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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 12:49 am #935457
    0
    Dr Winston
    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. 

    February 19, 2019 at 11:55 pm #935455
    0
    dc04dc

    I’m so confused — do these

    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?

    February 19, 2019 at 10:42 pm #935453
    0
    Dr Winston
    TERatcliffe26 wrote:
    Im going to get back into posting if debate is going to be this good, this thread feels like the old days.

    Ive gone Polanc and 3 transfers for tomorrow

    Gibbons
    GVA
    Pozzovivo
    Costa
    Herrada
    Lutsenko
    Polanc
    Filosi

    How sure of GVA are you Ter?…he’s bombed on this stage two years running. I may risk dropping him in pursuit of a differential.

    February 19, 2019 at 8:11 pm #935451
    0
    TERatcliffe26

    Im going to get back into

    Im going to get back into posting if debate is going to be this good, this thread feels like the old days.

    Ive gone Polanc and 3 transfers for tomorrow

    Gibbons
    GVA
    Pozzovivo
    Costa
    Herrada
    Lutsenko
    Polanc
    Filosi

    February 19, 2019 at 3:53 pm #935449
    0
    Dr Winston
    MinardiM189 wrote:
    Dr Winston wrote:
    Going well. Up to 4th in the standard game. …and 7th overall (am I going to lose my rank with that reset?)

    Wasn’t sure whether this was a GC finish or a Rolleur finish so in the end I had a straight choice of Herrada and Pozzovivo or a fudge of Herrada and Gibbons. …went for the latter for Kristoff and Capiot…Gibbons could be the better pick than Pozzovivo  today so maybe for the best over the two days.

    Another odd looking day today…those three climbs are tough and could see a few sprinters unhappy If  the pace is high.

    A better day for me. I won the purist stage 🙂

    The question for tomorrow is which sprinters will be in touch over the final climb.

    Do I drop GVA for Kristoff, or do I abandon Colbrelli ?

    Do I bring another spriner in?

     

    Managed to go up a place to 3rd despite Magnus Corts best efforts at torpedoing my day.. 44 pts behind Tony though so a damned near impossible task. One more transfer than him left and I already have Costa. He’ll surely do Costa, Pozzovivo and one other in…..maybe two….

    Mmmm…

    Looks like it’s his to lose.

    February 19, 2019 at 3:45 pm #935447
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    MinardiM189
    Dr Winston wrote:
    Wish i’d seen that Minardi…where do you see such quoutes?

    It was from a pre-stage interview posted on Twitter but was too late to take into account. I had Cort too.

    February 19, 2019 at 2:59 pm #935445
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    stevemarks
    Dr Winston wrote:
    stevemarks wrote:
    Hey gamble paid off quite handsomely. I played Chess as a junior too and Bridge later on but frankly this is far more fun, particularly the 3 week game. Climers? Naeson/ I might leave Gibbons in 12th on Wilunga.

    Pleased for you…what was the gamble Steve?

    I’m gonna enjoy these “Just for fun” games”.

    The problem is, to win one, and if you’re placed maybe around 4th to 10th, you have to gamble something different to those above you…no good doing the same.

    I did exactlty that last year in a few races…it paid off for Catalunya when i won that..but usually it’s shooting yourself in the foot.

    The top two or maybe three, depending upon points,  can just carry on getting the best picks…it’s up to those behind to win it by doing something different.


    stevemarks wrote:

    Huge gamble leaving Kristof and Coquard out here but I need two transfers and I just don’t think it’s worth using them up. Colbrelli won this stage in 2017 so I don.t want to take him out, best do nothing and save the transfers.

    Obviously my subconcious must have blacked out Kristof’s name when I looked at the result in 2017 lol I ended up making no transfers leaving GVA and Costa in and Kristof and Coquard out saving two transfers. I am always guilty of making too many transfers too early so its a particularly satisfying feeling for once… 

    February 19, 2019 at 2:40 pm #935443
    0
    Dr Winston
    stevemarks wrote:
    Hey gamble paid off quite handsomely. I played Chess as a junior too and Bridge later on but frankly this is far more fun, particularly the 3 week game. Climers? Naeson/ I might leave Gibbons in 12th on Wilunga.

    Pleased for you…what was the gamble Steve?

    I’m gonna enjoy these “Just for fun” games”.

    The problem is, to win one, and if you’re placed maybe around 4th to 10th, you have to gamble something different to those above you…no good doing the same.

    I did exactlty that last year in a few races…it paid off for Catalunya when i won that..but usually it’s shooting yourself in the foot.

    The top two or maybe three, depending upon points,  can just carry on getting the best picks…it’s up to those behind to win it by doing something different.

    February 19, 2019 at 2:35 pm #935441
    0
    Dr Winston
    MinardiM189 wrote:
    Dr Winston wrote:
    Pffft…do you think so…for another hard day at the back. He’s so damned flaky, it seems to be all or nothing. I didn’t expect him to win but just somewhere at the lower end of the top ten would have done me nicely.

    I think it was his turn to work for the team today, before the stage he said he might be asked to work for the team, I guess he is swapping duties with Ballerini.

    Wish i’d seen that Minardi…where do you see such quoutes?

    February 19, 2019 at 2:05 pm #935439
    0
    stevemarks

    Hey gamble paid off quite

    Hey gamble paid off quite handsomely. I played Chess as a junior too and Bridge later on but frankly this is far more fun, particularly the 3 week game. Climers? Naeson/ I might leave Gibbons in 12th on Wilunga.

    February 19, 2019 at 1:14 pm #935437
    0
    MinardiM189
    Dr Winston wrote:
    Pffft…do you think so…for another hard day at the back. He’s so damned flaky, it seems to be all or nothing. I didn’t expect him to win but just somewhere at the lower end of the top ten would have done me nicely.

    I think it was his turn to work for the team today, before the stage he said he might be asked to work for the team, I guess he is swapping duties with Ballerini.

    February 19, 2019 at 11:31 am #935435
    0
    Dr Winston
    MinardiM189 wrote:
    Dr Winston wrote:
    tony kappler wrote:
    I played chess as a youth, but found it too slow and boring. Now I play a form of chess that can take up to 3 weeks per match. Go figure.

    Stage 5, Minardi, “then????”  Yes, I want to know who to pick for ? and ?

    Polanc and Frank may do ok. Won’t be enough though I suspect. 

    My impulsiveness won out yesterday evening and I went with the safe bet – dropping GVA for Kristoff and bringing in Coquard. Once I had made the pick I knew what would happen today 🙂

    Given the lack of decent climbers GVA will probably get a top10 tomorrow.

    The ??? for the climbers means I am not at all sure. Gesbert ? Doubey ? Polanc ? Cras ?

    I don’t see Frank doing anything, will Weening show his face ?

    Maybe Cort was saving himself for tomorrow Dr Winston ?

    Pffft…do you think so…for another hard day at the back. He’s so damned flaky, it seems to be all or nothing. I didn’t expect him to win but just somewhere at the lower end of the top ten would have done me nicely.

    February 19, 2019 at 11:19 am #935433
    0
    MinardiM189
    Dr Winston wrote:
    tony kappler wrote:
    I played chess as a youth, but found it too slow and boring. Now I play a form of chess that can take up to 3 weeks per match. Go figure.

    Stage 5, Minardi, “then????”  Yes, I want to know who to pick for ? and ?

    Polanc and Frank may do ok. Won’t be enough though I suspect. 

    My impulsiveness won out yesterday evening and I went with the safe bet – dropping GVA for Kristoff and bringing in Coquard. Once I had made the pick I knew what would happen today 🙂

    Given the lack of decent climbers GVA will probably get a top10 tomorrow.

    The ??? for the climbers means I am not at all sure. Gesbert ? Doubey ? Polanc ? Cras ?

    I don’t see Frank doing anything, will Weening show his face ?

    Maybe Cort was saving himself for tomorrow Dr Winston ?

    February 19, 2019 at 11:06 am #935431
    0
    Dr Winston
    tony kappler wrote:
    I played chess as a youth, but found it too slow and boring. Now I play a form of chess that can take up to 3 weeks per match. Go figure.

    Stage 5, Minardi, “then????”  Yes, I want to know who to pick for ? and ?

    Polanc and Frank may do ok. Won’t be enough though I suspect. 

    February 19, 2019 at 11:00 am #935429
    0
    tony kappler

    I played chess as a youth,

    I played chess as a youth, but found it too slow and boring. Now I play a form of chess that can take up to 3 weeks per match. Go figure.

    Stage 5, Minardi, “then????”  Yes, I want to know who to pick for ? and ?

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