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Praha - Karlovy Vary - Praha Discussion
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| roturn |
Posted on 29-01-2014 09:33
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It`s the Czech biggest one day race in cycling and it`s one of those long sprinter classics in autumn similar to Paris - Tours, which favours the sprinters but with some difficulties, so that the classic riders might get their chance as well.
So it`s not a big surprise that next to all the divisions top sprinters quite a few cobbler and puncheur are here as well.
It`s also an important race for the only Czech team  Milka of course as the home race always has a special meaning for the team and the riders. And while their 3 Czech riders here, Rabon, Kreuziger and König might not have the best chances to win, it`s their sprinter Bewley with best chances. Also Coppel could do well here in case we see late attacks.
Only 3 teams are higher placed in the PT standings and even though  Wikipedia has a small gap to  Koenigsegg and  Pearl Adidas, it will be close until the end.
Wikipedia with Goss might have the best sprinter on paper as also other options like cobbler Summerhill or puncheur Van Garderen. So defending or even extending their PT lead here might not be too unrealistic.
But Pearl with top puncheur Bakelants and outside sprinter Vanderbiest mustn`t be underestimated neither as also Koenigsegg with Ballan and Granjel Cabrera. While all 3 sprinters doesn`t belong to the very biggest favourites, their 2nd options might be some of the best in this race. So late attacks for the PT crown could happen here.
Coming to the top favourites here. We already mentioned Bewley earlier. But we need to mention some more riders:
 Boonen is still one of those difficult to beat riders even though age surely comes into play already.
Same counts for  Bennati. Both are excellent sprinters and also should be able to pass those hills easier than other sprinters. In especially for Puma a high scoring would be important to avoid relegation as the team is a bit below the line at the moment.
 Heineken is also under the line. Even a bit more actually but they also have a strong team here. After some pretty good results recently, they might have gotten a 2nd breathe for the final and so tehy surely hope for a big result by Pozzato mainly. Surely the hills will help him to do well in the end. Also Haedo could be expected to perform well in a possible mass sprint of course.
Let`s make a short stop from the biggest favourites and look and  B&O. They are a bit above the line as direct opponent of the last two teams. And their team here surely is the weakest of this trio. Hard to name the real leader here. But I think going with an attacking rider like Kruijswijk might work. But is this enough to keep the small gap to the line?
Coming back to the favourites:
 Wiggle might be save already, but eventually might not. Some mroe points would surely secure them and their team here looks good enough. Rowe as top sprinter and Ponzi/Fenn/Diggle for a late attack could bring them a top10 and 2-3 more in the top25. So one of the strongest teams here even though no clear favourite for a top5.
 Vesuvio with Ben Swift could still reach the top5 PT if doing well in the remaining races. A good result for Swift though is a must then.
 Red Bull did not send Van Staeyen here, who would be one of the biggest favourites probably. This is a small issue for them only as Van Heerden is an equal sprinter but with less climbing skills. Nevertheless one of the fastest man out there.
 Guerao,  Ciolek,  Van Avermaet/Corioni,  Vanoverschelde,  Richeze,  Kreder are outside bets in a sprint. But all of them are weaker on those hills and need to recover well before the sprint in case they want to beat the better sprinters.
In case some of them struggle, most teams have other options like Steurs, Claeys, Di Maggio or new World Champion Boasson Hagen, who could become one of the top favourites in a very hard race.
 Bacardi needs a strong result by Burghardt here to have the smallest chance of avoiding relegation. Together with Roux he needs to attack as the sprint doesn`t suit them a lot.
Same counts for  Project 1t4i with Simon probably.
 Alstom RBC as 2nd wild card team have some options like Soupe or Anderson, but none of them is really a favourite. Eventually Roy with a late attack is their best option while  Pendleton's and  Santander probably hope for an successful early breakaway or some surprise by one of their riders.
No matter what the result will look like. The decision most likely will have to wait for the Tour of Tasmania, which is the PT closer this year. So stay tuned for this event here and afterwards even more for the final decision.
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| Smowz |
Posted on 29-01-2014 10:06
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Erm roturn let's not forget Lombardia is the season closer  .
But yeah a lot of interesting gambits here - I think the strong sprinters will be there, desperately hope Van Heerden will be one of them.
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| Roman |
Posted on 29-01-2014 10:30
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Fantastic preview, roturn!
Well, I tried to bring the strongest team possible here. Hopefully my native fans will be happy with the final outcome, me included. But well, it should be a really interesting race, a win for an attacker could be a real possibility.
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| roturn |
Posted on 29-01-2014 10:49
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Smowz wrote:
Erm roturn let's not forget Lombardia is the season closer .
But yeah a lot of interesting gambits here - I think the strong sprinters will be there, desperately hope Van Heerden will be one of them.
Damn. 
Just checked the calendar by colour...and did oversee the monument colour... |
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| Heine |
Posted on 29-01-2014 10:49
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I have a feeling this is a race for Pozzatto
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| beagle |
Posted on 29-01-2014 13:43
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Last chance to gain some decent points for my team!! Praying for flat kind of race with classic bunch sprint 
Manager of Polar in Man-Game
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| niconico |
Posted on 29-01-2014 13:56
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I'm glad the field is so packed in terms of quality which makes a top result for Bennati harder. I must admit though, that this route looks more or less perfect for him.
Here's to hoping!
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| tyriion |
Posted on 29-01-2014 15:16
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Looks like the kind of race where one (maybe all?) of the sprinters will struggle. Doesn't have to be a mass sprint for sure. Here's to an entertaining race.
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 08-12-2025 06:08
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| cio93 |
Posted on 29-01-2014 16:28
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This is it.
I don't like the look of those three consecutive hills at all.
That said, the failure in Lisbon was mainly down to bad positioning and starting the sprint first as well.
I hope we will be able to get Delage and Gasparotto into the final selection to provide a train, and then it's all about finally using slipstreams a bit longer.
We 'lost' MSR and a bunch of points in Lisbon by going early, this is where you have to learn from those mistakes.
The fact that guys like Bakelants or Hagen should at least contest the sprint won't make it easier.
Everything but a Top 5 is extremely disappointing. We need some sort of cushion to B&O ahead of the unpredictable two races still to come, and we definitely need to be in front.
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 29-01-2014 16:32
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The one race i made for the game  So i'm watching with interest. Going to be a good race i feel. Flat rated yes but a number of steep climbs in that back end could really upset things. In many ways it's a similar race to MSR so that is the place to look for a guide, which will make some teams very unhappy.
I want Puma to win cause i love the team, or Pearl-Adidas for renewal related reasons
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 29-01-2014 16:53
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Pretty much reliant on Swift here. Hard to know what to expect, but really need something to prevent me sliding too far down the table at the death.
TheManxMissile wrote:
Pearl-Adidas for renewal related reasons
Not entirely sure what you mean by this!
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 29-01-2014 17:05
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SportingNonsense wrote:
TheManxMissile wrote:
Pearl-Adidas for renewal related reasons
Not entirely sure what you mean by this!
The better the riders do, the more they'll require in wages. The more riders that are more expensive the more chance i have of riders as they look to lower their overall wage amount
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 29-01-2014 17:07
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TheManxMissile wrote:
SportingNonsense wrote:
TheManxMissile wrote:
Pearl-Adidas for renewal related reasons
Not entirely sure what you mean by this!
The better the riders do, the more they'll require in wages. The more riders that are more expensive the more chance i have of riders as they look to lower their overall wage amount
Got it. Might be worth cheering on another team then! p3druh hasn't been online since September, so Im not sure how likely it is that Pearl Adidas will even go through renewals.
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| cio93 |
Posted on 29-01-2014 17:09
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TheManxMissile wrote:
SportingNonsense wrote:
TheManxMissile wrote:
Pearl-Adidas for renewal related reasons
Not entirely sure what you mean by this!
The better the riders do, the more they'll require in wages. The more riders that are more expensive the more chance i have of riders as they look to lower their overall wage amount
Stay classy, Manx
@SN: Something I was wondering about as well. Would be a shame.
Edited by cio93 on 29-01-2014 17:11
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 29-01-2014 17:10
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SportingNonsense wrote:
Got it. Might be worth cheering on another team then! p3druh hasn't been online since September, so Im not sure how likely it is that Pearl Adidas will even go through renewals.
I don't like that  FA riders can be very expensive
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| Levi4life |
Posted on 29-01-2014 17:28
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Heine wrote:
I have a feeling this is a race for Pozzatto
Hope you're right. He looks like he's gonna be the team leader and the team overall is in the top 3 on the startlist. I'm hoping this is good news.
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| jph27 |
Posted on 29-01-2014 18:59
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SportingNonsense wrote:
TheManxMissile wrote:
SportingNonsense wrote:
TheManxMissile wrote:
Pearl-Adidas for renewal related reasons
Not entirely sure what you mean by this!
The better the riders do, the more they'll require in wages. The more riders that are more expensive the more chance i have of riders as they look to lower their overall wage amount
Got it. Might be worth cheering on another team then! p3druh hasn't been online since September, so Im not sure how likely it is that Pearl Adidas will even go through renewals.
Mmm, Sicard.
Pozzato for me, but I'd like to see Puma win. Hope to be proven wrong |
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| SotD |
Posted on 29-01-2014 20:34
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jph27 wrote:
SportingNonsense wrote:
TheManxMissile wrote:
SportingNonsense wrote:
TheManxMissile wrote:
Pearl-Adidas for renewal related reasons
Not entirely sure what you mean by this!
The better the riders do, the more they'll require in wages. The more riders that are more expensive the more chance i have of riders as they look to lower their overall wage amount
Got it. Might be worth cheering on another team then! p3druh hasn't been online since September, so Im not sure how likely it is that Pearl Adidas will even go through renewals.
Mmm, Sicard.
Pozzato for me, but I'd like to see Puma win. Hope to be proven wrong
Hands off!
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| mb2612 |
Posted on 29-01-2014 20:35
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Reynes in theory could get a result here.
Mainly dreaming of the break though.
[url=www.pcmdaily.com/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=33182] Team Santander Media Thread[/url]
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| dave92 |
Posted on 30-01-2014 04:28
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I hope the Goss/Van Garderen/Summerhill triple-threat will have me covered in all situations. Just hope the Americans follow the moves that go off the front so we don't miss out.
Bennati is my pick to pull out a huge result for Puma.
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