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GIRO 2023

Can we get this opened up so that we can start tweaking our selections. The startlists have been virtually complete for days now. Everything seems to be last minute this year and thats not a dig at the volunteers who seem to do everything nowadays. 

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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Sniffer | 8 months ago
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Another Giro done.  A slow burner in terms of the GC, but still lots of of other drama (Gee, Pinot, Leknessund, Cav, Armirail etc).

In Fantasy terms, I have the usual sob stories of choosing the right riders, but just on the wrong days.

Interesting how looking back you see which bets pay off and the ones that didn't.

I think Leknessund surprised.  His long run in pink meant he was a good pick as soon as he led the GC and the Young rider competitions.  He didn't make it into as many teams as I thought and we all tried to pick the stage to jetison if we did bring him in.

In hindsight Derek Gee should have been a pick.  Not a rider I ever got in to my team.  If there had been more budget pressure (Remco) I suspect he would have gone into lots of teams and never come out.

Sprinters were a challenge with no dominant rider.  For Nico Denz to have two stage wins and no sprinter doubling up was not something I saw coming.

I thought managing to have four transfers for the final stage was good, but looks like many of the top players had a few more.  Well done for not sliding to the temptation to make 'just one more change' on a few stages.

A few days breather before we go again in the Dauphine.  Week long tours keep the hand in, but this game is made for the Grand Tours.

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11waterloo replied to Sniffer | 8 months ago
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Yes, good to get a Grand Tour under the belt. I crept slowly up the leader board through the race but never challenged for top spot. I made a mistake in not having Pinot early on when he was bagging KOM points for very little effort and I also kept Velasco in my team on the assumption that Cav wouldn't make it over the hills in the middle sprint stages when Cav kept hanging on in there! I didn't get Gee in either. I think everyone expected him to blow up a bit like Healy did towards the end but he kept delivering the points and would have been a game winner. Nice to have a few days without the deadlines to meet before the Dauphine/TdS 

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MinardiM189 replied to Sniffer | 8 months ago
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My first Grand Tour for a few years and I was surprised how many mistakes I made. I never really considered Leknessund or Gee, I totally ignored Healy who was an obvious pick after his strong spring and the inconsistent sprinters used up lots of transfers with no return.

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Daniel Norton | 8 months ago
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Flaming purist game!

Tao GH: Out

Evenepoel: Out

Pederson: Out

Haig: Crashes

Gaviria: Crashes repeatedly

So annoying.  Picked Pinot luckily, so he crashes today (OK I hope).

Seriously?  I'm sure they were good picks.

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MinardiM189 replied to Daniel Norton | 8 months ago
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You think that's bad ?

I'm down to three now, Roglic, Gaviria & Hague.

Can we get a competition badge for 100% drop outs please?

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Daniel Norton replied to MinardiM189 | 8 months ago
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Unlucky.

I lost Bonifacio today too.  I have one more rider than you, but every rider left in my team has been sick or injured in a crash.

Maybe a league to see who can pick the fewest finishers over a season?

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11waterloo replied to Daniel Norton | 8 months ago
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Just looked and I'm limping along with 3 in the purist. Just a thought but is there any mileage in having a couple of substitutes in the purist game who automatically come in if a rider drops out? The fantasy football has a similar thing and it works quite well. A rider who comes in would only start scoring points once they were in the team obviously. I've not really thought it through so it may well be impractical in reality but it would stop some of the bad luck element that can enter the purist game.

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Daniel Norton replied to 11waterloo | 7 months ago
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Anything to stop it being such a lottery in grand tours would help.  Basically, it is impossible to win the Purist overall unless you are lucky in the GTs.

TBH I nearly decided not to do Purist this season to avoid irritation.  It's only because it takes less time that most people bother.

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Daniel Norton | 8 months ago
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No spoilers for the highlights folk but....

Stages like today (Friday, stage 7) make me realise how much I miss riders like Contador, Rodriguez, Voeckler et al.  Pogacar aside, we just don't have that many riders prepared to risk losing for the chance of a win.  YAWN!

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11waterloo replied to Daniel Norton | 8 months ago
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It was bizarre that nobody tested Evenepoel after his crashes and before he takes another minute on everyone in the next TT. It really wasn't a great spectacle.  Ackermann lasting way up the final climb probably sums up the pace it was ridden at. Ag2R looked like they might have a plan to hijack the pink jersey at one point but even that petered out. 

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Daniel Norton replied to 11waterloo | 8 months ago
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Remco's cracked first attack!  Illustrates why it was so stupid to not test him yesterday, as you said Waterloo.

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Daniel Norton replied to 11waterloo | 8 months ago
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If Thomas can beat Roglic in the TT he could win this race...  Long shot but...

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11waterloo replied to Daniel Norton | 8 months ago
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I reckon Thomas is the benchmark by which you judge the other riders in a Grand Tour. Probably not going to win but you will have to be very good to beat him.

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JAndrewHill replied to Daniel Norton | 8 months ago
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It's much more fun when you have THE rider in the break in your fantasy squad

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11waterloo replied to JAndrewHill | 8 months ago
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I had three riders in my team aimed at the break so desperately needed at least one of them to make it. Healy got me out of jail! 

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Daniel Norton replied to 11waterloo | 8 months ago
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I only went for two and none made it (McNulty and Cepeda).  So if I keep McNulty for the TT he has to be allowed to race it and then I need to score with the extra transfers.  If not, I'm toast for defending my Giro Title!

Just typical me, trying to run a different team to the other main contenders.  Opposite of the teams the other day - risk all for the chance of a win.  Stupid strategy for this game TBH.

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11waterloo replied to Daniel Norton | 8 months ago
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I feel that I have a slightly rash streak in me as well. Each season I vow to be more disciplined, like Mountain Renegade, but then I get excited by a particular rider and insist on putting him in my team knowing full well he will come 21st on any given stage. Warren Barguil and Andrea Vendrame are serial offenders for me! 

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Rendel Harris | 8 months ago
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In case anyone's interested I noticed today, logging into my Discovery+ account to watch the stage, that Discovery+ is available to students aged 18-24 for £2.48 a month; if you fall into that category or have one in the house, 12p a stage flag-to-flag seems a pretty good bargain!

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ktache | 8 months ago
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Great to see highlights on DMAX, and that Road.cc have decided not to spoil my miserly viewing pleasure by announcing the result before I have a chance to view it.

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Awavey replied to ktache | 8 months ago
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you mean its a deliberate spoiler free policy not to cover some races results

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Daniel Norton | 8 months ago
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The KOM points have been changed.  Apparently there was an timing error and, unsurprisingly, Brandon McNulty wasn't the fastest up the climb.

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tao-geoghegan-hart-takes-giro-ditalia-k...

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tony kappler replied to Daniel Norton | 8 months ago
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Well spotted. KOM scoring changed for stg 1 road.cc.

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11waterloo replied to Daniel Norton | 8 months ago
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It really was incredible that they didn't have dedicated timing for the climb. Looks like it was some statistics guy who flagged up the error. There also seems to be a possibility that the final time trial doesn't go ahead as planned due to problems getting the motorbikes back down the mountain (no cars are allowed up). It does seem bizarre that this has only just been flagged up as an issue! 

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Daniel Norton replied to 11waterloo | 8 months ago
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Yeah, cycling is so technological, yet the organisers are way behind the curve with tech use.

Why don't we have a transponder in every rider's helmet?  It would help organisers and broadcasters.  You could have graphics showing exactly where every rider is on a climb when the race blows up, where the key riders are in the bunch at key points in the race, use the transponders for times on TTs etc, etc

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PedalCastros | 8 months ago
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Anybody have any idea how to request riders to be added? 2 Education First riders are missing from the list

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MinardiM189 replied to PedalCastros | 8 months ago
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you can find missing riders by ticking the 'show all riders' box

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pnedr1962 | 8 months ago
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Steve, At least if they leave it to the last minute we won't all go the inevitable 2 days of chopping and changing the purist team so we end regretting not picking all the riders we took out! Lol.

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tony kappler replied to pnedr1962 | 8 months ago
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Yes, sorry guys. The holdup was an intercontinental commitee meeting regarding points for KOMs and intermediate sprints; I'm still not sure what is going on re int. sp. Inrng has a good synopsis but doesn't actually nail it. Luckily the UN doesn't run the game.

If the scoring is late, it means the sun has just risen in Oz.

I added the 2 missing EF riders and a last minute change which took out Tratnik.

So many stages for breakaways; a lot of luck required for this race.

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11waterloo replied to tony kappler | 8 months ago
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'So many stages for breakaways; a lot of luck required for this race.'

I'll cling to that thought as you trounce us all once again Tony! 

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Daniel Norton replied to 11waterloo | 8 months ago
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May the luckiest man win!

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