Setup:
PCM 2015 (via steam)
database : RSM-news DB 2016 1.0
Level: Hard
To make it a bit harder i do not change the riders training program - I have to live with the AI.
Some unimportant races will be simulated and not covered in situations where 3 races are run at the same day (we only have 2 camera crew's)
Edited by Tamijo on 14-10-2016 07:26
Disclaimer:
Before I start my story, I better make it clear that this is completely fictional, I know very little about those “real live persons” I will use as the skeleton to create my story.
Edited by Tamijo on 03-08-2016 12:11
Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle was walking right behind Rolf. He had never worked on a set with this large a camera crew before, using both motorbikes and drone cameras. But this last shot of the day, he would do himself, just using a handheld.
A mechanic was fiddling with a bike, he took a shot of that, could be useful later.
Rolf went slowly over to a rider sitting on a cycling machine, the film was running, Rolf said, “Dmitriy” how are you doing ? how was it today ?”
The rider looked up, sweat running down his cheeks:
“For me it was hell out there, just way too hot. I was send back for bottles but was too hilly, too hot, too hard. It was my job today but I could not do it, I am so sorry! Just glad getting through the day”
Dmitriy Gruzdev carring water for the team
Rolf: How about the team, what the stage ok in general. ?
Dmitriy was clearly happy with the change in subject, now answering with a smile around his eyes: “O yes, it was hard and others from the team lost even more time than me, but we got Alessandro Vanotti in a breakaway, getting a lot of TV time and some KoM points.”
Alessandro Vanotti in the breakaway
And what was even better, when Alessandro was caught with just a few km left, Alexey Lutsenko attacked up the last hill and he almost made it, was just beaten with millimeters by Pelucchifrom IAM.
Jøren Leth is sitting in restaurant Aux Charpentiers in the Saint-Germain-Des-Prés area, waiting for his friend Lars von Trier, having this special smile in his eyes, he always had that smile when he was cooking up a plan or scheme.
Lars answered a bit confused, of course he did: “Yes”
“I have got an obstruction for you this time, do you also remember my film “A Sunday in Hell” ?
Yes !....? (Lars was always a fan of the film, and Jørgen knew that, surely)
I want you to do a similar film. I am too old for that now, but the world need a good film about professional cycling.
Lars answered with a very low sound: "…oh…"
That was the end of conversation, they ordered coffee and the subject was changes, The Impressionist in Paris, Manet, Degas, Pissarro, Japanese-inspired composition, the gallery of Paul Durand-Ruel, they had a nice night in Paris, getting home to the hotel very late.
Anthony Mantle was looking through the films takes. It was getting dark, the sun goes down very early and sudden this close to equator. Some very good shots of enthusiastic spectators, mostly cheering for Dimension Data and especially African cycling superstar Daniel Teklehaimanot.
The stage was rather short and dramatic. Starting with a few attempts to attack getting about 2 minutes, but then over the first hill the yellow jersey attacked.
Matteo Pelucchi with Michel Kreder (Roompot)
This was undoubtedly a surprise to every other team. The effect was a mix of confusion and an increased tempo up front, resulting in a catastrophic crash in the middle of the peloton. Astana’s top sprinter Matvey Nikitin went down losing a lot of time. Mattia Cattaneo (Lampre-Merida) was very seriously hurt, he was picked up the tour ambulance later it turned out to be a femoral fracture, he would not be training for weeks.
The accident
But Race leader Pelucchi was just looking for bonus sec. and after the intermediate sprint he was caught and all the GC riders was back in the peloton.
Getting close to the last hill only Laurens De Plus (Etixx - Quick Step) from the first breakaway was out in front with 1’06 to the peloton, Lutsenko attacked on the climb, followed by two riders from Wanty/Gobert. About 3 km to the line.
Roy Jans, Marco Marcato and Lutsenko
Only 20 years old Laurens De Plus wins a great solo victory in the capital of Cameroon, although the peloton officially got the same time. Lutsenko couldn’t beat the Wanty riders in the sprint and got 4th.
It is the evening before race start, Jørgen would have preferred to be in Cameroon, he loves to travel especially to exotic places, just thinking about the black women there…nice, but Lars wanted them to be together here in Adelaide, this is the first World Tour race, while only the most devoted even knew about “Tropicale Amissa Bongo” everyone was excited about “Down Under”.
Jørgen Leth (recording a voice over):
“Tour Down Under is often ridden under hot and dry conditions in the middle of South Australian summer, temperatures often clocking over 30 °C. The race takes place in the area around Adelaide with its famous wine yards in an almost Mediterranean setting.
The population is relative limited and spread out in small towns, romantic and rural but also too deserted for my taste, I am no child of nature.
But when the race begins all that is forgotten it's all about heroic painful sacrifice for the team, the spectators and also for the rider’s self-confidence.”
Jørgens voice changes, from the passionate to the objective:
“With only a few obstacles and no ITT, Tour Down Under is often won with just some second’s time gap, often decided at the uphill finish to Old Willunga Hill, a short but hard climb of about 2 km, with an average of 7%” (stage 5)
Jørgen Leth is raising his voice a little to underline the final part:
"Last year all riders at the final podium were Australian, Rohan Dennis (BMC) over Richie Porte (Sky) with Cadel Evans BMC 3rd.
Just like last year Astana is not bringing a very strong team to "Down Under", seems they have little expectations towards this race. It's a pity for us the spectators when the strong teams provide a weak squad, but they must have a reason. It is not unlikely that the other team are weak and out of form too.
Lars was surprisingly trilled about the project! The challenge was very different from what he had done over the last 30 years. Documentary and sports was way out of his league. But he could use everything he knew about making great photographic aesthetics, and analyze the psyche behind the almost inhuman suffering necessary in this sport.
But this first stage was a disappointment to Lars, very little action besides the early fight to get first over the KoM sprint, won by Bram Tankink (LottoNL).
After the KoM sprint, a break got away with 4 riders the most renowned Marcus Burghardt from BMC.
Albert Timmer (Giant – Alpecin) winning the first intermediate sprint.
Oleg Zemlyakov attacked starting a pursuit single–handed, but it was too late. When he was close to the front group, he was lacking the last surplus to close the gap, eventually falling back to the peloton, making his efforts completely fruitless.
Blinded by sunlight, Oleg sees his competitors diaper over the hill.
As expected the breakaway won’t make it on a stage like this, it all ends in a mass sprint finish. With 2 km left three trains are leading side by side, Katusha for Kristoff, Etixx for Kittel and Dimension Data for Cavendish with Sagan (Tinkoff) on his wheel. Mark Cavendish wins the stage over Kittel. Katusha messes up the final km, making room for Juan Jose Lobato from Movistar on the podium.
After a rather hard transfer of 365 km from Yaoundé to Oyem last evening, the race is back in Gabon. Right after breakfast Anthony Mantle is instructing the different units:
“The expectations today is different, the stage is too hard for the sprinters, we want to keep an eye on Fernandez Andujar from Movistar, Bakelants from Ag2R and Benoot from Lotto as those are the expected favorites, we want good shots of them especially if they are in trouble, as well as the current leader Pelucchi and of course Lutsenko”
Jan Bakelants sitting safely protected in the middle of the peloton
Alessandro Vanotti gets a small gap to the peloton in a group of 4 riders and wins the first KoM sprint before they a brought back.
One of the team leaders Damiano Cunego (Nippo) is having an awful day, he is left behind already on the first cat.4, no one is send back to help. He will be losing 18 minutes today.
For the rest of the stage the peloton is together, besides a few failed attempts. The elimination happens from the back of the peloton. With 7km left the peloton is reduced from 187 to 87 riders, all the top favorites are sitting rigth behind the front, watching each other carefully.
To quite some surprise the stage was won by Laurens De Plus from Quick Step who also won yesterday, he must be in an unbelievable good form right now. Bakelants 2nd and Fernandez Andujar 3rd. The big disappointment was Tiesj Benoot who finished outside top 15.
Lutsenko got 11th, Pelucchi 18th, both holding on to their GC position.
It is late evening at the “The Galway” on Boulevard des Pyrénées, Lars von Trier walked silently over to the table, sitting down without saying anything, just a small nod that was all.
Jørgen Leth broke the silence:
“This is Rolf Sørensen, I don’t think the two of you have ever met”
“No” said Lars ice cold “I don't even think we use the same kind of drugs…” then cracking up in a huge smile.
Rolf smiled back, he got the message, but didn’t want to comment.
Jørgen continued now more seriously: “Lars we are ready when you are. We have contacted Vinokourov he is very trilled about the project, he see it as a huge publicity stunt, as we requested Astana will provide some funding” Jørgen smiled “and he is prepared to accept whatever you want to do with the film.”
Lars nodded again, this time quickly in acknowledgment. : “Zentropa has got the financials in place, we will start from the 2016 season.”
They left the table with half empty glasses, walking across the Boulevard, to look at the sunset over the Pyrenees, soon they would split but not for long.
It is not long before race start, Jørgen Leth finds Andrey Zeits to make a last minute interview. Andrey have caught a cold, riding with it yesterday, and he is not looking too good. The camera is zooming very close to underline the situation.
JL: You lost some time yesterday ending up behind the peloton, I know you are a bit sick, how do you feel today.
AZ: Actually I was ok yesterday, was hard but not that bad considering I was feeling poorly. Today is a different much harder route, I am afraid it could be a very cruel day for me.
JL: How about the team, what is the expectations.
AZ: Tinkoff with Contador and Movistar with Moreno, we don’t expect to win. If Scarponi has a great day maybe a top 5, but I guess a top 10 today is more realistic.
With a small movement of the bike, Zeits indicates that is interview is over.
Andrey Zeits
The Race
Despite being a little sick Zeits shows that he is a strong domestic in terrain like this, without much problems he sits comfortably with the peloton, and even brings a round of water bottles during the fast-paced last part of the race.
Zeits in the peloton
Paolo Tiralongo starts the day with an attack catching up with KoM leader Bram Tankink and Alan Marangoni already out in front, Paolo gets some KoM and sprint points, but the Italian veteran has a hard time with the duo, at 50 km left he decides to let go rather than burning himself out.
Sitting in the peloton with just 50m to the line, a riders crash in front of him and Tiralongo goes down, he manages to get over the line but with a broken elbow, he has to withdraw from the race.
It is Tinkoff, Lampre and Orica driving the peloton forward up to the 20 km mark, then with the breakaway over the stage favorites takes over the lead. With 6,5 km left, a group of 6 riders gets a little distance led by Arashiro from Lampre, the others are Sagan & Contador both Tinkoff, Riblon Ag2r, Boasson Hagen Dimension Data and Michele Scarponi just barely hanging on.
The front
At this point Andrey Zeits has let go of the peloton, sitting in the next group, quite a good effort from him. Gatis Smukulis on the other hand had an awful day, with sour legs right from the start, he will get home last and all alone losing 20+ minutes.
Andrey Zeits sitting in a group of 15 behind the peloton:
3 km left – it is now between the 6 riders in front:
Yukiya Arashiro won the stage in front of Peter Sagan & Alberto Contador, Michele Scarponi made it to top 5.
Edvald Boasson Hagen burned out, falling from the front group back to 10 position over the last 3 km.
18/1-2016 Ebolowa, Cameroon 
18/1-24/1 La Tropicale Amissa Bongo (2.1)
D. 7/6-2013 Latin Quarters Paris, France
18/1-2016 Adelaide, Australia.
