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Discovery Channel - TdF 2011
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| lukaas |
Posted on 18-11-2010 19:27
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Domestique
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Great transfers! |
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| Squire |
Posted on 18-11-2010 19:30
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miggi133 wrote:
EDIT: Is Eisel getting a shot at Roubaix this year? He seems capable of a good position...
I've started reporting more classic races (as seen with San Sebastian etc.) so I will definitely report from Roubaix. Eisel will get his chance on the cobbles, because I've got to keep him happy. He'll probably get a little fed up with pulling Ciolek to the finish line all the time  |
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| beagle |
Posted on 18-11-2010 19:52
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Grand Tour Specialist
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I like your signings!
btw how is decline age for Armstrong, Leipheimer and Kloden? 
good luck & lot of motivation to share with your great career with us!!!
Manager of Polar in Man-Game
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| Squire |
Posted on 18-11-2010 20:07
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Thanks!
beagle wrote:
btw how is decline age for Armstrong, Leipheimer and Kloden?
I don't know for sure, but as you can see on the team picture Klöden has started declining already. I think he peaked at 81MO midway through last season.
Armstrong, I can reveal, is dropping stats at the moment. He went from 82 to 81MO during the first month of this season. Leipheimer, luckily, is showing no signs of age yet  |
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| FreitasPCM |
Posted on 18-11-2010 20:23
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8389
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All great signings! |
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| lukaas |
Posted on 18-11-2010 21:11
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Domestique
Posts: 463
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Can't wait for the first race 
This is the best story here on pcm |
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| valverde321 |
Posted on 18-11-2010 21:40
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World Champion
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Not the best signings, but yoo've added depth to an already great team, with young riders, so that should be good. Also really love the idea of bringing back some of the best teams from before like T-Mobile and Saunier Duval.
Good luck. |
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| Squire |
Posted on 18-11-2010 23:27
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 20.01.2011: Santos Tour Down Under
Past winners
2009: José Iván Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne)
2010: Carlo Scognamiglio (Liquigas)
As a ProTour team, the first race of the season was the Santos Tour Down Under. Usually a sprinter's race, the six day event features the Willunga hill on stage 5. The past couple of years, that stage has been decisive for the overall outcome. For Discovery, Gerald Ciolek was the main hope in Australia.
Our season didn't get off to a flying start. Ciolek didn't get going until the third stage, where he got a podium placing by finishing 3rd in the sprint. By then, Nico Sijmens of Cofidis had won two stages and was wearing the oker jersey.
Ciolek didn't quite have the edge needed in this race. Nico Sijmens was on fire though.
The Willunga stage would prove decisive this year as well. Jens Voigt, race leader Nico Sijmens and our own Yaroslav Popovych found themselves away from the pack, but Popo didn't have the legs to go all the way. Voigt took the stage just ahead of Sijmens with Popovych a bit behind. Our Ukranian was sitting nicely in 3rd place overall though.
The winning breakaway slips away from Popovych...
Everything went wrong for us on the last stage. Just as Ciolek looked like taking our first win of the season, he was nipped by Cofidis' James Vanlandschoot and finished 2nd. Meanwhile, Popovych was caught out by a split in the peloton and finished way down the overall lists after sitting 3rd before the stage.
Ciolek ended up as our best placed rider in 7th, while Cofidis won three stages as Sijmens took the overall. His teammate Vandewalle took 2nd, while stage winner Vanlandschoot finished 4th and won the climber's jersey. A great start to the season for the Frenchies (although all three performing Cofidis riders are Belgian). Despite the Tour Down Under not awarding continental points, the Cofidis team look poised for a promotion battle.
Final GC
| 1. | Nico Sijmens   | Cofidis | 19h40'52 | | 2. | Kristof Vandewalle | Cofidis | + 1'08 | | 3. | Jens Voigt | Saxo Bank | + 1'25 | | 4. | James Vanlandschoot  | Cofidis | + 1'40 | | 5. | Tom Leezer | Rabobank | + 1'42 |
Edited by Squire on 19-11-2010 00:12
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| Squire |
Posted on 18-11-2010 23:58
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01.02.2011: Monthly summary
January
Not much racing took place in January, as most riders are finalising their fitness training for the new season. The only place where something happened was Australia, with the national championships preceeded the Santos Tour Down Under. The continental season doesn't kick off until February.
Notable results
| Australian Championship (ITT): | Cadel Evans (Rabobank) | | Australian Championship: | Allan Davis (Katusha) | | Santos Tour Down Under: | Nico Sijmens (Cofidis) |
Former World TT champion Evans won the Australian TT championship, so he'll get to wear a special jersey on his time trial bike this year as well. Allan Davis kickstarted his Katusha carreer by winning the first race for his new team. Neither Cameron Meyer nor Trent Lowe did anything special for Discovery in these two races.
The Santos Tour Down Under was won by Nico Sijmens, but Jens Voigt is leading the ProTour rankings as the best placed ProTour rider in that race. The German national champion finished 3rd.
ProTour Individual
| 1. | Jens Voigt | Saxo Bank | 78 | | 2. | Tom Leezer | Rabobank | 58 | | 3. | Carlo Scognamiglio | Liquigas | 48 | | 4. | Gerald Ciolek | Discovery Channel | 37 | | 5. | Maurizio Biondo | Ceramica Flaminia | 22 |
ProTour Team
| 1. | Saxo Bank | 79 | | 2. | Rabobank | 58 | | 3. | Liquigas | 48 | | 4. | Discovery Channel | 43 | | 5. | Ceramica Flaminia | 32 |
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 23-11-2024 21:51
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Bot Agent
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| Squire |
Posted on 19-11-2010 00:17
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Protected Rider
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 14.02.2011: Amgen Tour of California
Past winners
2009: Yaroslav Popovych (Discovery Channel)
2010: Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel)
We have our first win of the season! As part of his preparation for California, Levi Leipheimer won the penultimate stage and the overall in the Vuelta a Mallorca in front of Alejandro Valverde. Good result for us after the disappointment down under.
Levi therefore starts the Amgen Tour of California full of confidence, but he probably would be confident anyway. He has won this race three times, most recently last year. The route is still the same, so he has every chance of making it four.
The field is weaker than it has been for the last years. Levi's rivals are usual suspects like Saxo Bank duo Stijn Devolder & Fränk Schleck. Damiano Cunego must be watched out for, and Danny Pate of the OUCH team could prove a tough competitor. Ruben Plaza debuts here for his new Euskaltel team.
Discovery Channel
Levi Leipheimer
George Hincapie
 Yaroslav Popovych
Floyd Landis
Taylor Phinney
Andrew Talansky
Bjorn Selander
Cameron Meyer |
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| Squire |
Posted on 19-11-2010 00:42
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14.02.2011: Amgen Tour of California
Stage 1
Sacramento: 5.4km
Tactics meeting
The prologue is Levi Leipheimer's territory, and he'll be showing his American TT champion's jersey for the first time this year.
Stijn Devolder is perhaps the second strongest time trialist after Levi in this race, at least on paper. The Belgian zipped through the course to set the first serious best time.
Not usually a time trial expert, Damiano Cunego did well in this prologue. He took a provisional 4th, 6 seconds behind Devolder. Cunego looks to be on form.
Danny Pate, who was so impressive in the Worlds last year, slotted in just behind Devolder, +2 seconds.
Young Michael Schär of Astana bettered Pate, but lost out to Devolder by fractions of a second.
Levi Leipheimer began his California campaign according to plan: 1st place, stage win and a second ahead of Devolder. Everything as it should be in Sacramento.
Today's winner
Results
| 1. | Levi Leipheimer   | Discovery Channel | 4'33 | | 2. | Stijn Devolder | Saxo Bank | + 2 | | 3. | Michael Schär | Astana | s.t. | | 4. | Christian Meier | Trek Livestrong | s.t. | | 5. | Danny Pate | OUCH presented by Maxxis | + 4 | | 6. | Jimmi Sørensen | Team Capinordic | s.t. | | 7. | Boris Shpilevski | Katusha | s.t. | | 8. | Alessandro Ballan | Lampre | + 5 | | 9. | Floyd Landis | Discovery Channel | + 7 | | 10. | Sébastien Rosseler | Astana | + 8 |
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| valverde321 |
Posted on 19-11-2010 01:30
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World Champion
Posts: 12986
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Love those old Astana jerseys. This is turning retro.  |
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| Porte |
Posted on 19-11-2010 01:47
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Stagiare
Posts: 247
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I didn't realise Levi's stats had become so good. Maybe Lance will have to do work for Levi at this year's TDF. |
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| zambeaux |
Posted on 19-11-2010 09:02
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Under 23
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I like the signings, specially Pardilla, even if it's a pity that you couldn't find or "afford" a puncheur to replace Velits. I'd have liked to see someone like Visconti in his place, but anyway, i guess Kreuziger should be able to perform solidly in the Ardennes, so no big deal.
Let's hope for another great season and pray that Levi keeps his stats intact until july, at least
By the way, what are your plans for Brajkovic this season? |
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| baia |
Posted on 19-11-2010 15:01
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 5398
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Superb...
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| FreitasPCM |
Posted on 19-11-2010 15:42
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8389
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Good start. |
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| Squire |
Posted on 19-11-2010 16:36
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zambeaux wrote:
By the way, what are your plans for Brajkovic this season?
He will definitely support Kreuziger in the Giro. Maybe a leader role in a smaller stage race, and I think he will also do the Vuelta. He'll get enough chances to prove himself this year. Afterall, he deserves it after his Tirreno win last season
@All others: Thanks for the nice comments! It really helps the motivation to know that people are following and liking the story. |
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| Squire |
Posted on 19-11-2010 16:55
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15.02.2011: Amgen Tour of California
Stage 2
Davis - Santa Rosa: 173.5km
Tactics meeting
The Tour of California continues with a flat stage. Sprinters like Hushovd and Steegmans will relish their chances today.
Heading under the 10km banner, BMC's Markus Zberg was set to fool the sprinters. The Swiss veteran was 2 minutes ahead of the chasing pack.
Popovych and Landis were putting the hammer down to keep Leipheimer in yellow. The gap was coming down fast, but was it fast enough?
Poor Zberg was swallowed by the sprinters under the red kite. I felt a bit sorry for him, he had made a brave effort.
Alesssandro Ballan, who has become more explosive lately, won a tightly contested sprint ahead of surprise runner-up Hayden Roulston. Popo and Landis' chasing efforts didn't save Levi's jersey in the end, as Ballan gets it because of bonus seconds.
Today's winner
Results
| 1. | Alessandro Ballan | Lampre | 4h07'59 | | 2. | Hayden Roulston | Team Capinordic | s.t. | | 3. | Matti Breschel | Saxo Bank | s.t. | | 4. | Gert Steegmans | Katusha | s.t. | | 5. | Thor Hushovd | Lampre | s.t. | | 6. | Boris Shpilevski | Katusha | s.t. | | 7. | John Murphy | OUCH presented by Maxxis | s.t. | | 8. | Krzysztof Szczawinski | Team Capinordic | s.t. | | 9. | Enrico Rossi | Ceramica Flaminia | s.t. | | 10. | Damiano Cunego | Katusha | s.t. |
GC
| 1. | Alessandro Ballan | Lampre | 4h12'17 | | 2. | Levi Leipheimer | Discovery Channel | + 15 | | 3. | Stijn Devolder | Saxo Bank | + 17 | | 4. | Michael Schär | Astana | s.t. | | 5. | Boris Shpilevski | Katusha | + 19 | | 6. | Jimmi Sørensen | Team Capinordic | s.t. | | 7. | Danny Pate | OUCH presented by Maxxis | s.t. | | 8. | Matti Breschel | Saxo Bank | + 20 | | 9. | Floyd Landis | Discovery Channel | + 22 | | 10. | Damiano Cunego | Katusha | + 23 |
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| Njbb1995 |
Posted on 19-11-2010 18:22
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Under 23
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What are Hayden Roulstons Stats? |
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| Squire |
Posted on 19-11-2010 18:40
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16.02.2011: Amgen Tour of California
Stage 3
Sausalito - Santa Cruz: 187.0km
Tactics meeting
This is one of the most decisive stages in the race. We don't really need to attack, because we're confident in Levi Leipheimer's abilites in the time trial on stage 7. Today is an opportunity for riders to get an advantage over our leader. We'll do our best to prevent that!
At the bottom of the last climb, the breakaway containing Kroon (Saxobank), Lund (Katusha) and Lorenzetto (Lampre) had a lead of 1'30. Schleck, Cunego and Ballan all had a man in front to help them if needed.
On the first part of the climb, Hincapie did a good job to neutralize all attacks. Levi reacted when Fränk Schleck put in a dig!
Levi and Schleck soon caught and passed the two remaining escapees, who were now going backwards.
Just before the top of the climb, a group with all the other favourites was about to join the two attackers. It was no big deal for us, as we just wanted Levi to finish in the front group.
Shortly after crossing the top of the climb, Fränk Schleck made another attack! Was he really thinking he could get away on the descent? Anyway, Levi Leipheimer reacted and brought him back.
But when Devolder had a go on the small uphill section of the descent, Leipheimer was cooked! Our leader had been undone by all the repeated Saxobank attacks.
Devolder opened up a big gap, which was a disaster for us! The only man able to come close to Levi in the time trial is this rider.
Stijn Devolder soloed to the stage win, and what a winning margin! The Leipheimer group was 2 minutes behind!
The chasegroup had really swelled on the descent, and was very large by the time they reached the finish. Ballan led the bunch across 2'02 behind the superb Devolder. We might have lost the overall win today.
Today's winner
Results
| 1. | Stijn Devolder | Saxo Bank | 4h34'32 | | 2. | Alessandro Ballan | Lampre | +2'02 | | 3. | Mathieu Sprick | Astana | s.t. | | 4. | Brent Bookwalter | BMC Racing Team | s.t. | | 5. | Cameron Evans | OUCH presented by Maxxis | s.t. | | 6. | Levi Leipheimer | Discovery Channel | s.t. | | 7. | Fränk Schleck | Saxo Bank | s.t. | | 8. | Reid Mumford | Kelly Benefit Strategies | s.t. | | 9. | Matti Breschel | Saxo Bank | s.t. | | 10. | Enrico Rossi | Ceramica Flaminia | s.t. |
GC
| 1. | Stijn Devolder | Saxo Bank | 8h46'46 | | 2. | Alessandro Ballan | Lampre | +1'53 | | 3. | Levi Leipheimer | Discovery Channel | + 2'20 | | 4. | Michael Schär | Astana | + 2'22 | | 5. | Boris Shpilevski | Katusha | + 2'24 | | 6. | Jimmi Sørensen | Team Capinordic | s.t. | | 7. | Danny Pate | OUCH presented by Maxxis | s.t. | | 8. | Matti Breschel | Saxo Bank | + 2'25 | | 9. | Mathieu Sprick | Astana | s.t. | | 10. | Floyd Landis | Discovery Channel | + 2'27 |
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