TN&KIBR 14h

[team fl]

No more strange Indian food, from now on we stick with Italian!

I think Abreha still has some leftovers from Saturday.

[flockmastoR]

King of 2nd places. 6/11 stages ended with a second place for AAD. While we never thought that we could play an important role in this tour, being that close so many time still is frustrating. Babai ok, gave him the chance for green very long, but now with 10points different hard to conquer that one (he is favorite for place 2 in green though). LeCun more than happy to have him on place 2 the other day with just checking here and there in the final half of the stage. Ferenc yesterday the biggest surprise. 2nd at the queens stage brought him in the best position for white. After the ITT 2'44" ahead of his biggest opponents. Long but not too steep last mountain waiting tomorrow and Ferenc already should he has the mental power to fight to stay as long as possible. Still not impossible for Garcia to get it back if donkey really wants to try to go for it. Podium just 8s away, but with this team hardly possible to get 8s on Costello who has a way better support team. Sievert today with a good 2nd place too. After all, money and points wise the tour was still ok. If a jersey can be finally won, would be a success, but prefer a stage win over white jersey usually. My TT climber not winning the December tour already makes him a failure, buy was pretty late that year, but still. The start of the end of an era.

[Robyklebt]

Easy win for Marquez, no wonder, there was no opponent with similar skill.

Bad riding by Donkey overall though. Stage 2 pretty horrible, but with Trutat at 100 form I was fixated on that. And had only 99 anyway I figured out at some point, had 100 the next day... All around bad riding by Donkey there, but if your team is so superior, somehow you almost are sure not to lose any time whatever you do, maybe would have ridden a better stage with some pressure... maybe.
Bad riding on the queen stage too, Krausz the 79 following Marquez the 88 annoyed me to no end, and since I was already rather annoyed before that. ended up being in a rotten mood and riding like an idiot. Again. Instead of sticking with my plan, just sieb, ride with Garcia, after all didn't expect to be alone this time, was provoked by this 79 to try to drop him while saving Garcia. Stupid idea, ended up with the obvious win, not even I managed to fuck that up, but Marquez at 810 and Garcia at 860? for the next day. GC wasn't in danger either, but still bad riding. Randu fighting on and he's there too, then probably no problem, I stick with Garcia riding until Marquez siebtacks on the last climb, but just Krausz? 79? Pissed me off.

Despite that, team and Marquez just to good. Hoped for somebody like Baer as opponent, or a bunch of 85/86/87 . Of course it still would be VERY difficult for guys at 85/86 to win, I might ride better with more pressure too, but why not try? Plus of course I'm stubborn, plan was to design a tour with 2 possible points for topform... since I failed I try to mask my failure by putting Marquez topform early, stage 5. Great plans to go on a great GC attack early, use Leku, Trutat, whatever put Baer under pressure beat him. Marquez in topform. But well, there was nobody to attack really...But vs tough opponents that weird form setting probably would not have helped. Or only if the great attacks on stage 5 then worked. For the rest hurt.

Opponents, Randu only really, but he never was a danger, but at least he tried. Thought he would be better of simply going for the double podium, or at least white with Nemko, that seemed easy, but he went all in for Randu.

Classics, I had the 2 strongest, thanks to CC with most likely the whole team at 90.6? At least Fanha regularly looked like a 90.6 guy, Costello too really.

Sprint looked interesting, in the end dominated by FL, Abreha. Natanzon and Meisen winning the 2 other sprints.
No hill sprint on stage 6 was very strange, but well, Lorenzini liked getting another placement.

Donks with mountain jersey too, wasn't THAT interested but not completely disinterested either, didn't calculate on the stage to Munnar, just rode. Probably riding badly there gave me the win since Marquez rode and won too much, wasting energy on 6% etc. But getting points. Should feel a bit sorry for CC, who rode a lot for his wins, just that they didn't come. Wingelaar the kind of middle mountain stages, not Costello/Fanha/Trutat/Lekubarri. But don't feel sorry since normally he wins 50% of stages or so, this time just one and the dominator didn't even let him the dots... oh well, next time then.

Stages, due to my superiority in the mountain they weren't really all that exciting. We all knew who was going to win, ok last one an ignorant, me, for a moment thought the front group might have a chance, it didn't.
Hilly stages, ok, stage 2 I made exciting with my great collection of mistakes, probably everybody was well amused.

Special mention to stage 5 and 12. Stage 5 wasted. Not only in our group I guess, but in theory that stage had potential. But stage 10-11 combination killed stage 5, stage 5 needed lots of work and luck to gain time, stage 10 gives automatic differences. Stage 3+12 minimal differences, but stage 10 in combination with the reg problems to stage 11 just too big, stage 5 sort of there for little.
Stage 12 of course seems really really hard to make a difference, could have dropped it entirely, but then of course the TT loses it's reg component, which wouldn't be good either, so I guess stage 12 finally fits ok. As a minimal difference maker. A tougher finish better, but the cool looking climb on the map just turned out to be really not steep, only the last part, thanks to a short cut very steep, for the rest 6/7.. Lap around there didn't improve the stage, tried x possibilities, maybe a short lap above the lake and down the main street to do the short cut a second time the solution, didn't think of that while designing.

[cataracs]

plan was to design a tour with 2 possible points for topform... since I failed I try to mask my failure by putting Marquez topform early, stage 5. Great plans to go on a great GC attack early, use Leku, Trutat, whatever put Baer under pressure beat him. Marquez in topform. But well, there was nobody to attack really...But vs tough opponents that weird form setting probably would not have helped. Or only if the great attacks on stage 5 then worked. For the rest hurt.

I had top form early and won the tour! Gained more time on the first week because of form I guess? so not a super failure.