Vuelta

Perhaps your luck didn't run out after all.   I didn't have time to make any transfers for the final stage.  Three weeks work down the toilet.  Still got three transfers spare.

I would have picked the top two for the stage.  Poop!

That is ultra annoying. At least Rui Costa got you a few as consolation but it doesn't take away that feeling of frustration. The weird results did conspire to keep me top in the purist league inspite of having half my team perform below expectations, so there was some satisfaction in that. On a different note, has any player scored more in a three week race than Evenepoel just did? He had two days where he scored over 90! 

Sagan at the Tour de France perhaps.

Good shout. He was always a lock & leave for the TdF - could place in any stage outside the mountains and would always win the intermediate sprint in the mountains. Could also do a half decent Prologue/TT if he could be bothered! 

Road.cc points scored by Sagan at TdF;

2014- 599,  2015- 678,  2016- 582,  2017- DISQ,  2018- 583,  2019- 464.

So Evenepoel at 713 points is a clear winner, probably never to be beaten. 

Great work Tony, glad I had him in my purist!

I wasn't much better. Shows the lottery of sprinting - quite a few had their progress halted . Theuns definitely got slowed down & Groves somehow jumped off his bike and stayed on his feet! 

The climax of the season could be all down to luck then. 5 sprints in the Gree Tour.

I guess it depends which sprinters go.

If I remember correctly some teams have used it as a punishment in the past. I think Sky sent Halvorsen in 2019 and didn't let him sprint !!

It has never really caught the imagination as it is a long trip at the end of the season to a location that doesn't appeal. I guess riders are hoping for end of season races like the late lamented Amstel Curaçao Race, which was a glorified Caribbean holiday with a token bit of cycling! 

My best scorer wasn't even a real sprinter.

He was a dual threat though- sprint or breakaway! Funny how very few people went Dainese..... burnt us too many times I guess! 

I find Dainese one of the most irritating riders for the game.  How often do you pick him only because you know he "could win" even though you expect him to fail.  Then the one time you don't pick him...  BANG!

Yesterday suited him, a long straight finish, making it difficult for him to get lost.

If I remember, the sprint he won in the Giro was a similar finish, the sprint where he was relegated in the Giro too.

Exactly! I always check what a few others have done once window shuts then become paranoid if I haven't done the same! 

I try not to look until after the race.  Scary!

My instinct was right.  I finally didn't pick Dainese and Theuns was interrupted by the crash!  Fecking sprints!

ETA:  So was Molano by the look of it.  Meh

I feel your pain, I was annoyed & I only had two in that break.

I had 8 of the top 10 today so might be close to a win, on a roll after picking Yates for Montreal Didn't see the stage but would've been cheering for Ineos chasing that down for me...

Congratulations.

I guess you had Poels and Storer then.

It was another disasterous stage for me. I hate INEOS !!!!

That is an impressive result! 

Ineos have more problems than I thought.

They wasted so much energy today for absolutely nothing. They will probaby miss the break again tomorrow, on a stage which suits more of their riders.

I guess that is what you get with Cummings as DS.

Was that planned by Jumbo? It was a little similar to the stage in Itzulia that Vingegaard won.

Good point re Ineos, seems like Ganna trying to mob the sprinters on Friday is their best chance of another win now. I'm not sure how much stock they were holding in Arensmen for GC, but they haven't responded well since his crash...

Get Bernal in your teams for the next two days, now you said that.

I had Storer and Poels already in my team and decided not to change.  Had a feeling it would be hard for a break to get enough lead on a stage that short.  I did consider changing to mostly GC riders but went half way and kept my breakaway riders.

ETA: Bernal will be in the break Thursday IMO.

Same with me, just sat on my existing team and went out to stop myself tinkering! First time that I haven't been punished by not having Evenepoel. He did say he was going to lose time today so I was glad he was true to his word. Was panicking he would get an extra 10 for coming last! 

I don't think he had a public tantrum, he was too busy crying and didn't speak to the media after the stage.

I suspect he has a tantrum every time he doesn't win.  He's very childish in many ways, but he is still a kid tbh.