Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Andy to Attempt to Ride a Bike

He's so wacky!
Little Andy Schleck is scheduled to try to ride a bicycle all by himself tomorrow.  "This is a big day for Andy" his Mother reportedly said, "his big Brother took off his training wheels and Andy couldn't sleep a wink last night."  No one knows how Andy will fare on the lumpy 180 K circuit of Citta di Camaiore.    Andy is confident that his plan to have his father hold on to the bike until he says let go will prove to be the edge he needs to compete in Italy this Thursday. "Some times I let go before he tells me to" his Father allegedly said, "when he figures out that he's riding all on his own he gets so excited".  Could this be the day we see a change to the Andy Schleck ticker?  He should finish. A win? Doubtful.     

Monday, February 25, 2013

The Broom Wagon

Cleaning up after the weekend's events...

It's Too Cold
Having races in February doesn't always work out

Carnage at the Omloop...oh wait, that was last year.

The cold weather and snowy Sunday made for a less then stellar start to the cobbles season.  At the Omloop about 75% of the Peloton, and 100% of Team Garmin, seemed to take the day off.  Team Dynamic rider Sylvain Chavanel looked like he had a real chance to solo to victory but Van Avermaet and Roelandts weren't having it.  It must be noted that GVA has looked extremly strong so far this season.  Taco's boy is due for a victory.  The Strade?  Although, Luca Paolini ended up taking the win and with it most of the available points, some WFL teams were able to score a few.  Geraint Thomas screwed up his sprint missing out on the podium but still managed 4th overall.  More importantly, he may have secured the leadership role at Sky.  Sorry BoHaug, save it for the Vattenfalls Classic I guess.  The previously mentioned GVA and Roelandts snuck in the top ten helping Taco start to climb out of the cellar and helping Volpe remain in the leaders jersey.  Not the best Omloop ever, but still happy to have the season rolling.

A snowy Sunday makes for the most epic KBK ever...oh wait, no, they just cancelled the race instead.
Kuurne Brussels Kuurne wasn't part of the WFL season (it's only a 1.1 race) yet I couldn't help but be disappointed with the race cancellation.  Cav vs. Greips, straight up.  It'll have to wait until Tirreno.  Don't worry sprint fans, we'll include this race next year.

Well at least we had the Clasica de Almeria.  Oh wait, we didn't send any sprinters. D'oh.  Mark Renshaw, I mean come on.  Farrar should have signed up for this one, he would have had a much better chance to lose a sprint to a bunch of second tier (uhumm, 3rd tier, paging Hivert...) sprinters in Spain.    

Ty Ty, Wah

Friday, February 22, 2013

On The Rivet


A look at who’s racing hard this week…


Gent-Gent! 

The Omloop is here.  It’s a big weekend for the WFL as the allure of the cobbles promises to bring Team Volpe director sportif Patrick out of hiding.  Lots of WFL riders and lots of opportunity for points.  Here’s our line up and a few predictions.


Fujarky: BOOM Lars

Volpe: BOONEN Tom
         PHINNEY Taylor
        ROELANDTS Jurgen

Dynamic: CHAVANEL Sylvain
              POZZATO Filippo
              THOMAS Geraint

Guillaume: TERPSTRA Niki
           HAUSSLER Heinrich
            DEGENKOLB John

Taco:  HUSHOVD Thor
         VAN AVERMAET Greg

Forza:  BOASSON HAGEN Edvald
         FLECHA Juan Antonio

Wiskota Podium:
Pozzato, GVA, Flecha

Spoilers:
Vanmarch, Langeveld, Leukamans




How it could go down:
It’s cold and all the riders from south of Brussels puss out early.  It’s a Belgian affair as Van Avermaet, Van Summeren and VanMarcke form an unholy Belgian alliance and roll off to victory.

How it might happen:
It’s cold but some of these guys are real tough SOBs so it turns into a fast race.  With protected riders clearly identified a small group of support guys get off the front.  The Peloton forgets that this race isn’t quite as long as most of the other classics.  By the time Taylor Phinney is put at the front to pull Thor and company back into the race it’s too late.  Well let’s take a closer look at that break group, who’s that riding off the front to victory?  Chapeau to Chavanel!

How it will happen:
It’s cold, so what.  As expected the peloton breaks up going over some of the final bergs.  On the last berg this group splits into an elite group with Boonen, Boom and Pozzato.  GVA, Terpstra and Flecha scramble to bridge across and get in comfortably.  GVA catches the group sleeping and gets away.  Flecha takes up chase with Pozzato his constant shadow.  Boonen works with Terpstra and Boom to get back on but as the finish approaches only one man is left fresh.  Pozzato the Playboy takes the sprint victory.


Not enough WFL action on Saturday?  Don’t forget the Clasica Almeria is on Sunday.  A few of our GC riders are there.  Three climbs but the last is like 40K from the finish so it may end up a sprint.  Too bad we haven’t sent any sprinters.  A few of our hopefuls include: Gesink, Mollema, Valverde, Samu, Anton, Jerkin’, PBandJelle, Fuglsang and Janez.  May have missed some, but I think that’s it.  Race on Wiskota!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Panache

The Harvester takes the sprint vs. Tommeke and Flecha

Pt. 1
Omloop Het Volk/ Het Niuewsblad Edition

Cobbles, hellingens and muirs, oh my! It’s Classics Season and some would argue it’s the best part of the whole year. From Flanders to Wallone, France to the Netherlands, these are the races for hard men, for men who know tomorrow does not bring another chance, for those who know how to finish. Gone away are the glorified training camps of Down Under, Qatar, and Oman (you know, the races I’ve been raving about for weeks). Now the real season begins.

The Wiskota Fantasy League is well represented in the Belgian season opener.  Gent-Gent, Het Volk or Het Niuewsblad is a terrific race with great history. Although shorter than the Ronde and Roubaix, this race has all the goods; cobbles, climbs and cobbled climbs. Let’s take a look at some of the favorites for this year’s edition of Het Volk.

Four Star Favorites

Tom Boonen- Tommeke had the unbelievable Classics season of 2012. He has also had the elbow infection that delayed his start. I don’t expect Tommeke to be at his best but he may not need to be. If Boonen showed up with a tricycle he would be a favorite for this race.

Thor Hushovd- the God of Thunder has already stormed into 2013 with a win and his usual brash demeanor. Thor has felt good this year and he may be ready to embark on a wicked classics campaign. With a loaded team at his disposal, he will be able to mark his rivals, and attack at his convenience. Fear Thunderous Thor in 2013!

Juan Antonio Flecha- the Spanish Flanderen isn’t getting any younger but the cobbles don’t care. Closers win classics and Flecha knows how to finish. This year he comes rolling in to the North Country with Vacansolei. This team races hard and is looking to make their mark on the 2013 season. I like Flecha to be on the top step of the podium at the Omloop. Forza!

Fillippo Pozzatto- the Shadow got a win last week and seems to be harnessing some good form. I could see him sucking wheels until the finish and making a brilliant move to win the sprint. The Shadow looks like watermelon bubble yum but he is strong and aggressive.

Three Star Favorites

Edvald Boassen Hagen- EBH is a hard rider to predict. On one hand I feel like he is perfect for the cobbled classics. Then, it seems, that he is not. He can sprint, he is punchy at times, and he seems strong. Shit, he spent the entire TdF on the front of the race. However, outside winning Gent-Wevelgem, he lacks the results to show that he is a man for the cobbles.  My worst nightmare is Eddy Boss leading out the Penguin for a win and precious WFL points.

Greg Van Avermaet- Avi is Belgian, he likes cobbled classics, and he has finished as high as 4th here at Het Volk. GVA has the benefit of having probably the most loaded team in Het Volk history at his disposal (preposterous? Probably, I have no idea actually). He will be given a free ride and if he has cojones made of cobbles, he will attack.

Sylvain Chavanel- La Machine is such a classy rider. He has won at Brabantse Pijl and Dwars door Vlaanderen; however, Het Volk would look awfully nice on his palmares. Mimosa has ridden on the Belgian Quickstep squad since 2009 and he has always had a special place for the Northern classics. Although I hate when a Wiskota Dynamic rider wins a race, I will always cheer for Chavanel. Chapeau! I guess…….

Jurgen Roelandts- Jurgen fancies himself as the Hulk, and since Sagan is not lining up in Gent, we’ll let him have it. The man from Asse has already bagged a win this year at the Tour of Med and I feel like this will be a breakout year. He has had some high placing’s but a win at the Omloop would be the biggest in his career, outside the Belgium National Championships (sort of a big deal).  

Taylor Phinney- I hate to jinx the Mako but I am really excited to see what he can do on the pave. As part of BMC, he may be given free rein to TT to victory. Or, he is certainly strong enough to win a sprint out of a select group. America finally has a cobbled specialist and I can’t wait to get all patriotic this spring. After the last 6 months or so, we need it!

Two Star Favorites

Sebastien Turgot- Turbo for Turgot finished 2nd last year at Paris-Roubaix. He has also been on the podium at Paris-Tours. At 28, he is hardly an up and comer but he may be a late bloomer. Europcar brings a fairly strong squad to the cobbles. Does Turgot have enough of a Turbo to go for his first big win?

Nick Nuyens- The former Het Volk and Ronde winner had an atrocious 2012 which was lost to injury and has switched teams to the Argyle nation. Now, “Nick Nuy the Science Guy” will answer to Jonathon, “were racing for 3rd, Vaughters. Nuyens is a classics specialist and has had some huge results in his career. Hard to predict when he’ll strike but I’m sure he is hungry.

Sebastian Langveld- Langer has taken 1st at Kurne-Brussels-Kurne, 5th at the Ronde, and won Het Volk in 2011. He seemed to be on a gradual climb to classics specialist until joining the Orica ranks in 2012. It will be interesting to see what type of form the “Flying Dutchman” can bring to the 2013 season.

Lars Boom- “goes the dynamite” is not just a cyclo-cross champion.  He was 6th at Roubaix last year and has won a stage at the Vuelta. However, I’ve been hearing about Lars Anthonius Johannes Boom for some time now. He has some serious value at the FSA DS league over at Podium CafĂ©. Is this the year he takes some cobbled classics to add to his already rich cyclo-cross palmares?

Sep Vanmarcke- the young Belgian took his biggest win of his career last year at the Omloop. Not only was he strong, he made the two decisive moves, and beat Tommeke in a sprint. I don’t expect him to win it this year; however, I like the “Harvester” to be in the mix at Roubaix and the Ronde this year.

One Star Favorites

Nikki Terpstra- I could justify the Terpinator being a four star favorite for the Omloop but this field is just so deep and although he has been given team leadership on OPQS, he still is on a team with Chavanel and Boonen.  The Terrapin finished 3rd, 5th, and 6th at Paris-Tours, Paris-Roubaix, and the Ronde just last year. Definitely poised for a big season, Maillot Jaune Guillaume should be licking his chops!

Heinrich Haussler- Beans is always the bridesmaid and never the bride. Now Barbie is looking hot in his Team IAM kit and may try to be a bit sneaky during the 2013 cobbled campaign. Heinie is yet to bag a big win in the classics and although IAM isn’t a super-strong team, they will be aggressive. Look out if Beans can get to the Red Kite with the favorites, he’s sprinty.

Geraint Thomas- the Penguin is set to concentrate on the road this season and has started his assault Down Under by finishing on the podium. G was once the junior Roubaix champion and a gold medal pursuitist.  He now looks to return to his cobbled roots. Team Sky has a wicked, good classics squad with Bo Hag, Stannard, Swift, Eisel and G. I think they will work for Eddy Boss. But what do I know? Beware of the penguin. Doo bee doobie doo!

Honorable Mention

Gerald Ciolek- Ciolek joined the African MTN-Quebeka for the 2013 campaign. He has rode well to start the season and seems to be on some good form. MTN will certainly like to animate any race that they enter. So, look for Gerry to try to do something at Het Volk.

Jonathon Hivert- This guy beat Farrar twice at Andalucia and won the overall in the Etoille de Besseges. He probably won’t win the Omloop but he is certainly worth mentioning due to his recent results.

Zdenek Stybar- Tommeke has tipped the former cyclo-cross world champion as a possible winner. Damn, OPQS is stacked!

Thomas Lofkvist- Team IAM has a second card to play in the Gotlander. Lofkvist just took the overall at the Tour of the Med and has had somed good results in the semi-classics of past.

Oscar Gatto- Meow!

How will it Go Down

Look for the decisive moves to come on the Molenberg climb and the Paddestraat section of the cobbles. I like Flecha, Bo Hag, Thor, Pozzatto, Terpstra and Phinney to be in the group. Look for an even more select group on the final set of cobbles and for Flecha to draw his arrow en route to victory.

Podium- Flecha, Phinney, Pozzatto

Forza!




Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Cobbles Are Coming!

The Arenberg Forest of Paris-Roubaix

Classics season starts with the Omloop this Saturday

Broom Wagon


Cleaning up after the week's events...

Volpe Remains in First

Wiskota’s GC riders didn’t disapoint in Oman


Three of these things belong together...
Nibali fails to keep up with the best GC men in the peloton.
It should be noted that JRod had already ridden away from all of them.

Points, points points!  Everybody scored in Oman as the WFL swept the podium.  Maillot Jaune Guillaume’s Tour hopeful Chris Froome took home first overall and even won a stage with a little panache.  Steven the Neo-Pro made a splash with his top two picks as Contador and Evans rounded out the podium.  Volpe managed to maintain his lead with an opening stage win by Marcel “Ivan Drago” Kittel.  Dynamic’s top two picks flexed their muscle  winning three stages while cutting into Volpe’s league lead.  Taco ‘s strong man Greg Van Avermaet picked up a few points and looks poised to make a run at the cobbles.  The biggest disapointment of Oman was Nibali’s inability to match the other big names on Green Mountain.  Luckily for Forza, Nocentini rode a sneakily good race.  In the end Oman was what we wanted it to be, a preview of future GC battles.  In this prize fight it’s all about building and maintaining form.  There is still a lot of season to go, but in Oman, round one goes to Froome Dogg. 

Chapeau!

Chris Froome: Sealed his first stage-race victory


Wiskota Fantasy League riders have been out if full “forza” this week. Although riders were only scoring points in Oman, many riders were representing and laying the ground work for some wicked palmares. This week the real racing begins as the cobbled classics get rolling in Flanders with the Omloop and Paris-Nice is just around a lefthander.

Here’s your weekly tip o’ the hat.

Chapeau! to Chris Froome. Froome Dog won his first major stage race in Oman versus some very good competition. Froomey finished ahead of Evans and Contador, as well as besting Nibbles and Purito to take the climbers’ mid-east tour. The English Patient won stage five, was second on the Green Mountain stage, and had to counter attacks from Contador to hang on for the overall. This win was certainly a confidence booster for Froome as he continues to prepare for le Tour.

Chapeau! to El Purito Rodriguez. El Purito smoked his fellow contenders up the Green Mountain climb. Although he was maybe the benefactor of a Nibbles and Pistolero attack, Purito proved once again that he is one of the most explosive and crafty bike riders in the peloton. The reigning UCI points leader also received news that his Katusha squad will be allowed to race within the World Tour as the CAS has ruled in favor of the Russian squad. Team Wiskota Dynamic has had a great week!

Chapeau! to Peter Sagan. I’m scared of this dude. I think Sagan will get a big win this season in the form of one of cycling’s monuments. He’s just too good in a hard race. The Incredible Hulk won two stages in Oman and gave us a peek in to the type of form he will be harnessing in this year’s classics.
Chapeau! to Oman. The Tour of Oman was a really fun race to watch. Really quite beautiful and the racing was sublime. The big guns could hardly tame their early form and gave a very early glimpse of the future bouts to come. Chapeau! to Evans, Contador, Kittel, Bouhani and to a lesser extent, Nibali for some great racing in the hillier of the mid-east tours.

Chapeau! to Sergio Henao for winning stage 3 of the Volat ao Algarve. He won out of a select group of Team Forza rider’s including Westra and Rui Costa. Hey Now took the summit finish but couldn’t hold on for the overall.

Chapeau! to Tony Martin. Der Panzer took the final stage TT and the overall at the Algarve. A pattern I expect to see more of in 2013.

Chapeau! to Thor Hushovd for taking his first win since joining BMC and putting his disappointing 2012 season in the rear view mirror. It seems the big Norwegian is finally healthy and poised to return to his form where he will be a contender for victory in the cobbled classics. BMC has chosen Thor and GVA to represent at the Omloop, leaving Gilbert (2 time winner of Het Volk) at home to train for Paris-Nice. Can Thor lay down the hammer? Can he return to his old form that earned him a World Championship? Paris-Roubaix? The God of Thunder has returned!

Chapeau! to Filippo Pozzato who won from a four-man break in the Trofeo Laigueglia, Italy’s first race of the 2013 season. I don’t know anything about this race. I do know that this is a good sign for the Lampre-Merida rider. This just may be the year that the Italian bags a monument. Wheel sucker!

The “Schleck of the Week” goes to…. drumroll… the ever disappointing, Andy Schleck for dropping out of the Tour du Haut Var to continue not racing, or “training”, in Mallorca. However, the real Schlecker was Bradley Wiggins. The reigning Tour de France champion was not seen racing hard in Oman. He was “working” for Froome some twenty-two minutes behind the eventual winner. It seems that the rest of the major GTGC guys were testing their form against each other while Wiggo was still enjoying his yellow jersey, gold medal, dream-season that was 2012. Last year the dude won everything on his way to one of the greatest seasons of all time. I wonder if the “Commander of the Order of the British Empire” can find his form by the time the Giro kicks off. I personally like the “Shark of Messina” to get his revenge.

Forza!

Friday, February 15, 2013

Panache


Grab the coffee and settle in Team Wiskota Nation. The season is in full swing, as the Tours of the Middle East are coming to close and its almost time to circle you newspapers for some Het Volk, al’ a Omloop het Nieuwsblad. That means classics season is almost here.

O’man What a Race
If you haven’t been paying attention to this race, you should have. All the Grand Tour General Classification (GTGC) guys came to play in Oman; although Wiggins is only there for vacation. Contador and Saxo-Tinkoff had seemed to be the team to beat overall, but Froome Dog and his Team Sky compatriots have had different plans. However, it was Purito Rodriguez who lit up the Green Mountain Stage. Vincenzo Nibali has been left in the desert sands as he finished behind the proverbial big 3 on Stage 4 and even lost more time on stage 5. If Froome can hold on it will be his first World Tour stage race win. That just seems weird. The revelation of Oman was Rinaldo Nocentini. Sneaky points for Forza! Team Wiskota Dynamic continues to score deliberately as he will come out with at least 3 stage victories (Sagan 2, J-Rod 1) and a spot on the podium.

Taylor Phinney Time!
The Flanders Classics start next weekend in Belgium with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. This race is spectacular. It is definitely a hard man’s race and a great indicator for the rest of the classic’s season. This Flander’s classic includes past winners like Juan Antonio Flecha, Thor Hushovd, Phillipe Gilbert (2), Nicky Nuyens, and last year, a young Sep Vanmarcke got his first big mark in his young promising career. Check out the startlist on the homepage.

Paris-Nice is Nice but…..
A lot has been said about the difficulty of this year’s Paris-Nice but it seems that most of the WCL GTGC riders are going to ride the race of the two seas, Tirreno-Adriatico. Pistolero, Purito, Froome Dog, Sanchize, Cuddles, and the Shark from Messina a.k.a. Nibbles, are all lining up in Italy. It should be awesome. That leaves a lot of points for Voekler, Westra, Costa and Team Forza in France. I should mention that TVG, Fuglsang, Gesink, Basso, Talansky, Martin, Roche, and De Gendt will also be there.

So What Else is New
Check out the Giro di Italia videos on YouTube.  This year’s edition will be a terrific battle between Nibbs and Wiggs.

Commish- Have you seen the Basque Cycling Blog? All Euskadi, all the time. Awesome stuff from the Orange Army.

Innerring had an awesome piece on the sponsorship in procycling. As well as a piece on the French hotel accomadations.

If you don’t already, check out Pez Cycling on Mondays and Thursdays. The Euro trash is a great place to read quick headlines as well as watch race video.
I feel like we should start a Team Wiskota Fantasy Podcast. In the meantime check out Speed Metal Cycling Podcast, you can find it on iTunes or at the SkullKrusher’s blog.

Forza!

Schleck Quits Before He Starts


The Luxembourgian Reaches 300 Days without Finishing a Race

The pride of Team Volpe registered for the Tour du Haut Var just long enough to quit the race before it starts.  Andy showed a new level of commitment to his DNF streak by going out of his way to quit a race before the opening stage.   L'Equipe was quick to note the massive work put in by Schleck this week.  With this epic effort by Andy Schleck one can't help but be reminded of other great feats of sporting endurance such Cal Ripken's unforgettable streak.  Is Andy the Iron Horse of cycling?  

Monday, February 11, 2013

On the Rivet


A look at who’s racing hard this week…


 Tour of Oman
The big boys come out to play


It’s always hard to pick favorites in early season races as some riders come to win but many treat them as slightly more challenging training rides.  A sprinty race that can turn into a strong man race with a bit of wind Oman would be Qatar part two were it not for one major difference: Jabal Al Akhdhar. Cue the Middle Eastern throat singing here. The Green Mountain is a game changer and always determines the overall winner.  To be fair this race has several more hills than Oman but they rarely have much impact.  With the first stage in the books we have a few clues as to how this race will pan out.  Kittel took the first stage and is obviously going for sprint points.  None of the other WFL sprinters were up there with him, however, it should be noted that Phinney (The Big Phin, Shark Phin?) placed high and is showing some excellent early season form.  The other lesson we learned is that Wiggo isn’t going to race for much until the Giro, he is already over a minute down and thoughts have turned to his vacation, I mean, “training camp” in the Canary Islands.  So who are the favorites?  Velits won here last year and he is looking to snatch another victory early this year.  This could be a Sagan or Gilbert route, but the Green Monster tends to be just too tough a climb.  Look for the real climbers to take this one. Here are our riders.

Forza: Nocentini, Gilbert, Nibali
Fujarky: Evans, Contador
Dynamic: Sagan, Rodriguez, Velits,
Volpe: Boonen, Cancellera, Kittel, Phinney
Guillaume: Terpstra, Goss, Wiggins, Froome, Porte, Breschel
Taco: Van Avermaet, Degenkolb

Wiskota Podium Predictions:
Nibali, Contador, Velits

Chapeau!

             
 
The Sands have cleared and the results are in from the Tour of Qatar. What did we learn? BMC is good in the Team TT, Cavendish is super-fast, and Qatar is a flat, sandy place. The European Tour also kicked off with Etoile-Besseges, the Challenge Mallorca Series, and the Tour of Mediterranean. So here’s your weekly “tip of the hat, wag of the finger”.

Chapeau! to Mark Cavendish. The Manx Missile dominated the Tour of Qatar. Early on it seemed as though the race belonged to Team BMC but Cav won the final four stages, took the time bonuses and eventually the overall and the Golden Jersey. The “Fastest Man on Two Wheels” showed that he is still able to win a sprint without a lead-out, however the BoDog may disagree, and that OPQS, with the Dutch Champion, Niki Terpstra, aka the Terpinator, can provide a wicked train to the finish.

Chapeau! to BMC Team Time Trial Squad. BMC, under the leadership of the young American Taylor Phinney, were the fastest team in Qatar. Phinney continues to impress with his ability to TT and his ability to be a leader in only his second year on the Pro Tour. Look for this squad, with Phinney, to be in the Pink Jersey following the stage 2 TTT at the Giro. Discussion topic: Phinney nickname? Comments in the post below.....

Chapeau! to Brent Bookwalter. The “Librarian” took the first stage of Qatar and maintained his lead through stage 2 as part of the Phinney led BMC train. I always love when an American wins in Europe, er… Asia.

Chapeau! to Alejandro Valverde. Balaverde won his first race of 2013 at the Mallorca Challenge. He showed his strength by riding away from the field; certainly a promising sign for El Imbatido, Movistar, as well as Team Dirty Sanchez p/b Taco. Balaverde talked about starting this season off more slowly than last but this win shows that The Bullet is primed for another big year.

Chapeau! to Thomas Lofkvist. The man from Gotland won his first race since 2009 by being the most consistent along the southern coast of France. He did not win a stage but he was at the front every day, TT’d well enough, and took home the yellow polka-dotted leader's Jersey and the first win for the newly founded Swiss squad, Team IAM.

Others deserving of a “tip of the hat” include Leigh Howard for winning two of the Trofeo’s at Mallorca and Bryan Coquard, the Europcar sprinter, who won two stages at the Etoile-Besseges. Look out for the former U23 World Champion. He’s a quick one!

I am changing the week’s contra-performance to the “Schleck of the Week” in honor of the pride of Volpe, Andy Schleck. This dude is a joke! Tour de France, more like Tour de Farce! (pretty sure I got that from a Lance headline) Check back to the Team Wiskota homepage to watch the ticker grow as Andy has not won a race in 572 days and has not finished a race in 296. Epically, massively bad!

Forza!

 

Phinney Needs A Nickname




Taylor Phinney

I'm just saying


Friday, February 8, 2013

The Broom Wagon



Cleaning up after the week's events...



Volpe rides the Missile to the top of the leader board!
From Worst To First
Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) made it three in a row at the Tour of Qatar
Cav celebrates the 3rd of  4 straight sprint victories
Team Volpe scored big in Qatar as Cavendish took home the second stage race victory of his career.  As predicted the team time trial split the field between GC hopefuls and stage hunters early in the week.  BMC's victory in the TTT looked to position Taylor Phinney for a GC run.  While Sky riders BoDogg and the Penguin spent most of the week looking for time bonuses for their sprint man Bernie Eisel (notorious snorer, by the way).  But in the end it was only stage victory time bonuses that mattered.  The Manx Missile took  four in a row adding to his lead and adding to Volpe's bank account.  The challenge to Cav's sprint dominance promised in the "On the Rivet" failed to materialize, as Degenkolb finished no higher than 6th on any stage.  Even with "HC" points only counting at 50% this season Volpe managed to rack up 151 points, 107 from the Manx man alone.  The lesson of Qatar: it pays to win outside of the World Tour.  

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Andy Schleck Quits Again

Andy Schleck (RadioShack Leopard) was taking a relaxed approach to the start of Tour Down Under

Little Andy feels he deserves a rest after not finishing even the first stage of the Tour Mediterraneen.  Keep tabs on Team Volpe's wunderkind with Wiskota Fantasy League's new Andy Schleck ticker located at the top of the page. 


Friday, February 1, 2013

Panache


Winds of Qatar

The season has started and Team Wiskota Fantasy League riders have already been seen on the roads of Australia, Argentina, and now France as Etoile de Besseges has begun and kicked off the European season. Now we turn to the Middle East to watch the classics riders and the sprinters line up in Qatar and the puncheurs and grimpeurs head to Oman. Before we know it, Paris-Nice and the classics will begin. My fever is hot and it’s not the norovirus.

My favorite part of a new season is the speculation. I love hearing about the rider’s programmes, and talk of breakout riders. As a director-sportif in the WFL I am always scouting the future of cycling. Here's a look at 13 neo-pros for 2013. I personally like lil' Joe Drombowski. That dude looks like he's 12 and he will be flanking Sir Bradley Wiggins at the Giro. 2014 dynasty picks?

I also love the team presentations. A look at the new kits, new rides, and introduction to new riders. My favorite kit for 2013 is probably Omega-Quicksteps. Clean but not plain with a nice color scheme, cool championship kits, and now, twitter account names. Also check out Team IAM's kits, Heinrich Haussler will at least look good while under performing. I do love Gilbert's rainbow jersey and bike, I also love the changes made to Timmy Duggan's US championship kit.Way better than his Liquigas version.

One of the things that I both love and hate about the sport of cycling is that I am still learning and constantly deciphering the intricacies of the World Tour and pro cycling as a whole. I have been watching cycling since 2000. Like many Americans, I was drawn to the sport by Lance Armstrong, so my initial understanding of cycling was that the Tour de France was the be all, end all of this beautiful sport. Soon I was introduced to Paris-Roubaix, and the Epic Cycle Schedule featuring the Cyclism on Sundays thanks to OLN, Versus, and now the NBC Sports Network. Now, my spring and summer weekends are spent waking up before sunrise to stream a race that many have never heard of. I am constantly explaining to my Mrs. Forza, "this is the coolest race......, it's for the......., someday we need to go to........, look how beautiful it is". However it seems that I am still learning about new races, old races, the history, the tactics, and the structure. Have you ever tried  to explain the UCI World Tour to any one? How about to yourself? And it seems that more changes are underway. Bernard Eisel is a World Tour rider for Sky and he does not fully understand the World Tour. For a closer look at the confusing World Tour, read this

The Wiskota Fantasy League is a doper drama free zone but I do have  to note that Gregario Forza's Tour de France plans took a hit with Frank Schleck recieving a 1 year ban for having tested for a banned substance in his system. Back to the drawing board I guess.
 

Finally, I am looking forward to picking up some points at the Tour of Qatar. Eddy Bo Hag is gonna bag Team Forza some points in this one. I like Bo Hag to win it, Fabian second, and Flecha third. My guess is that Cav will win at least 3 stages but the strongmen will get into a split caused by an echelon and Bo Hag and Flecha will enjoy a free ride via Spartacus to the line. Classic.

Forza!




Chapeau!


The most familiar sight of 2013 TdU

Chapeau! to the Tour Down Under. Now featuring the corkscrew climb, which gives the riders another stage to gain time in the GC. If we could get a TT, this race would really be something to watch. That is if we could get a decent stream around here. 22 minutes of clips just don't do it. (contra-performance NBC?)

Chapeau! to the little shit upstart, Tom-Jelte Slagter. Not only did he win the TdU, dominate the 2 climbs, but this dude has the coolest nickname in the peloton: the Butcher. The Butcher slaughtered Geraint Thomas on Old Willunga and showed why some, including Gregario Forza, believes he may be the next Purito.

Chapeau! to Andre Greipel. The Grape Ape dominated the People’s Classic as well as won three stages in the TdU. I can’t wait to see Greipel’s train go up against Omega-Quickstep and the Manx Missile in this year’s tour. It seems that there is someone who can finally match Cav in the final 200. 

Chapeau! to Geraint Thomas. The Commish was seen looking like a wise old defending champ following the Corkscrew climb. Despite losing time to the Butcher on Old Willunga, Thomas fought back and cunningly grabbed intermediate sprint points and time to finish on the 3rd step of the podium. I can’t wait to see what the Penguin, yes that is his nickname, can bring to the classics. I am hoping he will support Eddy Bo Hag as well as the Bo Hag supported him this last week. Take that Commish!

Chapeau! to Simon Gerrans. The puncheur from Melbourne won the Old Willunga stage and showed a glimpse of the form he brought in 2012. It will be hard to repeat that success but another classics win is very likely for this crafty rider. 

Chapeau! to Tejay  van Garderen. TVG placed highest among the World Tour favorites at the Tour de San Luis. TVG kept up with the Argentinian alpinists, TT’d well, and TVG’d his way to a spot on the podium. TVG lines up for Paris-Nice next and I’m betting he will show well in the race to the sun.

The season’s first contra-performance goes to Phillipe Gilbert. Let me start by saying that I know this is a bit of unnecessary whining. However, dude got me excited by talking about how well he would do Down Under. I also understand that he crashed and lost time in an event that he had no or little control over and went out on the attack in the rainbow jersey. But, what really grinds my gears is that when asked about Old Willunga he said,  

"I cannot fight for nothing, If was top 10, my race would be different because I would be more focused, I knew I was not in the battle anymore so it's hard to concentrate on it and to make sacrifices. You have to go deep and then when you're not in the race I cannot find the motivation for this." 

C’mon man! Some random guy has you on his fantasy cycling team and could have used 6 points. Find the motivation!

Forza!