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LPR Brakes
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 04-05-2008 12:58
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3472
Joined: 03-01-2008
PCM$: 1348.00
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Tirreno-Adriatico
It's finally here, the race Savoldelli and the team have been building for during the last month and a half. Looking at the profile of the race i'm a bit worried because there are no real mountain stages and even the hilly stages are quite flat meaning that i'm going to have to stay alert for the whole race and look out for dangerous looking breaks. There is a hilly tt which might suite Savoldelli but there are so many great riders here he'll have his work cut out. The sponsors are expecting a top 3 finish. This will be difficult because of the terrain but Savoldelli has trained hard and is in good shape and i'm confident that when the break comes, he will be ready for it.
Squad: Savoldelli, Golcer, Klyuev, Marinangeli, Parra, Pidgornyy, Pietropolli, Smukulis
The biggest shock to most people is that i've decided to leave Di Luca at home. He will begin his prep for the Giro once this race has finished so isn't in the best shape at the moment. I've selected my climbers who are fit and helped Savoldelli to victory in Murcia. Klyuev and Smukulis are here to gain experiance to aid there development.
Stage 1
Stage 1 is classed as flat but there are 3 substancial hills in the second half that might disrupt the sprinters. The hills are probably not steep enough and too far from the finish to support a break and the winner will be a sprinter who can manage himself in the hills. As usual a break goes away and bulds up a lead.
This race sees a much stronger field from what i've been racing in so far this season and this shows when Quickstep, Liquigas, Milram and CSC all work at the front to bring back the break. I want to reserve my riders energy so i don't send anyone into the break and don't help with the chasing. As expected the hills take there toll on many of the sprinters and the likes of Cavendish and McEwen are dropped by the quick pace and loose alot of time. By the time the race goes over the last hill the break is down to 5 riders and the pack is gaining fast.
I don't really have any asperations of winning this stage and while Pietropolli does finish about 15th, i just sit the rest of my team in the bunch. In the last 5k there is a big crash which takes down 20 or so riders including Klyuev and some big names like Cancellara and Rogers but they don't loose any time. A couple of riders are forced to abandon including Napolitano with a broken arm. The sprint is won by Paulo Bettini who outsprints Pozzato, Petacchi and O'Grady to take the win.
I'm happy to get all my team throught the stage in one peice and in good shape.
Stage 2
Is classed as hilly but it looks pretty flat to me. It was a bit of a nothing stage as a break went away and was caught and the peleton began to prepare for a sprint finish. However a points sprint just a couple of k's from the finish threw the peleton into a disorganised panic and the final sprint was won by David Rebellin with Pozzato once again 2nd.
Once again my team all finished in the peleton. I hope that not all the hilly stages pan out like this because Savoldelli won't stand a chance if all the stages end in a mass sprint Stage 3 is once again classed as hilly but looks flatter then most stages i've seen! |
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 05-05-2008 19:20
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3472
Joined: 03-01-2008
PCM$: 1348.00
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Tirreno-Adriatico
Stage 3
Another 'hilly' stage which looks pretty flat apart from the short climb at the finish. As expected a break goes away and the peleton is controlled by Quickstep.
As the finish gets closer and with the break still away, i send a couple of riders to help with the chase.
The break is finally caught at the foot of the last climb and as the peleton catches the break the quickstep tiders ease of. I decide this is Savoldelli's best chance to claim the win so i send him onto the attack immediately.
He pulls away but as other riders counter the gap slowly shrinks.
However Savoldelli is simply too strong and holds off the challenge of Rebellin to take the stage win.
He doesn't gain any time over the peleton but the 10 second win bonus puts him nicely amongst the main contenders for the overall win.
Stage 4
Another flat stage that will come down to a sprint. Rebellin is the new overall leader and so it's Gerolsteiner's job to control the race. I decide that no time can be gained today so sit my riders in the peleton and conserve energy for tomorrows decisive 21k tt. The sprint was won by Nuyens from Ballan and Gilbert.
Savoldelli drops down to 6th in the GC, just 6 seconds off the lead. With so many riders still in contention for the GC tomorrow's tt will be crucial and could decide the whole race.
Stage 5
A hilly 21k tt that should suite Savoldelli, but will suite many other riders too. I found it hard to find a rythym with my first few riders who all ran out of energy a couple of k's before the finish. By the time Savoldelli went of the fastest time had been clocked by Cancellara who was over half a minute faster then his nearest rival in David Millar. Cancellara was only 15 seconds off the lead and it would take some great rides from the last few riders to knock him off the top spot and even stop him taking the overall lead. Savoldelli put in a great ride to finish 6th on the stage, 45 seconds off Cancellara. More importantly it moved him back up to 4th in the overall GC 35 seconds off the lead.
Savoldelli is well placed with just 2 stages to go to achieve the sponsors goal of a top 3 place. However with just 1 hilly stage left, there is only one realistic chance to make up the time. Both Ballan and Devolder are good in the hills and will be hard to drop but Cancellara may crack if i put him under enough pressure. There are also a number of riders just behind Savoldelli who will also believe they can move themselves up the leader board in the last 2 stages. We should be in for some exciting racing!!! |
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| KurtinSC |
Posted on 06-05-2008 21:12
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Breakaway Specialist
Posts: 997
Joined: 20-09-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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For me, late attacks on many of the T-A stages worked well with Hincapie. Unlike some races where it pays to be passive and follow the leader, T-A in this db seemed to pay to initiate attacks.
Of course Hincapie is a great flat rider, so it may have helped him on those stages. |
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 09-05-2008 14:12
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3472
Joined: 03-01-2008
PCM$: 1348.00
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Tirreno-Adriatico
Stage 6
After the tt Savoldelli was still in with a shout of winning the race overall but it would take a strong ride on the last day to drop the 3 riders in front of him. Todays stage had a few hills in the second half and finished on a climb which would most likely decide the race.
As expected, the usual break went away but no-one in the group was a threat to the gc, though with Vladimir Karpets in the break at 5 mins down the peleton couldn't ignore it completely.
I left the chasing to CSC and Quickstep as i protected Savoldelli all the way around. It took until the second to last climb for the break to finally be caught and instatly Devolder launched an attack.
I countered with Savoldelli, but with a daily rating of -1 he just didn't have the legs and got into a small group of 4 with Nuyens, Gilbert and Bertagnolli.
Devolder was looking strong and stayed away for the decent and the last flat section and still had a healthy lead over Savoldelli's group. Savoldelli was having a real problem staying with his group and as soon as the gradient kicked up he began to drop back.
Devolder rolled over the line for a solo win that would give him the overall lead.
Meanwhile Savoldelli got dropped by his group but managed to hold off the peleton to take 5th on the stage. We would now have to see how this result affected his overall position.
So Savoldelli has dropped one place to fith on GC. W"e will fail to achieve our sponsors goal of top 3 but i'm happy with the result. However, with Pozzato only a couple of seconds behind we will have to try to stop him getting a time bonus on the last stage.
Stage 7
The final stage of the race would undoubtably end in a sprint. A large break went away with 12 riders, including Ferrara.
The break was caught with quite a long way to go and the sprint teams began to form their trains. Pozzato was lurking around the front but i knew i had no-one who could compete in the sprint so it was a case of hoping that Pozzato didn't finish in the top 3.
My prayers were answered as Pozzato finished 4th behind Petacchi, McEwen and Steegmans. Pietropolli managed a respectable 14th and Savoldelli held on to 5th overall.
Up next is the Milan-San Remo and Di Luca preperations for the Giro.
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 11-05-2008 20:00
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3472
Joined: 03-01-2008
PCM$: 1348.00
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Milan-San Remo
As this Pro-Tour event won't give us any points in our quest for promotion i send a team based on who could gain the most experiance from the race.
Squad: Pietropolli, Bosisio, Bailetti, Ermeti, Marinangeli, Bellis, Klyuev, Smukulis
The race started off at quite a fast pace as the peleton didn't seem to want to let a break go away. Finally Bellis and two other got a gap and spent most of the race out on their own.
They were caught and a new group of 5 riders went away.
The group worked hard together and the peleton chased equally as hard. One by one the riders in the break away group got dropped as they couldn't handle the furious pace. With 5 k to go the group was down to just 2 riders but Jens Voigt proved to be too strong and rode away from his last break mate.
The peleton were still chasing hard and it would go down to the line to see if Voigt could stay away. The chase was hampered by a crash during the final k that brought a number of big names down including Boonen.
Voigt held on to take a fine solo win.
There was another crash further back in the peleton that brought down a couple of my riders but they all made it through in one piece and relitively good shape.
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 11-05-2008 20:22
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3472
Joined: 03-01-2008
PCM$: 1348.00
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I've now got a few races coming up in the next week that will stretch the squad and tests my ability to split the squad but still making all the teams competitive. There are also a few riders who have racked up a few days raced now and i don't want to burn them out to early in the season. At the same time i want to start improving some of my riders experience levels to help me get some more points on the board.
Settimana Ciclista Internazionale
A six day Spanish stage race. Savoldelli is having a rest after his top 5 placing in the Tirreno-Adriatico and i still don't want to start Di Luca too early so Parra will lead the squad with Marinangeli steping out from Pietropolli's shadow to be our designated sprinter.
Squad: Parra, Marinangeli, Golcer, Bosisio, Legana, Chiarini, Proch, Salerno
Stage 1
Stage 1 is a short circuit race and despite it being pretty flat there are 8 mountain sprints which mean a break goes early on as the riders are keen to get as many points as possible. The stage is raced through driving rain and the bendy circuit make it quite dangerous. A number of riders fall throughout the stage including our own Legana.
The race comes down to a sprint as predicted and Marinangeli takes a crieditable 7th.
The stage is won by Khalilov who takes the leaders jersey.
Stage 2
TTT, we finish 7th at 40 seconds behind the winners Tinkoff. As a result Serrano is the new race leader while all my riders, apart from Legana sit in the top 50.
Stage 3
Another flat stage ends in a sprint. Tinkoff take a 2-3 with Serrano and Mazzanti but nither can get past Moletta of Gerolsteiner who takes the win while Marinageli gets another top 10 finish.
Stage 4
Finishes on a steep hill which i hope will suite Parra. This isn't the case however because after a long, hard chase to bring back the breakaway no one has enough energy to break away meaning the stage goes down to another sprint. Marinangeli gets a good start but the gradient is too sharp for him and he starts to go backwards. He holds on to take 7th but Serrano takes another win to cerment his lead in the GC.
2 stages left. One is flat while the other sees some hills that could suite Parra. He's not far from the top 10 and i hope that a strong ride in the last 2 days could see him achieve it.
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| jaimicoss |
Posted on 17-05-2008 04:49
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Amateur
Posts: 1
Joined: 05-03-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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Nice story, I didn´t like TT´s until I´ve read your strategies. I´ll follow your example to increase my sportive management skills.
PD. Settimana isn`t at Spain, according to cyclingnews.com the correct info is:
Settimana Ciclistica Internazionale Coppi & Bartali (Ita) 2.1 ME
Go on! |
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| wackojackohighcliffe |
Posted on 17-05-2008 09:29
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7681
Joined: 19-02-2008
PCM$: 200.00
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great results
but msr isnt protour
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 17-05-2008 11:08
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3472
Joined: 03-01-2008
PCM$: 1348.00
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wackojackohighcliffe wrote:
great results
but msr isnt protour
thats what i thought, but it's down as a pro-tour event in my game?
i've been playing a bit more without updating because i've got a few races that don't really mean anything, and i don't really have time to update with all the work i'm doing atm. Once my exams finish i'll get back to reporting the races and fill you in on the races i haven't covered. By then i'll be well into my Giro preperation so it will be a bit more exciting.
is it just me or on the old games was there an option where you could tell your coaches when you wanted a rider to peak and they would adjust his traing accordingly? That would be quite useful to me at the moment. |
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 23-05-2008 14:56
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3472
Joined: 03-01-2008
PCM$: 1348.00
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hey guys, just thought i'd let you all know that this story will be returning on monday( not that anyone really cares judging by deadpools poll ) Anyway, i've carried on for about a month so the next update will be a basic summary of what i've achieved while i haven't been reporting, how the team is standing in the promotion table and the increased stats of my riders.
I'm just about to play the last stage of the Tour de Romandie and then there'll be less then a week till the Giro begins.
Bet you all can't wait
Edited by ringo182 on 23-05-2008 14:56
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| Stijn_vranken |
Posted on 23-05-2008 16:11
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Sprinter
Posts: 1638
Joined: 28-03-2008
PCM$: 200.00
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wackojackohighcliffe wrote:
great results
but msr isnt protour
depends on what DB he uses.
prevent hangovers --> stay drunk
pozzato, basically the most stupid cyclist around
RIP WW. Gone but not forgotten
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| wackojackohighcliffe |
Posted on 23-05-2008 16:12
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7681
Joined: 19-02-2008
PCM$: 200.00
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i figured it was pcmdaily as it is the only good 2008 db
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 24-05-2008 08:28
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3472
Joined: 03-01-2008
PCM$: 1348.00
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yeah it's pcm 08. why, is it not pro-tour in everyone elses db? |
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| Stijn_vranken |
Posted on 24-05-2008 08:36
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Sprinter
Posts: 1638
Joined: 28-03-2008
PCM$: 200.00
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ringo182 wrote:
yeah it's pcm 08. why, is it not pro-tour in everyone elses db?
nope
prevent hangovers --> stay drunk
pozzato, basically the most stupid cyclist around
RIP WW. Gone but not forgotten
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 24-05-2008 08:50
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3472
Joined: 03-01-2008
PCM$: 1348.00
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wonder why it is on mine then? |
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 25-05-2008 11:52
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3472
Joined: 03-01-2008
PCM$: 1348.00
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Season Re-Cap
Well my exams are over and i can get this story back up and running again. I've carried on playing for about a month and the start of the Giro is just 4 days away. This post is just to let you all know whats happened while the stories been away.
My teams hit a bit of a purple patch in recent weeks as a result of the increased training due to the Giro. Everyone is in peak form and we've been picking up some very promising results. Here is a run down of the races we've competed in, the top 3 finishers and any LPR results worth writing down:
1/4-6/4 Settimana Ciclista Lombarda (2.1)
1st Savoldelli LPR
2nd Di Luca LPR
3rd Petrov Tinkoff
8th Golcer LPR
9th Ferrara LPR
12/4 Profronde van Drenthe (1.1)
1st Smukulis LPR
2nd Hunter Barloworld
3rd Cooke Barloworld
16/4 Scheldeprijs (1HC)
1st Pozzato Liquigas
2nd Hoste Silence-Lotto
3rd Devolder Quick Step
17/4 GP de Denain Porte du Hainaut (1.1)
1st Kopp Cycle Collstrop
2nd Casper Agritubel
3rd Cooke Barloworld
20/4 Giro d'Oro (1.1)
1st Simoni Diq-Androni
2nd Di Luca LPR
3rd Cunego Lampre
5th Savoldelli LPR
22-25/4 Giro del Trentino (2.1)
1st Simoni Diq-Androni
2nd Savoldelli LPR
3rd Di Luca LPR
21st Pietropolli LPR
27/4 Liege-Bastogne-Liege (EX PT)
1st Schleck CSC
2nd Rebellin Gerolsteiner
3rd Bertagnolli Liquigas
6th Di Luca LPR
7th Savoldelli LPR
29/4-4/5 Tour de Romandie (2 PT)
1st Di Luca LPR
2nd Savoldelli LPR
3rd Barredo Quick Step
1/5 Rund um den Henninger Turm (1HC)
1st Pidgornyy LPR
2nd Lowik Rabobank
3rd Sella CSF-Navgare
7th Smukulis LPR
3/5 GP Ind e Antigianato-Larciano (1.1)
1st Simoni Diq-Androni
2nd Giunti Miche
3rd Paulini Acqua Sapone
5th Klyuev LPR
7th Bellis LPR
25th Smukulis LPR
4/5 Giro di Toscana (1.1)
1st Paulini Acqua e Sapone
2nd Cooke Barloworld
3rd Smukulis LPR
As a result of this purple patch the team is still in the race for promotion. At the start of April there were 6 teams (Barloworld, Slipstream, Mitsubishi, LPR, Tinkoff, Agritubel) who were running away fron the others in the standings. The top 3 (Slipsteam, Barloworld and Mitsubishi) had begun to pull away from the other 3 but our good run of form has catapulted us into 3rd and just 100 points out of the promotion places.
I've also taken care to select riders for races that will improve their experience points. As a result the teams average stats have riden significantly. Here is a squad list from the start of the season and how their stats compare now.
So theres a brief re-cap of whats been going on while i've been away. Feel free to ask if you've got any other questions about how the season is progressing.
thanks for reading |
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| ringo182 |
Posted on 26-05-2008 12:52
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3472
Joined: 03-01-2008
PCM$: 1348.00
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8-13/5 4 Jours de Dunkerque (2HC)
a six stage race that is completely flat throughout and will be won, most likely, by the best sprinter. there may be a couple of oportunities for Smukulis to attack in the final few k's and one of the stages ends on a short climb which could suit Pietropolli. originally i was going to send Pietropolli to the Giro but as he hasn't quite reached the 4th level of experience i have dedided to send him to some of the other races through may to get me some valueble points in our quest for promotion. Pietropolli, Smukulis and Klyuev will go as joint leaders and we'll see who is the strongest on the day before deciding who will be our overall leader for GC.
Squad: Pietropolli, Smukulis, Klyuev, Montaguti, Cucinotta, Ferrari, Legana, Salerno
Stage 1
The tour starts as it means to go on with a pan flat stage that will end in a sprint. Pietropolli is the strongest on the day and is led out by Smukulis and Klyuev to take 7th.
The stage was won by Jimmy Casper who gets some points for his Agritubel team. We will have to try to get Pietropolli ahead of him in the final GC. Dean is also looking good for Slipstream in 9th.
Worryingly apart from the 3 leaders, the rest of my team got dropped in the last few k's.
Stage 2
Another flat stage but the final sprint is on a slight uphill. The stage is filled with disasters for my team as first Klyuev...
....and then Smukulis fall victim to mishaps.
Smukulis is able to chase the peleton back down, but in doing so uses alot of energy and so Pietropolli is the designated sprinter again. he improves slightly to take 5th.
The stage is won by Veelers and Casper is 4th. Pietropolli lies just outside the top 10 in 11th on GC.
Giro d'Italia
Its finally here. The whole season so far has been building up to this point and Di Luca and Savoldelli are looking strong. The sponsors want me to win this race so we can't afford any mistakes. Di Luca will be our absolute leader with Savoldelli his Super Domestique. He will have help in the hills and mountains from the likes of Parra, Golcer, Bosisio and Ferrarra. I believe i have a strong squad that can win the Giro.
Squad: Di Luca, Savoldelli, Parra, Pidgornny, Golcer, Ferrara, Bosisio, Bailetti, Spezialetti
Stage 1
A 30k TTT around Palermo. This stage is important to get Di Luca of to a solid start and it is important not to drop to much time. In the end the stage couldn't really go much better as we finish 4th at 8 seconds. Bradley Wiggins takes the leaders jersey as High Road share the win with CSC.
A great start and now it will be a case of protecting Di Luca through the first week before the mountains kick in in the second week.
Edited by ringo182 on 26-05-2008 12:53
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| Deadpool |
Posted on 26-05-2008 13:01
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Team Leader
Posts: 7357
Joined: 06-10-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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that is a great start |
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| Jape |
Posted on 26-05-2008 14:00
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Neo-Pro
Posts: 277
Joined: 12-06-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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almost obliged to promote to PT with this team
gl in italy. |
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 26-05-2008 14:03
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Team Manager
Posts: 33046
Joined: 08-03-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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Go Wiggins! Good luck with Di Luca in the Giro
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