Amstel Gold Race

What a cagey lot you are, did Gkam84 start all this

Vicenzo Nibali (LIQ)
Alejandro Valverde (MOV)
Bauke Mollema (RAB)
Simon Gerrans (GRE)
Xavier Florencio (KAT)
Lieuwe Westra (VCD)
Mauro Santambrogio (BMC)
Niki Terpstra (OPQ)
Romain Bardet (ALM)

Who dares wins Rodders

Here's the top 9 today . . .
Joaquin Rodriguez (KAT)
Sylvain Chavanel (OPQ)
Samuel Sanchez (EUS)
Simon Gerrans (GRE)
Lers Petter Nordhaug (SKY
Mathew Hayman (SKY)
Lieuwe Westra (VCD)
Bert de Waele (LAN)
Simon Clarke (GRE)

Here come the Spanish..... just sayin'

Nah, I've changed my mind. . . . come on the low countries !

Its an apropriate weekend for a bot of a gamble
So transferring out my spaniards . . .

Its been really hard to pick for this race! I think my team will have two riders that most others wont, which will either work for me, or drastically against me

Just when I thought mine was sorted.....think I have too many spaniards in. History suggests they don't fare too well.

Joaquin Rodriguez (KAT)
Simon Gerrans (GRE)
Vicenzo Nibali (LIQ)
Sylvain Chavanel (OPQ)

Gianni Meersman (LOT)
Lers Petter Nordhaug (SKY)
Bert de Waele (LAN)
Staf Scheirlinckx (VWA)
Steve Chainel (FDJ)

Joaquin Rodriguez (KAT)
Simon Gerrans (GRE)
Alejandro Valverde (MOV)
Samuel Sanchez (EUS)
Bert de Waele (LAN)
Ben Hermans (RSN)
Daniele Ratto (LIQ)
Xavier Florencio (KAT)
Lers Petter Nordhaug (SKY)

My win or bust team then

Rodriguez
Gerrans
Cunego
Martens

Hermans
Nordhaug
de Waele
Wegmann
Westra

Philippe Gilbert (BMC)
Damiano Cunego (LAM)
Simon Gerrans (GRE)
Joaquin Rodriguez (KAT)

Pier Paolo De Negri (FAR)
Bert-Jan Lindeman (VCD)
Xavier Florencio (KAT)
Moreno Moser (LIQ)
Arnaud Gerard (FDJ)

Looks like I may be the only pick with Gilbert. Hoping he's inspired today and has been playing mind games otherwise it's mud on my face today.

Alejandro Valverde (MOV)
Peter Sagan (LIQ)
Joaquin Rodriguez (KAT)
Simon Gerrans (GRE)
Lieuwe Westra (VCD)
Arthur Vichot (FDJ)
Lers Petter Nordhaug (SKY)
Gregory Habeaux (VWA)
Xavier Florencio (KAT)

I went
Valverde
Sanchez
Gerrans
Rodriguez

As for domestiques I really am not up to speed so just lucky dipped on

Florencio

Wegmann
Chainel
Lofkist
De Negri

Just hoping for a good race.

went with 9 Europeans in the end. Dropped Pozzato, more by luck than judgement. Here are my 9 for what they are worth

J Rod
Nibali
Devenyns
Valverde
Westra
Chainel
Florencio
Izagirre
Terpstra

Good luck everyone

Damn

Wrong Kreder AND wrong Pineau!!!

9 man break. Romain Bardet (AG2R), Pello Bilbao (Euskaltel), Raymond Kreder (Garmin), Alex Howes (Garmin), Steven Caethoven (Accent Jobs), Cedric Pineau (FDJ), Simone Stortoni (Lampre), Sébastien Delfosse (Landbouwkrediet), Delfosse and Eliot Lietar (Topsport Vlaanderen). Ahead by 11 min or so.

Poels dropped. Boom back in bunch after 2nd flat

Fingers triple crossed

Simon Gerrans (GRE)
Robert Gesink (RAB)
Joaquin Rodriguez (KAT)
Ryder Hesjedal (GRM)

Bert de Waele (LAN)
Lers Petter Nordhaug (SKY)
Brian Bulgac (LOT)
Niki Terpstra (OPQ)
Francesco Gavazzi (AST)

just hope i don't have any injuries, can do transfers tonight then my team is on it's own! Egypt bound. Wi Fi maybe????

Break back to 12 mins BMC have moved up front of Peleton to help Katusha and RadioShack.

Ok, my real team, also got the wrong Kreder

Philippe Gilbert (BMC)
Joaquin Rodriguez (KAT)
Bauke Mollema (RAB)
Sergio Luis Henao (SKY)
Gorka Izagirre (EUS)
Michel Kreder (GRM)
Xavier Florencio (KAT)
Tom Dumoulin (ARG)
Benoit Vaugrenard (FDJ)

Shack now driving pace of peleton, break to 6 mins and I'm away to lunch.

So we have 5 riders the same then, I think you could be back above me tonight, unless my gamble on cunego and martens pays off

My team is being unlucky; Poels and Kiserlovski have punctured.

now bmc up front setting up the peleton. Gilbert sitting 4th and break down to 4'25"

went for schlek and van broek in the end. hmmm

66km, break have 4.14. Live on Eurosport now