Tour of beijing stage 4

That's why I like the overall. It rewards folk like me who aren't right talented but always show up and give it a go!

My aim for the season was top 20/40 (premium/non-premium) and top 3 in the forum scorum and I was just about on for that until I had disasters in a few of the post-Tour de France stage races, I was shocking during Eneco, USAPCC and some of the others and I dropped out of it a bit.

Either way, a relatively successful season, especially in the early season stage races, I think I peaked a bit early and couldn't sustain it all year which happens most years. After the build up to the Giro and that first grand tour I get a bit tired of picking teams and tend to go AWOL during the Dauphine/Tour de Suisse then same again during the ENECO/Tour of Poland once the Tour de France is over with.

That's one of the reasons it'd be nice to move away from the overall leagues, so that you can feel like you can just jump into and out of the races you want to take part in and not feel beholden to your league placing to the extent that you have to take part in every race.

My goal was to get in the top 100 overall; looks like I'll finish in the low eighties (despite only doing really well in two or three comps) so happy enough with that.

Next year I'll want to improve on that and also break the overall non-purist top 100. But that's starting to sound like another thread...

Good luck to anyone who still has something to play for on the last day!

I'm pedalling squares in a desperate attempt to hold on to third in the overall purist league, 46 points ahead now, was 150 clear a week ago! (although on paper I have a better sprint team so fairly hopeful).

In standard, brought in Lopez, Betancur and Basso as my three transfers today, so not bad (all in the top 12) but not great. My head said Movistar but couldn't decide which one so went with neither. As with most of my decisions, I was sure there was logic in my reasoning at the time, but I'm buggered if I can remember it now.

Still, pick the right 2 sprinters in for Betancur and Basso for tomorrow and should do fairly well... (Is there an emoticon for "famous last words"?)

Turns out I hadn't even picked Bardet, despite a fairly vivid fictional memory of doing so. So not a great day, just Martin and Caruso really getting me any points. Rung the changes for tomorrow but the three pens mean I won't do terrifically well even if all my guys come in. I'll be happy if I've picked the top three though.

Shame, I was doing OK in this one till now!

20 points in it. I would love to take all the credit, its all thanks for my careful working out of Autumn classics and how having four races would affect the outcome....etc....

But in theory, It was nowt to do with my or any of the team. Its just the good knowledge, lucky picks and pain staking study you pair have put in....

So the overall league will be decided by the last stage of the last race. Good planning road.cc crew...

That team would have gotten your 162, 34 points off a stage win

Incidentally....how close would this team have been to an elusive stage win?

Intxausti
D.Martin
Gesink
Brajkovic
Wauters
Oliveira
Monfort
Stybar
Bouhanni

Starting to think I don't even want to know!!

I was sure I'd swapped out DeGendt,Hushovd and Matthews for Intxausti,Martin and Gesink......then saw I'd only scored 32pts and found out I hadn't.

Damn You second page confirmation!!

At least it means I've got a sprinty team and 5 transfers for the last stage of the year.

Much better day for me, 23rd on the stage (after finishing last yesterday) and back up to 68th overall. Totally out of contention for a top ten but with four transfers in the bag I could at least move up some places tomorrow.

Scores have been in for a while

Specifically went for Bardet over Intxausti; bad move. Just 2,5,14 for me today, plus odds and ends of GC points.

Forced by retirements yesterday to make two make changes, so will have to take two or three pens for tomorrow's crit. Still have Bouhanni in the squad, thankfully.