Afternoon Andes 2017

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team fl
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Afternoon Andes 2017

Post by team fl » Wed Nov 08, 2017 2:09 pm

Here they are: The yearly Andes. Well, not for Team FL, as Team FL is riding it for the first (!) time (at least to my knowledge...). Thinking about it, I still don't know why, but perhaps it will be fun. So, the following riders try to accomplish that Mission:

x1 Willy Attison, see Pene, but first name here...
x2 Dong "Dong" Dong, Chinese champion
x3 Nodirkhan "Khan" Kadyrkhanov, feel his wrath!
x4 Lukas "Luke" Marxer, heir of the Marxer dynasty
x5 Ngo "gogo" Nguyen, in the line-up because reasons...
x6 Serghei "Serge" Pascenco, today's Hannes Büchel
x7 Oleg "O_O" Ogorodov, for the pure flat stages... (see Nguyen)
x8 Omar "Penis" Pene, sexual beast in the team
x9 Juan Villafuerte, Juan of the Death (Road)?

Goals: To bring everybody to the final stage, wasting lots of Money, having fun, attending more than 50% of the stages. And winning everything, of course.
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.

Robyklebt
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Re: Afternoon Andes 2017

Post by Robyklebt » Wed Nov 08, 2017 3:13 pm

Hoped nobody would open a thread, but of course FL with his usual hyper motivation couldn't resist. Bah, now I have to write?
Favorites? I guess Zafzaf, but haven't really analyzed everything that closely. Stages etc, complicated. But with a 596'584 I demand to be favorite. Have to say that Ulle has an impressive team, like it. 1 on 1 his leader, Biton, should lose against Zafzaf, but he really has a very nice (and expensive too) team around him. Like it a lot. Especially Parfait Adjivan, love him! Kadyrkhanov there again, to me the guy looks like his been around at the same skills since the Giro? Or was he 85 mountain then? Good flat, helps, pavé sometimes, so helps more, good TT, helps again, Pene a good nr 2, but if there are heavy mountain stages (likely in the Andes) he might be in trouble vs Zafzaf and Uppdal too. But with all the pavé traps, and since pavé often gives big differences, he has his chances too. Next Ptak, he would win vs Zafzaf 1 vs 1. But Zafzaf will have a much much better team than Ptak, King Ryders very weak in the mountain, 4 riders under 50 mountain, the other 4 lack flat. 1 58-72, that's it. So for Ptak will be difficult too.

Anyway I want to be favorite.
Kraftsystemrevision! Include the distance!
Basics reform: Give blue a chance!
Don't punish bugusers. We all have to use bugs, since most of them are declared as "features"!

team fl
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Re: Afternoon Andes 2017

Post by team fl » Wed Nov 08, 2017 5:32 pm

Hyper hyper! Favourite check! But first: Lukas Marxer wins the ITT (stage 1). So, already happy :).


General classement

***** Lofti Zafzaf (Big Donkey)
**** Aasmund Uppdal (Big Donkey)
*** Leon Ptak (King Ryders), Nodirkhan Kadyrkhanov (Team FL)
** Nir Biton (UllesTribute)
* a surprise rider

Points classement

*** Nir Biton (Ulles Tribute)
** Lofti Zafzaf (Big Donkey)
* another rider

Mountain classement

*** the one who wants it
** another rider
* a surprise rider

Youth classement

*** Riyad Mahrez (Ulles Tribute)
** Islam Slimani (Ulles Tribute)
* Caius Aeschlimann (Big Donkey)

Team classement

*** Big Donkey
** Ulles Tribute
* a surprise team
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.

Robyklebt
Posts: 9986
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Re: Afternoon Andes 2017

Post by Robyklebt » Wed Nov 15, 2017 4:28 pm

First part over and the GC seems down to 3 riders.
A. Uppdal
N. Kadyrkhanov 0'25"
L. Zafzaf 0'59"

Further back
L. Ptak 1'55"
R. Mahrez 2'52"

They both seem out at this point. For Ptak it was always going to be difficult anyway, good rider, but no downhill, weak team, new manager. Difficult to do more like this. Then Mahrez just simply doesn't have enough mountain. And team support, his team will be chasing stages from now on.

The rider missing here is clearly Biton. Right now he's 15th at 39'52". He'll be chasing stages now clearly.

Nothing important for GC happened in the first 2 stages after the ITT, then on stage 4, Kadyrkhanov did his best to lose the whole tour. First he helped Marxer, so after a sieb he had to be brought back, although not by his own team, since they seemed clueless what to do. It seems their manager left them alone on this stage, rumor has it he was sitting in a Jacuzzi with Allagen in Balzers, so others did that for the FLs. And later when Ulles attacked, he didn't even attempt to follow, again all those Kieslers were happy doing nothing again, letting the opponents work to keep the time loss bearable. 2'44" in the end.
Next day it was the Donkeys turn to be left alone, rumor has it he was standing on some field munching grass with Elton John. But the riders showed more tactical acumen and intelligence than the Kieslers the day before. Be active, not passive, ok, a bit overactive most likely... and after being active the whole time they decided since the boss wasn't really checking in much they might try some passivity in the end... anyway, Kadyrkhanov won back 2'44" to most other GC guys, Uppdal lost only 2'23" with an attack in the last km.
Stage 6 then was rather important. Uppdal wanted a stage win, Biton attacked at km 170, that's 86 km from the finish. 2 helpers, Fosse and Adjivon waiting in front. But with the Donkey wanting the stage, didn't work. Although the Donkey actually thought the stage was gone. But regardless of the stage result, with this attack Biton gave up any GC aspirations he might have had. With the hard 7th stage following, was clear he was going to lose lots of time the next day. Didn't even get the stage at the end, wasn't even close, too bad, but Uppdal wanted it, and Biton will have freedom to attack on most stages from now on. Uppdal and Zafzaf did a double attack at km 220, FL forgot to cover the km. Long stretches of doing nothing, nothing happening, thanks to the unrealistic weather too, so stuff like this happens. Good for Uppdal and Zafzaf. 23" gained. Plus bonifications.
Stage 7, both Uppdal and Zafzaf started under reg, managed to get up to 960 max, but that was enough. Attack by Zafzaf in the final climb, while Uppdal covers Kadyrkhanov, worked perfectly, 19" advantage for Zafzaf over Uppdal and Kadyrkhanov in the end.

TT coming, that's good for Kadyrkhanov. Pavé later a bit too. For the Donkeys, the mountains. But Zafzaf still is the leader, so we still have to catch Kadyrkhanov now.
Kraftsystemrevision! Include the distance!
Basics reform: Give blue a chance!
Don't punish bugusers. We all have to use bugs, since most of them are declared as "features"!

Robyklebt
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Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 6:50 pm
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Re: Afternoon Andes 2017

Post by Robyklebt » Fri Nov 24, 2017 2:54 am

Andes over, Donkey won, so as could be expected.
And since hyper FL opened a thread now I feel forced to write something.

Wasn't all that interesting, only 7 teams, and one was mostly offline or doing nothing, Mercatone Uno. Allstar United was often offline too, but on in the stages that counted for him, sprint. That was a first for the Donkey actually, teams riding for a sprint at the Andes, what an idea. Worked though. But usually doesn't happen, since riding for a sprint one day gives you dead riders in the mountains and the risk of being eliminated. But with few teams not many attacks, in the end was not such a superhuman effort to get sprints. minots and King Ryders were on often, but in the end didn't get much. minots often too late, started really fighting for red when it was already mathematically over. Attacks too late too often, but he was active and tried. King Ryders started following UllesTribute too late, should have tried that tactic much earlier. Probably wouldn't have been enough for a stage win, his riders all weaker than ULles, but at least some stage placements, and at least a chance for a stage. But tried.

Leaves us with the 3 main teams. Ulle unfortunately gave up on the GC very early. With his team, the bottom of it actually, he could have put the Donkey in trouble. If then he profits or Kadyrkhanov or nobody at all, Donkey still wins, is not clear at all, but with the 3 reg monsters he could have really weakened the Donkeys. Attack, threaten the attack with Biton, no need to even do it depending on the situation, just threaten and the Donkey is forced to ride much much much more. And while Gopal and Tazlauanu have some reg, they are no match for the 3 Ulle-monsters. The way it went I usually had a pretty fit team, of course unfit, but on certain stages everybody had most riders under reg, even doing nothing, but I could keep my guys relatively fit. With Ulle in the GC race, most likely I can't. Would have been more interesting, like this pretty soon I could just concentrate on Kadyrkhanov. OK, ULle got lots of stages and jerseys, all except yellow, for that. So ok decision for him, for me just would have been more fun having him in the GC fight. But FL was in, thanks! In the end 3'54", but really was much closer. Before the last mountain stage he was only 9" back, and had a chance to win it, not a big one I think, Zafzaf 100 form, 88 mountain, hard with 86 mountain and probably very good form too to beat that. With Uppdal in support. ON that stage he gave up a bit after the Zafzaf attack, despite being only 6" back after the attack? But at that point I think he wouldn't have caught Zafzaf anymore anyway, would just have lost much less. Anyway, good that FL fought, despite not having all that great chances, he needed the Donkey to do some mistakes, had a small one in Quito, but not big enough. Good fight by Kadyrkhanov!

Hope for a few more teams in 2018!
Kraftsystemrevision! Include the distance!
Basics reform: Give blue a chance!
Don't punish bugusers. We all have to use bugs, since most of them are declared as "features"!

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