Talossan Cycling Association Tour

[Glüc]

The first major climb of the tour, ending on a challenging gravel path with a 24% gradient, made clear who is still in the race for the gc and who isn't. Strongest again: Pogacar, but Vingegaard managed to stay close and score more points for Naziun Cjovani.

Standings after stage 7:

1. Banqeu da Cézembre KLüP TMT - 2941 (+366) [sh: 3163]
2. Kinetic Racing - 2413 (+277)
3. Naziun Cjovani - 2171 (+567)
4. Gordon Hiatus Support Team - 1803 (+430)

Tomorrow the TCAT arrives in Switzerland: Dole - Lausanne. Somewhat of a transitional stage without any climbs like today. Feels like this could be an opportunity for a breakaway group to make it to the finish for once, so maybe we'll have some surprises.

[Glüc]

A bit early maybe, but as the first contours of the various classifications start to somewhat take shape I decide to quickly calculate a virtual standing.

That is many points will be awarded at the end of the tour based on the various classifications (obviously most points go to the winner of general classification). In the meantime, various points will be also be awarded on a daily basis to whoever is leading at that point. That means that even if a team hasnt scored that many stage points yet, they might still be doing well if they can expect to receive a lot of points for winning overall, so having a look at this could put the current standing in quite a different perspective.

So assuming the current standings stay the same (they won't, but it still tells us something)

Expected end of tour classification points based on the standings after stage 7:
CJO - 1720
BDC - 1185
KIN - 1115
GHS - 1070

Expected daily classification points (stage 8-21) based on the standings after stage 7:
CJO - 1470
KIN - 1316
GHS - 1162
BDC - 1106

Virtual standing (Current standing + Expected end of tour + Expected daily) after stage 7:
1. Naziun Cjovani - 5361
2. Banqeu da Cézembre KLüP TMT - 5232
3. Kinetic Racing - 4844
4. Gordon Hiatus Support Team - 4035

So basically if Pogacar holds on to the yellow jersey, Vingegaard takes second place and Cort Nielsen keeps his place in the King of the Mountains ranking (which is maybe not so likely, but we'll see) Naziun Cjovani can expect to gain enough points to overcome its current deficit and win the Talossan Cycling Association Tour. Of course there are still more than enough possibilities for the other teams to shake things up and none of this is considering all the stage results that are yet to come.

[Glüc]

The expected surprise never came to be in stage 8. The peloton never gave the breakaway a chance. In particular BdC's Nathan van Hooydonck pulled hard all day for his team captains, ensuring the attackers never got too far away. This strategy resulted in success for BdC as Van Aert managed to win another stage, with Pogacar not far behind.

Standings after stage 8:

1. Banqeu da Cézembre KLüP TMT - 3414 (+473) [sh: 3784]
2. Kinetic Racing - 2868 (+455)
3. Naziun Cjovani - 2559 (+388)
4. Gordon Hiatus Support Team - 2087 (+284)

Tomorrow (Aigle, Switzerland -> Châtel Les Portes du Soleil, France) we get a proper mountain stage with plenty of climbing kilometers and an uphill finish (though no HC yet). An important opportunity for all the teams to score big.

[Glüc]

Yesterday was another good day for Naziun Cjovani, due in part to Castroviejo, who was the first TCAT rider across the finish. We hadn't seen much of him in earlier stages, but yesterday he proved to be very valuable. Kinetic Racing still managed to hold on to second place for now, but it's very close.

Standings after stage 9:

1. Banqeu da Cézembre KLüP TMT - 3844 (+430)
2. Kinetic Racing - 3215 (+347)
3. Naziun Cjovani - 3170 (+611)
4. Gordon Hiatus Support Team - 2387 (+300)

Today was a rest day. Tomorrow (Morzine les Portes du Soleil -> Megève) will be another hilly stage, which should be good for attackers, but due to the long uphill finish the gc riders may also show themselves again.


Jonathan Castroviejo (Naziun Cjovani) and Thibaut Pinot (Banqeu da Cézembre) riding in the breakaway in stage 9 of the Talossan Cycling Association Tour. Somewhere in Switzerland presumably. Source: letour.fr

[Glüc]

Morale for Naziun Cjovani is quite low. Showed my friend (the Tour aficionado) my picks for my fantasy team. "Eh, well, that's not the guys I would have picked." !!!

Starting to think your friend may have been mistaken. Cort Nielsen in particular turned out to be a great pick for 8 points.

[Glüc]

Another stagewin for Naziun Cjovani. This time it's finally Magnus Cort Nielsen, who has been in the attack many times so far. As a result, Naziun Cjovani overtakes Kinetic Racing for second place and may well be on track to overtake BdC as well in the coming week if it keeps getting these results.

Standings after stage 10:

1. Banqeu da Cézembre KLüP TMT - 3924 (+80)
2. Naziun Cjovani - 3511 (+341)
3. Kinetic Racing - 3317 (+102)
4. Gordon Hiatus Support Team - 2536 (+149)

Big day tomorrow as we get a major mountainstage (Albertville -> Col du Granon Serre Chevalier). Several 1st and Hors category climbs are on the menu, including an absolute tour classic, the highest point in the TCAT: the Col du Galibier. Cycling history has been written on the Galibier many times, so this should be exciting.

(source: letour.fr)

[Glüc]

Ok, just saw the results and wow is my team useless in mountain stages...

[Iason Taiwos]

Holy crap! I wasn't expecting that!

[Glüc]

Vingegaard takes the lead! And so does Naziun Cjovani! A major setback for BdC, GHST and Kinetic as Van der Poel withdraws, adding to  a pretty disastrous day for BdC overall as Pogacar loses to Vingegaard and none of the other BdC riders are anywhere to be seen.

Standings after stage 10:

1. Naziun Cjovani - 4307 (+796)
2. Banqeu da Cézembre KLüP TMT - 4204 (+280)
3. Kinetic Racing - 3996 (+679)
4. Gordon Hiatus Support Team - 3157 (+621)

A major plottwist today and it doesn't look like things will calm down tomorrow as the TCAT will climb the Galibier again(!) and then move on to another tour classic, the finish at the Alpe d'Huez (which btw is sometimes called the Dutch mountain, partly because Dutch riders have often been succesful here, partly because Dutch tourists on their summer holiday in France tend to go watch this stage, sadly not always behaving well). Another big mountain stage and another important chance for the teams to score big (or in the case of BdC, probably not).

(from letour.fr)

[Audrada Roibeardet]

Speaking of fans misbehaving, I was genuinely upset by the behaviour of the onlookers towards the end of today's stage. We don't want nor need another "Allez Opi-Omi" situation.

[Glüc]

Just got home. Looks like it was a great day for Kinetic Racing

Edit: and more confirmation that BdC is useless in the mountains

[Glüc]

An impressive victory for Pidcock on the Alpe d'Huez results in Kinetic Racing scoring the most points today and overtaking BdC for the second place overall.

Standings after stage 12:

1. Naziun Cjovani - 4910 (+603)
2. Kinetic Racing - 4745 (+749)
3. Banqeu da Cézembre KLüP TMT - 4394 (+210)
4. Gordon Hiatus Support Team - 3600 (+443)

Tomorrow (Le Bourg d'Oisans -> St Étienne) looks like it could be a day for the sprinters. BdC will be relieved to leave the alps behind after a disastrous performance there.

[Audrada Roibeardet]

Honestly, I'm shocked by how well Kinetic did today. Hopefully we can get some serious points tomorrow as well.

[Glüc]

Honestly, I'm shocked by how well Kinetic did today. Hopefully we can get some serious points tomorrow as well.

Looks like you did...

[Glüc]

Having to do a double update today. Will also do an update on the virtual standings later.

We have a new leader! Somewhat to my surprise, the sprinters let the attack get away yesterday. This included KIN/GHS rider Ganna. Combined with Van Aert leading the Peloton in the sprint this resulted in another good day for Kinetic Racing. Good enough to overtake Naziun Cjovani in the standings.

Standings after stage 13:

1. Kinetic Racing - 5095 (+350)
2. Naziun Cjovani - 5086 (+176)
3. Banqeu da Cézembre KLüP TMT - 4620 (+226)
4. Gordon Hiatus Support Team - 3865 (+265)

Today was a hilly stage in the Massif Central (Saint-Étienne -> Mende), which always seemed like a great opportunity for attackers, and indeed we got a large breakaway, consisting of three BdC riders (Pinot, Uran, Mollema), one GHS rider (Bettiol) and one KIN rider (Fuglsang). In the end Bettiol was the first to the finish of the five, but it was BdC scoring the most points with Kinetic racing expanding their lead over Naziun Cjovani.

Standings after stage 14:

1. Kinetic Racing - 5326 (+231)
2. Naziun Cjovani - 5189 (+103)
3. Banqeu da Cézembre KLüP TMT - 4980 (+360)
4. Gordon Hiatus Support Team - 4146 (+281)

Yesterday BdC may have let the attack get away, but tomorrow surely is an opportunity they don't want to miss, as it's the last flat stage before the Pyrenees and opportunities for sprinters overall are rare this tour. In his current form this may be another opportunity for van Aert and an opportunity for BdC and Kinetic to score some more points before we get to the mountains again.

[Glüc]

Ok, did another virtual standing calculation again

Expected end of tour classification points based on the standings after stage 14:
CJO - 1685 (-35)
KIN - 1175 (+60)
GHS - 1105 (+35)
BDC - 965 (-220)

Expected daily classification points (stage 15-21) based on the standings after stage 14:
KIN - 707
CJO - 686
GHS - 567
BDC - 518

Virtual standing after stage 14:
1. Naziun Cjovani - 7560
2. Kinetic Racing - 7208
3. Banqeu da Cézembre KLüP TMT - 6463
4. Gordon Hiatus Support Team - 5818


So BdC didnt just score few stage points in the alps, we also got a big hit in the classification standings, and it might get even worse in the Pyrenees.

Meanwhile, despite being overtaken by Kinetic Racing the current standings, Naziun Cjovani is still on course to win the TCAT, because of the many end of tour points they will receive.
However, the last three stages should be very good for Van Aert in his current form, which may score Kinetic Racing a lot of points, which could compensate for the classification points Naziun Cjovani will get, so it will be important for Naziun Cjovani to score big in the Pyrenees (which I expect will happen, with Pogacar and Vingegaard both in the team).

[Glüc]

It's a long ride to Cézembre Paris, and not everyone survives the journey. GHST and Naziun Cjovani suffered setbacks as Roglic's shoulder problems that started after his crash in the cobblestage caused him to withdraw and Cort Nielsen, one of the most memorable riders this TCAT, tested positive for Covid. I failed to mention Barguil (Kinetic Racing) faced the same misfortune a few stages earlier and also withdrew. Meanwhile Vingegaard himself was one of several riders to crash yesterday, but was thankfully able to continue, unlike one of his most important teammates, meaning he will be more isolated as we go into the Pyrenees. For now he is still comfortably in the Maillot Jaune though.

Stage 15 ended more or less as expected as BdC (pretty much the sprintteam of TCAT) ensured their riders were present at the finish for a mass sprint, and indeed BdC riders Van Aert and Sagan were the first and second TCAT riders across the finish, allowing BdC to (for now) overtake Naziun Cjovani in the standings again, while Kinetic Racing extended their lead.

Standings after stage 15:

1. Kinetic Racing - 5619 (+293)
2. Banqeu da Cézembre KLüP TMT - 5448 (+468)
3. Naziun Cjovani - 5338 (+149)
4. Gordon Hiatus Support Team - 4250 (+104)

Sadly for BdC, there wont be much sprinting in the coming days as we enter the mountains again. Tomorrow (Carcassonne -> Foix) is another transitional stage, though with a particularly nasty climb on the way, the Mur de Péguère.



The day after that  (Saint Gaudens -> Peyragudes) we will have a proper mountain stage again. No Tourmalet this year apparently, but still some pretty challenging climbs, with a finish on the Peyragudes where the fight for the yellow jersey may again get a big shakeup. (Mentioning this stage already because Im not expecting to be able to do an update tomorrow)

[Glüc]

Btw, I had to cycle 30 mins from work when it was 33 *C today and I felt like I was dying. Temperatures in France were even higher last week. How they all managed to race for 100s of kilometers under these conditions is completely beyond me.

[Audrada Roibeardet]

It's because they are professional athletes and we're mere mortals.  ;D

[Glüc]

Naziun Cjovani made a big jump in the standings today as they took a major step towards winning the Talossan Cycling Association Tour.

Yesterday didn't have a particularly interesting result. BdC had a good day due to Van Hooydonck, Gallopin and Van Aert being in the attack and Van Aert leading the group of favourites at the finish. Kinetic Racing had a decent day as well, but this was offset by already the third withdrawal on the team as Jakob Fuglsang didn't start the stage.

Standings after stage 16:

1. Kinetic Racing - 5835 (+216)
2. Naziun Cjovani - 5499 (+161)
3. Banqeu da Cézembre KLüP TMT - 5706 (+231)
4. Gordon Hiatus Support Team - 4333 (+83)

Today was big however. Pogacar was the first to reach the finish line at the ski resort of Peyragudes after a day of climbing, but wasn't able to shake off Vingegaard who didn't lose much time. Both riders scored many points for Naziun Cjovani, who are now back in second place. It's very close at the top of the standings with less than 100 points separating the three teams, but the position of Vingegaard and Pogacar in the general classification means that Naziun Cjovani definitely seems to have an edge.

Standings after stage 17:

1. Kinetic Racing - 6160 (+325)
2. Naziun Cjovani - 6127 (+628)
3. Banqeu da Cézembre KLüP TMT - 6096 (+390)
4. Gordon Hiatus Support Team - 4571 (+238)


The two star riders of the Naziun Cjovani team battling it out in the Pyrenees. From letour.fr

Tomorrow we get another big mountain stage with several climbs, including the legendary Col d'Aubisque and a finish at the Hautacam. This day may turn out to be decisive, both for the individual battle between Pogacar and Vingegaard as for the battle between the TCAT teams. Should Naziun Cjovani manage get a repeat of today's result, that might well be enough to clinch the victory, as even good results by Ganna, Van Aert and Sagan in the final three stages may not be enough to offset the lead Naziun Cjovani would have in the virtual standing. If tomorrow is not as decisive as today however, there may still be some hope for Kinetic or BdC.