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Team Milram Again!!!
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 19-12-2008 10:06
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3472
Joined: 03-01-2008
PCM$: 1348.00
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Vuelta ciclista a Cataluna
Stage 7
A very short stage today with an uphill finish. Ghisalberti will be enjoying a rest today and bask in the glory of his polka dot jersey. Caruso can't relax and will be trying to launch an attack on the last climb so he can sneak into the top 10 on GC. A break goes straight away and i get Poitschke into it. However the peleton doesn't want to let them get away and they are chased down. Another break goes, this time Velo gets into it. The peleton has had enough of chasing today and lets it go.
Astana start chasing with about 50k to go, but it's beginning to look like the break might just make it to the finish.
With just 10k to go the news has reached the break that the peleton is closing in on them. Caucchioli makes his move. Only Velo and 3 others can follow him.
Velo and Frank prove to be the strongest and get a nice gap.
Velo and Frank look like they will make it to the finish together. The gap is surely too much to be closed down.
Meanwhile, further down the hill, Caruso has decided it's now or never and launches an attack.
He is joined by Sorensen, Valjavek and Jufre. They have a gap with 500 meters to go. Will it be enough to get Caruso the time he needs?
At the front the sprint has started. Velo has been on Frank's wheel and now makes his last dash for the line.
But he left it too late and went around the long way. If only the line had been a few meters further. Still it's a good podium for the Italian TT specialist.
Caruso and his group have caught the break and have still got a small advantage over the peleton but it doesn't look like it will be enough.
So a good second place for Velo gives us another couple of points in or relegation battle.
However the real story for us is further down the stage classiment. Caruso has managed to get a gap of 32 seconds to the peleton....
....and thats enough to give him 10th overall on GC. What a ride from the Italian. Another Pro-Tour point for us.
And of course Ghisalberti took the Mountain comp to make this a very satisfactory tour for us. Lets just hope that Zabel can get us some more points at the Giro.
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| fenian_1234 |
Posted on 19-12-2008 11:54
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4790
Joined: 06-12-2006
PCM$: 200.00
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Unlucky with Velo. |
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 19-12-2008 12:36
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3472
Joined: 03-01-2008
PCM$: 1348.00
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yeah, a stage win would have been nice but i'm still delighted with his performance. with Caruso getting top 10 and Ghisalberti taking the polka dot jersey it was the perfect race for us. |
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| Gustavovskiy |
Posted on 19-12-2008 16:09
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Team Leader
Posts: 6045
Joined: 20-07-2008
PCM$: 200.00
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Nice results ringo 
its just a shame that final sprint... It would close your participation in Catalunya in a great way...
When are you posting the Pro Tour Rankings?
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 23-12-2024 15:06
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 19-12-2008 16:47
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3472
Joined: 03-01-2008
PCM$: 1348.00
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i post the pro-tour rankings at the end of every month. so i'll post them again after the giro has finished. it's looking alot better for us then it was at the end of last month. |
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 19-12-2008 16:55
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3472
Joined: 03-01-2008
PCM$: 1348.00
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Giro di Italia
Stage 16
A challenging 14k mountain tt. My riders have no desire to push themselves so they will be relaxing today and taking their time. The stage holds alot more significance for the GC contenders and could make or break their Giro's.
The stage was won by Cadel Evans who was desperate to gain some time back on Cunego. Cunego was able to finish second and so holds onto his jersey comfortably.
On GC Cunego looses time to Evans but extends his overall lead. It is now a 3 horse race between Cunego, Sastre and Evans.
In the points comp Zabel drops down to 4th as he is overtaken by Cunego. The next 2 stages will be his last chance to pick up some points in the competition.
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 19-12-2008 18:07
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3472
Joined: 03-01-2008
PCM$: 1348.00
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Giro di Italia
Stage 17
A flat stage that will be the last chance for the true sprinters to get a win. Zabel won't have the legs to match the likes of Hushovd, Freire and Boonen so my plan is to get Velits into the break and try to make it last the whole way.
Velits succeeds in his quest to get into the break. It's a large break and they all seem to be working together.
Despite Velits best efforts the break is caught and the sprinters move to the front. Zabel will simply try to finish as high up as possible to limit his losses. He gets onto Boonen,s wheel behind Freire and hushovd.
By the time they hit the 3k to go banner they are all quite far from the front. Have they left themselves with too much to do?
As the sprint starts Zabels train cuts through the pack and drags him towards the front.
Breschel has got himself a descent gap on the rest of the pack but Hushovd and Freire are gaining ground fast.
On the line it's going to go down to a photo finish!
The win goes to Hushovd while Freire takes 3rd to put the points jersey out of Zabels reach.
There was a major upset in the GC today. I didn't notice it during the race because i was busy trying to get Zabel as close to the front as possible but Cunego crashed near the finish. He lost over 3 mins on the peleton and handed his jersey to Sastre. It now looks like being a 2 horse race with just 12 seconds seperating Sastre and Evans.
Zabel stays in 4th in the points comp. The gap to Freire looks like it is too big to be closed down in the last 4 stages.
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| Felipe |
Posted on 19-12-2008 18:09
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Junior Rider
Posts: 28
Joined: 18-12-2008
PCM$: 200.00
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if you are that far behind, it is imposseble to win, I hope you will be in a better position next time  |
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 19-12-2008 18:48
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3472
Joined: 03-01-2008
PCM$: 1348.00
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yeah i know. i just jumped onto Freire's train behind Hushovd and Boonen and whoever was at the front started going slowly. Mind you Hushovd was only 2 bikes ahead of me and he still won. I wasn't expecting to win that stage with Zabel anyway, it was too flat. |
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