Live Blogs Pro Cycling Manager 2014, 29 flags challenge (starts in 2017 season)

KrisDK2017-11-04 06:11:40

Stage 5: Lambarene-Moulia (189 km), flat stage

Pre-race comment by RBH manager Kris Jensen: "The worst days should be over now, though we need to stay sharp. There are a few hills early on, and riding this stage in reverse could lead to exciting racing. Being in the defensive position, I’m glad the stage isn’t Moulia-Lambarene. Ravikant has recovered from his headaches and will remain in the race. Otherwise, there isn’t a lot to say, Alex needs to be kept out of trouble. Let’s hope for a regular bunch sprint this time.”

As these stages go, a fairly large break gets ahead, gets caught quickly, and the most insistent or well time counter gets ahead. Today was no difference as an 11 man break went up the road and was caught after 10 km, where KOM leader Alessio Taliani (Androni-Sidermec), Lennard Hofstede (Sunweb), Julien Simon (Cofidis), Maurits Lammertink (Katusha-Alpecin) and Alessandro Bisolti (Nippo-Vini Fantini) countered to create the early break.

The points sprint and the first KOM were fairly uneventful (won by Simon and Bisolti respectively), while the sprint by Bisolti at the second KOM saw Taliani get dropped and allows us to hope for two interesting with respect to the KOM competition.

With 47km to go, the pack entered a long, open stretch with heavy crosswinds that Trek-Segafredo and Sunweb decided to take advantage of. 33km later, After the last crosswinds section, the pack was reduced to 51 riders, and the teams took a break to tally up the losses. While the breakaway’s advantage was reduced to one minute, they were still up the road, and Lammertink attacked with 5 km to go, winning the stage. The remaining breakaway was caught with 2 km to go, with Yukiya Arashiro (Red Bull-Huawei) sprinting to second, ahead of Roberto Ferrari (UAE).

Post-race comment by RBH manager Kris Jensen: "I was hoping for a simple stage, and we get crosswinds. Yukiya’s general experience and the fact that Alex has experience from the Benelux and Danish scenes put us in a good position to defend ourselves successfully. We were put in a compromising position with about 40 km to go, where Barnabas took one for the team by getting water, and succeeded at pulling himself up. In a hard crosswind. At 70 km/h. He, and the remainder of the young riders, dropped back afterwards but that was seriously impressive. Yukiya did well to take advantage of Felline’s early sprint, and got the best result he could."

Stage 6: Lambarene-Kango (146.6 km), flat stage

Pre-race comment by RBH manager Kris Jensen: “Easiest looking stage in the race, at least if we don’t get any crosswinds. Pawel worked his ass off yesterday, and it shows. I’m impressed with our performances so far. The guys aren’t at the best form, with the exception of Alex and Yukiya, and with this kind of startlist, I’m amazed with how our younger guys keep themselves composed. Not much to say about today, just that we have to defend the yellow jersey. I think anyone, except a select few, hope for calm day and a sprint finish”

Unlike every any other day, the first breakaway today only consisted of 2015 World under 23 champion Kevin Ledanois (Fortuneo-Oscaro), Davide Ballerini (Androni-Sidermec) and Angel Vicioso (Katusha-Alpecin), and the trio was allowed to escape

At the KOM after 24 km, Ledanois and Ballerini contested the climb, which Vicioso couldn’t follow, so he decided to drop back, leaving only the duo up front. The sprint after 32 km wasn’t contested, and Vicioso took third before the pack caught up to him. The next sprint wasn’t contested by the breakaway, though Ballerini managed to sweep the intermediate sprints, but in the pack, Roompot decided to set pace to ensure that points competition leader Nick van der Lijke would take the last two points. Van der Lijke timed his sprint badly, and the last two points went to Sjoerd Van Ginneken instead. 10 km later was a KOM, which Ballerini won. Nicolas Edet (Cofidis) attacked from the pack to take the last point, but dropped back immediately afterwards.

With 62 km to go, four km after the KOM, Roompot decided to set the pace high for the last intermediate sprint. Van der Lijke launched earlier, but Yukiya Arashiro (Red Bull-Huawei) wanted a crack at the last two points as well, and beat the Dutchman.

The remainder of the stage was as the procedure usually is on these stages, breakaway caught, setup of leadout trains. This time, Arashiro decided to ride the Sunweb leadout and timed his sprint perfectly to get around Ramon Sinkeldam (Sunweb) and hold off Zico Waeytens (Sunweb) and Fabio Felline (Trek-Sagefredo) for the stage win.

Post-race comment by RBH manager Kris Jensen: “I wonder what went through Yukiya’s mind today. I really do. I signed him to be either captain or road captain, and he’s performed the duties of a road captain well so far, but today he decided to play enforcer as well. I’m sick of Roompot’s excessive targeting of the intermediate sprints too, can’t they see that nobody else cares? Van der Lijke could have relayed calmly across the line for those two points. I laughed when they messed up and Van Ginneken took the points, but I still think Yukiya taking the last two points in the third sprint was a bit excessive. As for the stage result, what a win. This, right here, is why I signed Yukiya. He’s brilliant at positioning himself and at picking the right lead out train. As for the rest of the team, we largely got what we wanted, a quiet day, though I wish Vicioso had stayed ahead. Some of the younger guys are showing fatigue, but they aren’t used to this level. Amir and Jingbiao have raced against World Tour riders before, but never this many and usually not at this level either. Everyone here wants to get their season started well, and it shows. If you’d told me we’d win two stages going into this race, I wouldn’t have believed you.”

Stage 7: Owendo-Libreville (126.5 km), flat stage

Pre race comment by RBH manager Kris Jensen: “We need to keep our heads down and keep the pack together. The guys have done some truly amazing work so far, and if we keep that up, we will see the payoff later today. I’m glad that the last part is on a lap, crosswinds won't be as much of an issue.”

The attacks started after 7 km, where Clement Venturini (Cofidis) took off. Shortly after, Michel Kreder (Aqua Blue) and Chad Haga attacked, and soon after Mattia Cattaneo (Androni-Sidermec), Thomas Voeckler (Direct Energie) and Pierre-Luc Perichon (Fortuneo-Oscaro) left the pack. The three groups merged and the resulting group was allowed to stay ahead.

The most interesting thing to happen before the circuit in Libreville was Yukiya Arashiro and Alex Kirsch posing for the camera in their respective leader's jerseys.

On the first of eight laps on the circuit in Libreville, the first KOM was contested. Voeckler took the five points, apparently unaware that he couldn’t win the KOM competition, but radio tour made contradictory statements as to who took three points, first saying Cattaneo and then Venturini. The intermediate sprint four km later was taken by Perichon by virtue of leading the group at that moment.

The KOM on the fourth lap was taken by Perichon, also unaware that he had no chance of winning the KOM competition, ahead of Haga and Voeckler. Kreder had the honor of leading across the intermediate sprint 3 km later. With about 30k to go, Haga got dropped from the front group, and when they started contesting the KOM, Cattaneo got gropped as well. Voeckler took the KOM, meaning that the mountain competition would be won by Alessio Taliani from the Androni team.

On the seventh lap, during the climb, Haga and Cattaneo were caught. One lap later, the leading group went to the hill with a lead of 1.30, meaning that they would likely win. Barnabas Peak (Red Bull-Huawei) tried to launch an attack from the pack, while the sprinters lined up for the fight for fifth. The breakaway went to the finish line, and Perichon took the stage. Peak was caught 400 m from the line and finished tenth, while his team mate Yukiya Arashiro secured the points competition. And Alex Kirsch (also Red Bull-Huawei) came in with the remaining GC contenders to secure the GC win.

Post race comment by RBH manager Kris Jensen: “Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. If you’d told me that we’d take two stages, the GC and the point classification before this race started, I would have called you a liar. But it happened. The team stuck together, worked hard and reaped the rewards. The young guns have learned something about what it’s like to race against the pros. I did not expect to see seven World Tour teams in this race. Before this edition, only three World Tour teams had participated over all editions combined. And we still won. I’m not sure what to say, the team performed amazingly.

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