Well deserved podium, with Willy grabbing a few other awards as well. If you can podium, you can win as well. I'm sure he'll be back next year even stronger.
sutty68 - Thanks In the end, it was fighting for the podium, but he made it! The win is only a few years away, I hope!
Daggen - Glad you like this result He did his best and came close!
Ollfardh - Winning the Tour is probably his main career focus right now! The rest of the season is mainly for Stijn. Willy's nearly dead after this Tour
So we've arrived in Paris with 173 riders in the peloton, after 23 hard days. After the biggest cycling event of the year, maybe it's time for a small review. Some reactions (we'll shorten most of them, except, of course, Willy's):
Alberto Contador (winner): I rate this Tour victory among my most beautiful. It was an intense battle with a mixture of styles. We saw an iron strong Froome who was constant and only cracked in the final stages, we had Van Den Broeck who came dangerously close in the end, a Wouters who held the jersey beyond expectations... In the end, though, I performed every day again and it got me this jersey.
Peter Sagan (Green Jersey): Of course I'm happy with the jersey. I fought hard for every point, but with Mark (Cavendish) having to leave the Tour halfway, I'd loved to see it differently. I'd like to come back and really earn it. Winning on the Champs was an amazing feeling.
Jurgen Van Den Broeck (2nd): The profile of this Tour was quite hard. That second week especially was the hardest on me. But I managed to minimize my losses in my weaker moments. When you can do that, and gain some time on your better moments, you ride a podium. Two years ago, I also finished 2nd. I hope I can take it to the next step, but Contador was just too strong here.
Andy Schleck (5th): I expected to do better this year. There were quite some TT kilometers, but still. I could've done better, but there were some riders who ruined my plans with some silly attacks. I'm not saying any names, but a certain young Belgian really put my race down by his weird racing style. He's got a lot to learn.
Willy Wouters (3th): It's amazing. I've been on the podium in Paris before, wearing the Young Jersey, but this year it was different. Standing next to Contador and Van Den Broeck, it's... There are no words for it. At the second rest day, I really started believing in my chances, but Contador and all his experience where too much for me. I don't feel defeated, though. I think I earned the podium, and I belong here. If you look at my entire campaign, I can only say I've performed better than I every hoped I would. No less than three stage wins, a jersey, a podium, it's too much! On top of it all, the jury rewarded me with the Combativeness Reward, for my attacking style throughout the entire Tour. It's just the icing on the cake. The reaction from the French crowd might have even surprised me most of everything.
Bidding Wars on Belgian Talents Van Gent and Wouters
After the Tour, it's usual for teams to start negotiating contracts. And, not unusually, big names get fought for. Everyone would like to have Alberto Contador's signature on their contract. Two young Belgians, both considered big talents, are no exception to this rule. Stijn Van Gent, winner in Harelbeke and Wevelgem, and Willy Wouters, third in the Tour, have an unseen demand, it seems. Being old friends, they challenge any team interested to offer both of them a contract. Eager to keep racing together, the two talents do attract a lot of attention.
It's rare these days, but real friendship does still exist. Stijn Van Gent and Willy Wouters are keen to move to the same cycling team, even against reduced pay. Many team managers expressed criticism, and the two don't get spared in the media either. Despite the criticism, there is a bidding wars going on at the moment. Vacansoleil - DCM expressed their deepest sympathy for, what they call, the Two Musketeers. But the Dutch now see a big opponent lurking around the corner. Team Garmin - Barracuda have also shown interest in attracting the two talents: "With Greg Van Avermaet leaving, we have an open spot for a leader for all cobbled races. And man like Wouters would be able to count on a lot of support in the Grand Tours."
Congrats Wouters is just like Andy Schleck... On the podium as a very young cyclist, but never going to win without someone dropping out because og doping...
Ian. Could you PM me the stats last year the year before and their debut year? If you don't have them it's okay but it would be nice to keep some archives of them
Daggen wrote:
Ian. Could you PM me the stats last year the year before and their debut year? If you don't have them it's okay but it would be nice to keep some archives of them
Daggen wrote:
Ian. Could you PM me the stats last year the year before and their debut year? If you don't have them it's okay but it would be nice to keep some archives of them
Thanks in advance
Conclude me in that too!
And me please, having read right through this story, (which has been absolutely fantastic ) i'd like to see how the riders have developed into world beaters. Do please keep this up!
Awesome man! That was a brilliant Tour, I'm sure Willy will take the yellow in a very very near future. And who knows, La Maglia Rosa and the Maillot Roja.
TimoCycling wrote:
Just caught up with the story, really, really good story mate! Keep continueing this story! Almost the 100 page mark.
Your back??? Where are you've been?
I never left, only watch some stories now. This one was really good so I felt the need to give him my compliments.
I tried to download the new database of 2013, but a lot of pink at the flags and they are alle wearing some white shirt except for the garmin team, so yeah, I want to play again, maybe make a story but it's not working at the moment.
Timo, it's very easy, you should've read the FAQ.
One of these might be the solution: https://www.pcmdai...rowstart=0
I think you've installed the DB in the wrong folder(Season 2012 instead of Seizoen 2012)
That, or you miss a download(If you did install the update from Public Bèta)
Oh, and I almost forgot, great podium spot for Willy!
He even took the combativity award Edited by Jesleyh on 17-04-2013 08:22
sutty68 - Both within the top 10 of the UCI Ranking at the moment, so I think any team would like to have them on board By the way, TT1 is third in ranking for promotion to world tour!
rogvi97 - As long as he isn't getting dropped out because of doping, it all suits me fine
Bikex - I wanted to finish it off, what can I say? Thanks!
dienblad - Well, I am getting better at PCM playing on hard difficulty, but I'm not sure about going to extreme. His fitness was 99-98 for the first two weeks, then he was really strong. But in the third week, his fitness was about 94, and then he really got killed by climbers like Contador, VDB...
Daggen, rogvi97, Neillster - I have already PM'ed this to Daggen, but I'll say it here: I haven't been keeping track of their progress, but I do have the original database (starting stats) and their current ones. If you want to, I'll PM those to you at the end of the season! (if you could remind me about that at the end of the season, that'd be great!)
TimoCycling - Thanks a lot, mate! 100 pages will be a little party here
FreitasPCM - Willy won't stare himself blind on the Tour, he wants to go for all Tours one day Hopefully he can get a win in every one of them!
wogsrus - Thanks! He squeezed out ever bit of energy he had!
Jakstar22 - Thanks a lot, mate Garmin is definitely being considered!
Jesleyh - Thanks, mate! That award wasn't too hard, since I was the jury But I felt he earned it, with his solo(-attempts).
Thanks for the massive support, everyone! Really appreciated.
Today will be 21° C, so I'll probably go for a ride and watch La Flèche Wallonne. Besides that, I'll definitely try to do another update.
However, after a tough tour, I'm not really in the mood for another stage race (Eneco Tour is next), so I'll probably skip that and go to the late-season one day races Stijn will be racing. I'll do an update about that!
Edited by Ian Butler on 17-04-2013 08:40
He did his best and came close!
Your back??? Where are you've been?
And who knows, La Maglia Rosa and the Maillot Roja. 
