Mresuperstar - Well, since he rode for Topsport Vlaanderen in 2013 it's his 2nd season. I say that's enough to make him an experiences veteran
Shonak - Well, honest I am very surprised myself. But the route makes for a strange gameplay. However, I'm very happy he has his first win so early, relieves some of the pressure Though one victory doesn't mean the next one is just around the corner. There are plenty of guys where victory #2 never came
2nd post updated now, I think I'll stick with that lay-out, seems nice. Based a bit on Wikipedia page of Tom Boonen
Matthews doesn't have a chance against Matthias. He better could've gone to the Tirreno.
Nice victory and great to see him in the leader jersey! Would be great if he can take the overall victory, but with three stages to go it'll be difficult. Nothing is sure yet.
Shonak - So there we see the difference between his English and Dutch page Awesome
MrUfo87 - Haha cheers Matthews is still the better sprinter, though. Matthias just on fire at the moment! Keeping the leader's jersey will be hard with 2 mountain stages..
One day after the victory of my life. I came into the World Tour like a comet but as a wise man once said: "it's easier to win by surprise then to confirm." Many never make that transition. I certainly hope I can do it. Starting in the next stage.
Paris - Nice :: Stage 6
Most probably my final day in yellow for a long, long time. So I plan to enjoy it.
Profile
Well, not much I can do here. But then again, I never thought I could win a stage here this year, so why couldn't I keep yellow today?
I was secretly hoping to keep my jersey, but when the first attacks came, I felt it wouldn't be possible.
I got set back by the meter when it went uphill. My legs felt completely empty.
But there's a silver lining. I lost my jersey to a team mate, yeah! Cameron Meyer pulled a stunt on the Mont Faron and took the leader's jersey from me, that's great!
While he was celebrating a massive victory, I was struggling to reach the top. My Paris - Nice adventure ends here. It was an amazing one, but too short to my liking.
Result - Stage 6
1
Cameron Meyer
Orica GreenEdge
3h54'15
2
Michał Kwiatkowski
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 16
3
Simon Spilak
Team Katusha
+ 20
4
Daniel Martin
Garmin Sharp
+ 30
5
Chris Horner
Lampre - Merida
+ 33
6
Bauke Mollema
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 40
7
Richie Porte
Team Sky
s.t.
8
Ryder Hesjedal
Garmin Sharp
+ 46
9
Rui Costa
Lampre - Merida
+ 51
10
Jérôme Coppel
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
s.t.
(...)
84
Matthias Vleminckx
Orica GreenEdge
+ 8'06
The rest of my Paris - Nice was an experience of pain. I worked hard in the first kilometers to defend the leader's jersey but the mountains really took me for a ride.
Paris - Nice :: Stage 7
A group of seven fought for the victory. Porte jumped away in the final 3 kilometers.
Result - Stage 7
1
Richie Porte
Team Sky
4h26'49
2
Bauke Mollema
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 5
3
Ryder Hesjedal
Garmin Sharp
+ 12
4
Przemyslaw Niemiec
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
5
Simon Spilak
Team Katusha
s.t.
6
Cameron Meyer
Orica GreenEdge
s.t.
7
Tony Martin
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
8
Chris Horner
Lampre - Merida
+ 36
9
Jurgen Van den Broeck
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
10
Michał Kwiatkowski
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
Meyer still in yellow. Just one more stage and he wins Paris - Nice!
Paris - Nice :: Stage 8
Meyer had a hard day. There was an exciting battle for the victory, with a large group going to the finish together.
Result - Stage 8
1
Mikel Nieve
Team Sky
3h44'58
2
Chris Horner
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
3
Daniel Martin
Garmin Sharp
s.t.
4
Tejay Van Garderen
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
5
Richie Porte
Team Sky
s.t.
6
Rui Costa
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
7
Przemyslaw Niemiec
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
8
Peter Kennaugh
Team Sky
s.t.
9
Simon Spilak
Team Katusha
s.t.
10
Jurgen Van den Broeck
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
Final Classification
1
Simon Spilak
Team Katusha
21h41'31
2
Richie Porte
Team Sky
+ 4
3
Chris Horner
Lampre - Merida
+ 33
4
Cameron Meyer
Orica GreenEdge
+ 37
5
Przemyslaw Niemiec
Lampre - Merida
+ 39
6
Bauke Mollema
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 40
7
Rui Costa
Lampre - Merida
+ 1'10
8
Tejay Van Garderen
BMC Racing Team
+ 1'12
9
Andrew Talansky
Garmin Sharp
+ 1'13
10
Michał Kwiatkowski
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 1'26
(...)
90
Matthias Vleminckx
Orica GreenEdge
+ 29'06
Spoiler
11
Daniel Martin
Garmin Sharp
+ 1'31
12
Ryder Hesjedal
Garmin Sharp
+ 1'42
13
Bradley Wiggins
Team Sky
+ 1'56
14
Peter Kennaugh
Team Sky
+ 3'17
15
Nicolas Roche
Tinkoff - Saxo
+ 3'21
16
Samuel Sánchez
BMC Racing Team
+ 3'44
17
Jurgen Van den Broeck
Lotto Belisol
+ 3'47
18
Peter Velits
BMC Racing Team
+ 3'51
19
Daniel Moreno
Team Katusha
+ 3'58
20
Pieter Weening
Orica GreenEdge
+ 4'29
21
Fränk Schleck
Trek Factory Racing
+ 4'45
22
Michael Rogers
Tinkoff - Saxo
+ 5'04
23
Thomas De Gendt
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 5'25
24
Warren Barguil
Team Giant - Shimano
+ 6'03
25
Tony Martin
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 6'24
26
Jean-Christophe Peraud
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 6'53
27
Andrey Amador
Movistar Team
+ 7'39
28
Mikel Nieve
Team Sky
+ 7'41
29
Gianluca Brambilla
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 7'55
30
Jonathan Castroviejo
Movistar Team
+ 8'44
31
Rohan Dennis
Garmin Sharp
+ 9'16
32
John Darwin Atapuma
BMC Racing Team
+ 10'00
33
Eduard Vorganov
Team Katusha
+ 10'26
34
Chris Anker Sørensen
Tinkoff - Saxo
+ 10'48
35
Valerio Agnoli
Astana Pro Team
+ 11'02
36
Winner Anacona
Lampre - Merida
+ 11'05
37
John Gadret
Movistar Team
+ 11'29
38
Jérôme Coppel
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 12'04
39
Petr Ignatenko
Team Katusha
+ 12'05
40
Maxim Iglinskiy
Astana Pro Team
+ 12'23
41
Paolo Tiralongo
Astana Pro Team
+ 12'42
42
Steven Kruijswijk
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 13'04
43
Francisco José Ventoso
Movistar Team
+ 13'50
44
Mikel Landa
Astana Pro Team
+ 15'38
45
Samuel Dumoulin
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 16'38
46
Jonathan Fumeaux
IAM Cycling
+ 17'11
47
Tiago Machado
Team NetApp - Endura
+ 17'14
48
Marcel Wyss
IAM Cycling
+ 18'09
49
Danny Pate
Team Sky
+ 18'13
50
Egor Silin
Team Katusha
+ 18'14
51
Rein Taaramäe
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
s.t.
52
Adam Yates
Orica GreenEdge
+ 18'22
53
Arthur Vichot
FDJ.fr
+ 18'23
54
Thomas Löfkvist
IAM Cycling
s.t.
55
Jonathan Hivert
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 18'29
56
David De la Cruz
Team NetApp - Endura
+ 18'40
57
George Bennett
Cannondale
s.t.
58
Kenny Elissonde
FDJ.fr
+ 19'02
59
Cristiano Salerno
Cannondale
+ 19'11
60
Francesco Gavazzi
Astana Pro Team
+ 19'20
61
Geoffrey Soupe
FDJ.fr
+ 19'22
62
Fabian Cancellara
Trek Factory Racing
+ 20'34
63
Cyril Lemoine
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 20'48
64
Gianni Meersman
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 20'51
65
Amaël Moinard
BMC Racing Team
+ 20'53
66
Tobias Ludvigsson
Team Giant - Shimano
s.t.
67
Jesús Herrada
Movistar Team
+ 21'22
68
Ivan Rovny
Tinkoff - Saxo
+ 21'32
69
Ramunas Navardauskas
Garmin Sharp
s.t.
70
Iker Camaño
Team NetApp - Endura
+ 21'45
71
Bartosz Huzarski
Team NetApp - Endura
+ 21'49
72
Michal Golas
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 22'19
73
Antonio Piedra
Caja Rural - Seguros RGA
+ 22'23
74
Fabricio Ferrari
Caja Rural - Seguros RGA
s.t.
75
Marcos García
Caja Rural - Seguros RGA
+ 22'35
76
José Mendes
Team NetApp - Endura
+ 22'45
77
Tom Dumoulin
Team Giant - Shimano
+ 22'50
78
Lloyd Mondory
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 24'12
79
Matthew Busche
Trek Factory Racing
+ 24'27
80
Thomas Damuseau
Team Giant - Shimano
+ 24'56
81
Florian Guillou
Bretagne - Séché Environnement
+ 25'26
82
Guillaume Bonnafond
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 26'28
83
Rafael Valls
Lampre - Merida
+ 27'14
84
Marc Goos
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
85
Moreno Moser
Cannondale
+ 27'29
86
Fabio Felline
Trek Factory Racing
+ 28'15
87
Cayetano Sarmiento
Cannondale
+ 28'28
88
José Joaquín Rojas
Movistar Team
+ 28'29
89
Ángel Madrazo
Caja Rural - Seguros RGA
+ 28'42
90
Matthias Vleminckx
Orica GreenEdge
+ 29'06
91
Alexey Lutsenko
Astana Pro Team
+ 29'16
92
Pello Bilbao
Caja Rural - Seguros RGA
+ 29'31
93
Yohan Offredo
FDJ.fr
+ 29'42
94
Yaroslav Popovych
Trek Factory Racing
+ 29'51
95
Elia Favilli
Lampre - Merida
+ 30'12
96
Jérôme Pineau
IAM Cycling
+ 30'20
97
Hugo Houle
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 30'23
98
Luke Durbridge
Orica GreenEdge
+ 30'26
99
Davide Formolo
Cannondale
+ 31'16
100
Patrick Schelling
IAM Cycling
+ 31'18
101
Ruslan Tleubayev
Astana Pro Team
+ 31'51
102
Pierre-Luc Périchon
Bretagne - Séché Environnement
+ 32'02
103
Yukiya Arashiro
Team Europcar
+ 33'06
104
Ian Boswell
Team Sky
+ 33'37
105
Fabrice Jeandesboz
Team Europcar
+ 34'02
106
Lars Boom
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 34'44
107
Matteo Bono
Lampre - Merida
+ 34'49
108
Jesper Hansen
Tinkoff - Saxo
+ 34'59
109
Michael Valgren
Tinkoff - Saxo
+ 35'07
110
Daniel Oss
BMC Racing Team
+ 35'13
111
Francesco Lasca
Caja Rural - Seguros RGA
+ 35'14
112
Taylor Phinney
BMC Racing Team
+ 35'58
113
Koldo Fernández
Garmin Sharp
+ 36'08
114
Aleksandr Kuschynski
Team Katusha
+ 36'11
115
Karsten Kroon
Tinkoff - Saxo
+ 36'21
116
Joshua Edmondson
Team Sky
+ 36'22
117
André Greipel
Lotto Belisol
+ 38'21
118
Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg
Team Giant - Shimano
+ 38'28
119
Mark Renshaw
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 39'09
120
Bernhard Eisel
Team Sky
+ 39'18
121
Jean-Marc Marino
Cannondale
+ 39'36
122
Jürgen Roelandts
Lotto Belisol
+ 41'26
123
Mickaël Delage
FDJ.fr
+ 42'42
124
Greg Henderson
Lotto Belisol
+ 42'55
125
Moreno Hofland
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 43'21
126
Kris Boeckmans
Lotto Belisol
+ 44'08
127
Julien Fouchard
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 44'17
128
Julian Alaphilippe
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 44'19
129
Arnaud Demare
FDJ.fr
+ 44'27
130
Sébastien Hinault
IAM Cycling
+ 44'29
131
Albert Timmer
Team Giant - Shimano
+ 44'31
132
Javier Francisco Aramendia
Caja Rural - Seguros RGA
+ 44'36
133
Adrien Petit
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 44'47
134
Roy Curvers
Team Giant - Shimano
s.t.
135
Giacomo Nizzolo
Trek Factory Racing
+ 45'56
136
Florian Vachon
Bretagne - Séché Environnement
+ 46'21
137
Steve Chainel
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 46'32
138
Michael Matthews
Orica GreenEdge
+ 47'13
139
Vyacheslav Kuznetsov
Team Katusha
+ 47'33
140
Jens Debusschere
Lotto Belisol
+ 47'41
141
Brett Lancaster
Orica GreenEdge
+ 47'57
142
Anthony Geslin
FDJ.fr
+ 47'58
143
Raymond Kreder
Garmin Sharp
+ 48'11
144
Manuele Boaro
Tinkoff - Saxo
+ 48'15
145
Jérôme Cousin
Team Europcar
+ 48'23
146
Florian Senechal
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 48'24
147
Tosh Van der Sande
Lotto Belisol
+ 48'37
148
Klaas Lodewyck
BMC Racing Team
+ 48'39
149
Tom Leezer
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 48'40
150
Stéphane Poulhiès
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 48'42
151
Romain Feillu
Bretagne - Séché Environnement
+ 48'44
152
Vincent Jérôme
Team Europcar
+ 48'59
153
Arnaud Gérard
Bretagne - Séché Environnement
+ 49'06
154
Matteo Pelucchi
IAM Cycling
+ 49'15
155
Tony Hurel
Team Europcar
+ 49'54
156
Tyler Farrar
Garmin Sharp
+ 50'05
157
Fabio Silvestre
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
158
Gediminas Bagdonas
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 50'13
159
Alexis Gougeard
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 50'21
160
Enrique Sanz
Movistar Team
+ 51'07
161
Valentin Iglinskiy
Astana Pro Team
+ 51'27
162
Gang Xu
Lampre - Merida
+ 51'47
163
Davide Viganò
Caja Rural - Seguros RGA
+ 51'54
164
Sean De Bie
Lotto Belisol
+ 53'22
165
Sam Bennett
Team NetApp - Endura
+ 53'53
166
Hayden Roulston
Trek Factory Racing
+ 54'07
167
Louis Verhelst
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 54'19
168
Jonathon McEvoy
Team NetApp - Endura
+ 54'41
169
Sébastien Chavanel
FDJ.fr
+ 54'47
170
Graeme Brown
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 54'51
171
Guillaume Boivin
Cannondale
+ 56'10
172
Alberto Bettiol
Cannondale
+ 57'17
173
Anton Vorobyev
Team Katusha
+ 58'58
174
Antoine Duchesne
Team Europcar
+ 59'07
175
Romain Guillemois
Team Europcar
+ 59'26
176
Morgan Lamoisson
Team Europcar
+ 59'36
177
Matthew Hayman
Orica GreenEdge
+ 59'42
178
Pirmin Lang
IAM Cycling
+ 1h08'04
179
Benjamin Le Montagner
Bretagne - Séché Environnement
+ 1h09'02
180
Benoit Jarrier
Bretagne - Séché Environnement
+ 1h09'59
181
Cheng Ji
Team Giant - Shimano
+ 1h13'39
182
Michael Schwarzmann
Team NetApp - Endura
+ 1h13'43
183
Armindo Fonseca
Bretagne - Séché Environnement
+ 1h25'13
And that's the end of Paris - Nice. I return home a very, very happy man. I can't believe what's happened here, it's still hard to grasp. But now my focus lays completely with my 4 upcoming races, the most beautiful ones of all: E3 - Harelbeke, Gent - Wevelgem, De Ronde Van Vlaanderen and Paris - Roubaix.
Tomorrow we enter the town of my birth.
I want to be ready.
Just one more night's sleep and it's time for one of my biggest goals of the season. The cobbled season kicks off with E3 - Harelbeke, a race which is sometimes called a 'mini Tour of Flanders'.
E3 - Harelbeke is soon followed by Gent - Wevelgem, De Ronde Van Vlaanderen and Paris - Roubaix. I have been selected for all four races. A little preview, but first some major news for the team!
Milan - Sanremo
Simon Gerrans won the 2014 edition of Milan - Sanremo after successfully attacking on the Poggio. Greg Van Avermaet and Roman Kreuziger completed the podium but were 12 seconds short of sprinting for the victory. Further down the top 10 are Boonen, Stybar, Cancellara, Thomas, Chavanel, Caruso and Montaguti. For the Australian Gerrans it's the 2nd victory at Milan - Sanremo.
And then there was this:
Tirreno - Adriatico :: Final Classification
1
Vincenzo Nibali
Astana Pro Team
24h20'26
2
Roman Kreuziger
Tinkoff - Saxo
+ 1'16
3
Chris Froome
Team Sky
+ 1'51
4
Thomas Voeckler
Team Europcar
s.t.
5
Carlos Betancur
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 2'31
6
Ivan Santaromita
Orica GreenEdge
+ 4'24
7
Kanstantsin Siutsou
Team Sky
+ 5'00
8
Peter Sagan
Cannondale
+ 5'01
9
Alberto Contador
Tinkoff - Saxo
+ 5'07
10
Alejandro Valverde
Movistar Team
+ 6'35
All in all we can say the team is on a roll. We're currently ranked 3rd with most victories, let's hope we can keep it up. But now, let's bring our focus back to the cobbled season.
Preview of the Cobbled Classics
Main Players
In Sanremo, we saw an extremely hungry and strong Tom Boonen. He certainly has the team to bring him to victory. This year he can break quite some records, too. But his status as top favorite can be a curse, too. Then it might be up to Stybar or Terpstra to finish the job. They have plenty of choice at Omega Pharma - Quickstep.
Fabian Cancellara looks ready for his main goal of the season. No doubt he'll be looking to score his third Ronde - Roubaix double. But the Swiss rider will be starting with a big disadvantage as strong lieutenant Devolder is out with a fractured kneecap. Rast is also at home with a broken hand. He'll have to do it alone.
Sep Vanmarcke looks like he'll make his final step towards the absolute top any day now. Without a doubt he'll be hungry for a major victory, preferably in Roubaix.
Other then those three, we have plenty of second row candidates, with Peter Sagan, John Degenkolb, Arnaud Démare, Greg Van Avermaet, Jürgen Roelandts and many more...
Orica - GreenEdge
The team DS has made our tactics clear a few days ago, so we all know what we're supposed to do. Against expectations, Orica - GreenEdge won't name a single leader for either race. Matthew Hayman has a protected status, since he has the experience. Jens Keukeleire and myself are right below in the hierarchy for the next four races.
I was somewhat surprised by that. But my efforts in Paris - Nice aroused the DS' curiousity. Jens and myself are supposed to try and do our best, learn as much as we can so we can come back one day to win. That's it for us. And, if the situation should present itself, help Hayman in the finale. If I can ride a finale, that would be great. I'm very excited.
I swear to God they are Maybe I really am getting to good for Hard, though. I've been switching between Hard and Extreme for some months now.
Glad you enjoy the story
Though I did something different with his stats. His sprint stat is quite high to start with (he was a top sprinter at the juniors), but he hasn't got a lot of progression left in sprinting. He trains on northern classics, so his sprinting will stay somewhat the same. His COB is lower than I usually start with, since that's the thing he'll hopefully improve on. Hope you know what I mean
And, anyway, with the current real life cycling generation, these results aren't unrealistic at all, I think. Look at Démare, Sagan and many others who are so young and have already achieved so much
At least Matt enjoyed his stay in yellow and leaving Nice with a staeg win and some yellow jerseys as memories sure is more than he hoped for at that point. However, more importantly, his form seems to be great for the classics. Eagerly awaiting them.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Surprised Matt didn't ride San Remo with those results..
Anyway, I really like the "sprinter turning into a classic rider", as it's what happened to Kristoff, Degenkolb etc as well. It definitely adds realism!
Shonak - Paris - Nice was definitely a big success, no matter how you look at it A step up for Matt, also in the team hierarchy. Classics will be interesting to say the least!
Ollfardh - Sanremo was a tough call but with the pompeiana in the profile and it being 300km, there were better riders to pick up the work for the race.
Glad you like my plan with Matthias
The cobbled season is upon us! I hope I don't insult any of you, but it's hard to understand just how big this all is unless you grew up in Flanders. These races are holy and the whole nation's eyes are turned on nothing but cycling for those sacred few weeks. I'm proud to be part of that story this year.
I had a nice talk with Hayman right before the start (he speaks Dutch fluently after his years with Rabobank). He's really given me the confidence to make the most of it. #IHaveTheBestTeamEver! (am I using this right? Damn 21th century)
E3 - Harelbeke
E3 - Harelbeke, the 'mini-Ronde'. The favorites won't be able to hide any longer, all masks go off today. Everyone is hoping to see an exciting battle. I'm just hoping to get out of this alive. Tensions can rise high during these races and the rainy conditions will make for a dangerous race. Let's go for it!
Profile
There are some very tough cobbled sections and some tricky hills. We have the Oude Kwaremont as final cobbled hill, some 30 kilometers from the finish. I have a free role today. I hope to either get in the break of the day or ride the finale. A top 25 would satisfy me.
As soon as the flag was down, Hayman tried to make the most of it. With his talent, he should have at least one major classic on his palmarès. Maybe it'll work from a breakaway?
But the peloton sees the potential danger involved and chases him down.
Meanwhile, I was hanging back in the peloton, not too worried yet. Two men escaped and the peloton took it easy. I had a wonderful chat with Tom Van Asbroeck.
But with 110 kilometers left, another 11 riders tried to brake away. A group of 13 was too dangerous to let go now, so the peloton kept them at 30 seconds for a long time. The pace was incredibly high now!
We passed Geraardsbergen but left De Muur at our right side, thank God!
I tried to move up the peloton but the pace was too high to do so without wasting a lot of energy. On the Eikenberg, I was in about 30th position when my derailleur jammed. I had to stop and put it back in order before jumping back on the bike. Worst possible moment!
Meanwhile, the race had broken loose. For me, the race was over. But I admit I probably wouldn't have been with these guys anyway. This is the top of the world at these races.
Cancellara wanted to take no risks and tried to go solo!
Meanwhile I took the rest of the race as a good training. Nobody in my group was real eager to work so I took quite some turns.
Nobody could follow this man today. Fabian Cancellara wins E3 - Harelbeke 2014!
I finish about 9 minutes later, 47th. Not the most glamorous start of my cobbled career, but I'll take it.
On the other hand, Jens Keukeleire impressed with a 12th place, way to go, Jens!
Result
1
Fabian Cancellara
Trek Factory Racing
4h29'42
2
Peter Sagan
Cannondale
+ 1'34
3
Sep Vanmarcke
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
4
Alexander Kristoff
Team Katusha
s.t.
5
Sylvain Chavanel
IAM Cycling
s.t.
6
Tom Boonen
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
7
Filippo Pozzato
Lampre - Merida
+ 2'45
8
Greg Van Avermaet
BMC Racing Team
+ 3'08
9
Luca Paolini
Team Katusha
+ 3'43
10
Andrey Amador
Movistar Team
s.t.
11
Heinrich Haussler
IAM Cycling
s.t.
12
Jens Keukeleire
Orica GreenEdge
s.t.
13
Oscar Gatto
Cannondale
s.t.
14
Yohan Offredo
FDJ.fr
s.t.
15
Maarten Wynants
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
(...)
47
Matthias Vleminckx
Orica GreenEdge
+ 8'29
Spoiler
16
Geraint Thomas
Team Sky
s.t.
17
Lars Boom
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
18
Niki Terpstra
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
19
Björn Leukemans
Wanty - Groupe Gobert
s.t.
20
Danilo Hondo
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
21
Borut Božic
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
22
Matthew Hayman
Orica GreenEdge
s.t.
23
Sebastian Langeveld
Garmin Sharp
s.t.
24
Steve Chainel
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
25
Hayden Roulston
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
26
Damien Gaudin
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
27
Johnny Hoogerland
Androni Giocattoli
+ 4'40
28
Jürgen Roelandts
Lotto Belisol
+ 8'29
29
Zdenek Stybar
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
30
Nick Nuyens
Garmin Sharp
s.t.
31
Tom Van Asbroeck
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
32
Matthieu Ladagnous
FDJ.fr
s.t.
33
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Team Sky
s.t.
34
Mickaël Delage
FDJ.fr
s.t.
35
Maxim Iglinskiy
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
36
Jacopo Guarnieri
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
37
Taylor Phinney
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
38
Jasper Stuyven
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
39
Sébastien Turgot
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
40
Bernhard Eisel
Team Sky
s.t.
41
Gert Steegmans
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
42
Iljo Keisse
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
43
Bob Jungels
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
44
Gianni Meersman
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
45
Martin Elmiger
IAM Cycling
s.t.
46
Salvatore Puccio
Team Sky
s.t.
47
Matthias Vleminckx
Orica GreenEdge
s.t.
48
Manuel Quinziato
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
49
Stijn Vandenbergh
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
50
Simon Geschke
Team Giant - Shimano
s.t.
51
Wesley Kreder
Wanty - Groupe Gobert
s.t.
52
Sébastien Minard
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
53
Yauheni Hutarovich
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
54
Geoffrey Soupe
FDJ.fr
s.t.
55
Markel Irizar
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
56
Kristjan Koren
Cannondale
s.t.
57
Vladimir Gusev
Team Katusha
s.t.
58
Boy Van Poppel
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
59
Klaas Lodewyck
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
60
Zico Waeytens
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
61
Adriano Malori
Movistar Team
s.t.
62
Morgan Lamoisson
Team Europcar
s.t.
63
Bart De Clercq
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
64
Dylan van Baarle
Garmin Sharp
s.t.
65
Michael Mørkøv
Tinkoff - Saxo
+ 10'04
66
Elia Favilli
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
67
Francisco José Ventoso
Movistar Team
s.t.
68
Daniele Bennati
Tinkoff - Saxo
s.t.
69
Alexandre Pichot
Team Europcar
s.t.
70
Kenny Dehaes
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
71
Dimitriy Muravyev
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
72
Bryan Coquard
Team Europcar
s.t.
73
Roy Curvers
Team Giant - Shimano
s.t.
74
Jens Debusschere
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
75
Sébastien Chavanel
FDJ.fr
s.t.
76
Christian Knees
Team Sky
s.t.
77
Jan Ghyselinck
Wanty - Groupe Gobert
s.t.
78
Paul Voss
Team NetApp - Endura
s.t.
79
Jimmy Engoulvent
Team Europcar
s.t.
80
Robert Wagner
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
81
Marko Kump
Tinkoff - Saxo
s.t.
82
Aleksandr Kuschynski
Team Katusha
s.t.
83
Dennis Van Winden
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
84
Diego Ulissi
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
85
Tim Declercq
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
86
Alexey Tsatevitch
Team Katusha
s.t.
87
Matthew Goss
Orica GreenEdge
s.t.
88
Moreno Hofland
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
89
Kevyn Ista
IAM Cycling
s.t.
90
Alexis Vuillermoz
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
91
Pieter Serry
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
92
Jack Bauer
Garmin Sharp
s.t.
93
Juan José Lobato
Movistar Team
+ 12'20
94
Nathan Haas
Garmin Sharp
s.t.
95
Yves Lampaert
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
96
Jonas Vangenechten
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
97
Marco Haller
Team Katusha
s.t.
98
Jarl Salomein
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
99
Murilo Fischer
FDJ.fr
s.t.
100
Giovanni Visconti
Movistar Team
s.t.
101
Preben Van Hecke
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
102
Dries Devenyns
Team Giant - Shimano
s.t.
103
Edward King
Cannondale
s.t.
104
Jos Van Emden
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
105
Leigh Howard
Orica GreenEdge
s.t.
106
Yohann Gène
Team Europcar
+ 13'19
107
Andrea Guardini
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
108
Ben Swift
Team Sky
s.t.
109
Laurens De Vreese
Wanty - Groupe Gobert
s.t.
110
Gorka Izagirre
Movistar Team
s.t.
111
David Boucher
FDJ.fr
s.t.
112
Thomas Löfkvist
IAM Cycling
s.t.
113
Christophe Kern
Team Europcar
s.t.
114
Ariel Maximiliano Richeze
Lampre - Merida
+ 14'44
115
Nikolai Trussov
Tinkoff - Saxo
s.t.
116
Gatis Smukulis
Team Katusha
s.t.
117
Francis De Greef
Wanty - Groupe Gobert
s.t.
118
Francesco Chicchi
YellowFluo
s.t.
119
Davide Villella
Cannondale
s.t.
120
Frederik Veuchelen
Wanty - Groupe Gobert
s.t.
121
Arthur Vichot
FDJ.fr
s.t.
122
Alexey Lutsenko
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
123
Tosh Van der Sande
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
124
Dario Cataldo
Team Sky
s.t.
125
Frantisek Padour
Team NetApp - Endura
s.t.
126
Julien Bérard
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
127
Luca Dodi
Lampre - Merida
+ 16'29
128
Dennis Vanendert
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
129
Danilo Wyss
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
130
Sérgio Paulinho
Tinkoff - Saxo
s.t.
131
David De la Cruz
Team NetApp - Endura
s.t.
132
Michael Valgren
Tinkoff - Saxo
s.t.
133
Dominic Klemme
IAM Cycling
+ 17'13
134
Kevin Van Melsen
Wanty - Groupe Gobert
s.t.
135
Roberto De Patre
YellowFluo
s.t.
136
Nathan Earle
Team Sky
s.t.
137
Fabian Wegmann
Garmin Sharp
s.t.
138
Daan Olivier
Team Giant - Shimano
s.t.
139
John Gadret
Movistar Team
s.t.
140
Ruslan Tleubayev
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
141
Nikias Arndt
Team Giant - Shimano
s.t.
142
Jan Barta
Team NetApp - Endura
s.t.
143
Sander Armee
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
144
Matteo Bono
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
145
Jan Polanc
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
146
Laurent Didier
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
147
Michel Koch
Cannondale
s.t.
148
Jens Mouris
Orica GreenEdge
s.t.
149
Svein Tuft
Orica GreenEdge
s.t.
150
Mitchell Docker
Orica GreenEdge
s.t.
151
Lasse Norman Hansen
Garmin Sharp
+ 18'32
152
Evgeni Petrov
Tinkoff - Saxo
s.t.
153
Arthur Van Overberghe
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
154
Jonathan Monsalve
YellowFluo
s.t.
155
Bartosz Huzarski
Team NetApp - Endura
s.t.
156
Edward Theuns
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
157
Matteo Rabottini
YellowFluo
s.t.
158
George Preidler
Team Giant - Shimano
s.t.
159
Mikaël Chérel
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
160
Peter Stetina
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
161
Andrea Fedi
YellowFluo
s.t.
162
Diego Rosa
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
163
Sebastian Lander
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
164
Emanuele Sella
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
165
Petr Ignatenko
Team Katusha
s.t.
166
George Bennett
Cannondale
s.t.
167
Nelson Oliveira
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
168
Valerio Agnoli
Astana Pro Team
+ 20'08
169
Amaël Moinard
BMC Racing Team
+ 20'34
170
Rick Flens
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
171
Bryan Nauleau
Team Europcar
s.t.
172
Giorgio Cecchinel
YellowFluo
s.t.
173
Caleb Fairly
Garmin Sharp
s.t.
174
Perrig Quemeneur
Team Europcar
s.t.
175
Marcel Aregger
IAM Cycling
s.t.
176
Sylwester Szmyd
Movistar Team
s.t.
177
Daniele Colli
YellowFluo
s.t.
178
Marco Frapporti
Androni Giocattoli
+ 21'33
179
José Mendes
Team NetApp - Endura
s.t.
180
Reto Hollenstein
IAM Cycling
s.t.
181
Alessio Taliani
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
182
Iker Camaño
Team NetApp - Endura
s.t.
183
Matteo Di Serafino
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
184
Guillaume Boivin
Cannondale
s.t.
185
Jackson Rodríguez
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
186
Sea Keong Loh
Team Giant - Shimano
+ 23'22
187
Mirko Tedeschi
YellowFluo
+ 23'58
188
Frederik Backaert
Wanty - Groupe Gobert
s.t.
189
Erick Rowsell
Team NetApp - Endura
+ 24'48
190
Yonder Godoy
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
191
Bruno Pires
Tinkoff - Saxo
s.t.
192
Thierry Hupond
Team Giant - Shimano
s.t.
I took it relatively easy in the final 10 kilometer, hoping to save my legs a bit so I can put in a strong performance in Gent - Wevelgem. I didn't make the top 25 I was hoping for here, so I'll have to be twice as strong in Wevelgem to be happy!
I swear to God they are Maybe I really am getting to good for Hard, though. I've been switching between Hard and Extreme for some months now.
Glad you enjoy the story
Though I did something different with his stats. His sprint stat is quite high to start with (he was a top sprinter at the juniors), but he hasn't got a lot of progression left in sprinting. He trains on northern classics, so his sprinting will stay somewhat the same. His COB is lower than I usually start with, since that's the thing he'll hopefully improve on. Hope you know what I mean
And, anyway, with the current real life cycling generation, these results aren't unrealistic at all, I think. Look at Démare, Sagan and many others who are so young and have already achieved so much
Never said they weren't realistic, Sagan won even two stages of P-N in his first year with Liquigas if I'm not mistaken. And I'm sure we're looking at an equally talented rider here
Good luck at Gent-Wevelgem, should suit Matt more, I guess!
The Hobbit - The experience is the main thing now indeed.
FonsDeSpons - Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how he deals with the monuments. Hope he can take it
cunego59 - You're quite right! I just checked it. Sagan was only 20 years old at that time. Crazy guy. Anyway, Wevelgem should suit Matt the best of all 4 at the moment.
sutty68 - Yeah, it was a bummer. But the mountains proved to be too much for him. At least he got a stage win
Though one victory doesn't mean the next one is just around the corner. There are plenty of guys where victory #2 never came 
Would be great if he can take the overall victory, but with three stages to go it'll be difficult. Nothing is sure yet.
Paris - Nice :: Stage 6 
E3 - Harelbeke 
