Thursday, January 30, 2014

The Broom Wagon

...cleaning up after the week's races.


Gerrans Wins Tour Down Under
Ochre...really?

Simon Gerrans wins the Ochre Jersey with an all around solid effort.  Team Wiskota Dynamic scored big, but almost everyone managed a few points with Forza and upstart STP Greenline leading the way.  More recap to follow soon.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

2014 Draft Recap cont.

"Quality not quantity, man"

Team Wiskota Dynamic once again flexed his great cycling mind during this year’s draft and managed to somehow make his team even stronger, or at least in the spring classics. With J-Rod in the Ardennes, Sagan in everything (quality not quantity man) and with the addition of Mr. Recreation, Tom Boonen, Team Wiskota will be off to a strong start in 2014. Backing up his big three, Gerrans, Betancur, Ullisi, and Kristoff could as well score big points in the early part of the season. Once it comes to stage racing and Grand Tours the Commish will need to make some moves. Roche, Uran, Inxausti, Kelderman, and Brakjovik hold the hopes of the Commish in the one weekers and J-Rod is the lone GTGC guy on Team Wiskota. Not many holes in this team, if the Commish can make some meaningful moves for the US races and Le Tour, look out, it could be a three peat. Or will it be Sagan playing grab ass, Purito crying and Tommeke being too damn Pretty! Only time will tell.

Purito crying in the rain.

Best Rider: J-Rod                                                                                  X factor: Kristoff


Biggest Reach: Inxausti                                                                          Best Value: Boonen

Recreation

Thursday, January 16, 2014

2014 WFL Draft Recap

The Place
The Picks
The Tots

It's been a long off-season, but the world tour is upon us again.  Thanks to everyone for coming out on a snowy Tuesday night. The picks are in and it's time to assess the results.

Taylor Phinney, Volpe's Legacy Pick

Team Volpe wasted no time in locking up his two favorite riders.  In Cancellera, Patrick has secured a perennial points machine and in Phinney he has the great American hope for the future.  I have to say I was surprised Volpe didn't stick with Boonen for another year, but the man knows who he likes and it has served him well in the past.  As we dig a little deeper in Volpe's lineup we see a lot of potential.  Several young guys on the cusp (Phinney, Kwiatkowski, Talansky) as well as several riders who have done huge things in the past but had a down season last year (Wiggo, JVDB, Pozzato). If it ends in a sprint you know Volpe will be there with Cav and Kittel and Movistar and Great Britain could easily finish on the top again this year.
Best Rider: Cancellera                                                        Best Value: JVDB 
Biggest Reach: Phinney                                                      X Factor: Pozzato

           ^                                                               ^
    Contador                                                     Dan Martin

Don't call me Fujarky.  The Wiskota Fantasy League was taken by surprise when Steven dropped the bombshell; after one season Team Fujarky was no more, welcome Le Pacte de Loups!  The wolf pack is on the prowl.  Led by Alberto Contador and Danny Boy Martin, this team has some bite. These two riders should be solid with the former a Tour favorite and the latter an all year kind of guy.  Steven's team has many likable riders with plenty of upside.  Will Dani Moreno ride a grand tour for himself?  Will the Gorrilla regain the title of fastest German?  Does Sky ride for Thomas on the cobbles?  Is TVG ready for solo Tour leadership? If we end up answering yes to these questions then Fujarky, I mean Le Pacte de Loups will have a strong year.
Best Rider: Contador                                                                  Best Value: Colombia
Biggest Reach: Greipel                                                                X Factor: Moreno

Scarponi, Moser and Pozzovivo 

Taco p/b Twisted Tea Old Fashioneds took the machismo to yet another level this season.  This year Mike plucked some of the best and brightest from around the world.  Italian triumvirate not withstanding, Taco has a very international team.  A chunky mustached German, a hair plug sporting Spaniard, an Aussie named Harley and of course, the god of Thunder!  Even the pretty boys from the low countries have some machismo in thier own way.  Will this translate into points?  My guess is yes, plenty of stage racers with a couple sprinter/one day guys mixed in.
Best Rider: Valverde                                                                Best Value: Henao
Biggest Reach: Thor                                                                 X Factor: A. Schleck

The Neo-Pro is on the train

The Wiskota Fantasy League is happy to welcome Team STP Greenline - Unobtanium p/b Eric the Neo-Pro to the peloton.  This expansion team does not seem complacent to just participate as he has a top end that can compete with anyone.  Having Richie Porte on your team will draw the ire of the Commish, but it should be worth it.  Current world champion Rui Costa finally gets to try his hand as a team leader and the sky is the limit. Several other stage racers including Mollema, Majka and Spilak could all have huge seasons.  Greg Van Avermaet is Eric's man to watch early in the season, this guy raced in everything last year and that means points.  The second half of this team is more questionable but riders like Paolini and Slagter could just snag a big race or two.
Best Rider: Costa                                                                                  Best Value: Spilak
Biggest Reach: Navardouskus                                                                X Factor: Kangert

The Man Behind the Curtain

Who is Maillot Jaune Guillaume?  The mystery man has done it again.  Without even showing his face "Bill", if that is his real name, has once again fielded one of the strongest teams in the league.  Froome, the early season Tour favorite, Tony "TT" Martin, Kreuziger and Gesink make for a very strong top end.  Bill has podiumed our first 2 seasons. Does he make the mid season moves needed to take home the overall victory this year?
Best Rider: Froome Dogg                                                                     Best Value: Hesjedal
Biggest Reach: Stannard                                                                       XFactor: Ten Dam   

Blast From the Past

Gregario Forza has been coveting the WFL trophy ever since the day he put it together.  He's been moving up each year.  Is this the year he goes out on top?  Well, if the year is 2011 then it's an emphatic yes.  Forza has managed to snag 4 of the top ten riders from 2011, include BoHaug and Cunego and it's 6 of the top 20.  Is Gregario living in the past (Evans)? Grasping on to long since faded dreams (Gilbert)? Remember that time Voekler was really good at the Tour, what year was that again? You know, before all those guys got busted for doping (F. Schleck).  Forza's been soaking in the hot tub time machine, where Boassen Hagen is the next Eddie Merckx and Cunego is a Giro contender.  All kidding aside Team Gregario Forza is a, if not the, force to be reckoned with this season.  With Nitro and Nibs on his team Forza is a favorite at all three grand tours.  If Gilbert can regain form and Stybar, BoHag and Chava get their chances Gregario will have a strong spring as well.
Best Rider: Nibali                                                                             Best Value: Chavanel
Biggest Reach: Voekler                                                                     X Factor: Stybar, BoHag

As always, we will defer to Gregario Forza when it comes to critiquing  Team Wiskota Dynamic.  Look for that post, a Tour Down Under preview and early season updates to come shortly.  All in all a great draft.  I'm looking forward to a fun season with more riding, watching and drinking together. On Wiskota!


Wednesday, January 15, 2014

2014 WFL Teams


Team Forza p/b Gregorio
Nibali
Quintana
Gilbert
Stybar
Boassen Hagen
Evans
Chavanel                                            Chaves
Pinot
Voekler
F. Schleck                                           Barguil
Cunego                                Bardet
Nocentini           Busche       Frank     Niemiec
Spain
Omega

Team Volpe
Cancellara
Cavendish
 Phinney
Kwiatowski
Wiggins
Talansky
Van Den Broeck
Kittel
Iglinsky
Pozatto
Roelandts
Nizzolo
Great Britain
Movistar


Team Wiskota Dynamic
J. Rodriguez
Sagan
Boonen                                Horner  Dumolin
Betancur
Uran Uran
Gerrans
Kristoff
Inxausti            Niemiec       Konig  Kiriyenka
Roche                                                Arredondo
Ulissi                                                   Aru
Kelderman
Brakjovic        Acevedo       Navarro  Boonen
Belgium
Astana



Maillot Jaune Guillaume
Froome
T. Martin
Krueziger
Gesink
Van Marcke
Hesjedal
Gallopin
Terpstra
Oss
Stannard
Viviani
Ten dam
Italy
Trek


Le Pacte des Loups
Contador
D. Martin
Moreno
Greipel
Van Garderen
G. Thomas
Bakelandts
Gasparotto
Weening
Izaguirre
Peraud
Danielson
Colombia
Saxo-Tinkov


STP Greenline-Unobtainium
Porte
Costa
Mollema
Van Avaermaet
Majka
Spilak
Paolini
Slagter
Kangert                Gatto            Demare  Gatto
Navardouskus                           Busche   G. Caruso
Vandenbergh                              Bideau   Bouhanni
Machado             Kieserlovski    Machado
Netherlands
Katusha


Dirty Sanchez’s p/b Taco
Valverde
Scarponi
Hushovd
Henao
Fuglsang
Degenkolb
Pozzovivo
Moser
A. Schleck
De Gendt
Goss
Sanchez
USA
Sky

 Draft 
Rd. 1
1. Fabian Cancellara
2. Alberto Contador
3. Alejandro Valverde
4. Richie Porte
5. Joaqim Rodriguez
6. Chris Froome
7. Vincenzo Nibali

Rd. 2
1. Nairo Quintana
2. Tony Martin
3. Peter Sagan
4. Rui Costa
5. Michele Scarponi
6. Dan Martin
7. Mark Cavendish/Taylor Phinney

Rd. 3
1. Michael Kwiatowski
2. Dan Moreno
3. Thor Hushovd
4. Bauke Mollema
5. Tom Boonen
6. Roman Krueziger
7. Phillipe Gilbert

Rd. 4
1. Zdenek Stybar
2. Robert Gesink
3. Carlos Betancur
4. Thomas De Gendt
5. Sergei Henao
6. Andre Greipel
7. Andrew Talansky



Rd. 5
1. Bradley Wiggins
2. Tejay Van Garderen
3. John Degenkolb
4. Rafal Majka
5. Rigoberto Uran Uran
6. Sep Van Marcke
7. Edvald Boassen Hagen

Rd. 6
1. Spain
2. Ryder Hesjedal
3. Simon Gerrans
4. Luca Paolini
5. Sky
6. Geraint Thomas
7. Jurgen Van Den Broeck

Rd. 7
1. Movistar
2. Jan Bakelendts
3. Jakob Fuglsang
4. Katusha
5. Alexandre Kristoff
6. Trek
7. Cadel Evans

Rd. 8
1. Sylvain Chavanel
2. Italy
3. Benat Inxuasti
4. Simon Spilak
5. Domenico Pozzivivo
6. Colombia
7. Great Britain


Rd. 9
1. Marcel Kittel
2. Saxo-Tinkov
3. Moreno Moser
4. Tom Jelte Slagter
5. Nicholas Roche
6. Tony Gallopin
7. Thibault Pinot

Rd. 10
1. Omega Pharma- Quickstep
2. Niki Terpstra
3. Diego Ulissi
4. Tanel Kangert
5. Andy Schleck
6. Jon Izaguirre
7. Jurgen Roelandts

Rd. 11
1. Giacomo Nizzolo
2. Enrico Gasparatto
3. Mathew Harley Goss
4. Netherlands
5. Wilco Kelderman
6. Daniel Oss
7. Thomas Voekler

Rd. 12
1. Frank Schleck
2. Ian Stannard
3. Astana
4. Ramunas Navardauskas
5. Thomas De Gendt
6. Pieter Weening
7. Filippo Pozzato



Rd. 13
1. Maxime Iglinsky
2. Jean Christophe Peraud
3. USA
4. Stijn Vandenbergh
5. Belgium
6. Ela Viviani
7. Rinaldo Nocentini

Rd. 14
1. Damiano Cunego
2. Laurens Ten Dam
3. Janez Brakjovic
4. Tiago Machado
5. Sanchez
6.  Tommy Danielson