The Broom Wagon

...cleaning up after the week in racing, Giro Edition.

Knights in White Spandex

Breath deep, the gathering gloom
Highlights fade, except for Froome

I know, I'm breaking my own rule: no doping talk.  Here at the Wiskota blog we have always said, "the only thing more boring than tech talk is doping talk".  So, I'll just leave it at that picture and my Moody Blues homage,  and we'll stick to the results.
Despite how you feel about the results that was a very entertaining Giro.  The third week saw the GC upended as this had to be the bonkiest race in recent memory.  Chaves, Yates and Pinot all succumbed to the phantom menace that is the bonk and dropped from the standings like a stone.  Froome's 80K attack has to be the highlight of the race but there were several others.  Let me know what your favorite highlight was and check back for a few of mine.  Also, points have been updated to reflect the Giro results so check it out.
WISKOTA!

From the Commish

Transfer Meeting #1

Wheelin' and a Dealin'

The first ever Wiskota transfer event has been scheduled for Wednesday May 2nd at 7:30.  We'll look to arouse our Giro d'Italia enthusiasm with some pizza at Carbone's on Cedar with a possible Negroni or two before/after at Italian Eatery across the piazza.  Bellisima. 

So, how does this work.  Well, short answer: not totally sure.  Long answer: like a waiver wire free agent situation.  Basically if you want to add someone you need to wait your turn on waivers.  That order is determined by your league standings (which I will update tomorrow).  The person in last place has first crack at picking up one (1) free agent. After that person picks or declines to participate we move to the next person up on the standings.  We repeat until nobody wants to make any more moves.  If you pick up somebody obviously you have to drop somebody.  Trades can be made at any time during the meeting.  Remember you only get the points that rider earns while you have them. 

If you feel like making moves or not you should come on out.  We can recap some season highlights and talk about the upcoming Giro d'Italia.  If you can't make it I will send out a group text when we start and if you want to make some moves we can patch you in via text or Google docs. 

WISKOTA!

The Broom Wagon

Roubaix

Brunch was enjoyed by all

Silvan Dillier held on after 200k in the breakaway to score an impressive second place on the cobbles.  Off to the Ardennes!  First point update coming soon.  Wiskota!

On the Rivet

...a look at who's riding hard this week.

Omloop!

Intense Flecha 

I know the Team Wiskota blog has been uncharacteristically quiet so far this season but hey, I've been pretty busy.  Despite my preoccupation working with Team Schmidt Fam p/b DiaperChange, I cannot ignore the importance of the coming weekend.  OMLOOP!  That's right, cobbles.  Enough dusty ass middle eastern sprint stages, let's get to some real racing.  The season is about to start getting real cool with the traditional european races on deck.  Before you know it we'll have Paris-Nice and Milan-San Remo, but to kick it all off we first need to head to cold, rainy, muddy, beautifully sloppy Belgium.  This year's edition of the Omloop features a classic route used for many years in the Ronde, so for the fan in the know the end should look familiar.  But don't worry you don't have to know the route to be entertained.  This race is full of cobbles and hellingen, they even throw in a muur or two.  Wiskota Fantasy League is full of classics riders so check your team and check the startlist then tune in round 8:30 am Saturday morning.  Wiskota!

2018 Teams

Forza

Nibbles 770

Gilbert 977

Porte 776

Mollema 1147

Costa 585

Pozzovivo 1023 olivera 177

VanMarke 465 Formolo 300 Latour 284

S. Yates 1900

Stybar 553 G. Bennet 142

Terpstra 1080 Formolo 114

Wiskota Team Name Place Holder

Kristoff 1319

Quintana 1292

Ulissi 826

Landa 866

Izagirre 1267

Angel Lopez 1523

Naesen 1016

Teuns 378 Gorka 191

Theuns 118 Brambilla 106 Deghent 35 Pinot 1026

Kukleire 43 Betancur 110 Navarro 30 Buchmann 204

Pac de Lupes

Valverde 2821

Pinot 532 Bernal 269

Greipel 770

Kittel 315

Majka 869

Cavendish 182

Dennis 1018

Van Garderen 543

Tony Martin 218

Vuillermoz 402

Volpe

Gaviria 644

Aru 403

Martin 997

Degenkolb 981

Allaphillipe 1948

Thomas 1658

Chaves 282

Fuglsang 1109

Phinney 97 Pantano 44

S. Bennett 833

STP

Froome 1314

Matthews 1444

DeMare 1403

Bardet 1616

Benoot 948

Barguil 399

Ewan 716

Meintjes 132

Woods 875

VanBarle 89 Marezcko 94 De la Cruz 165

SufferNUTTZ p/b Hollywood

Sagan 2307

Uran 889

Zakarin 571

Trentin 167 Gescke 153*

Wellens 1514

Henao 463

Colbrelli 1287

Jungels 988

Felline 17 Gesink 126

Kruisvijk 1126

El Nuevo Jefe

Tom Dumoulin 1763

Kwiatkowski 1467

Groenewagon 922*

Roglic 1664

Stuyven 1245

Gallopin 540

Drucker 522

Albasini 26 Canola 49 Soler 83

Kung 136 D Van Poppel 305

Poels 560

Bigmtncali p/b Skandinaviska

GVA 1603

Viviani 2122

BoHag 747

Bouhanni 448

Visconti 398 Conti 33

Kelderman 749

Adam Yates 910

LL Sanchez 702

Calamajane 555
Nieve 41 Phinney 56 Pardilla 27

From the Commish

Draft Day 2018

Friday Jan. 19th

Get ready for some drafting

It's 10 below and the streets are frozen so you know what that means...must be time for the cycling season to start.  It's summer down under and the world tour is getting under way.  We will be meeting Friday night this year in order to try to watch the queen stage of the TdU while we draft.  Detes coming soon.   

The Spokes Man

...talking points from The Commish

Froome to the Giro

Daniel Larusso's gonna fight?!

With the addition of the best Grand Tour  rider of our generation (I don't really believe that, but the Spokes Man has got to please the Tifosi with a bit of writing panache) to the Giro startlist this may just be the best Giro ever.  Now I've seen a few Giri in my day and I unapologetically love it, sometimes more than the Tour, sometimes.  But having said that, the Giro always seems to be missing something.  That something is the Tour favorite.  The person many would cite as the best rider in the world.  Well, this year will not be the same.  This year, Froome Dogg is gonna lay it all on the line.  Will he win the Giro effectively sweeping the grand tours (3 in a row)?  Can he go on to win the Tour also, scoring the unprecedented (at least off the top of my head with no research, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if Merckx has done it) GT Double-Double?  Or will Sky's plan for world dominance crash and burn?  Is Icarus flying to high?  Will Froome lose the Giro then come to the Tour tired, lose that too and then never achieve the record tying 5th Tour?  He was no Indurain they'll say.  Doomed forever to the second eschelon of Tour winners?   This is what I'll be routing for, but I'm a dick and without a legit Tour contender of my own I will have to route for that famous German cyclist Schadenfreude. 

From the Commish

Wiskota League Banquet

November 10th!!!

Come cheers Eric's victory

 Brit's Pub, Friday night 6 o'clock drinks, 7 dinner.  Be there.  Wiskota!

STP GreenLine p/b Unobtanium Wins!!!

Take the GreenLine

Wiskota's bad boy of cycling makes good

In a historic worst to first scenario Eric and his STP GreenLine has taken his first Wiskota League championship.  The upstart GreenLine squad first raised eyebrows with their unorthodox drafting style choosing to keep Bling Mathews in the first round only to shock everyone by landing Froome in the second.  STP GreenLine DS Eric Reichow has taken heat for his irreverent management and flashy style in the past, but rather than push back he has chosen to embrace his "wrong side of the tracks" persona.   "We had to keep it real, it's not about selling out here like some other fantasy squads" noted Reichow.  "Some people want the attention that comes with having the world champ, that's fine for them, but we're not going to go all Hollywood" he continued. In the end, Team STP Greenline p/b Unobtanium was able to win it all and on their own terms.  Things are looking up for Team STP, so what's next?  "It's only going to get better from here", stated Eric, "It's like Timbuk 3 says, the future's so bright... I gotta wear shades."

On the Rivet

Flamme Rouge

Red Kite Prayer

We are into the final stretch of the Wiskota Fantasy Season.  While many of us got dropped by STP Greenline at Le Tour a few more made it over the kom and looked to battle it out at the Giro.  Despite a good effort Gregario Forza was unable to match STP's brute power and Forza's dreams of overall victory wilted in the Spanish sun.  It looked as though STP would coast to the finish but just as he began to relax Rainbow Jersey Robert has bridged across the gap and is fighting to get in the slipstream.  They have passed under the red kite as Worlds and Il Lombardia approach.  Will STP Greenline stay away with a strong performance at Worlds or will Rainbow Jersey Robert make this a two up sprint coming down to the final monument of the year in Lombardy?  Wiskota!