Pro Cycling Thread

[Neil Pickup]

If Stuart O'Grady wins the Tour I will streak on the Champs Elysées.

 

[Craig]

If Stuart O'Grady wins the Tour I will streak on the Champs Elysées.

The way the sport is going that may just be a possibility

If Bradley McGee can come 8th overall in a Giro...

 

[JBMAC]

If Stuart O'Grady wins the Tour I will streak on the Champs Elysées.

Now THAT could be a sight

 

[Craig]

Vladimir Gusev of Discovery wins the tough stage in the Tour of Switzerland and then promply stacked it due to fatigue after crossing the finish line. Although you should see the winners trophy, it is freaking massive.

 

[Craig]

Rabobanks TdF squad:

Michael Boogerd, Bram de Groot, Thomas Dekker, Juan Antonio Flecha, Oscar Freire, Denis Menchov, Grischa Niermann, Michael Rasmussen and Pieter Weening.

Not bad and will have shout in the TT's with the younger Dekker and Niermann seems like he has been around forever but will be useful for Menchov in the mountains and Rasmussen has to be a near certainty to get the KOM competition IMO. If Freire can stay fit then he has a chance for the Green jersey and Menchov should be a decent bet for the podium. Don't think he will win, but he has finished on the podium of a Grand Tour, so who knows (ok I admit nobody cares about the Vuelta)? Would be a nice to see Boogerd go out with a stage win.

 

[Craig]

Astana's Matthias Kessler (and mate of Andreas "Ich bin ein Führer" Kloden) career looks in doubt after testing positive for testerone. What a gimp purely and simple.

 

[Matteh]

FFS, one of my favourite riders as well.

 

[Jamee999]

Title Changed to Pro Cycling Thread

 

[Craig]

Am hoping this movie is released here as I would want to see it. Some of the things in the movie has been twisted, as the UCI is known as the WCF/WCO (World Cycling Federation, I mean ) and the rainbow jersey is different as well.

T-Mobile name Tour roster:

Marcus Burghardt, Mark Cavendish, Bernhard Eisel, Linus Gerdemann, Giuseppe Guerini, Kim Kirchen, Axel Merckx and Patrik Sinkewitz to support Michael Rogers' general classification ambitions. (from cyclingnews). German Bert Grabsch (who won the national TT championships last weekend, although TBF it was a weak field with no Voigt, Shumacher, Kloden, Fothen and reigning champion Sebastian Lang is injuried) is the reserve.

An update on PCM: Currently suspended for taking EPO and the 2005 'winner' of Tour of Swizterland (he won the Vuelta in 2002) Aitor Gonzalez wins the 2005 Vuelta a Espana. Not bad for a guy who won the 2002 race while racing for Kelme () and then goes to Fassa Bortolo and does jack **** for two years, withstanding a Tour de France stage in 2004 whilst in a break Armstrong didn't care about (I know Voeckler was in yellow, but let's face it was Armstrong who was really leading the race).

Jan Ullrich wins the Worlds TT and Robbie McEwen gets the Road Race.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Great to see Cavendish make the squad.

 

[Matteh]

I say everyone to sign up to this: http://ifarm.nl/tdf/

Think Craig, Haakon were certainly in this last time around.

You pick 15 cyclists and you pick up points from them finishing in the top 10 during a stage. The way the scoring works is that it depends on which cyclist in your list picks up the points. Say Cyclist number 1 finishes in the 10, then you'd get 15 points from him. This continues down to Cyclist number 15, who if he finishes in the 10 would only pick up 1 point.
So essentially, put sprinters high up, GC/Mountains in the middle and wildcard stage winners near the bottom.

 

[Matteh]

As an example - here's the optimal team from last year's comp.

                            tot  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
 1. R. McEwen               144 18  . 18 15 18  . 15 15  .  . 15 15  .  .  .  .  .  . 15
 2. T. Boonen               132 17 14 14 17 14  . 14 14  .  . 14 14  .  *
 3. O. Freire                97 13 13 16 13 13  .  . 13  .  . 16  .  .  .  .  .  *
 4. E. Zabel                110 12 12  . 12 12  . 12 12 12  . 12  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 14
 5. D. Bennati               81 13 11 11  . 11  . 13  . 11  . 11  .  .  .  *
 6. T. Hushovd               60 10  .  . 10 10  .  . 10  .  . 10  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 10
 7. B. Eisel                 69  9  .  9  9  9  . 11  .  .  .  . 11  .  .  .  .  .  . 11
 8. L. Paolini               54  8  8  .  . 10  . 10 10  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  8
 9. A. Kloden                44  .  .  .  .  .  7  .  .  .  9  .  .  .  7  7  7  .  7  .
10. C. Evans                 34  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  6  .  .  8  .  6  8  .  6  .
11. F. Landis                25  .  .  .  .  .  5  .  .  .  5  .  .  .  5  .  5  .  5  .
12. D. Kopp                  16  .  .  4  4  .  .  4  4  .  .  .  .  .  .  *
13. F. Ventoso               12  .  .  3  3  .  .  .  3  .  .  3  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .
14. I. Isasi                  8  .  .  .  2  2  .  .  .  2  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  2  .  .
15. C. Moreau                 4  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  1  .  .  1  .  1  1  .  .  .
                    Points: 89 100 58 75 85 99 12 79 81 25 21 81 40  9 12 14 21  2 18 58
               Percentiles: 100 97 99 99100 99 45100 99 98 34100 96 22 27 29 54 96 45 85

 

[Hoggy31]

Cats in the Cadel.

 

[Craig]

How does Thor Hushovd not win the Norwegian Road Race Championships?

 

[Magrat Garlick]

How does Thir Hushovd not win the Norwegian Road Race Championships?

Well spotted!

Basically by going away in a 4-man breakaway with two Maxbo Bianchi amateurs who didn't want to pull an inch because their teammate and slightly good bloke Edvald Hagen was in the main peloton. And because he's in poor form.

Last year he lost because he didn't get into the breakaway, so he wanted to try something new. Of course no one helps him because they know how strong he is and because he can't get his pro team-mates there... (Mind, McEwen's not won the Aussie Championships more than twice either...)

 

[JBMAC]

I say everyone to sign up to this: http://ifarm.nl/tdf/

Think Craig, Haakon were certainly in this last time around.

You pick 15 cyclists and you pick up points from them finishing in the top 10 during a stage. The way the scoring works is that it depends on which cyclist in your list picks up the points. Say Cyclist number 1 finishes in the 10, then you'd get 15 points from him. This continues down to Cyclist number 15, who if he finishes in the 10 would only pick up 1 point.
So essentially, put sprinters high up, GC/Mountains in the middle and wildcard stage winners near the bottom.

Done...Watch out for jb's rangers

 

[Craig]

Well spotted!

Basically by going away in a 4-man breakaway with two Maxbo Bianchi amateurs who didn't want to pull an inch because their teammate and slightly good bloke Edvald Hagen was in the main peloton. And because he's in poor form.

Last year he lost because he didn't get into the breakaway, so he wanted to try something new. Of course no one helps him because they know how strong he is and because he can't get his pro team-mates there... (Mind, McEwen's not won the Aussie Championships more than twice either...)

Mind you it wasn't any better for Tom Boonen either. Got done like a dogs dinner by Stijn Devolder in Ronse

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Mind you it wasn't any better for Tom Boonen either. Got done like a dogs dinner by Stijn Devolder in Ronse

Haha. The mad attacker finally wins something.

Playing PCM2 right now, with Bretagne - Armor Lux, a continental amateur team - there's a new gigantic database out for 2007 which quite frankly owns the official one. Just won Etoile de Bessèges with Charles Guilbert, as well as taking the mountain jersey. Rather pleased. (Even though I was playing on normal most of the time. )

 

[Craig]

Well spotted!

Basically by going away in a 4-man breakaway with two Maxbo Bianchi amateurs who didn't want to pull an inch because their teammate and slightly good bloke Edvald Hagen was in the main peloton. And because he's in poor form.

Last year he lost because he didn't get into the breakaway, so he wanted to try something new. Of course no one helps him because they know how strong he is and because he can't get his pro team-mates there... (Mind, McEwen's not won the Aussie Championships more than twice either...)

Would imagine Alexander Kristoff (the guy who beat Hushovd) will turn pro next year or in 2009. Team CSC or to a German team is where I would tip him to end up. Or maybe Credit Agricole, God knows outside of Nicolas Roache and Saul Raisin, they could do with some talented young riders.

BTW is Der Spiegel a trashy tabloid in the mould of The Sun?

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Would imagine Alexander Kristoff (the guy who beat Hushovd) will turn pro next year or in 2009. Team CSC or to a German team is where I would tip him to end up. Or maybe Credit Agricole, God knows outside of Nicolas Roache and Saul Raisin, they could do with some talented young riders.

BTW is Der Spiegel a trashy tabloid in the mould of The Sun?

1) Please don't go to CA. They've ruined about a century of French talents. Wouldn't mind Kristoff joining Hagen at T-Mobile though.

2) No, Der Spiegel is a most reputable publication. Think Newsweek or TIME. Bild is their Sun.