TDU Stage 5

I went for bakelandts and should have gone for Valverde, but that's just being greedy i guess. . .

I'm off the bottom of `Last years rivals'
106 points today

Now stuck with a team designed to go up Old Willunga Hill and win, so am expecting to lose most of the 216 place gained on Willunga come the next stage.
Thought Sanchez & Valverde were hiding their light but Sanchez did me in, should have followed my instincts after stage two re Sanchez.
Oh well lets hope Steele Von Hoff does something crit wise. But can only see sky and Lotto-Belisol tussling for points, GreenEDGE trying to spoil and Movistar chasing the other three.

None, i didn't send him an invite

Dave can join if he wants, he has the number to ALL leagues and can prob accept himself

It is a long season, as you showed today, 200 points can be had in one stage, so only a stage/classic behind you

We'll see who's laughing on the 23rd Oct

only 179 behind you though......

Yeh and it is a long season. Why is head honcho Dave A not in our rivals league? running scared, or not showing favouritism, what do you think?

I finally get rid of Steegmans after 4 Stages with no points, and he decides to roll in last on Stage 5.

To be honest, i don't have a clue either, i don't even know who has what jersey and who is leading the race??

I've just been playing guess work and not even looking at the stages as i just dont have the time, only 179 behind you though

Well my transfers did well for a change

Trying to be clever and going for Lagutin has cost me.....knew i should have played it safe with Valverde....always tomorrow but i cant see how im gonna win, as im sure the same transfer will be made for 1 rider and then its all about the other transfer

I would have been fine if he hadn't got moreno

ARRRRGGGHHHHH!!! Back to the drawing board! Well sod it, I've just bought new wheels anyway. At least I picked the Valve but I was sure Hesjay was going to do something! Off to take out my frustrations on the training group!

some big points from fatcyclist and up 19 places to 7th... TER down to 2nd, only 4 points in it

cmon TER don't lose it now

1 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar 3:45:48
2 Simon Gerrans (Aus) GreenEDGE
3 Tiago Machado (Por) RadioShack-Nissan 0:00:02
4 Michael Rogers (Aus) Sky Procycling 0:00:04
5 Rohan Dennis (Aus) UNI SA - Australia 0:00:07
6 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling 0:00:12
7 Javier Moreno (Spa) Movistar 0:00:13
8 Jan Bakelants (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan
9 Jack Bauer (NZl) Garmin-Barracuda 0:00:26
10 Eduard Vorganov (Rus) Katusha
11 Michael Matthews (Aus) Rabobank 0:00:29
12 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan 0:00:32
13 Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Omega Pharma-QuickStep 0:00:43
14 Danny Pate (USA) Sky Procycling 0:00:55
15 Angel Madrazo (Spa) Movistar 0:01:05
16 Serge Pauwels (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep 0:01:18
17 Martin Kohler (Swi) BMC
18 Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spa) Movistar
19 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) BMC 0:01:50
20 Blel Kadri (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale

After some last-minute umming and ahhing this is what I'm left with;

Alejandro Valverde (MOV)
Edvald Boasson Hagen (SKY)
Simon Gerrans (GRE)
Michael Matthews (RAB)

Cameron Meyer (GRE)
Christopher Sutton (SKY)
Manuel Belletti (ALM)
Jonathan Cantwell (SAX)
Matthew Lloyd (LAM)

Is anybody else getting up in the early hours to follow the final km's?

Ok, just made a couple of changes after saying NO i wouldn't

they went like this

Oscar Freire in for Heinrich Haussler
Rohan Dennis in for Cameron Meyer
Martin Kohler in for Steele von Hoff

SO if you have Haussler, Meyer or Van Hoff, prepare for a good score

Looks to me like you got a pretty good team! How many transfers do you have left for the next day?...

Well this is when it all goes pear shaped for me, I guess.
I'm going to bed so here is the team.

Edvald Boasson Hagen (SKY)
Alejandro Valverde (MOV)
Simon Gerrans (GRE)
Michael Matthews (RAB)
Christopher Sutton (SKY)
Tiago Machado (RSN)
Jonathan Cantwell (SAX)
Rohan Dennis (USA)
Luke Roberts (SAX)

I fully expect to wake up to find, Roy, Casar, Hesjedal, Rojas, Ballan, Thomas, LL Sanchez have carved it up between them.

Sorry Robrien, its the last guy over the line on each stage not the last guy overall that scores.

Shame really as LR made up most of my points last year!

Hi, it's just that i have Shiplevsky (latern rouge) and in the rules it says that the last guy gets 10 points a stage. I didn't get 10 points. please can i have them?
if possible.
kind regards.

well i've gambled a bit and gone for the obvious guys who might want to win going uphill . . .
Go Cantwell ! Go Greipel !

Made 3 transfers - Gerrans in for defo plus 2 others...lets hope i dont regret this bout of activity.

My entire strategy has been built towards getting a big points total tomorrow. Well, that's my explanation for my less-than-stellar performance to date. But who to bring in, and who to drop? Hmmm...

All or nothing time for me as well. I'll probably be using 4 transfers for this stage so if it doesn't work out, I'll be stuffed for the final stage.

OK drastic team revamp! Gotten rid of Greipel, Rojas, Haussler, and Elminger. Swapped in 3 great climbers, and 1 stonking all rounder. Prediction: Disaster but what the hell I've been way of the pace so far.

My biggest question for my team is will it be worth taking out greipel and putting in someone like Valverde or Bakelants for the stage then reverting back to Greipel for the last stage

With the form of Griepel at the mo it might be the only stage for a UniSA rider to have a pop at a win, if they can get in an early break you never know.