kfjatek wrote:Kinda sounds like someone had Landa on their roster..
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I had very much gone for a full three week team.
I wanted to avoid the more obvious favourites (Niballi, Valverde, Dumoulin).
Very much focussed on Climbers, and bearing in mind the TT.
My expectation was to have one or two (three at an outside chance) on the podium at the end.
Zakarin: Really in with a shout at the overall; course really suits him (don't particularly like his doping past, but hey, ho, served his time etc etc). TT should really suit him
Uran: Does best at the TT. New team and in some form, good value from the odds - thought the TT would get him him there.
Landa: Knew he had been doing a lot of work on the TT, Sky paid a lot of money for him for the sole purpose of winning the Giro (Sky, the company, is big in Italy, so it is an important objective).
Everyone else is a climber who should show on breakaways - i.e. they don't have a real GC contender (especially if Majka fell apart on the TT, which I thought he might), so week 2/3 break away points.
Went for Cancellera for the opening TT... (cheaper than Dumoulin).
Went for Ewan as a sprinter. A lot lighter than the big units, so should get over the hills better (and most of the sprint stages in the first week, other than holland had some hills). Also new and could be improving
Result: Cancellara ill on first stage (did OK on TT though).
McEwan: a bit too much of a step up yet - just seemed to be out positioned in the final 500m. But did get a top 10 on every sprint stage (unlike Greipel and Kittel).
Support riders - all have picked up breakaway points, and we've barely started yet.
Zakarin: Crashes out when he would have taken time on the other GC riders (if not the overall because of the weather) and loses a chunk. Not sure if he can come back now. A top 10 looks like the best result.
Uran Crashes out on the TT - not much focus on him, so couldn't see how well he was doing before the crash. Lost a chunk of time. Probably going for stage wins now.
Landa: Did fantastically well in the TT, "the winner" in terms of expectation over performance. Then pulls a sicky when he should have just been going.
The plans of mice and men.