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Team Milram Again!!!
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 06-10-2008 16:36
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nah, i prefer the screenshots, it shows the stage profile as well so you can see what i'm talking about when i talk about hills or long flat stages etc. also it's easier and less time consuming i think which is always important when trying to keep a story going. |
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| Wiggo |
Posted on 06-10-2008 17:24
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No-one really looks at the screens. And it doesn't give an in depth idea. |
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 07-10-2008 13:55
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story might be on hold for a couple of days. someone's been taking money out of my account so i need to sort that out. hopefully it won't take to long. |
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| issoisso |
Posted on 07-10-2008 13:58
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Tour de France Champion
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Maggot wrote:
No-one really looks at the screens.
Except almost everyone |
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 07-10-2008 17:20
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Stage 6
Last day of a disapointing tour for Team Milram. However i wasn't expecting anything so in another way it wasn't dispointing at all. Lancaster tried to get into the early break but it was caught and another went away so i told my lads to just enjoy the stage. It was a plan flat critirium stage so there was no chance of a break being allowed to get away. This didn't stop Velo having a go with about 15k to go. He built up a lead of almost a minuit before being quickly swallowed.
Velo has a go on the last day
It would turn out to be a vey fats and dangerous run in with half the pack going down at some point including Knees, Barla and Ongarato for us.
Knees has a lucky escape
Not so lucky this time
Rigotto had a rating of +2 for the day so he jumped onto a train and got ready to sprint. He was almost brought down by a crash involving McEwen and Mondory in the last k but stayed upright and fought to 9th place on the stage.
Rigotto just missed the stricken Robbie McEwen
The stage was won by the dominant Tom Boonen who clinched the green jersey. The biggest looser of the stage was Benatti who crashed out of the top 10 because of his involvement in a pile up.
Boonen wins with no sign of Benatti
Rigotto claimed a top 10 placing for the team which will help to boost the moral after a pretty miserable week of racing.
And to our delight he moved up to 14th in the overall standings due to the chaos in the last 10k. He also finished 4th in the young rider category. So we managed to take some positives from the tour.
Overview: A disapointing week was saved on the last day by a top 10 placing on the day and 14th overall. Though we must remember this was down to the mis-fortune of others more than anything. At the same time we weren't expecting anything from the tour so it's a big bonus and we can go away satisfied.
Edited by ringo182 on 07-10-2008 17:21
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| Halvor |
Posted on 07-10-2008 17:59
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Sprinter
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Nice by Quickstep  |
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 07-10-2008 20:32
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yep, they pretty much dominated the tour with 4 out of 6 wins.
gotta feel sorry for Benatti though. crashing out on the last stage and loosing his top 10 place. |
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| Halvor |
Posted on 07-10-2008 20:40
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Sprinter
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heh, focus on your team
I like your style of writing, when does the next part come? |
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 08-10-2008 08:08
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but my team never do anything so i've got to talk about what everyone else is doing otherwise i wouldn't have a story
not to sure when the next installment will be. got a pretty full schedule for a few days so it might be saturday or even sunday before i get to play again. i'll keep you posted.
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 08-10-2008 15:39
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Tour of Quatar (simmed)
i'm going to try to keep simming to an absolute mimimum during my career but i saw no reason at all to sit through 6 flat stages that would all end in a sprint and i wouldn't stand a chance in. sent a 3rd string of riders because this tour meant nothing at all to the team.
Squad: Jurco, Dyudya, Gajek, Haueisen, Muller, Schroder, Schwager
The tour was over on the first day as Sliptream and Saunier Duval won the ttt by 30 seconds making it almost impossible for anyone to catch them. Buffaz came closest to knocking Slipstream off the top but the overall win went to Kilian Putour (thats not his real name but i don't know who he is). Amazingly Martin Muller managed to get himself up to 7th in the overall GC somehow, guess thats what you get when you sim races
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 08-10-2008 15:49
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January Review
Not much to discuss but a fairly satisfactory month with top 10 placings in Australia and Qatar. This however has been overshadowed by Bouygues Telecoms massive points haul at the tour down under. They're currently sitting in second in the pro-tour rankings. Credit Agricole have also got themselves off the mark. If i'm being honest the fight for relegation is between me and the 5 French teams so to see Bouygues get off to such a good start isn't the best of starts to our own season.
February Programme
February is a much more busy month as the seaon gets into full swing. My teams goal for this month will be to get into shape for the real start of the season in March.
Caruso will be joined by Ghisalberti and Astarloa at the Vuelta ciclista a Mallorca and the Volta a regiao do Algarve.
Rigotto will lead the team at theGiro del Rossetto and Grivko and Peter Vrlits will be leaders at the Californian Road Race.
The Month will also see the season debuts of Zabel and Petacchi at the Giro di Laigueglia and the Tour du Var.
Thanks for reading. I'll try not to keep you waiting on the next post. |
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| Wiggo |
Posted on 08-10-2008 16:02
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ringo182 wrote:
nah, i prefer the screenshots, it shows the stage profile as well so you can see what i'm talking about when i talk about hills or long flat stages etc. also it's easier and less time consuming i think which is always important when trying to keep a story going.
OK, but, if you've raced the race we generally know what kind of stage it was. Put a screen for simmed ones and export for the raced ones. |
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 12-10-2008 11:03
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Vuelta ciclista a Mallorca: 10-14/2
First outing of the season for Caruso, Ghisalberti and Astarloa who will be using this race and the Volta a regiao do Algarve as preperation for the Paris-Nice. Caruso will be going for a top ten overall and will be trying to go with the big names on the hills.
Squad: Caruso, Astarloa, Eichler, Ghisalberti, Grabsch, Jurko, Poitschke, M.Velits
The first two stages were flat sprinters stages and Caruso would be simply looking to sit in the bunch all the way around. However the first two stages were also affected by very strong winds and a number of echelons formed. Caruso and Astaloa were in the second one but they couldn't make the time back up and lost almost a min to the first echelon of about 15 riders.
After the dissapointment of the first two stages the last 3 were all hilly and would suit our leader much more. And Caruso didn't let us down. On each stage he was able to go with the strong riders and made up the time he lost on the first stage. On stage 3 the break stayed away but on the last climb Astarloa and Caruso attacked and managed to take 5th and 7th on the stage.
Astarloa can't catch the break but leads the rest of the peleton over the line on stage 3
Stage 4 saw a number of the leading contenders attack on the final climb and while Caruso didn't have the strength to go with the first group of 4, he lead a group of 5 over the summit and to the finish to take 9th on the stage and take over a minuit on the peleton.
Caruso leads his group down the final descent on stage 4
Stage 5 saw a group of the 15 strongest riders attacking on the last climb and get a conclusive break. Caruso looked strong, even looking loke riding away at one point, and outsprinted a number of stronger sprinters to take 6th place.
Overall Caruso managed to get into the top 10 on the GC which we were delighted with.
Overview: Caruso has shown that he can stay with the front runners over the hills and he is well on course in his preperation for Paris-Nice. Ghisalberti and Astarloa looked very comfortable in there jobs as super domestiques and i am quietly confident of getting a top ten in the race to the sun. The result would have been even better if we didn't get caught out on the first stage.
Up Next: Rigotto will lead our team at the Giro del Rossetto. |
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| Wiggo |
Posted on 12-10-2008 11:11
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*Strangles self* |
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 14-10-2008 16:09
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Giro del Rossetto: 15-17/2
A small 3 day race that doesn't really mean anything. Rigotto will lead but he's taking a break from his training after the Tour Down Under so isn't in the best shape. Not really expecting anything but would like to see someone get into the top 10/15.
Squad: Rigotto, Barla, Muller, Ongarato, Sabatini, Schroder, Schwager, Velo
Nothing to exciting to report. Every stage went down to a sprint and everyday none of my riders had the legs to stay with the leaders and we made no impression on the race at all.
Team Milram working hard at the front of the peleton on stage 2
Rigotto managed to get into the top 15 overall by finishing consistantly in the top 20 which is quite pleasing as he only had a fitness rating of 64%. The win overall went to Matteo Tosatto of Quickstep after his win on the last day. Leonard Duque and Aleksandr Kuschynski made up the top 3.
Up Next: Grivko leads the team at the Californian Road Race while Caruso and Ghisalberti head to the Volta a regiao do Algarve. Thoughts have turned to the 3 big races in March. Next month could really make or break our seson as we are desperate for a good result at the Milan-San Remo.
Edited by ringo182 on 14-10-2008 16:10
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 15-10-2008 17:26
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Californian Road Race: 17-24/2
Stages 1-4
A real test for our leader Grivko. I think that if he can get a top 15 placing overall in California then he will be on track for a top 10 at the Tirreno Adriatico. There is one mountain stage that could make or break this race for him.
Squad: Grivko, Dyudya, Knees, Kux, Lancaster, Terpstra, M.Velits, P.Velits
The race started of excellently for us as we managed to get all 8 of our riders into the top 50 after the opening day prologue with Gricko getting into the top ten. However the next two days would see it all go pear shaped. The young and inexperianced members of the squad struggled to hold the pace and only Gricko and the two Velits twins could hold on till the end. A similar story on day 3. It had looked to be going slightly better but a crash for P.Velits with 5k to go left him with a slight injury and a loss of 2 mins. Grivko had moved down to 15th becasue of time bonuse4s but he was now our only rider in touching distance of the leaders. Stage 4 was the big mountain stage and with P'Velits still carrying his knock it looked like Gricko could be without any support at the top of the second mountain. This proved to be the case as one by one Grivko's teammates fell behind. P Velits fought on bravely but was ultimately defeated by his injuries and was forced to drop into a smaller group and just ride to the finish on his own.
Grivko is on his own at the top of the final climb of the day
Grivko wasn't going to let his lack of support hold him back and he led the reduced peleton down the mountain, swallowing up the breaks and dropping those not strong enough to keep up. On the final run in he sat in the peleton on 32 riders and finished just over a minuit behind the winner Kirchen. I was delighted with Grivko's performance today and it has moved him up 3 places to 12th on GC, on course to achieve the teams goal.
4 more stages to go. Hopefully Grivko can hold on to his top 15 placing. There is another TT to go and he is surrounded by quality testers so i think that will be the decisive stage. |
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 17-10-2008 17:31
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Giro di Laigueglia: 23/2
First outing of the season for Petacchi and Zabel. The course is probably too lumpy for any of my lads to do anything esp with Petacchi and Zabel still trying to get into shape for the Milan-San Remo.
Squad: Zabel, Eichler, Haueisen, Petacchi, Poitschke, Schroder, Schwager, Velo
Initially i wanted to get a man into the break and Eichler went up the road. Initially the peleton let the group of 6 go but as another 7 riders attacked and got across the stronger teams thought the break was too big and chased them down. I decided to give up on my plan and had everyone in the peleton.
It wasn't until the final climb of the race when anything interesting happened when as the break was caught a number of the big names attacked and later assembled down the road into the decisive break of 17. Unsuprisingly none of my team had the legs to go with the likes of Di Luca, Sella, Ricco and Simioni and Zabel and Petacchi et al just rode to the finish with the peleton.
The group of 17 sprinted it out for the win and it was Matteo Carrara who had the legs after the tough climbs to take the win.
Carrara outsprints some big names to take the win
I was relitively satisfied with the performance of my team as we continue to look for fitness for a bussy looking march.
Up Next: As this race went on Grivko and Caruso were still looking for good overall placings at the Californian Road Race and Volta a regiao do Algarve respectively. Tomorrow Petacchi and Zabel will continue the preperation work at the Tour du Var.
Edited by ringo182 on 17-10-2008 17:32
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 18-10-2008 11:10
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Tour du Var: 24/2
No real expectations here. Zabel and Petacchi continue their early season preperation but there's no real chance of either getting a win here today.
Squad: Zabel, Eichler, Haueisen, Petacchi, Poitschke, Schroder, Schwager, Velo
Initially Eichler went into the break, but when that was chased down it was Schroder who went with the next group. Shroder rode excellently and proved to be the strongest in the group. with around 70k to go only 1 other rider was able to stay with him.
Schroder proves too fast for his fellow escapees
At one point it looked like the break could stay away but on the final climb of the day all the big names attacked and Schroder was finall caught and passed by the lead group. The race went down to a small bunch sprint and Luis Leon Sanchez proved to be the strongest.
Sanchez pips team-mate Gutierrez to the win
Schroder finished a respectable 21st while Zabel, Petacchi and Velo all finished ahead of the peleton in another small group. Overall i was happy with Schroder's ride and Zabel and Petacchi looked relitively comfortable at this early stage of their season.
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 18-10-2008 12:23
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Volta a regiao do Algarve: 20-24/2
Caruso would lead the team and would be going for a top 10 placing on GC. Ghisalberti and Astarloa would be his main aides.
Squad: Caruso, Astarloa, Barla, Gakek, Ghisalberti, Grabsch, Jurco, Muller
A small 5 day race with 1 mountain stage which will be the only real chance fr the GC contenders to get some time. The mountain stage is the 3rd stage and as expected a number of riders go away at the top of the climb. Caruso goes with them as only 8 can stay away till the finish and sprint it out for the win. Caruso finishes last in the sprint (as expected) but it's enough to put him firmly in the top 10 on GC.
Caruso sprints to 8th place in stage 3
The last two stages were simply a case of keeping Caruso upright and in the bunch as there wasn't much chance of another break going away and affecting the GC.
Caruso being marshalled through the last two stages
As expected the last two stages went down to sprints and Caruso finished comfortably in the bunch to secure his top 10 placing. We had achieved our goal and i was very pleased at how good Caruso is looking with the Paris-Nice only 2 weeks away.
Edited by ringo182 on 18-10-2008 12:23
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 18-10-2008 15:31
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Classics Specialist
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Californian Road Race: 17-14/2
Stages 5-8
After the first 4 stages of the race Grivko was sat in 12th place on GC and was on course to achieve his goal of a top 15 placing. However a combination of negative daily ratings and downright cheating by the computer meant that he dropped down a few places by the end.
Stage 5 was the tt which i saw as Grivko's major obsticle in the way of him claiming his goal. As usual he had a negative daily rating for the stage and finished 20th on the day and dropped to 16th overall. The next 2 stages didn't see any real change at the top of GC so Grivko would have to do something on the last day to get into the top 15.
The last 30k of the final stage saw the riders go around a few laps of a short loop and the big names attacked straight away. Grivko (with a daily rating of 0) went with them and managed to get into the group of 15 that formed down the road. The pace was too high for some and the likes of Schumacher, Menchov, Zebriskie and Gusev all dropped out of the back.
Grivko leads the break in stage 8
With about 10k to go Grivko finally cracked and began to drop out of the group.
This is where he got screwed!!!
As the pace went up in the leading group it began to string out and by the time Kim Kirchen won he was 2 minutes ahead of Grivko. However, despite the last man in the group being not far ahead of Grivko they were all given the same time. The peleton, who finished about as far behind Grivko as he had done behind the last man in the break were only 25 seconds behind him! As a result Grivko dropped down to 19th on GC.
Review: Overall i am quite happy with Gricko's performance and had it not been for a bug in the games timing mechanism he would have finished higher up the GC. I am however slightly worried by the number of my riders who just can't last the full distance after a couple of stages. I was down to 6 riders at the end after Dyudya and Terpstra got timed out! |
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