SBS RaboDirect Tour de France Fantasy

[jasimon]

I realise that this oversimplifies it, not to mention the crucial importance of the correct team pick (and trade) and the double points stage but am I warm?

Red hot.

[reeves]

Hi everyone , some of you guys may still have people not riding in the tour and you only have a few hours to swap them out. Better get on and check your team before 23.59 est. good luck everyone

[cherrycam]

CherryPicked is now in the queue

[cyclingnovice]

- By 9am Sunday 4 July, swap out 6 riders with 5 sprinters and the yellow jersey holder

I think it's actually 6pm Sunday - the site says that it's 9am server time.

Pretty pumped for the Tour, but I'm going to struggle with the fantasy.

[jasimon]

- By 9am Sunday 4 July, swap out 6 riders with 5 sprinters and the yellow jersey holder

I think it's actually 6pm Sunday - the site says that it's 9am server time.

Pretty pumped for the Tour, but I'm going to struggle with the fantasy.

Nope - all the times are AEST despite them occasionally referring to "Server Time" in other places.

[Aushiker]

Hi

All teams now accepted. Latest bunch should be showing within 24 hours.

Andrew

[Ruski73]

Anyone lock in Fabian to their starting 9?

[Aushiker]

Anyone lock in Fabian to their starting 9?

Hi

I didn't. Heard of mountains?

Andrew

[martinjs]

Yes I did, but is the Prologue counted?

Martin

[Aushiker]

Yes I did, but is the Prologue counted?

Martin

Hi

Prologue is not counted. The initial team (prior to 11:59 AM AEST July 3) should really be your GC contenders or as many as you can afford .


Andrew

[martinjs]

Hopefully he'll maintain the lead for a stage or two so I can get a couple of points.

Martin

[Aushiker]

Hopefully he'll maintain the lead for a stage or two so I can get a couple of points.

Martin

Hi

Yeah. I have now transferred him and thinking about it, it might have been smart to have him in from the start as you did to free up a transfer. I will swap him out once they get to the mountains.

Andrew

[jasimon]

Fabian would be a gamble for the initial team. You put him in if you are confident he will win the prologue and, thereby, you save yourself a transfer.

I suspect that cherrycam picked him and the gamble paid off. The net effect seems to be that he has Rojas in his squad now whereas I don't. Conversely I have Jani Brajkovic in my initial squad. The gamble pays off if Rojas earns more points in the next six stages (including bonus stage multiplier if any) than Jani does in the final standing. We will only know at the end of the competition which side of the ledger I end up on. Of course, that is with hindsight. If Fabian had come anything but first in the prologue then the gamble doesn't pay off.

[martinjs]

I've no idea of the riders abilities out side of the big names so I just picked out a group of riders who I liked or have heard do well from time to time.

Martin

[len1266]

Just joined,name of team Wind Racers.Thanks Andrew

[cherrycam]

Fabian would be a gamble for the initial team. You put him in if you are confident he will win the prologue and, thereby, you save yourself a transfer.

I suspect that cherrycam picked him and the gamble paid off. The net effect seems to be that he has Rojas in his squad now whereas I don't. Conversely I have Jani Brajkovic in my initial squad. The gamble pays off if Rojas earns more points in the next six stages (including bonus stage multiplier if any) than Jani does in the final standing. We will only know at the end of the competition which side of the ledger I end up on. Of course, that is with hindsight. If Fabian had come anything but first in the prologue then the gamble doesn't pay off.

Yes, a gamble and it payed off. Though it was reasonably likely, after reading your comment i wasn't so sure I did the right thing. Alternatively I could have put in another low cost sprinter I suppose. Also wondering if I should have put Mcewen in instead of one of the others...time will tell.

[jasimon]

Bah!

Should have stuck with stage 19 as my bonus stage - much more predictable even if you can't get the perfect team together given the limits of transfers and whatnot.

[Ruski73]

Fabian would be a gamble for the initial team. You put him in if you are confident he will win the prologue and, thereby, you save yourself a transfer.

I suspect that cherrycam picked him and the gamble paid off. The net effect seems to be that he has Rojas in his squad now whereas I don't. Conversely I have Jani Brajkovic in my initial squad. The gamble pays off if Rojas earns more points in the next six stages (including bonus stage multiplier if any) than Jani does in the final standing. We will only know at the end of the competition which side of the ledger I end up on. Of course, that is with hindsight. If Fabian had come anything but first in the prologue then the gamble doesn't pay off.

I went with Tony Martin for the better GC prospects. Then had to bring in Fab for the Yellow Jersey points. Petacchi was the casualty of the burnt trade. Ouch.

[Ruski73]

Bah!

Should have stuck with stage 19 as my bonus stage - much more predictable even if you can't get the perfect team together given the limits of transfers and whatnot.

Yes. I have St19 as the bonus and planning a big haul but can see it all turning to bollocks well before that.

[Aushiker]

Hi

Congratulations to Team Wilton for taking the yellow so early

Andrew

[bella26]

Well not a good start for team HTFU - the crashes leading up to the sprint finish really put pay to my strategy of loading my team with the likely sprint contenders. I can see my team ending up right down the bottom by the end of all this!

[HAKS]

I had Fab in my original team a)because he was fairly cheap once i had a few GC contenders b) chances he would take yellow were pretty damn high and c) saved me at transfer come Sun morning . Now just to teach Mr Cavendish how to take corners without wiping out himself + another of my sprinters

[Nix]

I had Fab in the team hoping he'd hold onto the yellow for a few days (1 day down!).. BUT I didn't get to a computer yesterday so haven't put my sprinters in (luckily I had Renshaw already)... that on top of not selecting a team, I'm in big trouble... will just try and watch the riders now in preperation for next year's comp

[Aushiker]

Hi

Just a heads-up ...

Cervelo Test Team has suspended rider Xavier Florencio from competing in the Tour de France for using a substance containing banned stimulant Ephedrine.

Source: Cycling Central

Andrew

[Aushiker]

Hi

Stage 2 over and Team Wilton has the yellow for another day. Can Skippy's Kangaroos bridge the gap tonight?

Andrew