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Tour de France

Are we allowed to start getting a bit excited yet? Looks to be a more varied route than usual with less of the endless nailed on sprint stages that normally dominate the first week or so (though a run of sprint stages does save on the transfers!) I don't know about the practicality of it, but is there any way of opening the game up using the long lists that most teams already have or just using the full list of riders? It is quite good fun playing about with potential line-ups, especially for the purist game, even knowing that the final roster will probably change. Obviously, if it creates difficulties, I wouldn't want to add to the burden of running the game but, if it doesn't, let's get the TdF party started!   Here are a couple of links to the current state of the start list. https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-de-france/2022/startlist.                                https://firstcycling.com/race.php?r=17&y=2022&k=8  

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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144 comments

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Daniel Norton | 1 year ago
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Blimey, what is Gougeard doing?  On his own after making a decent sized break?  It seems like the French riders try to find a way to make the race as difficult as possible for themselves.

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Dr Winston | 1 year ago
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Sat on my hands with apoor looking team but didn't want to go below ten transfers for the last three days. Only fell three places in the standard game so i'll take that. 

My ponder was... Yates>Ciccone... glad i didn't

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livestrongnick | 1 year ago
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well that was a waste of transfers 😩

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Dr Winston | 1 year ago
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Pffft. Went the extra mile for another TT pick with BISSEGGER !!... EVEN AFTER SAYING IT WOULD BE A LONG TIME BEFORE I PICK HIM AGAIN !!

I figured it mattered very little wether it was a good TT pick today(!) or a second string Dainese type sprinter pick tomorrow. 

Couldn't have been more wrong. ...amazing thing is he could still have had a high finish but just gave up.. speaks volumes.

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Dr Winston replied to Daniel Norton | 1 year ago
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Bonkers. 

Shocking day for me...went for jersey pts instead of the break... which included Bardet and Yates. Rubbish. Unlucky with Martinez... i fancied him for today but he looked cooked on the final climb,  but, even so,  i never expected him to wait at the top of that last climb. Good move by Ineos because his descendng looked a lot better than his climbing... i wonder if it was the plan or just something they decided when he couldn't win the stage?

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11waterloo replied to Dr Winston | 1 year ago
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Same here. Stuck with Mas hoping for a bad stage > good stage scenario but it didn't happen. Got 12 transfers but it's damage limitation now. 

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Dr Winston replied to livestrongnick | 1 year ago
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Join the club.

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11waterloo replied to Dr Winston | 1 year ago
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Luckily, I swerved Bisseger (& Lampaert) in favour of stacking today with sprinters. Watch today be the first breakaway stage in ages! Would sum my below par efforts up quite nicely.

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Daniel Norton replied to Dr Winston | 1 year ago
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I did my usual aggressive strategy (4 breakaway riders) in the mountains, but only had Geschka and Martinez in the break.

I'm so used to having a high hit rate at picking breakaway riders, I forgot how costly it is when there are so many odd results.  I really don't think it is just the pace, the heat has changed who is strong dramatically.

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Dr Winston replied to 11waterloo | 1 year ago
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Strange for Mas. He's usually a really dependable...if unspectacular pick.

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Dr Winston replied to Daniel Norton | 1 year ago
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I seldom go past three breakaway riders. By seasons end it usually works out, unless it's a day like today with a big break... then it's a rubbish strategy.

5:3 for GC jersey/break/save and 5:3 for sprinters/jersey/save...unless it's three sprint stages in a row.

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Daniel Norton replied to Dr Winston | 1 year ago
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I normally go for 3/4 only if I think it's a definite break and reckon I know who is likely to win or go for KOMs.  Today I went mad to be fair!  When I'm thinking straight, I'm pretty good at the calculated gambles.  Also, a lack of faith in the top 10 (apart from top 3) made me hesitate to add Bardet or Yates today, which turned out to be a good call.

There is a strategy dilemma atm which I think I got wrong.  I had the £££ to add WVA instead of Martinez today.  With WVA in the team, it makes the sprint stage after the pyrenees really tough if you don't drop Pog (b4 a TT), Ving (b4 a TT) or WVA (b4 a TT)...  Twice now I've not included WVA when it was pretty obviously an error.

Bad luck AND poor decisions.  I need to smash the rest of this race.

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11waterloo replied to Daniel Norton | 1 year ago
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I can't catch a break quite literally! My usual story of being top ten after a week & then sinking without trace.... Had 4 for break yesterday and only Geschke (who I've had for ages) made it in a break of 29. Also persevered with Bardet because of his supposed descending skills when it's his ascending skills I should have been worried about! WVA using the race as his personal play thing doesn't help decision making either! 

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Daniel Norton replied to 11waterloo | 1 year ago
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Totally hear you about WVA.  It seems like the standard game chasing pack like us are getting it wrong in certain races.

As per the strategy error/dilemma above, I can add WVA with a single transfer and take a hit after the Pyrenees in transfers needed.  But how the feck do we know whether he will have a "rest" today/tomorrow, with a couple of "sprint/punch" finishes and a TT coming up?

Reflection 1:  My calculated gamble strategy means I score higher than most  players (inc. Tony and the Dr) in a lot of races, but is too expensive in the races where I get it wrong.  Should I go Team Sky and just play a more discipined "formula", or can I work out what it is about those races and choose which races to go team Sky in? e.g. I always seem to crash in the Spring Classics and Le Tour.  Why?

Reflection 2:  Has (semi-consciously) trying to close the gap on Tony quicker been the real reason for this crash?

Reflection 3:  Is trying to play a different way to beat such solid players complete madness? yes

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11waterloo replied to Daniel Norton | 1 year ago
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I have learned that trying to deliberately go a different strategy rarely works. Most of us are pretty good at the basic formula of the game but it is the attention to detail that separate the likes of Mountain Renegade and Dr Winston. The number of times I have a 'I wish I'd thought of that moment' when I look at their teams is ridiculous! 

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Daniel Norton replied to 11waterloo | 1 year ago
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You're prob right.  All that is academic if you miss the deadline!  Hope WVA has a rest now and Martinez does something amazing.

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11waterloo replied to Daniel Norton | 1 year ago
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I took Bardet out & am now nervously watching him ride over to the breakaway. Sometimes missing the deadline isn't the worst thing! 

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Daniel Norton replied to 11waterloo | 1 year ago
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Depends on who you replaced Bardet with.  If they scored or score tomorrow, no problem.

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11waterloo replied to Daniel Norton | 1 year ago
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Well, he was a Mas-sive disappointment today. Talk was he was going to do exactly what Bardet ended up doing!

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Doaky | 1 year ago
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Simon Geschke scored zero??? Still KOM

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Daniel Norton replied to Doaky | 1 year ago
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Yeah, the scores need changing.

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Dr Winston | 1 year ago
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Gone a bit mad with sprinters for today... but may not even get a sprint. WVA, Philipsen, Pedersen and Groenewegen. 

We could even see an accord today that allows an early break to go due to the temp and the distance. 

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Daniel Norton replied to Dr Winston | 1 year ago
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I ducked out of WVA. Another mistake.

Throw out all the rules about how teams ride GTs.  Assumed with Roglic leaving, they might hold WVA back a bit.  Jumbo might regret the decision, but they made good on their promise to give WVA freedom.

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Daniel Norton replied to Dr Winston | 1 year ago
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Good call on the sprint btw

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Daniel Norton | 1 year ago
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Why do none of the bookies or experts think Jungels can win today? Is he injured?

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11waterloo replied to Daniel Norton | 1 year ago
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It looks as if it's 50/50 between a sprint or a breakaway today so the sprinters are always going to be the bookies favourites as they are easier to rank if it ends up a sprint.  Picking a winner from a breakaway on a lumpy stage is more of a lottery. I don't think there is anything wrong with Jungels but it's just there are plenty of other candidates with similar attributes. Looking at the odds, Kung and Simmons are priced the same as Jungels and a good case could be made for them as well.

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Daniel Norton replied to 11waterloo | 1 year ago
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Kung's form looked to be waning yesterday (could be the heat), but Simmons and Jungels seem to handle heat OK, so I rate their chances as higher.

The break usually get better support in the heat than the peloton.  That said, if the temps are as predicted, anything could happen today.

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Dr Winston replied to Daniel Norton | 1 year ago
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Dunno..same for Schachmann, Lampaert and co. 

There are two lots of riders that have had to haul themselves over the mountains for no other reason than getting in the break or having another sprint. Today could go either way. BOH will definitely like the look of today for either Politt or Schachmann. I can see both of Cosnefroy and Jungels trying for a similar short and long attemp at a win from the break.

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Dr Winston | 1 year ago
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Doh... going from bad to worse. Missed the deadline today due to a drama...literally... Gonna take a wild guess that Bora have earmarked today.

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Dr Winston replied to Dr Winston | 1 year ago
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Mmmm...short list was Teuns and/or Kamna... only one made the break.

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