starting house is Tom Palmer (Drapac), who leads the race at the moment. He rides a good TT, finishing in 10th at 14". That keeps him in yellow moving back into the hills tomorrow.
Aasvold is our best finisher, falling to 16th eventually which isn't really what we'd hoped for despite his bad shape. Lunke is still our highest GC contender in 15th.
A second hilly stage of the race is next for the riders here in Britain, which should be another one that could cause a split between the favourites.
Soon on in the day it becomes apparent that the break will be let go, with the peloton seeking a rest. We send Roinas across the gap and he makes the junction with 50km left. The gap stands at 7'45".
That chase took the sting out of his legs though, with Cupitt (Budget Forklifts) keeping up the Australian success here in Britain with a stage win, after a 20km solo.
Most of the GC contenders finish in the peloton, including Lunke. A couple manage to grab some extra seconds with late attacks though, none more so than Guldhammer (Blue Water), who stole enough time to move into the GC lead!
The race crosses into Wales for stage 5, with the main feature of the profile being the double climb of the hill dubbed the 'Caerphilly Mountain'.
After yesterday's breakaway success, we decide to send Hoem into the break, in search of another good stage result. The group is very strong though, with plenty of others also seeing an opportunity.
Like forecasted, the break takes the win once more through Moses (Raleigh) who soloed to victory from 12km out, rather like yesterday. He finishes too tired to raise his arms.
The rest of the break is left to sprint for a podium. Hoem takes 5th, our second top five in two days. Three other GC riders made the junction, including GC leader Guldhammer. Those riders finish 40" behind the winner, and 1'13" ahead of the peloton.
Lunke finishes in the peloton, and keeps his slim hopes for a good GC finish alive. We may have to settle for these stage top fives though, which aren't bad of course. We'll see what we can achieve in the final few stages.
The team is very consistent with the top 10 finishes.
baseballlover312, 06-03-14 : "Nuke Moscow...Don't worry Russia, we've got plenty of love to go around your cities"
Sarah Palin, 08-03-14 (CPAC, on Russian aggression) : "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke"
Big thanks to jdog for making this AMAZING userbar!
Stage 6 brings the last chance for the overall favourites to get a good result here in Britain. Expect fireworks, especially on the 5km long final climb.
Early on we dictate the pace on the front of the peloton, with Lunke telling us he can do something today to move him up the final overall standings.
The break is mosty brought back with 20km to go, with Mate (Cofidis) remaining off the front. We see an opportunity and attack with Hoem, who is joined by Txurruka (Caja Rural) with 15km left.
The pair pass and catch Mate, but Hoem doesn't have the legs to stay with his Spanish counterpart. Soon he is swept up by the peloton, at which point Lunke attacks!
He holds a 45" advantage moving into the final kilometre, at which point he is joined by race leader Guldhammer (Blue Water) and Palmer (Drapac). Txurruka remains alone in the lead.
It stays that way until the finish, where Txurruka raises his arms. He takes the stage for Caja Rural, which should move him up the overall standings.
Guldhammer takes 2nd, before Palmer and Lunke finish in 3rd and 4th. That's a great result for the team, which moves him into the top 10 overall.
1
Amets Txurruka Ansola
Caja Rural - Seguros RGA
3h12'04
2
Rasmus Guldhammer
Blue Water Cycling
+ 23
3
Thomas Palmer
Drapac Cycling
+ 32
4
Sindre Skjostad Lunke
Team Plussbank
s.t.
5
Pieter Jacobs
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
+ 47
Stage 7: Epsom - Guildford
21st September, 2013
The race has a quiet conclusion, with two flat stages finishing the race. The first takes the race around Surrey with a fast finish in Guildford.
We decide to send Hoem into the break, incase the stage is left for the breakaway. With 50kms to go, the gap stands at 4'15".
Disaster strikes race leader Guldhammer soon after, with the Blue Water rider going down. Luckily though a teammate is on hand and pulls him back into the peloton.
The peloton gets incredibly close to catching the break in the end, with only one rider surviving. They just couldn't catch Witmitz (Raleigh) though who takes the stage.
Our best finisher is Hoem in 24th, on a quiet day for the team.
1
Sam Witmitz
Raleigh - GAC
3h27'04
2
Thomas Palmer
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
3
Milton Cornell
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
4
Zico Waeytens
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
5
Tom Van Asbroeck
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
Stage 8: London - London
22nd September, 2013
The final stage of the race is a circuit around Britain's capital city, London. Eleven laps of an 11km circuit makes up the stage, which should be for the sprinters.
Once more, we send a rider in the break because of the success they have had in the race so far. Today, it is Roinas' turn to go stage hunting.
Once more it is incredibly close between the breakaway and the sprinters, but an attacker takes the win again. Today it is English (Rapha), who steals the victory by a matter of centimetres.
Roinas is caught within the final 200m, but still holds on to take a respectable 7th, to add to his fourth earlier in the race. Lunke's top ten overall is also confirmed which rounds off a good race for the team.
The World Championships came to Italy for 2013, after a succesful event was held in Holland last year. Many fans traveled to Valkenburg to witness Tony Martin take Individual Time Trial Gold just ahead of Taylor Phinney, and Phillipe Gilbert power up the Cauberg to win the Road Race.
With a similar two courses making up the race for the 2013 championships, two exciting races were predicted with many possible winners at the startlines.
World Championship ITT
25th September, 2013
First to be held was the ITT, on Wednesday. Many riders capable of taking the Rainbow Stripes started the race, including last year's winner Tony Martin.
In the end, it was Martin who rode a dominant time trial, taking Gold by over a minute thanks to a great effort. That was his third straight world title, confirming his dominance in the discipline.
Fellow Omega Pharma - Quickstep teammate Michal Kwiatkowski took second, just pushing Taylor Phinney down into third both came nowhere near the German, who lead at every single checkpoint.
1
Tony Martin
OmegaPharma - Quick Step Cycling
1h04'41
2
Michal Kwiatkowski
OmegaPharma - Quick Step Cycling
+ 1'09
3
Taylor Phinney
BMC Racing Team
+ 1'10
4
Jonathan Castroviejo
Movistar Team
+ 1'12
5
Bradley Wiggins
Sky ProCycling
+ 1'15
6
Adriano Malori
Lampre - Merida
+ 1'17
7
Lieuwe Westra
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 1'25
8
Fredrik Kessiakoff
Astana Pro Team
+ 1'40
9
Rohan Dennis
Garmin-Sharp
+ 2'02
10
Thomas De Gendt
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 2'05
World Championship Road Race
29th September, 2013
The Road Race came on Sunday, and was a lot more unpredictable than the ITT. Joaquim Rodriguez was the main favourite at the start, here after winning the recent Vuelta. Vincenzo Nibali, Peter Sagan and reigning champion Phillipe Gilbert were others tipped to do well.
One rider really took the race by the scruff of the neck, and never looked in difficulty from start to finish. That was Phillipe Gilbert, who retained the Rainbow Jersey with a stunning ride, winning by over a minute after a 25km solo!
Vincenzo Nibali gave a good chase to take silver, with Carlos Betancur also riding well to take bronze for Colombia. A group of seven finished behind them, with Norway taking ninth through Edvald Boasson Hagen.
Tour des Fjords [2.2]
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
Astana Pro Team
Grega Bole
Jay McCarthy
Jonas Vangenechten
Jonathan Cantwell
Evgueni Petrov
Bruno Manuel Silva Pires
Valerio Agnoli
Osterreich Rundfahrt
Tour of Qinghai Lake
Sergio Pardilla
Chris Froome
Tour de Pologne
Aleksandr Pliuschin
Roman Kreuziger
Fabio Andres Duarte
Stefan Schumacher
Gert Joeäär
Felix English
Nic Hamilton
Fredrik Kessiakoff
Peter Sagan
