Velogames Get Cross!

Hello again, it's been a while. But here I am again, with a fancy new layout, that I don't really understand.

Since I last posted there's been a few things going on in the world of Professional Bike Racing. There's been the usual end-of-season round of new contracts and team-moves for a number of riders. Cadel's BMC team seems to have been particularly busy, signing Hushovd and Gilbert, so they must have some deep pockets. And Team Sky finally confirmed the signing of Mark Cavendish from the now deceased HTC team. Oh and Cav became World Road Race Champion too. Nice one!

In case you didn't know, it's now Cyclocross Season! I don't know about you, but I'm partial to a bit of Cross. Maybe it's because, the only time I can remember getting to stand on the top step of an imaginary podium, happened at a cross race last year.

Here in Georgia, Cross is the highlight of many a rider's season, and it seems to get bigger every year. It's getting so popular, that even fixed-gear-hipsters are now taking an interest.

And interesting stuff Cross is. There's all the thrills and spills of a road race, but packed into a smaller, usually muddier package. Where else but a cross race could you see a display of technical riding such as this?

Although I may know a thing or two about road racing, and we've established that I've done a bit of cross racing, I've no idea who to pick for the first Velogames Fantasy Cyclocross season. I think I'm going to have to do some research over at CyclingNews and Cyclocross Magazine before I commit to a line-up for the Bile Beans.

Then again I might just pick Sven Nys and some other random guys. Even if you do pick a team of stinkers to start off with, or one of your boys leaves the race in an ambulance, you'll have some chances for rider transfers throughout the season. As usual, all the details are on the Velogames site, entries close at 12:00 CET on October 23rd, so get those teams in by then.

And finally, here's the mini-league details:

League Name: Tour De Pance

League Code: 20143610

Veulta Stage 21 & Overall - Sagan, Cobo, and Happiness Stan

I bet you thought I didn't bother doing an update yesterday because I didn't win the mini-league. Well nothing could be further from the truth, and now I've accepted my failure, lets get on with business.

Peter Sagan won yet another stage when he took the final sprint in Milan against the remaining fast-men in the race. I've said it before, but Sagan is jolly good, and it looks like he's got some good legs heading into the World Champs.

And of course, Juan Jose Cobo won the overall title. Only 13 seconds ahead of Brit/Kenyan Chris Froome though. In fact, Froome actually rode the race 19 seconds faster than Cobo, but didn't earn as many time bonuses. Then again, if Sky hadn't made such a balls-up of the team time trial, they could have won the race, and maybe bagged second spot with Wiggins too.

I think I should also mention that Bile Bean and Rabobank rider Bauke Mollema had a good race. He got 4th overall and won the points jersey, not to mention taking a nice haul of Velogames points. If he rides the Tour next year, I think he'll be a better pick that that Robert Gesink, who I keep selecting, and who keeps crashing.

As far as the Velogames scores went, I always thought that Happiness Stan would do well with the end of Tour points. And so it proved.

Although I didn't win a single Grand Tour this year, I can't really complain about how the Bile Beans season went, (apart from the Giro that is). And the Fantasy Classics and Tour de Suisse went quite nicely. The Vuelta is traditionally the final event in the Fantasy Cycling callendar, but here's hints on the Velogames site that George may have a few more events planned, so keep your eyes peeled.

If there's Fantasy Cycling going on I'll be blogging. And maybe I'll be blogging if there isn't, as I'm sure you'll be itching to hear my thoughts on things that might be happening. I've also got a cool project going on in the Pance Tech labs, that I might blog about soon.

Vuelta Stage 20 - Bennati Brings It

Stage 20 then, and it turned out it was a bunch sprint. Daniele Bennati was the man today, earning his first Grand Tour win in quite a while, and setting himself up for a tilt at the Worlds at the end of the month. It could also be the last win for the the Lay-O-Pard Trek team, before they transform next year, into Radioshat-Nissan-Trek or some-such.

No big scores for the Bile Beans today, but enough to keep me in pole position. A bit of a shuffle with second and third spots though, as Happiness Stan sneak into second spot by a mere 3 points ahead of the Roulers.

I'm sure there's some tired legs among the riders in the Vuelta, but luckily for them, the end is in sight. As there's just one day to go. In theory, there's still enough time bonuses on offer for Chris Froome to stick it to Cobo and take the win. But lets face it, looking at the route, it's not going to happen. Stage 21 has got sprint finish written all over it.

Save some kind of huge upset, Cobo will win the race. And after Stage 21 there's the all important end-of-tour points to be calculated. Experience has shown me that these can make all the difference, and I suspect that Happiness Stan will do quite nicely. Experience has also shown me that the end-of-tour points can take George a while to work out, so there could be some tense times ahead, before we find out who will be the Fantasy Vuelta Champion of 20111.

Vuelta Stage 19 - Igor Improves Score

Not a lot of people read this blog. But I think Igor Anton may be one of the select few. Some would say Anton had a go on Stage 19 because it was on his home turf in the Basque Country. I know better though. He won Stage 19 because he knew that Vestan Pance was counting on him to score some fantasy cycling points.

Thank you Igor. Your effort has helped the Bile Beans stay on top for a little while longer.

Stage 20 is going on right now, and it looks like there's a big break of 23 away right now. There's a few hills early on, but then it's pretty flat on the way to the finish. If the break stays away, I'm going to tip Mr. Greg Van Avermaet for the win.

Vuelta Stage 18 - Beans on Most Again

The good news is that I actually managed to catch a bit of the race today. The bad news is that the big break of the day didn't have a whole lot of my riders in it. J-Rod was there though, and although he only managed 8th on the stage, he seems to be getting over his crash of a few days ago, and has got the points jersey back. Then again, he won it back off my boy Mollema, so you win some, you lose some. The win went to Francesco Gavazzi of Lampre, who made easy work of Kristof Vandewalle in a 2-up sprint.

And behind, the big names seemed happy enough to take a bit of a rest and finished all together, with Cobo still maintaining his 13 second lead over Chris Froome.

In the mini-league, the game of cat and mouse between the Bile Beans and the Roulers continues, with the Beans coming out on top for today. I'm not quite sure if it's because I did better today, or because those scores from stage 12, that I keep moaning about, have now been updated.

Stage 19 sees the race head into the Basque country. Which is different from Spain, don't you know? The locals will get shirty with anyone who suggests they're Spanish, and there could even be a few protests along the route from folks who object to those filthy Spaniards bringing the race on their turf. Local team Euskaltel will be looking to shine today. Maybe Igor Anton can score me some points? I hope so, he cost enough and has underwhelmed so far.

Vuelta Stage 17 - Vroom Froome

Today was apparently one of the best grand tour stages in many a year. Had I actually been watching and not shopping, I'm sure I would have been on the edge of my seat and shouting at the TV. As it was, I was basking in the glory of the British Aisle down at my local the supermarket.

I could have been upset by missing the race, but it could have been worse. It could have been Sunday.

Anyway, It seems that Sky boy Chris Froome put some pressure on race leader Cobo on the final climb. Froomey won the stage, but didn't take back a whole lot of time. Hats off to the lad for trying though.

Enough of the real race. Lets get on to the important stuff. Most importantly, the Bile Beans have lost the lead to the Roulers again.

Time for a breakaway tomorrow on Stage 18.

Vuelta stage 16 - Haedo Wins in Roundabout Way

Hello again. Is the Vuelta still on? It seems so. I've not been able to watch it the last couple of days, but fortunately, thanks to the internets, I can read stuff, and pretend like I was there the whole time.

So, apart from a crash for J-Rod, Stage 16 went pretty much as expected, and ended in a sprint finish. Only there was a bit of confusion as to which way to go on that final roundabout, and some folks went a bit wrong. Oh well, it was only a sprint, so not as bad as when Robert Millar went the wrong way on a mountaintop finish back in 1988, which if you have enough time on your hands you can watch here.


Anyway, all of these shenanigans didn't make a whole lot of difference to the scores.

Here's how Stage 17 shaped up.

Vuelta Stage 15 - Cobo Conquers Angliru; Wiggins Wilts

Oh dear! It was all going so well! And then the Vuelta had to go up the Angliru. It's just silly steep. On the brutal slopes of the climb, big lad Bradly Wiggins couldn't keep up with the littler Cobo.

In the end Bradley lost 1:21 on the Angliru, and now sits 46 seconds off the lead. In fact he's not even in second spot, having been overtaken by team-mate Chris Froome. The toughest stages have been and gone, so I'm left wondering where he can make up the time with the time trial stage long behind us.

In the mini-league the Bile Beans are on top, but those pesky Roulers are still breathing down my neck. Not to mention Happiness Stan, who are looking dangerous as we head into the final week, what with them having Cobo and plenty of other quality riders.

Stage 16 doesn't look like a chance for Bradley to get that time back. It's downhill most of the way and looks like it might end in a sprint to me. Fingers crossed for Degenkolb. And fingers crossed I get the points this time.

Vuelta Stage 14 - Rein Reigns in Spain

If you've been paying attention to the Vuelta this year, you may have spotted Rein Taaramae having a dig or two off the front on some of the climbs. You may also have spotted him getting caught before the line. Not today though, as his persistence was rewarded with a stage win.

Behind the young Estonian, it was another day of slogging it out between the GC boys. Wiggins and Froome were on the front again and riding faster than most were comfortable with. As the British duo worked away, they shed the likes of Nibali, J-Rod and Fuglsang - with only a few tough mountain stages to go things are looking good for Team Sky.

No scores as of yet, but I think the Bile Beans did well. Well enough to overtake the Roulers? We'll have to wait and see. I'll update when those scores are in.

It's not over yet though, and for Stage 15 the race heads up the "fearsome Anglirú". It's a short stage, but the final climb is super steep. I would have said it was a finish that suits J-Rod, but he seems to have been suffering of late, maybe my boy Mollema will go for the win.

Vuelta Stage 13 - Roulers Roll Into Lead

Oh dear, I'm running behind again. To tell you the truth, I wasn't too interested in stage 13. The real action should be this weekend, and yesterday's stage shouldn't have too much impact in the overall. I also noticed that there were none of my riders in the big break of the day, so I was underwhelmed when Michael Albasini took the win. He did get a sweet looking trophy though.

I also lost the first rider from my squad yesterday. Marcel Kittel didn't start stage 13, I can't really complain though, as he only cost 2 velocredits. So his 266 points make for a good return on the investment. It seems the young German sprinter is too tired to carry on the race, and didn't like the look of the mountains to come - I don't know about these younger sprinters, they've just got no commitment anymore. The more mature Tom Boonen, has plenty of troubles "down below" but you don't see him quitting.

“Because of the friction of the pants with the saddle, I suffer from an injury to the scrotum. The extreme heat and excessive sweating caused a heavy irritation in that area. There is a hole. It is not the first time that I have suffered in this place, but never as bad as now. "

Ouch! I didn't score many points yesterday then, and it looks like the Roulers have overtaken the Bile Beans, as they now sit at top spot in the minileague.

Or do they? I don't want to sound like a bad loser, but I'm pretty sure that Sagan and Degenkolb should have been the biggest scorers back on stage 12. But if we look at the rider scores for the day, it looks like there's some names missing. I'm sure it will all get sorted out in the fullness of time.

Stage 14 looks like this.

Vuelta Stage 12 - Sagan Agan

It seems there's no stopping Peter Sagan. I've probably mentioned it before, but he's only 21 years old, but he's already won more races than you can shake a stick at. If he wanted he could probably stop training, get fat, and still get a big contract for the next five years or so on the back of his early success.

So Sagan won the sprint finish today, followed by young German sprinter John Degenkolb of HTC. A 1-2 for the Bile Beans which has put a bit of breathing space between the Roulers, (who still took a respectable 4th with Petacchi).

Stage 13 - more mountains, but there's some downhill before the finish. I reckon Bradley should be safe for another day in the leader's jersey.

Vuelta stage 11 - Moncoutie's Mountain Mission Rewards Roulers

Hello. I've been getting a bit behind with the blog recently, as we've been on the road for a little family trip to sunny Florida. A feeble excuse I know, so let's get stage 11 out of the way.

It was a win by Frenchie David Moncoutie, who left his breakaway companions to take the win on a tricky day in the mountains.

Bad news for Team Sky, as Chris Froome lost some time on the final climb, and lost the race lead. Good news for Team Sky though, as Bradley Wiggins gained a bit of time and took the race lead.

Moncoutie's win was good news for the Roulers. Not quite good enough to take over the top spot in the league though, and the Bile Beans hang on by just 7 points.

 Rank Team Directeur Score
1 Bile Beans Vestan Pance 2603
2 Rouleurs Rouleurs 2596
3 Team Moopi Simon Abbot 2181
4 Hombre Ariba! Tom 2165
5 Vote for Pedro Napoleon 2158
6 Arautapala Mario Bencomo 2098
7 HardMan Racing Hardster 1907
8 Happiness Stan Mark 1899
9 Evil ChanBots Evil Dr Chan 1894
10 escape artists Warwick Anderson 1878
11 wigg-wins denspeck 1785
12 Big Andy Racing Andrew Hudson 1659
13 Flying Hutchmen Hutch 1649
14 Los Pinchazos noj 1616
15 Full Beans! Daniel Smithson 1606
16 Hell of the north Vincent Lavallee 1515
17 Beanies Craig 1437
18 Mungo Cycling David 1405
19 RUBBER Simon Hudson 1264
20 Y Fenyw 50 Droed Ramon 1139
21 Cloudmakers Elizabeth Campbell 1062
22 MooseBrigade Hardster 1032
23 Barmbyworld Clive 1026

Stage 12 has already happened and ended in a sprint..... I would have tipped it for sprint anyway

Vuelta stage 10 - Bradley Makes Room for Froome

I know we've all been enjoying the Vuelta, but it's worth remembering that there are other professional cycling races available. One of these is the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, which just finished up on Sunday and was won by little Levi Leipheimer.

Although I may live in the USA, like Pro Cycling and enjoy a challenge, I failed to muster much enthusiasm for the race. There were tough stages and big names, but much like the Tour of California, the USA PCC suffers from being on at the same time as a real race. I did make a few attempts to watch some of the action, but the high altitude and presence of trees made my already jerky computer feed all but unwatchable.

It seems the race should be back next year, so maybe they'll have those difficulties ironed out and I might give a fuck. But probably not.

Anyhooze, back to the Vuelta. Here's how the league looked heading into the individual time trial today.

And here's how it looked after the time trial today.

So no big changes in the Tour de Pance top ten. But the same can't be said about the Vuelta top ten.

The eagle-eyed among you will notice that after the time trial, it's none other than Wiggins side-kick, Chris Froome who is leading the race, thanks to a great ride against the clock.

Bradley didn't do badly. But he was 23 seconds slower than his team-mate today, and now slots into third spot behind Jakob Fuglsang. With 2 riders in the top 3, things are looking good for Team Sky. However there's still a lot of racing to come, and plenty of quality riders within a few minutes of the lead. Everybody on the Vuelta will be having a nice rest-day tomorrow. The action starts again on Wednesday with another mountain-top finish. I'd imagine there'll be some teams looking to put Sky under pressure.

Vuelta Weekend Roundup

It's been a busy weekend at the Vuelta, so lets get on with it.

Fist of all, here's the scores after stage 7. Looks like I just stayed ahead of the Roulers.

Stage 8 featured a brutal finish, that was as steep-as-a-steep-thing. Just as I, and plenty of other people thought, it was the sort of finish that suited Joaquim Rodriguez.

So J-rod took the leaders jersey, and my team did enough to keep me at the top of the table. And now it seems I have a new team snapping at my heels, as Hombre Ariba! have moved into second.

Stage 9 today was another uphill finish. So surely another chance for Rodriguez to shine?

Well no. It was to be a day for young Dan Martin of Garmin-Cervelo, who earned his first Grand Tour stage win.

As the road went up, some big names began to struggle. First it was Igor Anton in trouble. Then went Scarponi, J-rod and Van Den Broeck. The small group that made it to the finish may have been led in by Martin, but it was second placed Bauke Mollema who took over the race lead, by 1 second from Rodriguez.

Bradley Wiggins was strong today. Working away at the front, he took back some of the time he lost during that disastrous team time trial. Tomorrow we've got the big individual time trial, and over 47km, there could be some big gaps. As long as he didn't do too much today, it could be a chance for Bradley to take back more time. And maybe take the race lead, as he sits only a minute behind Mollema. Also hoping to do well against the clock tomorrow will be Menchov and Nibali, while the likes of Tony Martin and Cancellara will be hoping to take the stage win.