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Caisse d'Epargne || The Future of the Past
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 16-12-2012 12:08
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Nice start for Arroyo, too bad he slowed down then!
Sanchez doing what he does best  |
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| valverde321 |
Posted on 21-12-2012 17:45
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World Champion
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Thanks a lot everyone! It was a great win with Arroyo and then almost with Pardilla. And LuLu's win was also awesome. I am really happy with how strong the team has been lately.
On to a quick report of RVV. No chance of doing anything really, so I just simmed it, to get on to the real racing for Caisse.
I wont lie, I've had thoughts of bringing back David Veilleux as my main story, but I'd like to get somewhere with this too. Im happy with whatever you guys enjoy most, but I dont know how I'd bring back David at this point, since I dont like Sky anymore... 
Ronde de van Vlaanderen 2012
Tom Boonen was able to take the fabled classic ahead of Fabian Cancellara his main rival for the past few years now, in a very intense sprint. The two were clearly the strongest of the favourites and the experts had predicted that the race would be won by either of the two. Still there are no guarantee's in sports, but its hard to go against one of these two.
| 1 | Tom Boonen | Omega Pharma - Quick·Step | 5h57'20 | | 2 | Fabian Cancellara | RadioShack Nissan Trek | s.t. | | 3 | Thor Hushovd | BMC Racing Team | + 24 | | 4 | Greg Van Avermaet | BMC Racing Team | + 49 | | 5 | Sylvain Chavanel | Omega Pharma - Quick·Step | s.t. | | 6 | Lars Boom | Rabobank Cycling Team | s.t. | | 7 | Sep Vanmarcke | Team Garmin - Sharp | + 1'14 | | 8 | Philippe Gilbert | BMC Racing Team | s.t. | | 9 | Sebastian Langeveld | Orica - GreenEDGE | s.t. | | 10 | Niki Terpstra | Omega Pharma - Quick·Step | s.t. | | 11 | André Greipel | Lotto - Belisol | + 1'50 | | 12 | Gert Steegmans | Omega Pharma - Quick·Step | s.t. | | 13 | Geraint Thomas | Sky Pro Cycling | s.t. | | 14 | Juan Antonio Flecha | Sky Pro Cycling | s.t. | | 15 | Staf Scheirlinckx | Accent.jobs - Willems Veranda's | s.t. | | 16 | Sébastien Turgot | Team Europcar | + 2'16 | | 17 | George Hincapie | BMC Racing Team | s.t. | | 18 | Sébastien Rosseler | Team Garmin - Sharp | s.t. | | 19 | Bert De Waele | Landbouwkrediet - Euphony | s.t. | | 20 | Johan Vansummeren | Team Garmin - Sharp | s.t. | | 21 | Matti Breschel | Rabobank Cycling Team | + 3'00 | | 22 | Maarten Wynants | Rabobank Cycling Team | s.t. | | 23 | Koen Barbé | Landbouwkrediet - Euphony | s.t. | | 24 | Lars Ytting Bak | Lotto - Belisol | s.t. | | 25 | Bert Grabsch | Omega Pharma - Quick·Step | s.t. | | ... | | 32 | Steve Chainel | Caisse d'Epargne | s.t. |
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 21-12-2012 18:45
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Tour de France Champion
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Why don't you just start anew with David Veilleux in 2012, or 2013?  |
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| jt1109 |
Posted on 21-12-2012 19:36
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Or just Bring David into Cassie by bringing in a Canadian Sponsor then sign Lacombe, Houle, Veilleux, Roth and Salas gives you a base of Canadian's plus your still playing with your favourite team from the past. It would be great for your motivation to play as David again plus the spur of being Cassie still with Valverde and Rodriguez is there so your not boring yourself with Cav and Wiggins. |
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| Miguel98 |
Posted on 21-12-2012 19:38
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World Champion
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jt1109 wrote:
Or just Bring David into Cassie by bringing in a Canadian Sponsor then sign Lacombe, Houle, Veilleux, Roth and Salas gives you a base of Canadian's plus your still playing with your favourite team from the past. It would be great for your motivation to play as David again plus the spur of being Cassie still with Valverde and Rodriguez is there so your not boring yourself with Cav and Wiggins.
This is not the Man-Game!!!
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 25-11-2024 15:16
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| jt1109 |
Posted on 21-12-2012 19:39
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Miguel98 wrote:
jt1109 wrote:
Or just Bring David into Cassie by bringing in a Canadian Sponsor then sign Lacombe, Houle, Veilleux, Roth and Salas gives you a base of Canadian's plus your still playing with your favourite team from the past. It would be great for your motivation to play as David again plus the spur of being Cassie still with Valverde and Rodriguez is there so your not boring yourself with Cav and Wiggins.
This is not the Man-Game!!!
hehe i just love my Canadians now! |
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| valverde321 |
Posted on 21-12-2012 19:50
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Well I'd like to keep this semi-realistic, so I dont think Caisse will be getting a Canadian sponsor
I may do something so that its not just Spaniards (for the most part though)
And after watching the Vuelta again, I have more motivation for this. I think David would be too hard to bring back, but its always at the back of my mind.
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| valverde321 |
Posted on 22-12-2012 22:31
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 Vuelta al pais Vasco 2012
Profiles
Caisse will be going into the Tour of Basque Country, with the goal of getting in shape for the Ardennes Classics just a week and a bit away. Valverde and Rodriguez will both be here, looking to get race days in before Amstel Gold and both will be in the favourites column here. Its open to both riders, but of course if one is in better position we wont sacrifice that spot, as World Tour points are still wanted.
Squad
Startlist
Purito attacks late and stays clear!
Joaquim Rodriguez managed to make a late attack on the final hill of the day stick, after a rather quiet day on the road. A breakaway first made it clear, but then Radioshack pulled it back, likely trying to set up a move for their leader, Andy Schleck but no move was made on his part. As Purito made it to the line in first, the peloton caught on to his back wheel, but shockingly, no time gaps were given, and those no GC advantage for him, which you have to say would probably be deserved.
| 1 | Joaquím Rodríguez | Caisse d'Epargne | 3h57'48 | | 2 | Andy Schleck | RadioShack Nissan Trek | s.t. | | 3 | Daniel Moreno | Katusha Team | s.t. |
Valverde making it 2/2 for Caisse on another late effort
Caisse played the waiting game all day long. The breakaway was caught early on, and then they put men on the front after that to stop any attacks. The pressure was very high, until the last hill, where they stopped. Initially, Valverde was just going to be a dummy move, with Purito being the real leader on the day, but they saw a gap forming and told Valverde to push for it. He ended up winning the stage with a gap of 35 seconds to Peter Sagan who brought home the peloton, with all the race favourites inside.
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | 4h16'11 | | 2 | Peter Sagan | Liquigas - Cannondale | + 35 | | 3 | Xavier Florencio | Katusha Team | s.t. |
New GC:
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | 8h13'59 | | 2 | Daniel Moreno | Katusha Team | + 35 | | 3 | Bauke Mollema | Rabobank Cycling Team | s.t. | | 4 | Ángel Vicioso | Katusha Team | s.t. | | 5 | Peter Sagan | Liquigas - Cannondale | s.t. |
Schleck showing he's best?
Stage 3 was not won by Caisse d'Epargne. This was probably the toughest stage of the tour and the riders started to put on the 2nd last hill. By the final climb to the finish, there was a group of 6. Valverde made his move, and started to get clear of the others, but Andy Schleck and Jelle Vanendert followed. They grouped up, and until the last 2km were still together. At that point, Schleck made his move, and Valverde and Vanendert watched him climb away. Valverde made a big effort to bridge the gap later, and nearly did, but inside the final km, Schleck just extended his lead. He won by 34 seconds over Valverde and was down to him on the GC by 1 second.
| 1 | Andy Schleck | RadioShack Nissan Trek | 4h20'00 | | 2 | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | + 34 | | 3 | Jelle Vanendert | Lotto - Belisol | s.t. |
GC
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | 12h34'33 | | 2 | Andy Schleck | RadioShack Nissan Trek | + 1 | | 3 | Jelle Vanendert | Lotto - Belisol | + 35 |
A Caisse of redemption, but Valverde loses time!
Stage 4 could be summed up similarly to the first two stages of the Tour. Purito attacked late on, and he held his gap on the climb and sprinted to barely edge the win. Little did he know that Alejandro Valverde was caught behind some riders who were not sprinting at all, and he lost 22 seconds to Schleck on the GC, handing the jersey over to the Luxembourger. It was a double edged sword today for Caisse, as they got the win, and look great for the classics, but leading the GC would have been preferred.
| 1 | Joaquím Rodríguez | Caisse d'Epargne | 4h05'29 | | 2 | Damiano Cunego | Lampre - ISD | + 10 | | 3 | Andy Schleck | RadioShack Nissan Trek | s.t. |
GC
| 1 | Andy Schleck | RadioShack Nissan Trek | 16h40'13 | | 2 | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | + 22 | | 3 | Jelle Vanendert | Lotto - Belisol | + 34 |
Moreno winning the sprint to the line!
The final road stage of the Tour saw no gaps in the GC battle. Valverde nearly won the sprint, but started just a little too early and in the final 200m, Moreno and Cunego came flying past him. Moreno took the sprint, a good friend of Purito's. The final GC battle will be in the Final TT, where Schleck probably has enough to fend off Valverde.
| 1 | Daniel Moreno | Katusha Team | 4h30'32 | | 2 | Damiano Cunego | Lampre - ISD | s.t. | | 3 | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | s.t. |
Valverde climbing a short hill in the Final TT of the Tour of Basque Country
The final TT was very crazy. Just as Valverde was heading out of the start ramp, Joaquim Rodriguez, his teammate set the fastest time at the finish, proving that the day was more for the climbers than the time trialers. However, soon enough, Bradley Wiggins and Cadel Evans passed Purito, who then slipped down to 3rd. Valverde went onto the course knowing what he had to do. He went a bit slower in the first half, and finished 12th at the time check. Schleck went through the time check in 16th and was 12 seconds behind Valverde. We didn't know what his strategy was, but Valverde upped his pace, and when he hit the line, he moved into 2nd place, just 6 seconds off Wiggins time for first. As Schleck crossed, we saw he was 56 seconds down on the lead, and with only 22 seconds separating Valverde and Schleck going into the day, we knew Valverde had done it! What a win for him it was too! Shows he's getting into form at just the right time for the classics.
| 1 | Bradley Wiggins | Sky Pro Cycling | 26'37 | | 2 | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | + 7 | | 3 | Cadel Evans | BMC Racing Team | + 21 | | 4 | Joaquím Rodríguez | Caisse d'Epargne | + 22 | | 5 | Haimar Zubeldia | RadioShack Nissan Trek | + 29 |
Final GC
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | 21h37'51 | | 2 | Andy Schleck | RadioShack Nissan Trek | + 26 | | 3 | Bradley Wiggins | Sky Pro Cycling | + 27 | | 4 | Jelle Vanendert | Lotto - Belisol | + 1'21 | | 5 | Bauke Mollema | Rabobank Cycling Team | + 1'34 | | 6 | Robert Gesink | Rabobank Cycling Team | + 1'46 | | 7 | Jakob Fuglsang | RadioShack Nissan Trek | + 1'51 | | 8 | Cadel Evans | BMC Racing Team | + 2'32 | | 9 | Daniel Martin | Team Garmin - Sharp | + 2'36 | | 10 | Damiano Cunego | Lampre - ISD | + 2'39 |
Points
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | 12 | 77 | | 2 | Daniel Moreno | Katusha Team | 0 | 65 | | 3 | Andy Schleck | RadioShack Nissan Trek | 0 | 64 |
KOM
| 1 | Ángel Vicioso | Katusha Team | 0 | 38 | | 2 | Evgeni Petrov | Astana Pro Team | 0 | 30 | | 3 | Tony Martin | Omega Pharma - Quick·Step | 0 | 28 |
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 22-12-2012 23:12
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Tour de France Champion
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Well, definitely a successful Tour de Basque, isn't it?
Great stage wins and let's not forget the GC win and Points Jersey! |
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| Pellizotti2 |
Posted on 22-12-2012 23:25
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Awesome race all the way through!
Loved the report as well. Definitely my favourite team story at the moment!
And btw, I have to ask - what program are you using to convert your screens from png to jpg? Yours stay in very high quality, while mine get much more blurry when converting.
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| dienblad |
Posted on 22-12-2012 23:29
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Classics Specialist
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Wow, winning Pais Vasco while starting with a fitness of only 79.... That's a great achievement!! So: 
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 22-12-2012 23:32
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A Great all round performance from the team ending with a well deserved victory for Valverde |
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| valverde321 |
Posted on 23-12-2012 00:27
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World Champion
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@ Ian - Indeed. Went better than I planned. Thanks
@ Pelli - Thanks a lot. Means so much coming from you.
I am using Paint.net because it opens up quicker than Photoshop and I found out how to do my "tricks" on there
When I save as jpeg, there is a quality slider, and its set to 100% by default, but I turn it down to 97% and its slices almost 1/4 off the file size, and there is no difference in the quality of the pic on the preview.
Hope that helps.
@ dieblad - Thanks. I think he's up to 87 now Thanks a lot for the banana
@ sutty - Indeed awesome. Thanks.
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| the_hoyle |
Posted on 23-12-2012 00:51
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Grand Tour Champion
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great victory in Pais Vasco. Superb screens as usual from you Valv
.: Manager of :.
.: My Awards :.
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 23-12-2012 09:12
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
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Can you convert all your photos at once using Paint.net? Because up until now I've been converting my screenshots one at the time... |
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 23-12-2012 10:03
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 34654
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Ian Butler wrote:
Can you convert all your photos at once using Paint.net? Because up until now I've been converting my screenshots one at the time...
There is a program called XnView which can convert lots of photo's all in one go  |
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| FreitasPCM |
Posted on 23-12-2012 11:26
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Fantastic result in the Basque Country. Purito and Valverde both with great performances. |
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| ste_18 |
Posted on 23-12-2012 16:01
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Great result for all the team! Amazing screens and nice reports |
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| valverde321 |
Posted on 27-12-2012 00:08
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World Champion
Posts: 12986
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@ the hoyle: Thank a lot.
@ Ian: Well no, but its a matter of hitting enter a few extra times after cropping the image from the (massive) original that is taken in the game, with the game.
@ sutty: I have a batch file for Paint.net called Bulk Processor. I dont actually use it But it can change the file names as well as file types in large quantities at a time.
@ Freitas: Thanks a lot man!
@ ste: Glad you like them. The results are sure making it fun!
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| valverde321 |
Posted on 27-12-2012 00:22
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World Champion
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Just doing quick summaries of the cobble classics. No use playing them really, and then making big reports, when the team is definitely not going to do anything. Maybe next year
AGR will be up shortly after this hopefully, but I doubt many people will be on with the holidays. It was hard finding time myself.
 Paris - Roubaix 2012
This years edition of the most famous classic of the year, was won by Dane, Matti Breschel. A group of 12 or so riders formed and went clear in the final 50kms. One of the riders in that group was going to win, as the gap was too big back to the next group, but Breschel made a late move, and the rest of the favourites in the big group including Boonen didn't time their chase back in time, and Breschel won in solo fashion on the Roubaix track.
| 1 | Matti Breschel | Rabobank Cycling Team | 6h28'36 | | 2 | Tom Boonen | Omega Pharma - Quick·Step | + 36 | | 3 | Matthieu Ladagnous | FDJ - BigMat | + 1'44 | | 4 | George Hincapie | BMC Racing Team | s.t. | | 5 | Staf Scheirlinckx | Accent.jobs - Willems Veranda's | s.t. | | 6 | Lars Boom | Rabobank Cycling Team | s.t. | | 7 | Alessandro Ballan | BMC Racing Team | s.t. | | 8 | Sep Vanmarcke | Team Garmin - Sharp | s.t. | | 9 | Fabian Cancellara | RadioShack Nissan Trek | s.t. | | 10 | Bernhard Eisel | Sky Pro Cycling | s.t. | | 11 | Geraint Thomas | Sky Pro Cycling | s.t. | | 12 | Marcus Burghardt | BMC Racing Team | s.t. | | 13 | Juan Antonio Flecha | Sky Pro Cycling | s.t. | | 14 | Sébastien Turgot | Team Europcar | + 2'40 | | 15 | Sebastian Langeveld | Orica - GreenEDGE | + 6'20 | | 16 | Sylvain Chavanel | Omega Pharma - Quick·Step | s.t. | | 17 | William Bonnet | FDJ - BigMat | s.t. | | 18 | Johan Vansummeren | Team Garmin - Sharp | s.t. | | 19 | Matteo Tosatto | Team Saxo Bank - Tinkoff Bank | s.t. | | 20 | Maarten Wynants | Rabobank Cycling Team | s.t. | | 21 | Filippo Pozzato | Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | s.t. | | 22 | André Greipel | Lotto - Belisol | + 6'52 | | 23 | Kevyn Ista | Accent.jobs - Willems Veranda's | s.t. | | 24 | Frédéric Guesdon | FDJ - BigMat | s.t. | | 25 | Damien Gaudin | Team Europcar | s.t. | | 26 | Dennis Van Winden | Rabobank Cycling Team | s.t. | | 27 | Grega Bole | Lampre - ISD | + 7'44 | | 28 | Sébastien Rosseler | Team Garmin - Sharp | + 8'08 | | 29 | Steve Chainel | Caisse d'Epargne | + 9'16 | | 30 | Adrien Petit | Caisse d'Epargne | + 10'51 | | 31 | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Sky Pro Cycling | s.t. | | 32 | Imanol Erviti | Caisse d'Epargne | s.t. | | 33 | Thor Hushovd | BMC Racing Team | s.t. | | 34 | Stuart O'Grady | Orica - GreenEDGE | s.t. | | 35 | Ian Stannard | Sky Pro Cycling | s.t. | | 36 | Tom Veelers | Team Argos - Shimano | s.t. | | 37 | Marco Marcato | Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team | s.t. | | 38 | Michael Mørkøv | Team Saxo Bank - Tinkoff Bank | s.t. | | 39 | Kristof Vandewalle | Omega Pharma - Quick·Step | s.t. | | 40 | Jimmy Casper | Ag2r - La Mondiale | s.t. | | 41 | Daniele Bennati | RadioShack Nissan Trek | s.t. | | 42 | Stefan Van Dijk | Accent.jobs - Willems Veranda's | s.t. | | 43 | Jetse Bol | Rabobank Cycling Team | s.t. | | 44 | Frederik Veuchelen | Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team | s.t. | | 45 | Stijn Vandenbergh | Omega Pharma - Quick·Step | s.t. | | 46 | Adam Hansen | Lotto - Belisol | s.t. | | 47 | Frederik Willems | Lotto - Belisol | s.t. | | 48 | Aleksandr Kuschynski | Katusha Team | s.t. | | 49 | Kevin Hulsmans | Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | s.t. | | 50 | Steven Caethoven | Accent.jobs - Willems Veranda's | s.t. |
Edited by valverde321 on 27-12-2012 00:23
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