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Volta ao Algarve discussion
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| admirschleck |
Posted on 26-05-2014 19:36
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Team Leader
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Welcome to the Volta ao Algarve 2014, one of the oldest C2(HC) races in the Continental calendar. The race profile is, as you can see, very tricky and basically everything can happen here. The race has 4 stages from which 3 are flat (including TT) and one is hilly. However, that doesn't have to mean anything, as there are alot of hills in these flat stages that can 'cause huge problems to classic, flat sprinters here. However, the race winner is expected to be either good all-arounder, or good TT/Puncheur rider. One thing is sure - this will be a great race!
It's very hard to predict a winner on this kind of race. Very short, with the chance of creating gaps on basically every stage. Although there are 2 flat stages, it's hard to believe that the sprinter will win this. However, hilly sprinters, the guys who can be very fast on flat sections but pretty decent on hills has a pretty good chance here! Here are some one discipline orientated guys below.
| Time Trialists | HI | TT | Puncheurs | HI | TT |  Stannard | 55 | 79 |  Mendes | 78 | 69 |  Cruz | 62 | 76 |  Duggan | 75 | 73 | | Elijzen | 69 | 77 |  Hollenstein | 75 | 73 |  Nicacio | 70 | 75 |  Haas | 76 | 68 |  Velits | 69 | 74 | Firsanov | 74 | 65 |  Haga | 71 | 74 |  Marentes | 73 | 70 |  Roulston | 67 | 74 | Paulinho | 73 | 71 | | Sutherland | 66 | 75 | Feillu | 74 | 60 |  Renang | 56 | 76 | Walker | 74 | 71 | | Lindgren | 69 | 75 | Vink | 73 | 69 | | | |  Moinard | 74 | 66 |
These are however not the only ones, as in this time trial group you can see Taciak, Sterobo, Dearden also + many other good time trialists.
Of course, 2 flat stage couldn't pass without some sprinters. Here are the best sprinting names over here and their hill stats, who will probably be important, as first 2 stages aren't completely, pan flat.
| Classic Sprinters | SP | HIL | Hilly Sprinters | SP | HIL | | Meyer | 80 | 60 |  Geschke | 76 | 74 | | Farrar | 79 | 62 | Lang | 75 | 70 | | Hawkings | 76 | 64 | Iglinski | 75 | 71 | | Jorgensen | 78 | 59 | Milan | 74 | 72 |  Sabatini | 77 | 62 | | | Friedman | 76 | 61 | | | Stroetinga | 76 | 53 | | | Clavero | 76 | 64 | | | Lovassy | 75 | 64 | | | Saramontis | 75 | 68 | |
It will surely be the interesting race with all of these names in it. The terrain might show us that PCM really is the realistic game and will remove the sprinters with bad HIL/SP or it can show us that these profiles aren't that hard for them. Much will depend on the pace. We'll end this preview with the final startlist and the wish for all teams. Good luck!
Edited by admirschleck on 26-05-2014 19:39
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| admirschleck |
Posted on 26-05-2014 19:38
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Team Leader
Posts: 6690
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Just as a note: I am busy with huge amount of school exams, so you can't expect some super-fast pace (2 reports per day). However, I'll give my all to post 1 report per day.
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 26-05-2014 19:40
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Tour de France Champion
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I'd like Sabatini to do well on the 1st and 2nd stage. We'll see.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
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| The Rider |
Posted on 26-05-2014 19:46
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Grand Tour Specialist
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Nice to see admirschleck covering this race. 
-- I am hoping for an exciting race if nothing else. After winning the GC in San Luis we would just like to show ourselves in the break on stages 1 and 2. Nicacio might well be in the GC mix up but it would be good to see Paulinho do well in Portugal.  |
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| Ollfardh |
Posted on 26-05-2014 19:46
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World Champion
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Let's see what Rosa can do, very disappointed by him so far
Changed my sig, this was getting absurd.
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| knockout |
Posted on 26-05-2014 19:56
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7735
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I have the feeling that this could be a great race for Geschke who has a great lead out in boivin, saramotins and powerhorse Stoltz and as some kind of joker I have joeaar who can get a surprising GC result due to his good TT..
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| Smowz |
Posted on 26-05-2014 20:08
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Good lck reporting this one admir for a four stage race 1 stage a day is fine. The first two stages really are unlikely to need huge detail either.
Elizjen for me is big favourite - Stannard should lose heaps of time on the Malhao stage.
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| ryant |
Posted on 26-05-2014 20:14
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Just a stage win in the time trial is the goal, as Smowz said above, Stannard should lose more than enough time to put him out of the GC running in the Malhao stage.
Brammeier could surprise on the sprint stages, or at least I hope he will, lets wait and see! 
Good Luck!
 John St Ledger in Team Bunzl-Centrica and Team U25Red Bull Driver in RFactor
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| roturn |
Posted on 26-05-2014 20:28
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knockout wrote:
I have the feeling that this could be a great race for Geschke who has a great lead out in boivin, saramotins and powerhorse Stoltz and as some kind of joker I have joeaar who can get a surprising GC result due to his good TT..
Not sure if it`s much suited for him.
The flat stages are not hard enough to drop the much better sprinters and the hilly stage might be too hard.
The train won`t help him as your team is very unlikely to have one.
That said if the hills on the first prove more selective than I think, than he could have a chance. |
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| knockout |
Posted on 26-05-2014 20:37
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Grand Tour Champion
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roturn wrote:
knockout wrote:
I have the feeling that this could be a great race for Geschke who has a great lead out in boivin, saramotins and powerhorse Stoltz and as some kind of joker I have joeaar who can get a surprising GC result due to his good TT..
Not sure if it`s much suited for him.
The flat stages are not hard enough to drop the much better sprinters and the hilly stage might be too hard.
The train won`t help him as your team is very unlikely to have one.
That said if the hills on the first prove more selective than I think, than he could have a chance.
I don't think the hills will be very selective but i would guess that the other sprinter lose too much energy there and miss their normal top speed but of course i might be wrong as well.
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Posted on 24-11-2024 12:47
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| welker3257 |
Posted on 26-05-2014 21:22
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I would be satisfied with one stage win here. Hopeully the hills don't allow the break to win on stage 1 and 2.
Edited by welker3257 on 26-05-2014 21:22
Gig 'em Aggies
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| 547984 |
Posted on 26-05-2014 21:31
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Ouch, it looks like we've bumped into Stannard and Elijzen here, but still hoping for a podium on that stage.
Clavero looks to be at the bottom of the top 10 on the two flat stages again, so don't expect much from him. Feillu is our GC hope--but against that competition even a top 15 would be great.
GL admirschleck!
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| Margh Norway |
Posted on 26-05-2014 23:13
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Nice preview, Admir!
It's one of the few races our hopes rest on Reto Hollenstein. He showed rising form in Ireland and the profiles seem to suit his talents.
Send Pirmin Lang for the Sprints, but the past stages raised my doubts that there are great chances for "hilly Sprinters".
Tough to predict and curious about the coming days, though less than a Top10 Overall for Reto would be a disappointment.
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| Luis Leon Sanchez |
Posted on 27-05-2014 05:00
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Hoping for breakaways on stages 1 and two from the team and multiple attacks on stage 3.
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 27-05-2014 06:17
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Smowz wrote:
Good lck reporting this one admir for a four stage race 1 stage a day is fine. The first two stages really are unlikely to need huge detail either.
Elizjen for me is big favourite - Stannard should lose heaps of time on the Malhao stage.
I doubt Elijzen can hold on, with for example 78 hill Mendes, we saw what Craven did with puncher TTists in Ukraine and Elijzen is very bad -70 puncheur. But with PCM, anything can happen. Good luck to all.
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| Selwink |
Posted on 27-05-2014 08:25
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Will be interesting to see how Iglinski can do in the first two stages. I think a top-10 isn't impossible either.
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| Stromeon |
Posted on 27-05-2014 10:25
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Classics Specialist
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Meh... break please
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| fintas |
Posted on 27-05-2014 12:10
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This was undoubtedly my best race last year, so I am truly looking forward to see what happens this year ..
Mehr-wenige was brilliant in this race last year and it is good to remember that it was a C1 race..
From what I saw last year Duggan and Hollenstein are the favorites to me one of them will win
Edited by fintas on 27-05-2014 12:10
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| tastasol |
Posted on 27-05-2014 17:07
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Classics Specialist
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Should be a good race. Both Haas and Walker should be able to grab a good result in the GC. Wonder why I sent Jørgensen here, given that he is the worst in the hills of my sprinters.
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| Dippofix |
Posted on 28-05-2014 14:41
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Classics Specialist
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And the second race of our goal week. This time it's a top 5. I did have this planned for a TT-ing puncher, tbh, but Mendes with home bonus should still be able to achieve a Top 5.
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