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Roturn`s Pro Tour Preview
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| Smowz |
Posted on 02-06-2015 08:40
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Team Leader
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2nd ... Oh happy day 
Scribbles in Aegon a bit higher on Smowz's PCT predo still to be filled out in his head!
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| jph27 |
Posted on 02-06-2015 08:58
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Team Leader
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Interestingly, you're wrong about my season planning there. Pinot is going Giro/Vuelta, Elissonde for the Tour, Gautier doesn't ride any GTs and Roux does all 3. Plus Vanderbiest does Vuelta/Tour and Petit stays out of the GTs. So there's some hope 
Great job by the way!
Edited by jph27 on 02-06-2015 08:59
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| roturn |
Posted on 02-06-2015 09:09
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Team Manager
Posts: 22043
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Thumps up then.
I did not expect this with your huge French focus but I like it a lot.
If I had known, you would be 1-2 spots higher in the rankings. |
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| SotD |
Posted on 02-06-2015 09:16
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World Champion
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Thanks for the nice words about my team mate.
I can now safely say that you guys are completely off about Spilak. He is NOT going to ride a single Grand Tour this season. I simply won't risk him being 3rd again without winning a stage. I would much rather have him destroy most of the short GC races, so he basically rides all of those aswell as a few hilly one day races.
Ricco and Lecuisinier is going for the Grand Tours, and if lucky they can do top 10 both of them, and looking at the difference in points, those should be easily caught up if Spilak wins 2-3 short GC races rather than finishing 3rd in the Giro.
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 02-06-2015 09:22
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Team Manager
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Some really interesting previews - I particularly like the way you speculate on potential rider schedules.
Not sure that I necesarily agree with you about the concept that it will be easier for weaker riders to do better in the shorter races. That surely depends on how many of the top riders are doing 2 GTs rather than 1.
For Vesuvio, I find it really hard to tell how many points my riders will bring in this year. Andy and Swifty *should* be in a similar ball-park to last year. Andy more likely to be lower as such a great season is hard to repeat, but Swift was a little under-par last year and can improve. Gastauer is untested as a team leader, while Frank has finally slipped away from leadership and could do anything.
And a Schleck v Spilak fight at the Giro? I rather hope to see Ricco as the Festina man there! Would kinda expect a more ambitious goal than Top 10 from SotD for a Spilak GT. And looking at Festina's more ambitious goals can draw some interesting conclusions on what Spilak's schedule may well be!
Edit: As now confirmed while I wrote my post
Edited by SportingNonsense on 02-06-2015 09:22
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 02-06-2015 09:26
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World Champion
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Another nice read Roturn with next part of the previews, of course i was keen the most to read the bit about Metinvest. It seems that you dont have too much confidence in us, but that is probably the reality with team built around Pluchkin. You are probably right with Ignatiev, but i am not manager that change things often and i feel like that would be horrible for my role play to switch half of team every year, just because of bigger chance of success.
Interesting info about Spilak from SotD, i have to say that is great news for us (and SotD too i would think), as Pluchkin goes in the absolutely opposite direction and will ride two GTs and nothing else. If he will crash out, we are doomed, but this is a game, so i will have to count with it. If he could win the Tour, where Spilak and Schleck will most likely be missing, i think our possible ranking spot will rise...
Edited by Avin Wargunnson on 02-06-2015 09:36
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| roturn |
Posted on 02-06-2015 09:32
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Team Manager
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Avin Wargunnson wrote:
Another nice read Roturn with next part of the previews, of course i was keen the most to read the bit about Metinvest. It seems that you dont have too much confidence in us, but that is probably the reality with team built around Spilak. You are probably right with Ignatiev, but i am not manager that change things often and i feel like that would be horrible for my role play to switch half of team every year, just because of bigger chance of success.
Interesting info about Spilak from SotD, i have to say that is great news for us (and SotD too i would think), as Pluchkin goes in the absolutely opposite direction and will ride two GTs and nothing else. If he will crash out, we are doomed, but this is a game, so i will have to count with it. If he could win the Tour, where Spilak and Schleck will most likely be missing, i think our possible ranking spot will rise...
You obviously also have no confidence in your leader when not even knowing, who he is.
@ SN: True. I think there will be like 3-4 GT riders that go for the 2 GT way. This could already make those miss the short races. Obviously a 79-81 climber still will struggle when guys like Spilak are around.
And I wouldn`t be surprised if Frank has still something left in his tank. Still a great co-leader in the hills.
@ SotD: I really thought, you once wrote something about Spilak in the Giro. Must have been wrong then or you played games with us.
Interesting way for sure. His training makes a lot more sense now. |
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| SotD |
Posted on 02-06-2015 09:35
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World Champion
Posts: 12631
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roturn wrote:
Avin Wargunnson wrote:
Another nice read Roturn with next part of the previews, of course i was keen the most to read the bit about Metinvest. It seems that you dont have too much confidence in us, but that is probably the reality with team built around Spilak. You are probably right with Ignatiev, but i am not manager that change things often and i feel like that would be horrible for my role play to switch half of team every year, just because of bigger chance of success.
Interesting info about Spilak from SotD, i have to say that is great news for us (and SotD too i would think), as Pluchkin goes in the absolutely opposite direction and will ride two GTs and nothing else. If he will crash out, we are doomed, but this is a game, so i will have to count with it. If he could win the Tour, where Spilak and Schleck will most likely be missing, i think our possible ranking spot will rise...
You obviously also have no confidence in your leader when not even knowing, who he is.
@ SN: True. I think there will be like 3-4 GT riders that go for the 2 GT way. This could already make those miss the short races. Obviously a 79-81 climber still will struggle when guys like Spilak are around.
And I wouldn`t be surprised if Frank has still something left in his tank. Still a great co-leader in the hills.
@ SotD: I really thought, you once wrote something about Spilak in the Giro. Must have been wrong then or you played games with us.
Interesting way for sure. His training makes a lot more sense now.
Oh, I indeed said that he would be likely to go for the Giro - I kinda did that in the hope that a few of those top top GC riders would go for the Tour or Vuelta instead so Ricco could achieve his top 10GC goal 
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 02-06-2015 09:37
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World Champion
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roturn wrote:
You obviously also have no confidence in your leader when not even knowing, who he is.
Oh gosh
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 08-12-2025 07:51
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| roturn |
Posted on 02-06-2015 09:37
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| Kami |
Posted on 02-06-2015 16:56
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Great preview and a very interesting read.
As for my team, i went the other way around with my leaders. Going for 1 GT + stage races for Tenorio while Uran will ride 2 GTs. It's not ideal for Uran, but it was the best fit for both his and Tenorio's race days.
Pretty spot on for the rest of my team though. I'm hoping Ulissi (and Bilbao) will make up for their lesser hill stat with their sprint stat. And for Aberasturi, i'm hoping he can do something in the HC races .
Ranking wise, i can't figure out where to place myself, as an unfortunate crash by Tenorio/Uran might make the difference between relegating or being top 15. I think it'll be a very close season.
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| Smowz |
Posted on 02-06-2015 17:22
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Team Leader
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Hmm Spilak is the new GT coward.
Not sure that is a wise move - if you can get ahead in a GT early and dominate it can really give a huge rankings boost. That said if he wins like three or four stage races and does well in Ardennes that could be really good too.
Two big 85 MO guys missing from the Tour does give others such as Pluchkin and Madrazo and hell even Jose Alarcon as chance. Is it possible that Madrazo may miss the Tour as well?
Jose is doing Tirrano - Suisse - Tour - Colombia - Liechtenstein. Did conisder doing Giro - Tour double... Probably going to be sitting behind Spilak at Tirrano, Schleck at Suisse and Pluchkin at Tour. But if he can consistently top 5 perhaps it will be okay.
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| SotD |
Posted on 02-06-2015 17:27
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World Champion
Posts: 12631
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Smowz wrote:
Hmm Spilak is the new GT coward.
Not sure that is a wise move - if you can get ahead in a GT early and dominate it can really give a huge rankings boost. That said if he wins like three or four stage races and does well in Ardennes that could be really good too.
Two big 85 MO guys missing from the Tour does give others such as Pluchkin and Madrazo and hell even Jose Alarcon as chance. Is it possible that Madrazo may miss the Tour as well?
Jose is doing Tirrano - Suisse - Tour - Colombia - Liechtenstein. Did conisder doing Giro - Tour double... Probably going to be sitting behind Spilak at Tirrano, Schleck at Suisse and Pluchkin at Tour. But if he can consistently top 5 perhaps it will be okay.
He is going to sit behind Spilak everywhere except for the Tour
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| ember |
Posted on 04-06-2015 21:46
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Thanks for all the nice words regarding Aker - MOT! In general I like how you've written something on all teams and their strengths, well done!
Have to point out though that Guldhammer (unfortunately) is Danish
I'm not sure Kristoff will replace Impey and Van Heerden looking at the sprints and the points haul from them, but at least he should be up there trying to get results. And as you say, Holst Enger should be useful in that department in future seasons
I like that you've put Red Bull - Huawei on the podium in your predictions, Smowz' team indeed looks really strong, and with another great year from Alarcon, they could very well take it away. Brilliant leaders for all terrains, and even two top notch sprinters. I suspect Venchi could be a team you miss the placing for with quite a bit if Phinney has a brilliant season. But as you point out, they're vulnerable as Phinney and Van Staeyen are there only "real" scorers, but in my mind they are good for 4000 and more points, meaning they won't need that much from other riders to challenge for a top 10. |
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