Tommy Teleshopping Pro Cycling Team

[Tommy Teleshopping PCT]

Atlas Tour - Stage 6: Medea - Algiers
Tommy Teleshopping:
71. Aureliano Invicto
72. Miervaldis Alksnuzarins
73. Kazimieras Auzins
74. Zigmars Bugajenkovs
75. Modris Kalns
76. Arkadius Romanovs
77. Jurgis Viikmäe
78. Kerijs Zeidmanis

Trying to combine my wife's birthday with this race (and her rage if she found out about the race) made me less than spectacular. There was a group which we brought back and then just after the final hill, Aureliano Invicto and Modris Kalns were dropped and lost some time. No big deal though, but a pity.

01. 00:00:00 DeAndre Ayton (berryberry)
02. 00:00:03 Shmuel Halevi (RS Coesitz)
03. 00:00:03 Niko Klosterhalfen (LENNAO)
04. 00:00:03 Pedro Gallese (Kelme-Movistar)
05. 00:00:03 Maxime Clijsters (RS Coesitz)
06. 00:00:20 Gabriel Valverde (Kelme-Movistar)
07. 00:00:20 Anthelme NeigeDeSavoie (Chartreuse Monks)
08. 00:00:20 Aureliano Invicto (Tommy Teleshopping)
09. 00:00:20 Thea Berger (Chartreuse Monks)
10. 00:00:20 Modris Kalns (Tommy Teleshopping)
25. 00:03:00 Kerijs Zeidmanis (Tommy Teleshopping)
48. 00:28:05 Arkadius Romanovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
54. 00:28:05 Kazimieras Auzins (Tommy Teleshopping)
64. 00:28:05 Zigmars Bugajenkovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
77. 00:28:05 Jurgis Viikmäe (Tommy Teleshopping)
80. 00:28:05 Miervaldis Alksnuzarins (Tommy Teleshopping)

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Atlas Tour - Stage 7: Biskra - Barika
Tommy Teleshopping:
71. Aureliano Invicto
72. Miervaldis Alksnuzarins
73. Kazimieras Auzins
74. Zigmars Bugajenkovs
75. Modris Kalns
76. Arkadius Romanovs
77. Jurgis Viikmäe
78. Kerijs Zeidmanis

Nothing whatsoever, except for a doomed group and a sprint. Arkadius Romanovs got his best rank so far when he finished 3rd between the real sprinters.

01. 00:00:00 Siggi Schmid (LENNAO)
02. 00:00:00 Karen Araragi (Haudegen)
03. 00:00:00 Arkadius Romanovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
04. 00:00:00 Dan Summers (berryberry)
05. 00:00:00 Finn Mertens (RS Coesitz)
06. 00:00:00 Jonathan Chucker (Golden State Team)
07. 00:00:00 Ariel Levy (RS Coesitz)
08. 00:00:00 Paco Valencia (SVO-Racing)
09. 00:00:00 Linda Grubben (LENNAO)
10. 00:00:00 Zigmars Bugajenkovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
27. 00:00:00 Aureliano Invicto (Tommy Teleshopping)
33. 00:00:00 Modris Kalns (Tommy Teleshopping)
34. 00:00:00 Miervaldis Alksnuzarins (Tommy Teleshopping)
35. 00:00:00 Kerijs Zeidmanis (Tommy Teleshopping)
37. 00:00:00 Jurgis Viikmäe (Tommy Teleshopping)
38. 00:00:00 Kazimieras Auzins (Tommy Teleshopping)

All is going according to plan for now. Next is a hilly stage where the leaders shouldn't lose too much time. Invicto is 4th and Kalns is 6th with the white jersey. The tour is running to an end in a couple of days. Two mountain stages, a time trial and a sprint stage after this one.Two riders in the top-10 and a youth stage and maybe a podium and/or a stage. All is possible.

[Tommy Teleshopping PCT]

Atlas Tour - Stage 8: Merouana - Bordj Ghedir
Tommy Teleshopping:
71. Aureliano Invicto
72. Miervaldis Alksnuzarins
73. Kazimieras Auzins
74. Zigmars Bugajenkovs
75. Modris Kalns
76. Arkadius Romanovs
77. Jurgis Viikmäe
78. Kerijs Zeidmanis

An interesting race to lose, but by the looks of it not too much to win for the Teleshopping crew. The idea was to wait and save as much energy as possible for as long as possible and have Aureliano Invicto and Modris Kalns attack on the short hill, 15 kilometers from the finish. It'd be almost sure Team Kelme - Movistar would be there too, because they have the same kind of leaders. So maybe we could get a small advantage or at least not be dropped by the classic riders.

So the group went, with the usual suspects in there, the teams that have been attacking all week now. The group took about 4 minutes as RS Coesitz kept control with a little help from Teleshopping and Kelme every now and then, but mostly on its own. The group cooperated nicely, until there was some bickering about waiting for a rider that got dropped. It then broke down and the advantage dwindled quickly.

With the steep part of the final sprint at hand, Kelme put their leader Pedro Gallese a the head of the peloton to crush it. Invicto was able to follow the pace, but the last remaining helper. Kerijs Zeidmanis and even Kalns dropped. An elite group of four riders with Valverde (Kelme) and Berger (Chartreuse Monks) appeared and took just shy of half a minute. Tempo by Coesitz kept the group close on the uphill and downhill section and brought it back on the flat. Pity, but is broke the chance for anyone to attack and make the hunters prey.

One rider did get a shot to victory, SVO-Racing's Hartmut Seidel, who had been attacking multiple times this week. He broke free and scored a well-deserved victory. Invicto and Kalns did not lose more than 2 seconds and Invicto even got a couple of bonification seconds on everybody except Seidel and the yellow jersey. Zeidmanis finished just in front of a following group and the rest were safely in the grupetto.

01. 00:00:00 Hartmut Seidel (SVO-Racing)
02. 00:00:02 Shmuel Halevi (RS Coesitz)
03. 00:00:02 Aureliano Invicto (Tommy Teleshopping)
04. 00:00:02 Pedro Gallese (Kelme-Movistar)
05. 00:00:02 Anthelme NeigeDeSavoie (Chartreuse Monks)
06. 00:00:02 Thea Berger (Chartreuse Monks)
07. 00:00:02 Maxime Clijsters (RS Coesitz)
08. 00:00:02 Modris Kalns (Tommy Teleshopping)
09. 00:00:02 Gabriel Valverde (Kelme-Movistar)
10. 00:00:02 Miguel Gajalo (Golden State Team)
21. 00:03:15 Kerijs Zeidmanis (Tommy Teleshopping)
52. 00:23:04 Arkadius Romanovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
53. 00:23:04 Jurgis Viikmäe (Tommy Teleshopping)
58. 00:23:04 Kazimieras Auzins (Tommy Teleshopping)
69. 00:23:04 Zigmars Bugajenkovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
76. 00:23:04 Miervaldis Alksnuzarins (Tommy Teleshopping)

Next is the penultimate flat stage of this tour. Another chance for Arkadius Romanovs to show himself, presumably. Next, we'll be heading into the mountains to see if the climbers can get a big enough lead to crush Coesitz' Halevi enough to keep an advantage to lose in the time trial.

[Tommy Teleshopping PCT]

Atlas Tour - Stage 9: MSila - Bouira
Tommy Teleshopping:
71. Aureliano Invicto
72. Miervaldis Alksnuzarins
73. Kazimieras Auzins
74. Zigmars Bugajenkovs
75. Modris Kalns
76. Arkadius Romanovs
77. Jurgis Viikmäe
78. Kerijs Zeidmanis

A pretty boring stage. Plan was to get ahead in a lead group and see if it could be a springboard for an attack on the little hill. For that, Jurgis Viikmäe was sent ahead, but no help was coming. In fact, he seems to have a watchdog on his back for some reason. As soon as Viikmäe and the watchdog were caught, the watchdog went solo and Viikmäe thought better of it. Later, some guys joined and the group got about 7 minutes.

There was a hill at 2/3 of the race and there, team Chartreuse Monks tried to pull a coup, breaking the peloton in two and then working. That didn't really work out, as most sprint teams, including most of Tommy Teleshopping's train for Arkadius Romanovs were a minute back. Of course, the two leaders were in front.

The group got back and it went to a mass sprint where the expected happened. No big story. Tomorrow, it might well be different.

01. 00:00:00 Karen Araragi (Haudegen)
02. 00:00:00 Finn Mertens (RS Coesitz)
03. 00:00:00 Siggi Schmid (LENNAO)
04. 00:00:00 Ariel Levy (RS Coesitz)
05. 00:00:00 Dan Summers (berryberry)
06. 00:00:00 Arkadius Romanovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
07. 00:00:00 Linda Grubben (LENNAO)
08. 00:00:00 Virgil Hilts (Schartner Bombe)
09. 00:00:00 Paco Valencia (SVO-Racing)
10. 00:00:00 Hartmut Seidel (SVO-Racing)
16. 00:00:00 Zigmars Bugajenkovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
25. 00:00:00 Kerijs Zeidmanis (Tommy Teleshopping)
26. 00:00:00 Jurgis Viikmäe (Tommy Teleshopping)
28. 00:00:00 Modris Kalns (Tommy Teleshopping)
29. 00:00:00 Aureliano Invicto (Tommy Teleshopping)
49. 00:00:00 Miervaldis Alksnuzarins (Tommy Teleshopping)
64. 00:00:00 Kazimieras Auzins (Tommy Teleshopping)

Tomorrow, there will be the tough stage to Ighil el Had. A short, but still hill, but the rest of the stage won't be easy either. Hopefully, the team can remain intact against an expected unslaught.

[Tommy Teleshopping PCT]

Atlas Tour - Stage 10: Bouira - Ighil el Had
Tommy Teleshopping:
71. Aureliano Invicto
72. Miervaldis Alksnuzarins
73. Kazimieras Auzins
74. Zigmars Bugajenkovs
75. Modris Kalns
76. Arkadius Romanovs
77. Jurgis Viikmäe
78. Kerijs Zeidmanis

The first of two mountain stages and the team knows what to do: keep it together and have Aureliano Invicto and Modris Kalns fight it out with the favorites in the end. There were three mountains with big valleys between them, so not too much risk for the poor climbing helpers to drop too early, but there's always the risk.

There was a group and some tempo. There was the work uphill by Chartreuse Monks on the first hill and there was quiet again. That did not really stop until the last hill when Pedro Gallese of Kelme went and was followed by just Invicto. The duo, with Gallese doing the work, took a little gap. In the final kilometer, invicto popped and lost a lot of time and placings.

01. 00:00:00 Pedro Gallese (Kelme-Movistar)
02. 00:00:27 Thea Berger (Chartreuse Monks)
03. 00:00:48 Modris Kalns (Tommy Teleshopping)
04. 00:00:48 Gabriel Valverde (Kelme-Movistar)
05. 00:00:58 Anthelme NeigeDeSavoie (Chartreuse Monks)
06. 00:01:19 Aureliano Invicto (Tommy Teleshopping)
07. 00:01:19 Shmuel Halevi (RS Coesitz)
08. 00:01:41 Maxime Clijsters (RS Coesitz)
09. 00:01:41 Miguel Gajalo (Golden State Team)
10. 00:01:45 Jamie Dylan (Golden State Team)
29. 00:06:06 Kerijs Zeidmanis (Tommy Teleshopping)
50. 00:12:26 Jurgis Viikmäe (Tommy Teleshopping)
54. 00:13:46 Arkadius Romanovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
57. 00:13:46 Zigmars Bugajenkovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
62. 00:13:50 Miervaldis Alksnuzarins (Tommy Teleshopping)
65. 00:13:50 Kazimieras Auzins (Tommy Teleshopping)

[Tommy Teleshopping PCT]

Atlas Tour - Stage 11: Tizi Ouzzou - Tazmalt
Tommy Teleshopping:
71. Aureliano Invicto
72. Miervaldis Alksnuzarins
73. Kazimieras Auzins
74. Zigmars Bugajenkovs
75. Modris Kalns
76. Arkadius Romanovs
77. Jurgis Viikmäe
78. Kerijs Zeidmanis

A grueling stage, especially given the dynamics. Gallese took the yellow jersey the day before, but Coesitz' Halevi is close behing and is a way better time trialist, so the climbing 5 (Gallese, Valverde (Kelme-Movistar), Aureliano Invicto, Modris Kalns and Berger(Chartreuse Monks)) had to take a gap to Halevi. This also means, more than the day before, that Teleshopping's non-climbers were not able to be there for the leaders. The game was to keep Kalns and Invicto where they belonged and have Invicto help creating a gap. Hopefully, Kedrijs Zeidmanis could help a bit.

What happened was what I feared, because the tempo was high and a group with Jurgis Viikmäe and Kerijs Zeidmanis was not allowed to get over the first mountain. Then began the onslaught and Kalns and Invicto were immediately isolated. When Gallese started picking up tempo again, both were with him and Invicto worked along, Kalns being the new leader after yesterday. The gap grew, but never got really big, especially because the next group, with Halevi, got Coesitz' Clijsters to do the tempo for his leader. In the long downhill, the group got back and three, including Berger who did no work in front, escaped and brought home the bacon.

01. 00:00:00 Shmuel Halevi (RS Coesitz)
02. 00:00:00 Maxime Clijsters (RS Coesitz)
03. 00:00:00 Thea Berger (Chartreuse Monks)
04. 00:01:03 Anthelme NeigeDeSavoie (Chartreuse Monks)
05. 00:01:12 Gabriel Valverde (Kelme-Movistar)
06. 00:01:12 Pedro Gallese (Kelme-Movistar)
07. 00:01:12 Modris Kalns (Tommy Teleshopping)
08. 00:01:12 Aureliano Invicto (Tommy Teleshopping)
09. 00:03:45 DeAndre Ayton (berryberry)
10. 00:03:45 Miguel Gajalo (Golden State Team)
44. 00:34:03 Miervaldis Alksnuzarins (Tommy Teleshopping)
46. 00:34:03 Jurgis Viikmäe (Tommy Teleshopping)
52. 00:34:03 Zigmars Bugajenkovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
54. 00:34:03 Arkadius Romanovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
58. 00:34:03 Kazimieras Auzins (Tommy Teleshopping)
73. 00:34:03 Kerijs Zeidmanis (Tommy Teleshopping)

Those guys are gonna have cramps in their beds tonight.

[Tommy Teleshopping PCT]

Atlas Tour - Stage 12: Tazmalt - Bejaia
Tommy Teleshopping:
71. Aureliano Invicto
72. Miervaldis Alksnuzarins
73. Kazimieras Auzins
74. Zigmars Bugajenkovs
75. Modris Kalns
76. Arkadius Romanovs
77. Jurgis Viikmäe
78. Kerijs Zeidmanis

After yesterday, all was about relaxing and not losing time. Modris Kalns and especially Aureliano Invicto were spent from the mountains and Kerijs Zeidmanis had seen better days too. No attacking today, just consolidating.

And then Chartreuse Monks started breaking the peloton and forcing Teleshopping helpers, especially Jurgis Viikmäe and Miervaldis Alksnuzarins to ride for Arkadius Romanovs and helping the leaders recover. That took long, but they got back and it was not a problem that another group non-dangerous riders got away for the win.

01. 00:00:00 Ariel Levy (RS Coesitz)
02. 00:00:00 Lewis Dorn (Golden State Team)
03. 00:00:00 Hartmut Seidel (SVO-Racing)
04. 00:00:00 Kristijan Filipinovic (LENNAO)
05. 00:00:00 Jamie Dylan (Golden State Team)
06. 00:00:00 Binyamin Hermon (RS Coesitz)
07. 00:00:12 Berthold Muntz (Haudegen)
08. 00:00:14 Linda Grubben (LENNAO)
09. 00:00:15 Karen Araragi (Haudegen)
10. 00:00:15 Finn Mertens (RS Coesitz)
13. 00:00:15 Arkadius Romanovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
18. 00:00:15 Zigmars Bugajenkovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
21. 00:00:15 Aureliano Invicto (Tommy Teleshopping)
24. 00:00:15 Kazimieras Auzins (Tommy Teleshopping)
25. 00:00:15 Jurgis Viikmäe (Tommy Teleshopping)
26. 00:00:15 Modris Kalns (Tommy Teleshopping)
37. 00:00:15 Miervaldis Alksnuzarins (Tommy Teleshopping)
65. 00:00:15 Kerijs Zeidmanis (Tommy Teleshopping)

Tomorrow, the final time trial. Halevi will win this tour and the time trial, but Kalns and Zigmars Bugajenkovs can go for a bit of glory. With Kalns and Invicto 4th and 5th, maybe Kalns can go to the podium, but that's tough. White jersey should be fine. Alround a very nice tour.

[Tommy Teleshopping PCT]

Atlas Tour - Stage 13: Bejaia TT
Tommy Teleshopping:
71. Aureliano Invicto
72. Miervaldis Alksnuzarins
73. Kazimieras Auzins
74. Zigmars Bugajenkovs
75. Modris Kalns
76. Arkadius Romanovs
77. Jurgis Viikmäe
78. Kerijs Zeidmanis

Well, it was a time trial and that means there's nothing much you can do to influence it. Whatever would happen, Halevi would have won the stage and Gonzalez would be second. The interesting fight would be for the podium. Everybody expected Valverde (Kelme) to pass his leader and claim one of the spaces, but Modris Kalns, with his breakthrough tour, could have a fight with the pure climbers Gallese and Berger for the last podium place. Glad to know Kalns prevailed and finished third in a 7th place time trial The other time trialist, Zigmars Bugajenkovs was just outside the top-10. Aureliano Invicto did an ok time trial and kept his sixth place in the GC.

01. 00:00:00 Shmuel Halevi (RS Coesitz)
02. 00:01:13 Alicia Gonzalez (Schartner Bombe)
03. 00:02:33 DeAndre Ayton (berryberry)
04. 00:02:37 Gabriel Valverde (Kelme-Movistar)
05. 00:02:41 Lewis Dorn (Golden State Team)
06. 00:02:59 Alejandro Hurtado (Kelme-Movistar)
07. 00:03:15 Modris Kalns (Tommy Teleshopping)
08. 00:03:31 Panaqolus Albivermis (Kelme-Movistar)
09. 00:03:36 Jose Pleco (Kelme-Movistar)
10. 00:03:40 Binyamin Hermon (RS Coesitz)
12. 00:04:11 Zigmars Bugajenkovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
21. 00:04:45 Aureliano Invicto (Tommy Teleshopping)
22. 00:04:49 Kazimieras Auzins (Tommy Teleshopping)
32. 00:05:23 Kerijs Zeidmanis (Tommy Teleshopping)
33. 00:05:29 Miervaldis Alksnuzarins (Tommy Teleshopping)
35. 00:05:34 Arkadius Romanovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
41. 00:05:51 Jurgis Viikmäe (Tommy Teleshopping)

Just a bit earlier than expected, Kalns beat Invicto in a tour. He took 3rd and the best young rider and showed his promise. If he keeps growing like this, he'll be the new Invicto as the old one is... getting old.

General classification:
1st Place: Shmuel Halevi (RS Coesitz)
2nd Place: Gabriel Valverde (Kelme-Movistar)
3rd Place: Modris Kalns (Tommy Teleshopping)
Polka dot jersey: Thea Berger (Chartreuse Monks)
Sprint jersey: Karen Araragi (Haudegen)
Young rider jersey: Modris Kalns (Tommy Teleshopping)
Team classification: Chartreuse Monks

Other Teleshopping riders:
6. Aureliano Invicto + 6:37
29. Kerijs Zeidmanis +1:05:06
50. Jurgis Viikmäe + 2:04:46
52. Arkadius Romanovs +2:06:45
58. Zidmars Bugajenkovs + 2:15:50
63. Kazimieras Auzins 2:17:37
64. Miervaldis Alksnuzarins 2:17:41

Invicto started as the number 1 leader with Kalns as his helper and he could count on the help, but when he popped in the 10th stage, Kalns was brought forward as leader. Invicto dit well supporting him and made it to sixth place.

Zeidmanis had a difficult tour. An attacker who did not get the freedom to make it to groups. A couple of time, his presence in a lead group brought the peloton to move against him Zeidmanis was not able to make the cut on a couple of important moments, but rode a decent top-30 nonetheless.

Viikmäe had his value in the stages for sprint and tried to attack, but like Zeidmanis, he was not allowed to be in lead groups and had a quite invisible tour for the rest.

Romanovs, like Kalns, had a very good tour. Just not able to beat the very best in his trade, sprinting, but with a couple of top-7 finishes and even one podium finish, he did more than expected.

Bugajenkovs was brought in for support in the sprint stages and the team time trial. He did well and took a coyuple of top-20 sprint finishes and one 10th place. A decent ride.

Auzins and Alksnuzarins did what they were supposed to. The pure rouleurs had to deal with the fact that a hill meant a chase if anyone did tempo, but they coped well and were able to do quite some work, even in mountain stages. Especally Alksnuzarins could show his downhill prowess every now and then to cut gaps.

Manager Tommy was by far the best manager in the race. His tactics were actually perfect and flawless. Nobody could ever claim otherwise. The man is a legend!

[Tommy Teleshopping PCT]

Vamos a la Playa - Stage 1: San José - Playa Tortuguero
Tommy Teleshopping:
41. Aureliano Invicto
42. Zigmars Bugajenkovs
43. Günther Golberbühler
44. Timo Reimann
45. Arkadius Romanovs
46. Jaspers Stringas
47. Vytautas Stringas
48. Kerijs Zeidmanis

A new stage race. This time with Aureliano Invicto as sole leader for the classification and sprinters Arkadius Romanovs and Zigmars Bugajenkovs for the two flat stages. Today was one of the latter ones. Not so much to say about that. The peloton has some top printers to beat Romanovs and they did mostly. A group went away to cause havoc which they did not really do. The peloton gave them some time and got back for a mass sprint.

01. 00:00:00 Bassem Mahdy (CircleCycle)
02. 00:00:00 Claudio Vega (RC Cost)
03. 00:00:00 Sander Vliegen (Feiting Siebing)
04. 00:00:00 Ilya Korobko (Luques)
05. 00:00:00 Javi Sanchez (Atletico Lula)
06. 00:00:00 Akira Toriyama (fantasticos)
07. 00:00:00 Dan Summers (berryberry)
08. 00:00:00 Hannes Wey (Michelangeloo)
09. 00:00:00 Kostas Dikeoulakos (clipperteam)
10. 00:00:00 Andrea Palladino (CircleCycle)
12. 00:00:00 Arkadius Romanovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
17. 00:00:00 Zigmars Bugajenkovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
23. 00:00:00 Kerijs Zeidmanis (Tommy Teleshopping)
33. 00:00:00 Jaspers Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
43. 00:00:00 Aureliano Invicto (Tommy Teleshopping)
47. 00:00:00 Günther Golberbühler (Tommy Teleshopping)
48. 00:00:00 Vytautas Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
54. 00:00:00 Timo Reimann (Tommy Teleshopping)

Next is a funny stage wilt a local tour with a little hill. Too easy for Invicto probably, but maybe just right for others.

[Tommy Teleshopping PCT]

Vamos a la Playa - Stage 2: San José - Playa los Banos
Tommy Teleshopping:
41. Aureliano Invicto
42. Zigmars Bugajenkovs
43. Günther Golberbühler
44. Timo Reimann
45. Arkadius Romanovs
46. Jaspers Stringas
47. Vytautas Stringas
48. Kerijs Zeidmanis

A hilly stage for groups to attack. Idea was to have Jaspers Stringas and Vytautas Stringas in the group. Problem was the peloton did some chasing until a five man breakaway with 2 fantasticos riders and Vytautas Stringas went away. The group took a big lead until it broke down completely. Fantasticos suddenly stopped tempo and berryberry attacked. Stringas tried to bridge across, but had two riders on his wheel. After this weird anti-group action by fantasticos who started screaming frantically, Stringas decided to leave the sinking ship and return to the peloton to support the team and save energy.

The rest of the group stayed away a bit and took points for the mountain jersey until they were easily brought back. There was some attacking in the hilly finale. On the final climb, Aureliano Invicto and another climber bridged across to the lead group that went just before that. They almost made it, but on the flat, Invicto and the other climber were first dropped and later the group was caught by a small peloton where Jaspers Stringas was too. There was a sprint, where Teleshopping never had a chance.

01. 00:00:00 Raul Ferreyros (clipperteam)
02. 00:00:00 Pavel Romanishin (CircleCycle)
03. 00:00:00 Logan Bouteiller (Feiting Siebing)
04. 00:00:00 Lucas Soulet (clipperteam)
05. 00:00:00 Rafael Barbosa (RC Cost)
06. 00:00:00 Tim Wey (Michelangeloo)
07. 00:00:00 Neto Karanka (Atletico Lula)
08. 00:00:00 Peter Vangramberen (Feiting Siebing)
09. 00:00:00 Achille Parmentier (clipperteam)
10. 00:00:00 Jules Vaneste (Feiting Siebing)
13. 00:00:00 Aureliano Invicto (Tommy Teleshopping)
16. 00:00:00 Jaspers Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
28. 00:00:28 Kerijs Zeidmanis (Tommy Teleshopping)
49. 00:08:31 Vytautas Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
66. 00:09:53 Zigmars Bugajenkovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
67. 00:09:53 Timo Reimann (Tommy Teleshopping)
69. 00:09:54 Arkadius Romanovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
70. 00:09:54 Günther Golberbühler (Tommy Teleshopping)

No worries. It's a pity Kerijs Zeidmanis was the very last to be dropped by the group, bu Stringa and Invicto were there and lost no time. Next stage will be the deciding stage with a lot more toughness to climb. Invicto might well be alone for a while, but there's not much to do.

[Tommy Teleshopping PCT]

Vamos a la Playa - Stage 2: San José - Playa Hermosa
Tommy Teleshopping:
41. Aureliano Invicto
42. Zigmars Bugajenkovs
43. Günther Golberbühler
44. Timo Reimann
45. Arkadius Romanovs
46. Jaspers Stringas
47. Vytautas Stringas
48. Kerijs Zeidmanis

The big mountain stage of this stage with a hard start and a nasty steep hill in the end. With Matoussi by far the best climber in the pack and his CircleCycle team not so much, the tactic was to isolate him. With the help of some teams, that would have been possible, so we sent Vytautas Stringas ahead as a helper in a group. CircleCycle kept the tempo by his non-climbers.

Timo Reimann and Günther Golberbühler made their move too. No reaction, Arkadius Romanovs even did some tempo uphill and dropped the main tempo maker, nobody followed up.

Then CircleCycle did what they most needed to do and caught Teleshopping by surprize. Two riders attacked just before a steep hilly part and then Matoussi himself cracked up the tempo, dropping most of the peloton and leaving Aureliano Invicto isolated. Jaspers Stringas and Kerijs Zeidmanis were just behind, but never caught up.

The only remaining helper, Vytautas Stringas, dropped back to the peloton to support Invicto who needed him. When Stringas too was dropped, Invicto was out of help for the last 50 kilometers. The goal always was to attack on the final climb and at least drop the second-rate climbers.

Invicto and one other rider got away, but Matoussi was stronger and took a little time on the duo. A late escapee was caught and dropped and the rest lost 2 minutes. Invicto beat his chase-mate in a sprint for second, but one was stronger.

01. 00:00:00 Houssem Matoussi (CircleCycle)
02. 00:00:09 Aureliano Invicto (Tommy Teleshopping)
03. 00:00:09 Peter Vangramberen (Feiting Siebing)
04. 00:01:39 Guido Weijers (berryberry)
05. 00:02:00 Tim Wey (Michelangeloo)
06. 00:02:00 Raul Ferreyros (clipperteam)
07. 00:02:00 DeAndre Ayton (berryberry)
08. 00:02:00 Guillermo Cifuentes (RC Cost)
09. 00:02:00 Gerardo Riveros (RC Cost)
10. 00:02:00 Oleg Balabanov (Luques)
21. 00:04:37 Kerijs Zeidmanis (Tommy Teleshopping)
22. 00:04:37 Jaspers Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
45. 00:37:47 Vytautas Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
46. 00:37:47 Günther Golberbühler (Tommy Teleshopping)
61. 00:37:47 Arkadius Romanovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
62. 00:37:47 Zigmars Bugajenkovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
76. 00:40:23 Timo Reimann (Tommy Teleshopping)

[Tommy Teleshopping PCT]

Vamos a la Playa - Stage 4: San José - Playa Puntaneras
Tommy Teleshopping:
41. Aureliano Invicto
42. Zigmars Bugajenkovs
43. Günther Golberbühler
44. Timo Reimann
45. Arkadius Romanovs
46. Jaspers Stringas
47. Vytautas Stringas
48. Kerijs Zeidmanis

Yesterday was the race to finish it all off. The GC was decided and all we had to do was not get dropped by either Aureliano Invicto, number two in the GC, or sprinters Arkadius Romanovs and Zigmars Bugajenkovs. I was busy with a christmas lunch at work, so I have no idea if it was interesting, but by the end, it was a mass sprint and Romanovs was seventh. Everybody was in front, except Timo Reimann but who likes this piece of whatever I found under the sole of my shoe?

01. 00:00:00 Bassem Mahdy (CircleCycle)
02. 00:00:00 Ilya Korobko (Luques)
03. 00:00:00 Akira Toriyama (fantasticos)
04. 00:00:00 Dan Summers (berryberry)
05. 00:00:00 Hannes Wey (Michelangeloo)
06. 00:00:00 Andrea Palladino (CircleCycle)
07. 00:00:00 Arkadius Romanovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
08. 00:00:00 Hubert Deschamps (clipperteam)
09. 00:00:00 Ragnar Kümmel (fantasticos)
10. 00:00:00 Jens Nowotny (Michelangeloo)
23. 00:00:00 Zigmars Bugajenkovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
25. 00:00:00 Aureliano Invicto (Tommy Teleshopping)
26. 00:00:00 Kerijs Zeidmanis (Tommy Teleshopping)
27. 00:00:00 Vytautas Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
29. 00:00:00 Günther Golberbühler (Tommy Teleshopping)
30. 00:00:00 Jaspers Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
74. 00:18:37 Timo Reimann (Tommy Teleshopping)

GC:
02. 00:00:14 Aureliano Invicto (Tommy Teleshopping)
A very good Tour for Invicto. Teleshopping was totally committed to supporting Invicto against a much stronger Matoussi and team CircleCycle did not break. Then the second place is all we could hope for.

20. 00:04:48 Jaspers Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
The strongest helper was able to stay with Invicto on the hilly stage, but not on the mountain stage, making it more difficult. Not sure if we could expect more from him, but that was slightly off.

22. 00:05:16 Kerijs Zeidmanis (Tommy Teleshopping)
The third one. Clearly just not good enough, but there is plenty of time for the Latvian champion to improve. We did expect a little bit more.

40. 00:46:26 Vytautas Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
The most attractive riding Teleshopping rider this tour. He was the one able to support Invicto for a little while along with bagging some points and money in the mountain stage. We can't expect more from this attacker.

60. 00:47:51 Zigmars Bugajenkovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
Ok. He did what we wanted. Some placings in the sprint and help for the leaders. and that was what he needed to do.

62. 00:47:52 Arkadius Romanovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
Decent. Romanovs is not yet able to fight for glory, but two decent placings showed his promise and he is making money for the team.

64. 00:47:52 Günther Golberbühler (Tommy Teleshopping)
The decent human being of the two work horses this tour. Was clearly the better rider and better man in the attack with Reimann in the mountains. Did not work out, but he showed his face.

75. 01:09:04 Timo Reimann (Tommy Teleshopping)
Pfff. Reimann... Who likes this guy? Screwed up again.

[Tommy Teleshopping PCT]

Timo Reimann fined

JURMALA - Sad excuse of a rider, Timo Reimann, has been fined and corporally punished by Tommy Teleshopping team manager Tommy. Reasons were not disclosed "to protect Reimann's sexual integrity" but critics say this is an unprovoced punishment. Positivos claim Reimann surely must have done something wrong.

Recent news coverage focusses a lot on Tommy's critical quotes on the German. From when he joined the team, he has even been unwilling to work hard for his leaders, claiming he deserves a chance to ride for his own glory. Being a very poor rider and a very sad human being to boot, Reimanns performances do not warrant and chances to ride for himself. During the German championships, Reimann demanded in-race transfers to get him some support to win the race by a 14 minute lead. Manager Tommy patiently explained the rules do not allow such chicaneries, prompting Reimann to sit lazily in the back of the peloton, finishing 85th and robbing a bank because Tommy did not give him his victory premiums.

Following UN's resolution suspending basic human rights for Timo Reimann specifically (there was an appeal by another guy called Timo Reimann which was accepted, because that Timo Reimann does not deserve this harch punishment) Teleshopping employees are allowed to verbally abuse Reimann and to cut off his internet access. Furthermore, Reimann is prevented from legal rights or a fair process to defend himself. Later this week, a show process involving corrupt personal enemies of Timo Reimann will find the German guilty of mass murder and the corruption of the youth.


Toe nails

That being said, the victim, Tommy, is still fighting for rehabilitation. "Recent publications by Rapid Media stated there was bullying happening, which is clearly true, but we'll still have to sue for damages and rectification in 2 days at most. If Rapid Media does not comply, Reimann will have a toe nail removed," according to a spokesperson.

Reimann was not in a position to reply.

[Tommy Teleshopping PCT]

GP Mt. Hagen
Tommy Teleshopping:
11. Aureliano Invicto
12. Miervaldis Alksnuzarins
13. Kazimirs Auzins
14. Günther Golberbühler
15. Modris Kalns
16. Timo Reimann
17. Vytautas Stringas
18. Wilberts Stringas

An interesting race for Teleshopping. Aureliano Invicto and Modris Kalns were the absolute leaders with Vytautas Stringas with sort of a protected role for if anyone got ideas. The rest of the team were cheap work horses and our very own traitor Timo Reimann, ready to put a dagger in our bags.

Three riders escaped from the start and took a couple of minutes. While he did not want to work for his salary, a little torture got Timo Reimann to ride a bit at the head of the peloton, not managing to close the gap to the lead group. When willing riders from other teams intervened to lead the chase, Reimann kept sabotaging and it was only when Miervaldis Alksnuzarins helped, that the gap started decreasing at a decent rate.


Big Donkey admitted his toe nails are too long. Pity he's not Big Camel.

At the foot of the final climb, the peloton grabbed the leaders and one of the stage favorites, Fahrer attacked. Modris Kalns immediately started pushing the tempo, dropping everybody except Aureliano Invicto and two other riders. One of them was a problem, because Matsuoka had some flat riding pedigree and had to be dropped. Kalns' tempo was not enough though and it was only when Invicto and kalns attacked together that they were alone against the rest, behind Fahrer.

Just over the steep part of the hill, Matsuoko managed to catch up and attack again, bridging to Fahrer and later dropping him. Invicto and Kalns did not manage to close the gap to either of the riders and finished 3rd and 4th with Vytautas Stringas a decent 16th.

01. 00:00:00 Hiroshi Matsuoka (Big Donkey)
02. 00:00:11 Erster Fahrer (Lubazim team)
03. 00:00:14 Aureliano Invicto (Tommy Teleshopping)
04. 00:00:25 Modris Kalns (Tommy Teleshopping)
05. 00:00:49 Guillaume Pelletier (Fdgames)
06. 00:00:49 Damien Tekou (Dynamo Leinad)
07. 00:00:49 Pierre Cailloux (Fdgames)
08. 00:00:49 Elias Tobar (Big Donkey)
09. 00:00:49 Auguste Lebrec (Fdgames)
10. 00:00:49 Angel Valverde (Valverde)
16. 00:04:55 Vytautas Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
28. 00:13:32 Wilberts Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
29. 00:13:32 Günther Golberbühler (Tommy Teleshopping)
43. 00:17:08 Kazimieras Auzins (Tommy Teleshopping)
44. 00:17:10 Miervaldis Alksnuzarins (Tommy Teleshopping)
48. 00:17:19 Timo Reimann (Tommy Teleshopping)

By the way, a picture was found in Reimann's posession:

As punishment, the bowl in the cage will be half filled with porridge, instead of two thirds, for the next five days.

[Tommy Teleshopping PCT]

Gran Premio di Roma
Tommy Teleshopping:
21. Jurgis Viikmäe
22. Miervaldis Alksnuzarins
23. Kazimirs Auzins
24. Zigmars Bugajenkovs
25. Timo Reimann
26. Arkadius Romanovs
27. Jaspers Stringas
28. Wilberts Stringas
29. Kerijs Zeidmanis

A cobble classic on the Via Appia today. This is the big chance for the domestiques to shine. Absolute leader was Jurgis Viikmäe but there would be plenty of stuff to do for a lot of riders. The main aim for the start was to get in a lead group to have that card on the table, so Wilberts Stringas and Latvian champion Kerijs Zeidmanis did so, with some other riders. The group took a decent lead, but because of the size and the fact that Stringas was getting tired, there was not much chance to make it to the finish.

In the peloton, the hills and cobbled section on the ancient roads were too much for Miervaldis Alksnuzarins and Kazimirs Auzins who had to let the peloto go and later abandon the race. The rest of the riders could easily remain close enough to finish. It was too hard though for Arkadius Romanovs who got dropped on the cobbled section and could not compete for the higher places. With Zeidmanis and Wilberts Stringas in front, Jaspers Stringas was the rider to stay with Viikmäe on the hilly sectons while Zigmars Bugajenkovs was supporting him near the Roman monuments. Timo Reimann was more interested in supporting the opposition and getting water bottles for them, but he was there.

In the last cobbled section, when Zeidmanis and his two remaining compagnons in front were caught (als Wilberts Stringas was long dropped by anyone else) the peloton broke in small pieces, leaving Viikmäe on his own in a third or fourth group. He never managed to make the cut, but was close enough to finish just outside the top-10.

01. 00:00:00 Jaime Valdelomar (Big Donkey)
02. 00:00:00 Stijn Timmermans (Liquigas-CND)
03. 00:00:00 Sven Frankily (Trekken Racing)
04. 00:00:01 Leroy Caster (team FCSB)
05. 00:00:01 Hiroshi Matsuishi (Big Donkey)
06. 00:00:01 Ante Bradaric (Liquigas-CND)
07. 00:00:01 Harold Boom (Trekken Racing)
08. 00:00:01 Sinisa Pantelic (Liquigas-CND)
09. 00:00:19 Gregor Schuhmann (rsv lünen)
10. 00:00:19 Hiroshi Matsubara (Big Donkey)
11. 00:00:19 Jurgis Viikmäe (Tommy Teleshopping)
22. 00:03:16 Zigmars Bugajenkovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
23. 00:03:16 Jaspers Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
25. 00:03:16 Kerijs Zeidmanis (Tommy Teleshopping)
40. 00:11:01 Arkadius Romanovs (Tommy Teleshopping)
42. 00:11:01 Timo Reimann (Tommy Teleshopping)
52. 00:15:42 Wilberts Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
DNF Miervaldis Alksnuzarins (Tommy Teleshopping)
DNF Kazimirs Auzins (Tommy Teleshopping)

[Tommy Teleshopping PCT]

Wangaratta - Alexandra
Tommy Teleshopping:
31. Modris Kalns
32. Miervaldis Alksnuzarins
33. Kazimirs Auzins
34. Jaspers Stringas
35. Vytautas Stringas
36. Wilberts Stringas
37. Jurgis Viikmäe
38. Kerijs Zeidmanis

An interesting race with Modris Kalns being the dominant climber, but in a race where climbing only meant so much. There was a hill after 94 kilometers and two just before the finale. By far the most interesting hill was the second one with some sections of 8%, but never more than that. Would be for the strong men, unless something strange happened.

Teleshopping put the two Stringas brothers Vytautas and Wilberts in front and they were joined by two other riders. With Wilberts doing a lot of work, the gap got quite big and it took the group to Mansfield at the halfway stage. Then, when Wilberts and one of the other riders dropped, it was Kalns himself who attacked and bridged across to Vytautas Stringas just at the top of the hill.

This was actually the big attack that broke the peloton into pieces, but Team Furpach was dominant and the Latvian duo was not able to keep the minute-and-a-half gap Kalns took. The duo was quickly caught back and Kalns kept his cool on the easier final hill. Stringas did drop, leaving Kalns without helpers as Jaspers Stringas and Kerijs Zeidmanis just did not manage to keep the pace.

Kalns was on his own. A 11 man lead group formed on the hill and they looked like the would fight for victory, but Big Donkey, prompted by traitor Timo Reimann who was found in a basement studying possible human-mule hybrid creatures with his pants down, started eating the lead and came very close indeed.

Just before the finish, a small hill got 4 riders ahead, not including Kalns. Jaspers Stringas tried to bridge across, but could not get away. In the last kilometer, the Kalns group caught up with the leader to reform the 11 men who were going to sprint with a lead of just 5 seconds on a 15 men group with Stringas and Zeidmanis. Kalns did not have the strength the fight for victory though and finished 9th.
01. 00:00:00 Javier Cevasco (Liberty Sarténe)
02. 00:00:00 Jamshid Otakhonov (Tukhtahuaev)
03. 00:00:00 Alexis Logothetis (Tukhtahuaev)
04. 00:00:00 Jerome Rothen (Liberty Sarténe)
05. 00:00:00 Tim Wey (Michelangeloo)
06. 00:00:00 Nodirbek Tukhtasinov (Tukhtahuaev)
07. 00:00:00 Roger Soler (SV Furpach)
08. 00:00:00 Mark Merklein (SV Furpach)
09. 00:00:00 Modris Kalns (Tommy Teleshopping)
10. 00:00:00 Heimir Hallgrimsson (SV Furpach)[/b]
15. 00:00:05 Kerijs Zeidmanis (Tommy Teleshopping)
18. 00:00:05 Jaspers Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
27. 00:16:27 Vytautas Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
31. 00:20:38 Jurgis Viikmäe (Tommy Teleshopping)
38. 00:22:00 Wilberts Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
DNF Miervaldis Alksnuzarins (Tommy Teleshopping)
DNF Kazimieras Auzins (Tommy Teleshopping)

[Tommy Teleshopping PCT]

Highlands Highway Cycling Race
Tommy Teleshopping:
11. Aureliano Invicto
12. Modris Kalns
13. Miervaldis Alksnuzarins
14. Kazimirs Auzins
15. Günther Golberbühler
16. Timo Reimann
17. Jaspers Stringas
18. Vytautas Stringas
19. Wilberts Stringas

alright, a tough race that demands both Aureliano Invicto and Modris Kalns to be there to ride uphill. Jaspers Stringas had to try and stay with them to support them, while the rest wasn't expected to do anything but not get too tired, because from the start, it was a couple of kilometers false flat for them to follow and then a climb with 13% gradients for them to drop.

A group of non-climbers got away on the easy part and took about 5 minutes when team SV Furpach took control in the peloton while having 2 riders in front. All peloton filling dropped and started focussing on keeping Vytautas Stringas safe and sound.

The work happened....

The group was caught and some riders attacked again. Invicto and Kalns could follow decently, but lost some time on the final part. A group took the flowers and Stringas finished too.

01. 00:00:00 Siarhei Rutenka (JoyRide)
02. 00:00:06 Romain Gaudu (Fdgames)
03. 00:00:06 Alicia Gonzalez (Schartner Bombe)
04. 00:00:06 Rabaki Ouedraogo (JoyRide)
05. 00:00:15 Erster Fahrer (Lubazim team)
06. 00:00:18 Aureliano Invicto (Tommy Teleshopping)
07. 00:00:18 Sarqoun Barkley (Haudegen)
08. 00:00:24 Modris Kalns (Tommy Teleshopping)
09. 00:00:32 Vignir Svavarsson (SV Furpach)
10. 00:00:35 Nedko Todorov (Haudegen)
23. 00:18:03 Jaspers Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
DNF Miervaldis Alksnuzarins
DNF Kazimirs Auzins
DNF Günther Golberbühler
DNF Timo Reimann
DNF Vytautas Stringas
DNF Wilberts Stringas

[Tommy Teleshopping PCT]

Trofeo Ses Salines-Campos-Porreres-Flelanitx

Tommy Teleshopping:
11. Aureliano Invicto
12. Miervaldis Alksnuzarins
13. Kazimirs Auzins
14. Günther Golberbühler
15. Modris Kalns
16. Timo Reimann
17. Vytautas Stringas
18. Wilberts Stringas

A nice race with some sprints and little hills on the way to a 2nd category climb for the mountain goats. A very nice opportunity for Aureliano Invicto to shine in his last race for Teleshopping. Second leader was the new team leader, Modris Kalns. Honourable mention goes to Günther Golberbühler too. He did his final ride too, as well as the piece of whatever-you-call-it, Timo Reimann who will finally leave too.

There was a 2 man group and it was up to Golberbühler to keep them in check, so he did quite well. The duo never got more than 2:30 on the pack. With team Bernardsport joining later, it was clear that the stage would end in an uphill battle, even when team Valverde tried to attack. Wilberts Stringas joined the second group as a leuitenant, but the group never got really far as Bernardsport kept control. Two riders were last to be caught, including Stringas.

Surprizingly, it was Kalns who attacked from the foot of the hill and he caught the other favorites by surprize, immediately taking a minute. He never gave that away and took his first non-classification victory. Invicto came in third, capping a great career in style.

01. 00:00:00 Modris Kalns (Tommy Teleshopping)
02. 00:00:51 Didier Leresteux (bernardsport)
03. 00:00:58 Aureliano Invicto (Tommy Teleshopping)[/b]
04. 00:00:58 Alain Phillipot (bernardsport)
05. 00:01:00 Marvin Bagley (LENNAO)
06. 00:01:06 Damien Tekou (Dynamo Leinad)
07. 00:01:06 Liam Albrecht (LENNAO)
08. 00:01:06 Angel Valverde (Valverde)
09. 00:01:15 Jarda Poust (Valverde)
10. 00:01:37 Alejandro Humala (Valverde)
11. 00:01:39 Wilberts Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
15. 00:01:52 Vytautas Stringas (Tommy Teleshopping)
30. 00:03:29 Kazimieras Auzins (Tommy Teleshopping)
32. 00:03:29 Miervaldis Alksnuzarins (Tommy Teleshopping)
35. 00:03:36 Timo Reimann (Tommy Teleshopping)
40. 00:04:12 Günther Golberbühler (Tommy Teleshopping)