Talossan Cycling Association Tour Season 3 Leg 1: Venaria Reale -> Roma

[Glüc]

Talossan Cycling Association Tour
2024
First Leg
Venaria Reale -> Rome


_{(Logo created by Sir Lüc)}

And we're back again. Nine teams from 6 different provinces will do 3300 kilometers of cycling 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 (blue jersey), the points classification (cyclamen jersey) and the general classification (pink jersey) which determines which individual rider wins this leg of TCAT.

The following teams are participating:

- Cyclohexane - (CHX, Benito) Pogačar Tiberi Majka Zana Milan A. Paret-Peintre Carr Frigo Dunbar -----------------------------------------------------	- Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs - (BDC, Cézembre) Pogačar Arensman Martinez Rubio Milan Carr A. Paret-Peintre V. Paret-Peintre Lund Andresen -----------------------------------------------------	- Velociposse Florencia - (VFL, Florencia) Bardet Caruso Quintana Majka Kooij Clarke Laporte Bagioli O'Connor -----------------------------------------------------
- Gordon Hiatus Support Team - (GHS, Benito) Pogačar Arensman O'Connor Lopez Kooij A. Paret-Peintre Frigo Novak Pellizari -----------------------------------------------------	- Dead Last - (DED, Vuode) Bardet Caruso Uijtdebroeks Woods Gaviria Aleotti Affini Bagioli Thomas -----------------------------------------------------	- Cézembre Fieschă - (CFA, Cézembre) Pogačar Bardet Alaphilippe Rubio Bauhaus Van Sintmaartensdijk Van den Berg Van den Bossche Caruso -----------------------------------------------------
- Port Maxhestic AC - (PTM, Maritiimi-Maxhestic) Thomas Caruso Martinez Uijtdebroeks Merlier Ganna Barta Bjerg Barré -----------------------------------------------------	- Els Cantzelerïă Aþletici - (SOS, Maricopa) Thomas Caruso Alaphilippe Quintana Lamperti Affini Laporte Bagioli Bardet -----------------------------------------------------	- The Maricopa Cabana Boys - (MCB, Maricopa) Caruso Bardet O'Connor Martinez Merlier Van den Bossche Wood Aniołkowski Quintana -----------------------------------------------------

Links:
Registration thread
Information about the route and riders

@Iason Taiwos, did you make a velogames team? You should still be able to join the league if so.

[Iason Taiwos]

No...that's where I messed up.

[Glüc]

Stage 1 - Venaria Reale -> Torino



The first stage was a medium mountain stage with plenty of climbing which could immediately impact GC standings. Louis Barré (PTM) was the first TCAT rider to attack but was caught about halfway through the stage. Tadej Pogacar (CHX/BDC/GHS/CFA) immediately showed why he is by far the most expensive rider this year, being the first TCAT rider across the line and taking a small lead over many of the GC favourites already. Losers of the day were Bardet (VFL/DED/CFA/MCB) and Arensman (BDC/GHS), who already lost significant time in the standings and saw their chances of winning severely reduced. 

Of course Pogacar being the favourite doesn't mean the teams that picked him are going to win. Port Maxhestic shows how to do it by picking several cheaper riders that did well today including Thomas, Caruso, Martinez, Uijtdebroeks and Ganna. As a result they are in the lead after stage 1. Of course, regular participants will know the first result is not necessarily a good indication of how the rest of the edition will go. It's still a very long way to Rome.

Standings after stage 1:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	362	+362
2nd	(=)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	314	+314
3rd	(=)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	276	+276
4th	(=)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	266	+266
5th	(=)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	240	+240
6th	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	212	+212
7th	(=)	Els Cantzelerïă Aþletici (SOS)	189	+189
8th	(=)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	138	+138
9th	(=)	Velociposse Florencia (VFL)	89	+89

Tomorrow: more medium mountain terrain with an uphill finish so more opportunity for GC contenders:

[Glüc]

Also worth noting: all starters finished the stage today without crashing. We haven't always been so lucky in the past. Let's hope it stays that way!

[Sir Lüc]

Stage 2 - San Francesco al Campo -> Santuario di Oropa



Death, taxes, Pogacar (CHX/GHS/CFA/BDC) grabbing the leader's jersey after Stage 2. We got a first category summit finish already, which could only mean the general classification riders would battle it out. The Slovenian rider recovered from a flat tire and a subsequent light tumble 11km from the finish to absolutely smoke the competition on the steep road to the Sanctuary of Oropa in Biella.

Nobody could really follow him, with O'Connor (MCB/GHS/VFL) trying to hang on but ultimately running out of gas and conceding a whole minute; Thomas (PTM/DED/SOS) was more prudent and salvaged a third place and a 27" delay, being pipped to second by Martinez (MCB/PTM/BDC). Similar time losses for Uijtdebroeks (PTM/DED), Rubio (BDC/CFA) and Lopez (GHS), all three also featuring in today's top 10.

Sadly, if Arensman (GHS/BDC) and Bardet (MCB/DED/SOS/VFL/CFA) were yesterday's losers - and didn't really feature today either - TCAT may well have seen more riders abandon high GC ambitions today, with Caruso (MCB/PTM/DED/SOS/VFL/CFA) and especially Cyclohexane duo Tiberi and Dunbar losing significant time.

Banqeu da Cézembre leads the day largely thanks to Pogacar, Martinez and Rubio in the top 10. Port Maxhestic though continue their overall lead despite not holding Pogacar, as they still have Thomas, Martinez and Uijtdebroeks doing well; Caruso may also prove useful despite not doing terribly well today, as non-GC riders are bound to tumble down the GC order eventually.

Standings after stage 2:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	947	+585
2nd	(+2)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	885	+619
3rd	(+2)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	681	+441
4th	(-1)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	666	+390
5th	(-3)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	618	+304
6th	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	556	+344
7th	(+1)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	421	+283
8th	(-1)	Els Cantzelerïă Aþletici (SOS)	406	+217
9th	(=)	Velociposse Florencia (VFL)	160	+71

Coming up tomorrow, a stage that should be the first chance for sprinters to stake their claims to stage wins and the points classification. The only snag, a rather nontrivial 1.5km long 5% climb a mere 3km from the finish line, which may be a serious chance for opportunistic riders to get a late attack in and prevent a full peloton sprint.

[Carlüs Éovart Vilaçafat]

Also worth noting: all starters finished the stage today without crashing. We haven't always been so lucky in the past. Let's hope it stays that way!

Trying to jinx us Glüc?

[Glüc]

Trying to jinx us Glüc?

Already succeeded apparently :(

[Sir Lüc]

Stage 3 - Novara -> Fossano



The first stage for sprinters featured a surprising all-sprinter breakaway -- an attempt at anticipating a possible attack on the small hump before the finish, or simply a tactic to scoop up points in the intermediate sprints? Either way, we got a full peloton back for the finish, until the predicted final attack came -- from non-TCAT Honoré, but immediately followed by eternal ne'er-do-well Tadej Pogacar (CHX/GHS/CFA/BDC), with direct GC rival Geraint Thomas (PTM/DED/SOS) hot on his heels.

They were caught on the final stretch, however, and a traditional sprint finish ensued, won by Tim Merlier (MCB/PTM) who also gets the lead in the points classification. Second place to last year's points classification winner Jonathan Milan (BDC/CHX), while other TCAT sprinters placed lower -- Tobias Andersen (BDC) in fifth sealing in Banqeu de Cézembre's daily win and new lead in the overall table. Also doing well, the Cabana Boys, thanks to Stanislaw Aniolkowski placing eighth. Not much luck today for Olav Kooij (GHS/VFL), arguably Milan's most direct contender for the points classification, who had to settle for sixth.

As Glüc hinted, though, today sees the first TCAT retirements, with a double whammy for Cyclohexane as Eddie Dunbar and Simon Carr (also of BDC) both abandoned Giro.

Standings after stage 3:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(+1)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	1381	+496
2nd	(-1)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	1321	+374
3rd	(+2)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	921	+303
4th	(-1)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	915	+234
5th	(+2)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	837	+416
6th	(-2)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	803	+137
7th	(-1)	Dead Last (DED)	698	+142
8th	(=)	Els Cantzelerïă Aþletici (SOS)	508	+102
9th	(=)	Velociposse Florencia (VFL)	343	+183

Tomorrow, more sprinting opportunities as Giro crosses the Appennines with a pretty easy category 3 summit, following the Ligurian coast for a probable sprint finish -- but much like today, with a hump just before the finish. Will we see a repeat of today, or will a late attack instead succeed?

[Carlüs Éovart Vilaçafat]

Yeah! Clawing our way to the top in true MCB fashion!

[Sir Lüc]

Stage 4 Acqui Terme -> Andora

I only have time for a quick update tonight, so - second stage for sprinters and second bunch sprint despite late attack attempt by Ganna; Milan won so Milan teams (CHX, BDC) = good. Bauhaus, Kooij, Merlier also top 5. No changes in the standings today.

Standings after stage 4:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	1713	+332
2nd	(=)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	1565	+244
3rd	(=)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	1209	+288
4th	(=)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	1153	+238
5th	(=)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	1037	+200
6th	(=)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	1033	+230
7th	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	872	+174
8th	(=)	Els Cantzelerïă Aþletici (SOS)	568	+60
9th	(=)	Velociposse Florencia (VFL)	521	+178

Tomorrow yet more sprinting, unlike the last two stages, no chances for anything but a bunch sprint. We'll see if Milan/Merlier can win another stage or if other TCAT sprinters will finally respond in kind -- it will be their last chance until at least Sunday's stage and perhaps even next Wednesday's if that one goes to a breakaway win.

[Glüc]

Stage 5 Genova -> Lucca



Not much happened with regards to TCAT today. There were some crashes, most notably involving Laporte(SOS/VFL) and Martinez (MCB/PTM/BDC). Both finished the stage. Hopefully they will be able to continue. The sprinter teams didn't manage to catch the breakaway in time. Like yesterday the first TCAT rider across the line was Milan(CHX/BDC), with Bauhaus (CFA), Merlier (MCB/PTM) and Kooij (GHS/VFL) close behind. As a result not too many points were awarded.

Standings after stage 5:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	1950	+237
2nd	(=)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	1762	+197
3rd	(=)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	1400	+191
4th	(=)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	1323	+170
5th	(=)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	1217	+180
6th	(=)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	1192	+159
7th	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	971	+99
8th	(+1)	Velociposse Florencia (VFL)	629	+108
9th	(-1)	Els Cantzelerïă Aþletici (SOS)	610	+42

Tomorrow should be a much more interesting day, with a parcours that resembles the cycling classic Strade Bianche, which is named after the sections of (white) gravel roads that are included. Normally a great opportunity for a breakaway, but the way Pogacar is racing at the moment, he might just take a second stage himself.

[Glüc]

Stage 6 Viareggio -> Rapolano Terme

As expected, many riders wanted to be in the break for todays stage. It took more than half the distance before a group finally got away. Once we got to the gravel sections only three riders were still ahead, including Julian Alaphilippe (SOS/CFA). While the group including the GC favourites made up a lot of time on the gravel the break heroically made it to the finish and Alaphilippe ended up getting second place. After him most of the favourites arrived in a larger group. Unfortunately without Caruso (MCB/PTM/DED/SOS/VFL/CFA), who crashed and lost of a lot of time and is therefore out of contention for the top GC spots. It wasn't the only bad news for Dead Last, as Michael Woods did not start as a result of his crash yesterday.

The strong performance by Alaphilippe means Els Cantzelerïă Aþletici score the most points today and are no longer in last place and Cézembre Fieschā move up two spots as well.

Standings after stage 6:

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	2174	+224
2nd	(=)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	1977	+215
3rd	(=)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	1511	+111
4th	(+2)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	1503	+311
5th	(-1)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	1469	+146
6th	(-1)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	1348	+131
7th	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	1083	+112
8th	(+1)	Els Cantzelerïă Aþletici (SOS)	936	+326
9th	(-1)	Velociposse Florencia (VFL)	684	+55

Tomorrow is an important day for the GC as we get the first time trial. And it's a long one, which includes a bit of climbing as well so it could lead to some significant time differences. TT specialist Filippo Ganna (PTM) is one of the obvious contenders for the stage win tomorrow, but we should also be looking at GC favourites like Pogacar (CHX/GHS/CFA/BDC) and Thomas (PTM/DED/SOS), who are both very good at TTs as well.

[Tric’hard Lenxheir]

Working my way down to last place!

[Sir Lüc]

Apologies for lack of updates for stages 7 and 8, I've been very busy.

Stage 7: the first of two time trials, shorter but with a steep final climb. Pogacar won pipping Ganna by 16", making back a whole minute on the final climb. More significantly for the general classification, Martinez (MCB/PTM/BDC) overtook an underperforming Thomas (PTM/DED/SOS) for second place.

Stage 8: summit finish in Prati di Tivo for a second proper mountain stage. Another Pogacar win, except no attack - instead we had several mini attacks by opponents, none of which were successful, ending in an uphill final sprint among the nine survivors.

BDC takes both stages, and GHST takes both second places. Rounding out top four in both instances, though in swapped positions, Cyclohexane and Port Maxhestic.

Bad news for Caruso teams (MCB/PTM/DED/SOS/VFL/CFA) and for GHST's Lopez - both riders lost significant time. Sadly for SOS and VFL, we have another TCAT retirement as Christophe Laporte did not start. Positive notes for TCAT teams are Arensman and Tiberi making up some lost time relative to other GC contenders thanks to a pair of good results.

Ranking to come later today, so it includes the soon-to-finish stage 9!

[Sir Lüc]

Stage 9 Avezzano -> Napoli

It should have been a day for a possible early breakaway win, but this one went to the sprinters as Olav Kooij (GHS/VFL) gets a maiden grand tour win pipping Jonathan Milan (BDC/CHX) right on the line. The only other TCAT rider to score points is SOS's Luke Lamperti (15th), as such today is a low scoring affair; lots of prominent sprinters, including Tim Merlier (MCB/PTM), Phil Bauhaus (CFA) and Fernando Gaviria (DED), were dropped from the peloton in the hilly approach to the finish and did not feature in the sprint for the win.

Gordon Hiatus Support Team leads the day for the first time this edition, with little changing in the overall standings.

Standings after stage 9:
                                                           

Pos	±	Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)	Banqeu da Cézembre Tavulairs (BDC)	3830	+318
2nd	(=)	Port Maxhestic AC (PTM)	3071	+111
3rd	(=)	Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	2903	+341
4th	(=)	Cyclohexane (CHX)	2769	+278
5th	(=)	Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	2324	+65
6th	(=)	Maricopa Cabana Boys (MCB)	2115	+76
7th	(=)	Dead Last (DED)	1635	+77
8th	(+1)	Velociposse Florencia (VFL)	1369	+273
9th	(-1)	Els Cantzelerïă Aþletici (SOS)	1361	+72

Rest day tomorrow, stay tuned for some thoughts on the current situation!

[Sir Lüc]

Right, we're one third of the way through already! Let's see how teams stack up. The current podium:

1. BANQEU DA CÉZEMBRE TAVULAIRS - @Glüc da Dhi S.H. - 3830pts
POGAČAR | ARENSMAN | MARTINEZ | RUBIO | MILAN | CARR | A. PARET-PEINTRE | V. PARET-PEINTRE | ANDRESEN

Holding four riders in the current top 10 of the general classification (GC) plus the leader of the points classification, BdC is once again the almost inevitable favourite for the final win. No big luck with the other four picks so far, but no disaster pick among the ones that actually matter either, with Thymen Arensman's false start in the first two stages amply compensated with his performance on Friday's TT and Saturday's summit finish.
Dani Martinez is for sure the rider making the difference at the moment, vastly overperforming the expectations for now. Jonathan Milan has also always featured at the top when it mattered as well, with much more consistent placements in sprint stages than Olav Kooij and Tim Merlier.
Again, no particular luck with any of the three unclasseds or second sprinter Tobias Lund Andresen (only team to choose a wildcard sprinter though there are sprinting unclasseds elsewhere), but this is unlikely to make the difference and there's still plenty of chances for the Paret-Peintre brothers to get a stage win.

2. PORT MAXHESTIC AC - @Ian Plätschisch - 3071pts
THOMAS | CARUSO | MARTINEZ | UIJTDEBROEKS | MERLIER | GANNA | BARTA | BJERG | BARRÉ

Perhaps the surprise of this leg of TCAT given the absence of Tadej Pogačar, Port Maxhestic is nevertheless flying high thanks to a selection of so far well-scoring picks: Thomas, Martinez and Uijtdebroeks are all in the current GC top 5, and Tim Merlier got off to a strong start by winning the first sprint stage. Filippo Ganna, ever the risky expensive unclassed pick, predictably placed on the podium in Friday's time trial and should be the favourite in the second, flatter time trial.
Where Port Maxhestic might struggle is by picking four expensive unclassed riders, who might not bring home many points compared to picking cheaper riders and a non-unclassed wildcard; and Damiano Caruso also dealt the team a blow by floundering in stage 6, bringing himself out of contention for a high GC finish. He might be free to chase a stage win now, but he may very well be busy helping teammate Antonio Tiberi's GC chances instead.

3. GORDON HIATUS SUPPORT TEAM - @Sir Lüc - 2903pts
POGAČAR | ARENSMAN | O'CONNOR | LOPEZ | KOOIJ | A. PARET-PEINTRE | FRIGO | NOVAK | PELLIZZARI

The second of the Pogačar-holding teams, GHST also holds resurgent duo Thymen Arensman and Ben O'Connor - we've already spoken of the former, and the latter's overreaction against Pogačar himself in stage 1 made him tire out and lose time very early on in the competition. Also on the up, sprinter Olav Kooij, who started relatively slow but got a maiden grand tour stage win in Naples yesterday.
Unfortunately, just as Arensman bounced back, Juanpe Lopez floundered both in the time trial and in Prati di Tivo, which probably sank any hopes of GHST ever making back the deficit to the top. None of the other four riders is coming to the rescue either, with young gun Giulio Pellizzari yet to make his mark, and Marco Frigo so far never featuring and unable to replicating his Giro 2023 exploits. Unless either of the two gets a big prize, lots of things will have to go wrong to other teams in order for GHST to aim for higher than best of the rest.

[Sir Lüc]

The middle of the pack:

4. CYCLOHEXANE - @Erschéveþ da Schir - 2769pts
POGAČAR | TIBERI | MAJKA | ZANA | MILAN | A. PARET-PEINTRE | CARR | FRIGO | DUNBAR

If we've already seen teams with a poorly performing latter four riders, defending TCAT Italy champions Cyclohexane have certainly had their share of rotten luck there as well, with Carr and Dunbar dropping out - a possible stage winner and a GC top 10 candidate respectively - and Aurélien Paret-Peintre and Marco Frigo still rather muted compared to their 2023 point haul.
On the other hand, Antonio Tiberi is another rider on the rise after a terrible start to his maiden Giro as a team leader, and we've already mentioned Pogi and Milan as essentially the best picks in their respective positions. Where Cyclohexane might wish their points haul was higher is in climbing duo Rafał Majka and Filippo Zana: Majka - Tadej Pogačar's key lieutenant - only makes sense if he sticks around to the end after helping his team leader, which he only did on one of two summit finishes (otherwise he'll lose GC time and not get any stage points); and Zana so far hasn't really kept pace in GC with higher placed equally priced climbers such as Einer Rubio - but he may of course fare better as the Alps get closer.

5. CÉZEMBRE FIESCHĂ - @þerxh Sant-Enogat - 2324pts
POGAČAR | BARDET | ALAPHILIPPE | RUBIO | BAUHAUS | VAN SINTMAARTENSDIJK | VAN DEN BERG | VAN DEN BOSSCHE | CARUSO

Dead in the middle of the table, Fieschă has certainly suffered from Romain Bardet underdelivering, as the Frenchman was supposed to be in good shape but immediately showed weak points and doesn't seem like he's managing to recover either. A positive note is certainly coming from the climbers: Julian Alaphilippe - the former world champion showing he's in good spirits and hungry for a stage win - and Einer Rubio, ever dangerous in summit finish stages and clinging on to the GC top 10. Fieschă is also the only team with Phil Bauhaus as sprinter - decent choice so far with a podium finish but, much like Merlier, being dropped on Sunday hinting at some difficulties contesting for the win when the stage profile gets too steep too close to the line.

6. MARICOPA CABANA BOYS - @Carlüs Éovart Vilaçafat - 2115pts
CARUSO | BARDET | O'CONNOR | MARTINEZ | MERLIER | VAN DEN BOSSCHE | WOOD | ANIOŁKOWSKI | QUINTANA

The second of the Pogi-less teams, the Cabana Boys are arguably the other two-sprinter team, with unclassed pick Stanisław Aniołkowski bringing much welcome stage points thrice already - only Bjerg and Ganna brought home more points among TCAT unclassed picks. Caruso and Bardet are somewhat unfortunate picks given what transpired in the first week, but climbing picks O'Connor and Martinez could prove decisive in keeping MCB away from the bottom of the table. Wildcard climbing pick Nairo Quintana might also show he's still capable of a stage win later in the competition. A quick shoutout to Harrison Wood; the Briton might not have scored many Velogames points, but he's been pretty active and he's bound to be in a breakaway sooner or later.

[Sir Lüc]

Last but not least:

7. DEAD LAST - @Tric'hard Lenxheir - 1635pts
BARDET | CARUSO | UIJTDEBROEKS | WOODS | GAVIRIA | ALEOTTI | AFFINI | BAGIOLI | THOMAS

Dead Last is not dead last, which I'm still not sure to be glad or unhappy for Tric'hard about. We've already spoken about Bardet and Caruso, but Cian Uijtdebroeks is certainly holding his own in his first grand tour as a team leader, mostly sticking with the other GC podium contenders so far including in Friday's time trial, where he was widely expected to struggle. Dead Last was unlucky to lose Michael Woods basically from the get go as the Canadian is an usual suspect when it comes to medium mountain stages.
Giovanni Aleotti is an interesting pick, as Florian Lipowitz's retirement means he's now the main lieutenant of Dani Martinez and similar considerations as those we made for Majka should apply (indeed he arrived together with Majka on Saturday and was among those who stuck with the favourites until the end). As for the other two unclasseds, Edoardo Affini may still rack up assist points from Kooij and Uijtdebroeks and should hopefully be aiming relatively high in the other time trial; and sadly Andrea Bagioli is an excellent classics rider but he may struggle to find space to do anything but help teammates Lopez and Milan.

8. VELOCIPOSSE FLORENCIA - @Breneir Tzaracomprada - 1369pts
BARDET | CARUSO | QUINTANA | MAJKA | KOOIJ | CLARKE | LAPORTE | BAGIOLI | O'CONNOR
and
9. ELS CANTZELERÏĂ AÞLETICI - @Sir Txec dal Nordselvă, UrB - 1361pts
THOMAS | CARUSO | ALAPHILIPPE | QUINTANA | LAMPERTI | AFFINI | LAPORTE | BAGIOLI | BARDET

Lumping these two together as they are just eight points apart and share a quintet of so far disappointing riders - Bardet, Caruso, Quintana, Bagioli and Christophe Laporte, the European champion bringing some oomph to Olav Kooij's leadout train, but forced to abandon Giro due to the aftermath of a crash in stage 5.
All is not lost for the rapid bunch from the nacho-shaped province, though - Kooij can keep placing high in sprint stages, and O'Connor has bounced back and has a team in good form to support his GC ambitions. Of the as yet unmentioned riders, Simon Clarke is a breakaway threat and has been fairly active so far, so it could be a matter of time before he brings home the goods.
Cantzelerïă definitely could have used Laporte as a potential second sprinter as Luke Lamperti's sprints have mostly been in service of team leader Tim Merlier, leading to lean point intakes in sprint stages; nevertheless, despite currently being bottom of the table they already led the day once, in Thursday's Strade Bianche lookalike. No reason to assume this won't happen again!

[Breneir Tzaracomprada]

So very close. I am determined to finish dead last to spite Dead Last. And I will change our team's name to Dead²Last.

[Carlüs Éovart Vilaçafat]

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