@ Warchex - All riders are satisfied as their schedules give them 100% satisfaction. Fitness isn't at a peak yet, it will be around the Glava Tour and the Arctic Tour this year.
@ Sutty - Yep, hopefully he can continue his good form.
My results still won't export now after the first stage of the next race. I press the Export button, look in the folder, and it isn't there. Has anyone experienced this before? I'm stumped to why it suddenly stopped working.
I've assumed you reinstalled already...hmmm...is the file format (ex. Excel) that it normally exports in gone?
I'm by no means a computer guy but I swear I remember that I could check the most recent written files on the drive, to see if the game does anything at all.
baseballlover312, 06-03-14 : "Nuke Moscow...Don't worry Russia, we've got plenty of love to go around your cities"
Sarah Palin, 08-03-14 (CPAC, on Russian aggression) : "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke"
Big thanks to jdog for making this AMAZING userbar!
547984 wrote:
I've assumed you reinstalled already...hmmm...is the file format (ex. Excel) that it normally exports in gone?
I'm by no means a computer guy but I swear I remember that I could check the most recent written files on the drive, to see if the game does anything at all.
I searched the whole computer and the thing simply wasn't produced. Not changed Excel at all.
Already finished the race now anyway, but have tried a few things that shall hopefully work. Thanks for the help though
The start list here looks high quality. Enger and Hoem both lead here for us but they could have some trouble on the hilly stages against talents like Schumacher and Hivert, who has traveled with his Pro Continental squad Sojasun. In the sprints there isn't the same level of competition, but some strong sprinters like Cofidis' Poulhies and Europcar's Reza, who has surprised many this year with some good results.
Stage 1 is flat, and therefore is an early chance for the sprinters to grab an early leaders jersey from the race, before it hits the rolling terrain of later on. We shall ride for Enger today in the hope he can pull a great result out of the bag, something he hasn't done in the sprints so far this season for us which has been slightly disappointing at times.
The race begins at a fast pace with a few groups being pulled back, before a group of three riders goes off the front of the peloton and quickly establish a solid gap. We put some of our guys, namely Hodnebrog and Grondahl Jansen, onto the front of the pack to help shut down the gap. With 10 kilometers left until the finish, they were all reeled in and we let BigMat take over on the front with their sprint train. With just 2500m left Enger has moved into fourth wheel behind Poulhies.
Enger was well positioned heading into the final sprint
The Frenchman who rides for Cofidis is forced to go early however, giving Enger the perfect launchpad to jump from with 1200m to go. Hivert had opened a lead initially for Cofidis but with just 100m left our young Norwegian had overhauled him to take his first sprint victory of the season!
Our young Norwegian celebrates victory
That puts him as leader of the race, and in a great position to launch his bid to win the race. In the meantime however, we are very happy with the victory here in France which can hopefully lead to more.
Stage Result:
Stage 2 brings with it another chance for the sprinters, and although the profile is slightly more rolling than yesterday, the bumps shouldn’t be too hard to overcome. Enger will lead us again after his stage win yesterday which leaves him in the leader’s jersey he will attempt to replicate his successes with the help of the team.
As the last few kilometers approach the break had been dealt with relatively easily. The squad feels good and decides to set up a sprint train, in which Schmidt is assigned with the role of leadout. He executes his role perfectly and under the flammage rouge Enger is launched into first place. The field is coming fast from behind however, led by Hivert.
Enger was lead out perfectly
After a hard last kilometer Enger winds up in fourth, never building enough speed to hold on as he went a bit too late. Hivert takes the victory after a long sprint, which puts him into yellow courtesy of the bonus seconds on offer.
Hivert took the stage for Sojasun
Enger however still sits in second thanks to yesterday’s result, and moving into the hilly stage he has a small buffer to most of the other overall contenders. It remains to be seen though if he can hang onto some of the bigger riders there.
Stage Result:
The final stage is upon us and like many other tours at this level, it should be the GC decider. Enger sits in second overall so we will prioritize him but Hoem will be given the chance to attack for his own chances as he is also strong on this terrain.
From experience we knew that the break would usually be let go today, but we weren’t allowed to join it. Eventually a group of six was let go, and as we predicted they were let go by the peloton and given a big gap. What was surprising though was that a rider only 16 seconds behind on the GC, Utnelistord’s Lovassy, was let go and as the breakaway came closer to the win it became apparent that he would win the overall.
Behind there was a GC battle ensuing, with attacks coming left, right and center. Hoem attacks as planned and got joined by nine other men. However he is quickly dropped by five other riders who he couldn’t follow and set about trying to stay in front of the peloton, where Enger is attacking and trying to catch up, even though it is apparent he has missed the move.
Hoem on the front of a group of attackers
Back at the front though, Laverde Jiminez of Colombia takes the win, outsprinting his two remaining breakaway compatriots. Clarke (Synenergy) takes second while Lovassy sprints to third which ensures his GC victory. Quickly another group finishes containing the five main attackers and some riders from the breakaway.
Laverde Jiminez took victory from a breakaway
Hoem and Enger are eventually swamped by the peloton, making the last day here another bad one. Enger does get a top-10 overall to show for his efforts though, and Hoem takes fifteenth to make this another decent race for us, even if it hasn’t been anything special. That rounds out March for the team.
valverde321 wrote:
What a win on the first stage for Enger!
It was always going to tough to do well in the GC but Enger held on well for a top 10.
Thanks! It was satisfying that we pulled it off, as the sprints are very competitive. It is the same with the hills, there are 10-20 riders who could win so you have to be on your toes
Sorry guys for the lack of updates, but there are things I must finish first. Hopefully things can be up and running again by the end of the week.
After the Boucle de l'Artois, we travel to another French race, the Circuit des Ardennes International. As per usual Enger leads the team, backed up by Hoem and Roinas while Schmidt is coming into form and will lead out Sondre where it is needed. As for the other teams the startlist is very competitive, with big domestic names like Simon, Hivert and Malacarne.
Stage 1
Stage 1 is a flat one, and gives the sprinters a chance to grab an early yellow jersey before tomorrow's hills. We'll do our best to set up Enger through riders like Schmidt and Roinas.
We set up a sprint train and position Enger brilliantly going into the final sprint thanks to a great leadout, only to be overtaken by Baggio in the final few meters. Second is still a good start here, something we'll want to build on as the race progresses.
Stage Result:
1
Filippo Baggio
Ceramica Flaminia - Fondriest
3h34'06
2
Sondre Holst Enger
Team Plussbank
s.t.
3
Jonathan Hivert
Sojasun
s.t.
4
Miraç Kal
Torku SekerSpor
s.t.
5
Anthony Giacoppo
Huon Salmon - Genesys Wealth Advisers
s.t.
Stage 2
Stage 2 is hilly and should prove decisive in the final GC. The plan for us today is for Hoem to attack early on in the day and try to get involved in a surprise move, while Enger stays in the pack waiting for his moment.
Simon takes victory after a solo attack from 20kms out, which caught everybody by surprise. Hoem had attacked with him for a while but couldn't hang on and drifted back to the pack.
Another Sojasun rider, Hivert, finishes in the gap before a 22-man group finishes, containing Enger finishes. He takes eleventh, which is enough to retain third overall. That could all change tomorrow though, where a 21km TTT should shake things up.
Stage Result:
1
Julien Simon
Sojasun
3h47'41
2
Jonathan Hivert
Sojasun
+ 1'06
3
Julien El Farès
Sojasun
+ 1'15
4
Davide Malacarne
Team Europcar
s.t.
5
Alexis Vuillermoz
Sojasun
s.t.
........
11
Sondre Holst Enger
Team Plussbank
+ 2'24
Stage 3
Day 3 brings a TTT, 21kms long, which could and should put us out of the GC hunt as there are stronger squads that are here than us. We'll have to hope for a miracle to stay in the hunt.
There are no TV pictures today (In other words, simulated), but we finish ninth out of the twenty-five teams which is a good effort by our standards. 43 seconds are lost to eventual winners Europcar, which puts Enger down to sixteenth overall.
To finish there is another flat stage to try and finish on a high. Another podium would be nice, but there is a history of last day breakaways succeeding so we will try and stop that happening first.
Unfortunately that proves harder than we think and Terengganu's Mat Amin takes the victory alone. 1'12" later a further group of four riders finishes, two of which are from the early breakaway, and another two that ride for Sojasun: Hivert and Talabardon who attacked across the gap seeing an opportunity.
Another 1'12" back is the peloton, lead home by another two Sojasun riders in the form of Simon and Le Lay. Our best finisher is Roinas in tenth after a botched leadout, where four of our riders finish 10th-13th.
That attack from Talabardon and Hivert has proved to be worthwile though as they move into first and third overall, either side of teammate Simon. That means the GC is a 1-2-3 for Sojasun, and a 4-5-6-7 for Europcar. What a strange result! Enger stays our best GC finisher, in sixteenth.
baseballlover312, 06-03-14 : "Nuke Moscow...Don't worry Russia, we've got plenty of love to go around your cities"
Sarah Palin, 08-03-14 (CPAC, on Russian aggression) : "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke"
Big thanks to jdog for making this AMAZING userbar!
We travel to a third French stage race in a row, in the hope of more results. Once more we are lead by Enger, with Hoem and Aasvold given free roles. There isn't a great mass of talent like in the Ardennes, but there are a few riders that should prove tough to beat, like Cofidis' Garcia and 3M's Wippert.
Stage 1
Stage 1 is like all of the other ones in the race: flat. There are some tough hills though, and the only King of the Mountain points on offer over the whole race. It will most likely come down to a massed sprint though, where Enger should do well.
Firstly however, we send Lunke into the break to try and secure the polka dots here. He doesn't disappoint, taking three mountains sprints en route to leading the classification overnight and securing the jersey.
Coming into the final downhill sprint, we set up a sprint train for Enger. For competition we have Metec and 3M, setting up trains for Wippert and Vermuelen.
At the finish though it is none of those three who win though, it is Garcia who takes the win for Cofidis! Wippert takes second and Delpech takes a surprise third for Bretagne. Our best finisher is Enger who is just squeezed out of a podium in fifth, while Roinas takes ninth.
Another flat stage, another chance for Enger & Co. The sprint train will be out again, trying to improve on yesterday's fifth place finish.
That doesn't happen though as Garcia sprints to another win in the Yellow Jersey here in France for home team Cofidis. Vermuelen (Metec) is second this time while Wippert (3M) grabs another podium. Our best finisher is Roinas in sixth ahead of Enger, Hoem and Schmidt in eighth, ninth and tenth on a day where our sprint train faltered.
Once more, a pan flat stage. Expect no more than a fast finish and a sprinter celebrating when he crosses the finish line first, barring something special.
We decide to try something different though. As the breakaway is caught we ramp up the pace at the front with our train, which strings out the peloton. We then kill the pace with 5kms left, attacking with Aasvold as a chase is scrambled together.
The timetrial specialist shows his skill at riding alone and manages to hold off the peloton for his maiden professional win! Wippert (3M) once again makes the podium in a distant second, and Vermeulen (Metec) rounds off the podium with a third. Enger sacrificed his chances today but still manages eleventh in a great effort. Sadly, a gap wasn't given but we can't complain as we grab our third win this year!
I decided to simulate the stage after 3D mode was crashing repeatedly, and the stage profile looks to be Plouay, despite it being named. The result isn't the best but I want to keep things flowing.
There were no TV cameras today, but that didn't deter the breakaway despite getting no camera time. In fact, the six attackers managed to hold off the peloton by 39 seconds! Stage winner Franssen (An Post) claims the leaders jersey thanks to the time gained on the peloton. Breakaway compatriots Fouchard (Cofidis) and Labbe (Cofidis) move onto the provisional overall podium. Enger could only manage eighteenth.
The final stage of the tour is much flatter than yesterday and should end in a bunch sprint. Our plan however is to send someone into the break, as last day breakaways have a history of staying away, while the rest of the squad helps Enger.
Eventually Roinas gets the nod and attacks away to join nine other men off the front of the peloton. With 10 kilometers remaining all ten are still 30 seconds off the front, with Jensen (Blue Water) on the attack.
All are caught relatively quickly after then though - except Jensen. As the Dane reaches the line he raises his arms... only to be overtaken over the last few meters by Garcia (Cofidis) and Wippert (3M)! It is the spaniard who takes the win, his third of the race, ahead of Wippert and the despairing Jensen. Enger finishes the tour disappointingly and can only manage eleventh after following the wrong wheel in Delpech.
Meanwhile however, race leader Franssen has been dropped, leaving Cofidis to a 1-2 overall with Fouchard and Labbe! Aasvold also gets a promotion to seventh and is our best overall finisher, to go along with Lunke's KOTM victory.
We travel to the first of four flat Danish classics in a row on our calendar. As for ninety percent of races this year Enger travels with the rest of the usual squad, with Morland replacing Larsen since our French ventures. The competition is tough, despite having the favourite, with lots of depth in the sprinting department so a top 5 will be a success. Watch out for Schumacher (Christina Watches) and Jules (La Pomme) who should be our main rivals.
The race starts off at a fast pace as everyone wants to get in the break, but it soon calms down. Very soon the break has been and gone, and we are into the final kilometers.
Everything looks set for a sprint moving into the last five kilometers, but Reihs (Cult Energy) has other plans. The Dane, cheered on by the home fans manages to claw a gap of 20 seconds together.
With just three kilometers remaining he still holds the gap! The sprint meanwhile starts behind, with Christina Watches on the front. Enger is in around fifteenth position, in Landa's (Oster Hus) wheel.
A messy sprint ensues, in which Reihs is overhauled and Hoelgaard (Etixx - IHNed) sprints through to take a surprise victory! Reihs holds on for second, while Pedersen takes a deserved third for Christina Watches. Enger got caught behind a mass of riders and can manage just a decent tenth.
1
Markus Hoelgaard
Etixx - IHNed CT
4h17'17
2
Michael Reihs
Team Cult Energy
s.t.
3
Martin Pedersen
Christina Watches - Onfone
s.t.
4
Marc Hester Hansen
Christina Watches - Onfone
s.t.
5
Kasper Klostergaard Larsen
Concordia Forsikring - Riwal
s.t.
6
Hugo Manuel Madeira Sabido
LA Aluminios - Antarte
s.t.
7
Vitaliy Popkov
ISD Continental Team
s.t.
8
Rasmus Guldhammer
Blue Water Cycling
s.t.
9
Jasper Stuyven
Bontrager Cycling Team
s.t.
10
Sondre Holst Enger
Team Plussbank
s.t.
Skive - Lobet [1.2]
26th April
We send the same squad here as to Herning, to try and beat the tenth place we achieved there. There is another strong field, with German sprinter Thomel (Team NSP) the main threat here it seems, after surprise Herning winner Hoelgaard doesn't travel here.
Lets move straight to the finish as the breakaway never posed a threat, and a bunch sprint always seemed nailed on.
We set up a sprint train and all seems well, until Enger is unhitched at the back of our train. He eventually makes his way back onto leadout Roinas' wheel but is drained. However, he is given the perfect leadout and is yet to be launched with 1500m left.
Enger's tiredness shows though, as he eventually falls back to ninth. Thomel takes the race here after timing his sprint to perfection. Vosekalns (Rietumu) and Schumacher (Christina Watches) round off the podium.
The same Flat classic squad travels here for a third Danish classic in succession for the team. As always we will be trying to set something up for Enger, while our main competition should come from Groenwengen (De Rijke) and Wippert (3M).
Usually there is a battle for the spots in the breakaway, but that isn't the case here as four men go off the front and straight away establish a gap. That is soon closed though as everything is readied for a sprint.
After his success in our recent race in France, we try our slowing tactics once more as Aasvold attacks away from the peloton. He gets a gap but De Rijke get on the front soon enough to limit it to 30 seconds.
However, when Terpstra (3M) attacks across the gap the pair work well together and manage to stay away! The Dutchman takes a surprise victory ahead of Aasvold who gets a great second. Behind, the sprint is won by Groenwengen as Enger finishes in seventh.
Boucle de l'Artois [2.2]
Egoitz Garcia Etxegibel
Wouter Wippert
Davide Mucelli
Morten Øllegaard
Wout Franssen
Ali Asgari
Alister Ratcliff
Hugo Manuel Madeira Sabido
Vitaliy Popkov
Tino Thömel
Andris Vosekalns
Anthony Giacoppo
