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Tour de l'Avenir Discussion
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| tsmoha |
Posted on 20-01-2015 20:33
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 11819
Joined: 19-07-2010
PCM$: 300.00
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 Tour de l'Avenir
It's this time again: the Tour de l'Avenir 2014 is soon to be kicked off and it's yet another chance for the future stars to grab one of the most prestigious victories for early careers! Past winners like Gesink, Pluchkin, Phinney, Tenorio or Eastman all have their impact on the current cycling scene and so may last year's winner Tim Kennaugh do soon.
This year's edition will start in Belgium, where two stages will host a stage-finish: Brussels with a prologue and also the Mur de Huy (third day) will be featured like last season. Sprinters will aim for the first half of the tour, while we will of course see the most probably crucial mountains and a flat, but challenging ITT on the final three days.
The summit finishes up La Clusaz Cret du Merle and Mont Ventoux should be the highlights, while of course also the 29km timetrial around Annecy will decide over the overall winner here.
The Startlist
The Favorites
| GC-Contenders | MO | HI | TT |  Shikai | 76 | 70 | 74 |  Kirsch | 76 | 73 | 69 |  Morton | 76 | 72 | 69 |  Lecuisinier | 75 | 71 | 73 |  Reis | 74 | 69 | 72 |  Olivier | 74 | 71 | 66 | | Strand Galta | 74 | 69 | 67 |  Arndt | 74 | 73 | 56 |  Stancu | 74 | 66 | 62 |  Meintjes | 73 | 72 | 66 |  Charnorro | 73 | 70 | 63 |  Yates | 72 | 70 | 66 |
It's SN-time, if you want so: Shikai, Kirsch (last year's 3rd) and Morton (4th) feature the top of the list of favorites - they all ride for SN-teams this season, while Shikai took the opportunity to slip in his original team's colors for Avenir. The Chinese talent may be considered as the very top-favorite thanks to his TT-skills.
Frenchman Lecuisinier will be a dangerous threat though: being a good TTler himself, he definitely will be as promising as the first three names here.
A bunch of more or less pure climbers like Reis, Olivier or Strand Galta may hope for a podium, too. Meintjes, Arndt or Charnorro could all go for a Top-5 as well.
The Stage-Hunters
| Sprinters | SPR | ACC |  Zabel | 79 | 77 |  Van der Lijke | 77 | 77 |  Vesely | 77 | 78 | | Krieger | 77 | 77 |  Holst Enger | 76 | 74 | | Coquard | 76 | 79 | | Grosu | 76 | 76 |  Ewan | 74 | 73 | | Puncheurs | MO | HI |  McCarthy | 66 | 79 | | Lutsenko | 71 | 75 |  De Bie | 69 | 74 | | TTlers | TT | PRL | | Haugard | 77 | 77 | | Zmorka | 77 | 77 | | Jungels | 76 | 76 | | Howson | 75 | 75 | | Atkins | 74 | 73 | | Hansen | 72 | 74 | | Coquard | 64 | 75 |  Chavanne | 64 | 75 |
Zabel is here to dominate the sprints, but he faces some tough competition with strong climbing sprinters like Van der Lijke or Grosu in particular. Also Vesely or Krieger should be real threats for the flat stages.
Amongst the pure puncheurs, McCarthy looks like the clear favorite. It will be interesting to see, if he can live up to his potential and maybe enter the crucial mountains in yellow.
TT-specialists like Haugard, Zmorka, Jungels or prologue-specialists like Coquard or Chavanne will aim for the two days against the clock.
Edited by tsmoha on 20-01-2015 20:44
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| Luis Leon Sanchez |
Posted on 20-01-2015 20:35
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Team Leader
Posts: 5533
Joined: 12-06-2013
PCM$: 500.00
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Should be a good race to follow to see potential future targets.
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| fjhoekie |
Posted on 20-01-2015 20:36
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4476
Joined: 25-07-2010
PCM$: 200.00
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I hope my riders show themselves here. They are not as strong as most other riders here, but at least getting in a break should be possible...
Manager of Team Popo4Ever p/b Morshynska in the PCM.Daily Man-Game |
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| roturn |
Posted on 20-01-2015 20:44
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Team Manager
Posts: 22246
Joined: 24-11-2007
PCM$: 3900.00
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One year too early for Olivier. Next year he is going for the podium. Top5-7 I hope.
Krieger though could grab a stage. Three chances for him. Zabel though hard to beat.
Will be an interesting race. SN really with a force here |
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| Jesleyh |
Posted on 20-01-2015 20:49
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 15274
Joined: 21-07-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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Just 1 rider here. Guess that's what you get without any talent focus 
Well, to be fair, most talents were overpriced at the time I came in.
Go Reinders 
Feyenoord(football) and Kelderman fanboy
PCMdaily Awards: 12x nomination, 9x runner-up, 0x win.
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| Smowz |
Posted on 20-01-2015 20:50
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Team Leader
Posts: 6479
Joined: 09-04-2009
PCM$: 200.00
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I am just excited to have a full team of guys here - looking to get involved in breaks on mountain stages and who knows what elsewhere.
Always a fascinating battle with uncommon names battling for wins in sprints and GC.
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| Heine |
Posted on 20-01-2015 20:52
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4116
Joined: 08-04-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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Really looking forward to this. Zabel should be by far the strongest sprinter and I expect atleast 1 stage win from him, preferably 2. I feel I got a strong enough team to reel in breakaways, but might be a bit weak leadout with only Zepuntke ok at it...
Haugard will be one of the favorites for the TTs, I doubt he can win the last one (I feel that one is for the GC riders) but the first one could be interesting. Would be nice to have him in the leaders jersey
I have a feeling Lecusiner might steal this from SN's boys
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 24-11-2024 00:50
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| Dippofix |
Posted on 20-01-2015 20:56
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3905
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Hoping for a Top 10 from Yates, maybe that's expecting too much though. Other than that, Harrison could bag a few top 10s on the sprint and tt stages. 
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 20-01-2015 21:00
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Team Manager
Posts: 33046
Joined: 08-03-2007
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1. Kirsch
2. Morton
3. Shikai
That'll do nicely 
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 20-01-2015 21:07
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
Joined: 12-05-2012
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Boeing-Bulgaria with their own team! The ultimate goal will be to bring an entire 8/9 man squad of Bulgarians along but we are a few years away from that happening. Caleb Ewan and Max Losch are here for the first time and will be back at least two more times (hopefully). Ewan will be a good bet for some Top10 placings on the flat stages. Simon Yates is a man to watch as he has often been away in a breakaway this season and hopefully will be doing so again. Come on you B3B boys, do something to turn our season momentum around!
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| tsmoha |
Posted on 20-01-2015 21:07
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 11819
Joined: 19-07-2010
PCM$: 300.00
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I'm cheering for Morton
Hoping for Haig to show himself somewhere and maybe Wohler being aggressive in breakaways. Of course, having McCarthy riding in Oz's colors, is a nice bonus this year. A stage-win must be the goal.
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| Atlantius |
Posted on 20-01-2015 21:10
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Team Leader
Posts: 6795
Joined: 21-07-2010
PCM$: 200.00
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Will be exciting to follow.
Personally I'll be happy to just see the jersey sometime during the race...
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| viking90 |
Posted on 20-01-2015 21:16
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4032
Joined: 24-01-2009
PCM$: 200.00
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Atlantius wrote:
Will be exciting to follow.
Personally I'll be happy to just see the jersey sometime during the race...
We have the same expectations But hope it will be great teamwork in our team in some way. |
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| Ollfardh |
Posted on 20-01-2015 21:18
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World Champion
Posts: 14563
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Guess it will be breakaways for us again 
Changed my sig, this was getting absurd.
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| valverde321 |
Posted on 20-01-2015 21:41
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World Champion
Posts: 12986
Joined: 20-05-2009
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SportingNonsense wrote:
1. Kirsch
2. Morton
3. Shikai
That'll do nicely
Unfortunately, that order looks wrong to me Meiji will actually win something for once!
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| Margh Norway |
Posted on 20-01-2015 21:57
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Sprinter
Posts: 1507
Joined: 23-07-2010
PCM$: 200.00
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Carte blanche for all of our guys!
There was no time for team-building measures, so everyone is invited to show off.
Goals and hopes and dreams:
1) Gabriel Chavanne with the prologue victory
2) Andrea Manfredi winning the polka dot Jersey
3) Michel Koch finishing somewhere close to the top10
Edited by Margh Norway on 20-01-2015 21:57
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| fintas |
Posted on 20-01-2015 22:06
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2602
Joined: 21-03-2008
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Too bad I do not have any rider in this race but I hope good performance of my former riders Rafael Reis and Strand Galta
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| DubbelDekker |
Posted on 20-01-2015 22:10
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2633
Joined: 20-04-2008
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Hope to see my guys in some breakaways. Especially Konrad and Formolo have been practising that aspect of cycling.
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| Miguel98 |
Posted on 20-01-2015 22:13
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World Champion
Posts: 10497
Joined: 23-06-2011
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Give breaks please. |
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 20-01-2015 22:18
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 34654
Joined: 22-08-2010
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It's going to be weird supporting Simply Red Bull but seeing that they have two of my Stobart boys amongst them it will be worth it |
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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)
