Wittenberg

And we're back again. Two new teams and one returning team have joined 8 teams from leg 1 to cross the border into France. 3498 grueling kilometers of climbing, sprinting and racing against the clock await in the coming three weeks while the team captains sit at home and enjoy the show. The goal is to score the most points by winning stages and doing well in three classifications: the King of the Mountains classification (polkadot jersey), the points classification (green jersey) and the general classification (yellow jersey) which determines which individual rider wins this leg of TCAT.

The following teams are participating:

Some stats:

2 spinters -> 4 teams (Usually a good strategy)
3 climbers -> 3 teams (There were a lot of good climbers available this time)
4 unclassed -> 3 teams
3 all rounders -> 1 team (And all three belonging to the big-4 too. Impressive þerxh managed to fit all three of them in. Fiescha are definitely one of the teams to watch this edition.)

Big four:

Pogacar -> 5 teams. Notably every team that picked Pogacar for leg 1 picked him again and every team that didn't pick him left him out again. Last time that ended well for the Pogacar teams. Of course this time there may be a little bit more competition for Pogacar.

Vingegaard -> 6 teams. Last years winner of course and still cheaper than Pogacar so makes sense.

Roglic -> 3 teams. The two Maricopan teams are the only two that didn't pick either Pogacar or Vingegaard, but they do both have Roglic.

Evenepoel -> 3 teams. Always in combination with Vingegaard


Another interesting note: both of the completely new teams did not use all 100 credits. A very brave strategy.

So I went to velogames and it is still showing my roster from the 1st leg. I can't find the new roster or results from yesterday.

Quote from: Tric'hard Lenxheir on June 30, 2024, 07:42:09 AMSo I went to velogames and it is still showing my roster from the 1st leg. I can't find the new roster or results from yesterday.

That's odd. If you go to the main page and then log in -> visit team it should show the correct team. Well either way you can find the current scores here: https://www.velogames.com/velogame/2024/leaguescores.php?league=639289433

(Neither you nor Dead2Last are actually last, but theres only one point between you which is interesting.)

Stage 1 Firenze -> Rimini

Two years after TCAT began in Copenhagen, welcome to the second leg of season 3 - the seventh overall! We're very glad to have you with us.

Well -- not as glad as Romain Bardet (MAN/PTM) was to win the inaugural stage and therefore wear the yellow jersey of the general classification leader in his last Tour de France before switching to cyclocross next year. The Frenchman attacked with 50km to go and was helped by a teammate in the early breakaway to pull away and then successfully fend off the charging peloton with a few hundred meters to spare.

Wout van Aert (PTM) ultimately won the sprint for third place, ahead of Tadej Pogacar (BDC/CFA/CHX/CJO/GHS) and Maxim van Gils (ARB), which means Port Maxhestic score almost twice as many points as everyone else, gifting them an early lead in TCAT França 2024.

Finish photo:

(https://www.procyclingstats.com/photos/cw/fa/romain-bardet-wins-stage-1-of-the-2024-tour-de-france.jpg)

Standings after stage 1:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	645	+645
2nd	(=)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	335	+335
3rd	(=)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	318	+318
4th	(=)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	317	+317
5th	(=)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	306	+306
6th	(=)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	280	+280
7th	(=)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	266	+266
8th	(=)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	244	+244
9th	(=)	Dead2Last (VFL)	226	+226
10th	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	225	+225
11th	(=)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	177	+177

Stage 2 Cesenatico -> Bologna

Today we got a hilly stage finishing in the city known for naming the most famous pasta sauce and having at least one more leaning tower than Pisa. The stage included two climbs of a short but rather steep section near the finish that could potentially be used by gc contenders to get a headstart on their opponents. The stage was suited a for a break and indeed the early attack did succeed, with Abrahamsen (DED) being the first TCAT rider across the line. Abrahamsen was wearing the polkajersey after yesterday but will now also add the green jersey to his collection as he takes the lead in the points classification.

Behind the break there were four GC riders to get a 20 second gap on the others: Vingegaard, Pogacar, Evenepoel, and, surprisingly, Carapaz! (PTM), who actually finished first in their little group. Pogacar takes the yellow jersey for now however. It's a good sign for Vingegaard as this is the kind of stage where Pogacar might be expected to beat him and some thought Vingegaard would lose time and strike back in the third week.

As a result the stage bodes pretty well for Port Maxhestic, who extend their lead, getting the second most points today. However, today's winner are Dead Last, due to the performance by Abrahamsen. They jump into second place.

Standings after stage 2:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	887	+242
2nd	(+8)	Dead Last (DED)	622	+397
3rd	(=)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	509	+191
4th	(-2)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	442	+107
5th	(=)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	422	+116
6th	(+2)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	381	+137
7th	(-3)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	381	+64
8th	(-1)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	369	+103
9th	(-3)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	347	+67
10th	(-1)	Dead2Last (VFL)	311	+85
11th	(=)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	278	+101

Tomorrow should be the first opportunity for the sprinters as we move into Turin for the final Italian stage before we cross the border intro France.

Stage 3 Piacenza -> Torino

Boring flat stage for sprinters which only got interesting right at the end (as these often do). A major, late mass crash with three kilometres to go split the peloton. Many delayed riders, among them potential contenders for today's stage win Jasper Philipsen (MAN/GHS), Wout van Aert (PTM) and several top GC contenders.

Non-TCAT Biniam Girmay ultimately triumphed for a second grand tour stage win and a first at Tour; second place for Fernando Gaviria (GHS), third place for Arnaud de Lie (ARB/BDC) with Mads Pedersen (VFL/MCB) and Dylan Groenewegen (DED) rounding out the top 5.

No time losses for the general classification, however Richard Carapaz (PTM) takes maillot jaune off Tadej Pogacar (CHX/CFA/BDC/CJO/GHS) due to a lower combination of results - the Ecuadorean taking full advantage of not being delayed by the crash -and- of teammate Marijn van den Berg (CFA)'s leadout to secure a 14th place which was more than enough to make up the results gap with Pogacar.

Third day and third different stage winner for TCAT as well, with the Cabana Boys leading the field due to Pedersen and Fabio Jakobsen (7th), ahead of GHST and Dead2Last. Port Maxhestic retains a healthy lead.

Finish photo:

(https://www.procyclingstats.com/photos/cw/df/biniam-girmay-wins-stage-3-of-the-2024-tour-de-france.jpg)
LTR: De Lie (ARB/BDC), Ballerini, Pedersen (VFL/MCB), Girmay, Gaviria (GHS), Bauhaus

Standings after stage 3:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	1020	+133
2nd	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	850	+228
3rd	(+3)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	695	+314
4th	(+1)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	666	+244
5th	(+3)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	650	+281
6th	(-2)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	627	+185
7th	(-4)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	625	+116
8th	(+2)	Dead2Last (VFL)	576	+265
9th	(+2)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	506	+228
10th	(-3)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	477	+96
11th	(-2)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	421	+74

Today is Col du Galibier time as Tour crosses the Alps into France! Expect action and potential early trouble for major contenders!

Heck yeah! Go MCB!

(https://i.giphy.com/media/hsDDbpFsSWKVSE2DaB/giphy.gif)

Stage 4 Pinerolo -> Valloire

As predicted, first significant stage for the general classification! An early breakaway including Stephen Williams (GHS), Bruno Armirail (CJO) and Mathieu van der Poel (ARB/MAN) was caught on the slopes of the mighty Galibier, as the peloton was soon reduced to eight riders: the big four of Pogacar (CHX/CFA/BDC/CJO/GHS), Vingegaard (DED/ARB/VFL/CFA/CJO/PTM), Roglic (VFL/MAN/MCB) and Evenepoel (DED/CFA/PTM), plus two more TCAT riders, Rodriguez (CHX/BDC/MAN/MCB/GHS) and Almeida (ARB/MAN).

It was of course Pogacar who attacked first, around a kilometer from the summit, and had a decisive 10" edge on Vingegaard as the descent to the stage finish began, which extended to a 35" gap at the finishing line on Evenepoel, non-TCAT Ayuso and Roglic, while Vingegaard and Rodriguez finished a further two seconds later. Almeida placed in eighth, and a much more delayed Santiago Buitrago (CHX/GHS) rounded off the TCAT top ten finishers.

Tadej Pogacar thus regains the leader's jersey with a lead of 45" over Evenepoel and 50" over Vingegaard, with former holder Richard Carapaz (PTM) losing a full five minutes and plummeting down the order. These gaps are expected to endure until Friday's time trial, which will be the next opportunity for GC riders to make or close the gaps.

In TCAT, Fieschă makes the most of holding all of Pogacar, Evenepoel and Vingegaard to finish top of the table, with teams heavy with top GC contenders rounding off the top half of the daily standings. Port Maxhestic still leads in front of Dead Last, with Fieschă vaulting to third.

Finish photo:

(https://www.procyclingstats.com/photos/cw/dc/tadej-pogacar-wins-stage-4-of-the-2024-tour-de-france.jpg)

Standings after stage 4:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	1473	+453
2nd	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	1359	+509
3rd	(+4)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	1335	+710
4th	(+2)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	1235	+608
5th	(-1)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	1221	+555
6th	(-1)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	1209	+559
7th	(-4)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	1033	+338
8th	(+2)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	1017	+540
9th	(-1)	Dead2Last (VFL)	984	+408
10th	(+1)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	902	+481
11th	(-2)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	826	+320

Both Wednesday and Thursday feature sprinter stages; a chance for two-sprinter teams to shine after a very atypical sprint on Monday? GHST, MCB, Ardita and Dead Last will want to maximise their intake - Ardita in particular can also hope to score with leadouts Laporte and van der Poel - with Cyclohexane also looking to place "unclassed-sprinter" Turgis in the points.

35. Who saw this coming?

Whelp that was short lived lol

Before I do my tcat update, some note on historic achievement.

I'm sure if I were to ask Tric'hard or Breneir 'who is the greatest cyclist of all time?' they would tell me without any hesitation: 'Eddy Merckx of course!'. They would be correct. Belgian legend Eddy Merckx, the cannibal, has won so many things it's impossible to list them all. He could do anything on a bike. There are many reasons why he is considered the goat of cycling, but one of them is winning, between 1969 and 1975, a total of 34 Tour de France stages, an absolutely incredible number.

We will likely never see anyone like Merckx again. That's however not just down to his skills, but also due to the nature of cycling. The competition has not just become stronger, but more specialised. The fastest riders have become really fast, even if they are less likely to get over the Tourmalet within the time limit. To win stages therefore you also need to be really fast, which requires power, which means you need to bring some weight. That weight however is a problem when going uphill, where suddenly you are more likely to face skeletons on a bike, who are now so light they barely notice they are going up on a 20% gradient.

As a result cyclists just can't do everything anymore and the sport has become compartmentalised. Sprinters go really fast in the final km, rouleurs aren't as explosive but can keep going for a long amount of time, puncheurs are explosive and great at hilly or rolling terrain, climbers are good uphill. This is the reason why none of the riders currently doing tcat have won anywhere near 34 stages.



...well, except Mark Cavendish of course. No he can't do everything like Merckx, but he is really really good at one particular trick: sprinting. At his best he was unbeatable. In 2009,10 and 11 he won 6, 5, and 5 Tour de France stages. Imagine how many velogames points that would have scored!! However, that was more than a decade ago. Cavendish is old now. In 2021, at age 36 he won his 34th tour stage, equalling the record set by Merckx, but it was unclear if he could ever beat that. He was supposed to retire last year. 2023 was his final shot at beating the record, and while he got a couple decent results in the first week, he did not win a stage. The competition has become too strong. His final tour prematurely ended in disaster as he crashed in stage 8 and broke his collarbone.

Still he got close enough that he decided to change his mind and cancel his retirement. One more shot at eternal glory. Let's be honest, we didn't think he would succeed. None of us picked him. The greatest sprinter of all time for only 8 velogame credits? Nope, too old, probably wouldn't even make it to the finish. No TCAT for Cavendish this edition. Well, we were wrong. Mark Cavendish won today, beating current best sprinter Philipsen. 35 stage wins, a new record! Greatest cyclist of all time? Merckx of course, but Cavendish won more tour stages...


(https://img.aso.fr/core_app/img-cycling-tdf-jpg/arrivee/57581/0:0,1200:800-1000-0-70/df318)
Mark Cavendish (no team), beats Philipsen (GHS, MAN) to win his 35th ever tour stage. Source: letour.fr

Stage 5 Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne -> Saint Vulbas

Except for the final kilometers a pretty unremarkable stage as we move away from the Alps towards the north west (we'll come back to the Alps don't worry). As predicted the stage ended in a bunch sprint. Jasper Philipsen (MAN/GHS) was the first TCAT rider across the line, with De Lie (ARB/BDC) in 4th, Jakobsen (MCB) in 5th, Ackermann (DED/ARB/CJO) in 6th and Van den Berg (CFA), Gaviria (GHS), Groenewegen (DED), Coquard (CHX), Turgis (CHX), Bissegger (CJO) and Gibbons (CFA) also in the top 20.

Pedersen (VFL/MCB) unfortunately crashed in the final km. He didn't suffer any fractures, but it's still not clear if he'll able to continue. More on that tomorrow morning. Also bad news for Port Maxhestic AC, as Wout van Aert didn't bother with the sprint. PTM should very much want him to participate in these in order to stay in the points race.

As a result they are overtaken by Dead Last, creating a funny situation where Dead Last is actually first and Dead2Last is last in the standings. However, it is GHST who scored the most points today, due to the results by Philipsen and Gaviria. They jump into third place.

Standings after stage 5:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(+1)	Dead Last (DED)	1599	+240
2nd	(-1)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	1548	+75
3rd	(+3)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	1526	+317
4th	(-1)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	1509	+174
5th	(=)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	1462	+241
6th	(-2)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	1405	+170
7th	(+1)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	1230	+213
8th	(-1)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	1218	+185
9th	(+1)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	1177	+275
10th	(+1)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	1139	+313
11th	(-2)	Dead2Last (VFL)	1074	+90

Tomorrow another day where a bunch sprint should be expected, hopefully including Mads Pedersen.

(This has absolutely nothing to do with the race, Glüc, but your comments on Merckx reminded me of hockey's Wayne Gretzky. He's still the GOAT in hockey, but the sport has changed so much since he was around, it's highly unlikely there'll ever be another player able to do what he did.)

Stage 6 Mâcon -> Dijon

I forgot to do yesterday's update bc UK elections! Another boring sprint stage! Dead Last win thanks to Dylan Groenewegen and extend their lead!

Standings after stage 6:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	1975	+376
2nd	(+1)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	1787	+261
3rd	(-1)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	1735	+187
4th	(+1)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	1691	+229
5th	(-1)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	1621	+108
6th	(=)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	1574	+169
7th	(=)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	1459	+225
8th	(+2)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	1420	+281
9th	(-1)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	1311	+93
10th	(-1)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	1301	+124
11th	(=)	Dead2Last (VFL)	1179	+105

Stage 7 Nuits-Saint-Georges › Gevrey-Chambertin

Yesterday we got the first of two individual time trials this tour. This was one was mostly flat but still included an uphill section in the middle which somewhat favours gc riders over tt specialists. Somehow, non GC TT specialists often tend to underperform in grand tour TT's and yesterday was no different, with the top four places being taken by the big four riders. Evenepoel (DED/CFA/PTM) was the fastest, as many had predicted, followed by Pogacar (CHX/CFA/BDC/CJO/GHS), Roglic (VFL/MAN/MCB) and Vingegaard (DED/ARB/VFL/CFA/CJO/PTM). Vingegaard only lost 37 seconds on Evenepoel, keeping the effects on the fight for the yellow jersey somewhat limited.

Almeida (ARB/MAN) had a decent showing, coming in 7th and gaining two spots in GC. Former Irish TT champion Healy (MAN) wass 8th. Vlasov (BDC), TT specialist Bissegger (CJO), much hyped new talent Gee (CHX/DED/BDC/GHS), gc contender Rodriguez (CHX/BDC/MAN/MCB/GHS), Bilbao (CHX/BDC/GHS) and Simon Yates (ARB) also made the top 20, with Rodriguez dropping to 7th in GC. Van Aert (PTM) had an unexpectedly poor showing, finishing in 24th place.


In previous editions Lüc and I have joked about doing a "Iason", which means picking both favourites. This year however, some new strategy has emerged in the form of a "þerxh", picking three (out of four) big favourites at the cost of having to spend the minimum amount of credits on every other position. A bold strategy, but so far it is clearly paying of, as Fieschā easily scored the most points yesterday, as the big-4 showed why they are the big-4. Dead Last continues being Dead First, but with most GC stages still to come CFA is in a very strong position. Port Maxhestic continues to complete the podium. The Cabana Boys had a disappointing day and take over the red lantern from Dead2Last.

(https://img.aso.fr/core_app/img-cycling-tdf-jpg/clm049/57988/0:0,1200:801-1000-0-70/a0fce)
Photo from Letour.fr. Current ITT world champion Remco Evenepoel won the stage today. Unfortunately the tour requires the leader in the young rider classification to wear the white jersey, which meant he couldnt wear the rainbow jersey (for the current ITT world champion). Because every second counts in time trials riders often wear uncomfortable odd-looking helmets for aerodynamics reasons. This one is still far from the weirdest TT helmet design however.

Standings after stage 7:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	2449	+474
2nd	(+3)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	2253	+632
3rd	(=)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	2158	+423
4th	(-2)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	2101	+314
5th	(-1)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	2064	+373
6th	(=)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	1894	+320
7th	(=)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	1892	+433
8th	(=)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	1693	+273
9th	(+1)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	1678	+377
10th	(+1)	Dead2Last (VFL)	1542	+363
11th	(-2)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	1530	+219

Today we have a stage that could be interesting for attackers. Another bunch sprint cannot be ruled out but the stage has enough hilly terrain for a break to potentially be succesful.

(https://img.aso.fr/core_app/img-cycling-tdf-jpg/8/54050/0:0,1005:603-960-0-90/2141e)

Some more bad news for the two teams in last place, as Mads Pedersen has decided not to start today, as he is still suffering from the effects of his crash in stage 5. He is the first TCAT rider to abandon the tour.

Stage 8 Semur-en-Auxois -> Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises

Every TCAT edition there appears to be one rider who brings excitement by going on adventures and attacking several stages. This edition so far that rider has been Jonas Abrahamsen (DED), the current holder of the polkadot jersey (King of the Mountains classification). He was on the attack again yesterday, originally accompanied by two others including Bissegger (CJO), but they both dropped quickly, so he had to continue solo for most of the stage, picking up more KoM points along the way.

In the end Abrahamsen was caught unfortunately and we did get another bunch sprint. Philipsen (MAN/GHS), failed to win again, but was the first TCAT rider across the line, followed by De Lie (ARB/BDC), Ackermann (DED/ARB/CJO), Van den Berg (CFA), Gibbons (CFA) and Turgis (CHX).

The strong result by Van den Berg, and very surprising result by Gibbons means that for the second time in a row, Fiescha scored the most points, edging ever closer to first place, which keeps being held by Dead Last (thanks to Abrahamsen among other picks).

Standings after stage 8:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	2779	+330
2nd	(=)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	2692	+439
3rd	(+1)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	2419	+318
4th	(+1)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	2377	+313
5th	(-2)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	2287	+129
6th	(+1)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	2150	+258
7th	(-1)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	2145	+251
8th	(=)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	2089	+396
9th	(=)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	1959	+281
10th	(=)	Dead2Last (VFL)	1661	+119
11th	(=)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	1571	+41

Today's stage, which is about to start and is expected finish in about 4,5-5 hours is definitely one to watch, as the riders will have to leave the paved roads for 14 sections of gravel and dirt, which could create a very different dynamic from most stages.

Something that isn't included in the tcat updates, but that should be talked about is the devastating news that reached the pro-cycling world yesterday.

In the Tour of Austria yesterday, Norwegian talent André Drege died after a crash in the descent of stage 4. He was 25 years old and was supposed to join a pro-team this year.

Many professional cyclists will have known him, so obviously this is gonna have a big impact. Several riders in the Tour de France are wearing a black armband today to pay their respects. It will also result in further calls to do something about safety in pro-cycling, especially as it is only a year after Gino Mäder died in the Tour de Suisse.

Rest in peace André Drege

Oh man, this is getting exciting. Imagine if Dead Last ends up in first place while its tribute team, Dead2Last, ends up in dead last place. Could it happen?

Quote from: Breneir Tzaracomprada on July 07, 2024, 01:01:57 PMOh man, this is getting exciting. Imagine if Dead Last ends up in first place while its tribute team, Dead2Last, ends up in dead last place. Could it happen?

It could happen. Dead Last winning would be quite funny and also fitting because of the Abrahamsen pick. But... Nice is still very far. Fiescha and Cyclohexane will certainly be looking to make some big gains when we get to the mountains again. (And you can never quite rule out a GHST or BDC comeback either.)

Come on MCB!

(https://i.giphy.com/media/nRNF5nlDgr8bK/giphy.gif)

Stage 9 Troyes -> Troyes

Yesterday's stage was billed as a potential banger and it didn't disappoint, as the gravel roads around Troyes played host to lots of attacks. The bulk of the breakaway split away with 150km to go already, and a group of eight riders lasted in front until the end, leading to a reduced bunch sprint which was won by Cyclohexane's Anthony Turgis. This propels the leg 1 runners-up to a daily win, in front of Banqeu de Cézembre, Dead Last and GHST (all sharing third placed Derek Gee, as does Cyclohexane), of the Manilows (whose Ben Healy finished fifth) and of the Cabana Boys, the last team with someone in the front eight - second placed Tom Pidcock.

Two other TCAT riders scored points: Mathieu van der Poel (ARB/MAN) - eleventh and among a group of seven riders that moved too late to catch the breakaway but still finished ahead of the main peloton - and Pascal Ackermann (DED/ARB/CJO), who won the peloton's sprint for sixteenth place. The main GC riders battled among themselves at several points in the stage; notably Tadej Pogacar went full steam on every gravel section, and Remco Evenepoel at one point launched a successful attack that was only regathered with much difficulty by Pogacar and Vingegaard, the latter helped by teammates Jorgenson and Laporte. Ultimately, though, they abandoned all efforts at trying for the stage win and finished among the peloton in non-scoring positions. This could have been a real coup by Fieschă, who at one point looked set for a 1-2-3 finish, and by the three riders on Primoz Roglic, who never looked like he could stay with the others and also lost superdomestique Aleksander Vlasov to a crash (the Russian rider finishing the stage, but officially pulling out today due to a broken ankle.)

We therefore go into our first restday with no changes up top, but with Cyclohexane taking full advantage of Turgis and Gee to vault themselves to third place. The Cabana Boys also give the lanterne rouge back to Dead2Last thanks to Tom Pidcock's second place.

Stage photo: the peloton makes its way through an early gravel section
GR6cTiubEAA0ccH.jpg

Standings after stage 9:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	3076	+297
2nd	(=)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	2806	+114
3rd	(+4)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	2704	+559
4th	(-1)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	2699	+280
5th	(-1)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	2677	+300
6th	(-1)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	2361	+74
7th	(-1)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	2258	+108
8th	(=)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	2246	+157
9th	(=)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	2244	+285
10th	(+1)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	1824	+253
11th	(-1)	Dead2Last (VFL)	1722	+61

Today is a restday; tomorrow we begin the second week with a very flat stage that will certainly go to another bunch sprint.

Standings after stage 9:
Pos   ±   Team   Pts Ove   Pts Today
1st   (=)   Dead Last (DED)   3076   +297
11th   (-1)   Dead2Last (VFL)   1722   +61

That's what I like to see.

A few customary words to mark the first rest day!

Dead Last is certainly not where they expected to be, but I don't think @Tric'hard Lenxheir will mind! The Vuodeans are in the lead thanks to being the only team who selected Jonas Abrahamsen, the current leader of the King of Mountains classification and TCAT's second best rider by value at 80.3 points per credit. They also own two stage winners in Remco Evenepoel, who won Friday's time trial, and Dylan Groenewegen, who outsprinted everyone else the day before. Early days still, but they look solid enough so far; particularly Evenepoel may have looked like a risky pick given nebulous form, subpar support team and relative inexperience over three weeks, but he has only been outscored by Pogacar and Girmay so far, and he's one of just six TCAT riders to be on track to match the fabled 100 points per credit that makes or breaks each rider (843 scored versus 771 expected at this point).

Cézembre Fieschă has, as Glüc already touched upon, chosen a super-Iason strat: spending big on three of the top four GC contenders and skimping on the rest of the riders. It's a strategy that in its base form has always worked at Tour, but it might have looked riskier this year, as each rider in the top 4 had a few lingering doubts behind their form, some more, some less. But they do seem to have judged the situation well enough for now: they skipped on Roglic, the one that so far has done worse in points per credit (though Vingegaard is slightly behind in the road to hitting 100ppc), and are reaping the benefits of both Evenepoel and Pogacar, the two highest scorers of TCAT in absolute terms. As for the tradeoffs, they could certainly have done worse; while Haig and Poels are still pointless so far, Marijn van den Berg is a solid 6 credit sprinter, with two top-10s to his name and only negligibly behind his expected score if he is to hit 100 points per credit. But where Fieschă has caught a real break, if they even needed one, was finding another sprinter in 4 credit unclassed Ryan Gibbons, as the once-Mads Pedersen leadout turned into his team's sprinting choice as the Dane crashed out of Tour. In his first outing, Gibbons immediately placed sixth, with much more presumably to come, sealing Fieschă's status as the team with a definite edge for the final victory.

Cyclohexane may have once more scored a 4 credit jackpot; the 2023 TCAT Italiă winners had only just edged out BDC due to Alex Kirsch, and they appeared to have found a cheap backup sprinter in Anthony Turgis... only for the Frenchman to also go ahead and win yesterday's stage after spending all day in the breakaway! The victory made him easily TCAT's best pick for now at 110.5 points per credit, and brings fresh air to Cyclohexane's bid, the team still waiting for a true exploit to stake their claim to TCAT Françă 2024 until then. CHX is also the first of the teams holding only maillot jaune wearer Tadej Pogacar among the top 4 GC riders; he's predictably the highest scorer of any TCAT riders in absolute terms, but is a bit behind on pace if he is supposed to bring 100 points per credit to be a worthwhile pick - he'd be expected to have scored 1200pts by now. Still, the bulk of the stages where he's expected to score big have yet to come.

Gordon Hiatus Support Team shares many riders with Cyclohexane and as a result is just five points behind; where Cyclohexane supplanted subpar sprinter Bryan Coquard with Turgis, GHST has Fernando Gaviria to thank for keeping them somewhat relevant despite Jasper Philipsen having a pretty torrid first week. Gaviria instead managed to score two podiums already, and is TCAT's third best rider by value, and also, like Turgis, well ahead of where he needs to be to hit 100 points per credit (expected 171, scored 417). Just like Cyclohexane, GHST will need Carlos Rodriguez, Pello Bilbao and Santiago Buitrago to carry their weight in GC, especially if Evenepoel keeps performing this good. Stephen Williams and Paul Lapeira have also yet to show they're worthy picks, even with Derek Gee finally showing what he's capable of yesterday.

Banqeu de Cézembre has just received horrible news as Aleksander Vlasov dropped out of Tour de France with a broken ankle. This puts a serious damper on the Cézembreans's prospects at a fourth straight TCAT leg win, an unbeaten run that started in France itself a year ago. BDC was otherwise doing fine so far, never getting a stage win but holding one of the best value picks in Arnaud de Lie, yet another of the six TCAT riders who are overachieving in their quest to get to 100 points per credit. Otherwise, they would also be hoping Rodriguez and Bilbao improve their GC position, with Adam Yates (also of CHX) looking shaky in the pecking order of Pogacar domestiques, a clear disappointment considering his price. BDC will also be expecting more of their unclassed riders - they also hold Gee but Matej Mohoric and Oliver Naesen are unique picks that have yet to make their mark.

Port Maxhestic got off to a great start, making the most of first stage winner Romain Bardet and two unique riders: Wout van Aert got a third place in the opening stage, first among the peloton, and Richard Carapaz briefly wore the yellow jersey and managed to be on par with the leading GC contenders for a while. The Belgian, however, only contested one other sprint, and the Ecuadorean lost lots of time in the Galibier stage, plummeting down the order. PTM also holds Evenepoel and Vingegaard, and while the team initial momentum has waned, the GC duo may still bring loads of points to keep them at the business end.

Naziun Cjovani has, much like the past two Tours, gone with Pogacar and Vingegaard, which is a slightly more expensive strategy than usual. They've picked a trio of climbers that has yet to score significant points, though that's to be expected given hiller terrain is yet to come; and indeed there's no single climber that's currently on target to score 100 points per credit except for Romain Bardet, so I wouldn't be overly worried yet as Bernal has still scored the third most points of TCAT climbers. Where Denz and Harper may struggle instead is the relative dearth of mountain stages fit for a breakaway (even if Wednesday may be a first chance already). As for their other riders, Pascal Ackermann has proven to be a very solid pick, second among TCAT sprinters both for points and points per credit. The Bissegger-Armirail duo of unclassed riders was clearly picked with time trials in mind, and that hasn't paid off much on Friday, though Bissegger has also proved a potential source of stage points as a van den Berg leadout in sprints.

Ardita Benito, just a few points behind, holds Vingegaard, Ackermann and de Lie, all solid picks so far. They also hold Joao Almeida, who looks like a good choice as the best value among the Pogacar domestiques (Ayuso has scored more and is a mere second ahead in GC, but also costs more). Unique pick Maxim van Gils is the third best among the bunch of promising 8 credit unclasseds and he may definitely have been expected to score more, but then again the only two such riders to do better - Gee and Healy - have only just put themselves on the map yesterday. Laporte and van der Poel, instead, were always going to be risky picks as they are both little more than domestiques despite their individual abilities, making it hard for them to justify their high cost.

The Maricopan Manilows bookend this trio of closely matched teams and are the first to feature Primoz Roglic; the Slovenian has certainly proved to be the worst among the top 4, which is dogging the Manilows a bit considering they also hold another underperforming expensive rider in Jasper Philipsen. They can still hope for high GC placements with Almeida and Rodriguez, and Romain Bardet was undoubtedly a great pick so far, as already discussed elsewhere; van der Poel and unique pick Ben Healy just got them a solid intake of points yesterday, but they could've certainly hoped for more.

Last but not least, two teams that struggled so far - they both share Roglic, which we already mentioned, but also Jai Hindley - so far pretty unimpressive pointswise as a Roglic domestique - and Mads Pedersen, who unfortunately was the first TCAT retirement.

The Maricopa Cabana Boys actually got a stage win on stage 3 off Mads Pedersen and Fabio Jakobsen. Jakobsen has struggled for results for a long time but has actually managed two top-10 placements, which so far make him better value than stage winner Cavendish or the mighty Jasper Philipsen. A trio of high profile unclasseds round off this team, and while we've already mentioned Laporte's dubious value, Tom Pidcock is definitely a famous unique pick who just finished second in yesterday's stage and may well get more points later on (just how many, and if enough to justify his high pricetag, is the question). And despite being in good form, Alberto Bettiol hasn't shown much yet, already passing up on some stages that would have been a great fit for him.

Dead2Last are the one Roglic team to also hold some other top4 in Jonas Vingegaard - but they also suffer from Hindley being lackluster and Pedersen's retirement. Their Bettiol-type underperforming unclassed is Magnus Cort - the famous Dane has hardly brought home any points, and he too would have been a great fit for some of the stages that have already passed. A small silver lining is Jonas Rickaert, third best among TCAT 4-credit unclasseds in a field where it would have been very tough to identify worthwile picks.

Stage 10 Orléans -> Saint-Amand-Montrond

Unsurprisingly, there was a bunch sprint. This time Philipsen (MAN/GHS)  finally won. He might have started to worry it wasn't gonna happen, but there is a reason he has been the favourite for every sprint stage so far and this time it paid off. Ackermann (DED/ARB/CJO), Van Aert (PTM), Gaviria (GHS) and Groenewegen (DED) also made the top 10.

The Manilows did well due to the Philipsen win, but GHST also has Gaviria and therefore took the most points. Dead Last also did well and remain Dead First. With Pedersen out of the race both Dead2Last and the Cabana Boys had yet another rough day.

Standings after stage 10:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	3405	+329
2nd	(+2)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	3159	+460
3rd	(-1)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	3002	+196
4th	(-1)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	2866	+162
5th	(=)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	2842	+165
6th	(=)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	2612	+251
7th	(+2)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	2600	+356
8th	(=)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	2515	+269
9th	(-2)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	2501	+243
10th	(=)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	1869	+45
11th	(=)	Dead2Last (VFL)	1797	+75

Tomorrow's stage may bring a bit more excitment as we head into the Massif Central for a stage with no fewer 7 categorised climbs (although none of them of the highest category. A lot of people will be looking at the GC riders tomorrow, but there are certainly chances for a breakaway as well, with people like Carapaz, Gee, Ciccone, Healy among the many options that might go on the attack tomorrow. It's certainly also a stage for people who might be eyeing the KoM classification. I would not be surprised to see the polkadot jersey in the break again.

Just the standings today unfortunately, because no time for a full update. Yesterdays score (Fiescha got the most points) and the events surrounding several dropouts will be discussed at a later moment.

Standings after stage 12:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	4362	+366
2nd	(=)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	3950	+237
3rd	(=)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	3910	+263
4th	(=)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	3728	+265
5th	(=)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	3586	+231
6th	(=)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	3383	+256
7th	(+2)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	3317	+353
8th	(-1)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	3311	+242
9th	(-1)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	3294	+250
10th	(=)	Dead2Last (VFL)	2301	+57
11th	(=)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	2183	+45

My strategy of picking cyclers at random has not been working out for me XD

(https://i.giphy.com/media/l2Sq8h4OKFoFKQW64/giphy.gif)

Quick note to report there's been some sort of illness going around all week - that and/or crashes have recently caused the retirements of the following TCAT riders (in addition to Vlasov and Pedersen earlier on):

- Tim Declercq (PTM)
- Soren Kragh Andersen and Jonas Rickaert (VFL)
- Fabio Jakobsen (MCB)
- Pello Bilbao (BDC/GHS/CHX)
- And sadly, Primož Roglič himself (MCB/VFL/MAN).

Dead2Last is the most impacted team, with 5 riders left; the Cabana Boys have six and BDC has seven. The only teams with all nine riders standing are Ardita, Fieschă, Cjovani and Dead Last.

Quote from: Carlüs Éovart Vilaçafat on July 12, 2024, 08:22:48 AMMy strategy of picking cyclers at random has not been working out for me XD

It did go pretty well in the last two legs considering you got 5th place this spring in Giro and 4th place last Vuelta (when you also swept all three side classifications, incidentally!), not as much this time around unfortunately :(

Quote from: Sir Lüc on July 12, 2024, 08:36:21 AM

Quote from: Carlüs Éovart Vilaçafat on July 12, 2024, 08:22:48 AMMy strategy of picking cyclers at random has not been working out for me XD

It did go pretty well in the last two legs considering you got 5th place this spring in Giro and 4th place last Vuelta (when you also swept all three side classifications, incidentally!), not as much this time around unfortunately :(

Haha touché

RIP Fabio!
(https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/12/fabio-trophy.gif)

Update to be posted here soon/later

Standings after stage 13:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	4664	+302
2nd	(+1)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	4302	+392
3rd	(-1)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	4149	+199
4th	(=)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	4008	+280
5th	(=)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	3787	+201
6th	(=)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	3681	+298
7th	(=)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	3624	+307
8th	(=)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	3623	+312
9th	(=)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	3616	+322
10th	(=)	Dead2Last (VFL)	2379	+78
11th	(=)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	2234	+51

Apparently I need to change our name from MCB to MCBB: Maricopa Cabana Bottom Boys.... wait.

First Pyrenees stage yesterday. Pogacar won. Cyclohexane scored the most points.

Standings after stage 14:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	5314	+650
2nd	(=)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	4980	+678
3rd	(=)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	4909	+760
4th	(=)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	4842	+834
5th	(=)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	4488	+701
6th	(+3)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	4217	+601
7th	(-1)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	4212	+531
8th	(-1)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	4041	+417
9th	(-1)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	3997	+374
10th	(=)	Dead2Last (VFL)	2660	+281
11th	(=)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	2416	+182

Today we get the second Pyrenees stage with a lot of climbing and opportunities for big timegaps.

Situation as of yesterday's stage 15, another Pyrenees summit finish that went to Pogacar, once again unreachable by Vingegaard, Evenepoel and all other GC outsiders:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	5948	+634
2nd	(+1)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	5669	+760
3rd	(+1)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	5564	+722
4th	(-2)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	5548	+568
5th	(=)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	5096	+608
6th	(+1)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	4790	+578
7th	(-1)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	4766	+549
8th	(=)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	4531	+490
9th	(=)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	4344	+347
10th	(=)	Dead2Last (VFL)	2958	+298
11th	(=)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	2625	+209

Also a few usual words on the situation as we reach the third and last week.

I've chosen to focus a bit on the individual riders and specifically on identifying the "good picks", which I would describe as the riders who score 100 points or more per credit (so that would mean Pogacar scoring at least 2800 points, for instance).

I have already touched upon this metric, but I have refined my estimations by taking into account End of Tour Points, which are not scored during stages but rather at the end, as large bonuses to the top 30 riders in GC, top 10 riders in the Points Classification (typically sprinters), top 10 riders in the King of Mountains Classification (typically climbers) and all riders in the top 5 teams in the Teams's Classification.

TCAT Riders who have already scored 100 points per credit
Just two in TCAT: Anthony Turgis (CHX), overperforming by 37%, and Pascal Ackermann (DED/ARB/CJO), though not a stage winner, ammassed 3 third places and 3 other top 10s to currently overperform by 41%. (Non-TCAT, obviously, Biniam Girmay has overperformed by a massive 92%)

TCAT Riders who have already scored 100 points per credit considering expected End of Tour Points
(This basically means we're considering these riders to have already scored the EoT points computed on the classifications as they stand today. So they could do better, but they could also do worse if they lose positions in any of the classifications.)
These are:
- Tadej Pogačar (CHX/CFA/BDC/CJO/GHS)
- Remco Evenepoel (DED/CFA/PTM)
- João Almeida (ARB/MAN)
- Jonas Abrahamsen (DED)

TCAT Riders that have NOT already scored 100 points per credit, even considering expected EoT points, but can be reasonably expected to do so
(Meaning they will reach 100ppc with the six remaining stages and EoT points. This sounds worse somehow but they still are good picks because it might simply mean the schedule was not favouring them earlier on. This is particularly relevant below where I remark on the last two stages, which were both summit finishes for GC contenders, of which we have three left)
These are:
- Jonas Vingegaard (DED/ARB/VFL/CFA/CJO/PTM) needs to score 63 points per stage, has scored 92 per stage so far;
- Carlos Rodriguez (CHX/BDC/MAN/MCB/GHS) needs 68 per stage, has scored 46 per stage (but 172 and 97 in the last two);
- Adam Yates (CHX/BDC) needs 72 per stage, has scored 46 per stage (but 137 and 154 in the last two);
- Santiago Buitrago (CHX/GHS) needs 36 per stage, has scored 27 per stage (but 125 and 110 in the last two);
- Ben Healy (MAN) needs 49 per stage, has scored 25 per stage (but 62 and 40 in the last two - bit shakier this but he also has a good TT in him for stage 21);
- Derek Gee (CHX/DED/BDC/GHS) needs 22 per stage, has scored 32 per stage (but 72 and 52 in the last two).

Addendum: sprinters (and unclassed sprinters)
I've chosen to treat these separately as there's just one sprint finish left, plus five variously contestable intermediate sprints worth at most 20pts each (so a bit, but not much). This still considers EoT points as they would stand today.
- Fernando Gaviria (GHS) needs just 33 points across all six stages. Seems very doable.
- Ryan Gibbons (CFA) needs 143 - he scored 112 in his best stage so he needs to do that + contest intermediate sprints. Still a good pick even if he doesn't considering how cheap he is.
- Arnaud De Lie (ARB/BDC) needs 177 - a top five is worth 120 and he has five of those so far. He also has a passive income of 4 points per stage off his PC standing. Also doable, also a good pick.

All other sprinters, starting with Marijn van den Berg (CFA) and Bryan Coquard (CHX), need upwards of 280 points and are therefore probably not going to get the good pick badge.

So what does this mean for the current podium contenders?
- DED has five good picks - 62 credits's worth of them, no retirements, and an additional stage winner in Groenewegen;
- CFA has four, but worth 74 credits, and also no retirements - which is why I still think they're poised to win;
- CHX has six! good picks, worth 76 credits, but is dogged by two retirements and Coquard being decent but not good enough;
- GHS has five good picks (worth 64c), one retirement, and a definite disappointment in Philipsen (needs 407 points to reach 100ppc, so that disqualification really hurt);

The other teams actually have their fair share of good picks (5 for BDC, 4 for ARD for instance), but have mostly either dealt with retirements, or perhaps the good picks were worth too few credits, or they made bad picks which dragged them backwards.

I haven't analysed bad picks in particular depth but the riders that are placed the worst at the moment are Simon Yates (595 points behind where he'd need to be at this point to be worth it), Enric Mas (566), Mathieu van der Poel (550), Lenny Martinez (549), Egan Bernal (532), Jai Hindley (514) and Magnus Cort (498).

(Yup, leader DED has two "worst picks"! But they're no worse than retirements, and CFA's Haig and Poels are no much better.)

Quote from: Sir Lüc on July 15, 2024, 07:32:08 PMSo what does this mean for the current podium contenders?
- DED has five good picks - 62 credits's worth of them, no retirements, and an additional stage winner in Groenewegen;
- CFA has four, but worth 74 credits, and also no retirements - which is why I still think they're poised to win;
- CHX has six! good picks, worth 76 credits, but is dogged by two retirements and Coquard being decent but not good enough;
- GHS has five good picks (worth 64c), one retirement, and a definite disappointment in Philipsen (needs 407 points to reach 100ppc, so that disqualification really hurt);

The other teams actually have their fair share of good picks (5 for BDC, 4 for ARD for instance), but have mostly either dealt with retirements, or perhaps the good picks were worth too few credits, or they made bad picks which dragged them backwards.

I haven't analysed bad picks in particular depth but the riders that are placed the worst at the moment are Simon Yates (595 points behind where he'd need to be at this point to be worth it), Enric Mas (566), Mathieu van der Poel (550), Lenny Martinez (549), Egan Bernal (532), Jai Hindley (514) and Magnus Cort (498).

(Yup, leader DED has two "worst picks"! But they're no worse than retirements, and CFA's Haig and Poels are no much better.)

I am still confident that everyone can catch me!

Stage 16 Gruissan -> Nîmes

Unusually, because the finish is not in Paris, today was already the final sprint stage. There was a crash near the finish that took some riders out of contention for the stage win. Philipsen (MAN/GHS) won his second stage, with Van Aert (PTM), Ackermann (DED/ARB/CJO), Coquard (CHX), Gibbons (CFA), Bissegger (CJO), Van der Poel (ARB/MAN), Gaviria (GHS) and Groenewegen (DED) also making the top 20 in that order. Groenewegen and De Lie didn't really compete for the top spots which is bad news for BdC, Dead Last and Ardita.

GHST got the most points today and gained two places. However, they will not be happy with this being the last sprint. It will be difficult for them to defend their second place against Cyclohexane and Fiescha, who are looking well positioned to challenge Dead Last for the overall victory.

Unfortunately the count of dropouts (especially due to sickness) also continues to rise with Van Gils (ARB) and Harper (CJO) not starting today.


Standings after stage 16:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	6167	+219
2nd	(+2)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	5919	+371
3rd	(-1)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	5870	+201
4th	(-1)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	5824	+260
5th	(=)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	5216	+120
6th	(+1)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	5016	+250
7th	(-1)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	4989	+199
8th	(=)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	4786	+255
9th	(=)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	4713	+369
10th	(=)	Dead2Last (VFL)	3002	+44
11th	(=)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	2651	+26

Tomorrow we arrive at the outskirts of the Alps for a sort of intermediate climbing stage with an uphill finish at something called Superdevoluy (which isn't quite as exciting as the Super Plance des Belles Filles, or as we call it, the Supergaaf, but nice name nonetheless). This could be one for the GC contenders, but an early break could definitely also be succesful.

Come on MCB, VFL, MAN, ARB, PTM, CJO, BDC, CHX, CFA and GHS I know you can all catch me!!!

Quote from: Tric'hard Lenxheir on July 16, 2024, 07:40:47 PMCome on MCB, VFL, MAN, ARB, PTM, CJO, BDC, CHX, CFA and GHS I know you can all catch me!!!

That seems unlikely to me ;)

I prefer to take solace in stealing Breneir's dream of stealing last place from Dead Last.

Yesterday we got a big break. The stage was won by Carapaz, which resulted in Port Maxhestic scoring the most points.

Standings after stage 17:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	6402	+235
2nd	(+1)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	6081	+211
3rd	(-1)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	6063	+144
4th	(=)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	5959	+135
5th	(+2)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	5439	+450
6th	(-1)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	5329	+113
7th	(-1)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	5143	+127
8th	(=)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	5069	+283
9th	(=)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	4811	+98
10th	(=)	Dead2Last (VFL)	3177	+175
11th	(=)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	2842	+191

Quote from: Carlüs Éovart Vilaçafat on July 18, 2024, 08:06:51 AMI prefer to take solace in stealing Breneir's dream of stealing last place from Dead Last.

I am so disappointed that we will not achieve the Deads bracketing.

Stage 18 Gap -> Barcellonette

Another one for the breakaway, but a low scoring one for TCAT, as only five TCAT riders were included in the very large group of over 30 cyclists that was ultimately successful in getting ahead of the peloton.

Best placed among them is Jai Hindley (DED/VFL/MCB), seventh, while Wout van Aert (PTM) came in eighth. No other TCAT rider scored stage finish points and neither did anyone score breakaway points, since the attacking group was so large. So all in all, barely anything changed.

Standings after stage 18:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	6574	+172
2nd	(=)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	6199	+118
3rd	(=)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	6163	+100
4th	(=)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	6095	+136
5th	(=)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	5602	+163
6th	(=)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	5450	+121
7th	(=)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	5239	+96
8th	(=)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	5165	+96
9th	(=)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	4890	+79
10th	(=)	Dead2Last (VFL)	3310	+133
11th	(=)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	2952	+110

The exciting finale to TCAT França 2024 beckons: two proper back-to-back mountain stages with tough summit finishes, with (essentially) a climbing time trial to close it all off on Sunday. Be sure to check back to find out who comes out on top!

Stage 19 Embrun -> Isola 2000

(https://img.aso.fr/core_app/img-cycling-tdf-png/tdf24-et19-pp-la-bonette/54109/0:0,2033:1489-960-0-90/ad707)
_{Profile of the second climb of the day}

Today (well yesterday at this point for me) we got  a relatively short but very tough alpine stage with two hors categorie climbs and an uphill finish to the ski resort of Isola 2000. A break was formed which included Simon Yates (ARB), Hindley (DED/VFL/MCB)  and Carapaz (PTM). Carapaz was the first to arrive at both HC summits and somewhat surprisingly takes the lead in the KOM classification and the polkadot jersey, which he will now likely keep in Nice.

The break got a considerable gap, but when Pogacar fired up on the final ascent there was nothing anyone could do about it. He caught up to the last remaining attacker 2 kms before the finish to win the stage (CHX/CFA/BDC/CJO/GHS). Yates and Carapaz finished 3rd and 4th. Not for the first time this edition Evenepoel (DED/CFA/PTM) and Vingegaard (DED/ARB/VFL/CFA/CJO/PTM) were strong but just not strong enough to keep up with the force of nature that is Pogacar, finishing 5th and 6th at 1'42". Pogacar now has a 5 minute lead on Vingegaard, meaning that he is almost certain to dethrone Vingegaard and take the yellow jersey home.

(https://img.aso.fr/core_app/img-cycling-tdf-jpg/col-de-vars-001/60528/0:0,1200:800-1000-0-70/6a942)
_{Richard Carapaz (PTM)}

Not for the first time on a mountain stage Fiescha scored the most points. Cyclohexane also did well, following close behind CFA and taking the lead in the sibling team rivalry. Dead Last however keeps the lead.

It now seems very plausible Dead Last will still be first after the final stage points are awarded. However, that is not enough for the victory yet as there will be also be points awarded for the final classification standings. Will Dead Last have enough of a lead to remain Dead First? My instinct says probably not, as Cézembre Fiescha will score loads of points from having the entire podium in their team, but I haven't actually done the math on virtual classification points yet, so I might be wrong.

Standings after stage 19:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	7028	+454
2nd	(=)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	6783	+584
3rd	(+1)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	6674	+579
4th	(-1)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	6616	+453
5th	(=)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	6158	+556
6th	(=)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	5945	+495
7th	(=)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	5671	+432
8th	(=)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	5669	+504
9th	(=)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	5113	+223
10th	(=)	Dead2Last (VFL)	3526	+216
11th	(=)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	3119	+167

Tomorrow (or today depending on perspective): an even shorter stage with even more climbing. Pogacar has said that he doesn't intend to chase a potential breakaway group down on the final climb again (provided his gc position isn't threatened of course) so we may actually see early attackers succeed this time.

(https://img.aso.fr/core_app/img-cycling-tdf-jpg/20/54067/0:0,1005:604-960-0-90/d5c2f)

Well so much for giving the chance to the break. Pogacar just won again yesterday.

Port Maxhestic had a very strong day, partly due to Carapaz who came third. They are in the process of making a comeback and may still end up on the podium if they do well in the ITT today. Meanwhile the lead for Dead Last has shrunk to the point where they probably won't be able to hold anymore. Caught just before the finishline.

Standings after stage 20:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	7485	+457
2nd	(=)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	7468	+685
3rd	(=)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	7209	+535
4th	(=)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	7040	+424
5th	(=)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	6894	+736
6th	(=)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	6431	+486
7th	(=)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	6225	+554
8th	(=)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	6069	+400
9th	(=)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	5428	+315
10th	(=)	Dead2Last (VFL)	3757	+231
11th	(=)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	3331	+212

Today: the final stage. We arrive in nice with another ITT. It is clear Pogacar wins the tour, Carapaz takes the polkadot and Girmay takes the green jersey. But who will win TCAT??

Edit: Ok I just checked the math and I don't think PTM can podium. It's very close race for 4th place though. Meanwhile it's not certain yet but it seems very likely the title will remain in Cézembre

And across the line!

Pogacar won again. Six stage for him this year. But what does it mean for TCAT?

Will Dead Last hang on? Did Cézembre Fiescha pull of the perfect strategy? Or does Cyclohexane get their second TCAT win?

NOT THE FINAL STANDING (includes final stage point but not the end-of-tour classification points.

Standings after stage 21:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(+1)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	8126	+658
2nd	(-1)	Dead Last (DED)	8013	+528
3rd	(=)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	7787	+578
4th	(=)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	7543	+503
5th	(=)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	7306	+412
6th	(=)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	6921	+490
7th	(=)	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	6699	+474
8th	(=)	Ardita Benito (ARB)	6519	+450
9th	(=)	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	5604	+176
10th	(=)	Dead2Last (VFL)	3972	+215
11th	(=)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	3366	+35

Cézembre Fieschā takes the lead just before the finish

Cézembre Fieschā wins Talossan Cycling Association Tour
3rd season, 2nd leg

@þerxh Sant-Enogat saw Iasons strategy of always picking the top 2 and said I shall pick the top 3 instead. And it worked. Correctly identifying Roglic as the only bad pick of the big 4 delivered the win to Cézembre Fiescha.

Unfortunate for Dead Last as they were leading right to the very end. They do end up on the podium, far away from their desired last place.

Three teams were remarkably similar. Of those three Cyclohexane made some very good value sprinter choices in Turgis and Coquard which got them a very strong second place. GHST may have spent too much on Philipsen and ended in fourth. BDC got unlucky with Vlasov dropping out early and also picked the wrong sprinter and ended up in 6th place, breaking a streak of three wins in a row. They will be glad to know the title remains on Cézembre, as it should.

Port Maxhestic started out strong, but struggled in the sprint stages. A comeback in the mountains resulted in a respectable 5th place. Carapaz turned out to be a very good pick.

Naziun Cjovani did indeed pick the top 2 but was unfortunate to lose Harper early and also went for a risky 4 unclassed strategy. They get 7th place.

Newcomers Ardita Benito and Maricopa Manilows had a fairly unremarkable debut, but Im very excited they have joined. Hopefully we will see some more results from then in the future. Both were unlucky in picking MvdP who somehow always seems to do better in races that arent grand tours.

Dead2Last got close but failed in their aim to become last despite being unlucky with Roglic and Pedersen and picking 4 unclassed. They did a lot worse than the real Dead Last however. They just couldnt match the absurd amount of bad luck the Cabana Boys got, with no less than 5 dropouts!

Final standings

Pos	Team	Points
1st	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	10066
2nd	Cyclohexane (CHX)	9607
3rd	Dead Last (DED)	9463
4th	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	9033
5th	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	8671
6th	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	8491
7th	Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	8159
8th	Ardita Benito (ARB)	7739
9th	Maricopan Manilows (MAN)	6419
10th	Dead2Last (VFL)	4692
11th	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	3776

A bit sorry that my nag technique proved to be successful, but happy to keep the trophy for Cézembre, land of so many cycling lovers and experts.
A great thanks to the organisers of this unmissable event !

I definitely did not intend to thwart Brenier's race to the bottom lol

Belated congratulations, Þerxh!

Registrations for leg 3 out of 3 are open: https://wittenberg.talossa.com/index.php?topic=3457.0 (https://wittenberg.talossa.com/index.php?topic=3457.0)