Giro d’Italia

Keeping Bouwman. Form says drop Ciccone. I'm keeping Ciccone too in case he has three weetabix again especially for the last climbing stage.

Good decision. We had identical teams today. I nearly dropped Ciccone, but wasn't sure. So often doing nothing is the right course of action. On this occasion that worked out

I noticed you and Tony (almost) had exactly the same team/scores.  I had a feeling the Cima Coppi would bring out a couple of Italians...

Congratulations, you played a blinder there and won comfortably in the end. I got a nosebleed after leading at halfway and having loads of transfers in the bank. Just kept getting it wrong - had all the right riders but never in the right stage! 

That's a shame, was a nice day! My email is paul.a.crowther [at] btinternet.com so if you message me via that, we can hopefully get something arranged next time you are over!

That car boot was massive a few years ago. Used to cycle past it regularly but I guess it's a victim of Covid. The music next to the pier is an oddity. I imagine the cafe must pay the performers but it only seems to attract  a handful of spectators whenever I have gone past. It is nice to hear a few Beatles covers drifting down the promenade though!

And always a headwind heading back to Southport! 

Well done Daniel.

Thanks guys.

Ironically, if I hadn't noticed Almeida dropping out b4 the "sprint" stage, I'd have had 5 transfers left for the TT (I was planning to add Tulett and Cort as well) which might have put Tony under a bit more pressure in the overall but can't grumble.

@Waterloo:  I think you were really unlucky in the second week.  You could have scored a lot more points with those transfers, which let us back in.

My "attacking" game style definitely suits races like the Giro more than say the Tour.  The strategy of using more transfers early then stacking your team with GC and KOM riders works better at other races IMO.

Yes, I ended up almost having too many transfers and made changes just to use them up, when I would have been better sticking with what I had. Never quite got the GC/breakaway balance right towards the end. At least we are in stage race season now so can look forward to the next one. 

I was choosing between 2 and 3 sprinters last night.  I decided to go for 2 to give me flexibility and a couple of back up transfers for the remaining stages.  Saw the Almeida news after that, so have gone for 3 sprinters today instead. Wasn't tight, but will be now.

The biggest effect will be not enough TT specialists with no Almeida in team for the final stage.  Hope there aren't too many more COVID drop-outs.

So yes, saw it in time but AFTER I'd made my original 2 sprinter transfers.  So added an extra sprinter.  If no more big surprises, might be OK.

I dropped Kamna for Nibali.  Doh.

I assumed Bora might actually concentrate on winning the giro for Hindley.  Their dumb ass tactics cost me points.  How rude.

I thought Kamna would be locked and left him out too.

I reckon if Bouwman works on his endurance/recovery, there's a classification rider in there.

Bouwman is still my pick of the Giro, I did say we would see more of him in this Giro.