The year was 2012, another FSA DS sesson (well really the first but lets not interrupt the maundering with facts) was beginning. I felt compelled to spew a couple of words out into the ether about FSA DS. I gave out instructions on how to pick riders. I also"helped" people pick a team. I then felt a compulsion to explain my own picks for some unknown reason.
Now in a bout of Post Season Purging this advice giving aficionado will lay bare his FSA DS self to autopsy for you enjoyment. My team Thank you for the Heartbreak ended up the year with 14454 points and finished in 143rd place. I fared better than most but did not come anywhere near the top of the heap. My key mistakes from a winning FSA DS point of view were T-Mart not being Wiggo (my brain told my heart it was an idiot on this one), and letting that horrid she-bear talk me out of Tombo was enough to drop me from 17193 (if I swap T-mart for Wiggo and Farrar for Tombo) and a top 30 place to the 140's. Ah wishful thinking and hindsight!
Unfortunately for me I spared myself the fantasy of that delusion. I saved 14 of my favourite builds for future reference. It is the future and I have referenced. Here are a couple of examples.
Even when I picked Tombo and Sagan I still found ways to commit suicide:
|
Rider |
Cost |
Points |
|
Michele Scarponi |
18 |
765 |
|
Peter Sagan |
20 |
2556 |
|
Edvald Boassan Hagen |
20 |
1535 |
|
Denis Menchov |
8 |
300 |
|
Tom Boonen |
12 |
2007 |
|
Igor Anton |
8 |
400 |
|
Wout Poels |
8 |
355 |
|
Stephen Kruijswijk |
8 |
60 |
|
Jurgen Van den Broeck |
6 |
665 |
|
Filipo Pozzato |
8 |
700 |
|
Heinrich Haussler |
8 |
580 |
|
Enrico Battaglin |
2 |
100 |
|
Matti Breschel |
10 |
390 |
|
Victor Cabedo |
1 |
0 |
|
Andrea Guardini |
2 |
80 |
|
Wilco Kelderman |
1 |
270 |
|
Daniele Ratto |
1 |
0 |
|
Davide Veilleux |
1 |
100 |
|
Arnaud Demare |
2 |
700 |
|
Fabio Aru |
1 |
20 |
|
Guillaume Boivin |
1 |
120 |
|
Jetse Bol |
1 |
0 |
|
Moreno Moser |
1 |
699 |
|
Salvatore Puccio |
1 |
10 |
|
Tom Jelte Slagter |
1 |
140 |
|
|
150 |
12552 |
And then there was the sprinterfest I dreamed up:
|
Rider |
Cost |
Points |
|
Mark Cavendish |
22 |
1370 |
|
Peter Sagan |
20 |
2556 |
|
Edvald Boasson Hagen |
20 |
1535 |
|
Andre Greipel |
14 |
1235 |
|
Tyler Farrar |
14 |
383 |
|
Jose Joaquin Rojas |
12 |
122 |
|
Matthew Goss |
14 |
831 |
|
John Degenkolb |
10 |
1930 |
|
Juan Jose Haedo |
2 |
115 |
|
Enrico Battaglin |
2 |
100 |
|
Sacha Modolo |
2 |
245 |
|
Jens Keukeleire |
2 |
220 |
|
Daniel Oss |
2 |
125 |
|
Elia Viviani |
2 |
270 |
|
Nikita Novikov |
1 |
0 |
|
Arnaud Demare |
2 |
700 |
|
Nicola Boem |
1 |
0 |
|
Guillaume Boivin |
1 |
120 |
|
Jetse Bol |
1 |
0 |
|
Tom Dumoulin |
1 |
75 |
|
Bert-Jan Lindeman |
1 |
0 |
|
Moreno Moser |
1 |
699 |
|
Luke Rowe |
1 |
40 |
|
Tosh Van de Sande |
1 |
30 |
|
Coen Vermelfoort |
1 |
0 |
|
|
150 |
12701 |
Then there was that disaster of a Tour focused team I dreamed up:
|
Rider |
Cost |
Points |
|
Cadel Evans |
26 |
825 |
|
Samuel Sanchez |
18 |
1291 |
|
Bradley Wiggins |
18 |
2630 |
|
Andy Schleck |
16 |
0 |
|
Damiano Cunego |
14 |
925 |
|
Ivan Basso |
10 |
360 |
|
Denis Menchov |
8 |
300 |
|
Jurgen Van den Broeck |
6 |
665 |
|
Janez Brajkovic |
4 |
584 |
|
Perrick Fedrigo |
4 |
320 |
|
Juan Jose Haedo |
2 |
115 |
|
Jerome Pineau |
2 |
50 |
|
Thibault Pinot |
2 |
430 |
|
Arnold Jeannesson |
2 |
80 |
|
Nicholas Roche |
2 |
310 |
|
William Bonnet |
2 |
0 |
|
Cyril Gautier |
2 |
20 |
|
Remi Pauriol |
2 |
0 |
|
Blel Kadri |
2 |
40 |
|
Jeremy Roy |
1 |
350 |
|
Remi Di Gregorio |
1 |
0 |
|
Adrian Petit |
2 |
80 |
|
Arnaud Demare |
2 |
700 |
|
Romain Bardet |
1 |
15 |
|
Kenny Elisssonde |
1 |
0 |
|
|
150 |
10090 |
I did however manage to whip up a couple of teams that were better then my final submission, for example, this GC rider focused team:
|
Rider |
Points |
Score |
|
Joaquim Rodriguez |
26 |
3837 |
|
Tony Martin |
18 |
1515 |
|
Daniel Martin |
16 |
610 |
|
Damino Cunego |
14 |
925 |
|
Rigoberto Uran |
12 |
1332 |
|
Igor Anton |
8 |
400 |
|
Jurgen van den Broeck |
6 |
665 |
|
Rui Costa |
6 |
1332 |
|
Mikel Nieve |
6 |
345 |
|
Ryder Hesjedal |
6 |
1231 |
|
Janez Bajkovic |
4 |
584 |
|
Richi Porte |
4 |
317 |
|
Benat Intxausti |
4 |
251 |
|
Gustav Erik Larsson |
4 |
222 |
|
Tiago Jose Pino Machado |
2 |
120 |
|
Enrico Battalgin |
2 |
100 |
|
Fredrik Kessiakoff |
2 |
875 |
|
Nichola Roche |
2 |
310 |
|
Victor Cabedo |
1 |
0 |
|
Amets Txurruka |
1 |
0 |
|
Wilco Kelderman |
1 |
270 |
|
David Veilluex |
1 |
100 |
|
Fabio Aru |
1 |
20 |
|
Romain Sicard |
1 |
30 |
|
Tom Jelte Slagter |
1 |
140 |
|
|
149 |
15531 |
And another team that had Wiggo and J-rod but was much the same as the team I went with:
|
Rider |
Cost |
Points |
|
Joaquim Rodriquez |
26 |
3837 |
|
Bradley Wiggins |
18 |
2630 |
|
Tony Martin |
18 |
1515 |
|
Tyler Farrar |
14 |
383 |
|
Matti Breschel |
10 |
390 |
|
Denis Menchov |
8 |
300 |
|
Jakob Fuglsang |
8 |
630 |
|
Heirich Haussler |
8 |
580 |
|
Jurgen Van den Broeck |
6 |
665 |
|
Ryder Hesjedal |
6 |
1231 |
|
Janez Brajkovic |
4 |
584 |
|
Richie Porte |
4 |
317 |
|
Gustav Eric Larsson |
4 |
222 |
|
Enrico Battaglin |
2 |
100 |
|
Nicholas Roche |
2 |
310 |
|
Andrea Guardini |
2 |
80 |
|
Arnaud Demare |
2 |
700 |
|
Rudiger Selig |
1 |
70 |
|
Wilco Kelderman |
1 |
270 |
|
David Veilleux |
1 |
100 |
|
Guillaume Boivin |
1 |
120 |
|
Jetse Bol |
1 |
0 |
|
Moreno Moser |
1 |
699 |
|
Tom Jelte Slagter |
1 |
140 |
|
Tosh Van der Sande |
1 |
30 |
|
|
150 |
15903 |
I think it is easy to see the consistency with which Farrar shows up and the almost complete lack of Sagan or Boonen without multiple layers of sabotage surrounding them. So I chickened out on Boonen, never thought that Sagan would continue to go nuts. Completely missed Degenkolbs revelation. Did not pick Kessiakoff despite my past liking of him.
Oh well I may have a few more thoughts later but for right now this is enough purging for me!
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