VDS Deadline Day!
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 25, 2009 10:21 AM EST
in FSA Directeur Sportif
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One last time, here's the info. A couple thoughts:
* Midnight tonight is a hard deadline. If Alberto Contador announces he's giving up the sport for dental school at 12.01, tough.
* Stay in touch with your email today and tomorrow, please. I will permit minor corrections on a one-time-request basis. BUT! If you can iron out the problems beforehand, that would be preferable. Common problems are:
- spending over 150 points
- having too many 25- or 20-pointers
- having fewer than 25 riders, and
- having the same rider twice
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Sorry Chris..
I’ve annoyed you.. Changed a one pointer for an other… Hope it isn’t too many work..
Some say the best things in life, are one the inside.
No problem
Basically I am going to order my email inbox by name, so if there are four emails from Frinking, I just open the last one.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 25, 2009 10:48 AM EST up reply actions
Ok thanks..
Initially I send an e-mail with only the change but I think you want the whol excel sheet so I have send the excel sheet with the change again
Some say the best things in life, are one the inside.
YES!
Whole spreadsheet with final team, s.v.p.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 25, 2009 11:10 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah I know.. It's terrible isn't it?
But Koen de Kort.. Serious.. What was going through my head at that time?!?!
Some say the best things in life, are one the inside.
Heh
He’s on my team. I needed a one-pointer and I seem to remember that he has shown promise in the past couple of seasons.
So tell me, what’s wrong with him? Double amputation in the off-season?
Mark
Problem is
he has shown promise in the past couple of seasons……………..but never seems to develop.
I think he’s won the U23 Roubaix at one point but talents don’t always develop into stars.
He's right..
If their are cobbles on his way you can see his face.. He probably get a tenth place in one of the spring semi-classics but then it’s over.. Ok he will probably also get a tenth place in de driedaagse de Panne but their are some really good one point riders… I think one is coming from the Czech Republic.. I don’t have him but he could do very well this season
Some say the best things in life, are one the inside.
Permit me to mildly disagree with you two Euro um people.
De Kort is priced where he should be – as a one pointer. However as one pointers go, he’s one of the more solid ones. Last year on an Astana team where he was not only very much on their B or C team but also on their cobble team (a type of race that they don’t normally give much attention to) he did okay on the races that this year are part of the VDS calendar:
- 12th at Eneco
- 16th at Dunkirk
- 4th at Ster Electrotoer
The 4th place finish would have given him 80 VDS points which would have at least been a full return on the investment of 1 point. Not something to go dancing in the streets about but then again most every one pointer will do less this year. The Dunkirk and Eneco results show that he’s competitive on that level of racing.
Now he’s on Skil Shimano where he will get more attention not only because he’s one of their better riders but also because they pay more attention to getting results on these northern Classics and second tier races. In addition Skil also has a full slate of VDS races, giving Koen more chances at scoring then he had at Astana.
Is he Ginnini? No. But he’s one of the best one point investments out there.
The Ster Elektrotour..
Do you serious can get points on that race?!?!
Some say the best things in life, are one the inside.
I think I have enough rider for their..
A German, Italien and Danish how did very well last year.. If I remember correctly so Ster ElektroTout.. Here I coooome!!
Some say the best things in life, are one the inside.
Frinking is not alone
i think i made two changes but then i was about the 9th team in. Greipel’s crash meant he had to be replaced and i did the 2-point tango for about two weeks before settling on Haussler over about three other prospects…
i just hope the last version i sent in is the right one!
You may very well think that; I couldn't possibly comment.
$#@#$(*&$#*&!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Revisions forthcoming… knew I should have been paying closer attention during the TdU…
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
Dan, wait!
I have Greipel too. He’s only out for 12 weeks. It’s already been what, four weeks since TDU. Deep breaths…he could still be in for the season.
Sometimes I wonder...why is that Frisbee getting bigger?...and then it hits me.
Yeah... but probably not for anything that he's going to ride for himself in...
… decisions… decisions…
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
Well, I'm keeping him.
You may mock me later.
Sometimes I wonder...why is that Frisbee getting bigger?...and then it hits me.
CrashDan's VDS Team... now with 100% less Greipel than before!
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
Doesn't this mean we should all add him now?
Just spinning the pedals in the hills of Western Maryland
You must have misread that... my name is NOT drew...
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
Bethie made the right choice here Dan
Well there are other 2 pointers and I didn;t pick Greipel but if you like him, his injury shouldn;t have disuaded you. Look at last year. He got 80 points for winning a Giro stage that Cavendish let him have. Otherwise he won a stage on his own at Deutschland plus earned 60 points at Eneco for placing 5th- and he was very much riding for himself there.
With Deutschland no longer on the schedule I can see him riding and scoring in Poland (women! pay attention!) With him out for injury he will be fresh for the post-cobbles year and I can imagine him scoring 150 points this year
I'm fine with my decision to de-Greipelfy my roster...
… since I replaced him with someone I overlooked previously…
That’s right… Simon Spilak… you complete me…
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
I was going to correct you and say that the correct word is "Doomed"...
… but actually, you got it right… Drew and Doomed are pretty much synonyms.
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
Count me also in...
But Dan has him.. I have to reconsider now..
Some say the best things in life, are one the inside.
Buddy... if you pick your team based on who I DON'T have...
… well, you’re team is probably going to rock.
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
Ooh I'm fairly confident
he’s the onluy one.. You hate Dutch guys don’t you?
Some say the best things in life, are one the inside.
Nope... I have several Dutch friends...
… I like them even more now that I know they aren’t Danish.
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
You made that up don't you?
Aah it’s not that bad.. They have hot chicks in Danmark and you know that French and The Netherlands are 2 different countrys
Some say the best things in life, are one the inside.
Wow Crashdan
You have a whole European country filled with blond babes named after you? Great stuff.
Crash-Danmark!
Nope... for the longest time I thought Holland was up by...
… Sweden and Norway… I always wondered how they got the tulips to grow where it was so cold. Seriously, this was only made clear to me about 5 or 6 years ago. That’s what you get for barely traveling out of Germany and being raised in the US Public School system.
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
Lol! But can't blame you..
If you ask where Idaho or Wisconsin are I would als don’t have a clue.. So it’s not fair to laugh at the American :)
Some say the best things in life, are one the inside.
Is that a real place?
It sounds a bit like a vegetarian theme park. Mind you it’ll never beat Belgium’s Plopsaland in the list of places I’m not tempted to go.
I read that and immediately
thought of this post from ages ago. Today has been too long as this is so not right.
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
Never try to understand French advertising
I remember once seeing a giant billboard wih a topless woman advertising kitchen roll.
There's a Plopsaland in De Panne...
Drei Daagse de Plopsaland!
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
That's the one
it’s just a few hundred yards inside Belgium, presumably so that all the Frenchies who come over to buy cheap tobacco can have a day out with their kids.
Ok... You get to have Spilak on Mondays and Wednesdays...
… I get him Tuesdays and Thursdays we we alternate weekends. Specifically… I get the weekends he’s racing… you get the weekends he’s recovering.
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
"You may mock me later."
I’m jumping the gun and mocking you now.
Mooooooooooooooooooooooock!
"I didn't look for him and I didn't see him. If you base your race on another rider, most of the time you lose."
Tom Boonen
yikes!
what did i start?!
it was a tough call, the de-Greipeling, but though i greatly value ursula’s analysis i shall not invoke the wrath of chris by changing back now. i shall live with whatever disappointment may come from having let him go, and wish him a speedy recovery and the best of seasons!
You may very well think that; I couldn't possibly comment.
So who decided to forego their favorite rider this time?
I gave up Oscarito, and feel terrible about it. Unfortunately I think the early season is his most consistently productive VDS period, and he’s too expensive to take a flyer on in a year where he’s injured.
I let Kirchen go and he was so good for my TdF team last year.
That was hard.
by ZoeRochelle on Feb 25, 2009 11:00 AM EST up reply actions
I left Evans off this year
He’s the one rider who I want to see do even better this year than last, and I hope that he proves me wrong, but…
I also decided that Valverde, my first pick as a replacement 25 pointer was not worth the risk. I have a feeling that he might be watching a some races this year….
am i loyal to a fault?
he’s my 25 pointer, so here’s hoping he proves me right…!
You may very well think that; I couldn't possibly comment.
Tommeke :-(
I left Tommeke out — one of the more painful decisions I have ever made.
The boo in samboo is for Boonin (yeah Tom spells it wrong).
I hope I regret that decision.
It was Freire for me, too
I hated taking Oscarito off my team. He’s probably one of my top-five favorite riders of all time. I had him on my team until his injury, but without Milan-San Remo and other early season races, I just couldn’t justify spending 18 points on him. I’ll still be rooting for him all season, though.
by Susie Hartigan on Feb 25, 2009 12:24 PM EST up reply actions
I had to drop both Freire and Kirchen
I wanted to have them both but I just can’t everyone and Kirchen sink too. I guess I don’t carry a big enough budget.
I ended up having to change out 6 guys due to the loss of Oscarito and the sink.
Just spinning the pedals in the hills of Western Maryland
I dropped Oscar and Cav
Oscar for pretty much as you said, Cav because the places he does well just don’t score big VDS points. He might hang on for something big but he’s far more likely just to knock off a dozen or so 40 or 50 point scores.
Yeah... in the end even four stage wins in Le Tour doesn't really translate to big points...
… if you don’t take it all the way to Paris.
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
It's a looong... looong way from gettin' over Palomar...
… to gettin’ down the Champs in one piece…
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
Except I hired Pepsi Franck to stand in the Dolomiti with a sniper rifle and a taste for Manx...
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
Oy
the table talk. But my team is etched in stone now regardless.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 25, 2009 5:29 PM EST up reply actions
Kirchen and Schleck
I left off both these guys that were pretty good to me last year. But the injury and amigo de birrillo weren’t worth the risk. With hours left to go I am still trying to decide if/ how much younger bro and the whole sexy back team might be impacted by the fall out. Last year I took Ricco despite some suspicions (and despite his big mouth), trying to avoid that again this year.
Had to leave out Spartacus...
…but I’ve still got 5 Saxos on my team, including Jens! and Andy.
At first I was just trying to fit in as many of my favorite riders as possible, but then greediness got the better of me and all of a sudden a bunch of other guys (who are supposed to earn some points) found their way to my roster.
Yeah I just sent and updated team without Oscar.
I sent my team in a couple days ago, after thinking long and hard after his crash, leaving him in. Then after submitting, kept thinking and thinking about it….. Ugggh….. And not he’s out.
So we can expect..
‘your team is in’-‘it looks great’-‘enjoy Het Volk & BKB’-mail from you starting tomorrow?
Right now I’m anxious my team went right into some cyberspace black hole or something.
Frak.
I was going to do my taxes tonight. Looks like I’ll be coming up with my team instead. Boy, this date snuck up on me. (I might as well throw darts at the list this year. No matter what I do, my team is usually plagued by injury, drop outs and misery….)
Cool
Can I email you a list of names not to throw your darts at then?
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 25, 2009 11:11 AM EST up reply actions
I left Evans off this year
He’s the one rider who I want to see do even better this year than last, and I hope that he proves me wrong, but…
I also decided that Valverde, my first pick as a replacement 25 pointer was not worth the risk. I have a feeling that he might be watching a some races this year….
Just sent in my corrected entry
Hopefully I sent it from the same email address as last time.
Just spinning the pedals in the hills of Western Maryland
Nube question
Chris, if we’ve sent the email, didn’t get a bounceback or anything like that, and we don’t hear from you between now and midnight, should we assume everything’s ok?
and while I'm at it
I read the rules as saying it’s ok to have 1 25-point rider AND 2 20-point riders. Is that correct, or should I have read the “AND” as an “OR”?
You're OK
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 25, 2009 1:35 PM EST up reply actions
Well
I am going to post a list of all the teams received, so you can check.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 25, 2009 1:35 PM EST up reply actions
so sad at my procrastination...
i’ve been working bazillion-hour weeks for the last month and kept thinking i had time…
ah well, at least i’ll enjoy the tour-only versions.
Come onnnnnnnnnn...
… you have 13 hours and 30 minutes left… you can do it!
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
Really!
Toss something together. Pick some of your favs or go by name you recall.
You only HAVE to have 25 riders. You can short yourself on points.
I’m sure you were with me last year complaining the Tour Onlys were not enough points so you HAVE to do one. :-)
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
+1 :-) I wish I put loads of thought in mine.
But nope. Picked names, played to hit the points and done.
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
So all this incredible analysis you've shared
truly is just to f*ck with us. I knew it.
….goes to find more aspirin to help headache gotten from analysis overload at the Cafe.
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
You bet!
lol
Honestly I like to write and so took the time to think out and write some common sense tips. All with an open heart because I really don’t care how well I do. Last year I didn’t even check my final standing until late November. And I finished just to the good side of midtable- which is where I expect to land again. I thought briefly of getting rid of a couple of my faves but in the end I didn’t because I like them too much. My biggest fave I didn’t include was Benna- but if I had kept him I would have tossed out three other personal favorites. I think Benna, if he stays healthy, is gonna have a great year.
But in thinking about it I think almost all of us did the same thing: start with our favorite riders and tried to fit a team around them. Some of us just took more time to research the guys that weren’t our favorites. Hopefully they had fun with that extra research.
Maybe next year I’ll take suggestions on what specific riders that you want me to write about and we can all look at their plusses and minuses.
I love your write ups babe so don't ever stop on my account.
I enjoy reading it all and seeing all the knowledge that comes from you and then the comments on riders, especially ones I’ve barely heard of. Just way too much info for me in picking my actual team. It needs to be fun and stuff and a lot of thought is no good for me outside of work these days. BUT, that said, I love reading it all for general knowledge. Especially the ones we don’t see everyday in headlines. Helps pont me to ones to watch for. It’s all great stuff and you are one of many I look forward to reading threads from. :-)
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
oh, the peer pressure!
drat drat drat – all good points!
i’ll see what i can do. (i would enjoy being able to talk some smack with all of you!)
Are there any limits on the length of a team's name?
‘cause I’m afraid my team’s name is ridiculously long. It’s a tribute to Serramenti… and I couldn’t resist going with it. Just hope it won’t cause trouble to whoever is handling the spreadsheets.
Smokescreen
I just heard Evans will concentrate on mountainbiking this year because Sven Nijs is afraid he will not have enough competition. Shocking news came from a pizza-joint in Monaco that supplied doping with their delivered pizza. Especially the quatro dopionio and tutti riccoti were in hot demand by cyclists residing in the area. From our correspondent in Holland I heard that the financial crisis has forced Rabobank to cut back on food for their cyclists. They will have to ride all races on sugar cubes and tapwater. All cyclist valued at two points in the VDS game have started a union and will go on strike untill they get a 50% raise. Cavendish has said he will concentrate on breaking the hour world record this summer. All Italian riders will only ride in Italy this year to protest against doping Spaniards.
So I guess you have to reconsider your VDS team now, don’t you?
Gav didn't have it in her gossip....
therefore it is untrue. Trying to get us to bite. Nice try.
Hey Gav. Gav?!?! Hello?!?
This is all false right?!?! GAVIA?!?! Where are YOU?!?
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
Sandbagger
Nobody in their right mind would take any of this as gospel, except maybe Ursula’s stuff, he can’t help but dispense information. Everyone else… sandbaggers.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 25, 2009 2:38 PM EST up reply actions
Perfect marketing
I know it sounds too strange to be true But that is how it always start, isn’t it? A room full of bags of blood sounded crazy too.
If you don’t believe it your subconscious self will. Mwuhahaha.
You know those very short flashes of coca cola shots they showed you in the cinema that made you long for those drinks? You’re doomed now…
I know it sounds too strange to be true
But that is how it always start, isn’t it? A room full of bags of blood sounded crazy too.
If you don’t believe it your subconscious self will. Mwuhahaha.
Damn You LOPEX!!!
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 25, 2009 2:49 PM EST up reply actions
Silly bear...
… motorcycles don’t have dashboards…
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
Oddly enough... I was looking for a mascot to take on my moto trips with me...
… so I picked up a little stuffed black bear one time when I was in Yosmite (this was well before PdC) and named it Ursula… I had intended it to go on whatever I put on the back seat of the bike (also referred to as the Pillion or Sissy Seat).
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
Funny thing is Sui didn't even know about that...
… the man is playing mind games!
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
Or did Sui know and you have forgotten what you've all shared....
And really, Ursula, you’re okay with the Sissy Seat?
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
Hm
I can’t believe there is no team named the Office Linebackers.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 25, 2009 5:30 PM EST up reply actions
Okay- let's have some guesses:
Which rider will be the most popular pick this year? Last year it was Kroon with 68 followed by Zabriskie and Wiggins with 67 and Vandevelde with 64. Who will the faves be this year?
Wiggins
appears to be a good value this year as he won’t be concentrating on the olympics and will be in more races. I would guess he is the most popular.
by australopithecine on Feb 25, 2009 3:13 PM EST up reply actions
Hold your fire guys
The deadline is almost upon us. By naming the favs now they will only get picked more often…
Btw, I have none of these guys.
You don't have Boom?
Shame on you! And everybody has filled in the VDS so their is no point to not tell everyone your thoughts..
Some say the best things in life, are one the inside.
I have Boom
But I forget why I took him—-some story about him trying the road, I guess. Nys is the crosser who said he was making a serious run at Flanders, I think.
Boom is gonna win the prologue of the Vuelta...
Or is that the same won that he would do at the WC’s..
But he has a nice programme.. He’s gonna ride the Tour de Suisse and another race… Uuuh and the Vuelta.. If he can take one point there…. Ok are their other good one pointers?!
Some say the best things in life, are one the inside.
Ginanni
Anybody who has not picked him?
by Forstoppelse on Feb 25, 2009 5:05 PM EST up reply actions
You are not brought up on this world to "get it" Mr. Burton.
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
I got suckered like that last year
Daniele Pietropolli was the next big thing, honest. OK he scored more than Bram Tankink, but i wouldn’t have really missed those 10 extra points he scored.
Shiiiiiiiiit! I knew I was missing someone I really wanted.
Crap. To change. To not change. Crapity crap crap.
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
I'm betting it's the guy whose name makes this anagram: Albeit Inane End
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
So being bored on a conference call not wanting to focus real hard.
Did you know he is also Deniable At Nine?
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
I'm debating between F. Schleck and Thor.
The only reason is that Schleck could get busted if Puerto comes to fruition. Will he have scored the 1100 points by then?
I had Thor for a while
but then I started fiddling at the bottom end of my team and had a couple of points left over so I traded up. Am I the only one who just felt obliged to spend all 150 points? It somehow didn’t seem quite right wasting any.
I'm with you.
I played around till I hit the magic 150 too.
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
And we will both be tho thor
come thummer time when he addth a green jerthey to all hith thpring victorieth.
Remind me to tell you some time of the Viking Funeral I once presided over...
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
Did you have to perform
some sort of cleaving of the skull with a longaxe as the boat floated away in flames? While simultaneously not breaching California laws and regulations on waterway pollution.
Er... not quite...
… however it did involve a can of burning RAID, balsa wood, white bed sheets, my two brothers and Mozart’s Requiem.
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
Raid??
is this something in the Chronicles of Wotan. Cockroaches are not permitted to enter Valhalla.
Cockroaches are allowed in to Valhalla...
… but they’re never allowed out.
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
I have lived many lives Sui...
… many different lives.
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
I swear if I wasn't feeling like crap and unable to think straight about my diss...
…I wouldn’t be contemplating another round of revisions to send to Chris…
Aww. Thank you.
I’m totally giving up. It is what it is.
what's the difference
between the ds name and my login name on the form? (yes – i’m working on it.)
do i have to come up with another clever thing (beyond the team name)?
the stress of the last minute entry!!
You can use login for both.
Or come up with some nickname for it, or use a real ds name for it. It’s just another open spot to be crafty.
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
Good For You!!!
Suggestion…
Team Name: Too Late To Think Of One
DS: Procrastinotron
Boonen's a shark... choking on Livestrong chalk and FAIL. Go Cav!
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