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Tour of Oman Open for Business

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  • February 12, 2019 at 11:32 am #29361
    Condor Andy

    Just for fun this one, but an interesting race. Last year’s edition was won by Alexey Lutenko and he’s back to defend his title. There was also 6 different stage winners and this year looks to be just as varied. The field is sprint heavy with Kristoff (who was ill in Valencia last week and not at his best), Greipel, Nizzolo, Colbrelli, Coquard, Bouhanni, Bonifazio, and a few more from the PCT teams will make for very competitive sprint stages.

    However, the race isn’t that simple. I can see 2 stages guaranteed to end in a sprint, and a couple of other slight uphill finishes or tricky finales with nasty climbs 5km from the finish. Good classics training for the likes of Van Avermaet, Naesen, and co.

    There is also the usual summit finish up Green Mountain, and Lustenko doesn’t have Lopez to help him this time as he’s off in Colombia. Maybe Pozzovivo fancies it, or Jesus Herrada, Rui Costa, or Jan Polanc?

    Last year the wins were all close, as was the GC. So, who are your favourites?

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  • February 20, 2019 at 11:40 am #935487
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    MinardiM189
    Dr Winston wrote:
    In fact i can word it better than that. At 44 pts behind the only chance i have of winning the tour of Oman is to take GVA out for somebody else and hope Tony keeps him and he bombs up that hill again…and not get Kristoff back in again tomorrow and hope he has a thin day whilst i go for Bouhanni or somebody like that who does well…or wins…I kinda worked out that was my only choice really. I wouldn’t do any of it if counted towards GC.

    Pity I messed up on stage 4.

    Quite a good stage 5 for me, although I have no idea why I left Coquard in and dropped Kristoff.

    Maybe a Grosu, Greipel, Nizzolo combination can pull off a surprise win.

    I think Gibbons will ride for Nizzolo tomorrow.

    Is it worth keeping Herrada in, last year he picked up points in the sprint?

    February 20, 2019 at 10:53 am #935485
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    Dr Winston
    Dr Winston wrote:
    MinardiM189 wrote:
    Dr Winston wrote:
    The only reason I ignored those at the lower end of the top 10  on GC , like Gesberg, is because I simply don’t know how they ride a hill this steep and long….they have the form on the lesser hills for sure. Frank is the opposite…rubbish form but at least he’s done this one before and done ok without ripping up any trees….and Tony may have been less inclined to get him than the form cheapies….Last throw of the dice really.

    Frank did come 7th on the same stage in 2017 but his form in the preceding stages was much better than this year. He is also on my black list.

    If Gesbert does OK I can see him moving up to 5th on GC and taking the young rider jersey. That would give him at least 11 points in the final stage which is the best you can expect from a cheap sprinter.

    I think there is a good chance GVA gets around top10. The field this year is pretty poor.

    Yes it is poor. No Lopez flying up that hill this year to kill GVA’s GC rank. I’m expecting about tenth for Frank maybe, I just don’t know enough about Gesbert on a climb like this  to have picked him….and yes….GVA could well place ok today…my hope is he doesn’t and Frank exceeds my expectation. My picks are more about trying to close that gap of 44 pts on Tony. GVA and Kristoff can’t do that for me and being as it’s a “just for fun” game I may as well try.

    In fact i can word it better than that. At 44 pts behind the only chance i have of winning the tour of Oman is to take GVA out for somebody else and hope Tony keeps him and he bombs up that hill again…and not get Kristoff back in again tomorrow and hope he has a thin day whilst i go for Bouhanni or somebody like that who does well…or wins…I kinda worked out that was my only choice really. I wouldn’t do any of it if counted towards GC.

    February 20, 2019 at 10:29 am #935483
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    Dr Winston
    MinardiM189 wrote:
    Dr Winston wrote:
    The only reason I ignored those at the lower end of the top 10  on GC , like Gesberg, is because I simply don’t know how they ride a hill this steep and long….they have the form on the lesser hills for sure. Frank is the opposite…rubbish form but at least he’s done this one before and done ok without ripping up any trees….and Tony may have been less inclined to get him than the form cheapies….Last throw of the dice really.

    Frank did come 7th on the same stage in 2017 but his form in the preceding stages was much better than this year. He is also on my black list.

    If Gesbert does OK I can see him moving up to 5th on GC and taking the young rider jersey. That would give him at least 11 points in the final stage which is the best you can expect from a cheap sprinter.

    I think there is a good chance GVA gets around top10. The field this year is pretty poor.

    Yes it is poor. No Lopez flying up that hill this year to kill GVA’s GC rank. I’m expecting about tenth for Frank maybe, I just don’t know enough about Gesbert on a climb like this  to have picked him….and yes….GVA could well place ok today…my hope is he doesn’t and Frank exceeds my expectation. My picks are more about trying to close that gap of 44 pts on Tony. GVA and Kristoff can’t do that for me and being as it’s a “just for fun” game I may as well try.

    February 20, 2019 at 10:01 am #935481
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    MinardiM189
    Dr Winston wrote:
    The only reason I ignored those at the lower end of the top 10  on GC , like Gesberg, is because I simply don’t know how they ride a hill this steep and long….they have the form on the lesser hills for sure. Frank is the opposite…rubbish form but at least he’s done this one before and done ok without ripping up any trees….and Tony may have been less inclined to get him than the form cheapies….Last throw of the dice really.

    Frank did come 7th on the same stage in 2017 but his form in the preceding stages was much better than this year. He is also on my black list.

    If Gesbert does OK I can see him moving up to 5th on GC and taking the young rider jersey. That would give him at least 11 points in the final stage which is the best you can expect from a cheap sprinter.

    I think there is a good chance GVA gets around top10. The field this year is pretty poor.

    February 20, 2019 at 9:43 am #935479
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    Dr Winston
    Sniffer wrote:
    Dr Winston wrote:
    stevemarks wrote:
    Dr Winston wrote:
    Followed Minardi and took out GVA in the hope he doesn’t like this summit as much as he didn’t like it for the last two years. 

    Went with the 4 main guys plus Frank although I have no faith in him whatsoever. Left Gibbons and Cras and Naesen in. leaves me 3 transfers for tomorrow.

     

    i’m on Frank Polanc Costa Lutsenko Pozzovivo Herrada….Colbrelli and Gibbons…Four transfers for tomorrow.

    Like you i’m on hit and hope with Frank. 

    W

    Van Rensberg is my point of difference.  OK, it is a long shot.

    Did you take out GVA?…..Frank or Van Rensburg was my dither….went with the former.

    February 20, 2019 at 9:42 am #935477
    0
    Condor Andy

    My purist team is hopeless

    My purist team is hopeless *cough* Haas *cough*. 16th in standard, but with a similar team to everyone else and only 2 transfers left for tomorrow.

    February 20, 2019 at 9:41 am #935475
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    Dr Winston
    MinardiM189 wrote:
    I went

    POZZOVIVO
    POLANC
    LUTSENKO
    GIBBONS
    GESBERT
    COSTA
    HERRADA
    COQUARD

    with 4 transfers left for tomorrow (for some reason I though there were only 10 transfers so planned the first few stages based on that).

    It is forecast to be windy today, so echelons could blow things apart.

    Dropping GVA for Kristoff yesterday messed any chances I might have had up, a top10 is the best I can hope for.

    Maybe a top3 in purist.

    The only reason I ignored those at the lower end of the top 10  on GC , like Gesberg, is because I simply don’t know how they ride a hill this steep and long….they have the form on the lesser hills for sure. Frank is the opposite…rubbish form but at least he’s done this one before and done ok without ripping up any trees….and Tony may have been less inclined to get him than the form cheapies….Last throw of the dice really.

    February 20, 2019 at 9:33 am #935473
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    MinardiM189

    I went

    I went

    POZZOVIVO
    POLANC
    LUTSENKO
    GIBBONS
    GESBERT
    COSTA
    HERRADA
    COQUARD

    with 4 transfers left for tomorrow (for some reason I though there were only 10 transfers so planned the first few stages based on that).

    It is forecast to be windy today, so echelons could blow things apart.

    Dropping GVA for Kristoff yesterday messed any chances I might have had up, a top10 is the best I can hope for.

    Maybe a top3 in purist.

    February 20, 2019 at 9:12 am #935471
    0
    Sniffer
    Dr Winston wrote:
    stevemarks wrote:
    Dr Winston wrote:
    Followed Minardi and took out GVA in the hope he doesn’t like this summit as much as he didn’t like it for the last two years. 

    Went with the 4 main guys plus Frank although I have no faith in him whatsoever. Left Gibbons and Cras and Naesen in. leaves me 3 transfers for tomorrow.

     

    i’m on Frank Polanc Costa Lutsenko Pozzovivo Herrada….Colbrelli and Gibbons…Four transfers for tomorrow.

    Like you i’m on hit and hope with Frank. 

    Van Rensberg is my point of difference.  OK, it is a long shot.

    February 20, 2019 at 9:09 am #935469
    0
    Dr Winston
    stevemarks wrote:
    Dr Winston wrote:
    Followed Minardi and took out GVA in the hope he doesn’t like this summit as much as he didn’t like it for the last two years. 

    Went with the 4 main guys plus Frank although I have no faith in him whatsoever. Left Gibbons and Cras and Naesen in. leaves me 3 transfers for tomorrow.

     

    i’m on Frank Polanc Costa Lutsenko Pozzovivo Herrada….Colbrelli and Gibbons…Four transfers for tomorrow.

    Like you i’m on hit and hope with Frank. 

    February 20, 2019 at 9:09 am #935467
    0
    Dr Winston
    stevemarks wrote:
    Dr Winston wrote:
    Followed Minardi and took out GVA in the hope he doesn’t like this summit as much as he didn’t like it for the last two years. 

    Went with the 4 main guys plus Frank although I have no faith in him whatsoever. Left Gibbons and Cras and Naesen in. leaves me 3 transfers for tomorrow.

     

    i’m on Frank Polanc Costa Lutsenko Pozzovivo Herrada….Colbrelli and Gibbons…Four transfers for tomorrow.

    Like you i’m on hit and hope with Frank. 

    February 20, 2019 at 8:41 am #935465
    0
    stevemarks
    Dr Winston wrote:
    Followed Minardi and took out GVA in the hope he doesn’t like this summit as much as he didn’t like it for the last two years. 

    Went with the 4 main guys plus Frank although I have no faith in him whatsoever. Left Gibbons and Cras and Naesen in. leaves me 3 transfers for tomorrow.

    February 20, 2019 at 8:26 am #935463
    0
    Dr Winston

    Followed Minardi and took out

    Followed Minardi and took out GVA in the hope he doesn’t like this summit as much as he didn’t like it for the last two years. 

    February 20, 2019 at 3:56 am #935461
    0
    dc04dc

    OK, thank you.

    OK, thank you.

    February 20, 2019 at 1:00 am #935459
    0
    Dr Winston
    Dr Winston wrote:
    dc04dc wrote:
    I’m so confused — do these races count toward the overall standard and purist leagues, or not? Totals keep being added every day. If they don’t count, will there be a reset?

    Yes…a reset when they fix the glitch. A couple of races they kindly threw in for fun to fill a big gap. 

    To be clear…there was a big gap between the start of the UCI Callander in Australia and the UAE tour as the next one on the UCI Calander….so they did a couple of races just for fun to fill the gap. Nice…but not counted towards the season competition.

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