Le Tour

MinardiM189 wrote:

That didn't work out too badly considering I didn't bring anyone in.

Meurisse & Wellens collecting a sack full of points.

Four in four out for me and negligible return for it. probably done for me,  good job I am travelling abroad the last week and won't be following so closely anyway.......(makes his excuse and hastily retreats)

chrisdstripes wrote:

I've been liberal with my transfers up to now, so set up for minimal activity over the next few days. Rosetto in the break is a bonus... Sagan, Matthews, Colbrelli Viviani, Gronewegen Rosetto, Calmejane, Wellens

Wellens, Viviani, Sagan, Alaphilippe,MWS,Colbrelli,Delaplace and Ciccone.

Minimal transfers over the weekend out of necessity now.

Dr Winston wrote:

Wellens has to go on the break again tomorrow ...Ciccone obviously set out for KOM but won’t be allowed any slack now that he’s in yellow...so Wellens needs to make hay doesn’t he?...

 

If the sun shines Wellens will struggle to make much hay, he really suffers in hot weather.

The HC climbs will determine who wins the KoM jersey, they are all over 2000m and score double points, 40 pts compared to 10 for a Cat1.

Ciccone seems to be a bit greedy, he wanted all the KoM points and the stage win. Could he have beaten Teuns if he had saved energy?

Condor Andy wrote:

96 points scored by todays winner. Did anyone get him it?

Not me. Wellens has confused matters. Looks like they’e on a two pronged attack for KOM.

Will Wellens now go tomorrow ?

teckert wrote:

brought in Matthews for Benoot.....     

Oouch that hurts.

Three sprinters in today. snoozefest until Thursday.

MinardiM189 wrote:

Groenwegen & Viviani in for today & Wednesday.

Not sure they will score today, quite a lot of climbing.

SAGAN
VIVIANI
COLBRELLI
GROENEWEGEN
MATTHEWS
MEURISSE
EWAN
WURTZ SCHMIDT

That is exactly what my team is.

I'd be a lot higher up the leaderboard right now if I'd used my brain on Saturday morning and used my last transfer of the day to get in De Gendt instead of Teuns, and then a day later to swap Teuns out and get in Benoot instead of Ewan.....

Sniffer wrote:

Missed the deadline.  Had it in my head today was the rest day. Duh!

It usually is, but not this year because they're doing the massive trek all the way down from Brussels to the Pyrenees in one sweep.  Rest day tomorrow.

JohnnyRemo wrote:

I've had WVA in since stage 1 and decided yesterday that he was riding purely for the team and wasn't going for stages...

St Date                  Rider in                Rider out
10 Jul 15, 08:21 Elia Viviani          Wout Van Aert

Okay - only cost a couple of points but also a transfer I didn't need to lose. This game is *so* frustrating!

Damn...That’s a shame...but why would you not have done it?...it wasn’t the team plan.

Dr Winston wrote:

WVA really is fantastic, he’s turning into a mini Sagan...do Jumbo even need Groenewegen? I think WVA would have a better chance of green than Dylan...in fact he’d be right up there with Sagan.

 

I was waiting for a boring flat stage but how wrong can you be - Windy days are great and Luke Rowe earned his coin again!

Bora didn't bring either of their top flat track sprinters to make room for Sagans green jersey ambitions so its even more impressive we're talking about WVA competing with Lotto Jumbo fighting on all fronts. 

Sagan is far too focussed on green to risk trying to shepherd his GC leader through the cross-winds; pull the team along in a TTT;  have a chance at winning a decent length TT outright and still have enough left to compete with the top sprinters.   

Others with similar all round potential to WVA like Kwiato seem to have given up to turn super domestique for GC.  Matthews is ruing losing his kick this year for Dumoulins ambitions too.  Let's hope WVA gets opportunity to fight for green jersey fair and square one day.    

Condor Andy wrote:

Time to make a billion transfers for the mountains and the TT

The game needs it with many almost identical teams now.

Not sure what to make of tomorrow....Twenty man break?....

stevemarks wrote:

One transfer today out goes Ciccone in comes Mathews 

Pffft....unlucky Steve. 

Sniffer wrote:

Expecting teams could be quite different today.

I was torn last night with guessing who would be in the break - I picked Benoot which may work.

Putting in some GC points - Bernal, Ala and Thomas

Kept Colbrelli as the intermediate sprint was in play

and finally guessing who would be a good TT pick too (probably Thomas).

It might be a stage where you can go up or down the rankings quite a bit.

Decided against putting Wellens back in, that may cost me as a gets maximum points on the first two climbs.

Didn't see the Dennis abandon coming.

I got Benoot too but not a lot more. Briefly thought about S Yates and quickly dismissed the thought as the rant of a madman. Bringing Thomas and WVA in today to add to my GC orientated team, I now have 3 x 3 pointers though which seems excessive. only 14 transfers left which seems too few as will probably need at least 9 for the sprint stages. ho hum I think I've been here before.

On the positive side I am leading the Purist competition. I am only pointing this out as my team is mostly made up of sprinters and I expect to go backwards rapidly from here.

France and Spain From Sunday, at least I will be on my bike in the Pyrenees and not just watching it.

Have a grear summer everyone catch you all for the Vuelta.

Skiddley.

Dr Winston wrote:

Tony Martin having a total day off.....only question now is will he fit a cafe stop in at some point.

Team orders I hear.

I got in Lampaert instead of Asgreen....fml. I do have Andrerson, Haga, Thomas, Van Aert though.

chrisdstripes wrote:

Every Tour I tell myself to avoid gambling on TTs, and every Tour I can't resist it. This has to be the nadir though...

Van Aert - crashed when 2nd

Schachmann - crashed when 4th

Kung - crashed when 4th

Thomas could be in trouble...

(Admittedly also had De Gendt and Haga - could've been so good though...)

Instead I was too cautious, looked at bringing Porte in but decided to save the transfer.

MinardiM189 wrote:

Something incredible going on in this TdF.

Incredible or unbelieveable?

Personally I still think he cracks but I really hope I am wrong.

stevemarks wrote:

Sacrificed Bernal today, so all you betting guys should be getting on him to win today.

 

 

Kept Bernal, but dropped Alaphilippe. Thought he would crack and was too expensive to gamble on. At least I brought Pinot in.

MinardiM189 wrote:

Looks like this TdF could be all about who is and isn't using ketones.

JumboVisma, LottoSoudal, Quickstep are using them, probabbly some others too.

Of the other teams Sky & Sunweb and other teams have said they are not using them becuase of unknown long term health impact.

The miraculous transformation of Alaphilippe into a world class climber does suggest that something is going on.

Hmm if it looks like doping and acts like doping it should be classed as doping.  Let's hope WADA pull their finger out and ban them - particularly as there are no long term health studies of their use.

Dr Winston wrote:

What a fantastic stage that was. Well if anybody had rid themselves of any doubts about Alaphillipe you can go and get them back. Hard to know what to think now....other than he may not be the favourite for stage 17 anymore...three days with maximum rest for him, surely.

I watched it on play back and it was still quite exciting.

Stage 17 is for the break imo. QS will have to do some work on stage 16 and then conrol the start of stage 18. So I think it it unlikely they go for stage 17 with Alaphilippe. But given the effects of ketones on recovery, who knows?

Only thing I have learnt so far this TdF is the Mitchelton Scott are doing something seriously wrong in the preparation of riders. Simon was abysmal in Italy and Adam is abysmal in France. Simon looking favourite for KoM now, unless a GC rider gets it.