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McDonalds Racing Team Diary '08
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 22-12-2024 12:38
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| wackojackohighcliffe |
Posted on 08-02-2009 11:49
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Grand Tour Champion
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Hello and welcome to the McDonalds Racing Team Diary '08. A new continental team for the 2008 cycling season, a fantastic squad has been assembled with the aim of a Tour de France place and ProTour promotion.
McDonalds are trying to expand in Europe and they see this as an exceptional opportunity for them. The team is truly international and has the development objective of being the world's best team and Tour de France winners within a few years. This year targets are a Tour de France place, ProTour promotion and some fantastic results in both American and European Races:
A lot of money has been pumped into the squad based around building a strong squad and a good infrastructure. We have also employed a killer graphic designer and are proud to unveil the 2008 season jersey:
So to the diary; the riders will be presented and introduce themselves and then each will take a turn to do a write-up during races. This way you can see what it's like to be every member of the team. The staff will also be recounting some of the days events.
We hope you enjoy this website and some quality fries with a BigMac.
This game is a year in on PCMSpain DB. I am playing on hard. Any questions, comments or advice are welcomed. Thankyou.
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| alexkr00 |
Posted on 08-02-2009 11:52
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World Champion
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I'm loving it
If someone sees something like this is where wacko hides his drugs
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| Gustavovskiy |
Posted on 08-02-2009 15:02
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Team Leader
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Ahah
Nice idea good luck to it 
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| G_Larsson |
Posted on 15-02-2009 19:48
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Sprinter
Posts: 1779
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Cool idea Wacko!  Good luck!
Team Manager of Team IKEA-Bianchi
[url=(color=#0000ff] Team Info[/url]
Media Room
You'll Never Walk Alone |
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| Wiggo |
Posted on 15-02-2009 19:57
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3212
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McDonalds suck!
But good luck and all, I'll just ignore that aspect of it. |
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| wackojackohighcliffe |
Posted on 16-02-2009 11:32
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7681
Joined: 19-02-2008
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i know, i hate mcdonalds but it was the only jersey around from the right sort of company sooo...
presentation whenever i have an hour or 2 spare
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| wackojackohighcliffe |
Posted on 16-02-2009 19:17
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7681
Joined: 19-02-2008
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McDonalds Racing Team Presentation
This is going to be the dominant squad of the year I hope. We've tried to cover every facet of cycling from the cobbled classics to the mountains of the tours and therefore we have a very balanced squad with a few all-rounders. There is an emphasis on young talent supporting and being nurtured by some experienced and successful riders. The riders have been taken from all around the globe and the result is this:
These are the targets that have been set:
Tough goals for a continental team but with the squad we have they are very achieveable.
Time to introduce all members of the team, one-by-one. I will give an account of all them and each will then provide his own take.
The Riders
Leaders
Vladimir Karpets
Our Russian Grand Tour man, all set for the Tour de France. A dissapointing 2007 with Caisse D'Epargne where promised Vuelta leadership was revoked and he finished an acceptable 16th in the Tour as Alejandro Valverde's right hand man's right hand man. A nasty crash in March meant he missed out on the classics he had wanted to ride and he lost confidence in his descending. But he was promised leadership here and we will stick by that; we have faith in 'Vlad' and feel he can repay that with a targeted Tour de France top 10.
Hi, I'm Vladimir. I joined Caisse when I started racing big time and won the white jersey in the '04 Tour with them. But I wasn't given leadership when I thought I deserved it and the opportunities just were'nt coming. I lost motivation but I am really excited for this opportunity at McDonalds and I'm gonna take the bull by the horns. I know I can do a good ride in France and the team behind me is strong enough to help me when I need it. Roll on 2008!
Leonardo Bertagnolli
Our very own 'Italian Stallion', hilly classics star Leonardo Bertagnolli. A little bit in the shadows at Liquigas but notched up some impressive victories in the hotly-contested Italian and French semi-classics and in the ProTour Clasica San Sebastien. He will be given a chance to shine this year and will aim for some high-placings and possibly a victory in late April's Ardennes classics.
Liege-Bastogne-Liege; that's where I want to shine. It suits me perfectly and if I can follow the favourites and get away from Valverde and Bettini I can win the sprint. Liquigas had more proven riders than me and I didn't get their full support in the classics but I have a real chance with McDonalds and I know I can do well for them. I have my whole start to the season planned out in preparation for Ardennes week but after that I'm pretty free and easy until the end of season classics and the worlds. Might ride the Giro, where a stage win would be a target.
Jose Joaquin Rojas
Another former Caisse d'Epargen rider, Rojas is one of a new wave of Spanish sprinters. He lagged behind compatriot Fran Ventoso in the Vuelta last year, but the Saunier Duval pro is three years Jose's senior and still couldn't prevent JJR from taking a win in Cordoba. Jose is a surprisingly good climber and and very capable over the cobbles so if some sprinters are dropped it will improve his chances. We hope he can take our targeted Tour stage win and can aim for the green jersey in the future.
I started out as a climber - I was small and flew up any steep incline. But when I hit my late teens I grew very powerful and developed my fast twitch muscle fibres and bam! I was a sprinter. Still, I can hold my own on any terrain and in any type of race so I'm much more likely to get the finish with the leaders or at least lend a helping wheel or two. We've got such a good team here and I love the guys. The bonding camp in the Beaujolais hills was such a laugh and we spent most of the time mountain biking in the snow or skiing on a few of the remote runs. We did a few tests and ate great food at the guest we were staying in. On the two sunny days we cycled through the hills out to rural Burgundy and on the other we rode to Lyon and sampled the nightlife. This is the best team I think I've ever been and I can't wait to win for them.
Roger Hammond
He loves the Flanders Classics and wants to build on his Paris-Roubaix podium in 2004 in his final season as a pro cyclist. The Ronde, Gent-Wevelgem and Paris-Roubaix are the big targets for the year and we have a good supporting squad for him. A win in Paris-Roubaix or Vlaanderen is possibly beyond him but he has already taken 2nd in a Gent-Wevelgem he definitely could have won and will hope to cause an upset there. Tactics are hard to judge but he will try and get in a Boonen-less break and outsprint the others or shed the rest of them. We'd have Rojas with the group for the sprint anyway.
One last hurrah! A long time ago I won the World Junior Cyclo-Cross Championships and never looked back. It has always been the classics I loved and the cobbles I excelled on. But they are such a lottery. There are always 20 riders up there for the win. I made the winning break in 2004 but Backstedt won the kick and I went with Boonen in 2007 but finished 7th. I know I'm capable of winning one of the 3 big ones but I'd need everything to fall into place. One thing has: the team. I love it here and that instils confidence. It also makes you want to win and give them something back. We have such a strong squad and the ProTour teams better watch out - we're better than Bouyges!
Rest of the presentation to come |
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| olabj |
Posted on 16-02-2009 19:29
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Protected Rider
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Nice presentation. You should make Kurt Asle win something this year |
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| G_Larsson |
Posted on 16-02-2009 19:29
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Sprinter
Posts: 1779
Joined: 25-03-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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Nice presentation Wacko! Good luck! 
Team Manager of Team IKEA-Bianchi
[url=(color=#0000ff] Team Info[/url]
Media Room
You'll Never Walk Alone |
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| wackojackohighcliffe |
Posted on 16-02-2009 19:30
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7681
Joined: 19-02-2008
PCM$: 200.00
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olabj wrote:
Nice presentation. You should make Kurt Asle win something this year
thats for Halvor. he will get a chance to lead
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| Gustavovskiy |
Posted on 17-02-2009 06:14
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Team Leader
Posts: 6044
Joined: 20-07-2008
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G_Larsson wrote:
Nice presentation Wacko! Good luck!
x2
but can't you change the navigators logo?
it's kind of anoying...
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| wackojackohighcliffe |
Posted on 17-02-2009 08:55
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7681
Joined: 19-02-2008
PCM$: 200.00
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i dont know how
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| wackojackohighcliffe |
Posted on 17-02-2009 09:27
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7681
Joined: 19-02-2008
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presentation continued
Lieutenants
Kurt-Astle Arvesen
A true all-rounder is Arvesen. He can sprint, fly over the hills and speed over the cobbles and he is a competent climber. He will play mostly a supporting role in the Tour de France but will get a chance to lead in some other races this year, possibly Paris-Tours where he has previously finished runner-up. He will also take some of the younger riders under his wing, giving them the advantages of his 11 years of experience.
My career was kickstarted in 1997 with an U23 World Road Race Championship victory. Since my year in the rainbow bands, I've been the most successful Norwegian rider of my generation including a Giro stage win and multiple National Championship successes. But that's in the past, time to look to the future. And that's here with McDonalds. I think we've bonded brilliantly and that's definitely going to impact on our performance. Personal goals are a semi-classic and a Tour stage win. One can dream
David Millar
Rehabilitated drug user Millar is preaching to anyone intelligent enough to listen to tell them about the wrongs of performance enhancing drugs and it's an ethos we share entirely. The 31-year old Brit is at his peak it would seem and now is a perfect time for him. Time-trial wins are definitely a likelihood but he is a very able hilly rider and climber so stage races or classics are a definite possibility. A great addition to the team
I could go on and on about drugs but that's not what I'm here for - I'm here to ride a bike. And win. Most people think I'm just a traditional British TT rider but I offer so much more. I'm better in the hills and mountains than ever and I should lead for Paris-Nice, my main target for the year. I hope I can really do a job for Vlad in the Tour because he's a real nice guy. Wait to see McDonalds filling up the score sheet. You won't be waiting long.
David Zabriskie
He's fun. And for once not the last guy in the team alphabetically. A stage winner in all three Grand Tours, he is a similar rider to Millar and a great friend. Always joking and always messing he'll certainly give the most interesting reports (I'll have to get Waghlon to do them). He is one of our two US champions, the time trial winner.
Yo, Dave Z here. Basically, I'm awesome.
Edited by wackojackohighcliffe on 11-03-2009 08:58
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| wackojackohighcliffe |
Posted on 11-03-2009 09:18
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7681
Joined: 19-02-2008
PCM$: 200.00
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First race of the year and it's me, Phil Z, reporting. I don't have any major ambitions for the Tour Down Under classic but I would like to help Rojas to win. This race is followed by the TDU itself where I will also play a supporting role. These are the rest of the guys riding today and subsequently in the TDU:
It was a flat circuit race through Adelaide and the pace was high from the start. A break of 10 went away and suddenly nobody would contribute. We wanted it all together for a bunch sprint for Rojas so I went to the front with Dave McCann.
We started to string out the bunch through the tight corners and I was right on the rivet, chasing flat out. We were starting to bring them back! It was amazing! Soon the other sprinters teams joined in the chase and with 10k to go we had Rojas well-placed for the finish. I was very tired by this point and decided to conserve energy for the TDU and dropped to the back. In the final kilometres it was pandemonium. A huge crash ripped through the bunch, flooring riders this way and that!
 
Hammond and Rojas hit the deck and that was it. Our race was pretty much over.
The chaos in the pack remained as there was another chute and hammond went down again. He was nearly strangled by another riders wheel.
On the line it was Yuri Kristsov who benefited from the lack of organisation and took AG2R's first win of the season, while Arvesen scrambled to 8th place.
I'd done my job and felt happy, despite finishing way down.
Rank Name Team Time
1 Yuri Krivtsov AG2R PRÉVOYANCE 1h05'06
2 Matthew Goss TEAM CSC s.t.
3 Nikolas Maes CHOCOLADE JACQUES - TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN s.t.
4 Assan Bazayev CRÉDIT AGRICOLE s.t.
5 Peter Dawson SOUTHAUSTRALIA.COM - AIS s.t.
6 Robert Hunter BARLOWORLD s.t.
7 Baden Cooke UNIBET.COM s.t.
8 Kurt-Asle Arvesen MCDONALDS s.t.
9 Bert Roesems PREDICTOR - LOTTO s.t.
10 Romain Feillu AGRITUBEL s.t.
11 Zak Dempster SOUTHAUSTRALIA.COM - AIS s.t.
12 Julian Dean CRÉDIT AGRICOLE s.t.
13 Gene Bates SOUTHAUSTRALIA.COM - AIS s.t.
14 Fred Rodriguez AG2R PRÉVOYANCE s.t.
15 Bradley McGee BARLOWORLD s.t.
16 Jimmy Engoulvent CRÉDIT AGRICOLE s.t.
17 Aaron Kemps AG2R PRÉVOYANCE s.t.
18 Marco Bandiera DRAPAC PORSCHE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM s.t.
19 Stefano Zanini PREDICTOR - LOTTO s.t.
20 Darren Lapthorne DRAPAC PORSCHE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM s.t.
21 Samuel Dumoulin AG2R PRÉVOYANCE s.t.
22 Nick Gates PREDICTOR - LOTTO s.t.
23 Markus Eichler UNIBET.COM s.t.
24 Hugo Sabido BARLOWORLD s.t.
25 Michael Ford SOUTHAUSTRALIA.COM - AIS s.t.
26 Patrice Halgand CRÉDIT AGRICOLE s.t.
27 Jan Boven TEAM CSC s.t.
28 Sergei Kolesnikov UNIBET.COM s.t.
29 Stefan Schreck DISCOVERY CHANNEL s.t.
30 Davide Malacarne BARLOWORLD s.t.
38 Kristian House MCDONALDS s.t.
44 Phil Zajicek MCDONALDS s.t.
49 Chris Sørensen MCDONALDS s.t.
81 David McCann MCDONALDS s.t.
88 Sylvester Szmyd MCDONALDS s.t.
93 José JoaquÃn Rojas MCDONALDS + 2'36
111 Roger Hammond MCDONALDS + 4'16
To the Tour Down Under! |
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| G_Larsson |
Posted on 22-03-2009 15:22
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Sprinter
Posts: 1779
Joined: 25-03-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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I haven't seen this report since now Unlucky with the crashes, and good luck for the TdU! The story is continuing or? I sure hope so!
Team Manager of Team IKEA-Bianchi
[url=(color=#0000ff] Team Info[/url]
Media Room
You'll Never Walk Alone |
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| wackojackohighcliffe |
Posted on 22-03-2009 15:36
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7681
Joined: 19-02-2008
PCM$: 200.00
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bad news is that it keeps crashing round the tdu and in general - i think i will just bring round-ups from the big races
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