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Smowz's CTour Preview
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| Smowz |
Posted on 30-07-2011 07:07
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Team Leader
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Next six teams are up.
Fenian/levi: I do see what you mean about Rapha, the MTN classic rather suggests that Rapha will do very well. There they had a depth to the squad that they may possibly lack elsewhere. Still I probably underrated just how good Froome, Bellis and Dowsett actually are.
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| jack888 |
Posted on 30-07-2011 07:27
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Protected Rider
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It is hard to rate teams like yours and SN's purely looking at the squads. There are not many superstars, but plenty of top10 talent in both teams. Both teams got plenty of riders in the top30 at MTN, and if this sort of team performance continues all season, the absolute worst either team could get is 15th. (imo) Whether or not the team actually gets top 5 depends on how the 1 or 2 superstar's performs.
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| CountArach |
Posted on 30-07-2011 07:29
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8290
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More great reviews, nice work again Smowz.
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| ember |
Posted on 30-07-2011 08:11
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Team Leader
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Great work again! Just like jack888 says, it's very hard to predict teams like your own and Rapha, but judging by MTN, it looks like you have chosen a nice strategy to score a fair amount of points. |
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| rycadinho |
Posted on 30-07-2011 12:03
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Once again good job, I agree almost completely with your review of my team but to my luck does my trio of leaders cover most of the races I'm participating in, though it can't be helped that the team will look for lady luck in a few races throughout the season.
It will be exiting to see what approach was the best this year - 3-4 very strong helpers but a lack of depth or lots of strong riders (including your own team) but perhaps a lack of stars.
Time will tell us - will be exiting to the rest of the preview!
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| Gustavovskiy |
Posted on 30-07-2011 15:42
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Team Leader
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Great preview, Smowz.
I just have one thing to point out: as a FC Porto fan the comparison you made between my team and Benfica is quite insulting. I demand you remove it under the penalty of me encouraging my riders to overperform in the races our teams meet. 
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| Smowz |
Posted on 31-07-2011 09:32
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Team Leader
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Next six teams are up - the lower placed ProConti's from last year and two of the highest rated Conti's.
Gustav: I thought the Portuguese league was an Premier League / La Liga feeder division?  I guess your boys need the extra motivation!
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| viking90 |
Posted on 31-07-2011 09:57
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Grand Tour Specialist
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good read, and if we do not improve our position compared to last season I give up this game.... : P
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| jack888 |
Posted on 31-07-2011 10:20
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Agree with my review. My whole team is overpriced. I realized after last season that you need to get ripped off one season in order to have quality riders to build your team around the next season. At least this season i can probably achieve my goals. (relative to 2011)
I only have 1 proper team leader (Nazaret), so the others will need be pushed into that role on occasions. But i think i have arranged things so that we are realistically challenging for GC in every stage race we enter.
Time will tell if we need to enter the 2nd dimension 
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 27-11-2024 19:06
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| ember |
Posted on 31-07-2011 11:16
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Team Leader
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For my team, it will really come down to how good Larsson will do as leader, he will have a lot of race days as leader. I made a bad mistake in the race planning though, not having Tour de Limousin in it, I completely overlooked it.
Hopefully he's up for the task anyway, if he is, it might become a very successive season for my team.
Can't wait for the rest of the previews, it's great to read |
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| fenian_1234 |
Posted on 31-07-2011 11:59
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Nice work as ever smowz.
Good reading through these previews - I demand you stick your neck out though.
For eg. in each of the last two seasons, new teams have managed to promote. This season should really be no different.....Aker you have in the Top 20. |
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| Smowz |
Posted on 31-07-2011 13:52
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fenian: Day 6 I will attempt to rank the teams, whereby I will go get them hilariously wrong. Though I did correctly predict a so-so season for Vespa last time out
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| fenian_1234 |
Posted on 31-07-2011 14:24
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Grand Tour Specialist
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Well, I just hope you're right about Vespa again this season. |
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 31-07-2011 22:38
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Team Manager
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Interesting previews, of course. Im happy that I have got riders going to every race that can score well - Bellis, Froome and Dowsett being able to cover plenty of races, and if you add in Appleby, most hilly races will include at least 2 of them.
Kennaugh won't be racing the flat classics, but can hopefully score well where he is sent, the time trials should also be good - curious to see if Tennant is better than Stannard thanks to support stats - and of course, Blythe.
Also, nothing against Christer, but Id be surprised if WWE make Top 20. If you leave as much cap space unused as he did, you shouldnt expect to end up too high up.
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| Christer |
Posted on 31-07-2011 23:24
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SportingNonsense wrote:
Also, nothing against Christer, but Id be surprised if WWE make Top 20. If you leave as much cap space unused as he did, you shouldnt expect to end up too high up.
A top 20 this season might be a surprise. And highly unlikely. But it is possible. I don't have much idea about how PCM11 plays mountain stages and stage races, but I guess I could get a few top end placements. But hopefully, this will change next season. (Figures my 500K wage limit really limits my options when it comes to captains.)
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 31-07-2011 23:36
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Jack summed it up well with "you need to get ripped off one season in order to have quality riders to build your team around the next season"
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| Smowz |
Posted on 01-08-2011 06:17
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I do have Team WWE at exactly 20th place though I don't think there is a huge difference between them and Saab-Scania. Certainly sending a whole load of their best stage racers at Tachira is a bit of a dampener when you consider the field.
I think Christer is caught like me in this misconception that just because I am in the CTour means I cannot sign superstars signings. ember points out the lack of 'red' on my teamsheet and he is probably right. Other than top stage racers there is no reason why any CTour team cannot own a Bennati, Ginanni or Vanspeybrouck!
Next six teams up, all Continental this time.
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| CountArach |
Posted on 01-08-2011 06:37
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Grand Tour Champion
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Pretty much spot on with my team, it has to be said. Gambling big on the cobbles with a decent chance to get some results in the hills. As for De Greef/Stubbe, they were really brought in because I looked good to get Van Den Broucke and they would have been ideal supports for him. They won't be racing many stage races this year, and when they do I'm also likely to be sending one of my two (really crap) sprinters. Often they are supports for Vanendert/Gautier.
And yeah I realise in retrospect that I have too many talented youngsters. Still, the best of them will be getting maximum race days and everyone will be gaining at least 1 level this season.
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| tsmoha |
Posted on 01-08-2011 10:01
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Directeur Sportif
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Pretty much to the point, Smowz! As always
I like your final sentence for Oz.. it's a long-term-project, yes. We definitely made some mistakes (signing too many riders, for example) and had some bad luck with bidding wars that made us give up riders like Lloyd or not even trying for Docker.. All we hope for is Baden Cooke this year But expect us to be stronger in next season. But on the other hand: we're still satisfied with youngters like Bennett, Durbridge, Vink or Besada.
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| roturn |
Posted on 01-08-2011 10:11
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Couldn`t agree more on your last sentences. Probably a typical newbie mistake. I recognized it in race planning then that decent riders like Willems, Passeron or some of the sprinters had less races as I had to fill up other riders.
Shit happens and next season I will have ~10 riders less and a better core. |
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