Volta ao Algarve

For most races purist teams seem to lean towards GC/climbers because they score more overall but for a 4 day race with two flat stages I can't see Tony Martin outscoring Cav.

I think Bazzana could put my standard team in the box seat

Still surprised how many purist teams dont have Cav and Nizzolo when the could hoover up 150 points between the two of them

My teams

Standard:-

Cav
Bos
Nizzolo
Rui Coasta
Boeckmans
Keisse
Atapuma
JTL
M Cardoso

Purist:-

Martin
Dowsett
Boaro
de Gendt
Kwiatkowski
Westra
Rui Costa
Edmonson
A Cardoso

WOW alot of the same names going around

Standard:

Cavendish
Nizzolo
Bos
Boeckmans
Manuel Cardoso
Tsatevitch
-----------
Kwiatskowski
Rui Costa
Machado

so a 6/3 split of sprinters/GC, not sure on Martin and may only bring him in at the very end.

Then my purist team is:

Cavendish
Nizzolo
Bos
Boeckans
Ribeiro
Martin
Machado
Westra
Tiernan-Locke

JTL is a puzzler for me and he could either go really well or by a back of the bunch DS working for Uran/Henao, until the racing gets under way I guess there's no way of knowing.

Im a little surprised at some of the teams, so it means im gonna either do well or do badly

Standard:

Cav
Nizzolo
Bos
Boeckmans
Bazzana
Sanz
Edmondsom
Rui Da Costa
Martin

Purist:

Cav
Nizzolo
Bos
Edmondosn
Kolobnev
Westra
Machado
Rui Da Costa
Martin

My purist team is defo well balanced for 2 sprints, uphill finish and ITT

My standard team has 6 for the sprints for days 1 and 2, so 4 transfers for the uphill and a further 2 for ITT, with Martin and Da Costa already in my team too.

I don't see stage 1 or 2 being a problem for either Cav or Nizzolo. Cav is better then some give credit for. Both finishes last year, even if they are not exactly the same saw unconventional people in the sprints, but only because there wasn't a rider like Cav. and the strength of both OPQS should get them to the finish.

I'm surprised by how climby your purist teams seem to be, I read the profile as two sprint finishes, a mountain stage and a TT, was I wrong?

Not picked Cav for either team

Standard team:

Sergio Luis Henao
Giacomo Nizzolo
Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa
Tony Martin
Wilson Alexander Marentes
Sylvain Chavanel
Wilco Kelderman
Jon Tiernan-Locke
Ronan McLaughlin

Purist team:

Wilco Kelderman
Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa
Thomas de Gendt
Tony Martin
Michal Kwiatkowski
Sergio Luis Henao
Jon Tiernan-Locke
Andre Cardoso
Juan Pablo Valencia

I'll give you my honest to god, no winding you up for a change Standard team, not my purist, because I am trying to get my number 1 spot overall back

Mark Cavendish (OPQ)
Giacomo Nizzolo (RSN)
Kris Boeckmans (VCD)
Michal Kwiatkowski (OPQ)
Sep Vanmarcke (BLA)
Theo Bos (BLA)
Marc De Maar (UHC)
Alexandr Kolobnev (KAT)
Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (MOV)

Dont discount Keisse, Maes and Devenyns, its a fairly strong squad, but I think its focused on Cav for sprints if he can make it, if not then its Martin for GC with the ITT

You can discount Rabon.....at your pearl, If I could, I'd have the full team

Happy to name my opening team

Rui Costa
Machado
Paulinho
(The portuguese contingent)
Cav
Nizzolo
Boeckmans
Bos
(The sprinters)
Kwiatkowski(for GC)
DeMaar(wildcard).

Purists:
Martin
DeGendt
Westra
(Will try and stay up there for the final ITT)
Rui Costa
Paulinho
(again the Por N Cheese issue)
Cav(winner of 1st 2 stages?)
DeMaar
Kolobnev
(Wildcards)
Edmondsen(breaks)

In an ideal world I'd have 3 OPQ guys.....Kwiatkowski,Cav and Panzerwagon!! In fact make that 4 with Chava?

And another.....Olympic Road Race?

Who thinks Cav will make it over the hills to the finish on stage 1? The long climb finishes 50k from the finish, but there looks like another sharp climb with 35k to go, and then its all downhill...so if a break gets away it might stick, and Cav is pointless...

Ok further to you previous point, it seems movistar and a couple of other teams may only be sending 7 riders so I will remove all others, and add back in any other rider if the rosters change

the movistar roster on the league list has riders not on the official start list (JJ Rojas, Eros Capecchi)

Josh it is then...as I think it might be too lumpy for Cav to get to the finish.

Ok rosters updated for all the teams (I believe) except Blanco, Movistar and Radio-Popular. They have all named 7 riders so far

Blanco:

Paul Martens
Theo Bos
Steven Kruijswijk
Wilco Kelderman
Sep Vanmarcke
Robert Wagner
Maarten Wynants

Movistar:

Alex Dowsett
Enrique Sanz
Vladimir Karpets
Jesus Herrada Lopez
Jose Herrada
Jonathon Castroviejo
Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa

Radio-Popular:

Daniel Euduardo Silva
Celio Cristiano Sousa
Adrian Lopez Garrido
David Gutierrez
Ricardo Valdes
Virgilo Martins Dos Santos
Domingos Goncalves

Going to update the rosters now