So, with the release of the new database I've decided to throw my hat into the ring of storytelling by taking the reins of Karpin Galicia. This will be my first story so I do appreciate your patience. I will accept any tips or suggestions openly. I'm going for accuracy, since race inscription is mostly limited to Spain and Portugal, with a small handful of ProTour events. Hoping for some decent results playing on a harder difficulty because while I'm not the best PCM player in the universe, sometimes normal is just too boring . That said, I've included some stipulations for myself:
* The squad will have only eighteen cyclists as it does in real life, although pending some positive results, this may increase to twenty or perhaps more in the following season(s).
* Only staff members from the following countries may be signed: Spain (priority), Portugal, Brazil, and maybe Russia or Estonia, too, depending on the whims of Valery Karpin. I'll do my best here; sometimes it's difficult to find staff from certain countries.
* Scouting will be focused exclusively in Galicia & Asturias, Portugal, and again, maybe Russia/Estonia.
* Signings won't be totally out there, and will probably not occur during the transition into the first season.
** Try my best not to suck and look like a fool.
Occasionally there may be press releases from Faro de Vigo noting some of the bigger happenings in the cycling world, too.
01/01/2008 08:59am
Rodrigo Rodriguez, manager for Karpin Galicia, announced the anticipated arrival of an additional staff member as he enthusiastically welcomed a new assistant directeur sportif aboard with a short welcome ceremony and team rollout during a fundraising event/party last night. An official, more elaborate, team presentation is said to take place in the coming days, shortly before the riders depart for training camp in Sagres, Portugal.
Representatives from Fundación Ciclismo Galego and the Xunta were present, and both expressed their excitement and anticipation for the months to come. On the guestlist were many other high-profile local suits who spent most of the night schmoozing about. It comes as no surprise that Karpin Galicia is in a bit of a tight spot for funding after being denied a budget extension by the Xunta, and forced to procure further sponsorship funds from private donors and other sources.
Valery Karpin, who was not present at the ceremony last night, could not be reached for comment.
This years squad is comprised of 18 cyclists, one less than the previous year. Of those, twelve are returning riders, forming a core of dedicated and experienced riders willing to bring some of the new guys along. The full squad list is as follows:
* David Abal Diego
* Carlos Castaño Panadero
* Gustavo César Veloso
* Jesús Cobelo Fojo
* Gustavo Domínguez Lemos
* Delio Fernández Cruz
* Alberto Fernández Sainz
* David García Dapena
* David Herrero Llorente
* Vladimir Isaychev
* Serafín Martínez Acevedo
* Ezequiel Mosquera Míguez
* Iban Mayoz Etxebarría
* Juan Francisco Mourón Doldán
* Alejandro Paleo Mosquera
* Gonzalo Rabuñal Ríos
* Ramón Troncoso Sobrino
* Eduard Vorganov
-OUR LEADERS-
David Herrero
This former Euskatel rider will continue to be at the very heart of this year's team, providing some firepower for hilly one-day classics and stage wins throughout the season. Combining decent TT and climbing abilities with some real punch in the hills and sprints, David looks to make an impact early on in some stage races in February. Additionally, he is targeting Vuelta Ciclista País Vasco, Euskal Bizikleta, and Clásica de Alcobendas this season, and barring injury or suspension, will definitely be present at the Vuelta a España later on in September.
Ezequiel Mosquera Míguez
As one of the older riders on this team and by far its most important returning member, this former Kaiku pro brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Karpin Galicia's younger riders. An excellent climber with a fighting spirit, Ezequiel will look to improve on his top-5 finish in last year's Vuelta, with his peak of the season coming then, where he will captain the team through September. He has targeted some earlier races as well, but insists they are merely "fitness races," insisting that stepping onto the podium in Madrid will be his main objective this season.
Carlos Castaño Panadero
Another former Kaiku rider and former national champion on the track, Carlos will be looking for some consistent finishes throughout the year and victories in some of the lesser stage races this season, including Vuelta a Burgos, and Volta a Catalunya. Carlos may also be entering into some track competitions throughout this season in preparation for the Olympic Games, though he has insisted that if he does, they will not be the pursuit or team pursuit events that he had such success with in the past. He has made it clear, however, that riding for Karpin Galicia is his top priority and number one objective this year, and we will count on him.
Gustavo César Veloso
Shining in both the classics and minor stage races in the past, Gustavo will be targeting the Volta a Portugal, Clásica da Primavera, and Volta a Catalunya this season as potential victories. Though he may ride in support of Mosquera and the others in some of the more significant races this season, Gustavo hopes to make an early impact and carry consistent form and a high team morale through the early months going into the grand tours this summer.
After some preparation in Portugal at the upcoming training camp and with any luck at all, we'll be hoping for some quality results this season. We plan on being very aggressive, especially in the event that we receive wildcards for PT races.
In addition to our riders' personal objectives, our sponsors have given us what they believe are some attainable goals for this upcoming season; we'll do our best to keep them happy:
01/06/08
The team arrived a couple of days ago in Sagres, Portugal for an early training camp. All directeur sportifs and support staff have accompanied them, and in addition, the Fundación Ciclismo Galego has sent a film crew to document some of the training that the team is doing. You can view the footage below:
Team managers have elected not to apply for a wildcard for the upcoming Tour Down Under. Instead, the riders and support staff will focus on preparation for the month of February, which should be a busy month for Karpin Galicia. We will be kicking off the 2008 season in Malaysia at the Tour de Langkawi, and we will also plan to be present in Mallorca, Andalucía, and Valencia.
Edited by trueatfirstlight on 10-10-2008 06:31
too bad most of the smaller teams aren't in the database. sucks a lot of the realism from the starting fields
still, looking forward to this
EDIT:
and good luck signing Pereiro in a few seasons Edited by issoisso on 27-07-2008 09:40
The preceding post is ISSO 9001 certified
"I love him, I think he's great. He's transformed the sport in so many ways. Every person in cycling has benefitted from Lance Armstrong, perhaps not financially but in some sense" - Bradley Wiggins on Lance Armstrong
The riders returned from Sagres feeling very good, and team morale was high going into the first part of February. Everybody seemed eager to test their legs and work up to a good, early base for some positive results later on in the season. The team's first chance would be the Tour of Langkawi.
All directeur sportifs and staff met with the team beforehand, where a small squad of six was named, with the remainder of the team continuing preparations for the upcoming races in Mallorca. Despite the confirmation from some big powerhouse teams from the PT who would be sending full squads, riders were not disheartened. Moreover, I was named as the DS for this race, and though I was excited to be the one in the team car shouting orders, it also meant I would not be present for the first few races in Mallorca, which would be commandeered by Álvaro Pino. We packed our bags for Malaysia and set off:
The squad:
Gustavo César Veloso
David García Dapena
Vladimir Isaychev
Juan Francisco Mourón
Alejandro Paleo
Ramón Troncoso
Our goals for this race were quite simple: be as aggressive as hell, and try and shake things up. And if we can position one or more of our riders for a podium place or a victory, even better. We planned to be in every move off the front, necessary or not. Veloso would be our main GC contender, which meant we needed to position him well in the sprints, due to all of the early flat stages. Dapena would also be sprinting, but without much team support in the final 3k.
Stage 1:
With a few short climbs coming at the end of this stage, we had decided to give Veloso the green light if he felt good enough to go with any late moves should a decisive attack come towards the end.
The race started out slowly, but it wasn't before long that a small 3-man managed to get free, with our own Juan Francisco Mourón and two Frenchman:
Once we knew that the peleton was going to let them go, our new goal became the climber's jersey. With three category climbs at stake, the winner would be able to wear the jersey for the next five consecutive stages without a single pedalstroke of exertion. Mourón would be working for the jersey, and for any time/cash bonuses he could pick up as well. With only three in the break, his chances were great.
The rest of the team riding strongly near the front of the peleton:
We did our best to break up the chase and hold the break to the end, but with only 5 riders and an entire, very motivated, peleton behind us, we simply could not do it. It became quite clear that the small break would not survive all the way to the line. LPR, Cofidis, and Garmin-Chipotle were leading the chase. Troncoso came back to talk things over:
He said Gustavo was feeling good, and wanted to attack. We'd try our best to give him a good shot at the bottom of the last hill before the finish. If Chavanel and Di Luca were setting themselves up for a late break, we wanted to be in it too.
Unfortunately, Mourón's jersey hopes were just out of reach. He would finish second on the day with 16 mountain points, just two behind the winner, but he'd be back again in a few stages once the category climbs started to appear again.
And just like he promised, Veloso attacked late, following a move from some climbers scrambling for the remaining mountain points. The peleton wasn't eager to follow the move, and he went off the front with about 15k to go. Much too early. With the big teams still chasing hard and most of our boys gassed from the hills, we knew our chances were slim. Sadly, Veloso was caught, fighting valiantly all the way 'til the wind-up at 3km, but never opening up a gap greater than 30". Only García Dapena was in good position to contest the sprint, and Veloso had nothing left after his solo effort. The lead-out came from Cofidis, followed by LPR, and in a surprise most of the sprinters' teams didn't position themselves well for the finish. Dapena took the wheel of Danilo Di Luca, and followed the killer all the way to the line, ending an impressive third on the day, with the yellow jersey going to Sylvain Chavanel:
The team was excited about the podium, and though Veloso was a bit upset that he wasn't strong enough to stay away, he was happy about his teammate's success. At the end of the day, we'd set ourselves up nicely for the next few stages of racing.
Stage 2:
The next day would be quite eventful. An early break of 14 (!) got away, and luckily Mourón got in with it; we were certain that this one would have a chance of surviving, so I told him to follow anything..again. Somehow, three different teams managed to send up multiple riders in the break, the most dangerous being Garmin-Chipotle, who sent both Cozza and David Zabriskie:
Soon, though, the sprinters' teams showed their prowess and quickly organized, reeling in the last remaining elements of the break with just under 20km to go. Our priorities became setting up Dapena and Veloso for another podium place. With a nice leadout from Veloso, Dapena managed to grab 4th place, just missing the podium, but it was enough to get him the points jersey at the end of the day, while David Kopp from Cycle Collstrop took the yellow jersey:
At this point, we were sitting well in all competitions minus the best young rider, so we were pretty happy. Having the jersey was a bonus, but we knew it would not be easy defending it with the sprinters teams leading the way. And with only points/time bonuses and no climbs for the next couple stages, we'd have to make sure we went with every break in hopes of increasing Dapena's chances.
Stage 3:
Early on, Alejandro Paleo managed to fight his way into the breakaway, but again it seemed futile. He managed to grab 6 points and some cash for himself from the sprints, but the peleton, led by Collstrop and Garmin-Chipotle, were determined to bring things back together.
Dapena in the jersey looking good:
Once the catch happened, we decided to try and lead out Dapena and defend the points jersey, but today Veloso was stronger. David struggled to stay on his teammate's wheel and, while managing a respectable 6th and keeping the points jersey for another day, Veloso was able to get our second podium of the race with a very solid 3rd place. David Kopp won his second stage of the tour, and was looking very strong in yellow. Another good day for us when all was said and done, but Kopp was quickly closing in on taking the points jersey, and there were only flat stages ahead. Nonetheless, the team celebrated.
Veloso and Dapena finish strong:
Stage 4:
Stage four proved to be a decisive one. The whole team was a bit jittery before the race, knowing that we had two riders in the top 10 in the GC, currently held the points jersey, and were second in the climber's jersey competition. Everyone knew that the next few stages would have to go as perfectly as possible if we wanted to maintain our positive results thus far.
Juan Francisco Mourón got away in another small breakaway, and bravely contested every intermediate sprint. He managed only 2pts after the three sprints had passed, and though we tried to push him all the way to the line, he was too exhausted after his two previous days off the front, and couldn't even stay with his breakaway compatriots. By this point, though, the peleton was organized and coming very fast, led by LPR and Collstrop. Mourón got spit out the back of the group rather quickly, and as I came by in the team car, he said, "No more breaks until the climbs start again!" He was undoubtedly frustrated and very tired, so we said we'd do our best to keep him fresh for the climber's competition. Though he'd finish the day nearly 3 minutes off the pace, we did manage another decent result. Our one-two finishing line punch with Veloso and Dapena had worked well up until now, and we tried once again to replicate our previous positive results. Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as planned. Dapena managed to grab the wheel of the race leader Kopp and was in perfect position, but was rudely flicked off with under 6km to the line. He simply couldn't recover his position, and finished in the middle of the pack, looking sick and dejected. He knew he'd lost the points jersey. Meanwhile, Veloso managed to find a wheel on the outside and came hard, right behind Sammy Dumoulin of Cofidis. At the end of the day, Daniele Pietropolli of LPR came away with the win, and Veloso managed 5th, with the yellow jersey directly in tow in 6th. Dapena was obviously upset that he'd lost the jersey, but he was far from being out of contention, and Veloso was finishing well and currently sat 6th overall. Best of all, the only mountainous stage of the tour was only a couple of days away.
Stage 5: (sim.)
Nothing of interest happened during this stage, as youngster Vladimir Isaychev managed to get away in an early break, but was anxiously reeled in long before the end. Collstrop dominated the day finishing 1-2, with Kopp taking his third stage and increasing his lead in both competitions, and his leadout man Borut Bozic coming in directly behind him. Our best placed rider was Dapena, who barely managed to finish in the top 20, eeking out 18th. Both Veloso and Dapena were within striking distance in the GC, though.
Stage 6:
Today would be Mouron's day for redemption. Only one category climb on the day, followed by three intermediate sprints before the finish. The climb came early, so we knew he had to go with any early move in hopes that it would stick. Fortunately, it did, though once again things did not go quite as planned. Juan struggled on the climb and managed only third with 2pts. Fortunately for him, the climber's jersey was still in the peleton, and nobody else in the break was a threat for the jersey, so maybe..just maybe it was enough. I called him back to the peleton after the climb and told him to conserve his energy. With his two points, he had tied for first place, but he'd done just enough to get the climber's jersey if he finished with the main group. We were determined to make sure he did.
For the first time in the race, we had all six riders together in the peleton, and it was a good feeling. We knew that the break would not last and being that we only had a small amount of riders, we wouldn't be expected to chase as hard as the bigger teams. We decided to conserve our energy for the finish, and put all of our effort into Veloso and Dapena once again. However, this time a very fiesty bunch of sprinters fought their way to the front, with many of the smaller teams vying for glory. Neither Veloso nor Dapena would be able to hold the wheel in front of them, and we managed a meager 15th at the end of the day. Tilo Schuler from Team Sparkasse came away with the win, with Martjin Maaskant from Garmin-Chipotle in tow, who had previously managed some top-5s and was looking very strong in the best young rider jersey. Fortunately, though, we did manage to secure the climber's jersey, and Mourón would hold it for a couple of days. A partial success, and one that we were quite proud of. If nothing else, Karpin Galicia would get some publicity from holding the jersey.
That night, team owner Valery Karpin called us at the hotel from Mallorca and congratulated us on the positive results so far. He was going to be in attendance in Mallorca for the team's first Spanish race of the year, but he expressed his happiness for the good early season results abroad. The team was very happy to hear the news, and were very motivated for the next stage. The riders wanted a win!
Stage 7:
Today the team quickly rode to the front of the race, determined to showcase our second jersey of the tour:
With two category climbs on the day, we were prepared to have Mourón defend his lead for the climber's jersey, but fortunately only four men got away and none of them posed any threat whatsoever to stripping him of the jersey. Once again, we were with all of our riders together in the peleton, so we made sure to ride as close to the front as possible and showcase the jersey.
Once the peleton began to pick up the pace, we dropped back a bit and conserved some energy for the finish. Every rider was determined to try and secure a stage victory somehow. The chase came hard, and the break had no chance, though Cycle Collstrop was very tired after having chased for most of the day. Evidently, David García Dapena had developed quite a name for himself among the other sprinters during the last few stages and they were not giving him an inch; he was expertly flicked off by Paride Grillo with just under 5km to go. Veloso, though, remained in good position, and patiently waited for the lead-outs to happen. Once he saw big Magnus Backstedt pull out and Maaskant grab his teammate's wheel, he knew immediately where he was going. Coming into the final corner and the last 3km, Veloso was in excellent position:
The lead-out came from Garmin-Chipotle, and once Backstedt pulled off, Maaskant shot off like a rocket. Veloso stayed right on his wheel coming into the final kilometer. We screamed our lungs out into the radio, trying our best to cheer Gustavo to a victory. Veloso tried to make his move in the last 550m, but he just couldn't get around Maaskant, who sprinted to victory after having narrowly missed it the day before, holding off Veloso by one solid bike length:
Aaugh! We were so close! The team had worked perfectly, and Veloso couldn't have positioned himself any better. We had to be happy with 2nd on the day of course, but this was the closest we had come thus far to a stage win, and everybody wanted it so badly. Veloso kept his head up, knowing that his positive result meant that he hung on to 6th overall going into the mountain stage, and many of the sprinters would not have the strength to hold on during the climbs that would come. We had big hopes going into the next stage, knowing that it would shake up the GC, and we had, arguably, the best positioned rider for the next day. All we had to do was make sure he finished with the right group and not concede to much time to some of the other leaders. The pressure was really on, now.
Right, so..maybe too much text. I'll try cutting it down. Sorry.
Also, I'm having trouble getting my results to export properly, so apologies for the results being mixed in there with the story. If anybody could lend me some tips on exporting results, that would be greatly appreciated.
After a conference call from Spain, we have decided it might be lucrative to apply for a wildcard for both Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Nice. We are assuming that if we are awarded a wildcard, it will not be to both races, so the team is still planning on race inscription at the Volta ao Distrito de Santarém during the same week. More info on that as it comes.
Apologies for the lack of updates. Family stuff came up so I haven't been able to post here consistently. I've played through Vuelta a Andalucía with screenshots and storyline, so I'll update that when I get the chance. In the meantime, here's the rest of Langkawi and the first stages of Mallorca.
Tour de Langkawi, stage 8
Today would be the day. With Veloso sitting 6th overall and Dapena in 13th, we knew we had an excellent shot at finishing in the the leading group with either one of them, and the team was prepared to help them as much as possible. The stage provided the climbers and punchers a long-awaited chance for victory in a tour dominated by flat stages and sprints, though, so we knew we would be facing some stiff competition. The profile:
The day started off slowly, with all of the big teams saving themselves. Only three riders got away after about 12km, with Teams 3C Gruppe, Elk Haus-Simplon, and GLS:
With a mostly flat stage up through the first 100km, the peleton was content to let the break stretch their lead. Once the short hills before the climb started, the 3-man break was no longer holding itself together and broke up rather quickly. The Elk Haus rider had the lead, with each former breakaway companion in tow about 10-15secs. back.
The team had worked well together up to this point, positioning our GC contenders well in the main field. Veloso was marking Pietropolli, who had already managed to win a stage, and also was the only other man in the top-10 that posed any sort of climbing threat. Dapena, a slightly weaker climber, was positioned well and would follow any early moves off the front by the teams' climbers. We thought for sure that we would be in any move that happened.
Unfortunately, much to the dismay of many of the teams' leaders who had hoped to shake up the top-10 on today's stage, LPR sent their entire team, including Di Luca, to the front to ride a blistering tempo. Furthermore, the steady 4% grade on the climb meant that nobody would be getting away with LPR at the front driving everything home.
Despite attempts by Sella, Moos, Simoni, Zabriskie and many others, LPR methodically plodded up the climb, reeling everything in their sights back in. Dapena had gone with the early moves off the front, and was reeled in twice, paying for his early exertions. When Simoni and Sella went, Veloso chased, but was tragically brought back with 5km to go. Things were not shaping up well.
In the final kilometers, Veloso managed to fight his way back into position for the uphill sprint, taking the wheel of Pietropolli once again. However, all the LPR boys were tired from chasing up the climb, and both Di Luca and Pietropolli couldn't contest. At the end of the day, it would be classified as a group finish, with 118 finishing together in the main field, and every team (but especially Cycle Callstrop) had LPR to thank for it. Domenico Pozzovivo would take the stage for CSF Navigare, followed by Alexander Moos and an FDJeux rider.
Veloso would hold on to his 6th place spot in the GC, with no significant changes coming on the day. David Kopp would hang on to yellow, and LPR would take the team classification after dominating the stage.
(final stage: simmed, no GC change and no significant results, so results are considered final)
Update from Mallorca:
That night, Álvaro Silva called and gave us an update on Mallorca. He gave some encouraging words and said that despite the tactics not going as planned in Langkawi, he was eager to work side-by-side in the coming races in Spain.
Challenge Ciclista Mallorca
Squad: Ezequiel Mosquera, David Herrero, Gustavo Dominguez, Gonzalo Rabunal, Serafin Martinez, Delio Fernandez Cruz, Alberto Fernandez Sainz, Eduard Vorganov.
Stage One: Trofeo Mallorca, 84km
A very short, flat stage with only one goal in mind: a sprint finish. The field was full of big GC contenders who would not be exerting themselves today, so the sprinters teams were sure to shine. Cavendish was in the field too, so most of the eyes were going to be on Team Columbia. Mosquera was to be our GC man with Herrero as a second option, so both were guarded closely by teammates throughout the day.
Just as predicted, a textbook sprint finish would be the result. Though no one team really took control, and Karpin Galicia was able to capitalize on the disorganization in the last 2-3km. Vorganov provided an excellent leadout, followed by Gustavo Dominguez and finally David Herrero. Though it looked like he may have been capable of winning the stage, in a nailbiter at the line, Herrero managed a very solid 3rd place, finishing behind (who else) Mark Cavendish and Silence's Greg Van Avermaet:
Pretty close! Graeme Brown managed a 4th for Rabobank and Dominguez would hang on for 10th, but the glory would go to an out-of-form Cavendish, notching his first victory of the season. Surely they will eventually become easier for him, and we knew were very lucky to have Herrero in such good position, because when Cav is on form, he's in a class of his own. The team was very happy for another podium place, and with some hilly stages to come, we could only hope for equally consistent results with Herrero and Mosquera.
Edited by trueatfirstlight on 07-08-2008 00:23
Everybody, press and commentators included, were impressed with Herrero's sprinting prowess during yesterday's stage. K-G had come to Mallorca to showcase our professionalism and to do so with solid tactics and consistent results. With one more flat stage today, the team was all set to position Herrero beautifully for another run at the line. Could he *gasp* get the best of Cav and company this time? We were going to try our best, and make the Manxman earn every inch.
The race rolled out and began at a leisurely pace in Cala Millor.
Before long, riders started to get antsy and teams began sending riders on the attack. Rabunal tried his best to go with them, but try as he might, he couldn't hang on. Nine got away and gained a gap of over six minutes on the field:
Back at the front of the peleton, Euskatel and Columbia began to show concern and chased in earnest. Their aims were clear: to set things up for their fast men in Cavendish and Aitor Galdos at the end of the day.
Not everybody was content with handing Cavendish his second stage win though, and soon after the catch, domestic teams began to force their way to the front, each vying for any space they could get. Leading the charge were Benfica, Andalucía-Cajasur and Liberty Seguros:
Herrero again did not disappoint, forcing himself into excellent position with virtually no help from the rest of the squad who were dog-tired, save Mosquera, who rode in very comfortably. Taking the wheel of Javier Benitez, Herrero charged hard on the outside. Meanwhile, Cav was losing steam on the inside, and suddenly it seemed that it would be another photo finish. Straight up the center, though, came Greg Van Avermaet, towing with him a very frustrated Ventoso who couldn't find the space to get around him. In the end, Van Avermaet had the legs to hold him off for the win. Herrero claimed 3rd place for the second day in a row. Cav would have to settle for 5th on the day, and was looking like shades of his former unbeatable self.
Stage Results:
1 SIL - Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) 3h35'37"
2 ACA - F. Ventoso (ESP) st.
3 KGZ - D. Herrero (ESP) st.
4 SLB - J. Benitez (ESP) st.
5 THR - M. Cavendish (GBR) st.
6 EUS - A. Galdos (ESP) st.
7 RAB - G. Brown (AUS) st.
8 GNM - M. Vásquez (ESP) st.
9 C.A. - W. Bonnet (FRA) st.
10 AST - G. Rast (SWI) st.
Things did not go well for Team Columbia today; Cav couldn't defend his yellow jersey, which he relinquished to Van Avermaet, and his sprinting form was quite off. For us, though, it meant another solid finish, with Herrero rising to 3rd in the GC and with Karpin Galicia winning the team classification on the day. The Spanish press were buzzing after the stage, and soon speculation began to circulate about who the team would work for for the final three stages..Mosquera or Herrero.
Edited by trueatfirstlight on 07-08-2008 11:58
[Sorry for the results not looking so good. I still can't get them to export for some reason. Maybe I will just crop screenshots of the results from here onward.]
Stage 3: Trofeo Pollença Pollença - Port d'Alcúdia (168.4 Km)
Today would be the first of arguably two very decisive days in terms of the general classification. With some moderate category climbs on the menu, team tactics would change accordingly and the pure sprinters would take a backseat to those who are better suited for rolling hills and hard, uphill finishes. Fortunately for us, Herrero is such a rider, and before the day started, he sat in a very comfortable 3rd overall. Mosquera, who has yet to test his legs this season, might get his chance as well, depending on how things unfolded today. He had his eyes set on tomorrow's stage, whose slopes rose a little higher and stretched a little further than today's. In either case, we had another goal in mind today: the climber's jersey.
Serafín Martinez escaped with 3 others only seconds after the peleton had completed the neutral roll-out. Benfica also had eyes on the climbers jersey apparently, who sent Cândido Barbosa to contest for points on the climbs.
The peleton rolling through Muro, shortly after the first intermediate sprint on the day.
Martinez was well positioned, and went over the top of Coll de Soller in front, gaining maximum points on the first climb on the day. The other breakaway companions did not contest, and the four seemed content to work together on the climbs.
The peleton began to chase almost immediately once they hit the summit, with Silence still at the front doing a fair amount of the workload. Just then, disaster struck. Master descender Yaroslav Popovych touched wheels with CSC's Íñigo Cuesta, and both went down hard, bringing down a number of other riders with them. They would get back on their bikes, but sadly would spend the rest of the day hopelessly chasing the peleton.
As the peleton hit the slopes of the Coll de Puig Major, 3 riders broke off the front and attacked hard, trying to bridge up to the breakaway. CSC sent Gustov, and Caisse d'Epargne made sure they had a man follow. The two were joined by Chechu Rubiera.
The breakaway made it over the second climb intact, with Martinez in second position; more than enough points to earn him the climbers jersey. The news came as a pleasant surprise to an already successful couple of days of racing. Álvaro Pino gave the order to have Martinez relax a bit and not push the breakaway. We now had to be concerned with conserving his energy for defending the jersey.
Silence got some much-needed help in the chase from Barredo and the QuickStep boys, and shortly after entering the Port de Pollença, it all came back together. Coming into the final uphill sprint in Alcudia, we had both Mosquera and Herrero poised at the front ready to move.
David radioed in and said he wanted a green-light to attack, and as soon as we gave him his answer, he went off the front. Mosquera stood up and soft-pedaled for a second, watching to see what would happen. No counter-attacks came, but the pace lifted and soon the punchers began jockeying for position for the final sprint. Herrero sat up, seeing that the lead-outs were coming, and came back to find the wheel of Carlos Barredo. Mosquera would find Benfica's Ruben Plaza, and follow him all the way to the line, finishing second on the day. Herrero would hang on for 5th, coming in right behind Barredo.
General Classification after stage 3:
1 SIL - Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) 9h27'00"
2 SLB - R. Plaza (ESP) +12"
3 KGZ - D. Herrero (ESP) +16"
4 KGZ - E. Mosquera (ESP) +20"
5 ACA - F. Ventoso (ESP) +20"
6 SLB - C. Barbosa (POR) +22"
7 LMS - Á. Vicioso (ESP) +24"
8 GCE - D. López (ESP) +26"
9 MRM - P. Velits (SVK) +30"
10 GNM - G. Vásquez (ESP) +32"
Despite the positive results on the day, the team was a little bit dejected about not winning the stage. Back at the hotel, the team and all directeur sportifs met and discussed tactics and tried to pinpoint what went wrong near the finish. After some encouraging words and minor tactical adjustments, the riders went off to get massages and relax for the night. Today's glory belonged to Benfica. Tomorrow would be another day, and yet another chance to seek redemption.
Edited by trueatfirstlight on 07-08-2008 15:10
After talking things over before the race today, Herrero and Mosquera came to the decision that today would be Mosquera's day, hoping to clinch a stage win and possibly the yellow jersey. Tomorrow's final stage would be better suited for Herrero, who is a much better sprinter. The DS's had left the decision up to the riders based on form, fitness and personal preferences, since both were performing consistently and stood a chance at a podium finish. With both riders' objectives satisfied, the team took the line with a different kind of focus. Martinez would also do his best to defend the climbers jersey.
An early break of 14 caught the attention of the peleton, and soon after a second group was sent up to bridge to the breakaway, everything came back together.
With 3km before the first climb and with no breakaway, we sent Gustavo Dominguez on the attack. Martinez would save himself for the later climbs to defend his jersey, if he could. Herrero and the rest of the boys were dedicated toward working for Mosquera today.
Right at the summit of the first climb, a motorbike passed by Dominguez a bit too close, and he had a few choice words to say to the driver:
Back in the peleton, showing off two jerseys; Martinez in the climbers jersey, and Herrero in the points jersey (on loan from Van Avermaet who was in yellow):
Dominguez was reeled in just after the Coll de Sa Batalla, and heading up the Puig Major, Caisse d'Epargne, CSC and QuickStep rode a hard tempo, breaking the peleton apart expertly. However, once again, the descent spelled disaster for a number of riders. A look at the carnage here, as both Barbosa and Martinez narrowly escape a crash:
Amidst the wreckage and from the remaining riders in the peleton emerged 12 men who amassed off the front and held their lead to the finish line. Thanks to lots of help from his K-G teammates, Mosquera managed to get into the lead group, and was poised for an excellent finish..but Andy Schleck had gone off the front and the other ten riders weren't working together to bring him back! Mosquera sat up for a second, before burying his head down for a late attack on the run into Inca.
He crossed the line in second place, but 24" behind Andy, and fuming at the other riders for not picking up the chase; Caisse d'Epargne were the first to feel the brunt of his frustrations, finishing with two riders in the leading twelve. Herrero had not gone with the break with Mosquera and instead finished with the pack, a decision which may have proved to have been yet another tactical error on our part. Had we decided to have both riders go in the break again, perhaps that elusive stage win would have been ours today. Mosquera was the strongest in the break, but once again, we were outclassed by a top-class rider.
GC results after stage 4:
Only one stage remained, and the gap between Ezequiel and Andy seemed insurmountable after looking at the final stage profile. David had also dropped out of the top 10 in the GC, meaning that a top finish for Mosquera was more important than ever. But both riders had agreed the day before to split the final two stages between them. A nights rest and some heavy thinking would do both riders some good. Tomorrow morning, the team would go over tactics during breakfast.
Edited by trueatfirstlight on 07-08-2008 14:20
Stage 5: Trofeo Calvia Magaluf - Palmanova (147.3 Km)
After talking things over with Álvaro this morning, we had decided that the team needed to defend the possibility of a podium position in the GC, meaning Mosquera would get full team support. Herrero would also have a teammate keeping him safe over the climbs, and if things came together for a sprint, he would be our man. With our goals in mind, we set out for some reconnaissance before we got things ready for the race.
The riders left Calvia calmly and the race started with two teams setting a false tempo at the front. When a move off of the front came about 10km before the Coll de Sa Gramola, Martinez made sure he went with it in hopes of reclaiming the climbers jersey.
Unfortunately, though, he wasn't strong enough to hang on with the break riders, who were riding a menacing pace and set out for a stage win. The Astana rider here looks to be in some pain:
The breakaway had no chance; the riders should have known better, and CSC swept them up on their second time over the slopes of the Coll de Claret. Andy Schleck, it seems, was poised for his first yellow jersey of the season.
Benfica had other plans, though. With Plaza sitting in 3rd overall, Barbosa initiated a late move for his teammate and immediately Gusev from Astana countered, with a slew of riders in tow..including Mosquera, who was watching Plaza like a hawk.
Herrero, who was once again caught out and left in the pack, attacked hard and bridged up to the leading group of 12, which now contained the yellow jersey, Schleck. The group pushed and gained just over 30" on the peleton, before the cat-and-mouse tactics before the sprint began to play out. Mosquera grabbed his teammate's wheel, who was in good position right behind Carlos Barredo for the final sprint. We held our breath.
Alexandre Botcharov of Crédit Agricole would get the win on the day, and Gusev would hang on for second. Benfica's Ruben Plaza would claim third, getting a crucial time bonus that would shoot him up to 2nd overall, just in front of Mosquera. Ezequiel would finish right in front of Herrero in seventh and eighth, respectively. Andy Schleck had done enough to keep the yellow, finishing with the leading group of 12.
Final GC standings:
We had to be happy, with two riders in the top 10 after all was said and done and a couple of podiums places during a very solid week of racing. Mosquera would have many more chances for victory yet on his way to La Vuelta. Next on the map was the Vuelta a Andalucia.
Edited by trueatfirstlight on 07-08-2008 15:14
Well, apologies for the lack of updates. Wind storms have knocked out my internet at home, so I am updating the shots I have from another machine. Hoping I can update the rest of the photos with write-ups soon. Unfortunately, there have been many changes with the team, namely a change in the title sponsor (now Xacobeo-Galicia) and many updates for PCM, but I've decided to finish out this season regardless, and then update accordingly.
Vuelta a Andalucía - Ruta Ciclista del Sol
Coming so close at Mallorca, we decided we had to demonstrate a show of force in Andalucía if we were to be taken seriously. The field was slightly depleted, with a number of big teams and riders off to the Tour of California, so our chances were better than ever. We sent a small but highly motivated team to work for David Herrero, who would use this race to tune his fitness for the upcoming months. A couple of hilly stages with some short uphill finishes should suit our riders nicely, and the scenery along the Costa del Sol would be a definite bonus. Our squad:
Carlos Castaño
Jesús Cobelo
Gustavo Dominguez *David Herrero
Eduard Vorgonov
David Abal
Iban Mayoz
Stage 1: Benhavis - Alora (123.8km)
Today's stage started off with a bang, and we were eager to show our face in the peleton. Our secondary objective for the race was a shot at either the points or climbers jersey, so we sent our best climber off the front to collect some points. Mayoz in the move:
After taking the first climb easily, short attacks attempted to split apart the break. It all came together again on the second climb, and Iban once again took maximum points; the climbers jersey would be his:
QuickStep expertly drove the peleton over the flats and brought everything back together. Nearing the arrival, Juan Antonio Flecha and Grégory Rast blasted off the front, and despite our best efforts nobody would manage to erase the 20" time gap they had amassed together. Herrero had positioned himself well and attacked on the final uphill, hoping to catch the duo:
Paolo Bettini would be unlucky, as he was undoubtedly the strongest in the field and had a very dedicated team, but he managed to lose his teammate's wheel in the final few kilometers, and could not launch an attack to try to catch the two leaders. He still managed to nearly catch David, who would finish, once again, in third place. A win for Astana, but a nice placing for us and a hope at a top-5 in the GC.
Stage results:
Stage 2: Torrox Costa - La Zubia (176.2km)
Decidedly, we wanted to run the exact same strategy from the previous day, knowing that we had to be aggressive in the break and hold on to points on the climbs and again at the uphill finish. David was feeling fresh, and Iban had recovered well from a long day in the break. We would send him off the front again, with four category climbs to contest for. David would have the rest of the team's full support, and he was absolutely determined to get a stage win.
A random screenshot of the Japanese champion:
Tactics in the peleton were more conservative on our part; we had good riders with the legs to help place David at the front for the uphill sprint, and everybody else knew that we were saving our legs for the finish. Once the break was reeled in, we snapped out of autopilot and drove the peleton home, culminating in a very dominating finish by David, who was delivered nicely to the line by Abal and Mayoz, who had managed to save some energy after a long day in the break and help give David an extra push. Thomas Dekker would finish second on the day and take the young rider's jersey.
Flecha did his best to hang on and finish with Rast, but he could only look on as David would move into 2nd place in the GC, as well as taking the points jersey.. Rast would hang on to the leader's jersey for now.
Result! Everybody in the organization was ecstatic, and David got the monkey off of his back. Our first win of the season, and in excellent fashion. The top-10 showed our dominance. K-G didn't come just to race, we came to win!
Stage 3: Otura - Jaén (174.5km)
The team was very relaxed going into today's stage, and looked confident riding at the front early on. We had two jerseys to lose now, but we weren't planning on giving them up easily. The whole peleton seemingly knew just exactly what was in store for everybody today, and the race started off slowly.
Once the break formed, we only had one option; we told Iban to go with the move and try to hang onto the jersey for another day if he could. But with three consecutive days off the front and over 200kms in breakaways, his energy level would be a concern. We told him to ride conservatively in the break and to not overexert himself. Maximum points would not necessarily be a concern today.
At the end of the day, Flecha would have his revenge, taking the stage in a close finish in front of David and Pablo Lastras of Caisse D'Epargne. Bettini looked frustrated coming in at 4th place, unable to get around the trio of Spaniards.
Flecha's win was enough to get him the leader's jersey, but with only a 2" cushion on David. Grégory Rast dropped down into the 3rd spot, but the looming danger of Thomas Dekker in 4th overall would be a growing concern among the peleton. Suddenly, QuickStep had lost their grip on the control of the race, and Rabobank's strongmen were coming to the front. We now had to be wary of both Flecha and Dekker, and we knew that if David had any hope at an overall win, we had to mark them closely. Both David and Iban would successfully defend the points and climbers jerseys and live to showcase them another day.
Stage 4: La Guardia de Jaén - Ecija (173.9km)
A nice break from the demanding hilly finishes that made up the first few days of the race, today's stage would be a flat stage and a chance for the pure sprinters to get a stage win, after a few days of consecutively being cheated by the puncheurs. The arrival would put us relatively close to Sevilla, and riders were anxious to get things going from the start. Nobody from Karpin-Galicia would go in the break, though, and Iban was elated that he could hang in with the team for a day and had amassed enough points to keep the climbers jersey for good.
The stage was relatively uneventful and looked like a certain victory for the QuickStep crew, but their team was overtaken and surprisingly it was Astana that controlled the leadout in the final kilometers, leaving Bettini to fight in vain for a decent position. The Rabobank riders were nowhere, and having no representation in the way of sprinters, we clawed our way up and gave David a good leadout.
Grégory Rast won the stage, his second of the race, and Astana celebrated another excellent day of racing. David managed to grab third place, and we were content. Flecha had fallen to third overall in the GC, and Dekker held on to fourth. Though Rast would retake the leader's jersey, he only had a 4" cushion on David. Further, both David and Iban were certain to take the points and climbers jerseys. With only one stage left, we could afford to be a little aggressive and force things to our favor.
Stage 5: Antequera - Córdoba (155.2km)
Attacks came flying from the startline today, and at one point both Carlos and Eduard were togther in a move off the front. Iban and Gustavo did a fair amount of chasing and thankfully were not alone in their efforts; everybody seemed committed to bringing the race back together for a sprint finish..more than anybody, though, were the blue and white armada of QuickStep, who had been repeatedly denied a stage victory throughout the course of the week. Bettini was hungrier than every, which, admittedly, was a rare sight these days, unless it were the World Championships. Today would be his day, and he had to thank his team for absolutely killing themselves to get him to the line first:
But David came right in on his wheel! Second place on the day, a podium finish in literally every stage of the race (including a stage win for himself), and 4 days in the points jersey. And now, thanks to time bonuses at the finish line, David had done enough to take the top spot and put on the leaders jersey as the winner of the Vuelta a Andalucía.
A couple of podium shots:
There will be lots of celebrating tonight! The hard work had paid off and David was in stellar form. Our domestiques could breathe a slight sigh of relief, as the team will not be sending a squad to the Volta à Algarve next week, seeking instead to prepare for the Volta a la Comunidad Valenciana at the end of the month.
. That said, I've included some stipulations for myself:
I'll do my best here; sometimes it's difficult to find staff from certain countries.
