Thursday, March 29, 2012

Chapeau!

Hats off to the week’s best riders.
I know all of you have been waiting for this all week but here is your midweek Chapeau!.  Now featuring the contre-performance, or disappointing performance of the week
Un coup de chapeau a Tom Boonen. This is our weekly Tom Boonen is a beast installment. Boonen is on form. ‘Nuff said. I am really pumped to watch him face off against Cancellara on Sunday. Epic and Massive!
Un coup de chapeau a Cadel Evans. Evans was great at the Criterium. He showed that he is on pace in both the TT’s and the climbs. This was huge for BMC as it was the super-team’s first win of the season. Cadel seems to know exactly how to prepare himself for the Tour and has to be with Twiggo as the favorite to win the Tour.
Un coup de chapeau a Sylvain Chavanel. (I guess) Gregario Forza’s favorite rider looked great at the Three Days of De Panne. Once a necessary training ground for the Tour of Flanders, De Panne did not feature many of the big names but Chavanel loves this race and he loves to win it. He is my pick to win Flanders this year.
Un coup de chapeau a Omega-Pharma Quickstep. This team is el fuego. Boonen, Chavanel, and Terpstra have all been recent winners and this team has already doubled their wins from last year. Amazing! Look for Chavanel to get in a sneaky break and hold on to win Flanders, while Boonen and Cancellara duke it out for the strongest man in the world award. The tactics practically set themselves up for this race.
Contre-performance.  The weeks disappointing performance goes to… drumroll…. Team Radioshak-Nissan-Trek. This team looked completely absent from the Criterium International. Frank Schleck seems to be way behind his usual form for this time of year. Jens Voight was unable to win for sixth time. Kloden? Haas anyone seen Kloden? I’m looking for Kloden. Oh and Andy Schleck still sucks.

On the Rivet

A look at who's riding hard this weekend.

Ronde van Vlaanderen
Here we go.  Better bump Palm Sunday mass up to Saturday night cause Sunday is for one thing: the cobbles.  Holy week kicks off with possibly the coolest race in the world.  160 miles through the Flanders region of Belgium.  Cobbles and Bergs, Cobbles and Bergs, Cobbles and Bergs!  I can’t say I am well versed enough to know all of the important climbs, but I do know watching riders struggle up them is awesome.  The Ronde is like the Superbowl in Belgium, except no one is watching for the commercials; and nachos and wings are replaced by waffles and frites.  We’ll be putting our Belgian culinary skills to the test Sunday morning, hope to see you there.  Race coverage begins at 7:30 am with live coverage for the first time in US history.  That’s right, history will be made…on my couch.  And of course, in the race as well.  Even though none of us have George Hincapie we will be routing for him to finish strong.  If Big George can cross that finish line Sunday it will be for a record 17th time. 
This is a race we don’t really need any extra motivation to enjoy, but we must remember that this is a Monument and thus is worth a whole lotta points.  So, who do we have racing? Who are the favorites?
I usually have to start with the favorite and it seems like I always have to start with Patrick.  Well, this race has been billed as Boonen vs. Cancellera and Pat would be fine with that as he has them both.  Both of these guys have won here before (Boonen ’05 and ’06, Cancellera 2010).   Cancellera has repeatedly looked like the strongest rider in every race that he has entered.  His win at Strade Bianchi showed that he can still ride away from the group and his second place at Milan San Remo showed that he can make the break and then make the break succeed.  What can we say about Boonen?  Tommeke has been dominant.  The double victory last week vaulted him into the top 5 for UCI points.  Wins or high placements during holy week could seal a high UCI points finish before April is even over.  Boonen doesn’t have the power of Cancellera (who does?) but he showed at Gent that he has the race knowledge and savvy that often ends up winning you more races.   Look for Tornado Tom to touch down in Flanders this Sunday as he has to be the favorite.  It doesn’t seem fair that team Volpe has another card to play but Patrick loves his cobbles and thus a classics heavy team.  Edvald Boassen Hagen seems like he could be a man for this kind of race.  No high placements to speak of but, according to the Sky website race photo, Eddie is their most protected rider.  He has a strong team but I still think this is going to be an off year for the “other” big Norwegian.  It’s not the nicest thing to say, but it’s good for us that defending champ Nick Nuyens got hurt as there will already be few points left after Team Volpe cleans house.
Not one to be modest about my team, I am going to go ahead and pick Team Wiskota Dynamic as the second overall favorite for Sunday.  Greipel will probably not be a factor, but he is there so who knows.  Farrar was picked for Team Wiskota to not just win sprints but get me some high classics finishes.  His form has not looked so good, but he has finished as high as 5th here before.  Will he take it all?  Probably not.  What I’m hoping for is that he survives to the finish with the second or third group and wins that sprint getting me a top ten finish.  It kind of seems like everybody has forgotten about Team Wiskota’s resident master of the cobble, one Juan Antonio Flecha.  Still the coolest name in the peloton (although I am warming to the name Oscar Gatto) Flecha is pretty consistent on the pave.  He hurt his hand but he has been hitting the “turbo” and rehabbing for this week.  He is better suited for Paris Roubaix but, I still think he has a chance to become the coolest name to win the Ronde since Peter Van Petegem.  Team Wiskota Dynamic does have one guy who could, just maybe, challenge Boonen and Cancellera.  Right now Peter Sagan looks like he can do anything.  A close second to Boonen at Gent and a tough Milan San Remo have put Sagan on the map as a man for the classics.  The tons of hype surrounding Sagan in Flanders has been tempered by a release from Liquigas saying he is racing for “experience”.  Will the new finishing circuit neutralize the experience of the veterans of the peloton?  Can Sagan stay with the big boys?  Honestly, I don’t see why not.
Gregario Forza has Gilbert, we all know that.  We also all know Gilbert dominated last year in the Ardennes.  But did you know that he has podiumed twice at the Ronde, with a top ten last year?  Are we really fooled by this early season form?  Tooth infection? Fever? I don’t know, I think he might be pulling a bit of a Kaiser Soze.  “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist”.  As for Gregario’s other rider, Voekler, I really don’t know anything about his cobbles prowess.  Researching him, the only new info I learned was that he once raced against a horse, so there’s that. 
 I don’t know what to say about Mike’s team.  Matt Goss has been weirdly quiet this year.  This doesn’t seem like it should be his race but maybe Greenedge has something up there sleeve.  Thor is much better suited for Roubaix compared to the Ronde.  However, as I alluded to earlier, cobbled experience is indispensable and Thor has this in spades.
Poor Bill, no riders in the coolest race of the season.  It’s still a fun race to watch even if you don’t have a rider.  However, the Commish has decided to take mercy on Bill the Neo Pro and bequeath him one extra rider during holy week, picked at random.  This rider is Gorka Izagirre of team Euskatel Euskadi.  Okay maybe it wasn’t so random. Remember it’s not Gorka Verdugo or Ion Izagirre or the other dude named Gorka on Euskatel, but Gorka Izagirre.  Go Gorka!
Wiskota Fantasy Podium: Boonen, Cancellera, Sagan
Spoilers: Ballan, Chavanel, Iglinsky, Breschel, Sep, Stijn, Leukemans
This is a long post already but the Ronde deserves more than just a fantasy podium list and a spoilers list.  Here is how it might play out and how else it might play out. 
Scenario 1
How it will go down:  Cancellera takes off before the circuit and Boonen manages to catch his wheel.   They do a soon to become legendary three laps with Cancellera attacking again and again.  The Peterberg proves to be less selective than the Muur and Boonen stays with him and pips him on the line for his third Ronde title.  A second group of a dozen riders come in over a minute back and Sagan takes the sprint.
Scenario 2:
How it might go down:  Cancellera and Boonen are marked men.  After a very early breakaway is caught the peloton, consisting of about half the starting riders, makes it to the circuit pretty much in tack.  They ramp it up but still there are several riders in the lead group.  I’m thinking, Boonen, Cancellera, Sagan, Flecha, Ballan, Leukamans and Sep.  Boonen wins this scenario as well, but Cancellera has a hard time podiuming.
Scenario 3:
How it probably won’t go down:  Garmin and BMC spend the first half of the race trying to get in a break.  They eventually succeed and Quickstep sends Chavanel to sit on the wheel.  The pace is too high and Cancellera’s domestiques (if he ever had any) disappear.  He must pull the group back himself.  Boonen sits on his wheel.  Cancellera finally brings the group back but, wait, someone is missing.  Chavanel sneaks off the front before they are caught.  The Peloton continues to mark Boonen (who doesn’t want to catch his teammate) and Cancellera (who already used too much energy) and Chavanel solos to victory.

Monday, March 26, 2012

The Broom Wagon

Cleaning up after the weekend's events.

Two stage races and two classics in one week, almost too much action.  Can we take that much racing? Were there too many points up for grabs?  Was it a good week or a bad week? Well, it depends who you ask. 
This week was too hard:      Greg and Bill are probably wondering why the other teams are gaining so many points this week.  Gregario's best chance for points seemed to be the Volta Catalunya and the E3.   LL Sanchez wasn’t a factor, again.  Basso was embarrassing, again.  Gilbert didn’t finish, again.  Greg’s team has won some big races raking in a couple hundred points in a weekend so he shouldn’t complain too much. Bill the neo pro continues to struggle with the early season race schedule.  His heavily loaded grand tour GC team doesn’t help him in Belgium and Andy continues to refuses to try in any stage race besides the Tour.  No points for either of these teams this week. 
This week was too soft:       I'm sure Patrick will take umbrage with that statement because none of these races were “easy”.  However, Team Volpe sure made it look that way.  First of all, Catalunya was a bit of a debacle.  The queen stage got cut short due to weather and we ended up with 15 riders with the same time at the end.  I still don’t really know how “count back” works but it worked well for Patrick as he ended up with riders in 3rd, 4th and 5th.  The Commish is kicking himself for adding the Criterium International to the schedule.  This ended up being a walk in the park for Evans as he picked up some early season points while the other big GC guys were in Spain.  Well, enough for the “soft” point.  Volpe’s other big wins cannot be disparaged.  Tom Blow-nen is on fire, E3 and Gent, a quick 160 points in one weekend.  It’s hard to pick anyone other than Tommeke as the favorite for Holy Week.  Well, maybe Cancellera.  Shit, Pat has him too.
This week was just right:     Mike and I had nice weekends.  Nice, not crazy insano like Patrick, but nice.  Good opening race for Mike’s first round pick, Sammy Sanchez.  With everyone knotted at the same time someone had to try something.  Samu came through, stealing 2 seconds on the penultimate stage thus securing second overall and 88 points.  Team Wiskota Dynamic continues to chip away at the UCI points block, taking a few here and a few there.  Once again Leipheimer did a ton of work only to come up empty.  However, Cunego scored me a sneaky 44 points at Catalunya.  Greipel and Farrar are nowhere to be seen, but Sagan is everywhere.  He looked good on Friday, but he had to wait until Sunday to open his bank account.  Second at Gent nabbed me 60 points.
Overall a fun week of racing, but we must move on to bigger and better things.  Holy Week is upon us!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Panache!

Ralliez-vous à mon panache blanc!
It’s Friday and the racing is sublime. I have been watching the coverage of the Volta a Cataluyna on Universal Sports this week. What a beautiful stage race. I would like to live in this region.  But for now, the Wiskota region is just fine with me. The Volta has been a little disappointing with the etape reine or “queen stage” being cut short by a massive snow storm.  Albassini has been tough. Without the summit finish he looks like he will hold his lead in this race. Here’s to hoping a Wiskota rider can sneak in, most have abandoned, maybe a Little Levi or Uran?
Anybody see the Dwars Door Vlanderenenenenenen. I happened to catch bits and pieces and it looked like a sweet one. Chapeau! to Chavanel and Nikki Terpstra for being the strongest men in the race. Quickstep has been awesome this year. I hope they can keep the results coming. I really like this team.
So without further ado, here are my picks for the weekend’s fun in the sun.
E3 Prijs
Podium: Cancellara, Boonen, Sagan- I almost just said Patrick’s guys for this race.
Guys I like slightly less: Eddy Boss, Gilbert, Breschel, Ballan, Pozzatto, Sep Vanmarcke
Criterium International
Podium: Evans, F. Schleck, Kloden
Guys I like slightly less: Jens Voight, Froome,
Gent Wevelgem
Podium: Sagan, Boonen, Degenkolb
Guys I like slightly less: Sep, Freire, Pozzatto, Farrar, Eddy Boss, Greipel
Enjoy the racing!
Anyone want to ride this weekend?


Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

On the Rivet

A look at who's riding hard this week.

A lot of points are up for grabs as 3 world tour events take place this week. As if that wasn’t enough we have added the Criterium International to our Wiskota race calendar in order to take this week of racing to the next level.  One commentator I read, boldly stated that this week is as good as, if not better than, any other week on the cycling calendar.  Too far?   Better than Holy Week? The Ardennes? Or any week during Le Tour?  Maybe, but the first two world tour cobbles races, the race they call the mini tour de France in beautiful Corsica, all kicked off with a week-long stage race that has rightly regained its past glory as the most important race in Spain not named the Vuelta, is hard to top.
So, who do we have riding this week? 
Catalunya
The “Volta” in Catalonia has already begun, with almost all of our GC men taking the line.  Late scratches of Horner and JRod were disappointments, but we still all have a lot to route for.  No time trials and some real nice climbs this should go to the on form climber who wants it the most.
Mike: Sammy Sanchez, Fuglsang, Gesink
Greg: Basso, LL Sanchez
Patrick: Dan Martin, Van den Broeck, Uran
Luke: Cunego, Valverde, Leipheimer
Bill: Andy, Wiggins

E3 Prijs
The 17 day assault on the cobbles of Flanders begins Friday in Harelbeke, Belgium.  The E3 Prijs was bumped up to world tour status this year and thus a change of date and improved field of riders.  No longer simply a tune up for the Ronde, this race is a big deal on its own.  Flecha may not start due to his broken hand, but we have several other riders to keep an eye on.  Look for Patrick to score some points with his strong cobble team.  Also, it will be interesting to see how Sagan’s progression as a cobbled classic rider is coming along.
Mike: Millar
Greg: Gilbert, Voekler
Patrick: Cancellara, Boonen, Boassen Hagen
Luke: Sagan, Flecha?
Bill:

Criterium International
The race referred to as the mini Tour de France runs Saturday and Sunday and will be shown on NBC sports at 10 pm Sunday.  A short flat stage and a time trial on Saturday, followed by a long mountain stage on Sunday, give this event the feel of a much longer stage race, incorporating all the disciplines of the Grand Tours in one weekend.  This race should be renamed the Jens Voigt Classic as he has won it 5 times, weirdly that only ties the record.  I hope he goes for 6.  However, last year’s champ, Frank Schleck is on his team and Jens will probably have to ride for him.  All the more reason to dislike the Schlecks I say.  Can Froome show he wasn’t a flash in the pan?  Cadel vs. Kloden?  Good watching.
Mike: Frank Schleck
Greg:
Patrick: Cadel
Luke:
Bill: Kloden, Froome,
Gent Wevelgem
The sprinters classic of the cobbles closes out this awesome week of racing.  Despite being touted as a race for sprinters this course is tough.  Weather is often a factor and a day on the cobbles is never easy.  It’s all about the Kemmelburg.  Can you get over this twice and still be in a good spot?  Teams have been pulling very fast over hills early this season but I think this will still end in a sprint.  So many returning champs it’s hard to decide who might be the favorite.  Sky alone brings two of the last three winners on one team.  Boonen has won twice, Thor once.  Do my guys have a chance?  Will it be Cavendish?  Should be fun.
Mike: Cavendish, Thor?, Millar
Greg: Voekler
Patrick: Boonen, Boassen Hagen
Luke: Greipel, Farrar
Bill:
I will defer to Gregario Forza to pick winners and spoilers this week.  But, I am sure I will have plenty of comments about it as well.

The Broom Wagon

Cleaning up after the weekend's events.
A real quick one this Tuesday as we have a lot of other racing happening this week and I need to focus on that.  But first, we must mention the results of La Primavera, Milan-San Remo.
Patrick’s cash cow Fabian Cancellera delivered again, 80 fat points for a second place in the first monument of the year.  He was definitely the strongest rider and as much as people are criticizing the way it all worked out I think it was a great ride.  Don’t change a thing Spartacus.
Greg’s third round pick is looking like the best value pick of the draft so far.  Nibali continues to surprise by getting points outside of the Giro.  Let’s see if Nibbles can win anything outside of Italy.  Even if he doesn’t he has already earned Greg huge points, adding another 70 for third place on Saturday.
Team Wiskota Dynamic’s pride and joy Peter Sagan was stuck in a tough spot.  I still feel he could have pulled and helped bring back the break, but that was not the team plan.  Fortunately, he cleaned up amongst the second group earning me 60 points for 4th place.
Mike and Bill, better luck next time.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Panache!

Ralliez-vous à mon panache blanc!
The Classics are here! I wait all year for this day. La classica di primavera, the Spring Classic, the first monument. This is a beautiful race that starts in Milan and travels to the coast and the beautiful city of Sanremo. The longest one day race coming in at 298 km, this race is a beast despite usually perfect conditions. The sprinter’s classic is often won by a member of said discipline but the climb of the poggio allows climbers and puncheurs to attack once the road goes up. Other hills or “capi” are the cape Mele, Capo Berta, Capo Cervo, and the recently added Cipressa climb. None of these climbs are all that difficult for a professional but after 298 km and the pressure of amonument the climbs can and will crack some of the favorites.
The all-time Milan-Sanremo champ was the Cannibal himself. Eddy Merckx won this race a classic record of seven times. Beast! Other notable winners of la primavera include Fausto Coppi, Roger De Vlaeminck, Sean Kelly, Laurent Fignon, Laurent Jalabert, Erik Zabel, Oscar Freire, and more recently Spartacus, the Manx Missile, and Gossy. Sprinters and strong men tend to dominate the spring classic.
2012 offers an incredible start-list and the winner will have to be strong and fast to win the first monument of the year. My favorite for this weekend is the Terminator, Peter Sagan. The Slovak has the legs to go the 298 km and showed last week he can hang in the climbs. Spartacus, fabulous Fabian Cancellara, may have to prove once again that his bike is not motorized because the Swiss Beast is on some good form following his victory at Strade Bianchi. Eddy Bo Hag is another young rider who may finally have enough deposits in the pain bank to go the 298. Eddy Boss will be ushering Cavendouche to the poggio. If Cav can’t hang the Boss will go. The Manx Missile, Mark Cavendish, or Cavendouche, has to be a favorite. He has already done the rainbow stripes proud and he seems to be motivated for this one. Tom Boonen is on some incredible for to start 2012. If he wants this one, then all will have to watch for Tommeke to attack.  I also like Oscar Freire, Vincenzo Nibali, Alessandro Ballan, Danielle Bennati, Mathew Goss, Andre Greipel, and maybe, hopefully, Ga Ga, Phillipe Gilbert will finally show up in 2012.
Forza!

Chapeau!

Hats off to the week’s best riders.

Un coup de chapeau a Fabian Cancellara. Spartacus looked dominant in the race to Siena. He was able to attack on the white gravel and time trialed his way to victory. Fabulous Fabian looks like he is primed for the pave classics. Fear Motorcus in 2012.
Un coup de chapeau a Bradley Wiggins.  Wiggo was a beast during this year’s Paris-Nice. He had the best form in the time trials as well as showed that he has the ability and the team to mark attacks in the mountains. Twiggo has to be a favorite at le Tour.  
Un coup de chapeau a Vincenzo Nibali. The "shark of the strait" beat the field and attacks from his own teammate to win the race of the two seas.  The Shark was present at all the important parts of the race. He was able to deliver a surprise TT time to win it all. It will be fun to watch him at Milan–Sanremo, the Ardennes, and Giro del Trentino. I wonder if he will ride in the Giro di Italia or if he will stick to his original plan of riding the Tour.
Un coup de chapeau a Peter Sagan. Sagan looked great in the race of the two seas. The Terminator seems to have benefited from riding a grand tour and has the legs to win with the best. His stage win in Chieti showed his ability to survive the climbs and to sprint in a very select group. However, he beat his own teammate and bridged the gap for his teammate’s closest rivals. He redeemed himself by leading Nibali through the rest of the tour. I think Sagan will win La Primavera this weekend.
Un coup de chapeau a Alejandro Valverde. Well boys what do we say here. The Commish straight duped us. By leaving Valverde off of all the pre-draft info he was able to steal the “Green Bullet”. Well Chapeau to Luke I guess. Valverde has been nothing short of amazing so far this year and is the early favorite to be the UCI point’s leader. I am really excited to see what he can do in the Ardennes Classics and grand tours.
Un coup de chapeau a Christopher Horner. Horner crashed out of the tour where he lost consciousness, and was allowed to ride 32km to the end of the stage, where he was diagnosed with concussion, a fractured rib, broken nose and injuries to his leg and ankle that were later revealed to be a torn tendon. In August he was diagnosed with a blood clot on his lung, another result of the Tour crash, and his season came to an abrupt end. But the “Smiler”, weak nickname, has come back in 2012 and has looked phenomenal. I was really hoping he could win Tirreno-Adriatico but he couldn’t hold off the Shark on the last day. If I was team Geriatrek-Nissan- Leotards, I would be riding for Horner in July and leave Frandy Schlecks at home. Chapeau!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

On the Rivet

A look at who's riding hard this week.
Milan-San Remo


Our first true monument of the season takes place this Saturday.  La Classica di Primavera ( the classic of the spring) is known as a sprinters classic.  It is also the longest race of the season coming in around 298K.  I know the purists won’t allow it, but why don’t they just add another two Ks, make it an even 300.  Although the finish is flat and the stage has almost exclusively gone to sprinters in the last 10 years, historians of the sport (I’m looking at you Patrick) know that the climbs and the length give other riders a chance as well.  (Check out the story in PEZ cycling about Fausto Coppi, good read)
But what are we really concerned about?  Our riders and points.  So let’s see who has a chance this weekend.
Being that Saturday is a special day for the Irish, I am going to start with Patrick.  Even if it wasn’t his namesake's feast day, I would have to say that Patrick has more than the luck of the Irish on his side this Saturday.  Patrick fields one of the strongest teams at this year’s race.  Cancellera won this race in 2008, the only non-sprint win in recent memory.  His form looks spectacular and if he can get away, as he has been known to do, he is next to impossible to catch.  Eddie Boassen Hagen is the other rider I could see winning this if it isn’t a full on bunch sprint.  If a group goes on a climb he could stay with and then win the sprint.  But he will probably be relegated to a helper role for you know who.  What a waste.  Patrick’s best chance for a win in my opinion is Tom Boonen. Tommeke looks great early on this year.  He is getting in breaks, outsprinting guys and he has the support of a solid team.  This is one of the few races he hasn’t won and he is one of the few riders who can still crank it up after a really long day.  Look for Bonnen to win or not place at all.
Mike is probably the second most Gaelic director in the league dependent upon if he is going by Komperud or Mikey McKeith.  He is also the second most likely director to win the race.  I am sick of mentioning Millar so, on to the real rider, Mark Cavendish.  He has won here before and he has been working on getting over the Italian climbs.  His team is strong and will do all they can to pull him over the hump and then deliver him to the line.  Cav, it’s hard to say, has got to be the favorite.  I thought Thor was going to race but it looks like no, so I guess Mike has all his eggs in one basket. Wait, wrong holiday, all his luck on one shamrock, all his whiskey in one glass, all his potatoes in one…
Greg and Bill fight it out for the next most Irish.  Honestly, I don’t know if Bill is Irish or not, but both Bill and Greg are in the category of having a wife with an Irish name.   That is good enough to tie for third.  I will start with Bill because he is the easiest.  It would take more than all of the four leaf clovers in Killarney to get this guy a win Saturday.  He has nobody riding.  Well, more time to drink I guess.  Greg has an interesting team going into San Remo.  Coming fresh from a win at Tirreno, Nibali is obviously on form.  He says he’s gonna give it a go by trying to make the race as fast as possible up the climbs.  If that happens he may really have a chance.  Could a break stay away?  I say no.  Greg’s other contender is the formidable Gilbert.  Is this the day he freaks out and shows us what he’s made of?  The climbs aren’t too big for him and maybe he is sick of waiting till April.  My guess is someone else from BMC will try to break, but you never know.
I am the least Irish of all the team directors and thus come last.  I am Catholic, enjoy potatoes and Guinness and most of my friends seem to be Irish so I don’t feel too bad horning in on the fun.  The only thing better than hanging out with my Irish friends, is rubbing a win right in their big Irish faces.  The win would be even sweeter for Team Wiskota Dynamic if Greipel, the big German can pull of a win over the Manx Mouth.  My team has several other cards to play.  Cunego is not a favorite but you can never totally discount an Italian in an Italian race.  Farrar has been looking for a big win in the monuments if his team supports him well he has a chance.  The most intriguing rider has got to be Sagan.  This is uncharted territory for the young Slovak, but he has shown so far that he can climb and sprint.  I would love a win Saturday and I expect a sprint.  If that happens I should be able to get a lot of points by possibly placing three sprinters in the top 5.  
Wiskota Fantasy Podium: Cav, Boonen, Sagan
Spoilers: Goss, Pozzato, Freire, Petacchi

Volta Ciclista a Catalunya starts Monday not all of the riders are announced yet.  As of now riders scheduled to watch past winners Valverde and Rodriguez earn me all kinds of points include: Vino, Thor, Sammy Sanchez, Dan Martin, Cunego, Horner, Andy Schleck, Wiggo, Gesink and Fuglsang.  Lots of riders here and lots to watch.  I probably won’t have time for a preview, please leave comments with your own take on the race they call “Volta”.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

The Broom Wagon

Cleaning up after the weekend's events.

Thus wraps up an amazing week and a half of racing, two world class stage races with all kinds of excitement.  Both races came down to the final time trial.  Wiskota Fantasy had a lot of riders racing last week with a lot of points at stake.  A few of our director sportifs came away from the races looking pretty good. 
The big winner of the week has got to be Greg.  Luis Leon Sanchez was a disappointment in GC for Gregario at Paris-Nice.  However, he did nab a stage win besting crowd favorite Jens Voigt.  Was the 6 points worth angering cycling fans everywhere?  Well a point is a point, but LL just lost some fans.  Earlier in the week Sanchez tested his mettle against Valverde on a steep finishing climb.  Sanchez was defeated, yet he limped over the line in fifth earning Greg 1 single point.  We laughed at Greg’s lil one point but by Tuesday afternoon tables had turned and in major way.  I’m talking 233 more points!  Tirreno-Adriatico!  Gregario dominated the Italian race, placing first and second with Nibali and Horner respectively.  A sneaky Scarponi came in 7th and earned Greg 31 extra points.  Horner answered the questions about his fitness after a long break.  Also, he takes the early lead in the battle of the old little american climbers, but we'll get to Levi later.  Nibali was flat out impressive.  Winning a tough climbing stage and doing much better in the TT than expected.  Nibali will be a force in the Giro and maybe Le Tour.   Greg’s team deserves a lot of credit, but right now I am too jealous to talk about it anymore.
If it wasn’t for Greg’s epic run at Tirreno, we would be talking about Bill the Neo Pro as the big winner this week.  Bill had riders in the running for GC in both races.  Roman Kreuziger showed that he was a great late round pick coming in third at Tirreno.  It looked as though he might have had a shot at winning the whole thing, but the final TT proved to be too much for the man from Astana.  Yet he still earned Bill 78 solid points. He climbed well, look out for him later this year at the Giro.  Bill’s number one pick, Bradley Wiggins earned his money this week winning the final TT at Paris-Nice and with it the overall GC win.  Wiggo looked great earning his team a whopping 112 points.  Super-fast in TTs and able to pressure his rivals in the climbs.  If this keeps up he may truly be a tour contender.
It was an up and down week for Team Wiskota Dynamic p/b Laterne Rouge.  My team looked rather dominant for the first 5 days of Paris-Nice.  Lil Levi Leipheimer started with a good time trial and looked strong throughout.  As we came to the penultimate stage it seemed as though he just needed to ride along and then make a push on the final day TT.  A podium seemed wrapped up and being 6 seconds back, who knows maybe a win.  Well, that all went to hell on the decent into Nice.  Three crashes, the second dropping him behind and the third into a parked motorcycle ended all hope for Levi.  And with that crash 80 points went down the drain.  On the other hand the Green Bullet was amazing, snatching a stage from LL Sanch and having a surprisingly strong TT to finish 3rd, solid points.  I came in to Tirreno thinking I could get some sprint and stage points.  JRod snuck out a 6th place finish as well as a sweet stage win earning me an unexpected 46 points.  Peter Sagan looked like the strongest rider all week.  He won a stage and consistently finished high, yet that only gets me 9 points.  A few stage points from Levi, Greipel and Farrar and all together not a bad showing.  But I just can’t get over that crash on Saturday.
Slow week points wise for Patrick and Mike.  Patrick got a stage win early and late.  Boonen won the sprint in a super exciting stage two at Paris-Nice.  Windy, rainy day they broke the race open on the second day.  Boonen looks tough and he may be a favorite at Milan-San Remo.  Cancellera took the final TT at Tirreno earning Pat another quick 6.  Cavendish continues to get Mike points winning a stage at Tirreno before bitching out mid-week.  Thor had a high stage placing eeking out a single point.  Look for these four riders to earn big points next Saturday.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

On the Rivet

A look at who's riding hard this week.
Tirreno-Adriatico
A special mid-week shortened version of On the Rivet today as stage one of Tirreno Adriatico should wrap up in a few hours.  The race of two seas can be a big goal for some riders others, especially the sprinters, use it as a springboard into Milan San Remo.  The race is sprinty and climby and should make for some good all-around action. Let’s see who we have in the race.
Patrick: Team Volpe brings the reigning champ in Cadel Evans.  Once again he says he isn’t necessarily looking to win, but the course suits him and he is not going to pass up an opportunity.  This could be a good chance to see how well the new BMC does in protecting their champion.  Last weekend’s big winner Fabian Cancellera takes the line today as well.  Look for him to hone his fitness for Milan San Remo yet never discount him as he says  “I race to win”.  Also, he won it in 2008, however on a very different course, one that featured the TT.  After missing out of the opening weekend Patrick’s wunderkind Edvald Boassen-Hagen finally makes a showing this week.  Don’t know if this course suits him and his sprints will be taken up by teammate Cavendish.  However, we all know how good this guy can be and maybe this is the year we start to figure out just what kind of rider he really is.
Greg: Gregario is tied with me in bringing the most riders, four.  Gilbert may benefit from some of the uphill finishes, but in my mind they will be for more seasoned climbers.  Speaking of seasoned climbers, Scarponi and Nibali, part of Greg’s Italian trifecta, probably come into today as two of the race favorites.   Nibali is a natural climber and Italians love Italian races.  I tip Scarponi it make a push this week.  Not just because his name sounds like he could be the underworld boss in The Dark Knight, but because he has won here before in 2009.  What to expect from Gregario’s last rider Chris Horner, is a bit of a mystery to me.  This is his first race since the horrible Tour de France crash and subsequent blood clot.  Does he look to get the feel back or try to make up for lost time.  We’ll see.
Bill: Once again the Neo-Pro puts his hopes in one rider, Roman Kreuziger.  This rider has been tipped by a few as a possible favorite.  The climbs should be selective enough to weed out some but should be right in this rider’s wheelhouse.  Is he in good form?  Hard to tell.  He made the break at Strade, but then crapped out at the bottom of the climb.  If this is one of his early season goals then he may have a chance.
Mike: David Millar continues to be along for the ride with team Garmin.  I still don’t know his goals this season.  This race does have a team TT so maybe Millar is hoping to take the leader jersey this way.  I am being a bit harsh on this rider and thus he will probably come out guns a blazing and make me look stupid.  No questions about Mike’s other rider, Mark Cavendish.  Still the best sprinter in the world, Cavendish will look to get in form for Milan San Remo with a few stage wins here.  Can anyone challenge him?  I say yes.
Luke: Team Wiskota Dynamic has got the answer to the Cavendish question: Andre Greipel.  The Gorilla really wants to beat this guy and I think he has the form to do it.  He will have a few opportunities to give it a shot as will my other sprinter, Tyler Farrar.  Can he do something with his early season form?  I hope so.  While I’m talking about sprinters I guess I ‘ll mention Peter Sagan.  His team looks to get him a lot of experience this year seemingly entering him in every race.  Can he win a sprint? Sure. Can he win a punchy finish? Sure. Is this the race for him? Probably not, too extreme, but maybe he sneaks out a few points for me.  Finally, my first round pick Joaquin Rodriguez takes the line today.  I hope the team TT doesn’t hurt him too much as JRod has a chance to make an impact here. More of a punchy climber the finishes may be a bit steep, but JRod has shown in the past the kind of all-around form that it takes to win a race like this.
Wiskota Fantasy Podium: Evans, Nibali, Scarponi
Spoilers: Visconti, Talansky, Garzelli, Iglinskiy

Monday, March 5, 2012

The Broom Wagon

Cleaning up after the weekend's events.

Another exciting weekend of racing for the Wiskota Fantasy League.  Those of us that watched the Strade Bianchi live know why this is quickly becoming one of the most popular early season events.  I am very happy that we included it amonst our extra non-world tour events. However, no one is more happy about it than Patrick and his rider Fabian Cancellara.  Spartacus put on a dominant display of power, riding away from his rivals with what seemed like relative ease.  As I alluded to in "On the Rivet" the steep finish didn't matter because by the time Cancellera got to the foot of Sienna the race was all but over.  A few other Wiskota riders put in some work.  Nibali made the break, but failed to hang on.  Kreuziger looked like he had a chance for a podium, but he died at the bottom of the hill.  In the end, two things were made clear; Fabulous Fab is back in a major way and the Strade Bianchi is an awesome race.

Paris-Nice kicked off with a 9 k timetrial on Sunday.  The big disapointment of the day has to be for Bill the neo pro's rider Tony Martin.  As the rain started to soak the road towards the end of the day the big German failed to show his potential finishing in the middle of the pack 30 seconds off the leader.  This might have opened the door for my rider Levi Leipheimer, who came in third,  as he may now become the team leader.  Bill shouldn't be too bummed as his GC favorite Bradley Wiggins was the only other Wiskota rider to top Levi, coming in second taking 2 seconds out of his rival.  More on this race to come shortly, for it has just begun.

Friday, March 2, 2012

On the Rivet


A preview of who's racing hard this weekend.

There should be lots of action this weekend as the Wiskota Fantasy League has two races on the docket; the one day Strade Bianchi on Saturday and the start of Paris-Nice on Sunday.  We all have several riders lining up this weekend as some of the big names in cycling look to stretch their legs for the first time this year.
Strade Bianchi:
The Strade is only a few years old yet it is quickly becoming one of the coolest races of the early season.  It is only a 1.1 ranking on the euro tour and thus is not worth as many points.  The roads are too small to handle a full field and thus many big name teams won’t even be there.  So why do we love this race so much?  Why have we gone out of our way to include it in our season?  Is it because Patrick rides a Bianchi?  Is it because Luke has been to Sienna?  Is it because Greg can look at the white gravel roads on Google Earth?  All of these things play a part, but one thing is for certain.  Anyone who saw the rain drenched, mud soaked, stage 7 from the 2010 Giro knows just how cool this race could be.  Well, enough reminiscing, I’ll leave that up to staff writer Patrick.  We want to know who’s gonna win this thing.
Greg: Well here we go; Gilbert won this race last year igniting a super human season.  It fits his riding style with a climb into Sienna for the finish.  I expect a mid-sized group making it to the foot of Sienna together.  If Gilbert is there he will be hard to beat.  This is an Italian race, so we must watch out for Gregario’s team.  Nibali has shown some early season form on Green Mountain at the tour of Oman.  More of a punchy finish with some room for a sprint, not Nibali’s forte, but I see him making the breakaway.  Greg should get on the board for the first time Saturday.  About time.
Patrick: Finally, Patrick gets to see his first round pick in action.  Cadel Evans was the one who made the 2010 Giro stage so memorable.  This is his kind of route.  One of the best bike handlers around with a great uphill burst, Evans could podium.  The question is does he even want to?  Fabulous Fabian Cancellara will also make his debut for team Volpe, or whatever Patrick wants his team to be named (he won’t comment on the blog).  Cancellara can make any breakaway he wants to.  I don’t see the finish suiting him, but you never know.  Besides you don’t have to be the most explosive climber if everyone else is five minute behind you.  Oh yeah, did I mention he won this race in 2008.
Luke: It’s a one man show for my team.  Luckily I have the strongest man in the race.  The fourth round phenom Peter Sagan will make his debut for Team Wiskota Dynamic p/b Lanterne Rouge.  If he and Nibali make the break I expect a win.  The key for Sagan is that just after the punchy climb it levels of.  If Sagan can get there he will take anyone of the other contenders in a sprint.
Mike: Sorry Mikey, I wish I had something better to say about your chances in this race, but I don’t.  I would be surprised if Millar was able to get some points her.  On the other hand, anyone who makes the break will probably get some points.  Otherwise, maybe Mike should just focus on Sunday.
Bill: The neo pro makes his debut in the Wiskota Fantasy League as Roman Kreuziger takes the line Saturday.  I can see this race being a good one for the Roman Crucifier (yup, that’s what his name means).  He will be a protected rider, but so will his teammate Maxim Iglinskiy who won this race in 2010.  They could both make the break and then Bill would have a chance to crack the leader board for the first time this year.  My guess though is that he will have to wait until Sunday.
Wiskota Fantasy Podium: Gilbert, Sagan, Cancellera
Spoiler: Van Avermat, Ballan, Pozzato, Visconti

Paris-Nice:
The race to the sun is awesome, that’s all there is too it.  We wait and wait for the big names to line up for a stage race and finally it comes in Paris-Nice.  We have a lot of GC contenders as 100 points is on the line.  But also, stage win points will be a factor with 6,4 and 2 points going to the stage podium.  Opening and closing TTs will probably decide this race, but there are a few serious climbs along the way.  And don’t forget, that final day TT is 9k straight up a mountain!
Greg: Forsa comes in with the most riders: Basso, Mollema, L.L. Sanchez and Voekler.  Basso is not known for doing well at Paris Nice as he usually is focused on races further down the colander.  Liquigas is bringing a supportive squad and Basso is a good climber.  Maybe this is the year he gives it a go.  I say doubtful.  Bauke does well at Paris Nice coming in 10th last year.  The climbs will be good for him, time trials is a question mark.  Can he ride for himself or must he protect Greg’s other Rabobank rider, L.L. Sanchez.  Everybody knows that Ladies Love Cool Sanch and no more was that the case than when he won this race in 2009.  L.L. is the Spanish time trial champ and needs to prove his worth at Rabobank.  I said it before, if he does not do well here, his season may be a bust before it begins.  As for Greg’s last rider, you know that Thomas Voekler is going to create some action.  Maybe a stage win?  Small points, but they can add up.  Anyway, Greg has a lot to watch.
Patrick:  Although Patrick has one of the stronger teams at the Strade, the same cannot be said for Paris Nice.  Rigoberto Uran is Pat’s best chance at GC contention.  However, he will most certainly be riding in protection of Wiggins.  However, it is of note that originally it looked as though Sky would be racing for Froome.  He is out sick so maybe, just maybe they let Uran give it a go.  Nick Nuyens is here, but I really don’t see how he can be a big factor, probably just looking to get in shape for the cobbles or lead out Haedo.  Speaking of lead outs Patrick has the one of the few riders who could contest some of the sprint and stage points, Tom Boonen.  His form has been amazing so far and I put nothing past this guy.  Yet, all signs point to a quiet Paris Nice for Patrick.  No worries you are stacked for Tirreno Adriatico which starts mid-week.
Luke: I am very excited for my team at this race.  The little prince makes his Team Wiskota debut.  I don’t expect much with all the time trialing.  However, he could go for a stage and get me some points there.  Alejandro Valverde will also make his debut as he looks to improve on his past podium placements at Paris Nice.  The time trailing does nit suit him either, however it cannot be denied that past experience often brings present results.  Besides Ballaverde (the Green Bullet) has shown some serious form already this year.  My real GC hopes lie in lil Levi Leipheimer.  I have been down on him in the past, but I think the new team and his expertise at TT’s will help him win this thing.  We only have to remember back to Colorado last summer to see Levi’s abilities in an uphill TT.  All in all, I feel I have the most exciting team at Paris Nice.
Mike: Mikey may sneak in here and get some stage points by bringing the best sprinter in the group Thor to the party.  Without Evans to watch after Thor may be allowed to do a little stage hunting and that could net Mike some early points.  Mike’s real hopes should be focused on his GC contender Frank Schleck.  The better of the two Schlecks, if you ask me, will be a protected rider come Sunday.  He has shown that he is able to get it up for races besides le tour and I like his chances to do well.  Can he deal with the time trialing to maybe hold on to a podium spot?  We’ll see.
Bill: The neo pro comes into the race for the sun stacked.  Bill has four riders who are all in contention for the overall victory.  Too bad Froome got sick or Bill would have five GC riders.  Andy Schleck, well, I guess he’s a favorite for GC.  I have never seen him race in anything that is not le Tour.  I think he will ride for his teammates, even though you don’t see that often either. To be somewhat fair I saw Andy lead out Cancellera at the tour of Oman earlier this season.  Pretty weak lead out, but still it was the first time I have ever seen him give an effort like that for a teammate.  Andreas Kloden may be the sneaky GC pick here.  He has done well here before.  A strong time trialer with a strong team, Kloden may have a chance here.  Bill also brings last year’s winner in Tony Martin.  Martin comes with a strong team and has done well in the less than epic mountains of Paris Nice.  The opening TT has a bit of a lump in the middle but Martin is still my favorite to win every TT this year.   I should have qualified that, I mean all regular TTs not mountain TTs.  I think Martin will do well on the final TT but not as well as Bill’s first round pick, Bradley Wiggins.   Wiggo the twiggo seems pretty suited for this race.  He is an exceptional TT guy and has shown he can climb with the best.  If Wiggins can get some early season points for Bill I may have to eat my words on just how much of a reach was Wiggins.  I think he will be in a battle with Levi for the final TT win making the last day of Paris Nice very exciting. 
Wiskota Fantasy Podium Prediction:  Leipheimer, Wiggins, Martin
Spoilers: Van Garderen, Menchov, Brachovic, Taaramae

Panache p/b Gregario

From time to time featured writer Gregario Forza brings his signature panache to the Wiskota blog.
This is the third installment of a Gregario's 2012 team previews.  Feel free to comment.

2012 Preview: Teams 14-11
14. Astana
Additions: Paolo Tiralongo (Re-signed), Andrey Kaschekin (Lampre-ISD), Dimitry Muravyev (RadioShack), Borut Bozic (Vacansoleil-DCM), Alexandre Vinokourov (Re-signed), Janez Brajkovic (RadioShack)
Subtractions: Remi Di Gregorio (Cofidis), Simon Clarke (GreenEDGE), Tomas Vaitkus (GreenEDGE), Allan Davis (GreenEDGE)
Keys for 2012: I like the additions of Janez Brajkovik, Borut Bozic, and Andrey Kaschekin. Janez will improve an already strong grand tour and stage racing squad. He will join Vino and Krueziger as potential protected riders. This should be a big year for Roman Krueziger to add to his palmares. Nobody knows what Vino is going to do. I don’t think Vino knows but I wouldn’t count him out for some big results.  Muravyev and Bozic give Astana some credibility and depth in the classics.
13. Movistar
Additions: Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini), Pablo Lastras Garcia (re-signed), Juan José Cobo (Geox-TMC), José Joaquin Rojas (re-signed), Francisco Ventoso (re-signed), Jonathan Castroviejo (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Alejandro Valverde (cheater)
Subtractions: José Vicente Garcia Acosta (retired)
Keys for 2012: 2011 was a tough year for Movistar. However, I like this team to rebound in 2012. The Green Bullet, Valverde, already looks like he will be back to his old form. With the pickup of Cobo, the team has a Grand Tour threat.  The Spaniard will ride the Tour and the Vuelta in 2012. The team also added Giovanni Viscotti who rode well in last year’s Giro. Rui Costa, Benat Intxausti, David Arroyo, Francisco Ventoso, Jose Rojas, Vasil Kiryienka give this team lots of power and depth.
12. Lotto-Belisol
Additions: Jurgen Van den Broeck, Bart De Clercq, Adam Hansen, André Greipel, Jürgen Roelandts, Jelle Vanendert, Jurgen Vandwalle (all Omega Pharma-Lotto), Lars Bak (HTC-Highroad), Greg Henderson (Sky)
Subtractions:
Keys for 2012: This team underwent many changes in their sponsorship shuffle. No longer able to lean on the results of Phillipe Gilbert, Lotto looks to change its identity in 2012. Jurgen Van den Broek will be a protected rider at the Tour de France. He has the mustard to podium but has difficulty dealing with the Belgian press and the pressures of riding for a Belgian team. The team lost Jurgen  Roelandts for the classic season; bad news for a Belgium based team. Andre Greipel, the Vanilla Gorilla, will certainly have some results for this team. If the Gorilla and Hand-in-Cock fail it could be a very long year for Lotto-Belisol.
11. Katusha
Additions: Pavel Brutt, Joaquin Rodriguez (re-signed), Angel Vicioso (Androni), Alexander Kristoff (BMC), Oscar Freire (Rabobank), Denis Menchov (Geox)
Subtractions: Filippo Pozzato (Farnese Vini), Vladimir Karpets (Movistar)
Keys for 2012: Team Katusha should be call team J. Rod. El Purito will be asked for reults in the classics and Gran Tours alike. He is Gilbert’s biggest rival in the Ardennes and could potentially podium in the Giro or Vuelta this year. I like the addition of Freire to the team. I like Oscar to taste victory maybe one last time in this year’s tour. Denis Menchov, the Silent Assassin, could be player in this year’s tour. I feel like the parcours fits his riding style.  I still feel that this team goes as J. Rod goes.