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Tour of Slovenie Discussion
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 13-04-2022 13:50
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The reports will be brought to you by AbhishekLFC!
Slovenie is the prototypical example of a race made for the "hilly stage racer," a rare but valuable species combining fortitude against the clock with the ability to spring over short, steep inclines.
We start with a long, flat TTT to shake things up. Then we move to the hills with a short steep finish, followed by a lone sprinter's day on stage 3. Then the real time spread should emerge with a 50 km TT, one of the longest remaining on the MG calendar. It's not a mountain TT, but is a bit bumpy, which the pure puncheurs will hope allows them to stay in the hunt. Then it's one final hilly stage to decide the final standings. None of the stages are particularly long, so the classics men won't have the chance to make differences with their stamina.
| Mtn | Hill | TT | Res | Acc |  Bobridge | 69 | 83 | 77 | 74 | 80 |  Izagirre | 74 | 81 | 77 | 72 | 64 |  Spilak | 81 | 78 | 73 | 75 | 68 |  Gesink | 79 | 77 | 76 | 74 | 62 |  Wirtgen | 78 | 75 | 80 | 75 | 72 |  Dennis | 74 | 75 | 78 | 75 | 68 |  Rosskopf | 73 | 75 | 76 | 71 | 70 | | Goos | 77 | 74 | 76 | 75 | 73 | | Dyball | 76 | 73 | 75 | 71 | 72 |  Stüssi | 77 | 73 | 75 | 73 | 66 | | Conci | 75 | 73 | 75 | 74 | 68 |
A lot of who ends up on top here depends on how selective the hilly stages are, but traditionally they have been selective enough to require a hybrid stage racer profile in order to win. This is just a selection of guys who could be in the mix.
The favorite is very clearly last year's winner, Jack Bobridge. He dominated the hills here last year, and is once again the best puncheur present, while also being the best time trialist among the puncheurs. One thing that might hold him back this year, however, is his new team, Project: Africa. While they have traditionally been a strong TTT team, the squad they've brought here is lacking in that department. That means the Australian could lose big time on stage 1.
That will be to the benefit of Izagirre, as Polar brings and incredibly strong TTT team here, one that has won recent TTT's. He won't have much support in the hills, but he's a great puncheur and TTist, if lacking in a finishing kick. If he builds up a good time lead on other favorites early, it will be hard to make that time up without attacking from distance.
Then we have a collection of pure stage racers, who will hope for steady pacing over the hills. Gesink was 3rd here last year, and though he has declined since, he still has a phenomenal TTT squad behind him. Spilak is in a similar position, though he is still a better climber and puncheur, with a weaker TT. Wirtgen is the new kid on the scene and may be able to outlast any of them. He has the best time trialing ability of any climber or puncheur here, but he hasn't shown himself to be as strong over the hills, so it may be about limiting losses there.
Next we have two guys who are weaker but still decent puncheurs, and better time trialists - Dennis and Rosskopf. They were teammates last year and finished in the teens as a couple of their former teammates surprised and took leadership away.
Then we have an assortment of lesser stage racer types. There are a lot more than those listed who could compete for the same spots, but the archetype remains the same. Limit losses from quick accelerations, and overtake the pure puncheurs in the TT. The few listed here all have strong TTT teams behind them.
| Mtn | Hill | TT | Res | Acc | | Bobridge | 69 | 83 | 77 | 74 | 80 |  Van Garderen | 71 | 81 | 68 | 74 | 78 |  Koretzky | 71 | 81 | 63 | 70 | 79 | | Izagirre | 74 | 81 | 77 | 72 | 64 |  Schreurs | 68 | 80 | 66 | 70 | 72 |  Paulinho | 75 | 80 | 64 | 72 | 75 |  Kanerva | 64 | 79 | 70 | 69 | 76 | | Gebrezgabihier | 70 | 79 | 66 | 74 | 69 |  Bilbao | 67 | 79 | 65 | 71 | 75 | | Dowsett | 64 | 79 | 63 | 68 | 70 | | Boily | 76 | 78 | 70 | 72 | 74 |
Some repeats here, clearly. But also some new faces. Van Garderen and Koretzky are the standouts among the pure puncheurs. The former isn't terrible against the clock, but seems destined for a minor placing given his TTT support is also bad. The latter is so weak in time trials that if his teammates were any stronger, he'd be at serious risk of getting dropped by them.
Similar story for Paulinho, who excels in hybrid races, but not this kind of hybrid race. He should at least have a leg up on the assortment of other pure puncheurs here, who may feel more drained if the pace is steady. Boily worth a mention here too for similar reasons, and Kraftwerk should be around average in the TTT, which gives him a leg up.
| Mtn | Hill | TT | Res | Acc | | Zmorka | 61 | 66 | 82 | 75 | 70 |  Durbridge | 58 | 67 | 81 | 74 | 64 | | Wirtgen | 78 | 75 | 80 | 75 | 72 | | Mullen | 62 | 70 | 80 | 74 | 70 | | Viennet | 54 | 67 | 80 | 75 | 64 | | Fiedler | 57 | 65 | 80 | 71 | 58 | | Howson | 59 | 65 | 80 | 74 | 68 | | Kittel | 54 | 63 | 80 | 69 | 72 | | Fraile | 76 | 72 | 79 | 76 | 66 |  Cataford | 72 | 70 | 79 | 75 | 69 |
A lot of the top time trialists in the PT and PCT divisions have made it here. Not just for their own glory, but as leaders in their TTT structures. Remember, the TT is a bit bumpy, so it's not necessarily a given that a pure powerhouse like Zmorka or Durbridge will win here, although that did end up being the case last year when Fielder won.
One name that has to be mentioned here for GC implications is Omar Fraile. He's one of the best time trialists in the peloton, but he also strattles the line of being classified as a hybrid. He showed that last year when he punched above his weight to end up 2nd in the GC here, only behind Bobridge. On paper, his ability on hilly terrain seems lacking for a top spot, but the empirical evidence says otherwise, so he has to be someone to watch.
| Flat | Res | Spr | Acc | | Moser | 72 | 69 | 80 | 79 | | Perera | 71 | 73 | 79 | 80 |  Kalaba | 74 | 72 | 79 | 79 | | Kennett | 75 | 76 | 79 | 78 | | Aberasturi | 74 | 71 | 79 | 78 | | Pelucchi | 74 | 70 | 79 | 77 | | Farantakis | 72 | 70 | 78 | 78 |  Mareczko | 74 | 73 | 78 | 77 |
Lest we forget, there's also a flat sprinter's day mid way through, and some teams have prepared. No real standouts here, though Moser has the best top end speed and Perera has the best acceleration. Only Aberasturi has a real leadout here ( Matthews), so we'll see if that's a blessing or a curse for Podium Ambition.
| Binance Cycling | * | | Bralirwa - Stevens | ** | | cycleYorkshire | **** | | Duolingo | ***** | | EA Vesuvio | ***** | | Eurosport x GCN | * | | Festina - OAKA | * | | Generali | **** |  Grieg-Maersk | ** | | Kraftwerk Man Machine | *** | | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | ** | | Los Pollos Hermanos | **** |  Mapei | * | | Minions | **** | | Podium Ambition | ** | | Polar | ***** | | Project: Africa | * | | Sauber Petronas Racing | * | | Team Puma - SAP | **** | | Team Tinkoff - La Datcha | *** |
The TTT is completely flat and on stage 1, so in theory, only the pure time trial talent of a team's riders should matter
There is absolutely no realy methodology to this chart. I just looked at all the teams and came up with an entirely subjective score to give each team, 1-5 stars. Based on their combination of star power and depth. In my eyes, Polar, EA Vesuvio, and Duolingo are the favorites, but the 4 star teams are all very close to their level, and could easily pass them if they work well together and manage their efforts. On the other hand, several teams with race favorites are bound to lose time here, and will need to be very careful to not lose the entire race before the hills even start.
Startlist:
Spoiler | Afonso | Luis | Binance Cycling | | Gabburo | Davide | Binance Cycling | | Kennett | Dylan | Binance Cycling | | Paulinho | Pedro Miguel | Binance Cycling | | Silva | Rafael | Binance Cycling | | Stavrakakis | Georgios | Binance Cycling | | Tzortzakis | Polychronis | Binance Cycling | | Yates | Joel | Binance Cycling | | El Sabbahi | Houcaine | Bralirwa - Stevens | | Fiedler | Jacob | Bralirwa - Stevens | | Mugisha | Moise | Bralirwa - Stevens | | Perera | Madushanka | Bralirwa - Stevens | | Rosskopf | Joey | Bralirwa - Stevens | | Tesfatsion | Natnael | Bralirwa - Stevens | | Uwizeyimana | Bonaventure | Bralirwa - Stevens | | Vendrame | Andrea | Bralirwa - Stevens | | Bellis | Jonathan | cycleYorkshire | | Durbridge | Luke | cycleYorkshire | | Fraile | Omar | cycleYorkshire | | Hayter | Ethan | cycleYorkshire | | Hennessy | Jacob | cycleYorkshire | | Stannard | Ian | cycleYorkshire | | Tennant | Andrew | cycleYorkshire | | Viviani | Elia | cycleYorkshire | | Archbold | Shane | Duolingo | | Barbio | Antonio | Duolingo | | Christian | Mark | Duolingo | | Gesink | Robert | Duolingo | | Howson | Damien | Duolingo | | Kaczmarek | Jakub | Duolingo | | Quaade | Rasmus | Duolingo | | Razumov | Nikita | Duolingo | | Goos | Marc | EA Vesuvio | | Jungels | Bob | EA Vesuvio | | Munton | Byron | EA Vesuvio | | O'Shea | Glenn | EA Vesuvio | | Pelikan | Janos | EA Vesuvio | | Pokälä | Samuel | EA Vesuvio | | Tanfield | Harry | EA Vesuvio | | Wirtgen | Tom | EA Vesuvio | | Archibald | John | Eurosport x GCN | | Doull | Owain | Eurosport x GCN | | Dowsett | Alex | Eurosport x GCN | | Hulgaard | Morten | Eurosport x GCN | | Landa | Mikel | Eurosport x GCN | | Rutsch | Jonas | Eurosport x GCN | | Schreurs | Maurice | Eurosport x GCN | | Stuyven | Jasper | Eurosport x GCN | | Agrotis | Alexandros | Festina - OAKA | | Farantakis | Stylianos | Festina - OAKA | | Ioannidis | Nikolaos | Festina - OAKA | | Koretzky | Clement | Festina - OAKA | | Kortsidakis | Michail | Festina - OAKA | | Miltiadis | Andreas | Festina - OAKA | | Spanopoulos | Ioannis | Festina - OAKA | | Vila | Aimiliano | Festina - OAKA | | Brown | Nathan | Generali | | Debesay | Mekseb | Generali | | Dennis | Rohan | Generali | | Dyball | Benjamin | Generali | | Kung | Stefan | Generali | | Malori | Adrian | Generali | | Oliveira | Nelson | Generali | | Van Baarle | Dylan | Generali | | Andersen | Soren Kragh | Grieg-Maersk | | Brkic | Benjamin | Grieg-Maersk | | Dahl-Olsen | Gunnar | Grieg-Maersk | | Eekhoff | Nils | Grieg-Maersk | | Larsen | Niklas | Grieg-Maersk | | Omarsson | Ingvar | Grieg-Maersk | | Resell | Erik Nordsaeter | Grieg-Maersk | | Ringheim | Jo Kogstad | Grieg-Maersk | | Bilbao | Pello | Kraftwerk Man Machine | | Boily | David | Kraftwerk Man Machine | | Dulanjana | Sachin | Kraftwerk Man Machine | | Ho | Burr | Kraftwerk Man Machine | | Kasa | Gabor | Kraftwerk Man Machine | | Kittel | Marcel | Kraftwerk Man Machine | | Moazemi | Arvin | Kraftwerk Man Machine | | Stimulak | Klemen | Kraftwerk Man Machine | | Gamper | Patrick | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Mareczko | Jakub | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Potocki | Viktor | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Sajnok | Szymon | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Senni | Manuel | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Siddikov | Dilmurdjon | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Van Aert | Wout | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Weemaes | Sasha | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Affonso | Murilo | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Beukeboom | Dion | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Knotten | Iver Johan | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Laizer | Richard Laningo | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Robert | Stelly | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Spilak | Simon | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Sterbini | Luca | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Zmorka | Marlen | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Destribois | Alex Ariya | Mapei | | Goncalves | Gaspar | Mapei | | Grosser | Aaron | Mapei | | Neuman | Dominik | Mapei | | Quintana | Dayer | Mapei | | Rodriguez | Cristian | Mapei | | Svab | Jernej | Mapei | | van der Poel | Mathieu | Mapei | | Bjerg | Mikkel | Minions | | Cheyne | Jordan | Minions | | Haga | Chad | Minions | | Kalaba | Dusan | Minions | | Ligthart | Pim | Minions | | Nechita | Andrei | Minions | | Rosas | Laureano | Minions | | Uran | Rigoberto | Minions | | Aberasturi | Jon | Podium Ambition | | Cataford | Alexandor | Podium Ambition | | Gayral | Joshua | Podium Ambition | | Hennis | Hasani | Podium Ambition | | Matthews | Darren | Podium Ambition | | Norbert | Andrew | Podium Ambition | | Perez | Cristian | Podium Ambition | | Welten | Bram | Podium Ambition | | Bernaudeau | Mathieu | Polar | | De Luna | Flavio | Polar | | Izagirre | Ion | Polar | | Jallays | Welle | Polar | | Kwok | Ho-Ting | Polar | | Mullen | Ryan | Polar | | Postlberger | Lukas | Polar | | Viennet | Emilien | Polar | | Bobridge | Jack | Project: Africa | | Gebrezgabihier | Amanuel | Project: Africa | | Grmay | Tsgabu Gebremaryam | Project: Africa | | Hamza | Yacine | Project: Africa | | Lecourt De Billot | Olivier | Project: Africa | | Main | Kent | Project: Africa | | Ssabagwanya | Samuel | Project: Africa | | Van Heerden | Eddie | Project: Africa | | Forcellini | Luca | Sauber Petronas Racing | | Grossschartner | Felix | Sauber Petronas Racing | | Hirschi | Marc | Sauber Petronas Racing | | Menicucci | Samuele | Sauber Petronas Racing | | Pellaud | Simon | Sauber Petronas Racing | | Pelucchi | Matteo | Sauber Petronas Racing | | Van Garderen | Tejay | Sauber Petronas Racing | | Voisard | Yannis | Sauber Petronas Racing | | Cavagna | Remi | Team Puma - SAP | | Conci | Nicola | Team Puma - SAP | | Ganna | Filippo | Team Puma - SAP | | Kämna | Lennard | Team Puma - SAP | | Politt | Nils | Team Puma - SAP | | Stüssi | Colin | Team Puma - SAP | | Vasyliv | Yuriy | Team Puma - SAP | | Weinstein | Domenic | Team Puma - SAP | | Goldstein | Roy | Team Tinkoff - La Datcha | | Kanerva | Joni | Team Tinkoff - La Datcha | | Moser | Moreno | Team Tinkoff - La Datcha | | O'Brien | Kelland | Team Tinkoff - La Datcha | | Rybalkin | Aleksey | Team Tinkoff - La Datcha | | Sivakov | Pavel | Team Tinkoff - La Datcha | | Vlasov | Alexander | Team Tinkoff - La Datcha | | Zakarin | Aydar | Team Tinkoff - La Datcha |
Edited by baseballlover312 on 14-04-2022 13:35
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| SotD |
Posted on 13-04-2022 14:09
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World Champion
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Not really a race for us. I guess we can hope that Ioannidis can be bothered to stay somewhat attentive, which might give a top 20, but he'll need to perform really well after a dreadful TTT.
Koretzky is here with a free role, and being far behind can hopefully see him very aggressive. Farantakis is in the region where it can go all directions really. He can win or he can end outside the top 10.
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| cunego59 |
Posted on 13-04-2022 15:15
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The TTT will probably demolish all hopes for a really good GC result for Rosskopf, so my main hope is for stage points from both Fiedler and Perera. And then maybe a low Top 20 GC finish and ideally some breakaway appearances. Nothing to lose, let's see how it goes 
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| Marcovdw |
Posted on 13-04-2022 15:58
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Sending Uran here might be the smartest or dumbest thing I've ever done
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| DaveTwoBob |
Posted on 13-04-2022 16:11
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Hoping Boily can do something for Kraftwerk but not confident.
Thanks for the preview BBL.
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 06-12-2025 19:34
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| Nemolito |
Posted on 14-04-2022 08:53
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Thanks for the great preview, bbl! Top-10 for Spilak would be great, but I fear he'll lose a lot of time in the individual time trial, even with his decent TT. Just a lot of better TT'ists here. Not looking forward to the team time trial to be fair, our team hasn't performed very well in those so far. Zmorka alone can't keep the train going for 38k, but maybe with a strong individual ITT he is also able to score some okay GC points.
Good luck to everyone.
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| beagle |
Posted on 14-04-2022 18:20
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We came here for big result, but I´m not really sure if we get one. Opening TTT may indicate.
Thanks for the preview bbl.
Manager of Polar in Man-Game
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| Croatia14 |
Posted on 14-04-2022 18:39
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It's a home race and it's a very nice one. Sadly it obviously doesn't fit the Slovenian riders currently in the DB, neither Cedevita nor Isostar taking part shows that it's sadly unattractive to come to our home race for the regional teams (Trans obviously not being allowed). Would love if this would become a race more like the real Tour of Slovenia. Will still enjoy to follow it from a neutral perspective, especially after the great preview by bbl and seeing Abhi as a reporter!
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| cunego59 |
Posted on 14-04-2022 21:56
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Losing more than a minute and a half is not ideal, but probably within reason. Hopefully Rosskopf can perform well tomorrow to set himself up for a nice GC. Would like a break of the day appearance as well.
Thanks for the report Abhi, TTTs are always a bit thankless but I enjoyed it! Congrats to Gustavovsky!
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| Marcovdw |
Posted on 14-04-2022 22:16
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2 extra seconds for Uran, not the best start
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| Gustavovskiy |
Posted on 15-04-2022 09:01
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Yes! Stupendous to be back to winning ways on TTTs after our recent run. Even more so here in Slovenia, a PTHC event, where we have a win goal. Couldn't be happier.
It's difficult to see Gesink taking the GC all the way up to the end, but this is definitely a nice canvas to work on.
Thanks for the comprehensive preview bbl and for the detailed report Abhi!
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| DaveTwoBob |
Posted on 15-04-2022 11:24
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40 seconds down for Kraftwerk, not too bad.
Its possible Dulanjana might end up as our leader after the ITT, hope he doesn't loose more time before then after shipping 4 seconds in S1.
Thanks for the report Abhi and congrats to Gustavovskiy.
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| tastasol |
Posted on 15-04-2022 11:38
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We're here, but not with Würtz, so let's see how it goes. Brkic and Omarsson might do decent GCs, but I hope we will try to attack the race. Should at least get some freedom after losing some time in the TTT.
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| cunego59 |
Posted on 15-04-2022 17:18
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Koretzky seems to have had an amazing day, congrats SotD! Pretty happy with our team performance, too. Vendrame sits in second in the KoM, maybe he can expand on that. And Rosskopf with a decent ride as well, maybe Top 20-25 is in reach. Thanks for the nice report!
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| Luis Leon Sanchez |
Posted on 15-04-2022 17:23
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Really cool to see Conci doing well so far here. Will be tough for him to remain in the Top 10 as that Time Trial on Stage 4 looks crazy! However, if he has a really good day, we could be looking at a great result for him assuming nothing goes wrong on the final hill stage.
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| DaveTwoBob |
Posted on 15-04-2022 19:07
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Bilbao allowed in the break! Not much of a favourite then, at least he took pressure off the team behind.
Good to see 4 Kraftwerk riders in the top 30 in GC, two can time trial a bit. Dulanjana looking likely to be our best placed rider again.
Congrats to SotD and thanks to Abhi for the report.
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| Marcovdw |
Posted on 15-04-2022 19:59
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Marcovdw wrote:
Sending Uran here might be the smartest or dumbest thing I've ever done
The latter, obviously
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| sammyt93 |
Posted on 16-04-2022 01:10
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TJ knew he would have to ride hard to make up for our lack of ability in TTT's but unfortunately he overcooked himself and fell back into the clutches of the pack instead of being able to make some time back.
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| beagle |
Posted on 16-04-2022 08:06
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After weak performance in TTT, things became even much worse in first hilly stage. Losing alnost 3' in such kind of stage is just pathetic, I don't get it.
Thanks for the reports!
Manager of Polar in Man-Game
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| Nemolito |
Posted on 16-04-2022 08:55
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So far, so good for us. Stage 1 TTT in fifth is okay, only losing 15 seconds to the number one is great I think. Also no stage points on the second stage, but Spilak was where he had to be and also Zmorka did very well. The Ukrainian should suffer a lot in the next hilly stage, as it's way harder, but definitely can't complain so far.
Thanks for the great reports, Abhi, and congratulations to Duolingo on the TTT win and Festina on the great stage win
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