Wittenberg

After a succesful first edition (https://wittenberg.talossa.com/index.php?topic=1528.0), which was won by Naziun Cjovani, the Talossan Cycling Association teams are gearing up for another challenging three weeks. Starting in Utrecht (the city where in 1579 several Dutch regions signed the Union of Utrecht, committing themselves to sending the Spaniards back to Madrid), the riders will have to cover 3280 kilometers, including several steep mountain climbs, to finish at the Paisaje de la Luz in Madrid.

On the way they will try to win stages and to score points for the points classification (green jersey) and king of the mountains classification (blue polkadot jersey), but the most important battle is the one for the winner of general classification, who gets to wear the famous Maillot Rojo. As they do so they will also score points for their teams, which will determine which team wins the second leg of the Talossan Cycling Association Tour 2022.

Registered Teams (So Far):
- Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero (Cézembre)
- Els Gagnheirs (Maritiimi-Maxhestic)
- Gordon Hiatus Support Team (Benito)
- Kinetic Racing (Fiôvâ)
- Naziun Cjovani (Benito)
- Valcürïăs (Benito)
- Velociposse Florencia (Florencia)

Team registration instructions
can be found here (https://wittenberg.talossa.com/index.php?topic=1681.msg14110#msg14110)
Deadline: August 19th 11:15 TST, 18:15 CEST

Three teams representing Benito...good thing this isn't a province versus province thing!

Tomorrow the teams will finally be revealed, as we get to the first stage, which also happens to be the least representative one, the team time trial. (Basically, all the riders of a team start at the same time and the whole team gets the time of the fifth rider across the finish line). 23.3 km around the city of Utrecht. The points probably here wont tell us too much about the final standings yet, although for the gc riders its the first opportunity to gain some time over the competition.

Sadly I won't be able to follow much of the stage (despite currently being only a couple of kilometers away from Utrecht), but of course I will post the results and the full team roster here later in the evening or saturday.

And the first teams are off for the first stage!

Tonight a first update on the teams and a first standing.

Let's go!

So we're off. I like that we have very different teams, with very different strategies. Should be interesting.

First across the line today:

Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS, Benito)
1. Carapaz
2. Evenepoel
3. Yates
4. Meintjes
5. Pedersen
6. Dennis
7. Van Baarle
8. Norsgaard
10. Geoghen Hart

It seems Roglic has left the team after a disappointing result first leg and immediately things are looking up for GHST with a win in the first stage.

Naziun Cjovani (CJO, Benito)
1. Roglic
2. Evenepoel
3. Kuss
4. O'Connor
5. Cimolai
6. Adria
7. Affini
8. Bol
9. Groves

Going for strategy that is similar to their (winning) strategy last time by having a team with both the favourite and the main challenger.

Els Gagnheirs (GNH, Maritiimi-Maxhestic)
1. E. Mas
2. Almeida
3. Alaphilippe
4. Higuita
5. Pedersen
6. Dennis
7. Masnada
8. Plapp
9. Ackermann

A strong debut for the team from M-M. This seems to be the opposite strategy as Naziun Cjovani with a very balanced team that is strong as a whole rather than depending two or three individuals. Also two sprinters, so the flat could be good for this team.

Kinetic Racing (KIN, Fiôvâ)
1. Evenepoel
2. Carapaz
3. Alaphilippe
4. O'Connor
5. Pedersen
6. Cavagna
7. De Gendt
8. Devenyns
9 McNulty

Kinetic Racing had maybe expected a bit more today, but of course we barely even started. The combination of Evenepoel and Alaphilippe should be interesting to watch.

Velociposse Florencia (VFL, Florencia)
1. Roglic
2. E. Mas
3. Yates
4. Hindley
5. Ackermann
6. Carretero
7. Affini
8. Parra
10. Owsian

Not the debut they hoped for maybe, but with four potential Maillot Rojo contenders this team should not be underestimated.

Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero (BDC, Cézembre)
1. Kelderman
2. Almeida
3. Yates
4. Hindley
5. Pedersen
6. Hayter
7. J. Lopez
8. Van Gils
9. Arensman

Not a great start for BdC after having changed their second sponsor. Also went for a more balanced strategy rather than going for the main favourites, also with maybe less focus on the sprint than last time.

Valcürïăs (VAL, Benito)
1. Roglic
2. Almeida
3. M. Lopez
4. Mäder
5. Cimolai
6. Adria
7. Calbedo
8. Cavagna
9. Diaz

The third new team feels a bit more like an outsider, with a number of surprising picks. Then again, as we saw last time, there is plenty of room for suprises. The Valkyries could still turn out to be the revelation of this edition.

Standings after stage 1:

1. Gordon Hiatus Support Team - 230
2. Els Gagnheirs - 205
2. Naziun Cjovani - 205
4. Kinetic Racing - 185
5. Velociposse Florencia - 155
6. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 115
7. Valcürïăs - 100

Tomorrow ('s Hertogenbosch -> Utrecht) we will likely see the first mass sprint after a stage that is almost entirely flat, except for the dizzying 70 meter height of the "Alto de Amerongse Berg", where I will be doing some live reporting, as promised.

I know nothing at all about racing, but that does not remotely affect my supreme confidence that the Maritiimi-Maxhestian team will crush all who dare to ride the same route.

Quote from: Baron Alexandreu Davinescu on August 19, 2022, 05:27:22 PM
I know nothing at all about racing, but that does not remotely affect my supreme confidence that the Maritiimi-Maxhestian team will crush all who dare to ride the same route.

The Taiwosian Benito/Cjovani team, fresh off a Tour de France victory and a Talossan Football Finals loss (but, we made it to the finals!) are currently deflating your tires...with three teams representing Benito, you Martini-Pathetic schmucks won't crush, but will be flushed! (Let's get some good trash talk going on here!)

AD, your reply disappeared. (It's all in good natured fun. I was going to say, "Sometimes you gotta go fash to take out the trash.")

Quote from: Iason Taiwos on August 20, 2022, 12:01:43 AM
AD, your reply disappeared. (It's all in good natured fun. I was going to say, "Sometimes you gotta go fash to take out the trash.")

No, I felt bad... I'm not good at trash talk. I was like, "Well wait, what if he feels sad?"

Trash each other as much as you want. Just know that the first stage means nothing. This ain't over til we get to Madrid. The BdC team will be waiting for you all there, drinking cava and celebrating our well deserved victory.

Your commentator has arrived at the amerongse berg. Sadly internet is quite bad here so might not immediately provide an update

Bol (CJO) was the first TCAT rider at the Amerongse Berg. However he didnt manage to get any kom points

Els Gagnheirs take the lead!

Including two sprinters is serving Els Gagnheirs well in the flat terrain of The Netherlands. As expected the stage ended in a mass sprint with Pedersen (GNH, GHS, KIN, BDC) being the first TCAT rider across the finishline, and Ackermann (GNH, VFL) also doing well.

Standing after stage 2:
1. Els Gagnheirs - 592 (+387)
2. Gordon Hiatus Support Team - (+318)
3. Kinetic Racing - 465 (+280)
4. Naziun Cjovani - 449 (+244)
5. Velociposse Florencia - 371 (+216)
6. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 370 (+255)
7. Valcürïăs - 142 (+42)

Els Gagnheirs seems to be taking over the role of BdC from last edition as the strongest sprint team, resulting in an early lead. Tomorrow may be no different as we stay in the Netherlands (Breda -> Breda) for a stage even flatter than today, likely resulting in another mass sprint.

Some bad pictures I took at the Amerongse Berg:
(https://wittenberg.talossa.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1705.0;attach=573;image)
Jetse Bol (CJO)

(https://wittenberg.talossa.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1705.0;attach=571;image)
Some other riders and one of my fingers.

Sprint team Els Gagnheirs continued to do well in the Netherlands and expanded their lead with Pedersen and Ackermann getting good results in Breda.

Standing after stage 3:
1. Els Gagnheirs - 916 (+324)
2. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 813 (+265)
3. Kinetic Racing - 742 (+277)
4. Naziun Cjovani - 685 (+236)
5. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 635 (+265)
6. Velociposse Florencia - 548 (+177)
7. Valcürïăs - 186 (+44)

Things may start to change tomorrow however. Today the TCAT travelled to Basque Country, where tuesday's and wednesday's stage will take place.

Tomorrow (Vitoria-Gasteiz -> Laguardia) could have been a good day for a breakaway, but I doubt the peloton will let anyone get too far now that so many riders could still be potential gc contenders. An uphill finish will make a true mass sprint unlikely, so instead this may be one for a last minute attack, either from a sprinter with all round capabilities or maybe we'll see the first warning shot from one of the gc favourites.

Wednesday (Irun -> Bilbao) is another hilly stage with loads of up and downs and no less than five opportunities for early KOM points. This time I do see an early breakaway make it to the finishline, so plenty of opportunities for surprises.

Next update from me will probably be wednesday (or maybe thursday).

5th place in the Dutch section... I miss having Van Aert in my team :(

Naziun Cjovani the strongest team in Basque country, but Els Gagnheirs hang on to the lead.

Tuesday's stage ended up being a high scoring affair. As expected the early breakaway didn't make it, so it came down to the final kilometers for the favourites to try and make a difference. Roglic (CJO, VAR, VFL) showed why he is the favourite, winning the stage, but not yet gaining much time on his challengers. Naziun Cjovani scored the most points. Good results for O'Connor, Evenepoel and Kuss resulted in a win for Naziun Cjovani, although the Velociposse got very close due to Mas, Hindley and Yates.

Today Naziun Cjovani again got a win, although the stage was a much lower scoring affair, with a breakaway including Adria (CJO, VAL) and Masnada (GNH) making it to the finishline. This puts Naziun Cjovani in second place, but Gagnheirs manage to hold on to the lead (for now).

Standing after stage 5:
1. Els Gagnheirs - 1474 (+430) (+128)
2. Naziun Cjovani - 1394 (+576) (+133)
3. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 1359 (+483) (+63)
4. Kinetic Racing - 1237 (+449) (+46)
5. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 1214 (+533) (+46)
6. Velociposse Florencia - 1180 (+574) (+58)
7. Valcürïăs - 600 (+288) (+126)

Tomorrow the TCAT moves west, away from Basque Country into Cantabria for the first proper mountain stage (Bilbao -> Pico Jano / San Miguel de Aguayo) with a long uphill finish that will tell us a lot about which riders are still in the race for the Maillot Rojo. This could well turn out to be the most revealing stage so far.

Friday we move further west through the Cantabrian mountains, but we only get one major climb which is about halfway through the stage, so this feels like a bit less of a stage for the GC contenders and could instead be another chance for an early breakaway.

Naziun Cjovani edges ahead in Cantabria!

Thursday was the first proper mountain stage and as predicted the action happened in the final kilometers. Biggest winners of the day were Evenepoel (CJO, GHS, KIN), who won the Maillot Rojo and E. Mas (GNH, VFL), whereas Carapaz (GHS, KIN) lost time on the competition. The Velociposse score the most points, due to Yates, Roglic and Hindley as well as Mas. Naziun Cjovani again gained on Els Gagnheirs but remained four points behind.

Yesterday it was looking as if we were going to a sprint, but in the end the breakaway barely managed to hold on. First TCAT rider across the line was Groves (CJO). It was a very low scoring day in which BdC finally got the most points for a change, due to Pedersen and Hayter. The placement of Groves means we have a new leader however, as Naziun Cjovani barely edged ahead of Els Gagnheirs. Its very close at the top, with three teams within 100 points and six teams within 300.

Standing after stage 7:
1. Naziun Cjovani - 1988 (+441) (+153)
2. Els Gagnheirs - 1979 (+365) (+140)
3. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 1936 (+431) (+146)
4. Velociposse Florencia - 1751 (+503) (+68)
5. Kinetic Racing - 1710 (+325) (+148)
6. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 1709 (+320) (+175)
7. Valcürïăs - 979 (+302) (+77)

Today we move even further west through the Cantabrian mountains, into Asturias, for another mountain stage. But this time the action can't wait until the end as we get no fewer than 6 summits along the way, starting almost immediately as we leave La Pola Llaviana (which should be just about now). We end on the Colláu Fancuaya, which is quite a scary looking climb with bits of 17% and even 19%.

(https://img.aso.fr/core_app/img-cycling-vue-jpg/ve22-e8-fancuoya-1/12859/0:0,924:1208-960-0-70/1200c)
Source: lavuelta.es

Should be quite an exciting stage. Almost certainly some riders will lose their status as GC contenders today, but which riders (and consequently, which teams) will hang on?

(First virtual standings update this evening btw)

The Velociposse scores the most points on the second mountain stage, but it's GHST that takes the lead!

Pedersen (BDC, GHS, GNH, KIN) managed to score enough points on the intermediate sprint to take over the green jersey today. This was before the final ascent of the day however, and on that particular climb there was no chance for GC contenders to hide. Several fell through the cracks. Kelderman (BDC) and Carapaz (GHS, KIN) fell through the cracks today and lost too much time to be playing a role in the GC from here on. Three riders dominated the group of favourites however; red jersey wearer Evenepoel (CJO, GHS, KIN), defending champion Roglic (CJO, VAL, VFL) and Enric Mas (GNH, VFL). Although some others still may have a chance it seems likely one of these three will win this TCAT edition. As a result, Velociposse scored the most points today, but it is Gordon Hiatus Support Team that replaces Naziun Cjovani as the current leader.

Standing after stage 8:
1. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 2322 (+386)
2. Naziun Cjovani - 2305 (+317)
3. Els Gagnheirs - 2281 (+302)
4. Velociposse Florencia - 2145 (+394)
5. Kinetic Racing - 1997 (+287)
6. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 1983 (+274)
7. Valcürïăs - 1190 (+211)

As promised we are also getting our first virtual standing update. We are starting to get a good sense of who is competing for the various classifications, which gives us a sense of which teams are likely to get points at the end.

I wanted to warn that it is still early days and a lot can still happen, and obviously that is true, but then again, last edition Naziun Cjovani already led in the virtual standing after 7 days, despite being a distant third in the actual standing, and with both the Alps and the Pyrenees still to come.

Expected Final Classification points after stage 8:
1. VFL - 1430
2. GHS - 1420
3. CJO - 1260
4. GNH - 1070
5. KIN - 1030
6. BDC - 945
7. VAL - 890

Expected Daily Classification points after stage 8:
1. KIN - 1183
2. GHS - 1144
3. GNH - 1144
4. VFL - 1105
5. CJO - 910
6. BDC - 845
7. VAL - 780

Total virtual standing after stage 8:
(Actual + Expected Final + Expected Daily)
1. Gordon Hiatus Support Team - 4886
2. Velociposse Florencia - 4680
3. Els Gagnheirs - 4495
4. Naziun Cjovani - 4475
5. Kinetic Racing - 4210
6. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 3773
7. Valcürïăs - 2860

A third of the way to Madrid GHST is in the best position to win the second leg of the Talossan Cycling Association Tour, due to the strong performances of Evenepoel, Pedersen, Geoghen Hart and Yates. However, the Velociposse is also doing better than can be seen from the standings, due to having two riders (Evenepoel and Roglic) in the current top 3. On the other side of the standings BdC and Valcürias are not looking so good. It seems very unlikely either of these teams will have the most points in Madrid, unless we see a major change in performance.

As for tomorrow: we are getting another mountain stage (Villaviciosa -> Les Praeres / Nava). This will be the last stage in the northwest of Spain as on monday we travel to Alicante. The stage may not be suited for gc contenders to gain an advantage early. Instead we are likely to see another early breakaway make it to the finish, and may not see any of the favourites losing much time. Even so, the last ascent of the day is relatively short, but very steep, so we may still see some GC action at the end.

(https://img.aso.fr/core_app/img-cycling-vue-jpg/ve22-e9-lespraeres-1/12856/0:0,469:852-960-0-70/b3404)
Source: lavuelta.es

Covid strikes again; we have the first abandono of this TCAT: Sepp Kuss (CJO). Kuss lost a lot of time in the GC yesterday, so this doesn't affect the virtual standing much, but Kuss could definitely still have scored more stage points in the future and his teammates at Naziun Cjovani (especially Roglic) now lose an important helper, so a bad start of the day for Naziun Cjovani.

So Louis Meintjes won today - he felt like almost a natural pick to me, but I had started to regret as he hadn't gotten me one single point until yesterday, and even then it was just 2 assist points from Taaramäe's third place. (For context, just 3 TCAT riders remain pointless at the moment)

Surprisingly (or maybe not since Tour was a disaster for GHST) today was the first stage win for one of my riders. It kinda feels even better considering it's a 3.5% outside pick and not an obvious GC contender.

Looking at the way Evenepoel smoked Ayuso, Mas, Roglic, Yates & co. - man, am I glad I ditched Roglic. Speaking of, looks like Carapaz is the disappointment pick this time. I was very tempted to pick Mas over him, but hindsight is 20/20.

Imma take Lücs gloating (ok, fine, he deserves it) as today's summary and just go ahead with the points:

Standing after stage 9:
1. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 2912 (+590)
2. Naziun Cjovani - 2573 (+268)
3. Els Gagnheirs - 2463 (+182)
4. Velociposse Florencia - 2410 (+265)
5. Kinetic Racing - 2229 (+232)
6. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 2110 (+127)
7. Valcürïăs - 1402 (+212)

Tomorrow, we have a rest day, while we move all the way to the southeast coast. (I don't know about you guys, but BdC definitely needs it.) Then on Tuesday we get the 30 km long (mostly flat) individual time trial (Elche -> Alicante), which at this point feels most like an opportunity for Evenepoel (CJO, GHS, KIN) to extend his lead, but who knows, there may be surprises.

Wednesday the TCAT rides along the coast to Andalusia (ElPozo Alimentacion -> Cabo de Gata), where we will be staying for the rest of the week. This stage should be an opportunity for sprinters.

I hate this I hate this I hate this I hate this

Glüc is understandably fed up so I'll do the update. ITT today, and we have some abandons to account for: Hayter (BDC) and Affini (CJO,VFL).

Remco Evenepoel (GHS,CJO,KIN) was the big favourite and he confirmed that by smashing Primož Roglič (CJO,VAL,VFL), who hadn't lost an ITT in Spain until today. Third place for another TCAT rider, Remi Cavagna (VAL,KIN). Four more TCAT riders in the top 10: Yates (GHS,BDC,VFL), Geoghegan Hart (GHS), M. Lopez (VAL) and E. Mas (GNH,VFL). Sadly Mas's underperformance sees him drop to third in the GC, Evenepoel now widening his lead to 2'41" over Roglič.

As for TCAT, Naziun Cjovani wins a tight affair, not even 40 points separating them from Kinetic in fourth position. The overall standings see Gagnheirs's last place in today's ITT translate to a drop to fifth place, with VFL and KIN's performances gaining them one place each.

Standing after stage 10:
1. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 3399 (+487)
2. Naziun Cjovani - 3091 (+518)
3. Velociposse Florencia - 2821 (+411)
4. Kinetic Racing - 2709 (+480)
5. Els Gagnheirs - 2604 (+141)
6. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 2289 (+179)
7. Valcürïăs - 1895 (+493)

As mentioned by Glüc, tomorrow will be a day for sprinters though, so look for Gagnheirs to take revenge and perhaps high point potential for Kinetic as well. Pedersen (GNH,KIN,GHS,BDC) will be looking at a first stage win, with early points classification leader and stage 2&3 winner Bennett also among today's pre-ITT abandons.

Stage 12 in progress atm, with a large, 32 man breakaway including two big name TCAT riders who have so far underperformed: Wilco Kelderman (BDC) and Richard Carapaz (KIN,GHS), together with Łukasz Owsian (VFL). With 37km to go, they have a massive, 11:30 minutes lead over the peloton, which could bring Kelderman back in GC contention given that his current deficit to Evenepoel is 14'04". Also in the breakaway, current leader of the climbers's classification and winner of stages 6&8 Jay Vine - my bets would be on him to pull off another stage win.

Quick update on yesterday: Pedersen (GNH,KIN,GHS,BDC) did in fact not get that elusive win, which instead went to Naziun Cjovani's Kaden Groves! Pedersen had to settle for 5th, albeit sweetened by winning the intermediate sprint, and the other lone TCAT rider in the top 20 was Pascal Ackermann (VFL,GNH).

Standings after Stage 11 - more movement in our highly volatile midfield with KIN clawing back P3 from VFL:

1. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 3639 (+240)
2. Naziun Cjovani - 3409 (+318)
3. Kinetic Racing - 2947 (+238)
4. Velociposse Florencia - 2914 (+93)
5. Els Gagnheirs - 2860 (+256)
6. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 2489 (+200)
7. Valcürïăs - 1969 (+74)

Ok, first off, I am fed up by an absolute disaster week for Banqeu da Cézembre, but this isn't the reason I didn't provide any updates. Rather, it's been a couple of very busy days for me. Of course I will continue to provide updates when I can, but there will also be more days when Lüc will jump in. Many thanks to him for doing so.

With regards to my own team I should add that a) Hayter (BDC) could easily have scored top 5 on the day he dropped out, b) Almeida (BDC, GNH, VAL) managed to lose time by going the wrong way on the time trial and c) Yates (BDC, GHS, VFL), who was the highest ranked BDC rider in the GC also dropped out yesterday, so yeah, it's been rough. Not the only team with bad luck though, as yesterday Gagnheirs and Kinetic also lost an important rider in Alaphilippe, who dislocated his shoulder after a crash.

Anyway, today it was Carapaz, who had so far been rather invisible, who won the stage over Kelderman, resulting in a very good day for GHST, who scored the most points and expanded their league over the Cjovani, and for Kinetic Racing, solidifying their third place. Kelderman didn't really get close to taking over the Maillot Rojo in the end, but he did gain a number of spots in the GC.

Standings after Stage 12:
1. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 3999 (+360)
2. Naziun Cjovani - 3521 (+112)
3. Kinetic Racing - 3298 (+351)
4. Velociposse Florencia - 3021 (+107)
5. Els Gagnheirs - 2975 (+115)
6. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 2750 (+261)
7. Valcürïăs - 2105 (+136)

Tomorrow, we move further inland (Ronda -> Montilla). The expected temperature of 31 degrees tomorrow is actually slightly below average for this region. The stage itself is perfectly flat though, so another chance for sprinters. Maybe Pedersen finally gets his stage win?

Quote from: Glüc da Dhi S.H. on September 01, 2022, 05:20:14 PMMaybe Pedersen finally gets his stage win?

Yes [/summary]

Ok, couple more things: Ackermann also did well, resulting in a strong day for Gagnheirs, who are still the sprint team of this edition and are now back in fourth place. Pedersen further solidifies his standing in the Green Jersey. GHST expand their lead over Naziun Cjovani, who should now also be worried about being overtaken by Kinetic Racing. Honestly there isn't really much to say about this stage. This was always gonna be a sprint. Attackers didn't get much of a chance.

Standings after Stage 13:
1. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 4306 (+307)
2. Naziun Cjovani - 3664 (+143)
3. Kinetic Racing - 3612 (+314)
4. Els Gagnheirs - 3450 (+475)
5. Velociposse Florencia - 3316 (+295)
6. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 3153 (+403)
7. Valcürïăs - 2251 (+146)

The weekend will be much different however as the Talossan Cycling Association Tour heads into the mountains again. Tomorrow (Montoro -> Sierra de la Pandera) we get a pretty challenging uphill finish with two summits that are really just one combined very long climb with bits of up to 15% towards the end (though there is more to come this weekend). Will Evenepoel finally start to show some cracks? The time for anyone to show that he can be beaten (by something other than covid) is running out...

Valcürïăs happily the most consistent team.

Quote from: Vitxalmour on September 02, 2022, 04:50:49 PM
Valcürïăs happily the most consistent team.

..until today! Valcürïăs is the sixth of seven TCAT team to secure a daily points lead, with their riders finishing in second (M. Lopez), third (Roglič) and fourth (Almeida) place. The stage winner is again Richard Carapaz, which boosts Gordon Hiatus Support Team and Kinetic Racing to second and third place.

Carapaz was part of a breakaway including other TCAT rider Mads Pedersen, who grabbed intermediate sprint points before dropping away. The breakaway did eventually get caught, except for Carapaz himself, who won by just 8" over Lopez and Roglič. The loser of the day is GC leader Remco Evenepoel, just 8th, who fell apart on the last climb and let Roglič claw back all of the time he had gained in Tuesday's ITT.

As for the TCAT standings, KIN is capping off a great second week (+1915 points since Tuesday, second best) by completing their fightback from fifth to second place. CJO falls to third as a result.

Standings after Stage 14:
1. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 4877 (+571)
2. Kinetic Racing - 4144 (+532)
3. Naziun Cjovani - 4037 (+373)
4. Els Gagnheirs - 3834 (+384)
5. Velociposse Florencia - 3694 (+378)
6. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 3587 (+434)
7. Valcürïăs - 2832 (+581)

Tomorrow we end on both the longest climb and the highest summit of the Vuelta, the 19.1 kilometers to the Alto Hoya de la Mora. Could be the most exciting stage of this edition. If Evenepoel gets in trouble again it could cost him the red jersey...

3,5 km to go. Hup Arensman!!

Arensman (BdC) wins "queen stage", but Velociposse get the highest score.

An impressive feat by Arensman today, winning the stage after being in a breakaway all day, together with Pedersen (GHS, KIN, GNH, BDC), Hindley (VFL, BDC), Carapaz (GHS, KIN), Dennis (GHS, GNH), Meintjes (GHS), McNulty (KIN), Masnada (GNH) and Mäder (VAL). Halfway through the very long final climb he attacked from an already greatly reduced group soloing for 6 km to arrive first at the finish, before Mas (VFL, GNH) and M. Lopez (VAL) who were the winners in the group of favourites. Roglic also managed to gain some time on Evenepoel, who had been struggling a lot yesterday. He didn't completely break however, keeping the losses limited and a lead in the GC of 1'34". Loser of the day was Kelderman (BdC) who fell early in the stage and couldn't keep up with the favourites in the end.

All this combined made a great result for the Velociposse who scored the most points and came close to overtaking Gagnheirs for the fourth place in the overall standing. No changes the overall ranking today, nor any major changes in the top of the GC, but we did get a sense of which riders still have something to gain, and which riders would prefer to be in Madrid already.

Standings after Stage 14:
1. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 5138 (+261)
2. Kinetic Racing - 4456 (+312)
3. Naziun Cjovani - 4421 (+384)
4. Els Gagnheirs - 4192 (+358)
5. Velociposse Florencia - 4187 (+493)
6. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 4062 (+475)
7. Valcürïăs - 3271 (+439)

Madrid is still a week away however, and the riders are in need of a rest day. On Tuesday we get one final stage in Andalusia, riding from the coastal town of Sanlucar de Barrameda to the Sevilla suburb of Tomares. (Sevilla of course is known as the setting of El Taloçait d'Isiviglha (http://wiki.talossa.com/The_Berber_of_Seville), a Talossan classic). The stage itself will maybe be less interesting than its surroundings. It will likely turn out to be a mass sprint again, which should provide a good opportunity for Els Gagnheirs, although Naziun Cjovani will put their hopes on Groves again.

Virtual standing update! (differences compared to last week's update)

Expected Final Classification points after stage 15:
1. CJO - 1440 (+180)
2. GHS - 1290 (-130)
3. VFL - 1280 (-150)
4. KIN - 1230 (+200)
5. VAL - 1165 (+275)
6. BDC - 1020 (+75)
7. GNH - 960 (-110)

Expected Daily Classification points after stage 15:
1. KIN - 636
2. GNH - 534
3. GHS - 522
4. CJO - 516
5. VAL - 474
6. VFL - 468
7. BDC - 450

Total virtual standing after stage 15:
(Actual + Expected Final + Expected Daily)
1. Gordon Hiatus Support Team - 6950 (+2064)
2. Naziun Cjovani - 6377 (+1902)
3. Kinetic Racing - 6322 (+2112)
4. Velociposse Florencia - 5935 (+1255)
5. Els Gagnheirs - 5686 (+1191)
6. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 5532 (+1759)
7. Valcürïăs - 4910 (+2050)

Kinetic Racing had the strongest week overall, despite never getting the most points in a stage, they still had mostly strong stage results and held on well in the classifications too. GHST lost Yates and saw Hart drop quite a bit in the standing, but this was compensated by some really strong stage results, including wins by Carapaz and Meintjes. They are a very clear favourite at this stage. The main problem for Kinetic is that whenever they do well, GHST also seems to do well, which makes it hard to gain many points on them.

Naziun Cjovani could also still hope for a second victory, particularly if Roglic beats Evenepoel in the end and Groves gets a couple more strong results in the sprint.

On the other end, Valcürias actually had a decent week, mostly due to the results of M. Lopez. They are still in last place, both in the actual standing and the virtual standing, but there may still be some hope of not ending up with the red lantern if either BdC or Gagnheirs has a poor last week.

Welcome to the third and last week of TCAT 2: Vuelta Edition!

So, stage 16. Largely a boring, flat affair, with a two man breakaway without TCAT involvement, the curveballs all came at the end: potential stage winner Kaden Groves (CJO) got a puncture, and just under 3 km from the end so did red jersey Remco Evenepoel (GHS,KIN,CJO) - just as Primoz Roglic (CJO,VFL,VAL) tried a surprise attack in a 5 man dash including Mads Pedersen (GHS,KIN,GNH,BDC) and Pascal Ackermann (GNH,VFL). More surprises followed as Pedersen attacked after the last bend and a scrambling Roglic fell just 150m from the line!

Pedersen got a second stage win and Ackermann a second place, which translate in Gagnheirs winning the day by quite some margin, and also snatching third place from Naziun Cjovani. Luckily for Evenepoel, the 3km rule means his time will be neutralised to the same time as the main peloton, so no harm done.

Standings after Stage 16:
1. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 5455 (+317)
2. Kinetic Racing - 4788 (+332)
3. Els Gagnheirs - 4703 (+511)
4. Naziun Cjovani - 4497 (+76)
5. Velociposse Florencia - 4455 (+268)
6. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 4380 (+318)
7. Valcürïăs - 3370 (+99)

Tomorrow's menu, as per Vuelta's website: "a leg-breaker stage, with constant ups and downs, that is sure to be affected by the Extremadura heat. It will be a golden opportunity for a breakaway. The final [2nd cat.] climb up Tentudía is not excessively difficult, but it is unlikely to end in a sprint (not even for a reduced peloton) and will not be conducive to creating any big differences among the favourites. Those who manage to escape will have to work really hard."

Just heard Roglic is out. This should be interesting.

Abandono Roglic!

For the second time this edition Valcürïăs scored the most points, mostly due to the work of Mäder, who was the first TCAT rider across the finishline today. And yet, it is a bitter midevening for the team, as they will have to continue this edition without Primoz Roglic, whose fall yesterday made him unable to start the stage today. A devastating blow to any hope the Valkyries may have had of not ending last this season.

It is deeply unfortunate for Roglic, who had been getting better as the tour progressed as has been gaining time on Evenepoel in the last two mountain stages, and was clearly looking to win take over the red jersey. Instead, Evenepoel, who had been struggling in the last couple of stages, suddenly is a lot more secure in his jersey and is now again the heavy favourite to win the event. Of course, it's not over yet, as the withdrawal of Roglic will also boost the chances of Enric Mas, who is 2 minutes behind on Evenepoel, but appears to be in better form after 2,5 weeks.

The departure is also devastating to Naziun Cjovani, who saw their chances of a repeat victory washed away and Velociposse Florencia, who are headed for a bottom-3 finish. Meanwhile, GHST is looking increasingly certain to win the event with the only realistic competition left coming from Kinetic Racing, who are now securely in second place and gained a bit on GHST today.

Standings after Stage 17:
1. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 5455 (+113)
2. Kinetic Racing - 4788 (+130)
3. Els Gagnheirs - 4703 (+147)
4. Naziun Cjovani - 4497 (+77)
5. Velociposse Florencia - 4455 (+90)
6. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 4380 (+125)
7. Valcürïăs - 3370 (+172)

Tomorrow we remain in Extremadura, deep in the Spanish inland. The stage (Trujillo -> Alto de Piornal) is a mountain stage, with one 2nd category and two 1st category climbs. Not the most challenging stage this edition, but the chances for the remaining competition to get ahead of Evenepoel (GHS, KIN, CJO) are running out. With Roglic gone, eyes will be on Mas (VFL, GNH) to show that he can be one to do it.

Today: Remco Evenepoel finally gets his stage win (excluding last Monday's ITT); Kinetic Racing is the seventh and last team to get a daily points lead; and, sadly, polkadot jersey wearer Jay Vine abandons due to an incident early on.

Evenepoel (GHS,KIN,CJO) - cruelly, Glüc would say - snatches victory from the hands of Jumbo-Visma's Robert Gesink by just two seconds, catching him together with Enric Mas with metres to go. Gesink had been part of a rather large breakaway of 42 riders, including TCAT's Carapaz (GHS,KIN), Geoghegan Hart (GHS), Masnada (GNH), Owsian (VFL), Bol (CJO) and Mader (VAL) - GC contender Joao Almeida (VAL,GNH,BDC) somewhat forced the peloton to keep close (5'ish) to an otherwise leaderless breakaway by riding one minute ahead, and this likely facilitated the decision by Evenepoel & co. not to let the breakaway contest the win.

Good performances by Evenepoel, O'Connor and new polkadot wearer Carapaz translate in a first daily points lead for Kinetic, who outscore overall leaders GHST for the fourth time in a row to thin their lead even further. Further back, the race for fourth cannot get any tighter with just 47 points separating Naziun Cjovani and 6th placed BdC.

Standings after Stage 18:
1. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 5965 (+395)
2. Kinetic Racing - 5408 (+490)
3. Els Gagnheirs - 5215 (+365)
4. Naziun Cjovani - 4952 (+378)
5. Velociposse Florencia - 4936 (+391)
6. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 4905 (+400)
7. Valcürïăs - 3799 (+257)

Tomorrow, the stage consists in two laps of the 2nd category climb Puerto del Piélago beginning and ending in Talavera de la Reina. Should be short and intense, but not very conducive to any major final bids for the red jersey.

McNulty tries to score for Kinetic Racing, but doesn't succeed.

The gap between GHST and Kinetic Racing is looking increasingly insurmountable. McNulty (KIN) was in the attack today, looking for a stagewin and to bring his team back in the race for the overall victory. He didn't succeed however, as the peloton caught up with him before the second summit of the day and the stage ended in another mass sprint. Pedersen (GHS, KIN, GNH, BDC) proved again that he is the fastest this edition, and got his third stage win. GHST won the day in the end, because aside from Pedersen, Van Baarle also scored well. The Pedersen win was also good news for BdC who jumped to fourth place in the standings.

Standings after Stage 19:
1. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 6344 (+381)
2. Kinetic Racing - 5777 (+369)
3. Els Gagnheirs - 5530 (+315)
4. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 5213 (+308)
5. Naziun Cjovani - 5000 (+48)
6. Velociposse Florencia - 4993 (+57)
7. Valcürïăs - 3927 (+128)

Tomorrow is decision day. Evenepoel, Carapaz, and GHST are in a very strong position in the general, king of the mountains, and team classification respectively. Tomorrow is realistically the last opportunity for anyone to change that. All eyes will be on Mas in particular, who is looking strong, but could not find a way to break Evenepoel on thursday. Mas will need to attack early tomorrow, but it's very much an uphill battle for him.

The stage itself provides plenty of opportunity for anyone looking to shake things up, starting in Moralzarzal, just to the northwest of Madrid, and starting almost immediately with the first climb of Puerto de Navacerrada (1st category). After that we get another four summits, ending again at the ski resort of Puerta de Navacerrada.

Quick update on the virtual standing:

If all the individual rankings stay the same over the next two days the teams would get the following end of tour points:

GHS 1390
KIN 1330
GNH 1210
BDC 1010
VFL 940
CJO 890
VAL 805

The effect of Roglic dropping out is massive as the bottom three teams were all on course to score at least 500 points more before he crashed.

Together with the daily classification points and the current standings this gives the following virtual standing:

1. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 7920
2. Kinetic Racing - 7325
3. Els Gagnheirs - 6930
4. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 6371
5. Velociposse Florencia - 6047
6. Naziun Cjovani - 5986
7. Valcürïăs - 4840

Something quite spectacular needs to happen this weekend for GHST to not win or Valcürïas to not end 7th, and the biggest part of that needs to happen tomorrow, because there wont be much room for a change in the standings on saturday.

We do still have a close race for second (between Kinetic and Gagnheirs) and fourth/fifth (between BdC, Velociposse and Cjovani).
Kinetic Racing does seem favoured to become second, though they should be wary to not lose any terrain tomorrow, as Gagnheirs may have the edge on the final sprintstage on sunday because of Ackermann. The withdrawal of Roglic means BdC now seems favoured to take fourth place. However the differences are small enough that anything can still happen.

And so decision day draws to a close, with a third stage win for Richard Carapaz (GHS,KIN). A trio including Carapaz, Higuita (GNH) and Meintjes (GHS) broke away on the penultimate climb, to take the KOM points and the intermediate sprint, only to splinter apart on the last climb as Meintjes first, Higuita second were reeled in by the pursuers, led by the usual group of GC leaders.

Carapaz held on to win his third stage of this Vuelta, followed by an attacking Thymen Arensman (BDC) in front of the rest of the chasers rounding out the top 10. Dropped from the lead, Carlos Rodriguez, who loses two places in the GC to the benefit of Arensman and Joao Almeida (BDC,GNH,VAL).

The predicted attack by Enric Mas did not come after all -- Remco Evenepoel is all but assured to win the 2022 Vuelta a España, his 2 minutes lead likely to stay intact as we head to our sub-100km, flat-as-a-pancake final stage. Richard Carapaz wins the polkadot jersey, and Mads Pedersen the points classification - both with three stage wins to their name after a kinda underwhelming first week, in different ways.

As per TCAT, it's another GHST daily win, Louis Meintjes's seventh place providing the points to make the difference over Kinetic and our many shared riders. It's not all over yet, though: the race for 5th place should come down to the wire, and particularly Cjovani, Gagnheirs and Velociposse have the chance to put a final mark on TCAT 2 with sprinters such as Pedersen, Groves and Ackermann.

Standings after Stage 20:
1. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 6952 (+608)
2. Kinetic Racing - 6319 (+542)
3. Els Gagnheirs - 5928 (+398)
4. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 5676 (+463)
5. Velociposse Florencia - 5316 (+323)
6. Naziun Cjovani - 5217 (+217)
7. Valcürïăs - 4138 (+211)

Cant do the full update now, so that will have to wait for tomorrow. Sorry :(

In short,

* TCAT made it to Madrid

* Another sprint, another Gagnheirs win

* Gordon Hiatus Support Team now officially confirmed as the winner of this TCAT!

Full update, scores, final standings tomorrow.

Apologies for the delay.

As expected the final stage was a low pace slow affair, with lots of photo ops and celebrating by Evenepoel (general classification winner, red jersey), Pedersen (points classification winner, green jersey), Carapaz (king of the mountains winner, blue polkadot jersey) and the rest of the Gordon Hiatus Support Team.  Plapp (GNH) bravely tried to stay ahead of the peloton in the final rounds and managed to hold on for an impressively long time, but the peloton caught him and we did get the traditional mass sprint. Pedersen (GHS, KIN, GNH, BDC) was the first TCAT rider across the finish again, followed by Ackermann (GNH, VFL), resulting in the most points going to Els Gagnheirs.

Standing after all 21 stages (without final classification points):
1. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 7235 (+283)
2. Kinetic Racing - 6631 (+312)
3. Els Gagnheirs - 6406 (+478)
4. Banqeu da Cézembre OneFiftyZero - 5941 (+265)
5. Velociposse Florencia - 5565 (+249)
6. Naziun Cjovani - 5392 (+175)
7. Valcürïăs - 4217 (+79)

In seventh place:


Team:
Roglic 1549 [abandono: stage 17]
M. Lopez 1357
Almeida 1248
Cavagna 326
Mäder 321
Diaz 95
Adria 89 [abandono: stage 8]
Cabedo 47
Cimolai 30

Stage points	2787
Daily GC points	833	Final GC points	750	Overall GC points	1583
Daily PC points	36	Final PC points	0	Overall PC points	36
Daily KOM points	17	Final KOM points	15	Overall KOM points	32
Intermediate Sprint points	16
Summit points	60
Breakaway points	60
Daily assist points	408	Final assist points	80	Total assist points	488
Total daily points	4217	Total final classification points	845	Total points	5062

Valcürïăs went for a linguistics based strategy, being the only team not to spend the full allocated budget on riders. This was a risky strategy that led to some interesting choices. Sadly, it did not pay off. The strong performance of Miguel Angel Lopez kept some hope alive of the Valkyries not ending last, but the very unfortunate crash of Primoz Roglic, who was in strong form and looked like the main contender for the victory in the general classification if he hadn't been forced to withdraw, put an end to that hope.

Shit shit shit

I meant to quote the Valcurias post to use the format for the next one (and then remove the [ quote ] bit), but instead I accidentally edited the original post which means now the Valcurias post is gone.

@Dr. Txec dal Nordselvă, GST, any chance the previous edit can be recovered?

Quote from: Glüc da Dhi S.H. on September 13, 2022, 04:45:40 PM
Shit shit shit

I meant to quote the Valcurias post to use the format for the next one (and then remove the [ quote ] bit), but instead I accidentally edited the original post which means now the Valcurias post is gone.

@Dr. Txec dal Nordselvă, GST, any chance the previous edit can be recovered?

That's somehow fitting.

(If anyone is wanting to learn the Valcürïăs strategy, we chose only the cyclists with accent marks in their names, in honour of our plenitude of the same.)

Im just posting this here for now and Ill revert the first post back to Ṿⱥłçür̃įẫꞩ later
In sixth place:


Team:
Evenepoel 2659
Roglic 1549 [abandono: stage 17]
O'Connor 889
Groves 627
Kuss 251 [abandono: stage 9]
Affini 168 [abandono: stage 10]
Adria 89 [abandono: stage 8]
Bol 40
Cimolai 30

Stage points	3744
Daily GC points	1192	Final GC points	800	Overall GC points	1992
Daily PC points	93	Final PC points	70	Overall PC points	163
Daily KOM points	26	Final KOM points	40	Overall KOM points	66
Intermediate Sprint points	6
Summit points	61
Breakaway points	80
Daily assist points	190	Final assist points	0	Total assist points	190
Total daily points	5392	Total final classification points	910	Total points	6302

The winning team of the first edition was plagued by withdrawals this time. Losing Kuss early was a bad start. Still, Naziun Cjovani were still looking like a contender for the victory after two weeks, with Evenepoel and Roglic as the two main contenders for the Maillot Rojo. However, even as Evenepoel won the GC, Naziun Cjovani had a poor final week. Losing Roglic was particularly devastating of course. Still, Naziun Cjovani is the only team to feature the winner of both editions so far.

In fifth place:


Team:
E. Mas 2415
Roglic 1549 [abandono: stage 17]
Ackerman 973
Hindley 941
Yates 437 [abandono: stage 11]
Affini 168 [abandono: stage 10]
Parra 25
Owsian 2
Carretero 0 [abandono: stage 11]

Stage points	4016
Daily GC points	1057	Final GC points	685	Overall GC points	1742
Daily PC points	68	Final PC points	100	Overall PC points	168
Daily KOM points	39	Final KOM points	80	Overall KOM points	119
Intermediate Sprint points	20
Summit points	71
Breakaway points	0
Daily assist points	294	Final assist points	80	Total assist points	374
Total daily points	5565	Total final classification points	945	Total points	6510

This would have been a very strong debut for Velociposse, with a team consisting of several strong climbers who turned out to be especially strong on the most challenging mountain stages, but like some of the other teams they too were plagued by withdrawals. Yates contracting covid was a disappointment, but Roglic crashing was an even bigger problem for the team. Thankfully Velociposse had a strong backup in Enric Mas, who on most days was able to keep up with Evenepoel, finishing second overall.

In fourth place:


Team:
Pedersen 2090
Almeida 1248
Arensman 1233
Hindley 941
Kelderman 582
Yates 437 [abandono: stage 11]
Hayer 295 [abandono: stage 10]
Van Gils 84 [abandono: stage 16]
J. Lopez 51

Stage points	4331
Daily GC points	834	Final GC points	790	Overall GC points	1624
Daily PC points	216	Final PC points	120	Overall PC points	336
Daily KOM points	38	Final KOM points	60	Overall KOM points	98
Intermediate Sprint points	138
Summit points	58
Breakaway points	40
Daily assist points	286	Final assist points	50	Total assist points	336
Total daily points	5941	Total final classification points	1020	Total points	6961

The plan was a more balanced approach with less focus on one or two favourites and hopefully more contributions from less expensive riders. This didn't really go according to plan, as outside of the phenomal Pedersen it took very long for the other teammembers to start scoring. Losing Hayter just before the time trial didn't help. In the end, things turned around a bit. For Arensman in particular the tour could have been longer as he grew stronger by the day towards the final stages. In the end, BdC was the only team without a top 4 finisher in the GC.

Quote from: Glüc da Dhi S.H. on September 13, 2022, 04:45:40 PM
Shit shit shit

I meant to quote the Valcurias post to use the format for the next one (and then remove the [ quote ] bit), but instead I accidentally edited the original post which means now the Valcurias post is gone.

@Dr. Txec dal Nordselvă, GST, any chance the previous edit can be recovered?

I don't believe I can recover an edited post. I can only recover a deleted post. Sorry.

In third place:


Team:
E. Mas 2415
Pedersen 2090
Almeida 1248
Ackermann 973
Masnada 294
Higuita 245
Plapp 208
Dennis 162
Alaphillippe 101 [abandono: stage 11]

Stage points	4331
Daily GC points	700	Final GC points	840	Overall GC points	1540
Daily PC points	248	Final PC points	220	Overall PC points	468
Daily KOM points	32	Final KOM points	100	Overall KOM points	132
Intermediate Sprint points	204
Summit points	85
Breakaway points	80
Daily assist points	726	Final assist points	170	Total assist points	896
Total daily points	6406	Total final classification points	1330	Total points	7736

Having a second sprinter besides Pedersen caused Els Gagnheirs to score the most points on the flatter stages, but Els Gagnheirs did well in the mountains too due to Mas and Almeida. Relatively unharmed by covid and crashes (although with the sad exception of Alaphillippe), this was a very strong debut for the team from MM, resulting in a spot on the podium.

We at GNH headquarters are pleased to have done well on our inaugural outing, but vow to return in the future and crush all who come before us. We will ride to victory on a road made of their lamentations.

In second place:


Team:
Evenepoel 2659
Pedersen 2090
Carapaz 1436
O'Connor 889
Cavagna 326
McNulty 268
Devenyns 166
Alaphillippe 101 [abandono: stage 11]
De Gendt 51

Stage points	4428
Daily GC points	839	Final GC points	910	Overall GC points	1749
Daily PC points	274	Final PC points	195	Overall PC points	469
Daily KOM points	100	Final KOM points	160	Overall KOM points	260
Intermediate Sprint points	206
Summit points	124
Breakaway points	100
Daily assist points	560	Final assist points	90	Total assist points	650
Total daily points	6631	Total final classification points	1355	Total points	7986

Kinetic managed to win all four jerseys this edition. Quite an achievement. The team consistently scored well as Evenepoel dominated the mountains and Pedersen dominated the sprint and still managed to improve their position towards the end because of the mountain stages won by Carapaz. A very strong performance, but one team prevented Kinetic from winning this time.

Congrats to Audrada on scoring the most points over two editions this season.

Ok, it took a while, because it's been a busy week, but here it is:

The winning team of the Talossan Cycling Association Tour, season 1, edition 2, Utrecht -> Madrid 2022 is...


Team:
Evenepoel 2659
Pedersen 2090
Carapaz 1436
Meintjes 768
Geoghegan Hart 734
Yates 437 [abandono: stage 11]
Van Baarle 318
Dennis 162
Norsgaard 16 [abandono: stage 10]

Stage points	4974
Daily GC points	1044	Final GC points	910	Overall GC points	1954
Daily PC points	273	Final PC points	195	Overall PC points	468
Daily KOM points	89	Final KOM points	160	Overall KOM points	249
Intermediate Sprint points	208
Summit points	143
Breakaway points	100
Daily assist points	404	Final assist points	120	Total assist points	524
Total daily points	7235	Total final classification points	1385	Total points	8620

The Gordon Hiatus Support Team cruelly ditched Roglic from their team after a disappointing performance last time. It did help, cause with the riders the budget was spent on GHST was a stage winning machine this time. The winning started with the prologue in Utrecht and didn't really end after that, with Meintjes winning a stage as well in addition to the three jersey winners. The score could have been even bigger if Yates hadn't tested positive for covid, but otherwise the team was relatively unharmed by withdrawals. A very strong performance.

Congrations to Lüc on the victory of GHST!

That was it for TCAT this season. Many thanks to @Audrada Roibeardet, @Lüc, @Iason Taiwos, @Baron Alexandreu Davinescu, @Breneir Tzaracomprada, and @Vitxalmour for participating.

We will take a long break for now. The peloton will make one more stop in Australia for the world championships, but riders won't be representing their teams there.

That means for the teamleaders, I will see you all in May 2023!

(Most likely near Pescara, Italy. The exact location and route will be announced in the coming months, probably October 17th? Lüc promises he will definitely do the live reporting from one or more of the stages next time  ;D )

Thank you Glüc for organising and keeping everyone up to date, and thank you everyone else for participating. Hope to see you all for TCAT 3 next year!

That was really fun to follow along! Great job, guys!

So the route for the first leg of TCAT 2023 has been revealed! We'll start in Fossacesia, Italy on May 6th.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbG9LLJRKbY

The climbing time trial to Monte Lussari should be very exciting.