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Int. Osterreich Rundfahrt Discussion
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| Kentaurus |
Posted on 13-06-2020 06:07
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Classics Specialist
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Time for one of the longest running annual stage races in MG history. The Internationale Österreich Rundfahrt, which has seen it's status play at every level of the MG, from ProTour down to Continental. This year it continues its run in the middle as an HC race featuring the best of the PCT and this year we also get Centovalli-Fiat from the CT level. Reigning champion  Aleksandr Pluchkin returns and is likely the heavy favorite, but there will be a field to challenge him.
This year's route holds nothing back, stages one and two are likely the deciding days with long brutal summit finishes. Stage three and six will be out there for the sprinters while stage five will be one for the punchuers, or maybe some of the GC riders looking for a few more seconds. The breakaway likely has a great chance on stage four, with a brutal climb in the middle ruining the sprinters day. Lastly we end with a time-trial on stage seven, which with any luck for the spectators will be a deciding factor in the overall classification.
Our GC favorites here have to be the climbers, especially those with the ability to time-trial as well, and maybe some punch to help on stage five where a little more time could be won.
| | | | | | | | | Rider | MO | HL | TT | Rider | MO | HL | TT | | Pluchkin | 85 | 75 | 79 |  Martin | 81 | 76 | 72 |  Amador | 83 | 74 | 77 |  Choi | 80 | 74 | 75 |  Uran | 82 | 74 | 78 |  Nerz | 80 | 72 | 73 |  Reis | 81 | 73 | 76 | Krasnoperov | 80 | 68 | 73 |
No doubt that Pluchkin will be the heavy favorite for the GC in this race, with his unparalleled climbing skills, paired with an elite ability in the time-trial and solid punch on the hills. The question may really come down to who is competing for the other podium spots. Leading that group would be Amador and Uran who both com with top level climbing and time-trialing ability and a solid punch as well. Just a step behind them might be Reis who will make those other top spots very competitive.
The next tier of riders will be looking to sneak into a podium spot, and certainly want to find a top 5 finish for their teams. With Martin the best climber of the bunch, but may end up losing time on the final day. Choi on the other hand will be looking for the TT to gain some time on his rivals. Lastly Nerz will be looking to put in the right effort on the right days to maybe unseat someone for that top 5 finish. Last on our list is Krasnoperov who is very capable on his own, but will almost assuredly have duties to protect Pluchkin, and may suffer as a result.
The sprinters field also looks for two days of fun, with neither looking overly challenging in the finish. The keys as always will be a high-end top speed, and quickness reaching it, along with the ability to ride on the flat roads.
| | | | | | | | | Rider | SP | AC | FL | Rider | SP | AC | FL |  Appollonio | 81 | 78 | 74 |  Gaviria | 79 | 82 | 74 |  Kupfernagel | 80 | 80 | 74 | Reinhardt | 79 | 84 | 71 |  Lavoine | 80 | 78 | 73 |  Lay | 79 | 81 | 73 | | Haller | 80 | 79 | 72 |  Rowe | 80 | 70 | 72 |
A very balanced sprint field could lead to some very unexpected results as many of these riders are hard to distinguish from each other. Gaviria may have the biggest advantage in the team support around him as Lierse has sent two other functional sprinters to help him but other teams have sent some help for their sprinters in this generically climbers race. Luckily the two opening stages of climbing only feature a massive climb at the finish, and should be of no concern for riders missing the time cut.
There is only one stage really for the puncheurs in this race, and the teams seemed to recognize this isn't the place for them, however there are two riders who will be looking to take advantage on stage 5 of this weak field.
| | | | | | | | | Rider | HL | MO | AC | Rider | HL | MO | AC |  Slagter | 79 | 78 | 71 |  Dyrnes | 78 | 72 | 77 |
Certainly expect to see both of them fight for that stage win, as well as possibly look for a good GC finish in the case of Slagter; and Dyrnes probably has the freedom to go stage hunting elsewhere. I'd also really expect to see Martin fight hard for some time on this stage as well.
Finally we get to our time-trial group of riders. I'll skip the guys who are already listed as GC favorite, and add in the others looking to win the final stage of the race.
| | | | | | | | | Rider | TT | | | Rider | TT | | | | Dempster | 79 | | | Balloni | 78 | | | | Janse van Rensburg | 78 | | | Sterobo | 78 | | |  Campenaerts | 78 | | |  Li | 78 | | |
Like the sprinters, this is another very similar field, with well over a dozen riders who wouldn't be a surprise if they won stage seven. Aside from our heavy GC favorites, I'll add these six names as the most likely to get the stage win on the final day. None of them will be even close in the GC so if the conditions change throughout the day this could play to their advantage as they will all be starting early, rather than later in the afternoon.
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 13-06-2020 06:16
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Hopefully Dyrnes can finally do something in a stage all this time after his last anything in January without Bennett or Houle ahead of him. Otherwise this is to be our only race with none of our main leaders in their preferred terrain this season so could end up being our worst - but a smaller field in the mountains (although worry for Portugal reasons  ) could give Grmay a chance at the top 10 I guess - hopefully Beijing form carries over! Breakaways would also be nice to entertain us if neither can do much, and cool to welcome Huynh to our team as a stagiaire (he might have been in San Luis though )
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant."
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 21-11-2024 19:34
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| Tamijo |
Posted on 13-06-2020 08:11
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Looking forward to this huge one, as mentioned in preview expect top 5, but 6-8 would be ok'ish.
Thanks for the perfect preview
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| Gustavovskiy |
Posted on 13-06-2020 09:25
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Reis has been a rollercoaster this season, so not sure what to expect here. A top5 would be the goal though. Hopefully he'll be able to match that expectation.
First time in Austria for me I believe, let's see if it pays off.
Thanks for the preview Kent and good luck everyone!
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| Marcovdw |
Posted on 13-06-2020 10:34
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Uran is usually good here. His last race of the season here, so best to end on a bang.
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| Ollfardh |
Posted on 13-06-2020 10:42
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Poor Senni, seems like I brought no support for him. Gaviria needs a stage win though, no excuses!
Changed my sig, this was getting absurd.
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| redordead |
Posted on 13-06-2020 11:23
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Unless Mezgec somehow manages to outperform the better sprinters or we get some luck in the breakaway, otherwise this looks like a zero pointer.
"I am a cyclist, I may not be the best, but that is what I strive to be. I may never get there, but I will never quit trying." - Tadej Pogačar
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| DaveTwoBob |
Posted on 13-06-2020 12:37
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Would be great if Nerz managed another top 5.
Haller has good chances in the sprints.
Both going to ToA so this is a good indicator of form.
Thanks for the preview Kent.
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| Bushwackers |
Posted on 13-06-2020 13:35
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Sprinter
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Pluchkin should have this one. Just hoping Amador can finish on the podium.
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| Fabianski |
Posted on 13-06-2020 14:11
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First HC race in our team history, and it's even Gamper's home race. We bring our best climbers - which of course aren't good enough to pull off a notable GC result in this field, but we really hope to send them in the breakaway as often as possible.
Given the sprinter field, we probably should have sent Guillén here... Instead, let's see if Stocker can do something on his own here. And then, we bring our three talents, who are obviously here to get some more experience - beware of Mäder, though, who's on a high after his result in the Benelux Challenge.
Thanks for the preview, Kent!
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| Sykkel_Freak |
Posted on 13-06-2020 14:13
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Breakaways, please!
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 13-06-2020 15:25
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Tour de France Champion
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Hoping Warbasse can stick near the leaders in the mountains and then make up a little ground in the hills/TT. He's got all my domestiques with him and surprisingly the field doesn't look too crazy. But having the mountain stages first probably hurts his chances. We need a good result though. I want a top 10 here, even if that sounds crazy.
Appo is the second big piece of the puzzle. He had that win in Denmark, but besides that he has been fairly consistently bad. We've managed to put him in several fields this year where he's a favorite with our planning, and he almost always puts in a miserable effort in those situations. He can't this time. We need two good stage results from him. Honestly, I'd like a win.
That's what it's about for us here. Warbasse and Appo. In earlier years I would have wished for a stage result from Steensen, but with how pathetic he's been this year, and with a full week of racing beforehand, I expect nothing from him. Everyone else is on domestique duty. Only breakaway if you think it could actually work.
Thanks for the preview!
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
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| fintas |
Posted on 13-06-2020 15:33
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Perhaps we can achieve a stage victory in one of those sprint stages. In the rest of the race I would like to see the team be aggressive and try to go on the breaks since we have no one for the gc
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| ryant |
Posted on 13-06-2020 16:22
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One of the only races this season where we've sent no recognised leader here so its not likely we'll get much from this. Probably shouldn't have sent Rowe here as it may have stopped us from going into the breaks on the flat stages but hopefully it wont do that in the end.
 John St Ledger in Team Bunzl-Centrica and Team U25Red Bull Driver in RFactor
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| sammyt93 |
Posted on 13-06-2020 19:19
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Classics Specialist
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It's a Slagter race, so one of the few where I can reasonably have some expectations. Judging by the field a top 10 should definitely be doable, possibly just a little tough for a top 5 but if that hilly stage has a few more gaps then who knows.
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| fjhoekie |
Posted on 14-06-2020 09:46
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Looking forward to this, final race for points for Pluchkin, and also interesting to see what Krasnoperov and Andriafenomnananiaina can do in support duties, maybe getting some sort of result themselves.
Manager of Team Popo4Ever p/b Morshynska in the PCM.Daily Man-Game |
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| Bjartne |
Posted on 14-06-2020 10:02
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We have a strong squad here, compared to our standards, but looking at the start list, I have little to zero hopes for this race |
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 16-06-2020 06:43
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Not great from Grmay at all, and not happy with no breakaway, hopefully that doesn't continue. Shame to see a rather mundane first stage, hope it changes in the coming days!
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant."
[ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing
5x x5
2x x2
2x x2 |
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| redordead |
Posted on 16-06-2020 07:20
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We actually got in a breakaway and did something! 
Hopefully Petrovski stays aggressive and keeps going for those KOM's, we might yet score a point in this race after all 
"I am a cyclist, I may not be the best, but that is what I strive to be. I may never get there, but I will never quit trying." - Tadej Pogačar
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| Fabianski |
Posted on 16-06-2020 07:26
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That was really stupid racing from our boys. No breakaway, and beaten by a lot of weaker climbers - I really hope that won't continue.
Thanks for the report, I know it's hard writing about such a boring stage...
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