Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

[Gawpus]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

That would be my cue!

In a nice piece of timing it's been opened up today, so for anyone who's up for being comprehensively beaten by Toro this year, you can sign up at:

fantasy.road.cc/

The OTF league ID is 77378.

It starts with the Tour Down Under on the 21st of this month, so you've got just over a week to get a team in if you want to be in from the start.

All are, of course, welcome to join in at any point. I'll probably give this my usual bump before the main Tours start too.

[Kevin S]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

Hurrah! Team NatWestBarclaysMidlandLloyds are registered for the new season.

[Gawpus]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

and approved!

[Toro Toro]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

Incandenza wrote:

I always mentally correct that manufacturer's title to "the ironically-named Giant Bicycles".

How juvenile is that?

A bit of a silly name, but they make some really nice bikes.

Anyway, is the 2014 fantasy league set up yet?

Yep, but they were also the inventors of the compact frame, you see.

Anyway, WOOT!

[longeared]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

Finally, a team launches a kit in a colour other than black or white:

[Kevin S]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

I was starting to wonder if there was some plot to darken the team jerseys so that leaders' jerseys stand out better but I think there are enough exceptions for that not to be the case.

[Kevin S]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016



Here's Giant-Shimano. White and black - you didn't see that coming.

And one of the big (new) pro-conti teams, IAM:

[Kevin S]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

The Giant one sort of reminds me of the previous Team Raleigh kit:

[Kevin S]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

Podium Café gives a quick summary of the 2014 GT routes.

[Kevin S]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

Wildcards for Il Giro and other Italian WT races announced.

[Kevin S]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

Gerrrans still leads the TDU after two stages, having won the first and finishing second last night. Diego Ulissi took the win with an impressive finish.

I'd wrongly assumed stage 1 would come down to a gallop to the finish and picked my fantasy team to suit, including Kittel and Greipel, two of the big three bunch sprinters. However, a selection managed to get away but it didn't shake off Greipel.

However Greipel really needs a lead out and bunch finish to win. He may have an incredible top speed but he doesn't have the 'kick' that you see with riders who can win when they're the only one of their team up there - like Gerrans or Ulissi for example.

Rojas crashed out on stage 2 - so no fantasy points for me from him - with a fractured humurus.

Cadel Evans is right up the top of the overall leaderboard and has to be in with a great chance. I believe his main priority this season is the Giro.

Away from Oz, Cavendish has been talking about targeting Harrogate. A win on stage 1 of the Tour would see him wear the MJ for the first time in his career and complete his set of the most prestigious jerseys.

[Kevin S]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

My fantasy team pulled out a big score of 178 on stage 4, with seven of the nine riders getting points on the board. It's a late upping of the tempo from my team, hoping to drop their rivals, but with a summit finish tomorrow it's possible that mhmmmm will launch a counter attack.

In the actual race, Greipel claimed his first win of the year, with Lotto again keeping up with the pace of Garmin, Orica and BMC on the inclines and (again) Kittel's Giant team failing to do likewise for their man.

Gerrans picked up some bonus seconds on the intermediate sprints and is now just 7" down on the GC leader Evans, and there is a clutch of riders still within 30".

And in San Luis, Quintana shows off his climbing speed with a great win. I can't help but notice on the classification here, that listed in tenth place on this summit finish, and twelfth on GC, is young Adam Yates. He's well ahead of established riders like Van Den Broeck and Scarponi. I suppose these guys are just using this tour as warm up, whereas Yates needs to get some points on the board to help establish himself on the pro scene.

Quintana's in a funny situation. He doesn't know which 2014 Grand Tour(s) he will be riding this year yet - despite the fact that this pretty much dictates your entire year's schedule. It seems that the main sponsor Movistar might want him to go in the TdF again, understandably I suppose since he came second last year and won KoM, which must have been great exposure. But Quintana and the team know that he would have a much better chance of winning the Giro or Vuelta this year instead. This needs sorting PDQ, as we saw from the mess Wiggins put himself in last year by convincing himself he was going to defend his Tour title when in fact he needed to focus on the Giro (though illness and injury obviously played a major role too).

[Kevin S]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

News felch!

• Quintana to ride Giro, now a key target for him, Porte, Evans, Uran and possibly Purito and hopefully Roche and Majka. Looking a good 'un.

• Therefore, Valverde to have another crack at the Tour. The 2014 Tour will bring 2013's Tour and Giro winners, Froome and Nibali, into direct competition. I'd also hoped Uran would be there to have a crack at this but presumably OPQS will be going for Tour stage wins, if the Giro suggestion is true.

• T'Tour wildcard teams announced: Bretagne–Séché, Cofidis, IAM and NetApp Endura. The trick of signing one of the Tour's biggest stars in Sylvain Chavanel has paid off for IAM big time, and, in related news...

• Sagan is rumoured to be in contractual talks with Alonso's team for 2015

[longeared]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

Disappointing that MTN Qhubeka didn't get a Tour invite, they've got some competent riders (Ciolek, Gerdemann, Augustyn) and would offer the added interest of being the first African team in the race. Difficult to see what NetApp, in particular, bring ahead of them.

[Kevin S]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

It's said to be off the back of a good performance with their 2013 Vuelta wildcard. König was ninth overall and took a stage, plus Jan Bárta looks decent and they have some promising young riders like Sam Bennett. First German Tour team since Milram apparently too.

But MTN Qhubeka would have been interesting as you say and they took some good stage wins last year. Fingers crossed they get one of the Vuelta slots this time to spread the wildcards around a bit, as they have missed out on applications to both the Giro and the Tour this year.

[Kevin S]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

Roster change for BMC. The sacking of Alessandro Ballan for doping offfences opened up a gap, which they have rather neatly filled with Samu Sanchez.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

Wow- didn't see that coming. Gilbert and Sanchez in the same team. Classy.

[Kevin S]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

And Greg van Avermaet as well - could be quite the team for the classics, upsetting the Trek applecart.

It's been a quiet start to the year from Team Sky, but radio silence appears to have been broken now with this interview. Delighted to hear Wiggo wants to ride and win Roubaix; it'd be amazing to see him duke it out with Spartacus in the velodrome. That is if Sagan or Vanmarcke or someone else don't get in on the act...

[Kevin S]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

L'Enfer: Le Route

[longeared]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

Splendid retro kit from Team Raleigh

[Kevin S]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

That's just marvellous from Raleigh. They should get some wildcards/invitations on that basis alone.

ingoldale, if you pop in, the UK Championships are coming your way next year.

[Kevin S]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

Boonen managed to outfox Greipel in Qatar today and maybe he is recapturing his 2012 form, after an injury hit classics season last year. It's building up nicely for an extra exciting Paris Roubaix this spring (and last year's Vanmarcke v Cancellara was bloody good at any rate).

Also, Stephen Roche is to be inducted into the Giro Hall of Fame.

[Kevin S]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

Clean sweep for OPQS in the ToQ in the end then. Terpstra took the GC (Boonen was 2nd), Boonen the points and van Keirsbulck the young rider jersey.

But the main thing for me was an incredible NetApp Endura Debut for rising Irish star Sam Bennett. On the final three stages he posted three top ten finishes. He finished 11th on overall points - in a field including Boonen, Greipel, Terpstra, Roelandts and Bennati. He was also 9th on young rider GC.

Also a fantastic tour from OPQS's young Scot, Andy Fenn, 9th on overall GC and second for the white jersey behind his team mate.

Stannard and Rowe put in another good account of themselves for Sky - Stannard was only 37" down in the end and would be disappointed not to have performed better in the ITT or picked up any bonuses - but OPQS really can control this particular race very well indeed, with first and second on all three jerseys.

[Kevin S]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

Froome zips up a climb to take the Oman Queen Stage and the leader's jersey.

Sagan has also had a couple of impressive stage wins over there. This one includes a cheeky bunny hop to get a gap on a roundabout.

[Kevin S]

Thank EUS for the memories: Pro Cycling 2014-2016

This reads oddly to me. The way it just notes that Greipel 'saw off the challenge' of Sam Bennett. I mean, 23 year old Bennett, in his first month of pro conti racing, has just come 3rd in a sprint including Kristoff, Greipel, Sagan, Bouhanni and several others. Incredible.

Edit - looks like they've updated the text a bit more now

Keep this up and he'll play himself into NetApp's TdF team for sure.