Good thread, I always whine when people don't participate and thus slowly and slowly keep killing the game further and further. So I better do, even if of course the usual suspects will accuse me of toxicity. You know who your are.
Emilia: Makhamadzhonov favorite, Donkey in group. More as a relay station for Iskanderov later, or an early sieb with tempo, but in the end was just as a loader between San Luca climbs. Could follow the first Makhamadzhonov attack expected that. Thought second one would be critical... but that's because I didn't think. Of course I can follow. Anyway, last laps, Donks goes ahead a bit with Lüthi Iskanderov, never looks really dangerous, then in the second last lap Makhamadzhonov and Poggiolini, Poggiolini comes back, then attacks, could have been dangerous but in the end in the back there was tempo from the classic group that came from the third Tukh attacking. Last 2 km, Makhamadzhonov goes. Dixon follows. But Zuk is 2" ahead. Argh. Should simply have attacked myself and hope to land 1" ahead of Zuk. Most likely nothing changes though, same time, next km I'm followed and lose the sprint. Like this gained 1" back in the last km, needed 2".
1 Zuk
2 Dixon 1"
3 Makhamadzhonov 4"
Great success to beat Makhamadzhonov.... but only for second. Which is sort of ok, but it's highly annoying that I simply assumed like the last idiot, instead of thinking for 5". Would have ridden a bit differently probably, chances are the end result doesn't change, but still, at least I would have gotten second knowing what I'm doing
Iskanderov 10th.
Next, Agostoni: First race of the trittico lombardo, the one it took me longest to win, and when I did I think it was a mini-group.
All for Kebede
Incredibly passive race, nothing happening at all, nobody challenging the hill sprinters at all. Km 1 block by CC, a Bitibert going, gets 1'19" advantage and stops. Then nothing until km 89, a sieb probably by Uru. Everything back together, race started at the last Colle Brianza, on Lissolo the hill sprinters temporarily dropped, came back easily, tempo by CC-Donks-Medical. Hm, lots of Donkey I'm seeing in the replay, but then I had 5 riders so...Anyway, easy hill sprint. And Kebede fails again. Kind of overthought it this time... Kebede 78, Mavric and Jungo 75. Both could make a train. But there's Linn with a train, they could put their no 2 (Redondo 65 and Mersch 64) there, while following Kebede. Who then would hang somewhere trainless... so I go on LInn! CC with the train... same pace as Linn, when the second ones go he gains... went at 250. Should have gone at 300 maybe? But ok, doesn't change much I guess, there they were still roughly equal. Anyway I go, win less than hoped, perfect for Mavric to get my wheel, which he does and wins easily from there, Kebede only 4th being overtaken by Mavric's followers too. Argh. Bad sprint, but hanging on Mavric (better train than Med normally, so more likely) is a risk too, that hang on LInn with Redondo tactic looked decent too. And if I get Mavric's wheel (of course had forgotten that Jungo gets it more likely) somehow... CC can't do a standard sprint since I'm 3 stronger, that is a difference. And if I don't get the wheel (didn't even think about it at the time) of course I'm too far back most likely, but can do an early sprint... went for the Linn train, turned out to be the wrong decision. Bah
Bernocchi: Only cat 2... actually IMO more something for sprinters. Decent teams (with decent riders I was corrected) that ride for a flat sprint IMO get it more often than not. And indeed I thought I had taken Toulet along, hadn't, so ok for Kebede.
Escape, so Donkey chases early, well, then for reasons unknown (possibly even to Bitibert (ayayay, toxic Donks) Bitibert starts chasing. Ok, with none of the flat sprint teams showing intent of riding at this point took that help with pleasure. Basically thanks to Bitibert the escape was never a danger. Flat sprinters... A first attempt by Medical to have them work with their flat guys at 5 laps? Donkey wasn't happy and chased with his flat riders. IMO 4 from the end was better. And no Onkelinx there was very bad. Everybody back, thought going at 4 to go, changed to 3. Helpers dropped, 9" back, Taka riding in the back, went out (by sectrick he said later) nobody in tempo, up to 49" That was probably the decisive moment. Gipfel, WZF and Nash felt they didn't need to ride it seems (toxic again), ok, maybe hoped to profit from Taka riding further, I do that sometimes too. Anyway, helpers far back, far from ideal. Riding with Onkelinx, next lap Roy and Bele take over, sprinters dropped, with their helpers far back, Bugatti sprinter with Pinder dropped too, Cabassi there too, fortuntely for us he didn't ride, might come back, only 9" again. And then we can't bring Roy and Bele over the last hill. Big advantage before the last climb, over one minute, so we kept Roy and Bele. Bring it home, In the end 30". Sprint, in a way I did the same one as in Agostoni, not hang on the other sprinters (but this time none of the sprinters had a train, mine was dead, Ganambarr...) but on a strong train with weak sprinter, Tukh. Weirdly nobody hung on me or on Tukh... Kinnen though, so Medical could change and get the wheel. Then 150 and risk Jungo overtaking me? But he already spent a bit getting the wheel, thought could probably keep him away. Or 100 and risk the block? OK 100, immediately regretted it, Elmas from behind Jungo went at 150... argh. So 100, as expected blocked, but seeing how far I went, I actually was reasonably confident that it would be enough... and it was! Uff... 150 would have been ok too, if Jungo overtakes me, blah, but after all I'm pretty used to not winning, would have managed to overcome the disappointment.... Winning is better though. Lucky win in many senses. Bitibert's tempo certainly helped a lot and was completely senseless. The 3 sprinters sleeping in the back when the helpers were dropped the same. 40" lost it seems (seems too much actually, but since c4f right now is refusing to work for me I just write what I wrote yesterday, might have been 30") Bugatti not chasing with Pinder 2 laps from the end, lucky too. But not sure what I would have done in his situation either. Because they will get dropped again, and no An hurts. And the sprint for once went perfectly, didn't fuck it up. Lucky that the others started in a bad position, maybe lucky that Jungo tried to go where it was blocked in the last 50 meters, but don't think he could overtake me there.
Finally Kebede!
Tre Valli Varesine: No Taiaroa, that probably explains that catastrophe today. Brrrr. Group with 6 teams goes, in the back tempo by SWP and OMG.. Problem was that nobody else helped, the race IMO was quite open. Not only the 80-70 that in the end did it, but also classics had their chance. Dagestan and Cottbus with 80-70 but in escape didn't help. And of course riding with Svahn and Czajka forever didn't help. At some point then OMG took a break (but he rode a lot too, hadn't realized that his break was rather short during the race) and SWP still with Svahn...lots of time lost there Why not use Skutin? Useless later too, ride with him, mountains with Svahn to keep him there, rest Skutin? Skutin came in when the advantage went up to 5'29", brought it down to under 5', then Allagen rode, brought to almost 4',. leaders in front start, goes up again. Skutin just too late, one lap earlier and it's ok. But again, it wasn't only SWP and OMG with chances, others, Allagen, also the classics with +/- 60 sprint like Sastre, Lüthi, Bougault had their chances too I think. But none of us thought about helping, probably waiting for the others to start.
Last 8%, climber in tempo, logic... Donkey stares.. fighting in? Nooooo, I'll come back, others probably have it off too. No, only a few dumbasses. Donkey, Gipfel, possibly Allagen (but his might have been dropped anyway) Logic to sieb there, get rid of Pizzaballa and possibly Belaid, on a 6% at least Belaid won't be dropped. And Pizzaballa... .depending on form an energy maybe not either. Donkey 19" back with his leaders and his hobby Kebede (wasn't seriouly riding for him, but who else to load, he was going to get dropped on the 6% anyway but until then, why not) That was it for the Donkey, came back to 11" before the final climb thanks to Allagen in large part, lost only 1" in the 6" Attack by the 80-70 plus Bak, 76-81 16" ahead of the group of the losers who rode up to the rest of the first peloton there. In the end 13" back. Bah. And completely fucked up the sprint too, had Uru still helping Kebede, so instead of a Gallego-Lüthi-Kebede train I was stuck somewhere in the pampa... Fitting end to a badly ridden race. Well, ridden ok till that last 8, it wasn't really up to me as third guy to join I feel, first Allagen for Belaid (depending on form he should survive the 8, with fighting and Pizzaballa as I said IMO not hopeless) and Gipfel (only one more sprint, but a bit more mountain (pretty irrelevant) but with Papillon a great blocker for the 6 5 combi) In front, nice group, went in with leaders early, roughly 75km from the end. Good management too, not only the peloton failed. Very even in mountain, a bit less in sprint, but 53-59 is still ok, Pichler turned out to be the strongest, attack on 6%, nobody could follow, brings it up to 12" till the end with his flat. 42" before the 80-70 group with SWP and OMG.
Donkey really really stupid, in retrospect not sure why I didn't put in fighting. Well, because I'm an idiot (toxicity again) climber in, need to fight. And IMO Lüthi stays, Gallego hopefully too. Yeah, Papillon-Bougault 2" back, Lüthi 3", Gallego 4". Pretty sure they all stay, the ones a bit behind up to Belaid at 6" probably too. Uru at 7" was sure he'd drop anyway... wasn't fit anymore anyway at this point, had changed to helping at some point and maybe even rode a km somewhere? But who knows. Just stupid. Then to win, of course difficult, but IMO a block with Lüthi on the 6, tempo with Gallego on the 5 3... can be close, following IMO made no sense, couldn't follow anyway. And then it's a pretty open sprint, with Belaid there we have quite ok chances to get the attackers, as in 80-70, but 65 sprint, without him lower chances, but worth a try. Papillon might have followed if he hadn't had to ride up again too though, with him blocking would be much better. But why expect the logical thing from a guy who thinks he needs to sectrick in and out of tempo in a group with 2 of his riders 2 then 1" behind the peloton.... Big failure today by Donks anyway, how can you be stupid enough not to put in fighting there?
In general... won 1, did ok in 2 others, one big failure. Won the one I care about least.... 5th win, seems I'm record winner there now, at least something. I'd much rather win Agostoni though... but ok.
Now prepare for the next ones, don't care about tomorrow, then another 4 worthwhile ones, Vendée a bit less, but still rather win it than not!
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