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A Tale of Two
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| TomC |
Posted on 09-09-2012 20:03
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Domestique
Posts: 470
Joined: 14-10-2011
PCM$: 200.00
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It was a really good season for you, can't wait for the next one  |
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| PCM rulezz |
Posted on 09-09-2012 20:07
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Protected Rider
Posts: 1467
Joined: 21-05-2011
PCM$: 200.00
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TomC wrote:
It was a really good season for you, can't wait for the next one
I totally agree
Winners never quit, quitters never win.
It's difficult not to be happy when you're surrounded by Belgians. - Mark Cavendish
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 09-09-2012 20:08
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
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@SweatyViking: Well, if the public really wants to know...
@TomC & PCM rulezz: Thanks a lot! I hope I'll be back soon, with the start of the second season. Could be tomorrow  |
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| FreitasPCM |
Posted on 09-09-2012 20:26
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8389
Joined: 08-09-2009
PCM$: 200.00
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SweatyViking wrote:
The public wants to know Stijn and Eric's stats!
Their performances aren't based around stats, they are based around hard work, lot of training, ambition and talent! And that's what is important, and what is being shown here.
Edited by FreitasPCM on 09-09-2012 20:26
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| jseadog1 |
Posted on 09-09-2012 20:28
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 9595
Joined: 18-07-2010
PCM$: 13552.00
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Ian Butler wrote:
@SweatyViking: Well, if the public really wants to know...
PCM.Daily Survivor Season 2 Fan Favorite Winner
PCM.Daily NFL Fantasy Football Champion: 2012
PCM.Daily NHL Prediction Game Champion: 2013
PCM.Daily NFL Prediction Game Champion: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2021
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| lokytrew |
Posted on 09-09-2012 20:28
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Domestique
Posts: 573
Joined: 03-08-2011
PCM$: 200.00
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First of all, great story. Although I think Stijn and Eric are developping way too fast (which ruins the fun Imo) but for the rest, great reports, nice pictures, great.
Domenico Pozzovivo  |
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| JuanMotr |
Posted on 09-09-2012 20:33
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Domestique
Posts: 701
Joined: 29-07-2011
PCM$: 200.00
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Great Season I hope 3rd season will be even better and I would love to see Eric and Stijn on the same GT and dominate there together |
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 24-11-2024 16:07
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Bot Agent
Posts: Countless
Joined: 23.11.09
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 09-09-2012 20:43
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
Joined: 12-05-2012
PCM$: 0.00
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3rd in CQ ranking.... blah blah 85 blah
Great season. You have to turn up the difficulty though, too many wins or podiums. Hard or Extreme it must be!
Or all the main riders have 85 blah blah blah
Bring on 2014!
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 09-09-2012 20:56
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
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@FreitasPCM: Damn right
@jseadog1:
@lokytrew: Thanks. As I already said before: I took a guess about development of attributes (0.5). I didn't know how fast that would go, turns out it's pretty fast. I'm sorry if that ruins the fun for you.
@JuanMotr: Well, it's so hard. I just saw the variants, totally love them btw, Cyanide does something right  But I can't make up my mind who to send where, I love all three GTs and they all have great mountain stages and they all have plenty of chances for sprinters.
@TheManxMissile: I turned up the difficulty in the Canadian Classics last season. Otherwise I would've won the sprint with Gilbert in WC RR however, I don't want to get the results down drastically now. If the level is too hard (if Stijn for example can't ride top 10 in cobbled classics anymore), I'll have to turn it down, for the sake of the continuity of the story, which is more important than realism in my opinion. Stijn is a star now, he can't go back |
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 10-09-2012 08:30
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
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Schedules
Hi everyone,
We're now in late October, going into a little break.
Nothing much new has happened. Life has changed, though. Especially for Stijn. He didn't notice as much during the season but he is now a celebrity in Belgium, which makes it harder to shop quietly in the Delhaize.
We have both been offered a chance to make our own schedule and the management will see if they agree. So we're getting more freedom about what races we'd like to race. So we're both struggling like crazy! However, we did decide we'd like to do more races together, unlike last season and like our first year at Lotto. That includes a GT (Eric would like either Giro or Vuelta, because he'd be leader there, unlike the Tour where he'd be helper to Jurgen).
One great thing though, which Eric has kept secret during the season but wants to say now (because it interferes with his schedule), he'll be a dad for the first time somewhere around February - March. Although that's great news, that does mean no Paris - Nice or no Tirreno - Adriatico. No, it means changing diapers the first few weeks (he gets parental leave from the team for a few weeks).
We'll fill you in on our final schedule as soon as possible, though. We hope you all enjoy Christmas and we'll see you in early January! |
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| Miguel98 |
Posted on 10-09-2012 08:33
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World Champion
Posts: 10497
Joined: 23-06-2011
PCM$: 200.00
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Eric wants to lead and we want to see him lead at the Giro and Vuelta. |
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| ventoux |
Posted on 10-09-2012 08:45
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Free Agent
Posts: 145
Joined: 22-01-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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Miguel98 wrote:
Eric wants to lead and we want to see him lead at the Giro and Vuelta.
Nah...will be to much.I want to see him wining Trentino/Romandie,Dauphine/Tour de Suisse and top 3 in Giro.
Edited by ventoux on 10-09-2012 08:46
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| dienblad |
Posted on 10-09-2012 09:09
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3772
Joined: 10-09-2010
PCM$: 200.00
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FreitasPCM wrote:
SweatyViking wrote:
The public wants to know Stijn and Eric's stats!
Their performances aren't based around stats, they are based around hard work, lot of training, ambition and talent! And that's what is important, and what is being shown here.
And cadence!!
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| ste_18 |
Posted on 10-09-2012 09:51
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Protected Rider
Posts: 1430
Joined: 06-08-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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Congratulations for this season!! Now I'll wait a new season |
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 10-09-2012 10:23
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
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Thanks for the replies |
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 10-09-2012 10:49
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
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Schedules Season 2014
Hi everone,
Happy New Year! We are now 01/01/2014 and we're ready for the new cycling season. Training starts today, but of course, we haven't been sitting still for the past months. We both trained a lot uphill this winter. Our schedules are finished. These are not final but we think they're definitely okay. We have asked to race several races together and that's looking good!
I'll try once again to find a right balance between being a cobblestone-classic rider and a sprinter.
I'll start the season at the Volta Algarve, to warm up for the Omloop and Kuurne - Brussel - Kuurne. Then I'll ride Route Loire Atlantique, GP de Cholet and Dwars door Vlaanderen, to stay warm for E3, G-W, Vierdaagse De Panne - Koksijde, Ronde Van Vlaanderen and Paris - Roubaix.
This will have been a very demanding early season, with many races in a short period. I'll take a small break after Roubaix.
I'll start again in May, with GP von Frankfurt, followed by the Giro d'Italia, where I'll battle for a stage win and possibly even the points jersey. The dauphinée follows and then it's time for another break.
After the break I'll return in the Eneco Tour, followed by Classic Hamburg, Classique de Plouay, The World Port Classics, my race GP Jef-Scherens and then I'll ride the Tour of China. It'll be my first time riding in Asia and it's mostly a preparation and a recon-race for my season's finale in the Tour of Beijing (with Paris - Tours a couple of days before)
That schedule suits me fine. Especially because I'll ride with Eric quite a lot.
I'll start 2014 in Volta Algarve. Then I'll have my first break.
Lazy, you say? Not at all, My first kid is expected around that time and I'm taking a few weeks off. I'll keep training, though.
I hope to return to the peloton in Route Loire Atlantique and GP de Cholet, two French races. Then I'll ride Vierdaagse de Panne - Koksijde. Later I'll ride Tour de Romandie, my first WT race of the year, followed by Giro d'Italia, where I'll be an absolute leader. After the Giro I ride the Dauphinée, also as a leader, with the form that's left of the Giro.
After a long break I return with Classic Hamburg and Classique de Plouay. Then I'll ride Settimana Lombarda, because our names are alike (one of the many reasons why I chose that race), I continue my season with Tour of China, hopefully followed by the World Championships. I finish the season with Paris - Tours and the Tour of Beijing.
Sounds good enough for me.
Common races
If you payed attention, you'll have noticed that we'll be spending quite some time together this year. We'll be able to help each other, like in our debut year.
The races we'll both participate in:
Volta Algarve, Route Loire Atlantique, GP de Cholet, Vierdaagse de Panne - Koksijde, Giro d'Italia, Dauphinée, Classic Hamburg, Classique de Plouay, Tour of China, Paris - Tours and Tour of Beijing.
That's more than 55 common race days!
Goals
ERIC: My main goal of the season is Giro d'Italia, where I'll compete for a top 5, maybe even a podium place. I also hope to keep my form into the Dauphinée, where I may battle for a top 10 or a stage win, depending on how the Giro went.
The second part of my season may seem without a challenge, but that's not right. I want to do fine in China, where there are 2 stages to my liking. I hope I'll be selected for the WC, where I want to perform well, hoping for top 10 WC TT and top 20 WC RR.
Another personal goal: I want to get more wins than last season, where I only win one race and one stage race.
STIJN: Of course, My biggest goal is trying to make that Paris - Roubaix a double! It's by far my absolute favorite race and I'm looking for another year of glory there. I expect to end up in the top 5 in the Ronde, I trained on those hills a lot since last year.
In the Giro I'll go for at least a stage win and potentially the points jersey. That's not too modest but I believe I can do it.
In the second part of my season, I'll try hard to get a couple of (sprint victories), especially in GP Jef-Scherens. However, I won't be pressured much in Tour of China or Tour of Beijing. The team wants me to perform best in the cobbled classics, they're not counting on anything else, so anything else I win is a nice extra!
That's about it. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. We'll report on NC of Australia and TDU later, but first the entire team is going on our first training camp of the year!
Bye! |
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| baggieboys32 |
Posted on 10-09-2012 10:56
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Sprinter
Posts: 1981
Joined: 01-10-2011
PCM$: 200.00
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Jeez Ian! I don't read for 4days, and we're into the next season?!? You deserve an award for most addicted
Loving the story, especially the writing
IMO It might be better to swap to a harder difficulty, just to increase the challenge for the duo, your choice though, keep up the great work!
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 10-09-2012 11:18
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
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Thanks
I'd take that award
I switched difficulty at the final races of last season
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| ste_18 |
Posted on 10-09-2012 11:28
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Protected Rider
Posts: 1430
Joined: 06-08-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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I'm very happy that you decide to send Eric to Giro for the final victory |
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| Logghje |
Posted on 10-09-2012 11:32
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Domestique
Posts: 527
Joined: 27-04-2009
PCM$: 200.00
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They could have a lesser good season too, btw Just like Gilbert & Hushovd, they also had lots of successes but still can have a bad season. It doesn't mean no victories or podium places, but it could be an 'explanation' to the higher difficulty |
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![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
